The Mercury 02 27 23

Student accused of stabbing removed from campus

FATIMAH AZEEM Mercury Staff

JACK SIERPUTOWSKI Mercury Staff

University officials banned a UTD student accused of a stabbing from campus while she awaits trial.

Business administration junior Nika Nikoubin – also known as Nika Borouj or Boroujeni – is accused of stabbing a man in a hotel near Las

Vegas in March 2022. In a bodycam video shared by 8 News Now, Nikoubin said upon arrest that her motive was to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian leader killed by a US drone strike in 2020. Nevada police said the man survived. Nikoubin, who was arrested and pleaded not guilty, has been on house arrest since summer 2022 and is expected to go on trial against charges of attempted murder and felony battery with a weapon

in Nevada in July 2023.

Nikoubin started attending UTD in spring 2023 after transferring from UCLA. A staff member reported Nikoubin to campus security after a student discovered her history through an online search in February. In a status hearing on Feb. 13, UTDPD detective Rob Bishop said UTDPD and other law enforcement agencies in Dallas and Denton

SEE NIKOUBIN, PAGE 6

CAMPUS WATERWORKS

Student witnesses illicit water dumping in University Village Phase 1

A student witnessed an employee from Carpet Tech, a carpet cleaning company contracted by UTD Housing, dumping used cleaning water down a UV Phase 1 storm drain.

Carpet Tech was hired by UTD Housing to maintain the UV apartments. According to their website, the water they use to clean carpets is cleaner than tap water, resulting in effective stain removal. The water collected contains dust, dirt and other contaminants from the carpet. Zachary Tidwell, a supply chain management junior and UV Phase 1 resident, observed dirty water being dumped from a Carpet Tech truck into a storm drain on Jan. 19, 2023. Tidwell shared a video of the dumping that same day. The storm drain had a sign that said “Warning, no dumping. Drains to water source.” Tidwell said the dumping had a pungent order and left behind a dirt stain on the cement in front of the storm drain.

Leaks bring down Canyon Creek ceiling

On Feb. 2, 2023, Canyon Creek Heights South experienced flooding from rain and snow, causing unsafe living conditions for several Comets, including criminology Ph.D. student Yeonjae Park and finance senior Raaghav Ramji.

Park is currently navigating an uncomfortable living situation, lacking access to a kitchen or her belongings, which has caused her routine to fluctuate violently. While university housing has allocated her a temporary unit, she is forced to navigate from her damaged apartment to a UV apartment just to engage in menial tasks like taking a shower. Park said that this shift has put an extra burden on her during a crucial part of her career.

“It is very stressful that I have to go to temporary housing whenever I want to take a shower,” Park said. “And you know, I have job interviews. These are really important days for me.”

Matthew Grief, associate vice president for student affairs, said that relocation depends on the situation. Students who need to relocate will have close communication with housing.

“Every situation is different, and there are times when students do not have to be relocated. In cases where relocation takes place, the students are worked with closely by our housing team to make as smooth a transition as possible.” Grief said. “Keys are collected, and the student does not have access to the room until the space is completely repaired; then they are able to reoccupy the room.”

Park said that the communication process between affected residents and housing has been ineffectual and time-consuming. She has only

SEE CCHS, PAGE 6

“I don’t know if there’s any follow up or not because Carpet Tech is still here and it's not just one employee doing it, it’s multiple,” Tidwell said. “It was a white dude one day, it was a Black dude another day. I mean it’s not just one person practicing these things, it’s multiple.”

Tidwell said that he was frustrated with the incident, as it could have detrimental impacts on the surrounding natural environment, ground water distribution and cleanliness of the UV area. According to the city of Frisco, water that enters storm drains is directly channeled into freshwater sources without any treatment

or filtration. As a result, much of this water finds its way to larger lakes and rivers, which are primary water supply sources for many Texas cities.

Chemicals such as fertilizer, pesticides, pet waste, sediment and trash can easily accumulate and wash into storm drains when it rains. However, directly dumping water that could contain contaminants is known as illegal or illicit dumping. Round Rock, Texas defines anything other than water that comes from the sky as illegal dumping, with some exceptions being made for water from car washes and fire protection. According to Round Rock, one of the most common sources of illegal dumping is from household cleaners.

Joan Wickersheim, director of institutional risk and safety, said that accidental spillage in storm drains is not uncommon. Every year, the city of Richardson releases a municipal separate

Over 50,000 dead, students send support to Turkey and Syria

Communities mourn as students and faculty aid those in need across the globe

Over 50,000 lives have been lost in the earthquakes that hit Syria and Turkey, but members of the Turkish Student Association and faculty are working hard to send aid for rescue and recovery.

Cries for help woke the world on Feb. 6 as the deadliest seismic disaster in Turkish history took thousands of lives in just a few moments. When news reached the U.S., Ebru Cankaya, a UTD computer science professor and Turkey native, was forced to relive the nightmare that had taken her friend and 17,000 more on Aug. 17, 1999.

“I just relived all those bad memories about having lost a friend so suddenly to a huge earthquake again,” Cankaya said, “We were so deeply impacted by what has happened. People

have lost lives, those who survived lost everything except their life, but [now] they need to start over everything.”

In the dead of night, two earthquakes rating at a 7.8 magnitude struck the East Anatolian Fault, which lies along the border of Turkey and Syria, resulting in over 7,930 aftershocks and mass destruction to heritage sites and homes alike. It is the deadliest seismic disaster in Turkey recorded in modern history, killing more than 43,000 Turkish people. Many lost their lives to hypothermia during a winter storm that prevented efficient rescue operations. It is estimated 13.5 million people have been affected or displaced by the earthquakes, and tens of thousands of people are still missing nearly three weeks after the initial disaster.

Senior finance major Betul Dogan, the vice president of the Turkish Stu-

storm sewer system (MS4) report, which includes the frequency of illicit dumping in the area. The city's most recent report said that in 2021, Richardson received 40 reports of hazardous spills from third party contractors.

Matthew Grief, associate vice president for student affairs, said in an email statement that when UTD housing was made aware of the situation, their staff contacted Carpet Tech and directed them to the appropriate location to dump dirty water. Carpet Tech did not comment on the incident.

“No chemicals are used by this company in the cleaning of our apartment carpets,” Grief said in an email statement. “Additionally, per protocol, our staff notified Institutional Risk and Safety of this improper discharge.”

UTD’s Office of Institutional Risk and Safety, or OIRSP, was formed to ensure that UTD students, faculty and staff have the tools needed to make proper choices that minimize the risks spread to others and the surrounding environment. According to OIRSP, there are specific drains called sanitary sewers that take water to treatment centers, unlike storm drains, which discharge directly into freshwater areas. Wickersheim said that carpet cleaning companies need to dump their water into these sanitary sewers.

“Some people get confused about which drains go to which things … most carpet cleaning companies, when they go out to your house and do carpet cleaning, they will discharge into

dent Association — or TSA — shares her grief for friends that barely survived the devastation.

“A lot of my friends’ families were there, and they were affected devastatingly,” Dogan said, “They’ve been trying to reach out to them, but there’s no phone connection. It was a hard time for them and also for us too, and not being able to be there and help them physically is really devastating too. We were pretty sad about that, but we’re trying to do everything that we can to help them.”

On Feb. 13, the TSA, which formed this semester, began fundraising on campus to help provide support and aid. With only 15 members, the TSA raised nearly $1,000, with all

proceeds going to the Foundation of Anatolian People and Peace Platform, or AHBAP. TSA president and finance senior Hatice Korku said that more must be done to support survivors in the long term, but that UTD’s short term response was impressive.

“We just wanted to do something immediately,” Korku said. “We came together, and we organized this event in a very short amount of time. I was so happy to see [that] many people came, and many people [were] willing to help Turkey.”

TSA is currently planning another fundraising event as Turkey survived another earthquake two weeks after

MANYA BONDADA Mercury Staff

FATIMAH AZEEM Mercury Staff

RYLEE RUSSELL Mercury Staff

ANDRÉ AVERION Mercury Staff

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YEONJAE PARK | COURTESY

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February 12

February 13

• A non-affiliated individual was arrested for criminal trespass at Synergy Park North 2 at 8:33 a.m.

February 14

• A UTD staff member reported 60 graduation teddy bears taken from their office in AD without permission by an unknown person at 9:42 a.m.

February 15

• A UTD student reported that their unattended vehicle was struck at Building 57 at 10:14 a.m.

Black student athlete spotlight

Junior Sarah Lewis and sophomore Cierra Trigg have established themselves as cornerstone members of the softball and basketball teams respectively. With the spring season progressing for each team, Lewis and Trigg hope their impressive play can help lead their programs to a championship.

This February, in honor of Black History Month, The Mercury wanted to showcase the talents of some of UTD’s best black athletes. Despite UTD’s student body being predominantly white and Asian, Black students have made an impact on UTD in different ways, especially in sports teams. However, maintaining a sense of unity on a team where many athletes don’t share the same cultural experiences can be a challenge.

Sarah Lewis shared her experiences in dealing with that cultural divide.

“It’s interesting to me to be in a sport that is predominantly white,” Lewis said. “I think that definitely affected who I am, not in a bad way, but just in learning how to exist in that space, be comfortable with my identity and being who

I am despite most people I’m playing against not looking like me. I think it’s taught me a lot about myself and just different people, different cultures, how to get along with people.”

Lewis had made an impact in the season’s first six games, with four hits, three runs batted in (RBIs) and a batting average of 26.7. A self-described offensiveminded player, Lewis’ early batting success may be just the start, especially after an impressive 25 hit and 16 RBI season in 2022. Lewis has played softball since she was 12, and her years of experience coupled with her love of the game made the decision to play in college easy. However, Lewis said that collegiate softball is completely different than what she was used to before. A starter in her freshman year, Lewis said those early years helped shape her into the player she is today, laying the groundwork for her to excel in her final season.

“There’s pressure as a freshman to perform, but you get used to it,” Lewis said.

“It was definitely a good experience, and I enjoyed playing a lot in my freshman and sophomore year … last year was kind of a building year for myself, and

I learned more about myself as a player. And I’m maturing in a lot of ways as a player, so I’m definitely looking to execute more as a player, increase my stats overall and just contribute in any way I can to the team.”

On the basketball team, Cierra Trigg has shined this season after riding the bench for the majority of 2022. Playing a total of 27 minutes and scoring only three points in 2022, Trigg has moved into an expanded role, establishing herself as an offensive weapon with 6.4 points per game and a team-leading 95.0 free throw percentage. Despite these impressive scoring stats, Trigg believes her true strength lies in defense. With 23 steals and eight blocks over the course of the season, Trigg hopes her skill on both sides of the ball can bring her team to victory as the playoffs grow near.

“Last year, I wasn’t as aggressive on defense, I pretty much only shot the ball. But this year, I’m trying to be that aggressive player,” Trigg said. “As the season’s gone by, I’ve even improved my offense from last year, so I feel like my game’s all around improved … I just try to do my role, I try not to step too far out of

UTD professors defend teaching CRT in class

Despite media controversy around critical race theory being taught in schools, two UTD professors believe it is an important topic to discuss in the classroom.

Critical race theory, or CRT, is a theoretical framework developed in legal studies during the late 1900s. It is an approach to understanding how race and racism operate within society and intersect with other forms of social oppression, such as class, gender and sexuality. Barbara Kirby, director of the pre-law advising center, said that she encountered the idea of CRT long before recent media coverage made it controversial.

“As an attorney and legal educator, I first encountered critical race theory long ago as an academic topic,” Kirby said. “And so that was my exposure to it until things kind of blew up. So now I step back with my current pre-law students to say, what is it really, and why is everyone so afraid of a theory? A very sound theory in my mind.”

CRT argues that racism is not just a matter of individual attitudes or behaviors, but is embedded in social structures and institutions and operates through implicit biases.

“I think [what] is most relevant about the theory... is the idea that … racism is a common experience … The truth of the matter is racism, sexism, and attitudes towards different ethnicities are all part of the norm,” Kirby said. “We don't fight those attitudes unless we understand that they are ingrained into our society.”

American studies professor Syed Naqvi said that he teaches CRT in his curriculum

due to how it connects society and current power structures. However, everyone has different viewpoints on the theory and its definition. There is a realm that only influences academia and another that affects schools, colleges and work environments, and Naqvi said that CRT inhabits the academic sphere.

“The way I first encountered critical race theory in practice was my master’s in education,” Naqvi said. “And when I did my master’s in education, some of the courses we took in that program were the first introduction to some of these concepts. How should one think about race in the classroom, and how has race affected the classroom? What are the power structures that exist within schools and between students?”

CRT has been applied to various disciplines beyond law, including education, sociology, political science and cultural

studies. However, it has aroused political controversy, with critics arguing that it promotes divisiveness and a focus on identity politics. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state government have said that CRT promotes hate and discord.

“We won’t allow Florida tax dollars to be spent teaching kids to hate our country or to hate each other,” DeSantis said, according to National Public Radio.

Despite the controversy, Kirby said that if we don’t learn from history, we are destined to repeat it. She believes discussing such theories and bringing speakers to introduce the ideas is essential, as college students are mature enough to participate in discourse and work towards resolution.

“Unless we understand the areas where racism [and] sexism are systemic, then we’re not going to be able to take the actions to eliminate them,” Kirby said.

that. If I need to play hard defense, I’ll play hard defense. If I need to shoot the ball, I’ll shoot it … I just want us as a team to do better, and I want us to get that conference championship to be able to advance to the NCAA tournament.”

