SECTION JUMPS

BAND

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for musicians on campus when it comes to maintaining these conditions. Most of the band students in the class play some sort of wind instrument and playing requires them to take off their masks. In order to adhere to COVID-19 safety restrictions, they sit as far apart as possible and in rows when they are not playing in a small ensemble. Gregory Hustis, director of the band ensemble, says that playing this way has been challenging.

“Doing anything online with a large group is pretty much impossible. Everyone’s internet is different, the timing is different and you can’t hear the other people. We had to have everyone willing to come in person,” said Hustis. “People wear masks until they get to their seats. Then they are six feet away from each other, which does not make for great ensembles sometimes, and they can’t really sit in a way that they can see each other very well because we have to space things

March 1, 2021 | The Mercury NEWS/LIFE & ARTS

out. All of that is difficult. You come, you rehearse, and you leave. There’s no hanging around afterward. I think that this has taken a toll artistically.”

In addition to the logistical challenges brought on by the pandemic, Kiesewetter said that the music groups experienced a drop in enrollment numbers early in the fall and spring semesters. This brought about a scare as to whether they would meet the minimum number of required people to hold the class.

“It was super important these couple semesters to make sure that everyone who is playing is enrolled in the class so we could show the school that people really want these music programs,” Kiesewetter said.

Due to COVID restrictions, the band wasn’t allowed to enroll too many students either: the string orchestra enrollment was capped at 30 and the band ensemble cap was set at 15.

“Right now, we are actually at the maximum we can put on site. At this point, I think I have about 21 that actually show up for class on Tuesday night,” Ming said. “But normally, we have something like 35 people. There are students who would play but don’t because it’s just not feasible right now.”

Hustis said that he is glad that the musical ensembles are still able to make music despite the obstacles of the pandemic.

“It’s been a real challenge, but I have to say that the students have been great. They have been very flexible and very understanding and willing to adapt to a crazy situation,” Hustis said. “They’re the ones that have made it work.”

WORKPLACE

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According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey Report, 27 percent of transgender and gender non-conforming people in Texas reported having been denied a promotion, fired or not considered for a job solely because of their gender identity. In addition, fifteen percent of respondents reported being verbally or physically abused or sexually harassed in the workplace due to their gender identity.

The Higher Education Research Institute also conducted a study revealing a statistically significant difference in retention in STEM fields between LGBTQ+ individuals and heterosexual individuals, suggesting that LGBTQ+ representation and retention in these fields were lower due to workplace environments.

Alexander Xavier, a biology junior and member of oSTEM, said there are ways companies can do more for their LGBTQ+ employees.

“It is important for companies to have diversity workshops, to educate the employees of different identities…also to make initiatives to hire and look for more diverse employees specifically,” Xavier said. “(Diversity) is beneficial to the companies because it makes them look good. A diverse workforce allows for greater diversity in ideas.”

At a Harvard Hillel Faculty Arts and Sciences Diversity Dialogue, Stephanie Huckles – senior global program manager of diversity at International Game Technology – said comprehensive talk is a strategy that can help members of the LGBTQ+ community feel welcome in the workplace.

“Forty-six percent of LGBTQ people hide who they are at work. Thirty-eight percent do so because they are afraid of being stereotyped; 36 percent think they may make others uncomfortable,” Huckles said. “Approaches and tools for communicating with – and to – the LGBTQ employees in a way that sends the message, ‘You are welcome here,’ are crucial.”

Zayne , general officer of UTD’s oSTEM, describes how although progress has been made, there are still ways the LGBTQ+ community faces bigotry.

“The larger problem here is that almost all states in America have some form of atwill employment, which means you can fire someone for almost any reason, as long as it’s not one of those covered by the Civil Rights Act of ‘64,” Zayne said.

However, Marco Mendoza, UTD’s senior director of institutional equity and Title IX coordinator, said that in most situations, employers implement progressive discipline before firing an individual.

“If you have a progressive discipline policy in place even if you are working in an at-will state, the company will still have to provide you with a reason as to why the progressive discipline is needed,” Mendoza said. “Most organizations will not simply fire you without a reason – however some might.”

At UTD, discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity has been prohibited since 2014.

“When we presented this policy in 2014 to all the different groups on campus, we got no pushback. There was no issue,” Mendoza said. “I think it goes to show how UTD has always been a welcoming place.”

PANDEMIC COMFORT

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This comfort can come in many forms, and it’s possible for people to revert to doing the things that they once found comfort in, Small said. “Think about that little kid who goes and grabs their blanket when they’re wanting to self-soothe,” Small said. “We naturally do that as even as adults; we reach for things that give us comfort.”

