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April 15, 2019
THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
Amazon Echos to be installed in dorms Pilot project to begin at Residence Hall South SOUJANYA BHAT | MERCURY STAFF
The third floor's bookshelves and archives were relocated to Synergy Park North to make room for new study spaces.
NOAH WHITEHEAD | PHOTO EDITOR
Ayoub Mohammed, a political science junior, was elected SG president on April 3.
NIKITA BANTEY | MERCURY STAFF
Amazon Echos installed in the dorms will not be tied to student accounts but will be centrally managed by OIT. ANJALI SUNDARAM Mercury Staff
The Office of Information Technology recently partnered with University Housing to install Amazon Echo Dots in Residence Hall South as part of a pilot program. The program will oversee the installation of third-generation Echo Dot units in all of the suites, classrooms and study rooms of Residence Hall South. OIT plans on installing the devices this summer in order to debut them during the fall semester for incoming freshmen. Amazon introduced the “Alexa for Education” program to encourage universities to install Echos on campuses with the goal of “personalizing campus life,” according to its website. A student survey conducted by The Mercury found that 17% of 116 respondents said they were happy about the Echo installations, while 4% said they were extremely worried. Approximately 55% of students said they have no general opinion on the program. OIT plans to conduct its own survey after the installation process is complete. The idea was conceived during a conference, in which OIT staff were inspired by how other colleges such as Saint Louis University in Missouri were employing Amazon Echos through “Alexa for Education” on their campuses in order to enhance learning and student engagement, said Kishore Thakur, OIT’s associate director of systems and operations. OIT then began implementing Echos into its offices in December. The devices were initially used for conferences and room reservations. “The most beneficial aspect of having Alexa in (the) OIT conference room is to reduce the time to get information and increase productivity through automation,” Thakur said. After the preliminary program, OIT approached University Housing and Student Affairs in an effort to introduce Echos into the residence halls, starting with Residence Hall South. The initial purpose of the Echos, Thakur said, would be for students to access information around campus easily. For instance, students can utilize Echos to gather information about the library’s operating hours or learn more about upcoming campus events. Students, however, will not have their personal information tied to the Echos. OIT will manage the devices through a centralized system, allowing the Echos to be integrated with existing UTD technology such as the university’s Wi-Fi. Though there are certain features that are particular to UTD, the Echos will operate in a similar way as most consumer Echos. Currently, specific questions such as available parking spaces and Dining Hall West menus will not be supported, Thakur said, but OIT hopes to employ students to
→ SEE ECHO,
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STUDENT GOVERNMENT EYES
INCLUSION, transparency
Refurbished space offers dedicated study zones ANJALI SUNDARAM Mercury Staff
The third floor of the McDermott library underwent refurbishments to incorporate more study spaces. To accommodate the new study spaces, library staff moved the aviation archives and bookshelves to Synergy Park North 2. The new space replaces bookshelves and books with couches and chairs. A long, wooden work bench provides outlets for students to connect their devices. Work pods line one of the walls. A large, opaque separator divides the middle of the room into three separate areas. Dean of Libraries Ellen Safley worked with the university’s design team to refurbish the third floor and make room for study spaces, a move prompted by a lack of existing space that led to students sitting and laying on the ground. Three main goals in the redesign, Safley said, were to allow more space for students to spread out, keep the space easy to clean and maintain and include outlets wherever
MEGAN ZEREZ Mercury Staff
As the new Student Government leadership prepares to take office, the outgoing administration reflected on its ongoing efforts to improve student engagement and represent student interests in a year that saw UTD in national and local headlines in the wake of several high-profile scandals. Outgoing President Eric Chen said that student involvement independent of SG played an important role this year in shaping change at UTD. Chen cited the Jacob Anderson scandal, in which a former Baylor University student accused of sexual assault transferred to UTD, and the allegations against Chartwells’ labor practices.
→ SEE SG,
Library's third floor undergoes makeover
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ALESANDRA BELL | MERCURY STAFF
→ SEE LIBRARY,
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Judicial hearings continue for chemistry fraud case Audit records show former department assistant purchased Apple tablets, bikes with university funds CINDY FOLEFACK Managing Editor
Former UTD staff member Linda Heard made her first court appearance on March 29 after being indicted on a felony theft charge earlier this year. Heard is accused of stealing $130,000 from the university. According an expenditures investigation report from the Office of Audit and Consulting Services dated Feb. 9, 2018, Internal Audit investigators reviewed Heard’s purchases using department funds from September 2012 to December 2017. The report lists 55 items worth a total of nearly $22,000 that appear to be personal purchases. While 45 of the items were located and being used for UTD business according to Heard, the report noted that some of the purchases “did not appear to be the best use of university funds.” The expenditure investigation report was shared with UTD officials by Chief Audit Executive Toni Stephens. The report states the investigation began after allegations were made to a chemistry department employee that Heard was using university funds for personal use. “When we do audits when we look at things at the university, sometimes things come to our attention,” Stephens said. “It was not an outside tip: It was something that an auditor within our Internal Audit office found.” Stephens said she could not comment on details of the case as the police investigation is ongoing. The report details two meetings between Heard and Internal Audit from Dec. 11-12, 2017. During the
first meeting, Heard said 21 of the items were at her personal residence or “on campus somewhere.” The following day during a second meeting, 10 items remained unaccounted for, with Heard stating they were lost, damaged, unable to be located or she didn’t recall purchasing them, according to the report. Department Head for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Ken Balkus declined an interview but said in an email that the department was shocked and disappointed after the discovery and that Heard’s future depends on the legal system. According to the One Card Program User Guide, employees are not allowed to use department funds for personal expenditures or to purchase controlled assets without pre-approval. Controlled assets include cameras, cellphones, computers and tablets, among other items. Additionally, purchases made with the cards are meant to be identified through account codes to categorize purchases. Among the 10 items unaccounted for in the report were Apple AirPods, an iPad, a 7-speed bike, a 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt display and other items totaling over $2,000. The report notes that of the 45 items that were accounted for, some were not properly reviewed or categorized based on account codes. The report closes with recommendations to improve the review process and documentation for purchases, as well as improving the accuracy of account codes. Vice President of Budget and Finance
→ SEE HEARD,
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SAMANTHA LOPEZ | MERCURY STAFF
April 15, 2019 | The Mercury
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THE MERCURY UTDMERCURY.COM Volume XXXVIV No. 41
NEWS
UTD PD Blotter
Editor-in-Chief Bhargav Arimilli
editor@utdmercury.com (972) 883-2294
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Outreach Editor Carolina Alvarez
media@utdmercury.com
Opinion Editor Madison York
April 1 • An aggravated assault with a deadly weapon between roommates was reported at University Village Phase 8 at 10:50 a.m.
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April 3 • A non-affiliated female was issued a criminal trespass warning at University Village Phase 3 at 4:07 p.m.
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April 8 • A UTD employee reported her Beats headphones stolen from her office in the Administrative Building at 5:04 p.m.
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April 9 • A student reported their wallet stolen from the McDermott Library at 6:19 p.m.
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April 11 • A student reported her bicycle stolen from the Phase 3 clubhouse at 10:23 a.m.
