The Mercury 01 24 22

Flooding in the New Year

SHC offers booster shot

The Student Health Center is now offering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to eligible students.

As with previous COVID-19 vaccines provided by the SHC, these boosters will be the Moderna brand. Director of Student Health Center Lea Aubrey said the state determines booster brand and quantity based on statewide vaccine availability. Students eligible for a booster include those who received all recommended vaccine doses of Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson at least five months ago – or two months ago if they received Johnson and Johnson – and are currently enrolled in the University. To get the booster, Aubrey said students should contact the SHC to make an appointment or schedule an appointment through the online patient portal link, which the SHC plans to send out through an announcement email in the near future. The scheduling link will also be available on the SHC website once the announcement goes out.

“We would prefer that students reach out to us to see what’s available rather than walking in, so we aren’t overwhelmed,” Aubrey said. “Again, with COVID numbers still on the rise, we want to make sure we keep everyone protected by spacing out appointments. And if a student needs assistance with making an appointment, we’ll definitely do our best to accommodate them and find a time that works for their schedule.”

Because SHC services are for students only, and the SHC isn’t partnering with vaccine providers such as Walmart like they did last semester, staff, faculty and employees can’t schedule booster appointments with them. They can, however, check with their primary health care provider or local health department to get a booster elsewhere.

“It does seem that boosters are readily available in the community,” Aubrey said. “I know CVS, Tom Thumb and Kroger are offering them just off the top of my head, so staff, faculty and employees could go there. For the most part, they’d need to make appointments online like how we’re doing.” Students coming in for their SHC booster appointment should bring their vaccine card to verify that they’ve received their primary doses and so the clinician can sign off on the card documenting that they completed the appointment.

“Not all places are requiring the booster shots, but different states have different requirements and I’ve had to show my vaccine card when traveling,” Aubrey said, “So, I think it’s easier for [students] to maintain the information in one place, which is why we’re signing off on the same card instead of giving them a new one.”

The SHC will post advisements on what to do after receiving a booster, like the “wait in the building for 15 minutes after getting your shot to monitor for any side effects” advisements posted last year at the Walmart pop-up clinic. Aubrey said she highly recommends students fill out the Voluntary Booster Reporting Form after they complete their appointment.

“It would definitely help the University keep track of the number of students vaccinated, and it’s helpful on our end for recordkeeping purposes,” Aubrey said.

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XAI drag show dazzles audience

Non-feasible gaming tokens

COVIDsurge onceagain disruptsUTD springpolicies

TYLERBURKHARDT Editor-in-Chief

UTDs response to the omicron wave in the DFW area includes a number of policies beyond the week-long postponement of the semester and subsequent transition to online instruction through Feb. 4

UNIVERSITIES COMBAT OMICRON SURGE WITH DIFFERENT TACTICS

Universities across Texas responded to the omicron surge and the pandemic with varying measures. How well have they succeeded?

Looking at UT, UTSA, UTA, TAMU and UNT in comparison to UTD, most Texan universities have taken similar steps to UTD in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. Daily health checks, proactive testing and constant mask and vaccine encouragement are a common theme across all of these schools. However, there are some differences in approach, especially regarding the beginning of the spring semester.

The biggest difference between campus responses is in the in-person spring semester start date. Most campuses opted to use virtual instruction to delay the start of in-person operations for two to three weeks, with the exception of TAMU and UNT. The UT system collectively delayed in-person instruction, with UT set to return Jan. 31 while the rest of the system declared they would be online through Feb. 4. However, there doesn’t appear to be a strong link between in-person instruction and reported case numbers; for instance, UNT – already a week into in-

person instruction – reported 117 cases at time of reporting, while UTA has reported 723 active cases without yet teaching classes in person.

Of the six universities compared above, UTD has the lowest amount of reported active cases: 73. However, UTD is also the only university in the UT System without on-campus testing either by demand or by appointment, which may be deflating that statistic.

Vice President and Chief of Staff Rafael Martín said that will likely remain the case throughout the course of the semester, as UTD doesn’t have access to the same inhouse medical infrastructure as other large universities.

“Realistically speaking, we don’t have the bandwidth to provide the walk-in, ondemand testing. Most of the institutions that I've seen that are providing that sort of service have health science centers associated with them. Many of them have nursing schools or even medical schools, and they're leaning heavily on that infrastructure. That makes a lot of sense,” Martín said. “We obviously don't have that. When we were doing asymptomatic testing, we had the capacity to

do up to three or 4,000 tests a week. That's maximum capacity, and clearly that's not going to get you through 30 to 35,000 people

employees and students – on any kind of regular basis.”

Another difference in approach across universities has been the vaccine incentive programs offered by the schools. UTD had the most direct incentive program, offering a blanket $100 amount to any student that reported their vaccination via the self-report form, alongside entering vaccinated students into a raffle for additional prizes, including tuition and housing rebates. Every other school also offered drawings into a raffle, but few offered anything beyond that. UTA –also the only campus still actively providing incentives – did offer direct compensation to students alongside the raffle entry, but that came in the form of $50 worth of gift cards to the university bookstore per dose.

A perfect comparison between vaccination on public school campuses remains impossible because of their inability to compel students to report a positive case of COVID-19 or their vaccination status. Due to Governor

Due to the high transmissibility of the omicron variant and the increased demand for testing in the North Texas region, the randomized surveillance testing program has been temporarily suspended. Faculty choosing to teach in-person are being asked to utilize seating charts to aid the contact tracing process, which will remain the norm when the University returns to in-person instruction. Vice President and Chief of Staff Rafael Martín said that UTD continues to closely monitor the status of omicron cases locally and expects that a final verdict on whether Feb. 7 will mark the date of that return will be made by the end of the week.

“[The decision to return] is about the totality of circumstances and environment that we're facing in the North Texas region. We've set February 7 as our date to return to in-person classes,” Martín said, “and we will make a decision at the latest by a week from [Jan. 21] about whether or not we're going to hold to that, or whether we're going to extend kind-of-remote instruction for an additional period. So we will give the campus community at least a full week's notice before we make that determination.”

Martín emphasized that the decision to return is not being made based off the number of positive tests on any single day, but rather in the context of how COVID-19 – specifically, the omicron variant – is impacting relevant communities. That list begins with the surrounding municipalities, but also includes analysis of broader public-health trends. Particular attention is being paid to the recovery trajectory of previous hotspots, like regions of South Africa, which have almost uniformly seen a rapid spike in case counts accompanied by an equally-sharp decline after a few weeks – and modelling by Associate Professor Dr.Timothy Bray suggests the metroplex

Intramurals leagues remain on-track

Spring semester UREC offerings let Comets continue play with slightly reduced hours, no spectators

TYLER BURKHARDT Editor-in-Chief

While the omicron variant has disrupted the start of many Comets’ 2022 academic schedules, on-campus recreation offerings and intramural leagues continue with only a few minor adjustments.