As the softball and basketball teams progress into the spring, both Lewis and Trigg hope their strong plays can bring their teams into the championships. But, beyond the sport itself, Lewis hopes her

presence on the softball team can inspire other black athletes to carve out their own role.

“I hope in the future, and I already see it, but I hope in the future that more people of color are drawn to sports in general, because they can teach you a lot.” Lewis said. “So I hope that going forward, that more people of color participate in sports.”

LOV Task Force strives to support minorities

UTD faculty and administrators form task forces to increase outreach and support the needs of students from diverse backgrounds.

After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, a group of students led by UTD alumnus Tamara Havis contacted University President Richard C. Benson regarding racial equity on campus. This led to the creation of the Living Our Values Task Force, an Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative. This initiative has led to broader plans to support the diversity of the student body.

“As a public institution, I feel strongly that we have a mission to serve the citizens of the state of Texas and, to the largest extent possible, represent the demographics of the state of Texas,” Rafael Martin, vice president and chief of staff, said. “I don’t know that you can truly serve if you don’t really mirror the population that you serve.”

Benson assigned executive leaders to various aspects related to the task force. Two key individuals include Martin and George Fair, former vice president for Diversity and Community Engagement. The main purpose of the LOV task force was to target relevant concerns at the time, through eight subcategories created by Benson. These

subcategories include, academic programs in African and African diaspora studies, diversity training, undergraduate recruitment and more. The LOV task force was a temporary organization, planned to dissolve by early fall 2020. While working with others in the task force, Martin and other leaders realized that a standing committee was needed to hone in on issues pertaining to diversity and inclusion.

“What we learned was there were a lot of groups in a lot of communities that that felt like we could be doing better in supporting them,” Martin said, “Living up to our promise to be an inclusive and supportive community. Systemic racism was a key issue that the Living Our Values task force was dealing with. But I think it really opened the door to a broader discussion about inclusion for all groups, all different types of people or groups that didn’t feel like they were fully belonging at our institution.”

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Vice President Yvette Pearson formed the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access, IDEA, committee in late fall 2021.

Pearson’s first task as head of the committee included collaborating with campus executives to formulate a practical plan that the Committee for the Support of Diversity and Equity, CSDE, would be part of.

“Specifically, I worked with Dr. Rafael Martin, Dr. Sheryl Skaggs and Dr. Ravi Prakash with input from Staff Council, Student Government, Graduate Student Assembly and Academic Senate to create the IDEA Committee,” Pearson said. “The IDEA Committee is designed to help identify and prioritize initiatives and strategies that ensure “members of the [UTD] community from all backgrounds are welcomed, treated fairly and encouraged in their pursuit of excellence.”

Unlike the LOV task force, the IDEA committee consists of members from the student body in addition to staff and faculty.

“[The LOV] task force] catalyzed an awareness for a lot of people on campus about different issues that they may not have been fully aware for a lot of people were experiencing, that groups previously didn’t have,” Martin said. “A place to voice those concerns, and because we created an environment where we invited different groups on campus to come in and participate.”

In attempt to diversify the student body, the ODEI and the IDEA committee are implementing incentivizing programs that will attract students to pursue their higher education at UTD.

“We’re the University of Texas at Dallas, we’re not just the University of Texas of the

northern suburbs of Dallas, right? We want to have more outreach,” Martin said. “Our enrollment management team has started some initiatives to create more resources that are available to those districts and those schools specifically where we know there are high quality students who would thrive at our institution, but maybe who don’t.”

Currently, the IDEA committee is focusing on recruiting minorities in the STEM field into UTD’s faculty, among other projects.

“The IDEA Committee was approved in November 2022 and has only met twice, so their agenda is not yet established,” Pearson said. “However, a couple of priorities include picking up where the LOV Task Force left off by following up on the status of the task force’s recommendations and serving as the nexus group that, along with institutional leaders and initiatives such as STEMM Equity Achievement Change and Adapting Successful Practices to foster an Inclusive, Respectful and Equitable Environment, helps prioritize institutional change initiatives and strategies.”

Despite pushback from the Texas government, since no policy has been set in stone, UTD will continue its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts while complying with federal and state laws.

ANUSHKA CHAKRAVARTHI | MERCURY STAFF

From left to right: Brayshon Savage, Donovan Souter, Cierra Trigg and Sarah Lewis.

NITHYA ELURI Mercury Staff

ANUSHKA CHAKRAVARTHI | MERCURY STAFF

Art history class treats ChatGPT as friend, not enemy

Amid debate about AI chatbots’ role in the classroom, Professor Mark Rosen incorporated AI into an assignment to experiment with chatbots’ educational potential.

The Office of Community Standards and Conduct has stated that “the use of ChatGPT or any similar AI programs” is considered plagiarism, and machine generated language detectors are already in the works. But what will the proliferation of machine generated work actually look like in UTD classrooms?

Mark Rosen, an associate professor of visual and performing arts, tried to incorporate ChatGPT in a recent “Understanding Art” assignment. Students first had to write a 700-900 word visual analysis of Louis Bourgeois’ bronze spider sculpture, “Maman,” in Crystal Bridges, Arkansas. The second part, however, asked students to work with an AI response generated from roughly the same prompt. “I’ve been involved in pedagogical questions about this, just with my colleagues, but I came up with my own trial balloon,” Rosen said.

Students were not forced to improve the essay but were instead encouraged to read the bot’s work and give their reactions.

“[The AI response is] the baseline aggregate internet response to this question,” Rosen said.

He describes the response as a computer word salad that had a couple of factual errors, and that a lot of the writing was just “filling up space with descriptions of other works at the museum.”

Nonetheless, it wouldn’t have raised too many eyebrows. “If I assumed [what they turned in] was their work and had no reason to doubt, we’d definitely give them a passing grade,” Rosen said. “It’s unfortunately true … and gonna lead to a very different type of assignment structure.”

The Center for Teaching and Learning hosted a workshop in early February to explore ChatGPT and address some of the concerns Rosen raised from his first experiment with the technology. The workshop also revealed the drastic changes students and educators will have to make in the near future.

Carol Lanham, professor of instruction in sociology, said that the workshop discussed three approaches that have emerged since these applications have been available to students.

“Detection” was one framework that used

programs like turnitin and GPTZero. A Jan. 13 article from turnitin.com showed that their software could detect text generated by ChatGPT but also tell when someone edited the response to sound more human.

“We run it through this tool, and we see what percentage it is,” Lanham said.

The second approach could be “prevention,” which involves banning the app on university servers, having a Respondus lockdown browser so that students can only access their test or going back to basic pen and paper assessments.

“Another example would be to create prompts that are less likely to be found,” Lanham said.

Lanham said that educators could also take advantage of the fact that ChatGPT only has access to information up to 2021.

Finally, educators could consider a framework termed “innovation.”

“[We] really made the point that trying to stop the use of it would be like in the olden days, stopping the printing press, stopping the laptop and stopping the internet,” Lanham said.

In a statement to The Mercury, the Writing Center said that ChatGPT is useful for paraphrasing and researching certain topics

Congress funds ECS wind research center

The Wind Energy Center at UTD — UTD Wind — has received $1.6 million from Congress in an initiative to foster research and development at UTD.

Director of UTD Wind Mario Rotea said that the center was funded with help from Colin Allred, the representative for the 32nd congressional district of Texas. These funds will primarily be used to increase capacity for research at UTD Wind, along with buying more equipment and building the headquarters for the center near campus. Rotea said that UTD Wind mostly works with fluid mechanics, and the additional money will allow students a doorway into other areas important for their careers, like mechatronics and electronics.

“So [the funding] is going to allow us to do things at a higher level of excellence,” Rotea said. “I think it’s going to impact the students very well because they will have access and this is not just [for] graduate students since we have research experience for

undergraduates in wind energy. They will benefit as well.”

Rotea said that the funds will open more prospects for students to work on wind energy in a research setting — an area relevant to Texas, the no.1 producer for wind energy in the United States. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Texas produces up to 26% of wind energy in the nation.

“Part of this funding is dedicated to renovating West Tech in order to have headquarters and additional labs,” Rotea said. “We will have, see all these companies that I was showing you, we will have a place to meet with them, talk and bring new companies because we are going to put the headquarters of our center there in West Tech. There will be continuation based on other projects to grow … and also we can explore new areas that we haven’t explored yet with the new funding.”

Rotea said he hopes to improve the center by inviting international collaborators and professors to help students work with cut-

ting edge technology and ultimately become a center of excellence in wind energy.

“My hope is that the only limitation for everybody is our own imagination,” Rotea said. “Without the support of UTD, we wouldn’t be where we are and now [without] this extra support from Congress through the initiative and work of Congressman Allred, we would not have this, so the only thing I have to add is thank you.”

and that “overall, AI tools should have a positive impact for students as long as they are used ethically.”

Rosen’s art assignment fits this last category, allowing the creation of drafts and assignments by combining the efforts of humans and AI.

“There’s a lot of curiosity and interest, clearly, and it just makes sense that if we continue the conversation, we can come up with good strategies together,” Lanham said.

Rosen, however, said he wanted to under-

stand how his students were feeling about AI on a deeper level.

“You have somebody else fulfilling your response for you now,” Rosen said. “What’s your personal take on it?”

In some ways, Rosen said he saw ChatGPT’s shortcomings as a motivator to anyone who fears that AI will take their job or make them obsolete.

“You should do better than this, and you should be more personal than this,” Rosen said.

SG elections and women in leadership

UNAIZA KHAKOO Mercury Staff

iWeek Celebrations

UTD will celebrate International Week, or iWeek, from March 6-10 to recognize cultural diversity on campus through showcases of food, dance and art. SG will have a booth at the Passport to the World event on March 6 at 1pm at the Plinth representing the United States. There will be additional events throughout the week including a bachata class, traditional tea ceremony and calligraphy class.

Blank Space Gallery

After its success last year, SG’s Student Affairs Committee is hosting the Blank Space Project, which aims to showcase student talent in art. Students who submit their artwork will be eligible for prizes and an opportunity to have their art displayed on campus later in the spring semester. The previous year’s artwork is on display on the second floor of the Student Union.

Women in Leadership Event

The Diversity, Equity and Belonging Committee of SG is hosting an event on March 31 from 5p.m. to 7 p.m. with two guest speakers. The workshop will focus on women in leadership roles including

COMET COMMENTS

Have you heard of ChatGPT? What are your thoughts on it?

the struggles they faced to be in their positions. Students can come hear the speakers and enjoy snacks to learn more about the cause.

Student Government Elections

The SG elections board has been formed to organize the election process, and spring filing for senatorial seats is now open. Students can run for school specific or at-large seats. Both graduate and undergraduate students who are in good academic standing and are available during senate meeting times are encouraged to run. Filing ends on March 8 and campaigning begins on March 13.

“...I’ve seen some people use it as a way to search up an explanation for a concept, to understand it better, to help them solve their homework. I just think professors shouldn’t rush to banning it entirely and instead try to figure out ways to evolve with it and still enable learning.”

- Oluwadara Morakinyo, Sophomore, Computer Science

“Yeah, I have. I think using it might be a little bit of plagiarism almost, but I feel like it's so unavoidable these days... it's just gonna be a part of the future, and we gotta plan around it.”

- Koundinya Vellanki, Freshman, Biology

“...I am very appalled with it, very surprised. I don't know if it's helpful because I have not used it academic-wise, but I think it's interesting to see the things it can generate.

- Michelle Elele, Sophomore, Political Science

“Yeah, I have. I've used it once or twice but I don't really think I have any opinions.”

- Todd Sanchir, Senior, Accounting

“I have not, actually.”

- Kimberly Ero-Phillips, Sophomore, Electrical Engineering

“Yeah... I personally feel that ChatGPT could replace a professor very soon maybe...”

- Kumuda Sreenivasa, Graduate student, Business Analytics

VAISHNAVI JOSYULA Mercury Staff

COURTESY | UTD WIND ENERGY CENTER

2.13 X-WORD KEY 2.13 SUDOKU KEY

SHASHI | MERCURY STAFF

County were not aware of Nikoubin’s pending criminal case.

“We also – and I assume along with the media – found records from the justice court that stated on March 9, 2022 that the court found her a danger to the community,” Bishop said. “So, that has sparked immediate concerns for the safety of the campus along with the community.

In another status hearing on Feb. 15, Clark County District Judge Carli Kierny clarified Nikoubin’s terms of supervision. She is on high-level electronic monitoring and must adhere to a 6 p.m. cur-

few, only leaving for work, school, counseling and medical services as needed. Kierny restricted Nikoubin — an aspiring singer — from booking performance venues away from her place of residence unless she seeks prior court approval.

Kierny does not have the authority to bar her from coming to UTD, but the university has reached an agreement with Nikoubin to restrict her from coming to campus until her case is resolved. The university is allowing Nikoubin to complete her classes online from home.

UTD released an official statement on the situation:

“University officials recently be-

DUMPING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

the sanitary sewer, which is an appropriate place to discharge that type of water,” Wickersheim said.

Tidwell said that he observed the dumping once in the summer of 2022 and again at the beginning of spring 2023. However, the dumping was only recently reported to OIRSP.