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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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Contributors Nikita Bantey Alesandra Bell Sarah Besserer Soujanya Bhat Pranati Chitta EJ Chong Bianca Del Rio Dulce Espinoza Thomas Hobohm Amina Hussain Ruhma Khan Samantha Lopez Patricia Mathu Chiamaka Mgboji Louise Nillas Nadine Omeis Marco Salinas Anna Schaeffer Sarah Streety Anjali Sundaram Aasav Sureja Pavan Tauh Megan Zerez
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LEGEND VEHICULAR INCIDENT
THEFT
DRUGS & ALCOHOL OTHER MAP: UTD | COURTESY
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April 15, 2019 | The Mercury
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NEWS
Professor helps create police training software Software developed in part by UTD simulates symptoms of alcohol impairment to help train law enforcement officers
AASAV SUREJA | MERCURY STAFF
Animated 3D model Brian uses motion-tracking to follow a finger and simulate horizontal gaze nystagmus. The level of twitching in Brian's eyes can help train officers to estimate the level of impairment in drunk drivers. DULCE ESPINOZA Mercury Staff
A UTD professor partnered with Sam Houston State University researchers and EyeT Plus, a group of police training experts, to develop software to help law enforcement spot impaired drivers. The Individual Nystagmus Simulated Training Experience project developed by ATEC professor Marjorie Zielke helps train police officers to identify horizontal gaze nystagmus, which is the involuntary twitching of an impaired driver’s eyes when moving side to side in a field sobriety test. How soon the eyes begin to twitch indicates how impaired the driver is.
“Brian emulates the way a person’s eyes would move depending on the level of impairment … We’ve been able to model (the HGN) condition,” Zielke said. “Brian can emulate other things too, such as medical conditions, eye redness, how wet your eyes are.” Brian is the lifelike simulation of an inebriated adult male. When an officer moves their finger horizontally in front of a screen topped by a camera, the simulation uses mathematical algorithms to reproduce the different moving and twitching in eyes that officers may confront during such HGN tests. Brian also employs analytical algorithms in order to report on the performance and technique the officers use.
“Brian can (also) emulate (medical) conditions because in these cases the police officer does not need to arrest the person, they need to help them,” Zielke said. Occasionally, there are instances when a person is impaired not because of substance use but instead for a medical reason, Zielke said. Brian can adapt to emulate other physiological symptoms. If someone has dissimilar pupil size, that could be an indicator of a medical condition, such as a stroke. “(Brian has) been so well accepted,” Zielke said. “The technology is being used by a wide range of officers.” Brian will be included in Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforce-
ment training programs throughout Texas, Zielke said, thanks to funding from the Texas Department of Transportation. As of now, INSITE will be helping train up to 500 officers in 2019, but the team is looking to include the simulation in more police training programs. “Right now, we can only emulate alcohol (impairment), but we’re trying to get resources to model marijuana,” Zielke said. “I’ve learned from this experiment that the most common type of impairment is alcohol (with) marijuana.” There are seven drug categories that the ARIDE training programs teach officers to recognize. The INSITE project could model all seven categories, Zielke
said, but it lacks funding and resources. “We’re hoping that (INSITE) gets totally integrated into officer training,” Zielke said, “In the way that (Brian) currently works … there’s no reason that (training programs) can’t be using him right now.” Many different types of law enforcement are using the technology to train their officers, Zielke said. In May, the research team will conduct a training class with the Department of Public Safety and integrate INSITE into their training classes with future state troopers and Highway Patrol. “It’s been really exciting,” Zielke said. “There is a lot of potential for all of this.”
A&H introduces new history major
EJ CHONG | MERCURY STAFF
CHIAMAKA MGBOJI | MERCURY STAFF
PATRICIA MATHU Mercury Staff
This fall, UTD will offer a history major to incoming freshmen and phase out the current historical studies degree plan. Daniel Wickberg, an associate professor in the School of Arts and Humanities and the historical studies program coordinator, led a task force of four historical studies faculty members to reevaluate the existing degree requirements. “There has been a long-standing sense among faculty that we had some dissatisfaction with the lack of structure in the historical studies major,” Wickberg said. The new history major will mandate taking lower-level global survey courses. Options for these 2000-level regional requirements will include survey classes about East Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Though these courses are currently offered, they are not required for a historical studies degree. “We thought we could create better sequencing in the major,” Wickberg said. “We want to make sure students have an opportunity to study non-Western history at that level before they’re introduced at the upper-division level.
The requirements for upper-level history credits will also change. According to the current degree plan, students have to take one upper-level course in European history, pre-1800 history, intellectual history and Asian, African or Latin American history. “Saying Asian, African (and) Latin American seems really out-of-date for the profession,” Wickberg said. “We decided that we wanted to split up the distribution.” The new history major outlines five regions of study: United States, Latin America, Middle East, Asia and Africa. Of the five, students will have to take a class in any three regions. In addition, the new degree plan mandates exposure to history under four disciplinary distributions: pre-1500 history, the history of women or gender, the history of race or ethnicity and a course in intellectual history. Intellectual history, or the study of ideas, comes from UTD’s tradition of an interdisciplinary history program, Wickberg said. When the program began in the 1980s, it was called historical studies, not history, because of its unique blending of history with philosophy.
→ SEE HISTORY,
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RISD proposes possible new teacher salary raises Pay increase to make district more competitive in Dallas-Fort Worth MARCO SALINAS Mercury Staff
Richardson Independent School District plans to raise new teacher salaries above area average, a move that might boost recruitment of graduates of UTD’s teacher certification program. Currently, the new teacher salaries for RISD are $52,275, which is below Frisco, Garland and Plano ISD’s $53,000 and McKinney’s $53,850. Assistant Director of Student Teaching and Field Experience at the Teacher Development Center Barbara Ashmore said despite the salary differences, RISD has been one of the most popular destinations for UTD teacher certification graduates. For the 2018-2019 school year, Frisco ISD raised its new teacher salary from $50,500 to $53,000 and Plano ISD raised its new teacher salary from $52,000 to $53,000. Following a salary study conducted by RISD, RISD Human Resources recommended to raise the new teacher
salary to $54,500 to stay competitive with area school districts. Between the spring and fall of 2018, 29 students completed their mandatory field work at RISD. Ashmore said RISD is popular with students because of its reputation. “(The classes) are taught by full-time classroom teachers in Plano, Richardson (and) Frisco,” Ashmore said. “That’s probably how they learn the most about the districts.” Frisco ISD teacher and UTD lecturer Alyssa Ross teaches UTD classes for teacher certification. For recruiting future teachers, she said it is important to let them know that a school district is a professional learning community. “When we’re recruiting teachers, we want to make sure that they know they’re not on their own, they have a part of a collaborative team that they can both give to and bring their own fresh ideas to and at the same time have the experience of someone else, so they
don’t feel like they’re by themselves,” Ross said. In an RISD Board of Trustees work session, RISD Superintendent Jeannie Stone said RISD lost teachers to other school districts because, in part, of salaries. “There’s been this correlation of us underinvesting in our teachers and every year struggling with losing them to other school districts,” Stone said. Ross said she has always felt supported by her school district and that salary increases reflect how society values teachers. Child development and psychology senior Leila Simmons said she’s wanted to be a teacher since the age of 5 and that having a class taught by an elementary teacher made her more excited to be a teacher. Simmons is pursuing field work at Plano ISD. “One of my professors (is) currently (a teacher) in an elementary school in Plano ISD … and it’s really cool to hear
→ SEE TEACHERS,
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LIFE&ARTS
April 15, 2019 | The Mercury
Student play explores mental health Original production engages audience to stimulate dialogue
AMINA HUSSAIN | MERCURY STAFF
PAVAN TAUH | MERCURY STAFF
In the play, visual and performing arts senior Aidan Bly portrays a student who relies on Adderall for success.
