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March 11, 2019
THE MERCURY
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City health department officials conduct inspections after worker files complaint
CINDY FOLEFACK Managing Editor
Richardson Health Department officials performed a surprise inspection at the Student Union’s Chickfil-A after a receiving an anonymous complaint and video of cockroaches in the food pick-up area. The video’s metadata confirmed it was taken at UTD. In the video, a worker opens a cabinet to reveal a box with supplies for the Chick-fil-A location. Several cockroaches can be seen scurrying away. According to the health inspection report, Health Department officials visited the Chick-filA on Feb. 6 and confirmed the presence of roaches. A follow-up inspection on Feb. 11 found that the number of cockroaches had decreased by 90 percent and recommended pest control spraying for the next two months.
→ SEE COCKROACHES,
PAGE 10 PAVAN TAUH | MERCURY STAFF
City applies for federal funding Former UTD employee for proposed Cotton Belt Trail indicted on theft charge Recreational walkway planned to run alongside future DART rail line RUHMA KHAN Mercury Staff
The Richardson City Council has applied for federal funding to cover the segment of the proposed Cotton Belt Trail that services UTD, which is the fourth and last portion of the trail in Richardson that has yet to be funded. The Cotton Belt Trail is a 26-mile long hiking and biking trail that will be built alongside the new DART Cotton Belt Rail Line. Threeand-a-half miles of the trail will be within the city of Richardson. Construction is expected to be completed by 2022. Jessica Shutt, the mobility and special projects manager for the city of Richardson, said the city council has applied for federal grant funding through the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program.
The program helps fund city infrastructure projects related to walking and cycling. The program is affiliated with the North Texas Council of Governments, an organization “that assists local governments with regional development projects,” according to its website. The remaining unfunded portion of the Cotton Belt Trail is a half-mile segment that will connect Waterview Parkway to UTD and runs behind the Northside and Synergy Park North complexes. It is estimated to cost $600,000. If awarded the funding, the city of Richardson will have to pay for up to 33 percent of the costs, or $200,000. “It’s a regional trail that connects, eventually when it’s all constructed, all the way down to downtown Fort Worth. For people who live
Chemistry department officer accused of stealing $130,000 from university through credit card purchases
along the trail they will be able to ride to the closest rail station, so it definitely improves mobility options,” Shutt said. “The section of our trail goes over into the new CityLine development, so it connects different destinations.” The trail will have four sections in Richardson. Two of these sections have already been fully funded through various regional grants from the NTCOG. “We’re pretty excited for the trail and our goal is to get it built with the rail and hopefully have a new 3.5 mile segment by the time the rail opens,” Shutt said. “We’re doing what we can to try and make that happen.” The third segment of the trail will be fully funded by Dallas Area Rapid Transit because it is an existing trail that will need to be rebuilt
→ SEE COTTON BELT,
PAGE 11 SAMANTHA LOPEZ | MERCURY STAFF
CINDY FOLEFACK Managing Editor
ALESANDRA BELL | MERCURY STAFF
A former administrative officer in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is facing one charge of felony theft after being accused of embezzling $130,000 from the university. Former staff member Linda Heard, who started working at UTD in 1991, was indicted for theft of property, a seconddegree felony, on Feb. 26. Her first court appearance is scheduled for March 29. According to an arrest report from the Richardson Police Department, Heard was arrested by a UTD PD officer on July 27, 2018 and released the same day. Collin County bond records show that she later posted a $25,000 surety bond on Aug. 9. Heard’s alleged misconduct was discovered through an internal audit of the department in 2018. According to a UTD PD case report, officials from UTD’s Office of Audit and Consulting Services discovered the theft on May 18, 2018 and reported it to police on May 21. The report indicates the theft took place over a four-year period, from 2014-2018. The Mercury requested additional police documents through an open records request with the university, but the request was ultimately denied by Texas’ Office of the Attorney General, citing “highly embarrassing information … not of legitimate concern to the public.” The Mercury obtained the January to July 2018 transaction history of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry’s
UTD | COURTESY
Linda Heard, a former administrative officer in the chemistry department, was indicted Feb. 26.
credit card, which shows purchases from Hobby Lobby, Sam’s Club and Amazon totaling over $11,000. These purchases stopped just before the theft was reported to UTD PD in May 2018. UTD PD officials declined to comment, citing an ongoing case. A university spokesperson declined to comment, stating that the university does not typically comment on personnel matters. Faculty and staff members from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry did not respond to or declined requests for comment.
March 11, 2019 | The Mercury
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THE MERCURY UTDMERCURY.COM Volume XXXVIV No. 39
NEWS
UTD PD Blotter
Editor-in-Chief Bhargav Arimilli
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Graphics Editor Matt Strack
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Photo Editor Noah Whitehead
Feb. 27 • A UTD vehicle at the Callier Center in Dallas had its front and rear license plate stolen at 7:57 a.m. Feb. 28 • A temporary service employee was issued a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia at 5:51 p.m. at Residence Hall West.
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Outreach Editor Carolina Alvarez
March 1 • A student reported his phone stolen from the locker room of the Activity Center at 7:48 p.m.
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March 3 • A unaffiliated female was arrested after she assaulted a unaffiliated male at IHOP Express on Rutford Avenue at 10:38 a.m.
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Contributors Madeline Ambrose Alesandra Bell Soujanya Bhat Mansi Chauhan Jenna Cherrey EJ Chong George Cuba Bianca Del Rio Dulce Espinoza Ruhma Khan Anika Kotaru Samantha Lopez Patricia Mathu Chiamaka Mgboji Keaton Nations Elizabeth Nguyen Louise Nillas Anna Phengsakmueang Marco Salinas Anna Schaeffer Medha Somisetty Sarah Streety Aasav Sureja Pavan Tauh Dev Thimmisetty Megan Zerez
Media Adviser Chad Thomas
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Mailing Address 800 West Campbell Road, SU 24 Richardson, TX 75080-0688 Newsroom Student Union, Student Media Suite SU 1.601 The Mercury is published on Mondays, at two-week intervals during the long term of The University of Texas at Dallas, except holidays and exam periods, and once every four weeks during the summer term. Advertising is accepted by The Mercury on the basis that there is no discrimination by the advertiser in the offering of goods or services to any person, on any basis prohibited by applicable law. The publication of advertising in The Mercury does not constitute an endorsement of products or services by the newspaper, or the UTD administration. Opinions expressed in The Mercury are those of the editor, the editorial board or the writer of the article. They are not necessarily the view of the UTD administration, the Board of Regents or the Student Media Operating Board. The Mercury’s editors retain the right to refuse or edit any submission based on libel, malice, spelling, grammar and style, and violations of Section 54.23 (f ) (1-6) of UTD policy. Copyright © 2019, The University of Texas at Dallas. All articles, photographs and graphic assets, whether in print or online, may not be reproduced or republished in part or in whole without express written permission.
