Masked pair causes ruckus
2012 Election results PAGES 4-5
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VOLUME XXXII, NO. 7
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF UTD — WWW.UTDMERCURY.COM
APRIL 16, 2012
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Ron Paul visits DFW Students bring Republican candidate to Metroplex PAUL DANG Mercury Staff
The university’s Youth for Paul group successfully petitioned for presidential candidate Ron Paul to visit DFW, where more than 3,000 steadfast supporters rooted and cheered while he spoke on April 11 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center. Originally envisioned as a town hall meeting hosted on campus, Congressman Paul’s three-day tour through Texas couldn’t stop at UTD due to the lack
Robojelly reaches milestone
of parking and capacity for a rally of its magnitude. The town hall meeting subsequently moved to the auditorium in Fort Worth, where it became packed to capacity with an audience of ardent Paul supporters. “I knew it was going to be big, but it was just a lot bigger than I thought it would be,” said Apostolos Kyprios, EMAC junior and treasurer chair of Youth for Paul, or YFP. While the Ron Paul student group officially became registered with UTD on Feb. 15, only two months ago, it im-
mediately started recruiting members and gaining petition signatures for Paul to come to campus. According to youthforpaul.com, UTD’s chapter currently has the second largest membership in the nation and the largest in Texas with 1,807 members. Kyprios said he remembers how quickly everything came together from scratch. “It was like five of us meeting in a room at the tops of EPPS one Saturday morning and Dr. Eliot, a teacher there,
CHRISTOPHER WANG/STAFF
UTD’s Youth for Paul chapter petitioned to have GOP candidate Ron Paul visit their area to speak, and won. Paul spoke to the group and many other guests April 11 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Ft. Worth.
and that was the beginning,” he said. “A couple days later we got a charter and we basically had a little more than a month to get all the signatures required to get Ron Paul to be here.”
International Week
Amanda Newman, historical studies junior and the president and founder of YFP, can often be seen wearing Ron Paul
see RON PAUL page 4
Chess team places second JESSICA MELTON Mercury Staff
Researchers at the NanoTech Institute, in collaboration with Virginia Tech, have published a study in the journal Smart Materials and Structures, detailing their creation of a robotic jellyfish called “Robojelly.” Yonas Tadesse, one of the authors of the study and mechanical engineering professor, began work on the Robojelly project as a Ph.D. student at Virginia Tech in 2007 with team members. “This is a collaboration project
The chess team tied for second place in the Final Four competition in early April, losing to Texas Tech by half a point. Six players represented UTD at the elite-level collegiate chess tournament in Washington D.C. this year, the same six who remained undefeated at the Pan-American competition in December. FINAL FOUR C h e s s RESULTS coach Rade Milovanovic • Texas Tech: 8.0 - 4.0 said the team’s • UTD: 7.5 - 4.5 loss had some • UMBC: 7.5 - 4.5 drama at• NYU: 1 - 11 tached to it. During the last game of the tournament, many believed UTD would walk away with the winning title, but a few unexpected mistakes kept this from being a reality. “(One player) had a winning position (in the final game),” Milovanovic said. “His opponent was also a very good player and the game ended in draw. If he had won we would have been in first, but Tech is a good team. Even on paper they
see ROBOJELLY page 2
see CHESS page 3
NANOTECH/COURTESY
UTD’s NanoTech department created a robot that mimics the movement of jellyfish.