Wickersheim said that OIRSP programs, such as RAMPP, work to inform students and staff on how to identify and report activity that might be dangerous for the environment. If students see something that is

came aware that she was charged with a crime and is under the jurisdiction of a Nevada court. Because the safety of our campus and our community is of utmost importance, we have removed her from campus. The UT Dallas police will monitor the student's compliance with the removal order.”

Nikoubin is currently living in Frisco with her parents, which includes UTD engineering professor Tooraj Nikoubin. Nikoubin’s defense attorney Alanna Bondy said that while on campus, Nikoubin would stay at her father’s office on Tuesdays and Thursdays before returning home.

Nikoubin’s next court date is scheduled for March 29.

suspicious or unsafe, like illegal dumping, they should report it to OIRSP through their website, risk-safety.utdallas.edu, or by email at safety@utdallas.edu.

“[These programs] are really to encourage our community … to be aware and to identify these things, but then not just see it, but do something about it,” Wickersheim said. “Because y’all are our greatest advocates for safety and environmental risk management on campus. If you are telling us these things, then we have the ability to support you, to support our faculty, to support our campus and our community.”

been able to communicate with PAs about the situation and was denied the opportunity to speak firsthand with Ryan White, assistant vice president of residential life. Park said that housing did not respond to her initial emails requesting information, and later, housing did not provide her with a timeframe in which she could return to her original housing in CCHS.

“I feel like they are intentionally evading a conversation with me,” Park said. “I don’t know if when others did this, this evasion worked for them, but I think [UTD Housing] should really do something about it. I cannot just bear this … I really didn't feel good after seeing all the PAs apologizing [to] me on behalf of that Ryan guy. That was just unpleasant.”

Other students have reported trouble communicating with housing for repairs. Ramji said that when he left his apartment overnight, a maintenance crew came in to fix the damage without any prior notice or communication from housing. He said he came back to the apartment the following day noticing that his personal belongings in the bathroom were out of place.

“I wasn’t there that night, my door was cracked open and there was just a hole in the ceiling and they kind of moved my bathroom around a little bit… like the trashcan, some towels,” Ramji said. “They came in the very next day as well to fix it.”

When asked about the communication process, Grief said that either UTD staff or other vendors perform maintenance.

“Not every maintenance situation that presents itself is the same, and sometimes there are multiple factors that go into a facility repair once a cause is determined,” Grief said. “In all University Housing programs, you will find unanticipated issues, which is why we have 24-

hour maintenance on duty to address anything that comes up. If our own staff cannot address [the issue], then we rely on several vendors that must be called out to address the repair once a cause is determined.”

Park said that a lack of communication from Housing has exposed her to unexpected visits from maintenance crew.

Park said that handymen from outside UTD have previously entered students’ apartments without prior notice, sometimes unaccompanied by UTD staff.

Park said that maintenance entered her apartment without notifying her not only when she was packing for her move into UV, but also in the summer of 2022 when she was cooking in her kitchen.

“The fact that outside people are constantly going in and out of my room, that’s just not com -

TURKEY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

the initial tremors. While this earthquake is less deadly, all in all, the Turkish economy has lost an estimated $25 billion, with hundreds of thousands living in tents, unsure if they’ll have enough food or water to survive low temperatures and a medical supply shortage.

Despite the tragedy, Cankaya said that she hopes the people of Turkey will only grow stronger.

“I tried to see the good out of it, and what I can see is it definitely brought the people of the world together to help, regardless of their religion, where they are

fortable,” Park said.

Since maintenance is also allocated to outside vendors, Grief clarified the procedures taken in situations where service is required.

“The work is either done internally by our own maintenance staff or carried out by a vendor, depending on the size and scope of the repair. It is our procedure to leave behind notifications for students who are residing in the room while repairs take place,” Grief said. “If the unit is unoccupied due to relocation, we don’t inform students, because they do not have access to their room during the repairs.”

The water leaks in CCHS came from a problem with the roofing system and were repaired by maintenance staff that stayed on campus during the ice storm.

from, whether we are friends or foes,” Cankaya said. “Talk, speak, get together. I know students are generally living on a limited budget, but there could still be some ways we can help them. At least getting together as a community, just discussing what we can do.”

Students can donate to Turkey through nonprofit humanitarian organizations like the Red Crescent or through the Turkish government itself. Additionally, students can donate to the Syrian government or support Syrian refugees affected by the 2011 civil war, who have received far less humanitarian aid.

ZACHARY TIDWELL | COURTESY

YEONJAE PARK | COURTESY

Minor focused on African American and African Diaspora Studies promotes equity on campus

A year has passed since the institution of the African American and African diaspora studies minor, or AAADS, which has provided a platform for historically underrepresented students and positively impacted student’s coursework.

The AAADS minor was formed in summer of 2020 to address justice and racial equity issues on campus. The course of study focuses on the contributions of people of African descent so that students can gain the cultural and historical knowledge needed to unite the UTD community. Anne Fischer, one of the core drafters of the original proposal for the AAADS minor and administrator of the program, said that it helps students understand the gen-

#VOICED play tackles social issues, represents social media generation

UTD seeks to bring awareness to the polarizing discussion around social media through “#VOICED,” a multimedia play written by Janelle Gray and directed by Tinamarie Ivey that highlights struggles like parental pressure, racism, immigration, religion and mental health.

“#VOICED” focuses on the lives of six seniors that voice their concerns in the Lamont High School newspaper on recent mass shootings, immigration, religion and discrimination in a high school that systematically silences the voices of their students. The play focuses on the technological distribution of knowledge between students of this generation, symbolized with a stage that is plastered with screens containing text messages, video calls and social platforms.

“And even when [the high school students] were talking about some of the issues that they brought up, they were pointing to social media stories, so when I started creating ‘#VOICED,’ I thought there’s no way that you can really tell this story without social media, because that character of social media and of technology is actually what’s bringing them the stories,”Janelle Gray, the playwright of #Voiced and an instructor at UTD, said.

Before writing this play, Gray spoke with a group of high school students so she could get a picture of how social and political trends are affecting young people in the United States. The play features students from immigrant families, different races and different religions with the goal of including students from all backgrounds. For example, Charidan Matties, a junior visual and performing arts major, plays Seshi Garland, an overachiever who feels she must succumb to the expectations of her parents.

“I love how ‘#VOICED’ brings awareness to these issues, and it shows that you are not alone,” Matties said. “There are people out there that go through what you go through or can understand what you go through. And I truly believe that diversity doesn't divide us, but it unifies us.”

Each one of the characters represents the life of a marginalized community that they channel in their school newspaper. The play emphasizes the importance of giving a platform to the voiceless, both through social media and through traditional press, primarily the school newspaper. In “#VOICED,” Anisa Hosseini, a senior visual and performing arts major, plays Ryan Adams, a biracial peacemaker who is torn between her two cultural identities after losing her Filipino mother. Hosseini said that she appreciates the ability to provide a platform for cultural diversity, an idea so critical to the content of the play.

“So just knowing that some of us have the privilege to be able to get up there and bring voice to the voiceless is very important,” Hosseini said. “It’s important

erational impact of inequity.

“Our contemporary world is profoundly shaped by these long legacies of oppression and colonialism,” Fischer said. “By minoring in this program, students are saying that they want to gain a deeper understanding of how these historical events structure everyone's lives. They also want to take advantage of courses so that they can think deeply about what justice looks like, particularly through the variety of offerings for the AAADS minor.”

In AAADS courses, which are interdisciplinary, students apply what they’ve learned through various creative and artistic projects. AADS classes include topics in visual arts, literature, history, music, political science and healthcare studies. Fischer said that this range of topics could become

even broader with the merger of A&H and ATEC.

“Our vision is right that this academic program would be part of an at-large strategy to recruit and retain faculty of color and scholars of color campus-wide,” Fischer said. “This was one of the key recommendations that came out of the 2020 mobilization that inspired faculty to get moving on this, and that remains one of our ongoing goals in terms of the minor itself.”

This summer, professor Maurine Ogbaa will be leading a study-abroad program for AAADS students to Ghana. On this trip, students will explore Ghanaian literature outside the classroom and build critical thinking skills that can be used in any career. AAADS can help students foster

a sense of purpose and belonging in their careers and everyday lives, contributing to a more unified community. Olivia Banner, an associate professor of critical media studies that co-authored the proposal for the ethnic studies minor, said that a better understanding of diversity encourages inclusion for all.

“If you’re a doctor or a nurse, you still have to practice what's called cultural competency, which is … [being] able to make your healthcare practice accessible to people who may not be a part of your particular culture,” Banner said. “So in other words, the minors help students get a grasp on issues around things like diversity.”

Those interested in the AAADS minor should contact the school of AHT for more information.

Speakers and musicians commemorate Black History Month

The UTD Multicultural Center concluded Black History Month on Feb. 23 with the annual Big Dinner, an event that combined good food with guest speakers and musical performances.

The theme for this year was resilience, with guest speaker Dionne Kirby (left) talking about her struggles as a black woman working in an industry that did not give her the resources to succeed. Kirby is the senior director of philanthropy at Literacy Speaks, a nonprofit that helps immigrants learn English.

Local artist Bolton Serunjogi (right) performed traditional Ugandan music, whose original

The Fix: Karmic Grounds

No student should miss out on Karmic Grounds, a triple threat cafe with the perfect study ambience, hangout spot and high-quality coffee and tea. With two locations in Frisco, Karmic Grounds is popular with students in the

area and serves as a productivity hotspot as well as a coffee and tea studio. The closest one to UTD isn’t too far from campus, just off Ohio Drive, and is a great place to study or meet friends. Their specialty

songs educated parents on raising children. Serunjogi's works emphasize the importance of supporting children but also giving them the opportunity to explore the world and learn from failure.

Crowe museum flexes UTD connections

New exhibits at the Crowe flex UTD connections.

As construction on the Athenaeum continues on the southeast side of campus, the Crowe Museum of Asian Art unveiled two new exhibits at their Dallas location. Both exhibits allude to the museum’s budding partnership with UTD and the anticipated satellite museum set to open on campus in fall 2023.

“Cast,” the first exhibit, provides an updated timeline for the Athenaeum, UTD’s future home for the arts on campus. Visitors can look at a 3D rendering of the new building as well as initial mockups of the space and hear from student voices about the building process.

The second exhibit on display at the Crowe, titled “Rare Earth,” is a collaboration with UTD’s Department of

Geosciences. The exhibit displays ancient Chinese artifacts alongside raw minerals. A stunning silver mirror from the Qing dynasty sits next to an elaborate piece of pure silver, attempting to

KING OF CHOMP DELIGHTS COMETS

Local started wearing the T. rex costume as a joke but quickly became a campus favorite

Campus life can be a monotonous, a seemingly endless cycle of lectures, classes and exams. After weeks of watching the campus squirrels for entertainment, what better to add excitement to your campus walks than a bright orange T. rex?

Briden Perrington began visiting campus at the beginning of the spring semester to spend time with his friends outside of his car-detailing hobby and his former job at a car wash. After being inspired by comedy videos, Perrington bought an inflatable T. rex costume to wear on his campus excursions.

“I’m 100% an extrovert so I’m out there. I will talk to strangers, I do not care,” Perrington said. “Honestly, I just thought the dinosaur was weird and people wouldn’t expect it, so being able to surprise UTD students just makes them feel like their day will be different. And they’ll be smiling and recording, taking pictures. It’s a lot of fun.”

Perrington said that roaming around campus in the costume has allowed him to make genuine connections with students. He claims that many students prefer the friendly dinosaur over the school’s official mascot.

“I love the reactions and the communication with people,” Perrington said. “A lot of people like [the dinosaur] over Temoc because he’s literally a comet. He’s a rock. Just a rock. Some people tell me the dinosaur should just be the next mascot.”

Sophomore psychology major Marisa Pringle helps keep Perrington’s Instagram account active by interacting with fans and occasionally taking pictures of the dinosaur in the wild. The account recently reached 1,000 followers.

“Working with the UTD dinosaur is such a fun and exciting experience because the goal of the UTD dinosaur is to spread positivity,” Pringle said.

Outside of wishing stu dents luck on their exams and providing hugs, Perrington said that the dinosaur is often invited to club events and even shop openings. He attended the opening of Cinnaholic, a plant-based cinnamon roll shop in Richardson.

“[The events] just mean that I’m getting out there,” Perrington said. “I didn’t know that this would ever be this serious. I thought I was just going to make an Insta gram, and now people are asking me to go to events, and when I first started, that first month was super busy with all the events.”

Despite being a social butterfly, Perrington said the anonymity of the dinosaur has boosted his

LANA BARAKAT Mercury Staff

PHOTOS BY: ISAEL CHAVEZ | MERCURY STAFF

GRAPHICS BY: OLUWASEUN ADEYEMI | MERCURY STAFF

RYLEE RUSSELL MERCURY STAFF

RAYA JISHI Mercury Staff

RYLEE RUSSELL Mercury Staff

From left to right: Javier Vasquez, Wania Sheikh, Charidan Matties, Anisa Hosseini.

JANELLE GRAY | COURTESY

A DAY IN THE LIFE: TOBOR

seeing them around sometimes.”

It’s no secret that students adore the sight of Starship delivery robots on campus, but what exactly do these robots do from the wee hours of the morning to late at the night?