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LEGEND VEHICULAR INCIDENT
THEFT
DRUGS & ALCOHOL OTHER MAP: UTD | COURTESY
March 11, 2019 | The Mercury
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NEWS
Former Richardson mayor convicted for bribery Jurors find former mayor received financial benefits from local land developer in exchange for political support
PAVAN TAUH | MERCURY STAFF
Former Richardson mayor Laura Maczka and real-estate developer Mark Jordan, who is now her husband, were found guilty on March 7 in a bribery and corruption case. They face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. ANNA SCHAEFFER Mercury Staff
After a two-week trial, a former Richardson mayor was convicted for bribery charges connected to her affair with a land developer. Laura Maczka served as mayor of Richardson from 2013 until 2015, when details of her affair with a local real estate developer led citizens to demand she step down from a newly-elected term in office. In May of 2018, she and her now-husband Mark Jordan faced seven counts in their indictments,
for which a trial began Feb. 25 in Sherman, Texas, about one hour north of Dallas. They pleaded not guilty but were convicted on four charges on March 7. Indictments against Maczka and Jordan centered around the benefits Jordan allegedly offered — money, home renovations, vacations and a paid position with his business JP-KBS Richardson Holding — for her political support behind a certain development project. The development, a housing complex called Palisades, was controversial and highly contested in Richardson, accord-
ing to a Department of Justice press release. It included the construction of more than 1,000 new apartments. Maczka declared during her campaign that she would oppose the development but voted in favor of it. UTD computer science alumnus Miguel Salinas lived in the Palisades apartments, which he said were relatively empty while he lived there between August 2017 and August 2018. He said he wasn’t surprised that Maczka was convicted in the corruption case. “I think it’s particularly bad because of the hypocrisy from the mayor, campaigning
against this exact thing,” he said. “Certainly, we’re taught growing up that taking shortcuts never leads to any good. You shouldn’t be able to buy your way out of the law.” ATEC graduate Raul Velazquez, one of Salinas’ roommates at the Palisades, said he was disappointed by Maczka’s actions. “I have no words, really. As a public figure, you should stand by your community and represent their concerns, but from what she has done, she has failed at that,” he said. “Especially when her platform stood against it. She never followed through.”
U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown helped produce a Department of Justice press release on the bribery case. “These are the kinds of things that make the public distrust government officials,” Brown said in a statement. “Public servants should not be for sale, and this indictment clearly indicates that that Ms. Maczka’s vote was for sale, and Mr. Jordan certainly was willing to buy it.” According to the Department of Justice press release, Jordan allegedly paid Maczka
→ SEE BRIBERY,
PAGE 8
Chess team hires new coach UTD alumnus, current chess grandmaster takes over after previous coach retires DEV THIMMISETTY Mercury Staff
Since the start of February, the UTD chess team has been working with its new head coach after the retirement of longtime coach Rade Milovanovic. Julio Sadorra, a UTD alumnus who graduated in 2013 with a degree in business administration, assumed coaching responsibilities on Feb. 4. While at UTD, Sadorra was part of the chess team himself. He is now ranked as a grandmaster, which
is the highest title given to a player by the World Chess Federation. Since then, he has been meeting with the players individually and in group sessions to help the team prepare for the Final Four Championship on April 6-7, which is the last tournament of the chess season involving the top four collegiate teams in the U.S. Jim Stallings, the director of the chess program, said Sadorra was a natural fit for the team. “I realized that he could be the person
who, from the very beginning, could just take off with the team,” Stallings said. “I couldn’t have asked for better timing in that sense.” Stallings said in addition to the fact that Sadorra already knew how the UTD chess program operated, Sadorra’s previous experience and passion for coaching made him an ideal candidate for the job. “He’s worked with the Filipino team in
→ SEE CHESS,
PAGE 8
AASAV SUREJA | MERCURY STAFF
Julio Sadorra, a business administration graduate, previously played for the UTD chess team and is now its coach after former coach Rade Milovanovic retired.
UTD adds service learning classes Courses offer opportunities to help local communities, middle school students
MEGAN ZEREZ| MERCURY STAFF
The UTD Esports department added “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” to its game lineup in February and has since finalized the team’s roster.
MADELINE AMBROSE | MERCURY STAFF
Child development and psychology senior Aminah Khan participates in a service learning class design to teach middle school girls about building confidence. PATRICIA MATHU Mercury Staff
UTD is joining the nationally growing trend of service learning in the classroom. This semester, the university is offering 10 classes centered around service. In 2017, UTD received $1 million through the University of Texas System to incorporate community engagement into the curriculum. Since then, the school has offered a variety of classes, from helping the homeless youth population to supporting students who identify as parents, to reach this goal. Cynthia Sorto, a program manager at the Office of Diversity and Community Engage-
ment, said the difference between service learning and volunteering lies in who benefits. “Volunteer work feels very one-way, where you go and service that group,” Sorto said. “Service learning is a two-way relationship. Yes, we are going to support a community and spend time and give back, but there is also a very clear understanding that the community has something they’re giving us.” Sorto is a facilitator of a class with 10 UTD students that teaches goal setting and positive psychology to high school newcomers, most of whom have lived in the United States for less than a year. “There are some language barriers,” Sorto said. “But there is also just the cultural and
social navigating of coming to a whole new country, being new and just being in high school with all that it entails.” Aminah Khan, a child development and psychology senior, is taking a service learning class this semester that focuses on building confidence in middle school girls. She said through the class, she saw a distinction between service learning and volunteerism. “In volunteering, you have someone that laid down the framework for how things are going to be, and you are just filling a role and completing that task,” Khan said. “That contrasts with service learning, where you are
→ SEE SERVICE,
PAGE 8
New esports team wins at regional competition ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ team to feature five players MEGAN ZEREZ Mercury Staff
UTD Esports announced their spring roster for the new “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” team at the end of February via Twitter. The new team finished in first place in its first tournament on March 9 at Texas A&M University. The esports teams participate in tournaments through the Collegiate Starleague, which is limited to students at colleges and universities in North America.