“The biggest adjustment we have had to make is just with student staff,” said Benjamin Piper, University Recreation’s associate director of programs. “From now until we come back for February 7, we’ve had a lot of staff across the board decide to stay home until that point, and so of course we had to adjust our facility hours. You name the program, there’s probably something we’re doing to adjust and get through these three weeks.”

For instance, instead of being open until 1 a.m. on weekdays, the Activity Center now closes at 10 p.m.; complete facility schedules can be found online on the UREC website. Similarly, the windows for intramural competition have been narrowed: instead of hosting games from 7 pm to midnight, the ongoing basketball league now plays from 7-10 p.m.

“With intramurals,” Piper said, “we’ve made a couple of tweaks, but not a whole lot. We’re basically going forward with what we had planned, [although] our basketball league has been cut down a week. We won’t be allowing any spectators into the games, will do some spacing with the team benches, and otherwise we’re playing it by ear until something else comes down the pipeline that we

need to adjust to. As for group fitness, we’re offering three virtual fitness classes a week – Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday –but not any in-person classes until we get back.”

Although student staffing for UREC as a whole is down, including for referees and intramural staffers, participation in the intramural leagues has not been significantly impacted by the semester’s early transition to online instruction.

Piper said¬, “attendance and registration [have] been fairly steady. Female participation is lagging a little bit behind that of the guys, but that’s been a national trend for years in terms of intramural sports. So, for the most part, it’s remained pretty much where we thought it would be [prior to the start of the semester].”

With steady participation and sufficient staffing at the moment, UREC’s events schedule, including programming for future intramural leagues, remains similar to the one released at the start of the semester; registration for those activities will continue to be hosted through UTD’s IMLeagues portal. However, Piper said, if the circumstances dictate, that could yet change.

“With this new variant and everything that is happening in the local community, things are fluid. I encourage students to stay in tune with our social media and our website; that’s the easiest way to know if our hours flex or something changes,” he said.

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UTDPD Blotter

December 2

• A UTD student was issued a Richardson citation for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia at Residence Hall Northwest at 10:23 p.m.

Richardson, TX 75080-0688

Eco hub starts to sprout

Students begin work on various personal projects within the Eco Hub

The Eco Hub is more than just a farm; it is a 20,000 square foot space that has encouraged innovation and education, fostered student leadership and will provide a safety net for UTD students affected by food insecurity.

The farm was established to provide fresh produce grown by student volunteers and contribute food to the Comet Cupboard. Since its creation in the fall of 2021, almost 90 students from several different disciplines are bringing to life projects addressing global environmental issues through the Eco Hub. It has also offered an immersive learning experience for those interested in studying honeybees, providing a more sustainable home for one of UTD’s apiaries. While tackling the issue of food insecurity, the program aims to help develop student leaders who have the confidence to make decisions and work collaboratively with others. Student volunteers have had a great degree of freedom working on the Eco Hub, as they are given their own plots of land to care for with others and are able to

come up with strategies for how they want to use their space. The Eco Hub has slowly been blooming as the weather warms up in the spring, opening up plenty of opportunities for students to garden more.

Avery McKitrick, the sustainability coordinator who manages students’ involvement with the Eco Hub and related programs, said “we’re still learning how to mitigate some of the problems in our garden. We aren’t to the point where we are able to harvest anything yet, but we anticipate a really great spring crop.”

Students are also being encouraged to pursue passion projects regarding sustainability through the Eco Hub. The space that the Eco Hub provides allows students to take on these sustainability passion projects that wouldn’t normally be possible for a prospective dorm or apartment resident.

"There are opportunities for students to build structures out of sustainable materials for example, or grow experimental crops that we wouldn’t necessarily donate. So, we obtained this space, and when a student wants to do a project that would require some level of space or protection our office can now provide that, which is

Res hall pipe burst causes flooding

Housing quickly contained the flood while most students were on vacation for the holiday break

A broken toilet caused five dorms in Residence Hall North to take a swim this past winter break – and what caused the toilet to break is still unclear.

On Dec. 23, over winter break, one of the toilets on the first floor of Residence Hall North had a flush valve diaphragm break; this caused the toilet to continuously flush. The nonstop flushing resulted in the toilet's pipe breaking, causing clean water from the toilet to flow into the hallway, a staff member’s apartment and three more suites.

UTD Housing and maintenance were quick to identify the issue, and within a couple of hours, all the water was cleared out. Housing is not aware of any severe property damage and do not know what caused the flush valve diaphragm to break.

Many students in the residence hall had been at home for the holidays, but the few students who were still in the flooded dorms were able to clear objects from the floor and contact others for help.

Agastya Bose, a computer science freshman who lives in one of the affected dorms, said: “I realized that my room was flooded a bit late. I was watching a movie and my feet were kept up, and the thing is, my mom called me after that and when I answered the call, I put my feet down on the floor and realized that the floor was wet. That’s not how the floor is supposed to be!”

Arch Nolen, a neuroscience major who

lives in the same wing as Bose, was at her house when this incident occurred. Since Nolen was in Dallas at the time, she was able to come to back to campus when she heard what had happened and make sure that nothing in her room was damaged by the water. Nolen said that the water did not reach her room, but she still returned to make sure that everything was alright.

“I had gotten a call from somebody else and they were like ‘hey, it’s flooding! I don’t know if it’s going to get to your room. You should come and get stuff off your floor.’

So, I came back,” said Nolen.

a really unique opportunity that we have compared to other universities,” McKitrick said.

Caroline Lonneman, geosciences senior and student director of the Eco Hub, said that she was very involved in the creation of the farm space, showing how involved students have been in the development of the Eco Hub.

“We do have a couple plans in the making. We want to find some students who might want to paint the shed with some sort of mural. We’re planning on doing something called Eco Bricks – they are made from recycled materials and you can build structures with them,” said Lonneman. To further students’ learning experiences, the Eco Hub now also houses one of UTD’s apiaries. Scott Rippel, a UTD biology professor, and Christina Thompson, an assistant professor with the Honors College, manage the two apiaries on campus –the one newly located at the Eco Hub, and the other, which remains behind the

Administration building.

“We have the capability of running about 12 hives in each apiary... we tend to like to have between 16-22 hives total to manage. That gives us enough hives to harvest honey and give students the opportunity to look inside the hives,” Rippel said. The bees have been a great addition to the Eco Hub, contributing to the growth of the farmland. One particularly unique advantage, Rippel says, is that these bees serve as an indicator species for what is happening across a community. By studying the honeybees at UTD’s apiaries and

their growth or decline, students can understand how other pollinators are interacting with the local environment.

