SECTION JUMPS

SAFEDISH

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are continuinge to work on adding data for new cities, Bottum said, it’s a time-consuming process made more difficult by the fact that inspection data isn’t standardized., Bottum said.

“Our expansion plans are dependent on if we can find other places that are easy to fetch,” Bottum said. “A lot of counties and a lot of municipalities in this country do not have easily formatted data sets to access programmatically.”

Jiang said that the biggest challenge in the creation of the app was writing data scrapers that could automatically read data from each city. Because the data publication method differs greatly across municipalities, they often have to write completely new code for different areas. For example, North Richland Hills publishes scores in a PDF that’s not computer- readable, while Arlington has a database that’s in a completely different format, Jiang said. The Park Cities area of Dallas, meanwhile, doesn’t have any kind of digitized records.

“If you want all the health reports, you have to file a public information request and pay a bunch of money,” Jiang said. “Even in DFW, it’s very hard to get full coverage of everything.”

Jiang said that user response is difficult to measure, since people tend to use SafeDish just once or twice to check scores on restaurants they frequent. Because users don’t reopen the app once they have the information they need, the user retention rate is low.

“Our app is more of a tool than something that’s supposed to suck you in, like Facebook, that constantly refreshes with new content,” Jiang said. “I don’t see how we could have refreshing content considering we’re limited by the data the city provides.”

Jiang said that, ultimately, SafeDish can help people be more informed about what’s happening in the background to keep communities safe and healthy.

“Your local government does a lot of things for every aspect of environmental and public health that you just don’t know because 99% of the time, it goes smoothly,” Jiang said. “I think that if people have access to that data, they can make a lot more informed choices about day-to-day things.”

April 05, 2021 | The Mercury NEWS/LIFE & ARTS

GRAD SCHOOL

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sion,” Shatz said. “Each semester, however, we have many students that we work with to submit additional information, retake a test score or do other things to make their application more marketable.”

If a student wants their denial to be reconsidered, Shatz said they should first talk to the MBA program about the decision and then the school’s graduate program dean. If necessary, students can contact the graduate dean of the university if they are still unsatisfied.

“Very few, if any students ever appeal beyond the program,” Shatz said. “The program does a terrific job of guiding the student to another degree program that might better suit their profile or they will tell them realistically if they can improve upon their own application to the MBA program.”

With medical school rejections, Doyen Rainey, director of Health Professions Advising Center, said that he’s never heard of a successful appeal. He said it’s a more realistic – and more common – option for students to reapply to medical school the next year.

“If they do things to improve their application during that year, their reapplication receives a completely fresh read,” Rainey said. “HPAC always recommends that applicants work with their pre-health advisor to improve their applications during the two semesters they’re waiting on med school acceptances.”

Appealing rejections is more common in law school, though. Director of Pre-law Advising Center Barbara Kirby said that appealing a law school rejection typically requires reporting a change in status such as a higher LSAT score or a GPA improvement.

“I have found that law school admissions staff are always willing to talk to a student about what they can do to improve their application if they want to reapply in the next cycle,” Kirby said. “So, I tell my students not to hesitate to reach out to get feedback about why their application was rejected.”

DISTANCE

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so hard because I have to do it entirely through words when a hug speaks a million words. Sometimes that’s all that’s necessary to make someone feel better,” Govu said. “But hey, I can’t hug someone through a phone screen. There’s only so much I can do.”

The lack of traditional interaction has also limited relationship development, especially when a relationship can only grow through deepening emotional connection. However, Ybarra said, this could be a good thing.

“Relationships don’t jump as fast; you really get to know the person before we ever make that leap to be in-person,” Ybarra said. “With traditional long-distance relationships, it just means we need to make the commitment of the time and money to be able to travel somewhere. Now, I need to take a risk and a leap of faith to interact with you in some sort of way. So before people choose to do that, there’s that kind of buildup of that trust in the relationship that has to happen.”

Govu said that while long-distance relationships often get labeled as impossible, heading in with a positive mindset is key.