Artists use ‘experimental methods’ in exhibit Students showcase art pieces made using innovative darkroom, photography techniques
MADISON YORK Mercury Staff
EMAAN BANGASH
Since the summer of 2018, a group of UTD students — along with director Shelby-Allison Hibbs — have worked on creating and performing a self-devised play about mental illness. The play, “A Mirror Right Through You,” began taking shape when Hibbs surveyed students about what they wanted the play to focus on. The response, Hibbs said, was in favor of a spotlight on mental illness in college. From there, Hibbs conducted workshops where students used moment work to explore concepts for the play. “What (moment work) means is instead of sitting at a table and everyone writes scripts and stuff, instead, you’re trying to actually create pantomime scenes, if you will — or abstracted movement that relates to an idea you want to see on stage,” Hibbs said. In preparing to write the script, students conducted their own survey at the beginning of the fall semester, collecting about 15 anonymous responses from UTD students, which included anecdotes, metaphors and even poetry. “I think we were trying to explore how we can get it out of the stereotypical image of someone sitting on the floor with their head in their hands, because that’s what you would see in stock photos. I think that came with a lot of the imagery that people talked about in their surveys,” said Melinda Kalanzis, a visual and performing arts freshman. “There was a lot of drowning and earthquakes and a lot of big things that you can’t necessarily control.” After conducting the surveys, Kalanzis said, the group studied artwork that symbolized mental illness to gain a better understanding. Students also did research on the Student Counseling Center website and other sources. Discussion in the workshops played a key role in creating the story, said Aidan Bly, a visual and performing arts senior. “During the initial idea phase where we only met once a week, we would sort of group up, and suss out some topics surrounding mental health, like medication, coping mechanisms, suicide,” Bly said. “In doing that, we would then split off into groups and come up with specific story beats or plot elements or stuff that actually happens that can drive the story forward based around those thoughts that we throw together.” Though the final script was completed right before spring break, Bly said, improvisations during rehearsal happen often. Starting in February, the cast rehearsed for 16 hours per week. Right before production, they would rehearse as long as 12 hours in one day. The title of the play — and a central theme throughout the plot — came about during one of the moment work workshops, Hibbs said. “Melinda had a compact in her hand, and someone put a picture frame that was empty on top of her and sort of boxed her into a space,” the director said. “And I thought that was really interesting — the idea that sometimes we box ourselves in, but it also goes with the idea of you never really know what’s going on with someone internally. It’s hard to get a window into their interior experiences. So, frames became this sort of metaphoric device for the whole show.”
→ SEE MIRROR,
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News Editor
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large white rectangular block stands in the middle of a large white room in the SP/N Gallery at Synergy Park North 2. One side is adorned by detailed cutout black and white pictures of mushrooms, and the other side covered with small framed black and white photos of smiling people covered with paint splatters and brush strokes. On the walls surrounding this block are framed photos of burnt negatives and photos splattered with paint — the work of UTD alumna Kaitlyn Killian and chemistry junior Zachary Chroust as part of the “Experimental Methods” exhibit on display until April 26. Chroust said he’s had a passion for dark room photography since high school, where he was introduced to it in a photography course he took for his fine arts requirement. After seven years of experience in the field, he felt prepared to be able to pull off his own show. “I fell in love with it because it really truly is a fine art, and it’s amazing to be able to synthesize your own photograph in a way that’s unique to you and no one else can copy,” Chroust said. “Ever since then, it’s become more of a hobby and a passion for me. I absolutely love developing film and going to the dark room.”
→ SEE EXHIBIT,
AMINA HUSSAIN | MERCURY STAFF
Chemistry junior Zachary Chroust uses darkroom techniques to produce photographs.
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MENUDO ASHTYN TAYLER | COURTESY
Ashtyn Tayler, who completed her post-baccalaureate degree at UTD, travelled to border town McAllen, Texas to help gather medical assistance for immigrants.
Graduate rallies for immigrants at border Alum uses social media to gather medical volunteers RYAN MAGEE | MERCURY STAFF
EMAAN BANGASH Mercury Staff
I’ve eaten a lot of pretty weird things in my life — cow feet, goat brains and jelly fish, just to name a few. As weird as they may sound, they’re commonplace for me now that I’ve eaten them many times. This time, I had the opportunity to add cow’s stomach to my list. This episode I cooked and tried menudo, a popular Mexican breakfast soup, with my fellow Mercury staff member Dulce Espinoza. Menudo was a widely consumed dish just before the Mexican Revolution among poorer populations who only had access to leftover parts of animals such as stomach, kidneys and feet. It evolved into a dish made in bulk
and was served among families in Mexico. It’s also considered an effective hangover cure. Menudo is made with hominy, a type of dried maize, cow’s feet and tripe, which is cow’s stomach. The ingredients are cooked together for hours with deliciously spicy chilies and herbs, resulting in a thick, hearty soup eaten with bread on the side. Dulce and I cooked the soup at her apartment. Though preparing the dish was intimidating, it ended up being a lot simpler than I thought. Cow feet and stomach in particular have to be boiled for hours so they can be soft and easy to consume. Dulce prepared a pot of boiling water and put in the feet first, with the tripe to be added a couple of hours later. While the feet boiled, Dulce and I cut up
→ SEE MENUDO,
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ANNA SCHAEFFER Mercury Staff
Last summer, one UTD alumna packed a bag and the six first-aid kits available at a nearby Walmart and drove more than 500 miles to the largest U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention center in McAllen, known colloquially as “Ursula.” Ashtyn Tayler graduated from UTD with her post-baccalaureate degree in biomedical sciences last fall. The summer before graduation, she was enrolled in an intensive MCAT course to prepare for the medical school application process when the news of conditions at migrant detention facilities surfaced. Later in June, she spent three weeks assisting families at the border and advocating for their health. “I remember thinking, ‘What am I doing?’ There are people a few hours’ drive from me who need help,” she said. “Watching the news and seeing what was happening so close to us in Texas — doing nothing was no lon-
ger an option.” When Tayler drove to McAllen, the city’s patrol station was apprehending and detaining more people for suspected illegal immigration than any other station. Human rights groups around the nation commented on the consequences of a “zero tolerance” policy — under which eligibility for asylum is restricted — and resulting family separation practices under the Trump administration. The practice previously occurred under rare circumstances in past administrations before the Trump administration made it a policy in April 2018. On June 20, Trump signed an executive order to halt family separation but continue the “zero-tolerance” policy. At the border, medical neglect in U.S. facilities has resulted in more than 20 deaths — including three children — since 2010. Overcrowding, lack of sufficient food and water and insufficient medical care are among the threats those
→ SEE BORDER,
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SPORTS
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April 15, 2019 | The Mercury
Tennis teams to compete in ASC regionals Women's, men's teams to compete in one ASC West match before transitioning to ASC East division
UTD GOLF | COURTESY
The winner of the ASC championship will receive an automatic bid to advance to the NCAA Division III championship in May.