“The apiary gives the beekeeper an opportunity to educate the community about bees and pollination, and the importance and role that bees have in our agricultural system. So, it’s more of an educational opportunity for the community,” said Rippel.

Disruptions to the spring term’s schedule due to the pandemic will not heavily affect students’ abilities to volunteer at the Eco

SEE ECOHUB, PAGE 8

Motorcyclist caught in crash on Waterview and Synergy Park

The business analytics grad student underwent multiple surgeries in recovery

A UTD graduate student got into a serious motorcycle accident near campus on Nov. 15 and is currently in recovery.

Business analytics graduate Ralish Routray was on his way to UTD around 7:30 p.m. to meet with a friend. He was waiting at the traffic light between Waterview Parkway and Synergy Park Boulevard and made a rushed left turn when the traffic light was flashing yellow. Instead of yielding, Routray turned left too soon, which is when a car crashed directly into his motorcycle. While Routray survived the accident, he faces severe health problems which prevented him from being able to complete his fall semester.

As a result of the accident, Routray broke his femur and pelvis, undergoing numerous surgeries over the seven days following the collision. The surgeries fixed his broken limbs

COMET COMMENTS

and prevented further internal bleeding from occurring; however, Routray suffered an additional complication from the collision before being released.

“When they were about to discharge me from the hospital, they found out that there was a hole in my intestine caused by the broken bone fragments,” Routray said.

Due to this complication, Routray needed yet another surgery which extended his recovery time. He now has to wear a colostomy bag for the next six months.

“Orthopedic wise, recovery is going pretty well but colostomy-wise, recovery is very slow,” Routray said. “After six months, I’ll need another surgery.”

In early December, Routray moved into a rehabilitation facility to get proper treatment and heal from his injuries with the help of medication and physical therapy.

One of Routray’s primary concerns following the accident was the impact it would have on his academics. He was supposed to graduate this fall, but due to his injuries he will be graduating next spring. In addition to the delay in graduation, Routray was unable to finish his fall semester. His professors have allowed him to take his final exams at a later date for classes he took during the fall semester.

“It was a whole six-month shift for me. I can’t even do an internship because my injuries have prevented me from being able to search and interview for them,” Routray said. “I feel like this injury caused a lot of time to be wasted for me.”

Loknath Patro, a member of the DFW Orissa society -- a subcultural Indian organization -- said that the organization has been

→ SEE MOTORCYCLE, PAGE 8

How do you feel about the decision to delay the start to in-person classes?

"I think it's a very delayed response, it's the right response but it was delivered too late and that has affected a lot of people's plans. I don't disagree with it, I understand it's for the safety of the university and all, but I also just wish that they had announced it earlier so that we'd have time to situate."

-Lam Nguyen, ITS senior

"To be honest, I don't mind it... I don't know that two weeks of delayed instruction is gonna change the fact that we are getting a lot of cases every day. So I don't know if just delaying it will make any impact. In my opinion if they had started at the scheduled time, it wouldn't have changed anything."

-Gandhar Yedsikar, business analytics graduate student

"I think they should open up sooner. Because having to do online classes is a difficult task. Like, [the professor] says 'there's the carbon and there's the hydrocarbon'. But you cannot see which one she's pointing at right? ... I'd very much like if the classes are in person.

-Hansel Chand, biology junior

MANYA BONDADA Mercury Staff

MANYA BONDADA Mercury Staff

PALAK DAVE Mercury Staff

CAROLINE LONNEMAN

Dazzling Drag returns to UTD

LGBTQ+ diaternity brings back drag performances with "Among The Stars" to finish off fall semester

Chi Alpha Iota (XAI) diaternity’s annual drag show returned this fall in a night filled with dazzling costumes, charitable donations and energizing performances.

Featured performers from the genderinclusive Greek organization spoke with The Mercury about their experience planning and putting on an in-person show in these chaotic times, as well as what drag – an art form exploring the performative nature of gender presentation – meant to them personally. Psychology senior Beck Da Jose, performing as Sin Diesel, said that different drag personas were like different panels in a stained glass window, all forming one work of art.

“There’s a shining light that you are,” Da

Jose said. “Who I am normally and who I am in the drag show… they are all extensions of me, they’re just played up in different ways.”

XAI members develop their own characters, building personas from an understanding of who they are and how they want to

present on stage. The performers spoke out against misconceptions people tend to have about drag—it isn’t just for cis men, for instance, who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth.

“Historically and accurately speaking, it’s very trans-dominated, there’s a lot of people of color – but unfortunately the media focuses on the pretty, cis men acting catty that they can market… drag is an art form, and people should be more respectful of it,” biology senior Alex Xavier said. “It’s a queer celebration.” They emphasized the openness of drag to anyone who wants to perform- personas need not even disagree with the performer’s offstage gender identity.

For mechanical engineering senior and XAI President Natasha Rahman, her character Delta was an extension of her own masculinity. There isn’t a codified set of rules to follow for drag identity. Rahman put an

I Love U A-Latte

Down-tempo café with fairly priced offerings, chill vibe makes for an excellent study spot right off-campus

Every time you wake up, you go through a morning- or late afternoonroutine, and for many students that includes getting a cup of tea or coffee. If you’re tired of hitting up the on-campus Starbucks every day, let me introduce you to I Love U A Latte, a new place to get your fix right down the street.

I Love U A Latte is a strip mall café situated on Campbell Road near CVS, with a range of food and drink options and a quiet, relaxing vibe. A five-minute drive or about a 15-minute walk from the center of campus, it’s convenient enough to get to and has a few things to offer to put it above the default Starbucks.

Upon walking in, any prospective customer is greeted with jazz music playing in the background, seating options ranging from couches to comfy chairs, and a wealth of options for the perfect cup of joe. They have free-touse wifi that is fairly fast at around 116 Mbps down and conveniently placed outlets and power strips to plug into.

It’s clear that the café atmosphere might as well be tailor-made for students, considering its proximity to campus. There’s even a printer that can be used for about a dollar a page, which is fairly reasonable.

The coffee is good, with lots of choices for customization. They have most alternative dairy products you can think of, like oat, soy and almond milk, and a good selection of syrup flavors for drinks. The price point is similar to Starbucks, with five dollars here getting you a little more coffee than it would at a generic coffee chain. And with a list of mixes to try, from the classic French Vanilla to the more foreign ”popcorn” syrup mix, there’s sure to be a latte that any prospective customer will love.