“Understand that there are certain parts that make long-distance tricky, but there are good parts to it too,” Goyu said. “It just really comes down to communication and working with each other to find a system and being understanding that there’s no really easy way to do this.”

FESTIVAL

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for people to have a voice, but they also have these strong opinions and they’re looking to make changes and to make waves as we move forward.”

Oropallo said that the fact that the SJAFF is virtual is an advantage: since people are more likely to view content on a website than to attend an event on campus, the works will likely have greater visibility. Students have been excited for the festival, and Oropallo said that she is happy with the level of contributor interest, especially for it being the first event of its kind.

“A lot of students [used] this as the impetus, as the drive to complete a project, and it was really rewarding to not only help inspire people to do something, but also to work with them and offer some mentorship along the way,” Oropallo said.

When ATEC senior Jonavon Ignont heard that ATEC administration was considering how to better engage with students on social justice issues, he decided to reach out to share his perspective as a Black student and ended up getting involved in the creation of the SJAFF.

He created a documentary entitled “College Students on Black Lives Matter,” which combines material from three interviews with footage from racial justice protests.

“I think the best thing I can do during this time, in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, is to amplify the voices of others,” Ignont said. “That’s what sparked the creation of the short documentary and for me the creative process.”

Ignont said that the creative process was a good learning experience; he wants to eventually be a film producer, and this was the first documentary he’s ever created. In addition, he said he enjoyed the opportunity to hear people’s stories and bring them to the forefront.

“It goes to show that we as young people can express our voices in an intelligent manner,” Ignont said. “I believe the great thing about this festival is that you really get to understand the motivations of people who create the projects and what their views on the world are and what circumstances are behind their thoughts and beliefs.”

Going forward, Ignont said that he hopes that ATEC administration will continue to organize events like the SJAFF that allow students’ perspectives to be heard.

“I believe that this shouldn’t be a one-and-done thing, because it’s important to continue to have people’s voices be shared and also helps people really get the point of what this is all about,” Ignont said.

April 05, 2021 | The Mercury SPORTS/OPINION

ROCKET LEAGUE

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or more high-pressure play style, which both Dalton and Assistant Coach and computer science junior Kevin “Sporti” Vigil said are essential to UTD’s success.

“Our passes are very out of the blue, and it feels like it’s out of the blue because every single time we get those passes off, they’re always caught off guard,” Sporti said. “There’s a lot of teams that kind of do it. UNT is very pass-heavy, Oregon is relatively pass-heavy, OSU is also pass-heavy. And they’re really good teams, but I think when we do our passes, something’s different; and I think we have some crazy pressure that just builds up every time.”

In addition to building up pressure against rival teams, the pass-heavy play style is inherently more team-oriented, which Sporti said is a big counter to other play styles. Another factor in the growth of the team so far is the timing of its creation: it started competing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which Sporti said really hampered team chemistry. Even with this restriction, however, Dalton said they were able to learn a lot from their time competing at a national level and evolved their play style.

“As we came to the end of the fall, our play style really started to become dominant,” Dalton said. “Every time we are passing and we’re on our game, I think we’re unstoppable and it’s really evolved to be our main play style.”

Regarding their mental game, Sporti said that the team is very momentum-based, able to snowball wins from winning positions in series but also losing focus if they get into a losing situation. Despite this, the team has won against top teams UNT and LSU in the past and will have to do so again in order to qualify for CRL Nationals. Only the top two teams from each region will advance to the top competition.

“Knowing that it’s only top two, we have to beat them out, but I think we could definitely do it,” Dalton said. “We have to show that we want it more.”

BASEBALL

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tum, accruing a winning record currently standing at 13-7.

Infielder and business administration senior Jacob Perry said that self-motivation was essential for the team over the last year, with each player having had to maintain a self-imposed training regimen prior to resuming team activities in the spring.

“[The past year] was a long break, and it felt like forever. It’s just made me a lot more grateful to be back,” Perry said. “We got that taste of not being able to play maybe ever again, so there’s this urgency this year to work even harder and just appreciate the fact that we’re getting to play the game again.”