NanoTech completes jellyfish prototype SHEILA DANG Mercury Staff
AKSHAY HARSHE/PHOTO EDITOR
On-campus diversity showcases its colors ANWESHA BHATACHARJEE Features Editor
T
he university celebrated its 3,500 strong international student population during International Week from April 2 - 6. Nineteen countries participated in this weeklong event organized by the International Student Services Office, as opposed to 16 last year. This year’s ‘Passport to the World,’ an event where students set up booths to showcase their country’s culture and cuisine, had a much higher footfall than last year, according to Lisabeth Lassiter, assistant director at the International Student Services Office, or ISSO. One of the reasons for this increased participation may be an increase in international student presence on campus, she said. In the past few years the international population on
campus has grown steadily as data from the Office of Strategic Planning and Analysis, or OSPA, indicates. This growth contributes to UTD’s Tier One initiative and a large international student population contributes towards research productivity and campus diversity, said President David Daniel in an email. According to growth statistics from OSPA, international enrollment was at an all-time high in fall 2011, constituting 18.6 percent of the total 18,864 students. In comparison, there were only 2,000 international students making up 13.8 percent of all students in 2006. Although the overall increase in the international student numbers was only 5 percent as compared to almost 30 percent in overall student enrollment between fall 2006 and 2011, the composition of the interna-
see I-WEEK page 8
tional student body has undergone significant changes. In 2006, 36 percent of international students were Indian, while only 13 percent were Chinese. Taiwan, Korea, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Turkey, Canada and Kenya made up the remaining eight in the top 10 most represented nations at UTD, respectively. Since then, trends indicate that India, China, Taiwan and Korea have consistently made the top four student bodies in terms of size, while Pakistan, Turkey, Bangladesh and Mexico made up the fifth to eighth in various degrees until 2009. In 2010, Vietnam moved up from the ninth largest international student body to the fifth and continued to be so with 102 students in 2011. The Canadian and Pakistani student bodies ceased to be among the 10 largest international
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THE MERCURY n APRIL 16, 2012
UTD Police scanner
LAUREN FEATHERSTONE Mercury Staff
Senators discussed raising parking prices and expanding dining options at the April 10 SG meeting. A committee proposed a 5 percent increase for all commuter parking passes and a 25 percent increase for all residential parking passes, said Sharkey Andrews, SG president and Arts & Humanities senior. The cost of parking is being raised to generate revenue for parking garages, Andrews said. Residential parking is receiving a higher increase to discourage commuters from purchasing passes from residential students, which are currently cheaper than green, Andrews said. Yaqing Li, Graduate & International Affairs Committee chair and accounting graduate student, reported the results of a dining services survey, conducted by her committee. According to the survey, the primary reason students do not eat on campus is the lack of variety in food. Out of 298 students, 93 requested Chinese food, 67 requested Indian food and 56 requested Vietnamese food for future dining options. In response to the survey, the Graduate & International Affairs Committee is working on finding the top five recipes for each cuisine, which will be recommended to Dining Services, Andrews said. The Veterans’ Center will open Fall 2013, Andrews said. Leftover student fees
will be allocated toward the Veterans’ Center and an assistant director will be hired, as well as potentially an hourly student worker, Andrews said. The Veterans’ Center is planned to be located on the bottom floor of the library. Saskia Versteeg, Sustainability Sub-Committee chair and physics senior, presented a policy charge defining the Green Fund Committee. The policy charge states the purpose of the Green Fund Committee is “to grant funding from the Green Fund to projects that will reduce UT Dallas’ carbon foot print and make UT Dallas more sustainable in operations.” The Green Fund Committee should become active Spring 2013, Andrews said. The Communications Task Force is attempting to replace the common use of fliers with the creation of digital signs, said Cody Willming, SG vice president and political science junior. Three digital sign recommendations will be proposed to president David Daniel by the end of April, Andrews said. Senate allocated up to $100 for Coffee with SG. Senate allocated up to $2,200 for a shed in UTD’s community garden, currently being moved to the south side of campus between Phases I and III. Senators will meet with the incoming 2012-2013 senate after the next SG meeting, scheduled at 5:15 p.m. on April 17 in one of the Galaxy Rooms.
March 26 • A staff member reported the theft of their cell phone from the Jindal School of Management. • A student reported the theft of his backpack containing a cell phone and four books. March 27 • A student reported her debit card information was used without her consent. • A student reported the theft of his driver side mir-
ror. • Officers met with a student at the University Village Apartments regarding a burglary. March 29 • A student reported the theft of their backpack. • A student reported that his bicycle was stolen. • An iPad was taken without the owner’s consent from the SLC. March 30 • Three non-affiliated in-
News brief
Trivia with a twist
The Department of Recreational Sports, along with the Student Wellness Center, will be hosting Twisted Trivia, an event open to all UTD students, on April 17 in the Galaxy Rooms. Teams of three or fewer will answer a variety of questions and compete for prizes, as well as the honorary title of Twisted Trivia Champion. In its second year on campus, Twisted Trivia strives to raise sexual health awareness, encourage friendly competition and to create an atmosphere for students to have a good time. “It’s is a unique program that provides students with sexual responsibility education, tests their knowledge of UT Dallas facts and mixes in random sports, pop culture and general trivia,” said Amanda Smith, assistant director of the Student
Wellness Center. “There is however a twist, hence the name.” In between trivia rounds, students will compete against each other in games such as Twister, mini Scrabble, and can take a stab at solving the tricky Rubik’s Cube. Chris McAlpine, assistant director of recreational sports, encourages students to attend. “It’s definitely something fun to do on a random Tuesday night, and you may learn something,” he said. Students may register themselves or their teams when they arrive. Food and drinks will be served, and prizes will be awarded throughout the night, including free T-shirts. Twisted Trivia will take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17, in the Galaxy Rooms. - Lauren Von Eper
dividuals were issued Criminal Trespass Warnings. April 2, 2012 • A non-affiliated individual was arrested for Possession of Marijuana Under Two Oz. • Graffiti was found on the walls of Classroom Building West 1 and 2. April 3 • A student was arrested for outstanding warrants following a disturbance. April 4
• A student reported assault by contact and harassment. April 8 • A student was issued a citation for Public Intoxication. April 9 • A student reported harassment. April 10 • A student reported the theft of her cell phone. • A student reported a burglary of his apartment.