Golf shows strong presence at conference Women's team takes swing at reigning ASC champions during final round PRANATI CHITTA Mercury Staff
The women’s golf team played in the American Southwest Conference Championships on April 12-14. The championship was held in Glen Rose, Texas, where the Comets also competed against Mary Hardin-Baylor, Hardin Simmons, Concordia, McMurry, UC Santa Cruz, East Texas Baptist, Howard Payne and Le Tourneau. The team started the tournament as the No. 3 seed for the second year in a row. With an average of 336.1 strokes per round and on the trail of two firstplace wins, the Comets faced the defending ASC champion, Mary HardinBaylor, in the opening round. “The last few tournaments we’ve placed first, which is really good,” said junior Michelle Edgar. “So now all we have to do is place first one more time.” The highest the Comets have placed in past ASC championships is fifth place. The team placed fifth with a score of 332 after the first round of the championship, compared to firstplace and top-seeded Mary HardinBaylor’s 316. “Last week, we went to the course and played it,” Edgar said. “The tournament is three days, but we usually have two-day tournaments, so it’s gonna be more physically exhausting.” The Comets placed first at the Hal Sutton Invitational on March 18-19, where they scored 670 in two rounds, and at the Texas Cup March 23-24, where they scored 324 after the tournament was shortened due to weather. From there, the team prepared for the ASC championship. “We have a lot of momentum,” said junior Marissa Langer. “There’s only five of us so we really need to be on top of each other to play. We’re just really trying to work as a team.” Heading into the last round of the championship, the team moved up to second place, with only a 16-point difference between them and conference leader Mary Hardin-Baylor. Edgar’s and Langer’s average scores this season are 87.75 and 80.33, respectively. Sophomore Lindy Patterson
SOUJANYA BHAT | MERCURY STAFF
Global business sophomore Vivian Sepulveda (above) and her partner JoLynn Scriven won 8-0 in a doubles match against Sul Ross State on April 12. PRANATI CHITTA Mercury Staff
The men’s and women’s tennis teams each have one more match left to play in the American Southwest Conference West competition before advancing to ASC regionals. “We have the exact same team as last year plus two more freshmen, so we’re a bit stronger than last year,” said UTD tennis coach Bryan Whitt, who coaches both the men’s and women’s teams. Next year, both teams will be moving to the East division from the West division. “The transition won’t be that much since we play the East teams (during the season and conference tournament) anyway, and we used to be in the East,” Whitt said. The men’s tennis team lost 5-4 in a
match in the West competition against Concordia University on March 29. “We believe we can beat them again, so we look forward to playing them again,” said junior Giovanni Zamboni. “I believe that we didn’t prepare in the best way possible (before), such as not enough hydration.” Zamboni is undefeated in his singles matches this season while he lost four out of 10 of his doubles matches. He is ranked No. 2 on the team. “We also have a lot of freshmen this year, and they are good players (and), the pressure can get to them, but that helped our experience,” Zamboni said. The freshmen have also helped his game this season, he said. “The big thing this year (is) I really stepped up as a kind of leader because the team is kind of young this year,” Zamboni
said. “Now, I’m more relaxed, so it helped to be more confident and play better because tennis is how you feel mentally and how it affects your physical game.” The women’s team lost one match 7-2 during its regular season against Trinity University, a nationally ranked team, on April 6. “I think they were the toughest team compared to anyone else we’ve played till that point, so we weren’t quite ready for what they brought,” said junior Kathy Joseph. Joseph is undefeated this season and the only nationally ranked tennis player on the team, ranked No. 5 in the NCAA Division III West Region. “(The competition) has made me more excited about the potential for going to nationals,” she said. “It gives me something more to look forward to.”
UTD places third at chess championship Team attends President's Cup for 16th time, competes against top three U.S. college chess teams RUHMA KHAN Mercury Staff
UTD competed for the 16th time at the President’s Cup chess championship in New York, a national competition that determines the top U.S. collegiate team. The championship was held April 6-7, with the winners announced April 7. UTD placed third after UT Rio Grande Valley and Webster University. The President’s Cup was founded by UTD professor and former president of the United States Chess Federation, Tim Redman. The annual championship is a competition between the top three other collegiate chess teams. Each team comprises four players and two alternate players. The teams qualify by winning the top four spots at the Pan American Intercollegiate Championship held in December. UTD faced off against last year’s champions UT Rio Grande Valley, Webster University and Harvard University. This was the first President’s Cup team coached by UTD’s new chess team coach, Julio Sadorra. Sadorra is an alumnus of UTD and a former member of the chess team. “It’s a new experience and challenging SOUJANYA BHAT | MERCURY STAFF
→ SEE GOLF,
SAMANTHA LOPEZ | MERCURY STAFF
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→ SEE CHESS,
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Julio Sadorra played in the President's Cup chess championship twice before he became UTD's new chess coach.
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COMICS
April 15, 2019 | The Mercury
AUTOCORRECT
CARLZ SAYS
CAROLINA ALVAREZ | MERCURY STAFF
I’M WITH STUPID
SARAH BESSERER | MERCURY STAFF
BIANCO DEL RIO | MERCURY STAFF
GOING AWAY PARTY
O&B: CATHLETES
SARAH STREETY | MERCURY STAFF
BROWSER HISTORY
EJ CHONG | MERCURY STAFF
GRAISINS
ELIZABETH NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF
ACTIVITY
CHIAMAKA MGBOJI | MERCURY STAFF
EJ CHONG | MERCURY STAFF
April 15, 2019 | The Mercury
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NEWS
→ EXHIBIT
→ TEACHERS
Killian could not be reached for comment prior to publication. Dark room photography consists of soaking negatives, or color inverted photos, in a diluted chemical solution and shining light on them to turn them into positives, where the colors are correctly reproduced to appear like what was captured. The process takes place in a room completely devoid of light to allow controlled projection of light and development of the photos. People often don’t know enough about the level of precision and focus that goes into developing photos in the dark room, Chroust said. “They think you can just run a piece of paper into a solution, but it’s more than that because you have so many things to control, and there’s a lot of places you can go wrong and putting the wrong chemistry into the development,” he said. “They don’t understand how much chemistry goes into it and how much money goes into it because it’s really expensive to keep this passion.” Chroust worked on the pieces featured in the gallery as part of his final project last year and his independent study this year in photography professor Diane Durant’s class. He normally did traditional dark room photography, which involves developing black and white photos. The photos taken and modified in the exhibit were made using non-traditional methods such as
her experiences and see how excited she is to go to work every day … it’s really inspirational,” Simmons said. “It makes me like a lot more excited
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AMINA HUSSAIN | MERCURY STAFF
A panel of photographed mushrooms bridges two walls of art as part of the “Experimental Methods” exhibit at the SP/N Gallery.
melting and burning the negatives, Brian Scott, the technical facilities manager for the School of Arts and Humanities, said. “You could achieve all of this on a computer, too, which is also experimental photography, but I don’t think that’s the nature of Dr. Duran’s class,” Scott said. “We’re working in the dark room with these traditional materials, and we want to use the tools in the ways that aren’t conventional.” Durant pushed Chroust and Killian to create their photography outside of conventional methods, which Chroust said he was used to. “It makes me feel accomplished that it’s something so critical and difficult to accomplish,” Chroust said. “There’s so many parameters to each photograph and so many parameters to each negative you have to perfect.” Setting up the show in the
SP/N Gallery was a challenge itself, Chroust said. It was difficult at first to set up the space to accommodate the four series of works — two of which were his and two of which were Killian’s — and conform to a common theme. “It was really hard for me and her to be able to move the walls around and be able to know what order it goes in,” he said. Chroust said he hopes people walk away from the gallery with a greater understanding of dark room photography. As a pre-medical student, he couldn’t see himself being given the opportunity to feature the work he was passionate about in a gallery. “I would really want people to understand the medium better and to see that there’s so many things that you can apply it to even if it’s not such a popular form of art to this day,” he said.