A café doesn’t need to have good food, but I Love U A-Latte also has excellent breakfast and lunch options on top of their drink menu. For breakfast options, they offer omelets, wraps and avocado toast, and for lunch there’s wraps and sandwiches. I tried the Ul -

Retrograde reads: War dogs by greg bear

Science fiction novel imagines taking humanity to its limit with warfare set on the planet Mars

Interviewing Vietnam veterans was certainly one of my more formative high school experiences. I remember long nights in garages among folding chairs and spent beer cans, asking for permission to record and getting several expletives along the lines of “sure, why not” in answer. The context of these conversations gives a bit of background for why I want you to pick up Greg Bear’s “War Dogs" at your earliest convenience: this book, set on Mars in the midst of an alien conflict, is reminiscent of a true military story.

stantial achievement for him and a possible warning for the prospective reader.

timate Veggie Omelet; it was well-seasoned and well-made. I have a certain apprehension for eggs made at cafes and restaurants, – rarely have I had a good egg I didn’t make myself – but here, there is nothing to fear. All of the food options range from about eight to eleven dollars including tax, and the amount of food you get is comparable to spending that same money at any given fast-food place, and it tastes far better.

I Love U A-Latte provides the ideal quiet study environment, complete with fast wifi, refreshing drinks and comfy chairs. While not cheap, the café is not prohibitively expensive, and the vibes of the space are immaculate. If only every café in America were like this one! National productivity would soar through the roof. It is a 5/5 coffee shop, where you can sit back, relax, and then remember the essay that needs four more pages typed up. So next time you’re considering where to get coffee, I Love U A-Latte should be on your shortlist as a spot to get The Fix. Have a favorite place for coffee/tea yourself? Reach out to managingeditor@ utdmercury.com or @UTDMercury on twitter with your favorite place to get The Fix, and we might review for the next issue!

Bear is well-known for his work in science fiction. Well-awarded, too: he's got two Hugos and five Nebula Awards for a reason. Any one of his books would appeal to the UTD crowd, from the FBI counterrorism procedural "Quantico" to the “Legend of Zelda”-esque "Songs of Earth & Power.” He... also wrote several of the “Halo” novels, which you Brian David Gilbert fans might appreciate.

"War Dogs,” however, stands out from the crowd due to its unique narration and incredibly compelling story structure.

The narrator, Master Sergeant Michael Venn, alternates between telling the story of his experience as a Marine on Mars and the trouble he now faces back on Earth, with his unit lost in the dust and a government conspiracy brewing to cover it all up. He questions why they were ever sent there, fighting and dying to repay an alien civilization that may not actually have humanity’s best interests at heart.

That writing style quickly becomes the highlight of the novel. The setting by itself wouldn’t be all-too interesting: the dusty and desolate Martian surface, the cramped interiors of tents and tunnel systems, a single living room once the main character returns to Earth. Sergeant Venn’s inner monologue throughout all this, however, stays tense and well-paced enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. Brief phrases like, “Fear is a drug you need to survive,” are framed beautifully by more extended- and horrifying sequences like the following on the enemies’ biological weapons used against the Skyrines (Earthlings’ word for the Marines sent into space).

“We panicked,” he says. “We would have killed each other rather than face the goddamned needles, and now that stokes my rage, the rage that eats me inside, that

Bear’s background in government consulting and science lends a healthy dose of realism to the story, but what really makes it stick is the humanity written into it. He never lets you forget the trauma of war and its impact on the narrator, who slowly comes apart over the course of telling the story.

Congratulations, Greg!

You’ve joined the higher end of my tier list of authors who are frighteningly good at writing panic attacks, which is both a sub-

AUDREY RULIAWAN | COURTESY

Above: Natasha Rahman dancing as her character Delta.

Below: Beck Da Jose lip-syncing as Sin Diesel.

Above: Alex Xavier on stage as Lady Monarch.

Below: Gulabi Jamun performs with a black umbrella.

TATWIK BODEPUDI MERCURY STAFF

The cafe offers multiple tasty food options, from wraps to omelettes.

MARGARET MOORE Copy Editor

MARGARET MOORE Copy Editor

SEE WAR DOGS, PAGE 8

SEE DRAG, PAGE 8

AUDREY RULIAWAN COURTESY AUDREY RULIAWAN | COURTESY

AUDREY RULIAWAN | COURTESY

SGA restoring student art initiative to campus

The Blank Space Project, created to showcase Comet's creativity in empty university spaces, once again accepting student submissions for the spring

Walking past the Student Union Market to grab a bite to eat, you might’ve noticed the “Blank Space Project” – a 14’ x 6’ art display. While it’s been a permanent fixture for three years, the initiative is in the process of being revived with new and more diverse forms of artwork.

The “Blank Space Project” was created as a Student Government initiative led by Vice President at the time Alexander Holcomb and later became collaborative with the Student Union once it was chosen as the gallery’s venue. To get the first cycle of the “Blank Space Project” up and running, he worked with the Director of the Student Union, Dan Goodwin, to plan how they’d implement the gallery. Goodwin said they ultimately decided to host a pop-up art show in the SU in Spring 2019, where interested students were invited to display their art. Members of the UTD community who stopped by were allowed to vote on their favorite pieces. The artworks that received the most votes are the ones you see in the gallery today.

“It was and still is a priority for us to reflect the culture and vibrancy of our campus to really reflect our student body,” Goodwin said. “We want to fill up these – no pun intended – blank spaces in the building with what our campus is and where it’s going. And the Blank Space Initiative was great for that – its goal was the same as our goal.”

Goodwin said Holcomb visualized the gallery as a recurring event, refreshed with new art annually for stu -

dents to enjoy. With the success of the pop-up art show, they were optimistic about renewing the gallery in Spring 2020 of the following year – but then the pandemic hit. All student organizations, including Student Government, ceased operations as students left campus. Holcomb graduated, new SG membership entered and the project was lost in the shuffle. That is, until IPE sophomore and Student Affairs Chair Margaret Moore reignited the

and she was like ‘Oh! Here’s a previous project that was trying to do that. What if we brought that back?’”

Since the spirit of the Blank Space Project aligned perfectly with the committee’s agenda, Moore reached out to Goodwin about renewing the gallery. After brainstorming last fall, they agreed that they’d start up the gallery once again in Spring 2022 with a competition to reinvigorate students’ interest and gather submissions, as well

“In terms of the current art on campus, we know we want to swap it out. That will evolve,” Moore said. “That’s something that we’re waiting for –see how submissions are. And we’re reaching out to see if [current artists] want [their art] back or if they want to keep them on campus. It’s potentially something where we could reach out to other buildings and say, ‘Hey, this was in the SU. You want it over here now?’ You know, kind of move it

blank__space__project

them with a final submission form to submit photos of their work. There isn’t a limit on how many pieces of art students can send in or how many students can submit and there’s no maximum limit on art sizes. So far, over 30 pieces of art have been submitted.