ROBOJELLY
surveillance and rescue missions. “It could be used as a surveillance device because it will be able to survive by taking energy resources from the water to power itself,” Tadasse said. “So that means it will be able to go deep down into the ocean and take a camera and send signals wirelessly. We could use it to monitor the environment as well as monitor pollution.” Despite the significant advances made with the project over the years, Tadasse said Robojelly is still in the laboratory stages and has not been tested in the ocean. It will be several years before Robojelly can be used for actual surveillance. “There are still a lot of challenges and issues that need to be addressed including the artificial muscle technology, some of the mechanisms, distributing the fuel system (along with) the swimming performance and directional control,” Tadesse said. “Right now the hydrogen and oxygen is held in a tank, so it will need to generate the resources from the environment itself.”
continued from page 1 between several universities, many different engineers, biologists and chemists have worked on this concept,” Tadesse said. The first prototype was created in 2009 and was powered by electricity. Since then, it has evolved significantly to utilize alternative energy sources. “The most recent prototype feeds off of hydrogen and oxygen from the top (of the structure) and distributes it to where the artificial muscle is kept,” Tadesse said. “When the gas meets the platinum metal, it creates heat, which activates the artificial muscle and allows the contraction of the Robojelly’s bell segments.” The Robojelly’s resemblance to a jellyfish is given to it by bell-shaped structures powered by the artificial muscle. “The artificial muscle is wired between the bell margin and the peak part of the belllike structure,” Tadesse said. The project is funded by the U.S. Navy and has the potential to be used for underwater
Opinion
APRIL 16, 2012 n THE MERCURY n WWW.UTDMERCURY.COM
Better late than never
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How would you respond if you sawsomeone dressed in a banana or gorilla suit on campus? “I think it would be pretty funny. I did something similar in high school with my friends and we thought it was funny.”
“If they weren’t around for a long time then I would laugh, but if they stuck around I’d be like, ‘You guys need to leave.’ ”
“I think it was funny. Something similar happened in my high school and I was happy stuff like that happens here, too.”
Shisto Rars ME engineering sophomore
Andrew John Biology freshman
Corey Sagduyu EPPS freshman
“It wouldn’t shock me now. In another setting it would be weird.”
“I probably would have laughed. It’s expected in college.”
“Maybe in some boring class that would wake me up. It would be fun.”
Gwen Ramirez Biology junior
Tina Nguyen Psychology junior
Trung Pham Finance sophomore
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CHESS
continued from page 1 are slightly better than us.” Just as it’s easy to blame a kicker for a missed goal when the football game ends with two points from a win, it would have been easy to associate one person with a draw on the last game. This, however, was not the case. The team took the loss as a whole, Milovanovic said, even if that meant taking it to heart. “At first I was dwelling on it. I lost a lot of time (preparing), so I wanted to win,” said chess player and junior Julio Sadorra. “What does it mean if you try your best at something and don’t win?” Until 2009, either UTD or the University of Maryland Baltimore County — who tied with UTD this year — won the Final Four Competition without question, Milovanovic said. Starting in 2010, both UT Brownsville and Texas Tech upped their game and became major competitors, with interstate-competitor Tech winning the tournament the past two years. This change in dynamics may continue, because beginning June 1 Tech’s core players will follow their coach, Susan Polgar, to Webster University in
St. Louis, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Milovanovic said he thinks Tech will try to retain their national rank by adding new players, which may bring another serious rival into the mix. The silver lining to this year’s loss is that one UTD student stepped up as an MVP, Milovanovic said. Physics freshman Conrad Holt is someone to keep an eye on. The 18 year old competed in D.C. this year to represent the chess team. Holt also obtained a Grandmaster ranking this year after procuring three consecutive norms in competitions, a feat that is rarely done Milovanovic said. To secure a norm in a competition, contenders must play at least three GMs and five titleholders, play against players from at least three federations and reach a minimum score, according to the chess.com website. Holt remains modest, saying that he made a mistake in the final game of the competition, though he admits he hasn’t lost at any team tournament this chess season. He has at least three more chess seasons to look forward to, which he said was his reason for attending UTD. “It definitely helped to have
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RADE MILOVANOVIC/COURTESY
Chess “A-team” team members and their coach stand in front of a national monument during their time in Washington D.C. The team was there to represent UTD in the Final Four Competition, also known as the President’s Cup, in which they play the most elite schools. UTD came in second place after Texas Tech.
all this time devoted to chess,” Holt said regarding being a team member. “It would be tough to travel, and I might not be able to have gotten my GM this quickly if I had been at another school.” At the close of the tournament, things are wrapping up for the chess team this year.