CSL has been organizing “Smash” tournaments since 2017. For CSL’s “Smash” competitions, the main matches are held between two teams of five players each in a crew battle setting, where players from each team compete one at a time, and the winners face the next opponent. Each main match in the “Ultimate” division lasts up to 99 minutes. Players also have the option of competing in one-on-one matches.
→ SEE SMASH,
PAGE 10
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LIFE&ARTS
March 11, 2019 | The Mercury
Downward dog, upward goat Goat yoga fitness trend arrives in Richardson DULCE ESPINOZA Mercury Staff
MEGAN ZEREZ | MERCURY STAFF
The trend of goat yoga started in 2016 by a farm owner in Albany, Oregon. Amanda Henderson, the owner of Goat Yoga Richardson, has over 30 goats.
Goat Yoga Richardson, a grassroots organization that offers classes all over the DFW Metroplex, began with just four goats, neighborhood friends and founder Amanda Henderson’s backyard. The concept of goat yoga originated on a farm in Albany, Oregon in late 2016 and has since become a popular trend across the country. It consists of yoga classes where goats have open access to interact with the participants by cuddling, jumping or climbing on them. Participants are encouraged to play with the goats as they go through the yoga routines by giving them treats and petting them. “It was crazy, you know — obviously it has become quite the trend, but we were not expecting that,” Henderson said. “We were just doing yoga in our backyard with our four pet goats.” Henderson said the challenges involved with launching Goat Yoga Richardson had less to do with business and more to do with learning about the maintenance and health of the goats with limited amounts of resources for goats as pets instead of livestock. “The research that’s been done about having goats in our lifetime (has) really only been done with the thought that goats are being raised only for meat or milk,” Henderson said. “Well, that was not what my goats were for, and so I was trying to treat them like pets and there really isn’t a lot of information out there if you’re raising a goat.” Henderson said her goal in creating Goat Yoga Rich-
ardson was to appreciate the connections that animals can have with people. She said another goal was to see more interaction with animals of all kinds and for that to become more widely accepted and available. “For the most part, (the feedback) is just sheer joy and smiles,” Henderson said. “That carefree feeling that you get after an active and hilarious activity.” The goats of Goat Yoga Richardson lack any sort of formal training. Rather, they are encouraged to socialize with the yogis through treats that are given to them throughout the lessons. Henderson said for the goats, watching the others also helps them to realize that the yoga lessons are a fun experience that bring with them excitement and love. “I don’t think you have to train them to hop or be curious or be funny,” Henderson said. “You don’t have to teach goats that. If they feel comfortable, they just naturally do it.” Henderson said the classes offered by Goat Yoga Richardson are often sold out because the class sizes are relatively small. The sessions can have anywhere from 30 to 80 people in attendance. Goat Yoga Richardson will be hosting an event at UTD on March 25. “We’re looking to keep (our classes) somewhat intimate, so the goats have a chance to get to know everybody, hang out, do what they’re going to do,” Henderson said. She said the best aspect of goat yoga, in her opinion, is interacting with the goats. She said they are naturally funny, curious and friendly. “I just think they’re the best,” Henderson said. “I think my goats are the best goats.”
Student graduates UTD at 18 Youngest member of fall semester cohort to attend medical school next year
KIMCHI
RYAN MAGEE | MERCURY STAFF
MEDHA SOMISETTY | MERCURY STAFF
Biology alum Lokesh Nagineni will pursue a medical degree at Texas Tech University’s Health Sciences Center in El Paso. AYOUNG JO
Life & Arts Editor
Nearly 2,800 UTD students made up the cohort of fall 2018 graduates. One of the students was biology major Lokesh Nagineni, who, at age 18, successfully finished his undergraduate education to enter the next chapter of his life — medical school. Born and raised in Flower Mound, Nagineni said he’s much like his peers in that his hobbies include sports and videogames. But the reason that he was able to graduate from college at 18 years old, unlike his peers, was his early admission to the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, a program that allows high school students to earn college credit at the University of North Texas, at age 14. “I asked an admissions officer early on about how I could show my interest in TAMS,” Nagineni said. “Because as a middle schooler, you can’t really do much.” Over 350 students enrolled in the two-year program at the University of North Texas receive their education in a residential, university setting, each year. “I was told that I could apply to show interest and that I might even get accepted if my application was good enough,” Nagineni said. “I didn’t really take them
seriously on that second part because how competitive would you have to be show that you would be able to succeed in a college environment out of middle school?” Nagineni said his experience at TAMS was not much different from one he would have had as a traditional high school student. “There is a college aspect to it, but it is a very good mix of college and high school. And everybody is of (a) pretty similar level of maturity,” Nagineni said. “I don’t think there was anything that I felt like I was being excluded from.” Nagineni said it was a big leap to go from eighth-grade science courses to college-level courses all at once. “I had to study really, really hard the first semester. I feel like a lot of people noticed that because I was very holed up in my room the entire first semester of TAMS, just to catch up on everything,” Nagineni said. “But after that, it was kind of an even playing field.” With several college-level courses completed through TAMS, Nagineni entered UTD in the fall of 2016, at the age of 16. Two years later, he walked the stage as the youngest student in his graduating class. “I feel like even though I had a shorter time here, I bonded a lot with a lot of people,” Nagineni said. “College is a
very good equalizer. Everybody struggles through classes together, and you kind of bond over that.” During his time at UTD, Nagineni served as a teaching assistant for clinical pathophysiology, biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology courses. “I’ve had some really good professors here, and I TAed for them a couple of semesters,” Nagineni said. “That was really helpful because when you’re a TA, your background and age don’t really matter. It’s more a matter of competency.” Nagineni will be attending Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso to pursue a medical degree. He said one of the things he is excited about is that the average age of students in medical school is higher than that of college. “I feel like that’s a very interesting opportunity because you have all these different people with completely different experiences,” Nagineni said. “It’s a bit like undergrad, except more so where you have people who have really fleshed out their life experiences and been through a lot of different events so they offer a lot of different perspectives. So I’m looking forward to that part.”