“For mediums, we also included a fourth ‘other’ category on the interest form,” Moore said. “That’s something we’re thinking we’ll collapse into other categories on the official submission form, but we wanted to go ahead and leave it open in the beginning because we didn’t want anyone to open the form and be like ‘Oh, my art isn’t represented here,’ because we didn’t imagine it.”

Goodwin said the SU and the Student Affairs Committee are still considering possible layouts for the gallery to accommodate digital art, 3D art and other non-traditional art mediums, including looking into installing a TV or iPads, expanding the gallery to another area of the SU and getting display boxes for 3D art. Once the gallery is set up, students will be able to vote for their favorite art through a QR code at the unveiling. Competition winners will choose from a list of prizes that SG is still compiling, including art supplies and subscriptions.

initiative in Fall 2021.

“Coming in as Student Affairs Chair, one of the things I wanted to do was work on promoting student art,” Moore said. “That was something that [the previous Student Affairs committee] talked about during COVID, but we didn’t know about the Blank Space Project or anything. Our idea at the time was just to host an event where we’d display art around campus in empty spaces… but then we talked to our student government advisor,

as an art gala to show off the gallery in a grand re-opening.

Because the SU is a high-traffic building where students from departments across UTD regularly congregate, Moore said the space already reserved in the SU is perfect to start off with. Her plan going forward is to try and expand the art to other buildings –such as JSOM, Founder’s, Green Hall, the SSA, Jonsson or the McDermott Library – depending on how many submissions they get.

Screaming for stronger finale

While humorous and nostalgic, 'Scream' (2022) sadly sacrifices good writing for modernization

There is an expectation among moviegoers that sequels must be original while maintaining iconic aspects of the previous films; that is especially true with a franchise like “Scream,” which has become a darling of both horror movie buffs and superfans. This, however, is no easy feat.

Horror movie sequels often lack the same je ne sais quoi that the originals have due to overused tropes, predictable jump scares and a new cast that struggles to rival the original gang.

“Scream”(2022) – the franchise’s fifth film – falls into a similar boat: it attempts to renew a franchise for younger generations while incorporating OG castmates but is ultimately a dissatisfying end for Ghostface enthusiasts.

After the death of the franchise’s cre -

ator, Wes Craven, fans speculated how the fifth “Scream” film would proceed. Would it continue as yet another unnecessary sequel torturing our poor heroine, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell)?

For better or -- in my opinion -- worse, the new film attempts to become a “requel”, meaning that the original cast appears alongside new characters in a bid to modernize the franchise while keeping Craven’s original themes.

The film opens with Tara (Jenna Ortega) texting her friend, only to get a phone call from a mysterious caller. The caller threatens Tara’s best friend while asking the teen trivia about the original “Scream”. This leads to a classic thrilling Ghostface chase, with modern flair: at points, Tara attempts to arm her home security system and uses her phone and the internet to answer Ghostface’s questions. This memorable scene mirrors the first movie’s iconic sequence with

Drew Barrymore, simultaneously incorporating aspects that a Gen Z audience can relate to. Unfortunately, this is one of the only moments of the film that did a respectable job enhancing a “new” scene with nostalgia, with later attempts seeming overly cheesy and random at times.

After Tara is brutalized, her angstridden estranged sister comes to her aid, equipped with a ridiculous backstory and suspiciously kind boyfriend. As the main character of the new “Scream” film, I expected Sam (Melissa Barrera) to have the same grit and presence on screen that everyone’s “final girl,” Sidney Prescott, had. I was disappointed by her bland characterization, especially since other modern horror films have been churning out great female leads.

“Ready or Not,” “Midsommar,”

around campus.”

Moore said SG sent out competition interest forms to professors in the Arts & Humanities school to start garnering interest, but any student from any school can participate. Different from the first iteration of the gallery, all art forms are accepted – including 2D, 3D and digital art. Students who submit to the interest form – which is due on Feb. 4 – need to indicate what art medium their craft fall under and fill out their contact information so SG can contact

“I want to emphasize the excitement of getting to host things in person on campus and get people together over creativity and kind of showing off what they do as a student,” Moore said. “I think, you know, as a STEM school –and it’s a fantastic school, I love UTD –but art can go a little underappreciated. So, getting to kind of show off that talent and the work people put into their craft is a really great opportunity and something I’m really excited Student Government is a part of.”

TATWIK BODEPUDI | MERCURY STAFF

The existing installation was created back in 2019 across the hallway from the Market in the Student Union. It was originally meant to be the first of an annual contest to fill walls on campus, but the project was interrupted by COVID-19.

→ SEE SCREAM PAGE 8

PARAMOUNT PICTURES | COURTESY TARA (JENNA ORTEGA) DEFENDS HERSELF AGAINST GHOSTFACE. 'SCREAM' (2022) PRESENTS A MODERN SPIN ON SLASHER HORROR.

UTD should impose seven-day quarantine for students

While current recommendations range from five to 14 days, research suggests that a seven-day isolation period might prove more effective

FATIMAH AZEEM Opinon Editor

Given research suggesting that the coronavirus is most highly transmissible for seven days after contraction, UTD should adopt a seven-day isolation period as the new norm.

The FAQ section on the Comets United webpage says contact tracers will determine isolation timelines based on CDC guidelines – which recommend five days of isolation for individuals in most cases – and certain Comets might be inclined to follow the 10 – 14 day isolation period from last semester. But neither are optimal isolation periods.

A study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine showed the COVID-19 virus is most contagious right before and seven days after symptoms arise and transmission dies down after day seven, remaining insignificantly different from after then to after day 14. Peer-reviewed research published in The Lancet echoed the same findings, and the CDC itself – the leading health institute covering COVID-19 – analyzed 113 studies from 17 countries and found the general consensus is that coronavirus is at its most infectious for up to a week after symptoms arise. The studies include data on the highly infectious omicron variant, which is more contagious than other variants, but not contagious as long. So, with seven days as the threshold for transmission, seven days of isolation is sound – the CDC’s five-day isola -

tion recommendation is too risky and 10 – 14 days is arbitrary.