Players took the team’s second-to-last meting was casually, a stark contrast to the usual intense practices now that the season is over, Sadorra said. There was even a cake to congratulate Holt on a good year and earned Grandmaster title, and the entire team for their hard work.
The team’s final meeting this season will be to elect next year’s officers and start getting ready for next season. Milovanovic noted that while the outcome at this year’s tournament was not what they hoped for, tying for second place in the nation is still a good rank to be in.
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RON PAUL
continued from page 1
apparel and getting signatures between classes. “Amanda was really the one responsible for kicking everyone in gear,” Kyprios said. “But it was everyone just working extremely hard and sacrificing a lot of things to get this thing done.” Paul’s hour-long speech covered almost every aspect of his political platform, maintaining his Constitutionalist, libertarian and small government ideas, which both set him apart from his opposing Republican can-
didates and helped him gain a grassroots following unlike any other nominee. Chants like “Paul for President” and applause erupted from his followers whenever Paul decried the war overseas or the war on drugs. When asked about university entanglement between Texas’ budget cuts in education and Obama’s assertion that schools that raise tuitions will receive less funding, Paul said that while he had “priorities” like cutting overseas spending that would get his attention first, he still advocated his small government stance for funding and tuition issues.
“Best thing I could do for students is get them out of a dependency on a grant from government because when the government got involved and sent a lot of grants and money to colleges it didn’t change things,” Paul said. “The most significant thing it changed was it pushed prices up. Then they offered you loans and the students get indebted. What we need to do is turn that spigot off and make sure students can get jobs and pay this off.” With the success in the books, YFP members will now focus on getting as many voters as they can registered for the Texas primary on May 29.
THE MERCURY n APRIL 16, 2012
SG election garners record number of voters LAUREN FEATHERSTONE Mercury Staff
Following SG elections, 2012-2013 president, Raj Dwivedi, and vice president, Nate Fairbank, discuss their plans for student government and university officials expand on the three referenda. With 1,925 student votes—more than ten percent of the population—this was a record year for UTD Student Government elections said Nate Fairbank, 2012-2013 SG vice president and undecided freshman. High voting numbers, compared to last year’s 705 votes, can be attributed to two competitive tickets and three referenda. Not including abstentions, Dwivedi was elected SG president with 57 percent of the votes and Fairbank was elected SG vice president with 53 percent. Sixty-four percent approved the Recreational Facility Fee, 66 percent approved the Student Union Fee and 68 percent approved the Environmental Service Fee, or Green Fee. “It was exciting to see our hard work and passion put into the campaign reflected in the results,” Fairbank said. May 1 will be the first day of the elected candidates’ terms, as well as their first SG meeting. Raj Dwivedi, 2012-2013 SG president and chemistry sophomore, said their topmost priority is to finish the programs SG president,
Sharkey Andrews, and vice president, Cody Willming, have spent the last year working on. Some of these programs include developing the veterans’ affairs department, improving bus routes and renovating the Founders Fountain. Connecting with incoming freshmen and increasing the number of international student pick-ups are also key to the SAVE ticket’s promise of student outreach, Dwivedi said. Dwivedi said he hopes students are able to see changes when they return in the fall. Defending the referenda will be a major challenge for Dwivedi and Fairbank to undertake this next year, Andrews said. She said she was disappointed Student Government didn’t reach its goal of 2,300 voters, or its goal of 75 percent approval for the referenda, but that the referenda are still worth defending. The Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents must approve the referenda in Spring 2013 before they can be implemented, Andrews said. Darrelene Rachavong, vice president for student affairs, said it is important for Dwivedi and Fairbank to be passionate advocates for the referenda to pass legislature. Because state money does not pay for auxiliary buildings, such as the Student Union and the Activity Center, these referenda for
increased student fees are essential for the growth of the school, Rachavong said. Students currently struggle with limited venues and packed facilities, a concern that will only swell as the student body nears an enrollment of 25,000, Rachavong said. One student vision for the extended Student Union is a large multi-functional room with floor-to-ceiling windows, lounge furniture for studying and televisions for entertainment, Rachavong said. Rachavong plans to give designers and architects student suggestions for the projects, though the official process cannot start until the referenda are approved. The Green Fee will be able to go into effect much sooner than the other referenda, because the Texas Legislature has already approved it, Andrews said. After the Green Fee goes through the Board of Regents, it will be collected from incoming freshmen fall 2012, Andrews said. The Green Fee committee will be a university-wide committee that reviews proposals for spending. However, the committee will likely not go into effect until spring 2013 due to a lack of funds, Andrews said. Students may apply for the 13 remaining seats on senate. Preference will most likely go to students who ran in the election and then graduates, Andrews said. Senators will be appointed at the May 1 SG meeting.