Starship robots — known affectionately to students as “Tobors,” or “robot” spelled backwards — carry out automated food deliveries from several different UTD establishments including Taco Bell, Papa John’s and Einstein Bagel Bros. On Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, The Mercury staked out four Tobors for 12 hours, documenting the orders they carried and the friends they made along the way. Our day began at 9:30 a.m. with a Taco Bell order and ended at 9:30 p.m. with a Papa John’s order.

Morning (9:30 a.m, to 1:30 p.m.): Tobor 6E414

The day started bright and early with Tobor 6E414, who set off on three back-toback deliveries from Taco Bell over the course of three hours. 6E414 may be small, with a body only 21.8 inches tall, but don’t let Tobors’ sizes fool you -- they are fast when they want to be. Our first Tobor spent its morning traveling at an average speed of 2.39 mph. We were in for an unexpected day of cardio chasing 6E414 to UV Phase 5, UV Phase 2 and UV Phase 3.

The journey was circuitous, and because of curb cuts, 6E414 took a longer route to Canyon Creek Heights North just to get into UV Phase 2. Similarly, it made a trip through the Phase 8 clubhouse just to get around Lot H. The route to Phase 3 was more straightforward, however, and it was there that Tobor 6E414 met its first Comet of the day.

“I ordered Taco Bell – two beefy bean burritos,” computer science junior Ryan McKinstry said. “I am very tired today, I had a lot of work yesterday, and so I didn’t really want to go over there, even though it’s not that far away.”

McKinstry (bottom left) said that he had a good experience ordering, with the whole process taking 40 minutes. Starship has never messed up an order for him.

“They’re good,” McKinstry said. “They never are an annoyance to anyone. It’s fun

After a morning of hard work, travelling 4.48 miles an hour, Tobor 6E414 stopped to rest at the Student Union at 12:29 p.m. 6E414 spent several hours sleeping at the SU, so The Mercury decided it was done for the day and moved on to track the next subject.

Midday (1:30-5:30 p.m.): Tobor

6E377

After a couple of hours of inactivity from our original Tobor, we began to fol low Tobor 6E377. We caught 6E377 just in time for its afternoon Taco Bell rounds at 4:28 p.m., when it set off on a long journey to CCHN.

This order was different from the steady flow of orders we saw 6E414 de liver in the morning. Once we ar rived at the location with 6E377, the order was cancelled. Starship refunds students for cancelled orders within five business days.

After repeating its standard cho rus of “order delivered” and “thank you,” the Tobor moved back to the SU broken-hearted, still holding its cancelled order. 6E377 arrived at the SU at 5:10 p.m. after 2 miles on the road and sat there for several hours.

Evening (5:30-9:30 p.m.): Tobors

6E531 and 6E773

After Tobor 6E377’s order was cancelled, it became inactive – whether that be a regular schedule or in retaliation for the undelivered order. So, we followed a new robot through the evening – Tobor 6E532. 6E532 started at Papa John’s and made the two-mile round trip to Canyon Creek Heights South and back to the Tobor garage under the Student Services Addition at an average speed of 2.8 mph.

Leaving at 5:45 p.m., Tobor 6E532 traveled down Drive H to CCHS to bring a Papa John’s order to computer science sophomore Allison Scurry (top right). Scurry said that her experience with the Starship app was overall smooth, and that she chose to order because of how far Papa John’s is from CCHS.

“Sometimes I feel like they take a little long if they’re super busy and if there’s not enough of them. In the busy hours and stuff

like that,” Scurry said.

After traveling around the soccer field back to central campus, Tobor 6E532 pulled up to the garage under SSA, where it went to sleep for the night at 6:35 p.m.

After our third Starship robot became inactive, we moved to our final subject: Tobor 6E773. This Tobor again delivered from Papa John’s to UV Phase 2 and then returned to SU for the night, travelling a little more than 2 miles at a fast average speed of 3.6 mph.

Navya Teja Gajula, a Papa John’s employee and computer science graduate student, loaded the final order of the day into Tobor 6E773 at around 7:00 p.m. We took this time to ask her a few questions about her experience working with Tobors as a food service worker, particularly her thoughts on the workload with Tobors.

Gajula said that Starship robots made filling orders simple, as all that is required is scanning the QR code and shutting the lid. And while Gajula has never ordered from a

Starship robot herself, she expressed a fondness for our school’s informal mascot, calling Tobors “cute.”

Gajula said that the frequency of orders depends on the day. Since meal exchange is only available on weekdays, order traffic is generally higher then. She also mentioned that in the future, Starship might improve its services by giving the robots more voice lines to communicate with passersby to combat student loneliness.

“So Monday through Friday, it’s the peak time,” Gajula said. “Every one second, one customer comes. On the weekends, it is pretty chill. Not so chill, but it’s cool. We can breathe while working.”

Because Sundays are slower, we were able to get a few words in, but our interview was cut short as Tobor 6E773 left to finish its route. 6E773 travelled around the pond and then down Rutford, briefly stopping in the middle of the street at Loop Road SW due to a car. As we know, Tobors are skittish creatures, and 6E773 took a few min-

utes to get up the courage to keep moving.

Once it was ready, 6E773 travelled the rest of the way down Drive H to deliver a Papa John’s pizza to math sophomore Riley Arredondo in UV Phase 2. Arredondo said that she ordered through a Starship robot primarily because of convenience.

“To be honest, I’m just kind of lazy,” Arredondo said. “It’s also just, it’s pretty far from here.”

Like other students we spoke with, Arredondo said that she had a seamless ordering experience and appreciated the presence of Tobors on campus.

“I just think they’re really cute, to be honest,” Arredondo said. “I just love seeing them going around doing their own thing. I’m always really tempted to just pet them on the top.”

After a long day of deliveries, Tobor 6E773 returned to the SU to sleep for the night at 7:37 p.m., which concluded our day of tracking Tobors’ lifestyles.

JACK SIERPUTOWSKI Mercury Staff

DEVINEE AMIN | MERCURY STAFF DEVINEE AMIN | MERCURY STAFF

The Mercury followed four food delivery robots on their daily rounds to better understand Starship robot deliveries.

FATIMAH AZEEM Mercury Stafff

VEDANT SAPRA MERCURY STAFF

DEVINEE AMIN | MERCURY STAFF

UTD needs better social life

Admin should improve club access as well as advertising and visibility to students

Comets often complain that UTD is largely a commuter school and lacks a social life compared to other Texas universities. However, both the administration and students are to blame for the antisocial culture.

Free resources for students

Make use of the success center during exam season

Students should be more aware of free campus resources to help with — and potentially prevent — midterm burnout.

By the time you’re reading this, it’s already week seven or eight of the spring semester. We may be halfway done, but before we get to that sweet spring break vacation, we need to make it through midterm season. Before you give up, however, remember that campus provides a plethora of student services aimed to promote mental health and educational values. Students should look into the Student Success Center, tech support and Student Counseling Center for support.

The Student Success Center is the poster department for student support, helping students excel since 2012. Located in the basement of the library next to the coffee shop, students can receive tutoring, work with guided study groups and even receive coaching on developing learning strategies. At the very least students can utilize the Writing Center to improve their essays — and unlike ChatGPT, you won’t get in trouble. Any student wanting to better their GPA should schedule an appointment, and even if you don’t have time in your busy schedule, consider looking into their online study resources. Most importantly, you will be receiving support from students who have been through the same classes, making them a prime source of advice.

While most students might be directed to the Testing Center to take exams, some students will be taking quizzes or exams from home. This is jeopardized by technical difficulties. We have all experienced

faulty internet, but when a software or hardware problem strikes a few minutes before a time sensitive assignment, panic is sure to follow. Consider getting your laptop, tablet or computer checked out for free at the Student Union Techknowledgy Bar, or if you have time, you can get repairs at the HiED Tech Store in the University Bookstore. Our technology isn’t the only thing vulnerable to burning out. Your mental health is crucial to your GPA and academic performance. 91% of students feel overwhelmed nationally when it comes to balancing student life with both professional and personal life. There is never enough time, expectations are high and some students feel like a perfect 4.0 GPA is more important than their wellbeing. What some students don’t recognize is that taking the time to improve their mental health results in better grades.

The Student Counseling Center provides 15-minute consultations to help students promote better mental health, and the Student Wellness Center supports students’ general wellbeing.

Of course, if you’re struggling with classes, you can also talk to your professor. No pride is lost in going to their office hours for guidance, and besides, professors like talking about the field where their passions lay. You might even gain a new admiration for the subject that previously caused you stress.

Make the most of your time and use these resources before or after midterms. It’s already included in your tuition, and who would say no to a better GPA for free?

According to US News, 78% of UTD students live off campus. While not living in the dorms has its benefits, developing friendships can be difficult when less time is spent on campus. Not having roommates to bond with in a large school, eating meals alone at home and studying at 3 a.m. in their room instead of with friends are all things that cause students at UTD to feel isolated.

As a commuter school, UTD needs to improve on systems for students to socialize, such as updating the database for student organizations and ensuring that events are planned properly.

On the other hand, students themselves should encourage positive attitudes toward socializing by putting in more effort to get to know peers in an academic-focused environ-

ment.

Many people will recommend joining clubs to expand one’s social circle on campus. However, UTD’s confusing student organization website makes this difficult. Meeting times for organizations are not clearly indicated, making it more difficult to plan around one’s schedule, and there aren’t enough links and contacts for

active clubs, which can make students want to give up. In my personal experience, it was a lot easier to learn about clubs from people I already knew, but this choice is not available for everyone.

Freshman global business major Cameron

Not enough students are actively learning bNot enough students are actively learning basic life support, or BLS, which is easy to learn and has immense positive potential. People may require resuscitation when they go unconscious due to a variety of health issues. Being away from home, college students are even more prone to forgetting medications, taking the wrong dosage or even overdosing, which could result in becoming unresponsive. An unresponsive patient is anyone who is not breathing and has no pulse — to put it plainly, dead. When someone goes unresponsive, the events that happen every second afterwards are extremely critical to getting them stabilized and averting permanent damage. This can all be prevented by straightforward responses like CPR, or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, and using and an AED, or Automated External Defibrillator, but only if students know how to perform those recovery skills. Getting certified in BLS is a selfless act in itself and should not only be done by pre-med stu-

dents, but become a tool kit that everyone needs regardless of their career path.

Learning BLS is a skill that can be carried over into life after college. Although you do need to get your license renewed every two years, spending a few hours out of one day every two years is a small price to pay when someone is clearly in danger. In the workforce and going into day-to-day activities, you never know what could happen to the people around you. Jumping into action when someone is clearly in distress can save someone’s life in a matter of seconds. As students, it is important that we learn this skill and apply it to instances where people are in need.

In a BLS class, you will learn how to identify when someone is in trouble and how to respond. Rather than just studying chest compressions, a good chunk of time will be taken up by learning how to assess a situation when someone is in need and what to do in different scenarios that are unsafe. By the end of the course, you will be able to perform high quality chest compressions and use

Dear Boomers: please stop writing Gen Z characters

TV shows overexagerate teenager stereotypes and actively misrepresent our generation's values

The recent surge in antisemitic hate spes neAs newer TV shows like “Euphoria” and “Never Have I Ever” air on popular streaming platforms, young people are constantly seeing how characters our age are portrayed inaccurately, and, frankly, offensively.

HBO Max is well known for having shows like “Euphoria,” “Pretty Little Liars” and “Gossip Girl” depict teenagers as using vulgar language at least three times in each sentence, abusing drugs frequently and going to parties every day of the week. Although this might be true for a fraction of young adults, a majority of teens are not engaging in these extreme behaviors. A good number of Gen Z kids, especially at UTD, are first-generation Americans that live under strict rules and high expectations from their parents, who immigrated here for a better future. However, many shows tend to disregard that Gen Z kids have any concern for the rest of the world. Apparently, our only

real problems consist of basic high school drama. For example, “Euphoria,” a popular show that has been airing since 2019, centers on a group of high school kids that each have their own set of deep emotional baggage which appears to never be truly resolved.

While some of these characters’ issues are relevant to the real world, its plot holes show that many of these tragedies would have been prevented in a real high school, making the story unrelatable. For example, in “Euphoria,” a lot of kids were able to get away with doing

One out of five Asian Americans will experience a hate-related incident, and with rising tensions between China and the United States, we will not be silenced when the next round of Asian scapegoating comes for us.

The publication “Stop AAPI Hate” reported last year that hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders — or AAPI — continue to rise. Between March 2020 and March 2022, more than 11,400 reported hate-related incidents have taken place against AAPIs across the United States. This number is likely underreported, as more than 7,000 police departments don’t even report hate crimes.

Chinese Americans in particular were unjustly blamed for bringing the COVID-19 pandemic to the U.S., but because of the cross-race effect, many AAPI were included in that hate. COVID-19

brought back violent crimes and harassment to the community on a level that had not existed since World War II

Today, tensions between China and the U.S. are at an all-time high, with members of Congress suggesting we are at the beginning of a new Cold War. A specialized committee has been formed to condemn China after the FBI labeled it the biggest threat to the U.S. in the last year.

The forced removal of American businesses from Hong Kong, the use of TikTok to spy on American journalists and the spy balloon shot down in American airspace are making Americans not only nervous and hateful toward China, but also towards AAPIs.

What started as reasonable security concerns has since devolved into hysteria. Texas legislators have proposed a bill preventing Chinese people from owning land in Texas, AAPI businesses are being bombed and violent hate crimes have

hard drugs in school. This isn’t completely fictitious, but the extent to which it was done was certainly not realistic, especially in a wealthy school where security is more intense.