“A couple years ago, we created a separate, autonomous philosophy major. Now, we don’t need to cover that base within the historical studies major,” Wickberg said. “Instead, we thought we could make ourselves more into conformity with the way history is studied at other universities across the country instead of having this very distinctive interdisciplinary degree we’ve had in the past.” The new major will also cap enrollment of the Historical Inquiry course at 19 students, instead of the current 30. Michael Farmer, an associate professor, teaches the course and was involved in the
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led the team with a score of 78 in the second round, while Langer followed closely with a score of 79.
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the tripe into small cubes. Cutting up the tripe was quite possibly the strangest experience of my life. It was like cutting up a cold, wet towel that smelled slightly rancid. Of course, the tripe had been completely rinsed out and devoid of any stomach juices or other liquids, but the smell still lingered. While I cut up the tripe, I thought about how weird it was that my own stomach was about to digest another stomach. It was a unique experience, truly. We added the cubed tripe into the pot and let it boil for another couple of hours and then added the hominy. Dulce had a can of hominy as big as my head and instructed me to pour three quarters of the can’s contents into
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To remain ambiguous, the characters in the play do not have names. The decision to make the characters nameless, Hibbs said, was because of the broad nature of mental illness. “One of the things we wanted to focus on was that it’s not that everyone in this play is depressed, or everyone has some sort of specific thing that they are dealing with, with their own mental health,” she said. “So, there’s one character that deals with social anxiety, there’s another character that deals with depression and suicidal thoughts (and) there’s another character
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held in detention facilities face. In McAllen, Tayler ended up at a shelter housed in an old office space where she asked volunteers if there were any physicians
the pot. Seeing as how it was the only other ingredient besides the feet and tripe, I wasn’t surprised that there was supposed to be this much corn in the soup. We finally sat down to try the menudo, which was thick and viscous after cooking for five hours. The feet had boiled down to become soft, gelatinous chunks stretched over large bones. The tripe cubes were heavily coated in the thick soup and looked chewy and flavorful. Dulce and I sprinkled a little lime all over for taste before we ate. At first bite, menudo tastes like a spicy beef stew, but I found myself chewing on the little tripe pieces for longer than I thought. They felt similar to calamari in texture and were a little rubbery, but with every bite, I got a burst of the delicious spicy, meaty
goodness coming from the soup. I was used to how the feet tasted, since my family makes a very similar Pakistani dish called paya, which is boiled cow’s feet soup. The hominy tasted nothing like how yellow corn usually tastes, because they were puffy and harder in texture. In one word, I would describe menudo as comforting. I can easily see myself eating a bowl when I’m feeling sick or tired. Sometimes it takes eating something similar to what you normally eat to get yourself to try things that are out of your comfort zone. Menudo is just a soup filled with meat and corn, but it’s the stomach and feet that make it sound intimidating. Once you get past the unconventional ingredients, it’s actually pretty awesome.
that’s dealing with their parent’s mental health difficulties.” While the play handles serious subject matter, it also contains sporadic moments of comedy, Bly said, such as his favorite scene — a parody of an antidepressant commercial. On the other hand, Kalanzis said her favorite scene was when her character, who suffers from anxiety, is talking to her therapist. As the character attempts to talk about her anxiety, other characters hover around her, whispering louder whenever she tries to speak. The play involves audience participation as well. At the very end of the play, actors approach each audience member indi-
vidually and invite them to lay their hands on one of the central characters suffering from depression to show their support. It is these little moments of connection, Kalanzis said, that she finds the most powerful. “I think that through a little bit of fiction and a little bit of character and a little bit of abstraction, it’s much more possible to get out of ourselves and our own hang-ups and get to a place that’s a little more honest,” Kalanzis said. “I hope that it resonates with the people who see it, or hear about it or anything. I hope it resonates with them so that maybe they get a little bit of this openness and expression and clearer vision.”
or doctors available to help. A busload of about 130 people had just been dropped off who clearly needed medical assistance. Tayler, a pre-med student, was the only person available to assist. “I can’t convey enough how scary of a thing it is to see so
many people who are in that condition, where you can smell the sickness on them,” she said. “These aren’t normal hospital conditions. When you get involved in humanitarian work, it's a very different type of medicine. It requires a lot of improvisation.”
We are seeking a part-time nanny (10-15 hrs/wk) starting in May or June. Our five-year old twins will be in summer camp until Aug, and then will start Kindergarten at a local elementary school, only 10 minutes from UTD. We are looking for a responsible, caring college or graduate student who can pick up our children 3 days/wk (at 3pm) and then spend a few hours with them at home. Please be in touch with their mom, Kim, at 469243-2071 if you are interested. Thank you!
but also satisfying because I’m helping chess scholars, and that’s who I was when I was still a student at UTD,” Sadorra said. Sadorra has played in the President’s Cup twice before as a member of UTD’s chess team. The team prepares for national competitions such as the President’s Cup by holding oneon-one sessions, in addition to normal practices. “When we qualified for the President’s Cup … (we) had to
(to be a teacher).” Teacher salary is a consideration in choosing a school district, Simmons said, although not the most important. “(The pay is) obviously not why I’m in the field because usually they
don’t pay very much, but it’s definitely a consideration,” Simmons said, “And so there are school districts that pay more than others that might be more desirable because schools that pay more are usually more satisfactory overall, but not always, of course.”
task force to redesign the major. “Historical Inquiry is history boot camp,” Farmer said. “The course is designed to transition you from being a consumer of history to a producer of history. It works better when the instructor can give closer attention to students. There will also be a distinction between 3000- and 4000-level courses. “We want to give students a better guide to what classes they are taking,” Wickberg said. 3000-level courses will focus on the analysis of secondary literature and works by historians, while 4000-level courses will involve a research paper and primary source analysis. Along with the degree plan
change, the department will roll out a capstone course that will have students compose a substantial paper of historical research for a separate class in which they are dually enrolled during their final year. The capstone course will provide extra support and involve a presentation of their research to culminate the skills and area knowledge they’ve developed throughout their undergraduate degree. “We’re trying to raise the standards,” Wickberg said. “We’re in a position now where our students are strong. We want to challenge them and give them a major that will provide greater focus and structure for them.”