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THE MERCURY n APRIL 16, 2012
Library extends collections but not hours Student groups beginning to request additional availability ALISON KWONG Contributor
For those who use the library to seek knowledge, the Eugene McDermott Library houses more than 1 million books, with an equally large electronic collection accessible from its website. According to Director of Libraries Ellen Safley, approximately seven to 10,000 books are added per year, and plans are underway to implement a Google-like search function for all books available at the McDermott Library and at other libraries by interlibrary loan. As of March, the McDermott Library has received nearly half a million visits, but not all of the visitors are there for the books. In survey of 100 students sampled from various spots around campus — comparable in size to Student Government Sound Offs, which poll about 300 students to receive student feedback — 46 percent said they have checked out a book from the McDermott Library during their time at UTD, but only 17 percent listed research, reading, or checking out books as their primary activity at the library. Instead, 55 percent of the respondents primarily use the library as a study area. For those who use the library to seek peace and quiet, the McDermott Library is only available for certain hours. The current library hours are 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 2 a.m. on Sunday. In 2005, the library extended the midnight closing time on Monday through Friday to the current 2 a.m. time in response to student requests. Amanda Pereira, a junior double majoring in biology and business, feels the hours are still not long enough. “The hours need to be extend-
ed, at least to midnight on Saturdays,” she said. “And a few days a week need to be 24 hours.” Pereira spends a lot of time studying at the library and said she is tired of being kicked out when it closes. She also asks for more tables for group study and fewer cubicles. “If they make the library better, people will use it more,” she said. Other students have voiced similar opinions. UTD Study, a Facebook group calling for extended study hours, had more than 100 likes as of April 12, after being established on March 21. “This would definitely be a great resource, considering it becomes mind boggling to just sit in your apartment all day or night and study, let alone the distractions that can come with that,” reads one comment on the group page. Another view is more skeptical. “I see many 24-hour establishments experience little to no traffic between about 3 and about 5:30/6am,” commented one student. “Would a first step/ compromise to 24 hours be an extension to close at 3am and earlier reopen, say at 7? Or even close at 4am and keep open at 8? Why wouldn’t this work for some people? What is it that is sought with the 24 hour open – access to all of the stacks or simply a space to study?” UTD Study asserts that “simply a place to study is our goal,” pointing out the 24-hour study spaces at other universities. SMU’s library is open 24 hours for five days a week, UNT’s library is open 24 hours for four days a week and UT Austin has had a 24-hour study space since 2005. However, students who wish to study aren’t the only ones calling for longer hours. Students with offices in the library basement are
ALISON KWONG/CONTRIBUTOR
More than half of the 100 students polled said they never check books out from the library, and use it primarily to study.
also limited by the library hours. “During the week, (the times are) okay, but I think the weekend times are weird for people,” said Paul Mason, a finance doctoral student with an office in the library. He suggests creating a keycard system for students to access their offices. Ellen Safley has heard these types of complaints, and she acknowledges the library hours as a tough subject. “I had to lose seven (job) positions last year, so (extending hours is) not really possible,” said Safley, noting how extra hours would require extra staff. “The numbers for late night study don’t warrant extra hours. There’s not a demand.” She has received suggestions for keeping parts of the library open while shutting down most of the floors, but states that the library cannot be shut down partway; it must be fully operating or fully closed.
Addressing Pereira’s concern of lack of space, Safley responded, “We try to provide all types of seating. Bottom line is, we need more room.” To better serve students’ needs, Safley created the McDermott Student Advisory Group. The group consists of 20 students that
“serve as liaisons to the library.” According to a winter 2012 library newsletter, “The group’s mission is simple but vital: to help the library receive positive or negative analysis on various library policies and procedures. In other words, ‘Tell us what you would like to see or have us do better.’”
Perhaps the issue is that students do not stay late studying because they leave before closing hours. Perhaps a separate 24-hour study space (and office space) needs to be built. But for now, the only time the McDermott Library will be open 24 hours is during finals week.