→ SEE GRADUATE,
PAGE 8
EMAAN BANGASH Mercury Staff
Call me crazy, but I adore all things fermented, such as miso, kombucha or sauerkraut. Beyond the fact that eating fermented food offers a number of health benefits, fermented food just tastes more robust and interesting. The only dish I hadn’t tried was kimchi, a popular South Korean fermented vegetable dish. Kimchi originated in the Korean Peninsula about 2,000 years ago and was a way for people to store vegetables for longer periods of time through salt preservation. With the introduction of Chinese cabbage and red chili peppers, the recipe for kimchi began to resemble the form as we know it today. Filled to the brim with Korean red peppers — or gochugaru — along with garlic, onions and sometimes fish, jars of kimchi are placed in fridges or stored at room temperature to be fermented for up to a week. Kimchi is a good source of probiotics, is low in calories and boosts immunity. Fellow Mercury staffer EJ Chong and I decided to try two types of kimchi: Napa cabbage kimchi and cucumber kimchi. We also tried kimchi fried rice, a favorite dish among Koreans. To give me an idea of how kimchi is made, EJ combined chopped chunks of Napa cabbage, a type of Chinese cabbage, green on-
ions, garlic and loads of the gochugaru, which turned into a red paste. She then mixed all of it together, and it looked like a very bright red chunky stew that smelled strongly of pickles and peppers. However, we decided to try premade versions of kimchi, as it would take a while for the kimchi EJ made to ferment. H-Mart sells boxes of many variants of kimchi and has multiple restaurants in its food court. The first one we tried was Napa cabbage kimchi, which looked similar to the one EJ made, but this one was much thinner and smelled stronger. I’m not sure what I was expecting at first bite, but the taste was indescribably spicy and vinegary. The fermentation process likely contributed to this very strong flavor, but it was actually quite pleasant. The next type of kimchi we tried was cucumber kimchi, which the package referred to as “stuffed cucumber kimchi.” Much to my dismay, this form of kimchi didn’t live up to its title. It was literally whole but partially peeled cucumbers smothered in the kimchi seasonings and bright red peppers. EJ told me that depending on the vegetable or fruit used, the taste could change. In this case, the cucumbers contributed a much sweeter taste than the traditional Napa cabbage. At first bite, the cucumber’s sweet, watery taste dominated, but the intense spiciness was what distinguished it
→ SEE KIMCHI,
PAGE 8
SPORTS
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March 11, 2019 | The Mercury
Athlete named to academic all-district Women's basketball guard becomes only ASC player to receive honor this season
AASAV SUREJA | MERCURY STAFF
Sophomore guard Raenett Hughes shoots against the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor in the second round of the NCAA championships.
NCAA losses for basketball Men's, women's teams bow out in last games of season after taking home regional championship titles MANSI CHAUHAN Mercury Staff
Both men’s and women’s basketball endured losses at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III national championships after they won their respective regional American Southwest Conference tournaments. The No. 18-ranked women’s team, led by head coach Polly Thomason since 2005, has been to the NCAA championships for the last three seasons. “The consistency is due to the players work ethic, that’s the biggest thing,” Thomason said. “These student athletes have an incredible
mindset just to come in every day and improve their skill set.” The women’s team’s first loss of the season was against Mary-Hardin Baylor, who Thomason said is the team’s toughest competitor. The last game of the season for UTD was also against Mary-Hardin in the second round of the NCAA championships. The Comets lost 66-57. “Our shooting percentages were a little inconsistent,” Thomason said. “I think that’s what we could have worked on, but I am really proud of the team and how far they’ve come.” In the first 10 minutes of the NCAA game, Mary-Hardin was able to build a double-digit
lead while the Comets missed 13 shots from the field. Mary Hardin led 33-16 by halftime. However, junior guard Victoria Peña kept the score close, and she was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. “I feel really honored to get that title, I think there were other girls that could have gotten it,” Peña said. “Every single one of them pushed me to get better every day and helped me stay motivated through the whole season.” The men’s basketball team also started strong back in November, defeating Hendrix College 104-60. Junior guards Curtis Allen and Dimitrius Underwood were the game leaders and have remained strong players
throughout the season. The men’s team defeated Hardin-Simmons on Feb. 23, making them the ASC champions. Head coach Terry Butterfield has trained the team since 2000. He has led the team to the NCAA DIII championships six times during his time at UTD. “I think our boys really rose to the occasion,” Butterfield said in his post-ASC championship game interview. “This all has to do with our boys’ preparation and them being ready to go when the ball is thrown up.” Dimitrius Underwood was later named
→ SEE NCAA,
PAGE 11
Racer finds international success Student signs contract with Mazda Motorsports after winning global cup, $200,000 scholarship ANIKA KOTARU Mercury Staff
A UTD junior has aspirations to become a professional race car driver — and has already made strides towards his dream. Nicholas Reger, a global business major, won the Global MX-5 Cup in 2018, winning a Mazda scholarship worth $200,000. Previously, in 2014, he was the Texas Teen Mazda Challenge Champion at the age of 16. He is currently under a contract with Mazda Motorsports, which is the North American arm of the Mazda Motor Corporation that specializes in auto racing. Reger said he chose to pursue a degree in global business because a large part of racing involves international business with manufacturers around the world. “I’ve met Japanese engineers for Mazda and German engineers from companies like Mercedes and BMW. Doing business with this kind of (international) mindset has been incredible for me,” Reger said. “I believe that a degree here (at UTD) in global business could eventually guide me in the right path and help open some doors in some racing worlds that a typical race car driver that didn’t go to college would be able to do.