This was a problem in the plot, as a lot of the issues especially with the main character, Rue, were drug related problems. In the real world, this issue could have been resolved earlier on as family, friends and school faculty would have gotten her help before her addiction got worse. Many shows that take place in a high school hardly show the characters in their classes, and even if they do, it’s just one English class, and then school is suddenly over.

As UTD is a research based school, our problems are usually more academic, and students — especially first-generation students — feel a strong pressure to perform well. These academic pressures are rarely shown in TV shows, which is ridiculous considering

SEE GEN Z, PAGE 10

made national headlines with little constructive response.

Doubters argue that discrimination against Asian Americans is an exaggerated narrative. For example, the mass shooting at the Lunar New Year festival in Los Angeles was quickly assumed to be a hate crime before it was revealed the criminal was an Asian American. Media quickly retracted this speculation afterward. In addition, AAPI are still less likely to be victims of violent crimes as compared to white Americans and African Americans, and the majority of AAPIs will never have to hear the words, “Go back to your country.”

However, this does not excuse AAPIs being stigmatized due to another country’s actions. We live in the U.S. We have nothing to do with China’s political agenda, and to punish us for foreign politics is simply a symptom of American insecurity. It is sickening to see AAPI communities

an AED. After practicing on a mannequin, you will then roleplay real world scenarios to make sure that you remember all the steps when the unthinkable happens. Although this sounds very simple, learning these skills can make a drastic difference to someone’s quality of life.

When someone is clearly in trouble, every second counts. Getting certified only takes a few hours, and classes are available to UTD Red Cross members every month to receive free BLS certification training. Join the organization and go to their free classes. What better use of your time is there than learning to save a life?

EDITORIAL COMIC

have to demonstrate their loyalty to the U.S. after generations of sacrifice to get to where we are today. If Americans use the next Cold War to bully AAPIs, then it is everyone’s responsibility to speak up. We can pursue preventative measures, we can spread awareness by sharing our stories and we can remind our peers that being Asian is not a threat. We are not responsible for what foreign nations do. We are just as American as you.

It may seem silly to have to remind the public of AAPI hate, but it is still too soon to forget about it. It was less than a year ago that our own city gained national attention for the shooting of three Korean women.

If you or a loved one feel in danger, you can report hate crimes to local police or to the FBI.

If you are in crisis, you can call lines like 988 or 741741 Texas.

TEJAL DHAN Mercury Staff

RAINER PEDERSON MERCURY STAFF

More students need to learn CPR and AED

Not enough people have BLS knowledge even though it is a simple life skill

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We are Asian Americans. We are not a foreign threat. We are not the enemy.

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for us to use that privilege and speak for those who cannot. So, I love that this is an aspect of the play and that is something that I really hope resonates with people, so that they can walk out of the theater and start thinking to themselves: who can I represent? Who can I speak for and who can I help?”

KARMIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

drinks are particularly unique, as Karmic Grounds has a specific dedication to tea in addition to coffee, allowing customers to steep and brew their own tea.

Drinks range from about $4 for classic drinks to about $6 for specialty drinks, although most of their popular drinks are below $5.50. Food ranges from $4 for a brownie to $12 for an entire flatbread. Their menu is diverse, and you’re sure to find something you love.

The cafe is generally quiet during the day, with some background noise, but not enough to distract you from

Ivey said that performances like “#VOICED” affirm the premise of theater as a universal language with a potential for social change.

“The arts and theater specifically present these opportunities that help us find the language that can begin these conversations from a place of respect, so more knowledge can be absorbed,” Ivey said. “And then we become people who are more

your assignments. The seating is comfortable, and the tables are clean, with patio seating available outside. Put on a pair of headphones, and you’ll be wonderfully uninterrupted for as long as you please. And if you need complete isolation, they also have a private glass workroom for anyone who wants to work in silence.

When it comes to drinks, the coffee is stellar, and their range of syrup options is vast. A classic hot mocha or iced almond milk latte are perfect choices. Even with a plain latte, Karmic Ground’s blend has a distinct flavor of its own, delivering a deep coffee flavor without overpowering the added flavors. For anyone in need of dairy alternatives, Karmic Grounds has oat,

DINO CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

confidence. Another positive outcome is the comfort he has received from his Instagram followers.

“There’s a lot of support on Instagram,” Perrington said.

“Like I was going through a lot a few days ago and people were messaging me things like ‘just letting you know, we are here for you.’ [Social media] just puts me in contact with people off campus or students that haven’t seen me, and sometimes they text me their schedule or their location, and I’ll try to get over there.”

Despite recently purchasing a Triceratops costume, Perrington said it is not as popular as the original costume due the lack of interaction it receives. Standing

compassionate, understanding and accepting of difference.”

Not only does “#VOICED” contribute to the discussion of change, it also reframes world problems that most people only see secondhand through the morning news.

“What I try to do in everything that I write is to humanize it, which is why I love characters,” Gray outlined. “I want to humanize whatever the issue is,

almond and soy milk. The almond milk latte remains my top recommendation, but their cappuccino with almond milk is also surprisingly good, with the perfect foam to coffee ratio. Their teas are equally as wonderful. They have a wide array of different loose leaf tea options, but don’t be intimidated – the staff is kind and knowledgeable enough to guide you. If you order in-house, you’ll be given your drink in a little glass atop a wooden tray, paired with a full glass kettle of steamy tea to refill at your convenience. Their Marrakesh tea – Karmic Ground’s closest blend to peppermint tea – is floral and refreshing, but still warm and perfect for a rainy day.

at 6 feet tall, it is harder for Perrington to move in the Triceratops costume due to its short appearance.

“Honestly, something little can make me laugh,” Perrington said. “My sense of humor is all over the place.”

Perrington is moving out of Texas on March 10, and hopes to form a dinosaur squad to carry out his legacy of positivity and weirdness. He has three people interested and is actively trying to recruit more dinosaurs.

“There’s a lot of bad things going on in the world, but even if we can make one person’s day a little brighter, it means that we’re working towards good and more positivity,” Pringle said.

because the point is that policy affects a human. It doesn’t just affect this general nebulous idea of people. It affects individuals in various ways. It's very intentional that this play does not solve anything right now, but rather the intention is to start the conversation.”

“#VOICED” aired Feb. 16 to Feb. 18 and Feb. 23 to Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the UTD Theatre.

If you don’t like tea or basic coffees, they also offer matcha, smoothies, blended coffees and specialty drinks like orange hot chocolate. When it comes to food, Karmic Ground delivers. Pastries, avocado toast, flatbreads – you name a classic cafe item, they probably have it. Particularly tasty is their cinnamon roll – warm, flavorful and the embodiment of a comforting pastry. Their basic avocado toast is also well balanced between the nuttiness of the toast and the freshness of the avocado. If you’re looking for a quick bite rather than a study spot, Karmic Grounds may be the place.

Another bonus is their hours, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. During the morning and afternoon, most visitors

MUSEUM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

convey the relationship between art and science.

“As science can enhance our appreciation of beauty, perhaps beauty can lead us to study the wonders beneath the earth as

are working or studying. However, plan your study sessions accordingly, because at night the shop becomes more of a social scene, with college students gathering for tea and light dinners or snacks. At that time, grab a group of friends and spend an hour or two soaking in the ambience. Whatever you choose, try to time it well for your best experience.

Karmic Grounds is arguably one of the best coffee shops in the area. With a wonderful, balanced duality between both the social and study scenes, a diverse drink selection and a seemingly endless list of menu items, no matter why or when you visit, it is sure to be the perfect trip.

well as in the heavens,” the display’s curators said in a promotional packet.

The impact of the partnership between UTD and the Crowe also means that the museum has widened the scope of its collection thanks to a larger network of resources. Currently, visitors

can also view a small collection of artifacts from Central America. Director of Operations at the Crowe Abraham Carrillo said that their partnership with UTD is the reason the museum has been able to say yes to these types of exhibits.

SOCIAL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

Stallings said that as someone who has both commuted and lived near campus, socializing has been incredibly difficult when she must drive 40 minutes to class. The lack of awareness about campus events has made it even tougher.

“It’s a little harder to attend some of the other social events,” Stallings said, “because I can see them through the UTD app, but a lot of the time I don’t really check it, so I don’t really know about them.”

The UTD app does have a dedicated section for campus events. But, be honest, who is really checking it every day? Additionally, not every event is listed on there, as the app particularly excludes those that might cater towards students’ special interests. Why not announce events more often on Instagram, such as through a dedicated account for that purpose?

I’m sure most students wouldn’t bother checking the official account for events, anyway. In the same way, a dedicated Instagram account for clubs with weekly spotlights could help bring attention to organizations open to more members. Student events are a crucial step towards making UTD a more social campus. Events tend to be hit or miss, with praise for the content of

GEN Z CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

the true outlook of people our age. Shows also don’t portray how Gen Z is generally more informed and proactive in the future of our world and conscious of environmental, social and political issues. Increasingly fewer people in our generation want to have kids due to anxiety for the future. However, youths are portrayed as ignorant, vapid and drama-obsessed, which gives the wrong impression of our generation’s values.

Other shows that may not be so fantastical with drugs and parties are equally unrealistic, but in other ways.

The personalities of the characters portrayed in comedian Mindy Kaling’s works are especially unrelatable to first-generation kids, who are gen-

the event and criticism for their organization. However, administration and university organizations are not the only folks who deserve blame for this. UTD students themselves tend to contribute to the lackluster social life with their negative attitudes and self-isolating tendencies.

“A lot of people are more focused on studying rather than talking and hanging out,” Stallings said. “Even with me, a lot of the friendships I’ve made have been through study groups, and then we move on.”

I mean, I get it, I’m a commuter myself. I know that after classes you just want to crawl back into bed in the safety of your own home. But you can’t complain about not having any friends and blame it all on your school when you barely even try. People in your classes are there to learn, not just to make friends, so it’s important that you try to socialize at events or wherever there’s a lot of people. Most importantly, you aren’t going to instantly make friends at events either. It’s a matter of trying repeatedly. Eventually, you’ll find people you can click with. But if you go to one event, feel like you haven’t met anyone worth a friendship, and then go online to complain about how your university sucks, that is on you.

It’s a deadly cycle. Most events are forgettable, so people avoid them all

erally proud of and well-connected to their culture. For example, Kaling’s character Devi from “Never Have I Ever” opens the story talking about how she wants to claim she has been at a party with substances so she can be seen as the typical American kid. Not all of us are so obsessed with assimilating. Our pride is clearly visible on our predominantly Indian and Indian-American campus. We have many school events celebrating holidays and festivals from our culture, and students come together every year to connect and have a good time during these celebrations. As a diverse campus, we value our culture, so why does Kaling portray it as shameful?

There are Gen Z kids who are embarrassed of their backgrounds and try hard to conform to western norms, but this is rarely explored critically

together, then complain about the lack of social life here without attending a well-planned event. Students stray away from seeking out groups that have common interests with them because it is difficult to do so online. Then the same people will complain that there’s no active or interesting clubs for them to join. Poorly planned events feed into bad student attitudes, which feed into lack of attendance at events, which continue to feed into the negative feelings about socializing at UTD... you get me?

Events can help tremendously with socialization on campus, but the issue is not only a lack of events.

The issue is spreading awareness of such events and undoing the negative attitude towards socializing that has developed from a commuterbased campus. UTD should advertise events and clubs on a larger scale and students should attend them. A better system for creating and advertising clubs needs to be implemented so that students can find more people with common interests, and students should seek organizations and events out instead of complaining first. This requires team effort.

We can become the most active, eventful campus in Texas if we try, but that will never happen if students’ attitudes or proper event planning does not improve.

in these sorts of shows. The constant internalized shame shown by these characters gets tiring. I’m sure that the characters that Kaling writes about are relatable to some, but she doesn’t have a great grasp of how Gen Z kids feel because she literally is not Gen Z. When writers write about a generation that they do not belong to and make no effort to understand, they portray the worries and anxieties of the group inaccurately.

If you want to write about Gen Z, you need to get input from actual young people. Hire younger writers or have young people consult on your scripts. Otherwise, you’ll create something that we all know off the bat to be a cringe-inducing portrayal that stifles the voices of real youths.

COURTESY | JANELLE GRAY

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WOMEN WIN

CHAMPIONSHIP

Comets claimed the 2023 ASC title, will compete for national title in April

ANDRÉ AVERION Mercury Staff

Two teams returned to the court Feb. 25 to claim the championship title for the American Southwest Conference, also known as the ASC. The Comets, who previously beat the undefeated No. 8/9 Hardin-Simmons in the semifinals, made a blazing 63-57 victory against the East Texas Baptist Tigers.

—

The women’s basketball team earned the program’s fifth ASC Champion title and has qualified to compete in UTD’s seventh have the chance to be the first Texas school to place in the tournament finals at the NCAA

Women defend home court on homecoming

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

be prouder of it. As the number one defensive team in the women’s ASC, the Comets agree that playing defense is what has led them to have such a strong team dynamic.

“I think that with this group, the sky’s the limit,” Shotland said, “You know, defense wins championships, so that’s what we’re trying to do.”

The Comets pushed the limit with an overall score of 41.7% successful field goals, 43.8% of 3-pointers and 76.2% of free-throws. This was especially

Men's basketball coach reflects on succesful season

With the men’s basketball season off to a close, Coach Terry Butterfield reflected on the past year.