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Costumed duo stirs up on-campus controversy Five steps to eliminate debt after graduation JARED PICKENS
Senior Lecturer, Finance
COURTESY
Two individuals dressed as a banana and gorilla walked around campus on April 2. Their identity remains unknown, and the act was met with positive and negative reactions.
Students enjoy prank, prof didn’t find it funny PAUL DANG Mercury Staff
While most pranks in April ended on the first of the month, two unidentified individuals, disguised as a gorilla and a banana, stormed through classes across campus, chasing each other, on the morning of April 2. Their unexpected presence received mixed reactions and while some students and teachers found the spectacle light-hearted and humorous, others saw the disruption as no laughing matter. Niha Razi, finance junior, sat at the top row in her 11 a.m. Business and Public Law class. Her class lecture came to halt when a large banana entered the room. “I just thought it was funny,” she said. “You know, class is going on and it kind of relieves stress when something unexpected happens.” Professor Matt Polze, who was teaching the class, had a different reaction. Upset by the uninvited fruit, which had taken a seat at this point, Polze threatened to call authorities if the individual didn’t leave, Razi and other students in that class said. The banana quickly exited the class before his primate partner could enter the
room. Students in another one of Polze’s classes said that the professor dedicated a portion of his lecture to case studies and examples of how the banana could be legally prosecuted. Polze later sent out a message to his students, in hopes of catching the masked culprits. “Thank you to all of you for keeping your composure yesterday when the student in the banana suit ran into class,” the message read. “This was a major disruption to class, and something that I thought was highly inappropriate…If you know who the person was who did this I would like for you to please tell me so I can share the information with the appropriate authorities at the University…” Eyewitnesses reported seeing the costumed duo running through the Jonsson and Green buildings, running on the treadmills in the Activities Center and purchasing bananas in the SU. Ali Mahmoud, biology freshman, happened to have his camera in class to film his “Down to Earth” YouTube show when he saw a yellow figure hop down the steps of his chemistry class in the SLC building. He instinctively hit record
and later posted the video on his YouTube channel, leading his peers to question if he orchestrated the whole thing. Mahmoud denies any involvement and says he was just an opportune filmmaker desperate for some online hits. His video, which has since become a popular clip on his channel, shows a gorilla chasing a banana through the middle of a large auditorium classroom that echoed with laughter. “Dr. Dieckmann took it pretty well,” Mahmoud said. “He made jokes about it. We were talking about entropy, which is randomness in the universe, so I think it complimented the curriculum. Everybody in class liked it a lot so I don’t see why it could’ve been a problem.” The Onomatopoeia improv group has also come under suspicion for being behind the costumes — a charge its president, Michael Bonnell, says is untrue. “To make this into a serious offense is ridiculous,” Mahmoud said. “We’re in college, some people just want to have some fun.” Mahmoud’s video of the gorilla and the banana can be found at http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=KqObwh0Q6sk.
Corrections: In the Feb. 13 issue of The Mercury, the “AKAerobics” event was mislabeled. Additionally, the individual in the picture is not a member of AKA. The Mercury regrets these errors.
At the beginning of April, the amount of student loans outstanding in the United States reached more than $1 trillion. It is a milestone that has pros and cons. It means that students are deciding to take the chance of going to college, which is usually positive, but the amount of debt students are leaving with is a real situation that must be dealt with – and quickly. This article is written geared to readers in debt, or those who know someone in debt or about to graduate with debt. I am assuming that is almost everyone at our university. The first message I want all readers to know is that no matter how much debt you are graduating with, it can be paid off. I too have been in the position of walking across the stage with both substantial credit card and student loan debt. Here are five steps to eliminate your debt: Take control of your finances Cut the credit card up, but don’t cancel it. Every time
you close a credit card account, you lower your Fico score. Closing an account is the first sign that shows that your percentage of credit debt has increased. You should not cancel your cards, but keep all cards activated. Get in a good habit of making consistent payments Even if the payment is small, it is important to continue paying off your card in small increments. Only attack one card a time, usually the smallest, and focus on paying off that card first. Paying off your credit cards is similar to going to the gym. If you try to lose all your weight in a short period of time, you will easily give up and never go to the gym again after several weeks. Don’t consolidate credit card debt You need to take responsibility for your actions. If you caused yourself to fall into debt, it is your responsibility to get yourself out. Although it will be painful to get out of debt, you should not ask ask for help from parents or friends. If someone helped you every time you were in debt, you would never fully learn the lesson of keeping
track of your spending. Use your resources Use free software at https://powerpay.org/ to plan out your payments to pay off your debt. This is a great resource that will help you divide your payments and make wise decisions about your finances. Track what you spend Make sure the behavior and habits that got you into debt are not repeated. You need to track your spending and review what you need to do to save money and use it wisely. This will also help to prioritize your spending and cut out unnecessary payments. With these five steps, you can easily begin to control your finances and overcome debt. It’s never easy to step out into the real world and face your problems, but learning to control your spending and debt payments will help you to gain responsibility and learn a beneficial lesson about wisely spending your money. If you are interested in learning more about personal finance, please consider taking FIN 3300, which is new course for all students at UTD. Contact your adviser for more information or contact jared.picknes@utdallas. edu.