SAMANTHA LOPEZ | MERCURY STAFF
Last year, the MX-5 Cup took place between March and November. This year, Reger’s season started in January and will end sometime in October, with the finale taking place in Atlanta. The finale consists of an endurance race, which typically last anywhere from an hour and 45 minutes to three hours long and consist of two drivers. Reger’s brother, Timo, is his co-driver. They average around 100 miles an hour. Halfway through the race, they switch seats. “You have to focus on surviving,” Reger said. “If I’m thinking about anything else in the race car, I could end up in a wall at 100 miles per hour.” Both brothers enjoy racing together as co-drivers or competing against each other. Their interest in racing started with go-karting, where in one competition, they finished first and second. “The competition between us two has always been there, and racing has just been another outlet to get that out. We’d race just about anything as kids, and to let that (competition) out on a racetrack or to work together using that competitive spirit has been incredible,” Reger said. “I think we learn a lot from each other being two different kinds of mindsets. That really
ANNA PHENGSAKMUEANG | MERCURY STAFF
Global business junior Nicholas Reger won the Global MX-5 Cup in 2018, four years after his racing debut.
helps us along the racing world.” Reger said his toughest tournament in the past was his first International Motor Sports Association prototype challenge race, where race cars are worth about $200,000 and are able to go up to 180 miles per hour. Reger said he had never driven at that speed before and had only about 30 minutes to practice, but he ended up with a
10th place finish. “The biggest challenge is to continue to perform at my best in the next IMSA prototype challenge. The new car, the new race format that I am dealing with, all the competitors and the competition level has been raised,” Reger said. “We are pushing the limits of what I’ve ever done and pushing the limits of what the cars can do.”
SOUJANYA BHAT | MERCURY STAFF
Junior guard Victoria Pena was also named MVP after the ASC championship. MARCO SALINAS Mercury Staff
After scoring 20 points against McMurry University to bring an 80-64 win for the Comets, women’s basketball guard Victoria Peña became the third Comet to reach over 1000 career points. Peña was named the American Southwest Conference East Player of the Year for the second year in a row and was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District Team. “The all-academic is huge for me,” Peña said. “I came to UTD because it’s obviously a really good academic school and, being a student athlete, academics always comes first, so that’s really big for me. It’s a big accomplishment.” This season, Peña averaged 15.1 points, 5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, all while maintaining a 3.91 GPA. “It takes a lot of time management skills," Peña said. “Obviously, school is the most important thing, so a lot of late nights staying up studying or not being able to go out with my friends who don’t have stuff to do like school and athletics … balancing school and basketball is a lot.” Earlier this year, Peña scored a career-high 35 points to bring a 78-57 win against Louisiana College. In the game, she made nine of 16 three-pointers. Her three-point shooting percentage is 36.4, and she ranks second in the league for three-pointers made. Peña said she feels like she has improved since her freshman year on the team. “I think that (leadership) wasn’t one of my strengths coming in,” she said. “I was kind of quiet (and) kept to myself, but I’m just proud of myself for stepping into that role.”
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March 11, 2019 | The Mercury
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March 11, 2019 | The Mercury
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LEGO MOVIE 3
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March 11, 2019 | The Mercury
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from the Napa cabbage kimchi. I don’t particularly care for cucumbers, even if they’re covered in delicious and tangy seasonings, but it was still a tasty dish. EJ said people don’t normally eat kimchi by itself, as it’s typically eaten as a side dish or incorporated into other dishes such as soups, stews and rice. We tried kimchi fried rice, which EJ referred to as “the mac and cheese of Korea” be-
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the Chess Olympiads, which are international tournaments between various countries,” Stallings said. “He played on board 1, and he used to help coach the Filipino team. He’s used to operating at that higher level, so he has ideas on what needs to be done there.” In a chess match, “board 1” is reserved for the two highest rated players on each team. For the UTD team, computer science graduate student Anton Kovalyov plays board 1. He too is a grandmaster, along with five other players on the UTD team. Kovalyov completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, one of UTD’s biggest rivals, but decided to come to UTD almost two years ago for its computer science program. He said the new coach was more relatable. “He’s younger — that’s probably the main difference,” Kovalyov said. “And also, he used to be a student like us, so he understands how we feel.” Sadorra said he focused on coaching after he graduated while maintaining his professional career. “I started running my own private coaching business. I worked more closely with the top juniors of the area, who became grandmasters as well,” Sadorra said. “I thought it was a possibility to become a coach of a team someday, but I just didn’t expect it to come this soon.” Even though coaching the UTD team is his main priority for now, Sa-
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cause of how common the dish is for Koreans. I could definitely see why it is such a favorite, because kimchi fried rice is quite possibly the most decadent and flavorful fried rice I’ve tried. Biryani has some serious competition here. Bright red, topped with a sunnyside up egg and bursting with spicy, tangy flavors, the fried rice was both exciting and comforting at the same time. The rice itself came with little sides such as fish cakes, kimchi and bean sprouts, all of which were delicious and added
to the flavors of the rice itself. It’s interesting that many different cultures have their own version of fermented food. The Germans have sauerkraut, which is fermented green cabbage, and the Japanese have natto, which are fermented soybeans. It’s amazing to see the different variations of fermented food across cultures. As for kimchi, I never thought that what’s basically bacteriafilled spicy cabbage could taste so good and could be such an integral part of Korean culture.