The Comets wrapped up the 2022–2023 season with a loss at the American Southwestern Conference semifinals against East Texas Baptist on Feb. 24. In the end, the second seed Comets won 20 games in the regular season and 15 in the ASC.

Coming out of the off-season last summer, Butterfield expected the Comets to be competitive in their league, but not necessarily dominant. But with 20 wins to show, he is confident that the Comets have had an exceptional year — regardless of the late season skid.

“I think my overall thoughts are very positive,” Butterfield said. “At the beginning of each year as a coach, you try to assess a lot of different things regarding the makeup of your team – strengths, weakness, and ultimately you never know. So, my thoughts were mixed as this thing played out. But I would have to say our guys have done a tremendous job of putting together an outstanding season and it’s a real tribute to our players that they’ve been able to reach this standard.”

Butterfield attributes the team’s success to a few different factors: strong leadership, the team’s selfless attitude toward gameplay and a strong commitment and buy-in from all

“I think that’s what’s made this team comparable to some of our great teams in the past,” Butterfield said. “All of our great teams have had these qualities, and this team has really measured up in those areas very well.”

best friends depart from ball life

Team leaders this season included seniors Hunter Stevens, James Curtis, Will Isaac and Kyle Poerschke, who all showed off on the court in different ways. Isaac holds the program record for fourth most blocked shots at 67, Stevens holds the program record of fourth most assists with 326 and Poerschke has the most points scored of any basketball player at UTD with 43. But beyond that, and possibly more importantly, the group demonstrated impeccable character. Butterfield relied on this bunch to draw the team to their highest standard, hold players accountable and create an inclusive atmosphere.

“So, no one can come to those guys and say, ‘well, I don't know why you're getting on to me about not playing hard.’ Because they do play and work hard,” Butterfield said. “And that gives them that sort of moral license to be demanding of their teammates and try to draw them to their highest level of play, both in practice and in games. And that’s one of the main reasons why we're able to reach that 20 win plateau.”

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After a striking victory against Concordia, the Comets returned to the Activity Center to dominate the Feb. 16 and Feb. 18 homecoming games. The women’s basketball team now holds 12 wins and six losses in the conference season, bringing it to fourth place before the Feb. 21 ASC quarterfinals.

Joe Shotland, the head coach for the Comets, said he is excited that his team will get to play another home game, especially after the close Feb. 18 match.

“I think that speaks to the resiliency of the group,” Shotland said. “I think that, luckily, winning gave us an opportunity to have one more home game, which is great. But it’s cool when you get these moments to reflect on your journey, and it goes by so quick that often we don’t have a chance to look at it.”

On Feb. 16, Comets faced off against the LeTourneau Yellowjackets, winning 67-37. Comets scored an above average 37.3% of field goals, 31.8% of 3-pointers and 66.7% of free throws. This is the second time that the

FATIMAH AZEEM Mercury Staff

The Comets celebrated a successful season and paid homage to seniors at the Homecoming game on Saturday, Feb. 18.

This senior bunch includes best friends Kyle Poerschke, Hunter Stevens, James Curtis and Will Isaac.

Beyond their love for the sport, the seniors agree that the friendships they made with each other and the team are what was most rewarding about playing ball at UTD.

“I like to think that all of these guys are my sons…” Terry Butterfield, men’s basketball coach, said. “At the end of the day, I love these guys, and

I appreciate all they’re doing to represent basketball. I find myself hugging the seniors a little harder these days because I know that their time is coming to an end, and they’re going to be missed.”

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Butterfield said that team unity is what propelled the Comets forward this year. The Comets brought depth. In other words, contributions across the team brought everyone success. Players such as junior guard Luke Kiser proved reliable all around, sophomore guard Nick Donnelly settled into a longrange shooter role and freshman forward Austin Page brought a spark off the bench. All in all, the Comets worked seamlessly together.

“You know, our team has just been really genuine,” Butterfield said. “Our kids do a great job of celebrating, enjoying a great game played by somebody else. All of our guys put winning first and their own individual acco-

SEE WRAPUP PAGE 14

Comet Men burn out again to ETBU in ASC championship home stretch

FATIMAH AZEEM Mercury Staff

Fresh off a homecoming loss against East Texas Baptist, the Comets faced defeat at the hands of the Tigers at the semifinals, ending their season abruptly and cutting their championship run short.

The Comets (20-6, 15-2 ASC) faced the number three ranked Tigers (22-5,14-4 ASC) for a shot to advance to the championship game on Friday, Feb. 24. ETBU, who remained a

couple of games behind the Comets for most of the season, kept a close lead on the Comets for most of the semifinals, edging them out by just three points in the end. The loss brought the Comets from number one seed to number two seed. Despite the semifinals and homecoming losses, the Comets maintained a top spot in the league and secured 20 wins this season, a feat only two other teams in the 10-team conference accomplished.

TERRY BUTTERFIELD

I can't even begin to describe what it means or feels to win something like this... After years of coming of up short, I don't think anyone deserved this title more than this group.

Jordan Maxwell, Guard

Basketball seniors from left to right: Guard Kyle Poerschke, Center Will Isaac, Guard Hunter Stevens, and Forward James Curtis. Isaac, Stevens and Curtis played for the Comets all four years of college, while Poerschke joined on this year.

ISAEL CHAVEZ | MERCURY STAFF

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A packed gym paid homage to four dedicated senior basketball players

The semifinals marked the 20th time the Comets made it to the playoffs under Coach Terry Butterfield

Coach Butterfield discusses strategy with his players

Comets face international masters at ChessFest

35 students faced off against two top chess players at the same time. All but one student lost.

Varsity VALORANT team prepares for NECC bracket

After losing at the semifinals of the Red Bull Campus Clutch event last semester, UTD’s varsity VALORANT team plans to work together and learn from its mistakes in preparation for upcoming competitions.

UTD students competed in a chess simultaneous exhibition on Feb. 20 in the SU against two international masters.

A simultaneous exhibition, or simul, is where several players all face one advanced player. The advanced player moves from board to board, making a new move in each game one by one. At the Feb. 20 event, two simuls were held. In the first round, 30 students participated. 15 faced off against business administration freshman and international master (IM) Gergana Peycheva, and 15 students faced off against business analytics graduate student and IM Tarini Goyal. Those who lost were replaced by new participants.

In total, Peycheva won all 19 of her games (+19), and Goyal won 16 games and drew one game (+16.5).

This was Goyal’s first time at a simul.

Despite being nervous to play in front of a

crowd, Goyal said that she found it enjoyable and mostly participated for fun, with little preparation. Goyal said that it served the greater goals of the chess programs.

“With the chess fest, it’s more for the UTD students and not for myself. So the goals are in alignment with what’s good for the bigger audience. So, we want more people interested in chess, we want people to be happy participating in chess related events.”

Peycheva led the beginning of the game with a significant material advantage on several boards. She also made the first checkmate of the simul on board five after only 50 minutes, prompting board nine to resign. Peycheva said that she planned opening moves in advance and tried to play a similar position on each board.

“I got good positions in almost all the boards … I was hoping, of course, for this because I play white,” Peycheva said. “So usually, when you [play] white, it’s easier to get an

advantage. But some of the people here did very well.”

Goyal also opened several games with significant leads, including a 12 point material lead on one board by move eight. Goyal said that she expected an advantage in some games, especially against players who had little experience against stronger opponents, but that she tried to remain cautious and keep her options open.

“Normally, I’m a d4 player,” Goyal said. “That’s what I go for. But, as I told you, I wanted to try different things, so I have different setups and get different games. Some of the games, I ended up having a very similar setup, and that was also very interesting, because different players responded differently.”

Goyal won all of her matches except the first board in the first round, where she drew against computer science senior Amanuel

SEE SIMUL, PAGE 14

Goyal vs. Sudhanvan, UTD ChessFest (2023)

10. 0-0-0 0-0 11. Qg5 Kh8

White to move. How can white push for a dangerous back rank attack?

12. Qf6+ Kh7 13. Qh6 Rfe8 14. Ng5 Re6

15. Qxh7+ Kf8 White gains entry to black's flank and prepares to push his king into a corner.

Queens of the basketball court commemorated at homecoming game

Four seniors from the women's basketball team say their final goodbyes before graduation

An audience of over 680 fans gave seniors Jordan Maxwell, Maddie Edler, Diane Hurst and Lauren Fulenwider a standing ovation in their final season with the women’s basketball team.

Maxwell and Edler have both played for the Comets for the last four years. Coach Joe Shotland said that he hopes these leaders leave UTD knowing that they set a foundation for great things to come in the future.

“One thing that we really wanted to emphasize with this group, and I think the seniors brought in, was this is going to be a group effort and every day is going to be a group effort,” Shotland said. “They led the charge [in] that way.”

Maxwell, guard number two, is one of the most familiar faces on the women’s basketball team. Maxwell has played 1,862 minutes on the court, scoring a total of 144 field goals, 52 3-pointers and 149 free throws. She has also recorded a total of 225 rebounds, 182

assists and 116 steals. Out of the 25 games she has played this season, Maxwell has been named game leader for at least one category in 22 games. Before the ASC, Maxwell finished the regular season as the player with the highest scores in free throws, assists, steals, turnovers and minutes played. She was also awarded Academic All-Conference Honors her sophomore and junior year as well as named player of the week on Jan. 17, 2022.

“I’m just really grateful for everything,” Maxwell said. “I think on the court, I’ve grown so much as a player, and I’ve been able to disprove a lot wrong with just people’s perspectives about the type of player I am … I just really wanna shout out my team. Throughout the years I think that they've always been my built-in best friends … we spend so much of our time together that it is hard to think that I’m not gonna be with these people every single hour the day after I graduate.”

As a marketing major, Maxwell said she is considering sports analytics or working with talent agencies after graduation. She said she

wants to let opportunities present themselves as she tries interning in different areas, hoping to go with the flow and enjoy the time she has.

“I think there’s just a lot that [I want] to do,” Maxwell said, “and I’ve always been really open to plenty opportunities … I don’t really know what the future holds, but I'm also pretty [optimistic] that I’m gonna find a way to still make my name relevant.”

Edler, guard number three, was recently nominated for the Academic All-District Basketball Team thanks to her performance on the court and in her studies, attaining GPA of 3.859 in marketing.

“I wanted academics to be my main focus. That’s kinda like the top tier on my priority list always,” Edler said. "And I do really enjoy

SEE SENIORS, PAGE 14

end up seeing again, and so it was good that we ended up getting a good result in that match.”

The UTD women’s tennis team started the 2023 season strong with a win against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders on Feb. 11 at the Yvonne Li Tennis Center and continued scoring important victories in the following days.

The Comets won all their singles and doubles, reaching a 9-0 victory against the Crusaders. Tennis coach Bryan Whitt said that the victory was a confidence booster for the team since the two teams may play against each other in the conference final.

“They’re not a division rival in terms of our conference, but they are in our conference,” Whitt said. “It could be somebody that we

The Comets ended up in fourth place at the event last fall, which was their first season as a varsity team. The team had been aiming to qualify for a place in national level championships, but their relatively new entrance made it a challenge, according to computer engineering freshman Ethan Van. “We thought the competition was low,” Van said. “We thought we would be the best team there. We thought wrong.”

ETHAN VAN

In addition to being a newer participant, the team also faced changing rosters and scheduling issues. Van said that the team is currently working on a weekly VALORANT tournament, with competitions every Monday and practice every Wednesday. The tournament is hosted by the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC). However, due to each member having busy schedules, consistent team practice has not been possible.

“I’m going to be honest, it’s kind of rocky,” Van said. “If we all had a free schedule, per se, I think we would do good.”

In addition to the varsity team, UTD is home to several club VALORANT teams that compete in local esports events. On Sunday, Feb. 19, a UTD club team called Granny’s Cookie Jar placed second at the GG EZ Gaming Cafe in Plano. Several members of the varsity team are members of Granny’s Cookie Jar as well, including Van and Avneesh Agarwal, the varsity team’s manager. Agarwal, a mechanical engineering junior, said that despite the scheduling conflicts of last season, the team’s members are slowly returning to the game.

“The atmosphere is a lot better,” Agarwal said. “People are having a lot more fun, and we’re actually performing a lot better than earlier.”

Although he joined as the team’s manager only this semester, Agarwal said that the new roster is a promising one. With the addition of two new players due to old members graduating, the team’s dynamic has grown positively.

“People actually want to be there,” Agarwal said. “People want to practice multiple times a week. Everyone’s hyping each other up.”

The new team roster comes with its own challenges, however. Justin Jung, computer science senior, said that improving synergy is a matter of great importance to the team. As the team’s in-game leader, Jung said that the constantly changing roster has been difficult to adjust to, as figuring out each members role takes time, practice and commitment. Jung said that this semester, the team is focusing on improving communication and chemistry.

“I think that comes down to us playing more as a team and just hanging out as friends,” Jung said. “… We just need a little bit more commitment to each other rather than just the game.”

While they have been performing well for a new varsity VALORANT team, some crucial matches were lost last season, including the Red Bull Campus Clutch event.

Women’s tennis team crushes Crusaders, sweeps court in early season games

Whitt said that the several days of cancelled classes due to the February snowstorm halted the team’s practice before the season opener.