ODPHIs host carnival at the Mall
AKSHAY HARSHE/PHOTO EDITOR
Members of Omega Delta Phi host an on-campus carnival at the SU Mall on April 12 in an effort to raise awareness and funds for the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children. Events included “Dunk an ODPHI,” a paleta sale, a bean bag game and an hourly raffle booth.
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WWW.UTDMERCURY.COM n THE MERCURY n
APRIL 16, 2012
L&A
CYBER CELEB Student: EMAC classes foster creativity, helped him tweet to fame Story by Jessica Melton
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y the time the storm on April 3 was over, tornadoes had touched down in North Texas, hail the size of softballs had littered the ground and EMAC junior Jim Merchant had reached Internet celebrity status. He tweeted at GoPro, a mountable camera company, during the storm, saying, “I’m gonna strap a @GoPro to my head and run straight at this tornado.” GoPro responded, “Officially, we strongly advise you against doing this. However, should you do it anyway, please send us some video.” Because humor is one of the biggest driving factors for this social media enthusiast to posts things, he decided it was Facebook-worthy. He received so many likes and comments that he then posted it on Reddit, a user-based link conglomerate, affectionately referred to as “the front page of the Internet.” Reddit lets users determine how high up posts rank on the page based on the number likes it receives. When Merchant first posted the screencap to r/funny, a section of the website devoted to humor, he wasn’t expecting much. “At first I made the funny page at (spot) 27 or something,” Merchant said. “Then I hopped up to number
Business club brings in 26 statewide leadership awards SHEILA DANG Mercury Staff
The university’s Phi Beta Lambda chapter, the collegiate division of Future Business Leaders of America, recently participated in the State Leadership Conference in San Antonio, bringing home a total of 26 awards. The conference took place from March 30-31, with students from Phi Beta Lambda chapters across Texas competing in categories such as accounting principles, impromptu speaking and business ethics. “There were 53 competitive events all together. The 14 of us (that participated in the conference) competed in 28 events, and we had 26 events in which we made first or second place,” said Sehrish Rizvi, competitions chair and economics and finance junior. “Every single person that competed will be going to nationals.” The leadership conference not only allowed students to showcase their business and professional skills, but also gave them the opportunity to learn and network with others in the field. “We had an etiquette workshop and listened to guest speakers, it’s a really great business experience and you get to meet a lot of interesting people and make a lot of connections,” Rizvi said. Adviser Dr. Jeanne Sluder started the chapter
two years ago. Rizvi said the chapter currently has around 35 members, and is aimed at promoting career development and business leadership skills. “I joined Phi Beta Lambda because I wanted to gain leadership experience, build my résumé and meet business leaders,” said Joshua Joseph, chapter president and marketing senior. “I know our members will walk away with the confidence and ability to land the job they want because of the experiences Phi Beta Lambda has provided them.” Leadership is one of the main tenants of Phi Beta Lambda, and the chapter looks for ways to help members improve their skills. “We really value professionalism, so we make sure we dress up for the meetings, and we have professional development meetings and etiquette luncheons,” Rizvi said. Along with preparing for competitions, the chapter is also active in supporting March of Dimes, an organization that works to prevent premature births. The chapter is planning a walk to raise awareness for the cause and has raised more than $1,700 to date. “I don’t know a lot of (business) clubs that include a service commitment, so I think that’s also a great experience,” Rizvi said. The team will return to San Antonio to compete in the National Leadership Conference from June 24-27.