Kacey Sebeniecher, director of the Student Wellness Center, said that leisure activities – beneficial or not – can be considered coping mechanisms.

“It just depends on what a person is using for their coping mechanism,” Sebeniecher said. “A good way to tell (if this) is this crossing a line and becoming unhealthy is asking yourself, ‘is this affecting other areas of my life?’”

Since leisure activities are considered coping mechanisms, they should be used to take care of mental health, Sebeniecher said.

“What do you enjoy? If it’s gaming, if it’s being outside, if it’s baking, home decor, painting art, anything you really enjoy, find time for it in your daily schedule,” Sebeniecher said. “And when I say daily, every single day we should be focused on stress management and self-care.”

With extra time spent at home, 12 million people joined a streaming service such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Disney+, according to Ofcom’s Media Nations 2020 report. Similar spikes were shown in video games as well. According to a study by the NPD Group in November 2020, total time spent gaming increased 26% and total money spent increased 33% since the onset of the pandemic.

Prioritizing mental health is especially important right now, as widespread social isolation can impact depression and any sort of pre-existing condition, Sebeniecher said. Although the pandemic has actually caused the onset of such conditions in many people, Small said, this time can also be seen as an opportunity.

“It gives you the opportunity to realize your impermanence, which means you’re not going to be here forever,” Small said. “We don’t know when our next breath is going to be, and I think the pandemic has given us a beautiful opportunity. And I use that word opportunity instead of saying problem because problem naturally makes you feel like it’s something we have to fight. That’s what adjustment is all about. How can you see things as an opportunity rather than as a problem?”

IMPOSTOR

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and sometimes even beneficial – to feel a little bit of self-doubt after starting a new job or receiving an award or promotion. This shows that you are taking the time to think about your limitations and boundaries and use them to adopt a growth mindset. However, self-doubt can become counterintuitive when it becomes overly crippling or when we get so wrapped up in self-criticism that we cannot function properly.

Instead of identifying with any of the negative thoughts you may be having, work on countering them with statements grounded in fact and reality. If you ever feel undeserving of a good grade or an internship, ask yourself “Who told me I don’t deserve it?” Surely a professor or an employer would tell you that they gave you a good grade or a new job because you earned it. Why else would they reward you? They don’t owe you anything. Asking yourself questions from others’ points of view will prevent you from fixating on your faults and help you develop a more positive internal script. Normally, negative thoughts are just a reflection of your innermost fears and anxieties, so demanding evidence from your mind is a great way to stop baseless self-criticism right in its tracks.

Students with impostor syndrome generally have difficulty accepting compliments. They attribute their successes to luck or help from others but are quick to blame themselves when things go awry. But we play the main characters in the stories of our own lives. If we can take full responsibility for our shortcomings, why not our triumphs as well? Celebrating success and even visualizing it in advance can help us readily embrace it at its arrival.

The next time you experience success but feel immediately overcome with self-doubt, consumed by the fear that soon everyone will know you’re a fraud, recognize that these feelings aren’t just in your head. They’re a manifestation of the very real and debilitating imposter syndrome, and if you were really a fraud, you wouldn’t be worried about this at all.

March 1, 2021 | The Mercury LIFE&ARTS/SPORTS/OPINION

TEAM MANAGER

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away from lung cancer during Williams’ middle school basketball season, and Williams said that he’s been trying to follow his grandfather’s lead ever since.

“It really affected me throughout that season and it still affects me today,” he said. “He’s pretty much the reason why I still play.”

Williams said that his UTD basketball experience has been a connection to family: his extended family on the west coast watches every game online, and one of his favorite experiences with the team was visiting Memphis – the city where his grandmother is from – during his freshman year.

“We got to go to the Lorraine Motel, which was where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated,” Williams said. “And it was a really humbling experience for me as an African American man.”

Williams said that he was shocked when Butterfield announced at practice that he would be added to the roster.

“It was a great experience because I had no idea that was going to happen,” Williams said. “It’s been a tough year on everybody, and I think this is a huge confidence booster going into overall life because I’m about to graduate in a few months.”

After the season ends, Williams said that he’ll focus on helping his younger brother get a basketball scholarship. For now, he’s excited to contribute to the team as they work toward a conference championship.

“(Williams) is anything and everything you would want in a student-athlete in our university; he’s a full-fledged member of our team. He’s wearing the colors, he’s running, he’s representing our school in the very highest way possible,” Butterfield said. “And me, along with the guys on the team and my assistant coaches, we are the biggest Donovan Williams fans in the entire university. And that’s what I want people to know.”