The team played against schools they hadn’t seen this season, Edgar said. “We haven’t really competed with the competition that we’re playing in the conference,” Edgar said. “It will be interesting to see how the other teams have
been doing during their season.” The winner of the championship will receive an automatic bid to advance to the NCAA Division III Championship hosted by Mary Hardin-Baylor in Houston on May 8-11.
adjust certain things — for example, I had to do more meetings with the squad, the players going to the Final Four, because I can only take four players and two reserves, so I meet more with them,” Sadorra said. Omer Reshef, a software engineering freshman, played at the President’s Cup for the first time this year. “The pressure is much higher,” Reshef said. “Each game is way more important than in other tournaments. And since it’s a team event, you also have responsibility for the team not just
for yourself.” The team did fairly well, Sadorra said, considering the relatively limited amount of time he was able to spend with them. “I think it was good considering we just started a new system under my guidance and under this new cooperation between the team players and me,” Sadorra said. “With the amount of time and experience I got to work with the team so far, it’s pretty good, because although we didn’t win first place, we were able to pull off an upset draw against the Webster team.”
We can defeat litter. Recycle The Mercury.
PAVAN TAUH | MERCURY STAFF
"A Mirror Right Through You," an original play directed by Shelby Hibbs, had its last performance April 13.
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OPINION
April 15, 2019 | The Mercury
— LETTER TO THE EDITOR —
Dining Services values community voices CARRIE CHUTES-CHARLEY Contributor A series of articles has been published by The Mercury this year about the university’s food service contractor, Chartwells. We value this input, and we have consistently encouraged dialogue with students and continue to work diligently to improve the dining experience for everyone on campus. We may not always get it exactly right when conducting our daily business; however, we respond quickly when issues are reported. I wanted to let the campus community know some actions we have taken behind the scenes, which were not included in The Mercury’s articles, even as we continue to serve our thousands of customers each week. As director of dining and retail for UTD Auxiliary Services, I am responsible for monitoring the performance of each service contract. Chartwells has been our food service contractor for a decade, and I have worked with them to brand “UTD Dining Services.” Chartwells — part of Compass Group, the world’s largest noncommercial contract management company — is our operator, but UTD Dining is all of us. It is a partnership.
In my 10 years with UTD, we have grown from just a handful of dining options to over 85,000 square feet of dining space on campus. We have been named “Innovator of the Year” by Food Management Magazine. Dining Hall West is Green Restaurant Certified, the highest score for a college or university in Texas. We operate a monthly Pop-Up Farmer’s Market and a Teaching Kitchen. If we’ve wanted to try a new innovative product or service as a university, Chartwells has always been game. Our facilities are impressive, but what matters most are the people who work for UTD Dining Services: 108 part-time and 159 full-time associates, 108 student associates and 17 managers — not to mention our award-winning chefs. UTD Dining Services is committed to its mission of enhancing the university experience by providing quality food and service to students, faculty, staff and campus visitors. Feedback from the campus helps us do our job better. We welcome it. Any student who has a less-than-satisfactory dining experience can immediately seek out an on-site manager who can quickly resolve any issues. This semester, UTD Dining Services also launched the ChatBack texting platform (text 972-8085028) for students to immediately contact a dining staff member with a concern,
feedback or suggestions. UTD Dining Services also upholds the university’s commitment to providing a respectful environment for all students and for our student workers, many of whom are international. Students who feel they have witnessed misconduct, harassment or discrimination should not feel unsure or hesitant to report it immediately to an onsite manager and to the university’s Title IX office. We want to make sure our student workers have the necessary tools to be happy and successful at work and in school, and will make sure we communicate at every training opportunity that any level of harassment will not be tolerated. Chartwells student employees also have access to a private and confidential SpeakUp Hotline where they can report situations they may feel to be unsafe, unethical or illegal, and which they may be uncomfortable discussing in-person with their onsite management or Human Resources. Dining employees are also encouraged to take the annual employee engagement survey. We also continue to actively reach out to all students for feedback on their dining experiences. Students are encouraged to attend our monthly food advisory meetings on the last Tuesday of each month (as listed on the Comet Calendar), participate
in Foodie Feedback on the dining website, attend a teaching kitchen and sign up for one of our future focus groups. Chartwells and UTD Auxiliary Services are held to the highest level of accountability. Our operations are regularly inspected by the city of Richardson. Our most recent health inspection reports revealed no food safety issues and received outstanding scores ranging from 95 to 98. Chartwells also outsources a third-party company to conduct a quarterly comprehensive onsite quality assurance visit. Texas Department of State Health Services requires food service workers handling food be certified through a training course accredited by the American National Standards Institute or Department of State Health Services. Chartwells pays for the exam and for the employee’s time to take the exam. As of this date, Chartwells is 100% compliant. UTD Dining Services remains committed to its mission of providing quality food, products and service that enhance the student, faculty and staff campus experience. We welcome hearing from students and encourage you to provide immediate and direct feedback so we can respond to any issues most effectively. Carrie Chutes-Charley is the director of dining and retail at UTD Auxiliary Services.
Ethics needed in JSOM curriculum School of Management leadership should recognize that degree plan could benefit from a change in requirements THOMAS HOBOHM Contributor
EJ CHONG | MERCURY STAFF
It’s hard to imagine, but banking in America was once a relatively boring profession. In the wake of the Great Depression, when 9,000 banks failed, strict government regulation and a more restrained financial culture transformed finance into a sober workaday profession. Financiers made safe, moderate investments and took home good salaries. For decades, the financial industry fulfilled its purpose — to grease the wheels of the real economy — and contributed to American growth and prosperity. Flash forward to 2019. By and large, modern Americans distrust both Wall Street and the regulators responsible for keeping it in check. It’s easy to see why: Decades of deregulation have transformed finance from a prudent trade into a sexy, glamorous industry. Enormous frauds such as the Enron scandal and the mortgage-backed securities crisis can be blamed on irresponsible financiers. In popular culture, lurid movies such as “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “The Big Short” depict the financial sector as predatory
and unrestrained, rife with fraudsters and charlatans. As Greg Smith famously proclaimed in his New York Times op-ed, “Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs,” the culture of major banking and investment firms has become “as toxic and destructive as I have ever seen it.” The financial industry has become both unrestrained and unethical. Although the many drivers of this cultural shift are difficult to quantify, it is clear that the way we educate business students is partly to blame. An overemphasis on case studies that lack social, cultural or ethical context renders many business and finance students, for lack of a better word, heartless. When we take the human element out of business education, we teach students to value profit over people, even though their decisions can deeply impact the real economy — the one that you and I live and work in. Luckily, college curriculums are relatively easy to change. Since the Great Recession, the financial industry has undergone a lot of soul searching, and business schools are increasingly requiring students to study ethics. They’re not silver bullets, but classes such as “Business Ethics” and “Professional Responsibility”
are instrumental in building a more moral and reflective financial culture. Although financial crises and scandals aren’t solely due to a lack of ethics classes, making them mandatory could have a big impact. Teaching ethics can make students more open-minded and honest because it encourages them to question their own beliefs and values. Yet, despite the obvious benefit of a mandatory ethics class for finance and business students, JSOM students still aren’t required to take one. Considering that finance and business administration are two of the most popular undergraduate majors, this is a glaring omission. Just one compulsory class in ethics could go a long way towards producing more responsible, compassionate and moral students, and if JSOM added one to the core curriculum, it would be following in the path of prestigious programs such as Harvard Business School and Wharton. The university has a responsibility to its students and the public at large to teach the difference between right and wrong. There’s no doubt that JSOM produces great investors, but it should also ensure it produces principled ones. Thomas Hobohm is an economics sophomore from Dallas.