dorra said it’s still important for him to compete as a professional. “To be an effective coach and trainer, at least in the field of chess, it’s important to play so that you’re touch with the evolution of the game,” Sadorra said. “You can better relate to the struggles the players face over the board, and you will also be in touch with recent theory.” As a national athlete of the Philippines, Sadorra played in the 2016 Chess Olympiad, where he faced off against the reigning world champion, Magnus Carlsen, and pulled off a draw. Sadorra said experiences like these are why he’s excited to have the opportunity to coach the UTD team. “As a professional, I found that I enjoyed playing most in the team events,” he said. “You build this camaraderie with your teammates after the event, and I want to bring that to the team because I think team bonding is an integral part of improving the team’s results.” Sadorra said he specifically wants to help alleviate the mental pressure of chess for the players. “Playing for the UTD chess team in the past has made me able to empathize. I can understand what a student is going through on this university journey, and with that, I can help the student feel more at home,” Sadorra said. “They need help managing this balancing act every weekend of having to do their homework and projects while playing in tournaments. I’ve
been through that, and I can share my tips to reduce stress and hopefully avoid the mistakes I made.” Kovalyov said Sadorra has already been proposing new ideas to train the players and improve their chess. “He has lots of new ideas, and I think this is very good,” Kovalyov said. “For example, instead of just playing practice games, he sometimes shows us some positions and asks us to provide ideas and analysis.” One new initiative Sadorra said he wants to bring to the chess program is physical exercise — a trend other collegiate teams are adopting. “It helps you be sharper because you’re sitting there for hours on end and you have to be able to sit there and think,” he said. “I’m slowly starting to implement physical training. Right now, it’s individually, but at some point, we are going to hit the gym together.” Stallings said hiring Sadorra was the best way to preserve the excellence of the program. “It’s just a matter of who was the best person for the job,” Stallings said. “It wasn’t trying to reward someone who went to UTD”. Both coaches had their own style, but their respective passions for the game are evident, said Kovalyov. “They’re both different,” he said. “Rade was an experienced veteran, and Sadorra is more of a young, enthusiastic guy, but they both really care about the team and making us better.”
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more than $58,000 in cash and checks as well as over $24,000 worth of renovations for her home. He also allegedly funded expensive vacations and offered her a job with double the pay for that particular position. Maczka and Jordan’s defense attorneys, Jeff Kearney and Dan Cogdell, declined to comment for this story but said in their court defense that the zoning changes would have passed regardless of Maczka’s decision. With her affirmative vote, the Palisades project received a 5-2 victory. They also told jurors that Maczka and Jordan’s relationships was “a love affair, not a bribe.” “It’s an immoral choice,” said Cogdell in court. “It’s not a federal felony.” Maczka’s attorney said during the trial that Maczka’s relationship with
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Nagineni said many of his friends and acquaintances from UTD do not know that he is younger than others
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learning just as much or more than the people you’re helping.” Khan said her class allows UTD students to take ownership of their service by designing the pieces of the curriculum they teach their middle school participants. Her favorite so far has been a lesson on beauty standards where participants made collages out of magazines. “In service learning, you also have more space to create your own interactions and influence the material and curriculum,” Khan said. Khan has a background in teaching Sunday school but said she found this experience different and learned to be more flexible.
Jordan did not affect her vote on the Palisades development. “When she looked at the Palisades project, she didn’t see Mark Jordan,” he said. “And when she looked at Mark Jordan, she didn’t see Palisades.” Lead prosecutor Christopher Eason said during the trial that lies covering up corruption were not connected to lies about their affair. “At this point she wasn’t cheating on her husband,” he said. “She was cheating on the city.” In 2015, the city of Richardson began its own non-criminal investigation into the relationship between Maczka and Jordan. Although the city’s statement on Maczka’s indictment says the investigation found no violations of city and state ethics, the resulting report was later given to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit for further review. A later investigation found seven
counts on which to indict Jordan and Maczka, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit bribery. Brown, the U.S. Attorney, said in a press release that the relationship undermined public confidence in government. “This was more than an ethical violation,” he said in the release. “This was absolutely criminal. We need juries that recognize public corruption for what it is and support prosecutions that attempt to hold accountable those that cheat. This jury certainly did that.” After closing arguments on March 5, the jury began discussing a final decision. After two days of deliberation, the jury found Maczka and Jordan guilty on four counts. They face up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. Their sentencing date has not yet been announced.
in his class. “The thing is, if I tell people I’m younger, they automatically assume that I’m like a prodigy or a genius of some sort, which is really not the case,” Nagineni said. “Age, I feel
like, is a matter of experiences — not really how long you’ve lived but what you’ve been through. When it comes to that, I feel like there aren’t that many differences between me and my peers.”
“Service learning, in a sense, is teaching, but we like to see it as facilitating,” Khan said. “Especially since it is after school, we don’t want anything too structured.” Khan said in lieu of the traditional rigidity of classrooms, UTD students bring snacks and have involved discussions. Sorto said her favorite part of service learning classes is seeing students realize their full potential and grow over the course of the semester. Sorto said she hopes the university will institutionalize service learning across all majors. “It is sometimes hard to give and share as an undergraduate,” Sorto said. “You think, ‘One day when I graduate, I’ll be the expert or I’ll know more.’ But no — right now, in this mo-
ment, you have something to give. This class is all about saying, ‘Let’s go share it with the Richardson community.’” Although UTD is a part of Richardson, Sorto said the relationship sometimes feels hidden. She spent the first three weeks with her class before going into the community to do service, teaching students about the demographics of Richardson and the high school they were serving. “I would love for more students to have this opportunity to be able to give back to, but also gain from, the community. I want to find a way to make this a part of UTD,” Sorto said. “I think that speaks to what UTD is trying to build — a culture and a community — and service learning is all a part of that.”