Although UTD has used CDC guidelines to help shape nearly all of their other pandemic policies, they should consider that the CDC’s reasoning for their five-day recommendation is contradictory and cryptic, and thus they shouldn’t follow it blindly. As mentioned earlier, the CDC acknowledges studies from a plethora of other research institutions that show the COVID-19 virus is most transmissible for a week after symptoms arise, yet they say on their website they recommend isolating for five days because that’s how long the coronavirus is most infectious for, which doesn’t add up. They vaguely mention mental health and the economy as influencing their decision, but these reasons aren’t safety-driven, and neither of them play a role in how long students are supposed to isolate for when infected with other viral illnesses – such as the flu – so why are they relevant here?

To be fair, the CDC does recommend individuals wear masks for five days after isolating, but because UTD can’t mandate masks, there isn’t a way to ensure Comets wear masks on campus for days five-to-seven of infectiousness. Ultimately, the CDC’s isolation guidelines are unsafe, and UTD (rightly) seems to be keen on keeping Comets safe from COVID-19; it’s why classes are online until Feb. 4, why the first third of last semester was re-densified, and why the University is still implementing

contact tracing and the Daily Health Check. So, even if the CDC is an information leader on COVID-19, “the CDC says so” shouldn’t be the reason isolation times are shortened to less than what’s best.

Conversely, students who are assigned a shorter isolation period shouldn’t have to follow last semester’s 10 – 14 day isolation policy “just in case.” Not only is isolating for more than seven days evidently unnecessary, but it’s harmful to students academically. Missing class while contagious is both unfortunate and essential – taking care of your and your community’s

NFTs provide nothing of value to the games industry

Gaming NFTs are an inherently ridiculous idea, needlessly reinventing the wheel while spinning tall tales of impossible cross-platform items and skins, ultimately providing nothing of real value to the general gaming populace.

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are generally a contentious subject, coming under fire from many different angles. I won’t be discussing the environmental impact argument, as fundamentally-even without their needless energy consumption -- NFTs are a contradictory thing to add to the video game space.

The obstacles preventing the implementation of some universally-recognized NFT blockchain for keeping track of items within video games are practical and easy to comprehend. It’s not a lack of money or even interest that stops NFTs from penetrating into the gaming space. Rather, as Ubisoft has demonstrated, trying to implement NFTs into video games is both redundant and contradictory to the nature of games as a whole.

To start, using blockchain to create an in-game, NFT-based virtual market is already more intensive and costly than the myriad of gaming markets that have existed for over a decade. “Team Fortress 2” arguably made a market of unique, tradeable, and valuable items with the Steam Community Market when it was introduced in 2012, long before the incessant insistence of crypto-bros on the necessity of blockchain for weapon skins. Game publishers and developers have been creating virtual markets with real-life money invested in multiple genres and with varying implementations for a decade.

The tradeoff of implementing a blockchain here would be dramatically in-

creasing the processing power required to make in-game transactions in exchange for a 100% guarantee of authenticity for each purchase. However, non-blockchain methods already do this. There is no question that if I pay you $800.00 for an “Unusual Professional Killstreak Modest Pile of Hat” on the Steam Community Market for “Team Fortress 2”, I would get the hat. Valve and any other game developer that’s made a market worth its salt have already made these markets stable and reliable.

But the main dream of NFT enthusiasts isn’t that the blockchain can replace a normal gaming market-as Ubisoft has already failed to do so. It’s that gaming NFTs can be ownable things for gamers to bring from game to game, to sell to other gamers, so they can take them from game to game! This runs into the problem of actually transitioning items across games.

Let’s say Riot Games decides to make a cool “Valorant” skin for the Phantom. It’s colorful, with flashy lights and a cool visual effect on enemy kills. They want to sell it as minted NFTs on this new universal blockchain-disregarding the immense cost to Riot of minting thousands of NFTs for prospective customers- so that customers can play their Phantom skin in a different game. In order for this to carry over to, say, ”Pokémon”, Riot’s and Nintendo’s lawyers and developers will need to have a long conversation about how to import a colorful reskin of an assault

rifle into Pokémon. Then, they need to decide who has the rights to the skin, since Riot created it but it’s now also featured in Nintendo’s game. Then, they need to decide how much money each side gets from the skin’s purchase and usage in simultaneous games. And that’s all assuming they can work out implementation. How do you put an assault rifle in Pokémon? Is it a skin that can be applied to specific Pokémon? How? Does the visual effect when killing an enemy with it carry over? Is there a new Pokémon created called the Phantom just so that this skin can be implemented? Who then owns the new Pokémon, legally speaking? Do you see how stupid this sounds? Now multiply all of these questions by all of the countless games in existence and witness how completely impossible this idea is. Different art styles, ownership rights, gameplay functionality and creative design all hinder the implementation of crossplatform gaming NFTs.

And so, the ideal environment for universal gaming NFTs is one where all of the games are similar enough so that Timmy’s beanie can be worn in every game he logs onto. They’d all have to share creative rights, or more simply be all created by one studio. And since the NFTs need to keep their value forever, every game has to be made with all of these NFTs in mind. NFT Fantasy 1 through NFT Fantasy 1000 must be compatible with every gun and sword skin NFT ever minted: in a word, stagnant. And isn’t that the antithesis of the evolution of the games industry? Video games are at their best when they are most creative. Pushing the boundaries in gameplay design, graphics, sound and the general experience is where the best video games shine. Trying to push NFTs into the space encourages game developers to make new releases boring and stale, in order to solve a problem that no one really has. The main purpose of playing video games should be to have fun, and the main purpose of developing video games should be to make a unique and entertaining experience. Trying to implement NFTs doesn’t do that, so NFT-pushers can kindly take their monkey business elsewhere.

health is of utmost importance – but quarantining past the necessary isolation period can take an additional toll on students’ academic performance, and may be considered truancy. While students quarantining for longer can get assistance from their professors remotely and participate in class virtually, they’ll still be at a disadvantage not learning material in the way it was meant to be taught, and thus Comets needlessly move away from their desire for a “return to normalcy.”

The Comet Task Force should lengthen isolation guidelines to seven days and update the Comets United

page to clearly communicate that as soon as possible, while the semester is still early. And, being diligent, the University should also require that isolated Comets get tested for COVID-19 before their isolation period ends, and recommend they keep an eye out for worsening or returning symptoms to determine if they need to quarantine for longer. In the meantime, students should continue reporting symptoms or positive tests if they contract COVID-19, and until the University updates it's policies, abide by the timeline that is recommended by contract tracers.

SIHANYA ROCHA Mercury Staff

Filled with beautifully-illustrated and poetically-written horrors, this story is short – but not sweet. And being short doesn’t mean it’s any less complex: the craftsmanship Carol demonstrates in just 32 pages is genius and beautifully haunting. To summarize, “Beneath the Dead Oak Tree” uses gorgeous visuals, aristocratic animals and lulling dialogue to present a cautionary tale about the toll vengeance takes on those who seek it.