Government transparency, by request Recent university controversies stress need for public information literacy MEGAN ZEREZ Mercury Staff Sometimes, with an institution as big as a university, it can be difficult to see mistakes if you’re just another cog in the machine. After all, bureaucracies are made of humans, and humans make mistakes. I firmly believe that it’s invaluable to have someone checking your work — ultimately, it makes you better at your job. So I think it’s time to have a talk about the Freedom of Information Act. Maybe you’ve glanced at the news and heard some anchor talk about using FOIA to access the full Mueller report. But we don’t really need to venture that far from UTD. Someone at the Student Government debate said that they’d “FOIA” Chartwells information. Three professors are suing the university over records they allege shouldn’t have been released under FOIA. The act has also formed the basis of a lot of the report-
ing on this university lately — not only what’s published in The Mercury, but in local and national coverage, too. Depending on who you talk to, FOIA can be either a source of fear or empowerment. But here’s the thing: Not everyone seems to understand what you can and cannot do under FOIA. So what is FOIA? Why is everyone talking about it? And most importantly, why should we care? FOIA is the federal law that allows anyone — not just journalists — to request any information from any government entity. Each state also has its own version of FOIA, which extends those rights to information held at the state and local level. In Texas, our version is called the TPIA, or the Texas Public Information Act. There’s an important philosophy enshrined in these laws: Government is meant for the people, by the people, and its information, for the most part, is the property of the public. When I say you can ask for anything, I mean that literally. You can ask for the receipts for the fast food buffet that our
president purchased to feed the Clemson University football team. You can ask for the Post-It notes on Governor Greg Abbott’s desk. Because UTD is a state-funded school, it’s also subject to public records laws. You can ask for the annual operating budget of the parking office, the salary of any UTD employee or any email sent through a UTD email address. The key word here is “ask.” UTD — or any other government agency — doesn’t have to actually give you any of that information. But under public records laws, it has to at least make an effort. Some agencies, like UTD and the City of Richardson, have a form that you can use to request information. But you don’t have to use that — just send a letter or an email to the relevant public information officer and give a detailed description of what you want and how they should send it to you. They have to respond to you — in some capacity —
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LOUISE NILLAS | MERCURY STAFF
April 15, 2019 | The Mercury
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within 10 business days. That said, a government agency can make it really hard for you to access that information. A public information office can charge excessive fees, stall a request for long periods of time or send you a document that’s just pages and pages of redacted content. Sometimes, the information you’re seeking just might not exist within that particular agency, so it’s important to do a
little homework beforehand. Luckily, it’s pretty difficult for government agencies to outright deny a request. In Texas, if an agency doesn’t want to give you something, it needs to file a legal brief with the Office of the Attorney General to ask its permission to deny you the information. If that happens, then, you, the requestor, should also make your case to the AG. Think of it like a legal case. The AG has 45 days to make a ruling on the release of the information. If your request is denied or blocked, or
if you’re told to pay a hefty fee to access the information, that’s not the end either. You can appeal the AG’s decision. And sometimes, if an agency seems to be stalling, you can file a request asking for a list of related requests that other people have made before you. Chances are, someone else wants that information just as much as you do, and they’ve already done the footwork. A lot of this can be avoided by just writing better requests. For example, if you anticipate redac-
tions, then ask the agency to cite the legal exception that justifies the redaction. But above all, being respectful and specific goes a long way. There are also some very helpful resources accessible through the FOIA Foundation of Texas. But the onus isn’t just on you, the requestor. Historically, people don’t make a lot of FOIA requests, especially at smaller government institution such as UTD. But we should hold UTD to the same high standard as the rest of our
government . After all, as a recipient of taxpayer dollars, UTD is subject to the same standards of accountability and transparency. Government is meant to serve the people, and that means making sure that governmental actions and bureaucratic processes are transparent to the citizens who are ultimately affected by those actions. Public records requests are a huge part of that — they allow citizens access to the inner workings of their government so they can better understand it, be able to point out mistakes when
they do happen and hold their leaders and administrators accountable. We, as members of this community, have a duty to use these powerful policy tools as effectively as possible. And for the public officials who maintain this information, instead of seeing a FOIA request as a possible threat, see it as a sign that someone is interested in your work. See it as a sign that the government is functioning as it should. Megan Zerez is a biotechnology master’s student from Honolulu, Hawaii.
SPIRIT SUBMARINE
CAROLINA ALVAREZ | MERCURY STAFF
COMET COMMENTS
Do you keep up with UTD sports? If so, what's your favorite?
Comets and Craters BBS appoints new dean
" I do not, but I’ve heard chess is pretty popular."
"No, I don’t, and I don’t really have a favorite."
Kaitlyn Moore ATEC Senior
Julia Kim Computer Science Sophomore
" I can’t really say I watch a lot of sports, but I guess football."
David Burgwin Computer Science Sophomore
Neurologist Steven Small will assume his role as dean of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences on April 15.
Residence Hall West water outage On March 30, all units in RHW lost hot water and water pressure. The issue was resolved later that night.
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April 15, 2019 | The Mercury
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to help create these services. “Our goal is to leverage the student talent we have here on campus,” he said. Students who work with OIT designing these services will also work with the Student Government Technology Committee after the fall semester to gather
NEWS
student feedback or address concerns about the project, said Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Matt Grief. Students concerned about privacy or data security will have the option to switch off the microphone on their unit by pressing a dedicated microphone button. The device will not respond to the wake word “Alexa” unless the microphone is turned on again.
OIT will determine pricing with Amazon this summer. If the initial pilot program succeeds in Residence Hall South, University Housing and OIT will introduce Echo units into all the residence halls before installing them across campus. “We want to create something here that is useful to students, and if it isn’t useful, we are not going to continue past the pilot,” Grief said.
ated inside the Special Collections area on the third floor to display art created by the UTD community. “It provides the library an opportunity to showcase student art with the help of faculty members and a chance to showcase community art as appropriate,” Safley said. The third floor upgrades are some of the changes the library is making in its push to become more
modern, Safley said. In the future, the library will add more art linked to a QR code so students can scan and read descriptions about the pieces. There are also plans to develop virtual labs as well as incorporate augmented reality into the reading experience. “I want to make (the library) more of an experience and be more creative,” Safley said. “We like to work outside the box.”
establishing mandatory annual training, consistent and stringent review of all purchasing activity and more levels of approval for purchases. These enhanced actions are aimed at further reducing the possibility of inappropriate expenditures.” Heard is due back in court on April 26 where she faces a minimum of two years and a maxi-
mum of 20 if found guilty. Several members of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry as well as university officials declined or did not respond to requests for comment. Heard’s attorney, Sean Bejuk, declined to comment. A media representative for District Attorney Greg Willis did not respond to requests for comment.