CHESS

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even beat the defending champions, Texas Tech, in the middle rounds. I’m really impressed, and I just told them to keep taking the losses in stride and take them as lessons for the next event.”

Each game took place on an online chess board where parents could watch and players were monitored with Zoom. Blackboard Collaborate was used to strategize before the games.

As a team event, the online format posed a new set of challenges. Team events require paying attention to how other team members are doing, said computer science senior and Team A chess player Razvan Preotu. At an in-person competition, players can view other games that are occurring simultaneously, and while that was possible in the online format, cues such as body language were not evident.

“Even though you’re playing your own game, you can see online the positions of your other team members and you might have to adjust your strategy according to how they’re doing. If you think one team member is doing really well, then you might think ‘Okay I don’t have to play very risky because if that team member wins then we’ll win the match,’” Preotu said. “In over-the-board tournaments, you can walk around to kind of refresh your mind, but in this tournament, we always have to be in front of the computer in the Zoom call visible, so sometimes it was hard to focus for so long.”

The team’s next competition was the Texas Collegiate Rapids Championship, held on Jan. 30, and five UTD players placed in the Top 10. This competition was also held on online, and Preotu tied for second and third.

“This one I treated as a usual rapid tournament,” Preotu said. “It wasn’t too different for me; I was pretty comfortable playing.”

The Kasparov Chess Foundation University Cup is an international tournament that was held on Feb. 6 and 7. UTD’s Team A placed fourth and tied for third.

The players have weekly training tournaments and small group sessions with Sadorra where they study previous games and discuss strategies and techniques to adjust from classical time control to rapid time control. The first FIDE World University Online Championships is an important upcoming tournament that will be held in March.

“I guess that’s why we’re busier this semester than ever. It’s these new events; it’s because it’s easier to organize tournaments these days,” Sadorra said. “You just log on online, pay the entrance fee and play. It’s good for collegiate chess and I think the chess world in general.”

BOBCAT

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A webpage on the City of Richardson website said that while there have been no reported bobcat attacks on people, there has been an increase in bobcat activity in the nearby Canyon Creek neighborhood, largely due to the habits of the people who live there. Allowing pets to be outside unattended and leaving trash cans out for long periods of time are behaviors that can attract bobcats.

“People, either intentionally or unintentionally, have conditioned wildlife to understand that neighborhoods are full of food, water, and shelter,” the website said.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, bobcats tend to be active at night when they hunt birds and small mammals such as squirrels and rabbits – animals that are prevalent on campus.

Cocke said that because bobcats are native to the area, the ones seen on campus are not being actively managed. Students should be aware and cautious if they have small pets, said Cocke, but the presence of bobcats is a net-good in terms of keeping the populations of other species under control.

“I think that seeing things like bobcats on our campus is actually a good thing, that our ecosystem is supporting these native species that really should be here,” Cocke said. “And so, I think that we should really embrace

EDITING

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it includes. We face an uphill battle: according to a 2018 study by the Media Insight Project, only 21% of respondents aged 18-29 were even familiar with what an “op-ed” is (pg. 41). Fortunately, students like Folefack analyzing Teeling’s piece and publicly voicing their concerns are holding up their end of the bargain.

As for The Mercury editorial board, they don’t have to fire anyone or reassemble the op-ed process from scratch like the New York Times did, but the obscure nature of the editing process led to this oversight.

This isn’t just a Mercury problem: the same Media Insight Project study found a “substantial desire on the part of both journalists and the public for more transparency.” The only remedy that the majority of journalist and reader respondents agreed upon was offering more information about the sources cited in a story. The editorial board can enact this by attaching an addendum to each editorial explaining the process behind the submission and editing of an opinion piece, keeping the editors accountable for misinformation instead of leading students to blame the newspaper altogether. The editorial board can also hold a Microsoft Teams call during the final round of article editing to prevent previously flagged mistakes from going to print.

By making its editing process more transparent and efficient, The Mercury editorial board will differentiate student media from Twitter or Medium, where baseless opinions can be puked into the digital void with seemingly no editorial oversight.

For a Mercury article that analyzes race and politics in a way that wouldn’t get you laughed out of a college journalism class (if we had any here), I highly recommend this piece published last June. In this Q&A, Axum Taylor, an interdisciplinary studies senior, states “People need to start having conversations. More importantly, people of privileged groups need to start having these conversations amongst other people with the same types of privilege.” Taylor is right; these are crucial conversations. If Teeling’s op-ed was the clumsy opening salvo of that conversation, may the next line be better considered (and properly capitalized, while we’re at it).