For starters, the text of this comic is unlike any other. It is succinct, revealing and rhythmic in a manner reminiscent of lyrics or poetic meter. Presented in particularly small text boxes, the text itself also complements the illustrations on the pages without interrupting the visual. This modulization then allows for the text to be in a variety of places and imparts unto the readers the fast-paced thoughts and feelings of anxiety, guilt and insecurity given off by an unsettled narrator.

“Beneath the Dead Oak Tree” feels

reminiscent of other cautionary tales about those who use sweet, charming words to hide sour, cunning intentions. But what makes Carroll's tale stand out is the way she writes about the main character – whose perspective we follow – slowly devolving into the type of person we are warned to be cautious about as she attempts to impose justice due to the guilt and trauma that has built up over time.

The comic’s illustrations are also quite visually clever. By using animals instead of humans, the author is able to invoke analogies of characters that automatically look deceptively cute whilst being cold-heartedly brutal. The serene look of the foxes lulls the reader into a false sense of security, and upon seeing the first scene of carnage we are just as taken aback as the narrator. After this scene is over and it goes back to being ‘cute,’ one can never feel relaxed again.

Additionally, the author uses a bright and pastel color palette, amplifying the tension between being told visually that what you’re seeing is ‘safe’ but knowing logically that something is

'Beneath the Dead Oak Tree' thrills like no other comic

Greg Abbot’s order GA35, precise data on the amount of vaccinated students, staff and faculty is unavailable for most universities. Some data, populated by students voluntarily reporting their vaccination status, is

may experience an even sharper trajectory once transmission plateaus.

In light of that, Martín said “this weekend and the early part of next week should give us a good indication of whether we are actually on a decline and how steep that decline is and what that means projecting out

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During breaks, when there are not a lot of students on campus, peer advisors go on rounds each night and walk the entire building to check for issues and ensure that everything is functioning smoothly. In this case, the

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supporting Routray since the date of the accident both financially and physically.

“We are supporting him in terms of

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emphasis on drag’s lack of boundaries and restrictions.

“Obviously gender is like, whatever, but as someone who doesn’t identify as a man, masculinity doesn’t technically come naturally to me. In drag, you get to be what you want. In drag, it is natural: you just do as you want, as confident as you want,” Rahman said. “You get to define those rules and make it up as you go. There’s no pressure.”

The two nights of shows featured energetic lip-synching, vocal performances, dancing, costume changes and pantomime. The finale’s rendition of Rina Sawayama’s “Chosen Family” was particularly emotional—especially for students who consider XAI their own found fam-

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makes me less than a human being forever after, not just because I’ve seen my fellow Skyrines die horribly, but because I was forced to want them to die instead of me…” With narration like that, I hope you’ll understand why I read this whole thing in one go rather than spacing it out over break

“Knives Out” and “Us,” amongst other contemporary thrillers, are notable examples of films with fantastic female leads. Those actresses are able to provide unique and charismatic perspectives on terrifying situations while proving that femininity isn’t a disadvantage. And just when I thought we had left bland female characterization in the early 2000s, we get “Scream” (2022). Sam’s connection to Ghostface is that she is the daughter of Billy Loomis, one-half of the original Ghostface. She has a troubled past after finding out the identity of her birth father and struggles with hallucinations of him, a role that is actually reprised by the original actor, Skeet Ulrich.

While this premise is intriguing, her backstory was rushed, and I couldn’t take anything she said seriously with Barrera’s delivery

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amiss. The reader must simultaneously balance wanting to enjoy the artistry with also being unsettled by it, knowing that behind the bright color palette and ornate lines hides something dark.

All in all, the text and visuals

available: UTA reports 33% of students being fully vaccinated, while UTD has over 75% of students reporting full vaccination status. At the time of publication, all six universities explored within this comparison do offer vaccines and boosters to students on campus.

to February 7. That’ll give us confidence to say, ‘okay, February 7 looks like we're going to be back to levels where we were operating in person classes at full density,’ or ‘maybe we need to let this go another week or so to allow those case levels to decline even further before we bring back [instruction] on campus.’”

If coronavirus incidence on campus

Hub, since it is a large, open space. Even during winter break, students were encouraged to visit, water and

issue was identified by a peer advisor, who found this particular wing of the residence hall flooding with water.

UTD Housing was quick to address the issue. They brought in extra staff to repair and remove the water and then clean the floors. Maintenance used vacuum cleaners to pump water out of the hallways and dorm

communicating with his family in India, providing homemade meals, and staying overnight at the hospital when Ralish’s friends weren’t able to do so,” Patro said. “We helped him move to the rehabilitation center and arranged accommodations for his father to

ily. The pandemic has been a difficult time for many queer youths, with extended lockdowns bringing an entirely new level of claustrophobia to closeted individuals. For Xavier, it was a motivating force: she had thought about performing before, but it was quarantine that convinced her to overcome anxiety, seize the opportunity and end her senior year on a strong note.

“The whole experience was very much needed after a year and a half of nothingness,” Xavier said.

Covid-19 certainly kept the diaternity on its toes while planning. Between changing SOC regulations and previous organizers graduating, XAI members had to come together in a big way to get everything ready—and they did, teaming up to sew costumes, offering rides to doctors’ appointments,

as planned. If fear is a drug, it’s an addictive one, and very much succeeds at making this a great read – especially when paired with a haunting and brilliantlyexecuted series of plot twists near the end. I’ll let you discover that by the light of your own flashlight at three in the morning.

“War Dogs” is an excellent choice for your CDC-recom-

rivaling the corniness of a CW show. Jenna Ortega honestly had the best acting within the film, playing a perfect ingenue with a lot of emotional baggage. She definitely overshadowed the leading lady.

Outside of the new cast, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette) return as Ghostface’s biggest rivals. The most hype from this movie was the return of these characters, but I was still disappointed at their lack of interaction. I would’ve preferred more screen time from them than from Sam. Neve Campbell’s return was my favorite performance- her character’s long past with Ghostface has become this witty and physical dance that was pure fun.

Overall, the movie relied heavily on nostalgia by making the new characters have direct relation to characters from the origi-

play off of each other to create an atmospheric story greater than the sum of its parts, where the reader doesn't even notice how few panels the comic has. And honestly, the mesmerizing visual flow eliminates the need for panels in the first place – without them, text and drawing exist

UTD, like many other Texas schools, currently faces a surge in omicron cases across the community, and has therefore implemented some measures which are temporary reactions to that spike – which Martín said that the University expects, much like the delta wave last fall, to

does subside to levels comparable to last semester, Martín also reported the oncampus surveillance testing would return. For the moment, the suspension is a question of practicality – between surveillance, athletics and symptomatic testing, Martín said over 30% of the tests being conducted were returning positive, solidifying that COVID-19 is present within the community.

weed their plots of land. When the university decides to allow in-person learning to continue, the api-

rooms. In an interview statement, Nolen stated that maintenance workers put fans in the hallway to dry the carpet for a couple of days after the incident.