The team’s early success came alongside a substantial change to their roster, with nearly half of the 47-member team now made up of freshman players. With 22 new players, the Comets’ 2021 roster marks the largest freshman class in the team’s history.

Having graduated various team veterans since the sudden end of the 2020 season, the number of upperclassmen, and especially seniors, has shrunk. Nonetheless, Perry said many of the Comets’ most experienced players continue to lead both at-bat and on the field.

“We’ve still got the same core from last year, so we’re really picking up where we left off,” Perry said. “It’s been good for us older guys because there’s competition. There are young guys coming in, and they’re hungry for a spot. It keeps us on our toes.”

Perry and healthcare studies junior A.J. Liu have headlined the Comets’ offense, with Perry notably hitting a game-winning triple in the team’s March 2nd game against the Southwestern Pirates. Perry said that strong at-bats like his own are most impactful when they revitalize team spirits.

“In a ball game like that, it just takes one moment to switch the momentum,” Perry said. “Once you do that, you can really take off from there.”

Currently ranked fourth overall in the American Southwest Conference (ASC), the Comets are likely to qualify for the ASC playoff tournament this year. Having last attended the tournament in their 2019 season, the team was defeated in the first round by the Louisiana College Wildcats. For the first time since, the two teams will play again in mid-April.

“Right now, (…) we’re definitely going to make it,” Perry said. “But our goal is to have the best conference record and host the tournament. We’re on a good track right now, but we’ve still got some work to do.”

STEM

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as healthcare. In fact, just around 30 years ago, the term “bikini medicine” was coined under women’s health, selectively referring to breast and ovarian cancer, pregnancy and menstrual cycles. For the body parts that are the same in men and women – hearts, kidneys, brains – the subjects and researchers of study were mainly men. This means that up until the 1990s, the chances of women receiving heart treatments specifically tailored for them were appallingly low. This can also extend into drug research and development. Just eight years ago, the FDA released a report reducing the recommended dose of Ambien for women by half, since women take longer than men to metabolize the sleeping pill. So for over two decades prior, women were obliviously driving with the pill still in their systems. Garnering a greater number of female researchers and developers is absolutely necessary in order to call for lab research to be tailored to women as much as it is to men. A female’s perspective would also allow for many directed advancements in the effective treatment of diseases responsible for annually impacting an inordinate number of women. Time and time again, women have demonstrated that they are more than capable of excelling in the complex world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. American policymaking institutions need to ensure that proper resources are being allocated towards K-12 programs and postsecondary education establishments to motivate women and young girls to pursue opportunities in STEM. An example of such an initiative is the Texas Girls Collaborative Project, which connects primary and secondary educational institutions with companies and organizations across Texas. Its goal is to motivate girls to explore careers in STEM, providing them with role models and helpful information about the field. UTD also has a plethora of programs such as the STEM Symposium for Girls and the Women in STEAM LLC, which are continuing to gain popularity on campus. Ultimately, the outdated stereotypes and prevalent sexism have no place in our ever-modernizing society. State governments should be implored to pass effective pieces of legislation that prioritize investing more into STEM education for young girls. Let’s do our part and support local initiatives that push for equality in science and technology. In the long run, any step taken towards greater female representation is still one step closer to demolishing that glass ceiling.

MISSION

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injustices of the world or experience culture, then a humanitarian trip isn’t the right place to achieve it. Furthermore, missionaries who go on mission trips solely to spread the Gospel to non-Christian communities are disingenuous. Attempting to convert a disadvantaged community’s religion is unfair and wastes their time as they would likely prefer actual aid over Bible study. Humanitarian efforts that can’t offer qualified help while spreading Christ could run the risk of becoming a serious detriment. Renee Bach was an American religious missionary who said she felt compelled by God to run a children’s hospital in Uganda despite having no medical background. 105 children died under her care by the time the hospital shut down five years later. There are better ways to support disadvantaged communities than going on harmful short-term mission trips. Donating money to charitable organizations – like Me to We, KIVA, and the Water Project – that work closely with communities to help boost their economy, allocating scarce resources and empowering native workers are all more effective options. By donating to charitable organizations, you are ensuring that all your money goes toward its intended cause.