OPINION
Voting close to home Why participating in local elections is crucial
GEORGE CUBA Contributor Ask anyone to name the president of the United States and you would easily get laughs at how obvious the answer is. Ask anyone to name their city councilor or school board trustee and you would probably get blank stares. Some may not even know what a city councilor is — or does. Yet cities and school boards are institutions in which all kinds of policies affect us firsthand. Cities are the hallmark of civilizations. One of the first forms of sociopolitical organization was aptly called a “city-state.” Additionally, education systems have continuously been the bedrock of city life. But what is the purpose of a city? Consequently, what is the purpose of a school board? According to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the purpose of a city, as stated in its credo, is “to plan for common needs, cooperate for mutual benefit and recognize regional opportunities to improve the quality of life.” For school boards, the Texas Education Agency charges school boards with overseeing “the management of the district or charter school and ensure that the superintendent implements and monitors district operations…to bring about the best education possible for the boys and girls they serve.” The National School Board Association concurs and continues with the corollary that school boards collaborate locally with their communities to improve student achievement. In the end, cities and school boards serve the
cilors and trustees might be serving out of goodwill, more than a few have had less than scrupulous intentions. This year, former Richardson mayor Laura Maczka and local developer Mark Jordan were found guilty in a federal bribery and corruption case. First elected in 2013 by a whopping 10,172 votes, Maczka was reelected in 2015, running unopposed and winning a measly 1,007 votes. In Richardson, of the seven places open for reelection in 2015, only two were contested. Understandably, the corruption case feeds into the self-fulfilling prophecy of voter apathy. Voters become apathetic when they notice ineffectiveness or corruption in their government, perceived or otherwise. Every so often, when a corruption case like Richardson’s goes public, their apathy is reinforced as their suspicious are proven right. Furthermore, sometimes there are just no opponents challenging an incumbent. People become reluctant to vote if many of their council and trustee seats are uncontested to begin with. Is there really a choice if there is just one option? By not voting, we keep delaying getting our feet in the doors of city halls and administration buildings even as we become outraged and demand change. By voting for authentic and responsive candidates, we can punish unscrupulous or out-of-touch office holders at the ballot. Furthermore, our participation should not stop at voting, since the best candidates are not born, but made. We can only elect the councilors and trustees we need if we field the candidates we deserve. Typically, in local elections, races are decided in the tens of votes and with less than
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
How to help ATEC grads improve job prospects LOUISE NILLAS | MERCURY STAFF
common purpose of improving lives through different methods. How this is accomplished depends on who is elected to determine the essence of local governance: setting tax rates, allocating funds and balancing the budget. National and even some state-wide political races certainly are exhilarating. Who can forget the energy and excitement of Beto versus Cruz? Yet somehow that hype seems to die down just when local elections start to pick up. We keep seeing low voter turnout in countless local elections. There are a few reasons for this. One of the main complaints is insignificant voter impact. People think their vote doesn’t matter. Another reason for low voter turnout is simply voter apathy. This is understandable when you consider the demographics of the typical city council or school board. At times, diversity of gender, race, ethnicity and age seem like an afterthought. In a comprehensive, threedecade study commissioned by the National League of Cities in 2003, the general trend has been that although minority and female representation on city councils is increasing over time, so is age. Richardson is classified as a medium-sized city since it has a population between 70,000 and 199,999 citizens. For a medium-sized city, its city council would be expected to have a female representation of 35.6 percent, a racial and ethnic minority representation of 18.3 percent, 9 percent of council members under 40 years of age and 33 percent of its members over 60. How many voters can really relate to or get excited about this pool of perennial candidates? In addition, although many coun-
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March 11, 2019 | The Mercury
10 percent voter turnout. In the May 2015 Dallas County local elections, the total voter turnout was 6.76 percent. Let me reiterate: 6.76 percent. In a Carrollton election for city councilor, one candidate won by 34 votes in a race in which a total of 3,072 people voted. In Irving, my hometown, the city council district had four candidates who garnered a total of 1,573 votes. Only two qualified for the runoff election in June later that year, having a difference of 46 votes. My current city councilor won in that June 2015 runoff election by a difference of 187 votes. Out of the 1,287 people that voted, only 737 votes were in his favor. Since then, he has represented a district of approximately 40,000 people. Upon further investigation, the runoff election in Dallas County had a total voter turnout of 7.31 percent. While lack of voter impact is deceitfully convincing at the national level, where voter impact is literally one in a million, voting is clearly more impactful at the local level. As of Feb. 15, all the candidates running for local office have already filed. Your responsibility, as a voter, is to pick, choose and elect the best candidate for that office. However, keep in mind that incumbency should not be the only qualification of a candidate. April 4, the last day to register to vote, is rapidly approaching. Early voting begins April 22. Specific times and voting locations can be found on your city’s or school board’s website as early voting approaches. Finally, don’t just observe the results, but be a part of them. It’s the power of the ballot. Every vote matters. Your vote matters. Now is the time to ensure that our cities will better serve our needs.
ROBERT STERN Contributor It's easy to help make ATEC a better experience for its undergraduate students: Just require a minor (18 credit hours) in the STEM field of their choice. The interests and abilities that UTD ATEC students have for animating and visualizing complex STEM processes are badly needed in NS&M, ECS and BBS. For an example of the types of visualizations and animations that are needed in my field, geosciences, please take a look at some of the videos and animations made by Geoscience Studios (https:// utdgss2016.wixsite.com/utdgss). I'm sure other science and engineering disciplines have need for ATEC student skills as well, but if ATEC undergrads don't know a prokaryote from a chloroplast, they're not going to be much help to biology! Thus, involving ATEC undergrads in STEM will improve all UTD STEM fields. What’s more, a STEM minor will make ATEC undergrads venture into another field, learn some of the lingo and problems and improve engagement. To do this, space must be carved out for a STEM minor as part of ATEC major degree requirements. Having a STEM minor will make it easier for an ATEC student’s resume to stand out. All technique and no content makes Jack a dull boy!
THE SKY IS THE LIMIT
CAROLINA ALVAREZ | MERCURY STAFF
March 11, 2019 | The Mercury
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UTD players had a strong showing in the one-on-one matches as well, with four team members placing in the top 10 out of a 68-player bracket in the tournament. Sophomore Christopher Sweetman, who plays with the screenname “Akito,” ranked No. 2 and senior Reynaldo Ortiz, who plays with the username “Orex,” ranked No. 7. Freshman Zachary Rendulic and senior Efrain Nazario, who play under “Balance” and “Kazeroli,” finished the bracket in ninth place, which they shared with two other players. This weekend’s tournament was the regional “Super Smash Bros.” event for Texas esports. After their victory, the UTD team qualified for a second regional tournament. If they succeed in the second regional, the team can move onto the national tournament held in Boston this summer. The national winning team will take home a
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grand prize of $15,000. Released on Dec. 7, 2018, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” is Nintendo’s fifth game in the “Super Smash Bros. franchise.” The spring 2019 season marks both the game’s and UTD’s debut in the CSL “Smash” tournaments. Head coach Greg Adler said the franchise has always been popular, but the release of the new game seemed like a good time for UTD to enter the growing collegiate “Smash” scene. “The second ‘Ultimate’ came out, tournament organizers started picking it up, just because they saw you get a really great crowd and participation from it,” Adler said. Adler said UTD’s team was recruited from several different local events and gaming groups. “There’s not really a ranking system in ‘Smash’ like there is in ‘League’ and ‘Overwatch,’ so a lot of (the evaluation) was solely results from tournaments — how they do comparatively to the rest of the area, their willingness to want to learn and improve,” he
said. “A lot of it was recruitment by word of mouth.” Adler said the five team members this season have all been playing “Smash Bros.” games for a long time before “Ultimate” but that the new game offered a particular appeal for players. “The thing about ‘Ultimate,’ in particular, because it’s on a new console (and because) it is a gameplay combination of ‘Melee’ and ‘Smash 4’ … people just gravitate towards it because it’s a little more action-packed,” he said. Adler said players had been gearing up all week for the regional tournament ahead of the competition and were all off campus practicing and playing through various scenarios. “We’re trying to find specific matchups of characters that might cause our players problems,” Adler said. On Saturday, UTD’s team competed — and won — against teams from Texas A&M University, UT Austin and the University of Houston.