Matthew Grief, the associate vice president for Student Affairs, said in an email statement that “[If a dorm gets flooded], we will immediately

come from India in early January.”

The DFW Orissa Society has organized a fundraiser to aid Routray in his recovery. Routray has no immediate family in the country and is relying on his medical insurance through UTD. While this is covering

rapid-testing performers before each performance and organizing socially distanced seating within the venue.

“Even during a global pandemic, I know I have those siblings that I can rely on and not feel the weight of the world over,” Rahman said.

Despite pandemic difficulties, the diaternity remained committed to service through the performance. This year’s show raised funds for the House of Rebirth, a housing initiative and community safe space led by and for Black trans women in the Dallas area. A quarter of the show’s $2,500 proceeds went to support the House. When they realized XAI’s annual finances were in better shape than expected, members chose to donate another 25% to the Native American Rights Fund, a legal organization defending the

mended five days in quarantine. Escape the existential dread regarding classwork and the ongoing global pandemic for a while, and replace it with the existential crisis of what creates and destroys humanity! Let’s just hope that the war against the virus ends a bit more positively for us than either the real one in Vietnam or Bear’s idea of one on Mars.

nal movies. While the new group of teens were funny, stupid and everything cliché that horror movie buffs enjoy, they had little chemistry and backstory, making a supposed “tight-knit” friendship appear anything but.

The jumpscares and Ghostface reveal didn’t have me gasping, but the film itself was certainly entertaining. How can a bloodbath with cringy characters not be fun? The creators leaned into the premise, but ultimately underdelivered, making fun of critics’ qualms about past movies but sacrificing a developed plot and memorable lead for humor. While the immense amount of cultural nostalgia ensures the lasting popularity of the “Scream” franchise, this film was a bit unsatisfying. No matter how many new “re-quel” characters are introduced, I will continue “craven” more from the plot than just a Ghost(face) of Wes Craven’s previous cult classics.

harmoniously without borders. So next time you're in the mood for something that will unsettle you or simply wanting to experience something that is an amazing example of atomistic storytelling, go read Emily Carroll’s “Beneath the Dead Oak Tree.”

subside in the near future.

“I’m kind of out of the COVID prediction business at this point," Martín said, "but what I’m seeing and hearing from experts in the field is that more than likely, this will subside to become endemic, with enough people having gotten COVID

And because UTSW is experiencing increased demand for testing, tests are taking up to three days to process – by which point a randomly-identified patient may have already transmitted the variant to any number of peers.

“Right now, it just doesn’t make any sense because it’s not going to give us any actionable information,” Martín said. “We know it’s out there

ary will open more volunteer opportunities for students who would like to give back to the community.

take steps to stop the flow of water at the source. We will then assess what areas were impacted. We will call in staff to assist with clean up measures. We keep wet vacs, carpet cleaners, etc. in the warehouse that are easily accessible to assist in clean up measures. We have access to outside contractors to bring in if the flood-

a portion, Routray will need further funding to pay his medical bills and possibly fund another family member’s travel tothe United States to aid his recovery process.

Patro said the monetary goal for the fundraiser is to raise between

rights of indigenous peoples.

That dedication to community building continues on-campus with events such as this semester’s upcoming ReProm, where students have another chance at a school dance with their desired gender presentation. Programming like the drag show and ReProm are supported by the Galerstein Gender Center. The show’s pride flags were bought by the Center, which can now rent them out to any requesting student organization.

“UT Dallas being the number one LGBTQ-friendly university in

or been vaccinated over the past 24 months that transmission rates will decrease significantly and symptoms will decline in severity.”

Until then, UTD – alongside every other Texas university –will have to do its best to navigate COVID-19 as the coronavi-

and very prevalent at the moment, so what we’re trying to do is ensure that we can test close contacts or symptomatic people that have to be on campus – facilities workers, the police department, etc. – without putting too much strain on the system.”

Ultimately, Martín said that while the University has chosen to err on the side of caution – a decision he noted

“Knowing that you are producing something that is for other students is a nice little cycle, it’s

ing is excessive, which in this case it was not.”

Issues such as this occur from time to time, though the chances of there being similar issues in the residence halls are very slim. Students should contact their peer advisors or Housing if they experience any problems so that issues can be quickly resolved.

$40,000-$50,000 in order to meet his immediate expenses. This money will cover medical and therapy expenses, accommodation and boarding expenses, expenses to bring his family to town to take care of him and the expenses for the auto accident itself.

the state of Texas means something very practical when it comes to the lives of students that come here and get connected,” political science senior and XAI Secretary Ryan Short said. “I’m very happy that Chi Alpha Iota gets to be a part of that.”

The show itself has already made a strong impression on audience members, exploring not only gender but also cultural identity.

Rahman explained their experience performing and hearing from other students about their onstage persona, Delta.

“There’s this song that me and

rus continues to mutate. While some policies will be fluid, mask recommendations, encouragements to be as vaccinated as possible and perhaps even the occasional switch to online instruction remain the norm for the time being…and foreseeable future.

was influenced directly by the feedback of both students and employees – returning to in-person operations is a priority, once it is prudent. Until then,

“[We’re] continuing to encourage students – and others in our community – to get vaccinated, get boosted. If you're eligible, wear your masks, do what the signs say, you know all the list by now. That's our best offense.”

students working for other students and helping them,” said Lonneman.

“I think [housing] handled it well. Pipes burst; that happens. So, I’m not sure if it’s because [maintenance] is not up to date or it was just some pressure issue. I hope nothing got damaged, but I think [housing] handled it pretty quickly. Assuming something did get damaged, I hope it will be okay,” said Nolen.

“There is a lot of improvement since he met with his accident, however this may take another six to nine months before he is fully recovered and our community hopes he will recover fast and return to his studies,” Patro said.

another drag performer perform to, who are both South Asian, a very Bollywood song (‘Zoobi Doobi’, from the film "3 Idiots") and people came up to us after, like: ‘oh my God, the second that song started playing I was losing my mind, I can’t believe I would be able to see this in a drag show…’” they said. “And for a culture I’ve grown up not finding myself in, at least not the queer part of myself, being able to use drag to make a home for that side of me and combine those aspects is amazing and so fulfilling.”