“We started [practicing] last week in January and missed a couple of weeks, missed the ice week because school wouldn’t even open, plus, obviously, the weather’s horrible, and the week after that, it rained a lot of the day, so we were missing days,” Whitt said. “We didn’t get to practice very much leading into [the tournament] with all the ice, but they didn’t either, so it was even in that regard.”

Unlike previous seasons, the Division III

games this year adopted “no-ad” scoring — short for no-advantage — where the player who wins the next point during a tie wins the game. The Division also started playing with a “let,” a serve where the ball touches the net but lands in the opposite court, allowing the server to serve again. According to Saumya Vedula, an information technology and systems junior, the new changes have been difficult to deal with but worked in her favor this tournament.

“Recently, we changed a bunch of things in our scoring system, and one of them was having ‘no-ad.’ So every time there’s a deuce point it's kind of like a sudden death,” Ve-

JACK SIERPUTOWSKI | MERCURY STAFF

International masters Tarini Goyal (foreground) and Gergana Peycheva (background) both faced 15 students simultaneously, moving from board to board.

JACK SIERPUTOWSKI Mercury Staff

ANDRÉ AVERION | MERCURY STAFF

From left to right: Jordan Maxell, Diane Hurst, Maddie Edler and Lauren Fulenwider

VAISHNAVI JOSYULA Mercury Staff

Homecoming brings Home spirit

Homecoming festivities took place Feb. 15-18 and kicked off with a bang. A variety of events and competitions at the gathering allowed Comets to show off their school spirit and win prizes. Homecoming events included a door decorating competition, the Parade of Flags, a chalk art competition and exhibition, the Homecoming Parade and the Homecoming Parade after-party. Along with Temoc’s high spirits and the various live performances, Abhitej Arora and Vivian Tran were selected as these year’s Homecoming King and Queen, respectively.

Biting, poignant and funny, “The Menu” is a unique thriller that attempts to serve a full course meal of entertainment with a critique on elitist food culture. However, the movie bites off more than it can chew and leaves the audience hungry for more.

“The Menu” follows food enthusiast Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) and his cynical last-minute date Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) as they visit the illustrious Hawthorne restaurant, headed by Chef Slowik (Ralph Finnes). Located on a remote island, the restaurant has highly coveted reservations that come at the price of $1,250 per diner. Joined by individuals such a pointed food critic, a failing actor, restaurant regulars and a group of finance bros, Margot enters the space unaware of what will happen in the

next four hours of the meal. Surrounded by the pretentious group of diners, the couple experiences an interactive menu that gets progressively more targeted and critical towards the guests.

Viewers follow the guests as they receive dishes that barely classify as food, including creations like “The Island,” featuring a single oyster placed on a rock amongst greenery, and “Breadless Bread Plate,” a series of sauces unaccompanied by bread. While the rest of the diners soak up whatever absurd food is plated, Margot stands out by refusing to eat and critiquing Slowik’s choices. In the end, it is her aversion for Hawthorne’s cuisine that sets her fate apart from the other diners.

Despite being marketed as a thriller, the movie falls short. Even casting Finnes, best known for his role as Voldemort, the movie doesn’t feel sinister. In

theory, “The Menu” pointedly criticizes fine dining culture in a chilling manner. However, in practice, the movie comes off as a pretentious jab at an even more pretentious subject. Mentions of mouthfeel abound, and the way that characters

speak about food makes their dialogue inaccessible to some viewers. At the same time, the food they praise so highly is intended to make fun of the characters’ willingness to consume even the most absurd of creations. This idea of criticism seems to circle around itself with every additional dish, but never fully reaching a successful conclusion. With its predictable plot and aura of reproval, the film comes off as more of a satire. Either way, it builds up to a final moment that leaves the audience underwhelmed. After such a carefully constructed menu, the final dish is lackluster. Though the ending falls flat, the rest of the film is still an entertaining punch at the privileged that should be watched.

Although the movie aims to be a critique of fine dining culture as a whole, Hawthorne seems to pay homage to the restaurant Noma in particular. Noma

is an iconic restaurant that aimed to be groundbreaking, saying it wanted to define a new generation of high-end dining by focusing on Nordic ingredients. The three Michelin star Nordic restaurant is known for its minimalist food design elements, unconventional dishes and focus on foraged foods — all themes reminiscent of the artsy cuisine at Hawthorne. However, on Jan. 9, the restaurant announced that it would be closing due to painstaking preparation schedules that are no longer sustainable. The release of “The Menu” in combination with the closure of Noma indicates a shift in culinary culture away from fine dining.

“The Menu” was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at both the Hollywood Critics Choice Awards on Feb. 24 and the Writers Guild of America Awards on March 5. Viewers can now stream the movie on HBO Max.

Dramatique: revenge has never been so sweet Mia Goth tackles gender roles with violent absurdity in ‘Infinity Pool’

Don’t start reading “Marry My Husband” before midterms, or those class notes will be set aside for this addicting webtoon. Though it is categorized as a romance, there is much more to the story than the synopsis reveals.

The fast-paced plot of “Marry My Husband” centers on Kang Jiwon’s second chance at life and her revenge mission against Park Minhwan — her husband — and Jeong Sumin — her best friend. After the two cause her death, Jiwon is reincarnated back to the moment just before she gets engaged to Minhwan. As she lives through these events once again and tries to change her fate, she discovers there was more to the life she lived, including a possible romance with a higher-up at her company. Readers will find themselves rooting for Jiwon, not out of pity for her situation but because of her good heart, cleverness and resilience.

Even with serious and dramatic tropes like revenge plots and reincarnation, the webtoon includes more typical rom-com components like workplace romance and forced proximity. But what really sets “Marry My Husband” apart from typical revenge webtoons is its emphasis on heart. Jiwon is not entirely motivated by revenge; she also tries to improve other characters’ futures through the knowledge she has gained about their fates.

By reliving these terrible events and making different choices, Jiwon realizes which

Many horror movies draw viewers in with unique concepts that have audiences thinking days after watching. Lately, modern horror has put an emphasis on the female psyche, bringing the revival of seductress and femme fatale trope back to terrify men and empower women. No actress embodies feminine rage and terror more than Mia Goth, and the modern scream queen has returned with another wacky horror film, “Infinity Pool.”

The film follows James (Alexander Skarsgard) and Em (Cleopatra Coleman) as they travel to an isolated island resort, expecting an aesthetic trip filled with impeccable staff service to soothe their rocky marriage. Instead of an island paradise, James finds himself drawn to seductive and mysterious Gabi (Mia Goth) as she causes strife within his marriage and introduces the couple to a

culture of eroticism and extreme violence.

The original appeal of the film derives from the vagueness of the movie’s marketing.

Several trailers included Mia Goth waving a gun around, letting out a haunting scream, but that is all it takes to get horror fans run-

ning to the theatres. She remains an utter screen stealer, capturing a deranged nature that perfectly sets the tone of how insane life outside of the island resort is. Goth oozes a

College students can get a taste of some much needed escapism and find solace in characters pursuing their far-fetched dreams against the backdrop of numerous social challenges in “Twenty-Five Twenty-One.” For anyone with dreams that feel distant, this K-drama is sure to give you the perfect motivational boost. The show follows the rise and relationships of relatable heroine Na Hee-do from

late adolescence to early adulthood as she pursues her dreams of fencing at the national level — despite the seemingly endless setbacks constantly thrown her way. At the same time, she meets Baek Yi-jin, a young man seeking to rebuild his life.

Although “Twenty-Five Twenty-One" is marketed as a romance, the show focuses more on characters and the individual stories surrounding them rather than excessive romance or inauthentic meet-cutes. The budding love between the two is merely a strong

subplot, not overpowering the themes of platonic bonds, goal pursuits and the overlooked difficulties of young adulthood. The plot, riddled with equal joys and obstacles is realistic, and that’s what makes it so immersive. Students who have dealt with academic struggles, athletic competition or even a less than supportive family member will find their struggles portrayed on a big screen with realism and hope. Audiences experience a colorful, unique slice of life through the

eyes of these characters without ignoring the struggles endured by so many young adults. And that is perhaps what makes the show the most comforting: its startling realism when it comes to the difficulties of growing up.

Romance subplots do exist between numerous characters, but more notable are the friendships portrayed. Supporting the main characters are more fan favorites, including studious but charming Ji Seung-wan, mischievous but charming Moon Ji-Wong and lovable Ko Yu-rim. Each character is unique,

contributing to a diverse cast with upbeat and dynamic chemistry. School clubs, impulsive late night hangouts, beach days, you name it — the found family trope thrives in the series as characters explore the joys and nuances of life together.

UNAIZA KHAKOO Mercury Staff

ANDRÉ AVERION | MERCURY STAFF

“Twenty-Five Twenty-One” navigates adolescence in the 90s

‘The Menu’ bites off more than it can chew

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highlighted in the second quarter where they made 50% of field goals and the third quarter where they made 75% of 2-pointers.

The beginning of the game was started with the Tigers making a seven-point lead for the first half of the first quarter, at which point the Comets caught up to start the second quarter with a 13-point

HOMECOMING

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women’s team has defeated the Yellowjackets this season. However, for homecoming, the Comets outperformed last game with a season best of 10 blocks and 17 steals.

Still the number one defensive team in the women’s ASC, the Comets shut down LeTourneau in the second quarter, forcing the Yellowjackets to a season low of 16.7% 3-pointers and 53.8% free throws.

Senior Jordan Maxwell led her team with 11 points scored and recorded two key steals. Sophomore Cierra Trigg broke her personal record with three assists and 10 points scored, including two 3-pointers. Freshman Amanda Crowninshield drew attention as a commanding presence with

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lades second. All good teams have that as a primary ingredient. So, I love the heart of our guys and how it’s not about me – it’s about we. They love the idea that they’re playing together to win and do something as a team.”

Along with a culture of lifting each other up and “getting to business,”

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“We really performed at a very high level for a good part of the year, so I think our guys along with me are sad about the way the season ended, but I think the thing that I tried to communicate strongly with them about in the locker room is that they had a lot to be proud of,” Coach Terry Butterfield said. “They represented the university in a very strong way … So, I think there's a lot of things that we should pat our players on the back about. And nobody’s happy that we’re not playing for a championship. That’s what we all wanted to do, but all in all finishing almost at the very top of our league, finishing with 20 wins, I can’t be anything

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Shiferaw. Shiferaw said that he played reactively in response to Goyal and tried to keep the game closed — meaning create a pawn structure that blocks piece movement — with the intention of forcing her to think.

“It feels pretty good,” Shiferaw said. “I didn’t expect it at all. She played a very good game … I’m happy as long as I played a decent game, which I think I did. So I’ll take it.”

Goyal said that her drawn game with Shiferaw progressed slowly as he was playing very logically. Goyal reflected that since Shiferaw kept the game closed, there were extra barriers for piece development.

“I should have probably opened up the position sooner, very early on when I had the chance, instead of making my pieces stuck. And he was putting up a good resistance for the longest time. At some point he blun-

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The wins and losses the team has faced have impacted the team dy-

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type of sex appeal that is simultaneously enticing and grotesque, making the audience feel as unsafe and confused as James and Em.

The dynamics between the characters are so jarring and unsettling, making it difficult to tear your eyes way from the screen. Skarsgard is known

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people in her life were really there to support her and sees the alternative future that was seemingly out of reach. With this second chance, Jiwon can change her fate and stop Sumin

tie. Comets turned up the heat in the second quarter, ending with a sevenpoint lead that peaked into a 17-point lead after halftime. The Comets stayed clear in the lead throughout the fourth quarter, unwavering in determination as senior Jordan Maxwell scored 10 points in the last three minutes of the game.

“The ball is in my hands a lot, and I’ve struggled from the free throw line this season,” Maxwell said. “So it’s kind of poetic that in the most important

nine points scored, three rebounds and two steals. Junior Kaylee Boykin scored seven points while providing four assists and three steals.

“We know that these are really important games. So, for us, [we] buckle down and handle our business,” Maxwell said. “I think it was important that we did get these wins, and we go into these playoffs more so on a high note.”

With another victory under their belt, the Comets returned to the Activity Center for the Feb. 18 homecoming game against the East Texas Baptist Tigers. Comets secured a tight 52-51 victory against the Tigers cheered on by 681 fans, the largest audience this season for the women’s team. The Tigers, who held second place in the championship before the final tournament, kept the Comets on their toes in what

Butterfield has always demanded that the team celebrate, because winning – especially on a regular basis – is no easy feat.

“I want our kids to enjoy the fruits of their hard work and all their efforts,” Butterfield said. “So, we have a little routine in the locker room after a win, when I come in, we jump around a little bit and have some fun with it

but proud of these guys in what they’ve accomplished.”

Last Friday’s game saw ETBU scoring early within the paint, and it was there that the game was made and lost.

ETBU’s top scorers and the tallest players — senior forward Kevin Charles and junior forward Darry Moore — found the most success drawing fouls and scoring within the area, with 39 points to show. Butterfield said he saw missed opportunities to tie or win the match from careless turnovers and free throw troubles late in the game.

“We struggled the whole game to try to get on top of them, and we just couldn’t quite do it,” Butterfield said.

“We were unable to stop their big kids inside there, who were their best play-

dered, but I just didn’t notice because I was thinking I’ll do that round fast … Kudos to him, because he was playing very logical moves throughout the game.”

Shiferaw said that he was drawn to the simul because of the community engagement brought by the chess program.

