University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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on the Water In the city limits and out, Austinites have water, water everywhere Picture this: you attend a state university in the mid- continental United States. It ' s August and you just arrived back at school. You and your friends feel like catching a few summer rays while you still can. After all, by the middle of September it ' ll be too cold for shorts. You all pile in the car and head for the only lake within a 50-mile radius. You spread out the blankets and pass around the sunblock. Too bad it ' s so polluted or you could swim. Better to be safe than sorry, you reason. No telling what you might catch in that water. . . Hey, take it easy! For- tunately for you, this was only a fictitious scenario. If you were an Austinite, you could enjoy Travis County ' s abundant lakes and waterways seven months out of the year. From Barton Springs to Lake Travis, there was surely something for everyone. Barton Springs, a spring-fed natural swim- ming pool, was located in Zilker Park and was the size of a football field. Being so large, it drew hundreds each weekend. Barton Springs is relaxing and enjoyable, said Megan Moorman, government sophomore. A real change of pace. After taking a dip in the chilling 68 degree water, one could stretch out on the vast lawn and soak up some rays. Town Lake and Lake Austin were both within the Austin city limits. Town Lake was lined with more than fifteen miles of hike and bike trails and a public park. Swimming and motor boating were prohibited, but sailboats, canoes and electric boats were welcome. Twenty-two-mile long Lake Barton Creek Road Bridge over Barton Creek Austin began at Mansfield Dam and wandered through hous- ing developments and parks in Austin and West Lake Hills. Popular Lake Travis was home to more than 20,000 peo- ple in residential and lake communities and was a hot spot for scuba diving, sailing, waterskiing, swimming and camping. On almost any weekend, members of the UT Sailing Club enjoyed a day on the water at Lake Travis. Other relaxation-seekers preferred to stay ashore. Going to the lake is so peaceful and restful because there aren ' t any interruptions and you can read or do whatever you want, Amy Jennings, lib- eral arts sophomore, said. Six public parks provided room to stretch out. The new boating law may have had an effect on the attitudes of boaters. Texas Senate Bill 276, passed in spring 1989, ruled illegal the operation of a boat or similar water vehicle or device while in- toxicated. We are preparing to strictly enforce the boat- ing safety laws this spring, said Captain Dexter Harris, Boating Laws Admin- istrator with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The key to this lies in the training of our officers. We hope to be able to determine that someone is intoxicated before the accident occurs, but unfortunately that has not been the case in the past. The administration hoped the new law would reduce the number of boating accidents in Texas. So, you see, you had rest and relaxation in your own backyard. With Barton Springs, Town Lake, Lake Austin and Lake Travis just a short drive away, who could complain? Unless you were hydrophobic, that is. . Austin on the Water 15

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The Price of Picture a darkened movie screen. Fade in to a wide shot of a crowded city square. It is evening; flickering fires cast red light over the students who flee in every direction or attempt to stand their ground. Bodies lie in scattered heaps amid crushed bicycles and charred buses. At the east end of the square, tanks lumber slowly but relent- lessly toward the crowd. Fade to black. Fade in to another square, 100 days later. It is evening; the fragile glow of many candles lights the faces of stu- dents who sit silently, wearing black armbands. The three-quarter moon ' s silver light and the glaring white eyes of TV cameras give an unnatural bright- ness to the solemn scene. Sound of a high, sweet girl ' s voice singing, Light a little candle, hold it close to your heart .... Sound of many voices joining soft- ly in the singing. The first scene was Tiananmen Square in Beijing, where on June 4, 1989, Chinese government troops killed thousands of pro-democracy ac- tivists, mostly students, who had been protesting in the square for several weeks. The second was the West Mall, where on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 1989, both Chinese and American students, faculty members and Austinites gathered for a Candlelight Vigil meant, organizers said, to keep June 4 ' s events from fad- ing out of memory. The 100th day for me is like an anniversary, Ying Tang, public affairs graduate student, said earlier Tuesday at a West Mall rally. I think we want to bring some reminiscence to campus, to bring the memory back. Tang was a member of the Associ- ation for Freedom and Democracy in China, formed in summer 1989 imme- diately after Tiananmen Square. When the massacre occurred, a story by Robin Mayhall photos by Hannes Hacker and John David Phelps group of Chinese students gathered to- gether on this campus to talk about what they could do to express their an- ger, AFDC member Pat Wong, pro- fessor of public affairs and a Tiananmen Week organizer, said. The success of the group ' s July 2 sym- posium generated the idea for a me- morial on the 100-day anniversary of the Tiananmen Square killings, as the 100th day is a traditional day of re- membrance in China. As members came up with more and more ideas, the proposed one-day event grew into a week filled with lectures, rallies and benefit concerts, Wong said. Former U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright and Ruan Ming, former Chi- nese Communist party official, spoke at the Monday opening ceremony. Tues- day, the actual 100th day after Tiananmen Square, was marked by sev- eral events, including a rally, the Can- dlelight Vigil and a memorial rock con- cert in the Texas Union Ballroom. The noon rally on the West Mall drew both interested Chinese and American stu- dents and passersby. Lisa Ayala, a broadcast journalism senior who stopped to listen to a speak- er as she was walking by, said she was interested because she had followed the summer ' s events in China. When the massacre in Tiananmen Square and in Beijing started, I was pretty much glued to the TV set, Ayala said. I think most of America was interested, as well as the Chinese students. I think it ' s something that cer- tainly won ' t be forgotten soon. Wong said the interest displayed by non-Chinese students was an encour- aging result of the week. I was very encouraged by the number of Amer- ican students who showed up, he said. In addition, Chinese students from three traditionally disparate areas Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland Chi- na worked together for the first time in organizing the event, Wong said. On Saturday, the group held a ben- efit classical concert in Bates Recital Hall. Chinese musicians, some of whose names and backgrounds were withheld to protect their families in China, per- formed both Western and Chinese vo- cal and instrumental pieces. Lin Zongti, who was chief musician with the Beijing Opera for 20 years, received a standing ovation for his passionate performance of the Chinese folk song Lantern Fes- tival on the banhu, a two-stringed fid- dle. Throughout the week, students could examine an exhibit outside the Flawn Academic Center. Pictures from Tiananmen Square, transcribed eyewit- ness accounts and stories from various newspapers worldwide were mounted on large stands. Visitors viewed the ex- hibit and left their own comments on a poster board provided at the end. Wong said he believed Tiananmen Week was a success. I was really happy with the outcome. In addition, the week when con- sidered along with similar memorials worldwide could have an influence beyond just reminding UT students of June 4 ' s events. When you look at the entire picture, when you look at what happened all over the world on Sept. 12, it sends a very strong signal to the Chinese gov- ernment, Wong said. I think we are in this for the long haul. Nobody ex- pects China to be transformed into a democratic nation tomorrow. I think we are looking at a 20- to 30-year ex- perience here. People need to be con- cerned about this because . . . human rights and human dignity are the con- cerns of humanity. Wong said the Association for Free- dom and Democracy in China plans to hold other events to promote awareness and support of the pro-democracy movement among both Chinese and American students. As the speaker who ended Tuesday ' s lOOth-day rally said, The only way to remember them is to fight on. The only way to live is to be free. Robin Mayhall 16 Tiananmen Week