EJ CHONG | MERCURY STAFF
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possible, including in some of the furniture. Students who want silence can make use of a designated “quiet zone,” whereas students who want to speak or study with partners have a “talking zone.” In addition to the repurposed space, a new art gallery — called the Nebula Gallery — was also cre-
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Terry Pankratz confirmed these changes were being made in an email statement to The Mercury. "There have been several changes made to improve our financial controls around purchasing cards,” Pankratz said. “Some of these include
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As of the latest SG election, one such student is no longer outside Student Government, but will now lead it. Political science junior and former Chartwells worker Ayoub Mohammed was elected as next year’s Student Government president. Mohammed won with a 14-point margin against neuroscience senior and current SG senator Danni Yang. Mohammed’s Labor ticket ran on a platform emphasizing the rights of student workers. The ticket was also vocal in criticizing current SG practices. After a run-off, Labor won seats for all but one of its 10 candidates. “I’ve heard that the problem with past (SG) administrations is that they’re kind of scared to maybe bug the (university) administration because they don’t want to burn the bridges that hold those relationships together,” Mohammed said. “Maybe they don’t want to press too hard on the administration, I guess, because they see them as superiors. I think I’m different from past (SG) administrations. I can be annoying. I can bother the administration. I want to get answers and actually convey them to the students.” Mohammed said students’ political apathy was a major concern, which he hopes to remedy by taking a more proactive stance to issues. “Student Government will hold all these town halls and all these meetings — like meet your senator (or) meet your president but students don’t know about it because they don’t get any visibility…why should students go to Student Government? Why shouldn’t Student Government go to them?” In a poll of 246 students conducted by The Mercury, 64.23% of polled students said that they did not keep up with Student Government developments at all. Nearly 50% of polled students were neutral about the efficacy of Student Government advocating for students in the last year, whereas 30.89% felt Student Government was ineffective. Only seven students polled said that they were “completely satisfied.” Mohammed said he thinks the reason so many students have no opinion on the efficacy of the current SG is because they don’t know it exists. “If they actually knew what Student Government was, I’m pretty sure that would lean way towards ‘ineffective’ because those people don’t know Student Government exists,” Mohammed said. “But if they did know it exists, they probably would think it does nothing.” Outgoing Vice President Carla Ramazan said that student apathy has been a long-standing challenge for SG. “Obviously it’s difficult when you have such a diverse student body,” Ramazan said. “It’s difficult to go about things in such a way that all 26,000 students know that you’re here and what it is that you do.” Ramazan said in this past year, SG continued a number of marketing measures and events designed to increase visibility. “We have these initiatives where we ask students to come and engage with us, we put it on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter, we put posters throughout the school,” Ramazan said. “When you’re on the outside of something, it’s really difficult to understand how behind the scenes works
and the efforts that are going on our end so I would just encourage those students to maybe put themselves in our shoes and come out and talk to us, like ask us what it is that we’re doing.” Chen echoed Ramazan’s sentiments but said SG could do better in engaging students and meeting them halfway. “In the past, we’ve kind of defaulted to saying like, ‘Oh, they can come to our meetings, they’re open.’ And I think that’s a tremendous avenue but I think there’s also something to be desired from Student Government creating a more frequent, more accessible meeting.,” Chen said. “It’s not (students’) responsibility to come and educate themselves about our organization. I think it’s definitely a two-way street … we do kind of have the stronger onus there.” Chen said that SG presidents and vice presidents have always had to navigate the line between maintaining relationships with administration and representing the wishes of the student body. “We’re kind of ambassadors for Student Government and students in general to some of these administrators so it’s important that we maintain good relationships with them,” Chen said. “But there are definitely times that UTD grows so quickly and change happens very quickly, which is a good thing, but … there’s always that risk of decisions being made or things happening on the administrative side that just simply don’t make it to the students.” For SG veteran and political science graduate student, Adam Richards, Student Government hasn’t always managed to maintain balance in favor of students. “There’s a cultural reticence to go against administration’s wishes. This has been a running theme on Student Government as long as I’ve been there,” Richards said. “That has a chilling effect on people’s speech.” Richards resigned his position as senator in January after almost four years serving on Student Government during both his undergraduate and graduate degrees. Richards cited frustration with SG’s unwillingness to take a stance in the aftermath of the Jacob Anderson scandal as a major reason for his resignation. “This is not how I saw my last semester going. I love my job at Student Government, you can ask pretty much anyone who worked with me,” Richards said. “But as a survivor of sexual abuse, I just didn’t feel safe and that’s why I left.” Student Government released a statement acknowledging the Jacob Anderson controversy, but ultimately did not take any direct legislative action on the case. Chen said he recognized students’ disappointment. “I think that the outcome wasn’t super desirable for a lot of students. But again, I think it was an important time for SG to engage with the student body in that way,” Chen said. “It gave students an opportunity to take a look at SG and say, ‘Oh, is Student Government representing our interests in the way we want it to and if it’s not, how can we be a part of the process to improve some of those procedures?’” In the aftermath of the Jacob Anderson controversy, many students organized behind efforts independent of SG, including a protest group and a petition. Richards said he saw this as evidence that SG was not well equipped to deal with large issues in its current state.
“It’s always like, ‘How much is this going to inconvenience the administration?’” Richards said. “(But) if SG doesn’t get involved in those kinds of issues, what the hell does it get involved in? What’s it going to spend its political capital on?” Incoming vice president Hope Cory, who previously served as a senator before her election as VP, said that going forward, the decision to “spend” political capital will differ on a case-by-case basis. “Each situation is going to differ, but we’re here to represent students in whichever way that it is,” Cory said. “It’s going to be hard to hear (pushback from administration) but Ayoub and I are both … going to fight for what we believe in.” Biochemistry senior Joseph Campain has served on SG for four years, including one year as vice president. Most recently, he’s served as a committee chair. Campain said SG doesn’t play the role some students might expect. “It’s not supposed to be an incredibly powerful body that is always changing policy at the university. It’s supposed to be essentially a pipeline from students to the administration to give feedback,” Campain said. “Ultimately, (SG) is something that’s not supposed to be empowered to change any segment of the university that we find is broken.” SG has a limited amount of resources, especially when it comes to sway with administrators — and in the past, SG has decided that nonactionable items, such as resolutions, weren’t always worth the time and effort, Campain said. “That’s part of the problem we face. If we start condemning major problems on campus before trying to solve them, people aren’t going to take us seriously anymore,” Campain said. Cory served in student body president and VP roles at other institutions before transferring to UTD. She highlighted a case at a previous college in which she was able to take a stance against President Trump’s move to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. “We got all this information from students and drafted this resolution that said we as a student government support all students including undocumented and DACA students,” Cory said. The 2019 Student Government election was the first after a set of election reforms last year. Previously, candidates for president and vice president were required to first serve one semester as a senator. “Being able to increase the diversity of people who get elected … would do a lot,” Richards said. “By effectively opening up Student Government to criticism, you’re also opening up administrators to criticism.” This is Mohammed’s first position in Student Government, but he said he’s already begun informally meeting with students, organizations and resource centers on campus to assess their needs and to try and engage them. He said he’s not afraid to take a hard stance and disagree with university administrators if necessary. “As president, I know I have to be careful with what I say — or don’t say,” Mohammed said. “I don’t want to make the administration angry. But I’m going to push on it. I’m not just going to sit in some meeting and talk all nice.” Additional reporting by Bhargav Arimilli and Emaan Bangash