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“We went out and did an investigation on (the complaint), and we did find some roaches,” said Bill Alsup, the director of Richardson’s health department. “We got the operator to do some deep cleaning and some pest control, went back the next week, and it had substantially improved. It was much cleaner.” Chemistry freshman Wyatt Barbabosa said he discovered the roaches during his shift at Starbucks in late January. He said the insects posed a health risk, so he decided to get documentation before reporting it to his superiors and the health department. “That night, I was just looking for rags so we could clean up some stuff at Starbucks, and we were out of sanitizer wipes, so I went over to Chick-filA,” Barbabosa said. “I started looking in the cabinets because I couldn't find any, and when I opened them up, a roach jumped out at me.” Barbabosa said he noticed an immediate change at all the SU food service locations after sending his video to the health department. He said the staff at Starbucks stayed past their scheduled shifts, sometimes until 1 a.m., to deep clean the location in anticipation of a planned inspection by a third party. The inspection took place three days after the scheduled date, and workers weren’t able to get overtime pay because they worked less than 40 hours per week, he said. Barbabosa said deep cleaning normally occurs once a month and involves scrubbing trash cans and cleaning ice containers, among other things. “We had to do a deep clean the night before (the inspection),
the person didn’t come, we deep cleaned again,” Barbabosa said. “We just kept deep cleaning until the person came and then we stopped once they came and just did our regular closing routine.” UTD’s Director of Food and Retail Services Carrie Chutes said Auxiliary Services arranges and pays for pest control treatment for all food service areas on campus. Chutes said the university works with Prime Pest, a North Texas company, for pest control. Food service-graded fogging treatments are being used to decrease the roach population. She said the supplies in use are residual, so they remain effective longer than one-time treatments such as aerosol sprays. “The Student Union is one of our older buildings on campus, and there are more vulnerabilities in that building than some of our newer buildings,” Chutes said. “We decided to take an aggressive approach and increase our treatments to daily.” Chutes said she was made aware of the cockroaches in early February after the roach sighting was reported by an employee. Pest control measures were implemented immediately afterward on Feb. 11. One Chick-fil-A worker, who asked to remain anonymous, said the roach problem reached its peak when the food service employees returned from winter break on Jan. 2. He said that he and other workers complained to their managers for over a month before pest control efforts began, and by that point, the insects had come in contact with the food and customers had complained after finding bugs in their food. “I remember last semester, one of the supervisors at Moe’s was working
and she was scooping out the chicken during lunch, so it was really busy,” the worker said. “Then I just hear a bunch of screaming and commotion, and she’s just saying, ‘I can’t work here anymore, I can’t do this,’ because there was a roach in the chicken.” The worker said management members said the problem was because of the SU’s age so it couldn’t be fixed or that it was due to a lack of proper cleaning on the workers’ part. The worker said that after failing to get the issue resolved, he and other food service workers took it upon themselves to control the roach problem. “We’d empty out the cabinets and literally lay on the floor to get our hands in tough-to-reach spots and clean before putting everything back in, and there would still be roaches,” he said. “It wasn’t until they actually started spraying that the roaches went away. It just seemed like no matter how much cleaning you did, they were still everywhere.” The worker said the pest control treatments made a difference, and he now sees about one cockroach per day whereas before the treatments, they were everywhere. “Everywhere you’d look, you’d see a roach,” he said. “Open the cabinet, there’s a roach. Move a box, there’s a roach. Dispense the coffee, a roach comes out.” Barbabosa said several of his coworkers at other dining locations had been complaining of insect problems prior to the recording of the video, and he felt that someone needed to take action. “The health department needed to know about that,” he said. “That’s just the right thing to do, because … someone’s got to do something.” Additional reporting by Megan Zerez
March 11, 2019 | The Mercury
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along with the rail line. The fourth segment of the trail in Richardson — the part that connects the proposed DART station near Northside to Waterview Parkway — has not yet been funded.
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Most Valuable Player of the ASC Tournament. “The team just being mentally focused during the game makes my job a whole lot easier,” Underwood said. “We have so many weapons, the defense couldn’t just focus on me. We had a lot of other players knocking down shots, too,
Richardson City Council member Marta Gomez Frey said she hopes the new trail will allow residents to enjoy the outdoor space in Richardson. The trail will allow residents of Richardson to go from their neighborhoods to the Richardson city dog park, Frey said. The trail will also be 12 feet wide, leaving enough room
for cyclists and pets. “The other thing the trail is going to do is it’s going to connect the restaurants and the hotels and the entertainment at city line to the west part of Richardson” Frey said. “The Cotton Belt Rail Line and the trail system are just going to be amazing additions to our community.”
which made it easier on me.” The men’s team lost to PomonaPitzer in the first round of the NCAA championships on March 1. The No. 11 Pomona-Pitzer team beat the Comets 58-37, advancing to the next round. Pomona-Pitzer led the game 30-16 by halftime. UTD was able to shrink the difference to 13 points twice during the game, but once the score reached 50-37 with three minutes left in
the game, the Comets did not successfully shoot again, ending the game with a shooting percentage of 21.2. The men’s team ended its season with an overall record of 24-5, while the women’s team finished with a record of 25-5. Both teams scored over 2,000 points and steadily increased their points per game as the season progressed.
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