“I haven’t played chess in a while, and I really missed it, and seeing everyone getting together over chess was nice. So I had to join it.”

Goyal said that she hopes the chess program can host another simul in the future with more boards and stronger players. Peycheva said that she enjoyed her experience at the event and gave thanks to the organizers.

“Our Coach Julio, [Jim] Stallings and Tim Steiner, they did a great job … I hope everyone enjoyed, and thanks to everyone who helped us to organize this event,” Peycheva said.

namic as they work towards upcoming matches this season. Currently, the team stands at fourth place in their NECC group.

for his “alpha man” roles, and Goth’s dominance forces Skarsgard into a version of himself we have never seen. His character is submissive and small, and the director focuses on the fragility of the male ego and how insecurity can be terrifying without the addition of gore.

The film prioritizes shock value over plot, and even seasoned horror fans should beware. Vomit, human excrement

and Minhwan from walking all over her. Exploring Jiwon’s new relationships creates lighthearted moments in the webtoon to balance out the dark aspect of revenge.

Originally a web novel written by sungsojak, “Marry My Husband” was adapted into a

game to us, I’m put on the line to be able to seal the deal for our team.” Maxwell was named the most valuable player in the ASC tournament, scoring 17 points and six turnovers in the final game. Sophomore Cierra Trigg — who was added to the All-Tournament team for her excellent 3.975 GPA in physics and performance throughout the season — proved her metal by scoring 16 points and breaking her personal best for 3-pointers scored successfully.

is the closest game in the entire 20222023 ASC women’s season.

This is the second time these teams have gone head to head this year. On Feb. 18, the Comets recorded 41.2% of field goals scored, 25.0% of 3-pointers and 54.5% of free throws, in comparison to the Tiger’s 39.1% of field goals, 36.4% of 3-pointers and 73.3% of free throws.

Maxwell started the first quarter with a two-point layup setting the stage for a shaky four-point held until the second quarter. The Tigers then made a 12-point lead, breaking through the Comets’ famous defense up until halftime. The Comets received a second wind in the third quarter, making five scores back-to-back in the first three minutes. At the start of the fourth quarter, both teams were tied with 37

because I want them to embrace the joy of winning. And I want them to understand that you always should be celebrating a job well done, whether you played your best or maybe you didn't play as well as you'd like. Winning is fun.”

With UTD being an NCAA Division III school, student athletes don’t play for scholarships or opportunities

ers. And boy, that’s tough to win when you’re giving up that many points to two guys, two insiders, and we just didn’t get the job done. We did not make enough plays both offensively and defensively to win the game.”

The Comets caught onto ETBU’s interior plays and opted for a 2-3 zone defense at several points throughout the game to try and change up the momentum. This sort of play involves two defenders at the top of the key and three behind closer to the basket. Unfortunately, the defensive scheme did little to restrict ETBU’s big players.

“We had a couple of stops within the zone, but they ran a couple of plays that got the ball down inside to their big kids, and our big kids didn’t

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school, that’s why I have performed better in my classes. Then like basketball is huge for me, I’ve played basketball for 16 years and it’s been such a huge part of my identity.”

In her time at UTD, Edler has played for 1,125 minutes and made 99 field goals, 74 3-pointers and 24 free throws. During this time, she also recorded 107 rebounds, 55 assists and 48 steals. Edler was awarded Academic All-District Team pick three times in a row for the last three years and was named to ASC East All-Freshman Team in 2020.

Edler will be interning at Adobe’s corporate headquarters in San Jose this summer and will return to UTD as a student to complete a master’s degree.

“I have loved it here, I mean, I love UTD as a school, 100 percent,”

“Personally, I’m more motivated,” Jung said. “Some people are still a little bit stressed out from it. But I think working on ourselves and

and even more bodily fluids are very present in the movie. At times the orgies and sex fueled nightmares seem unnecessary or a ploy for the audience members to forget that the storylines didn’t truly matter. The director made the film a psychedelic fever dream, and it was nice just basking in the ridiculousness of it all. Yes, plot matters, but watching Goth chug brandy and eat a bucket of fried chicken on

webtoon by LICO and is in development as a K-drama, with chatter about the upcoming cast popping up on social media feeds every day. The webtoon’s official English translation began releasing in August 2022 and updates every Sunday night at 8 p.m. CST. “Marry

“It felt amazing because it was the result of all the hard work we’ve been putting in this season,” Trigg said. “All season, our coach has been talking about staying the course, and that our identity as a team is strongly centered around our defense. Well, this weekend, at some points we were down, but we just stayed the course and let our defensive intensity keep us in those games. It was also amazing that our seniors were able to become champions after working so

points, and in the final minute, the Comets and Tigers were deadlocked into a 51-point tie. After a missed shot from the Comets, the Tigers took control of the ball in the last 20 seconds. The Tigers nearly made a winning shot but were stopped by a foul that allowed for Maxwell to finish the game with a free throw.

Maxwell — whose name was painted on banners across the homecoming court — scored 15 points to accompany three assists and one steal, playing for the longest amount of time on her team for 29 minutes.

“I had a lot of support these last four years, and they all came out, and they've been really supportive doing that,” Maxwell said. “I think a lot of my teammates know that we're all just playing for each other at this point. I'm

to make it into professional sports. It is purely passion-based, and perhaps that’s why the team’s chemistry has been natural for as far back as Butterfield can remember. The past season was no exception.

“Along with the culture, I just think the kinds of guys we’re able to attract here are really smart kids,” Butterfield said. “They’re polished kids.

respond,” Butterfield said. “They hit some big threes. I thought that was key as well.”

While the Comets ultimately lost the game, the team saw notable moments from senior guard Hunter Stevens and junior guard Donovan Souter. Stevens came in hot, scoring 9 points within the first seven minutes of the game, and leading with 17 points in total, although he had a quieter second half. The semifinal playoff was Stevens’ last game, and he ended with 326 career assists, which is the fourth most assists in UTD history. Souter had a bigger second half, securing five rebounds and finishing with 14 points, most of those being 3-pointers. The Comets came close to reaching a tie

Edler said. “I’ve loved everyone every step of the way. We have a really good team dynamic. And we’re all really close. That’s been really fun.”

After playing two seasons at Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa, number 21 forward Hurst came to UTD in 2021 as a junior transfer. Hurst initially came from Lampasas High School in Lampasas, Texas as district MVP and will be graduating UTD with a degree in business administration. Hurst has played 644 minutes for the Comets, recording a staggering 110 field goals, 12 3-pointers and 26 free throws. She has also secured 121 rebounds, 29 assists, 18 blocks and 18 steals during her UTD career. This season, Hurst scored the highest number of points, made the highest number of field goals and was the second best for successful blocked shots.

“I [play] for God’s glory, but I also do it for my teammates and my

working more towards just us as players instead of players of the game is what’s going to help us get rid of that feeling.”

top of a convertible provides a simpler layer of depraved enjoyment.

“Infinity Pool” is a combination of the strangest episode of “the White Lotus” with the bizarre grotesqueness of “Misery,” and while the plot progression remains blurry, the film is powerful enough to leave viewers feeling delightfully ill.

My Husband” is still early on in the story and very bingeable, with 29 episodes out so far.

Like the doting workplace romance “Business Proposal” but with an edge, get ahead of the buzz and prepare for the Kdrama by watching “Marry My Husband” on webtoons.com.

hard all year.”

Another highlight player included sophomore Trystan Clark, who shot 12 points and made supportive highs with six rebounds, five turnovers and a career best of six steals.

The Comets held fourth place standing for the ASC after a quarterfinal match on Feb. 21 against Sul Ross, where UTD made a 62-58 overtime win after both teams tied at 52 during the final quarter buzzer.

playing for them just as much as they're playing for the seniors and a new head coach. So, I think, in our head, it's like we have a lot to prove and we wanted to get it done.

Senior Diane Hurst followed up with 10 points scored, supporting her fellow Comets with three rebounds and three assists.

“Honestly, our whole year we really [homed in that defense was our thing,” Hurst said. “We are the number one defensive team in the conference. That was a big game because now we get to host the first round of the conference tournament, and there’s a lot weighing on that game. So, I had a lot of emotions, but we really locked down and did what we had to do.”

Other notable players and game leaders include senior Lauren Fulen-

And when they see the atmosphere and the culture that our program is about, they have a choice to buy in or not buy in. There’s no cliques in our team.”

As the Comets head into the off season, and the seniors approach graduation, Butterfield said he’ll embrace both the accomplishments of the 2022-2023 cohort and the dedi-

but couldn’t quite execute all their plays in crunch time.

“It’s a bummer that we lost, and I think we were a better team,” Stevens said. “It is not how we would have liked to have ended it, but overall, it was a great season. I’m glad I got to play with this group. It was just a really good team, group of guys and friends that I’ll have for a long time, and good memories and all of that.”

Senior guard Kyle Poerschke, who is usually a top scorer, didn’t get going until the second half of the game, where he prioritized defense over offense. Poerschke said he believed defense would be the key to winning the game and doesn’t have any regrets about the decision he made. Like Stevens, the semifi-

coaches,” Hurst said. “It’s bigger than me.”

Hurst said she hopes to work with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes full time to help other athletes learn how to promote better mental health, how to fight the pressure they put on themselves and how to play for both the love of the sport and to honor God.

“[It] would be amazing [to] maybe go overseas and just really help athletes understand [that] there’s a lot of mental health that goes into being an athlete,” Hurst said, “I’ve been in that position before and that’s just not a good place to be in to play at your full potential. To just play with that freedom is something that I want to have all athletes feel.”

Fulenwider, who played as number 32 guard for the last season, joined the Comets after three seasons at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas and a year at Tex-

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dula said. “Those points make us a little bit more nervous, but I think we’ve gotten better at dealing with that. [In the case of a let] … usually we redo that point. This year, they changed it to where if that happens, we have to actually play out the point, and that could go either way, because if the ball barely goes over the net, you’re kind of screwed because you have to get to the ball.”

The Comets — three-time defending champions — have played three matches following their opener this month against LeTourneau University, Hardin-Simmons University and Harding University from Feb. 17 to Feb. 19.

The Comets won 9-0 against LeTourneau and 6-3 against Hardin-Simmons but lost 2-5 against Harding.

“With Hardin-Simmons, they’re not in our division of the conference — east and west — so their regular season record doesn’t affect us. But that’s very likely a team we will see also in the conference, so it’s good to see them and compete against them,” Whitt said.

The Comets then proceeded to the semifinals in Abilene, Texas to face off against the undefeated No. 8/9 HardinSimmons Cowgirls on Feb. 24. UTD made a 73-71 victory against HardinSimmons, coming back from the peak 10 point lead the Cowgirls established earlier in the game. The bracket was announced on Feb. 27 on the NCAA website, where fans can begin planning their next move.

wider, who scored six points and made four assists; junior Blythe Williams, who scored six points and rebounded six; and Crowninshield, who scored six points.

Maxwell, Hurst, Fulenwider and senior Maddie Edler were honored after the match, playing their last regular game on the team before returning with the rest of the Comets to the Activity Center for the ASC quarterfinals.

“I was proud of our group, especially the seniors,” Shotland said. “They all had a hand in that win, and it was really cool to see them be able to contribute at such a high level on [the] big stage in front of the great home crowd.”

cation of the team’s leaders for years to come.

“Their achievements have been special,” Butterfield said. “They’ve taken us to a place I didn’t visualize at the very beginning. One day when we’re fully out of this of this, I will be really amazed by what good people they are and what good leaders they became.”

nals match was his last game.

“It’s hard to think about because I do truly think we are a team that is good enough to be playing in the national tournament, but we won’t get that chance, and that’s okay,” Poerschke said. “Thank you to my teammates. I told them this [that] night, you know me being a first-year guy stepping into a new team, they just welcome me with open arms and made me feel a part of the team immediately. And I couldn’t be more thankful for my teammates this year.”

The Comets will return to play this fall for another chance to secure a fifth championship title.

as State University in San Marcos. Despite only playing a single season, Fulenwider has played for 488 minutes as the fourth most active player this season, scoring 50 field goals, 46 3-pointers and nine free throws. She has also made 30 rebounds, 33 assists and 17 turnovers. This season, Fulenwider has scored the most 3-pointers successfully and has the highest ratio of assists to turnovers.

“It has been fantastic. This has been one of my favorite teams to be a part of,” Fulenwider said. Everyone is so caring and kind and they’re competitive. They just want to win, and it’s been so nice being a part of a team that has won.”

Fulenwider said she isn’t sure what is next for her, but she will still be at UTD as a graduate student next year.

“They played us really tough, but we got the win, and then we played Harding. And the reason we play a match like that is because they’re a higher- level [team with] scholarship athletes, so it’s good for us to push ourselves and play teams that can beat us.”

Whitt said that Vedula’s doubles with neuroscience junior Rebecca Jackson were crucial throughout the tournament.

“Saumya and Rebecca had won doubles against Hardin-Simmons, and that was a really big win,” Whitt said. “They have a number one doubles team, and so the difference between losing or winning that match might’ve been only one point on the scoreboard, but [if] we lose that match and go down 2-1 to doubles, that affects what the rest of the singles looks like.”

The women's team went on to win 6-0 against the University of Dallas on Feb. 24. Its next game is on Feb. 26 against UT Arlington. Vedula said she hopes to continue winning more games along with defending their title for a fourth consecutive year.