two. Then, when I looked on the homepage, my post was on the bottom, and then it made its way up to the top post.” Within a few hours Merchant had made the top post on the front page of the national website with more than 2,500 upvotes. Within the week the same screencap had reached the Tosh.0 blog, fail blog and — among other humor sites — Merchant had even seen a web comic made that was based on his submission. Although he didn’t actually run into the storm with a GoPro strapped to his helmet — what his tweet sarcastically claimed he would do — he was still excited by his overnight success. He even recalls jokingly telling his parents that he “broke the Internet” because of it. While this sudden popularity was from his own tweets, Merchant gives a lot of credit to the Emerging Media and Communication, or EMAC, department because he says it helped him think creatively. One example Merchant noted was a project from EMAC professor Dean Terry’s class about how to make the world a better place through the use of the Internet. The project, called “Photos for
AKSHAY HARSHE/PHOTO EDITOR
Fido,” offers advice to animal shelters about how to take more flattering photos of animals with their cell phones, to help more pets be adopted, and be adopted more quickly. While this started as a class assignment, it has carried over into a few of the students’ personal lives, Merchant said. Projects such as these are exactly what he likes about EMAC — taking something students are already interested in and helping them enhance, or completely build, their skill set, said Merchant, who transferred to UTD from UNT specifically for the EMAC program. Although it is one of UTD’s newest programs, while EMAC has been growing, there have also been an increasing amount of representation of UTD on the Internet, such as Enemygraph, the Jellyfish project, chess team and rugby team and Naveen Jindal donation. This rising amount of widely available UTD information is something Merchant believes is related to the program’s success. “I really think EMAC is like a boiling pot of creativity and I learned a lot from the students and the teachers. I think this probably wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been a part of this program,” he said.
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APRIL 16, 2012
Sports
Comets’ bats come alive during streak UTD rattles off 8 straight victories
The Comets faced Centenary College in a three-game series at home on April 13-14 in a non-conference match-up. They will then travel to Marshall, Texas, to face East Texas Baptist University on April 20 and 21 before marching onto the post season in their quest for the ASC title. “We played in the conference championship game last year, and we have a lot of those same guys back on the team so they understand what it takes to get there,” Shewmake said. “Our ultimate goal is to win the conference championship, then go compete in the regional and see how far we can go after that.” Jason Fink was named the ASC East Pitcher of the Week on April 3 as he tossed a complete-game threehitter without allowing an earned run to get the win over Louisiana College on March 31. Chase Brown was named the ASC East Hitter of the Week on April 9. He leads the offense with a .422 batting average this season, and became the fourth Comet honored by the league this season.
SHAWN CHO Mercury Staff
There is no stopping the Comets as they have improved their record to 23-11 overall to clinch a spot in the ASC Conference Tournament by sweeping both Louisiana College and Mississippi College on March 30-31 and April 5-6, respectively. The Comets are on an eight-game winning streak and don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon as they scored an average of 9.3 runs per game while only allowing 2.5 runs in the last six games. UTD came out strong in the first game against Louisiana College on March 30, defeating the Lady Wildcats 13-2, then later going on to sweep them the next day with the scores of 6-1 and 10-3, respectively. The offense pounded out a combined 41 hits over the three-game series while the pitchers went to work on tying up Louisiana’s bats. Senior Chase Brown and junior Jake Wyand led the offense. Brown recorded a total of six hits — including two home runs — and Wyand put up three doubles and four hits total over the weekend. Pitchers Derek Dallas, Jason Fink and Marvin Prestridge dominated the mound and shut down the Louisiana offense throughout the three games by only allowing six total runs. The Comets then came back home to host Mississippi College on April 5-6 in another three-game series. They continued to swing hot bats as
Riots after wins lack all logic
BEN HAWKINS/STAFF
UTD clinched a berth in the ASC Tournament during its recent eight-game winning streak. The Comets averaged 9.5 runs per game through the stretch and sat in first place in the ASC East Division as of April 12.
they outscored Mississippi 27-10 by defeating them 15-5, 8-2, and 4-3, respectively. With this series win, the Comets will need just one more win to secure their second East Division championship in the 11-year history of the program and have clinched at least a No. 2 seed in the ASC postseason playoffs with a chance to host a firstround series on April 27-28. “We’ve got big goals,” said head coach Shane Shewmake. “Number one goal is to win the East Division which we’ve got right in front of us if we take care of business against East Texas Baptist in a couple of weeks.” UTD’s bats again exploded, recording 43 hits in the series against Mississippi. The trio at the top of
COMMENTARY
The thrill of victory and agony of defeat is what makes life as a sports fan so great. The rush fans feel after their favorite team wins a huge game is extremely exciting. After such a win, they want to unleash all that pent-up energy and adrenaline. Unfortunately, supporters are slowly starting to try and outdo themselves in celebrating. Clapping in the stands turned into storming the field, and just recently raiding the turf evolved into colossal parties in the streets that usually turn into violent riots, complete with arrests and injuries. In short, enthusiasts turn into hooligans. This development is as troubling as it is unnecessary. The way things are heading, nothing peaceful come next in that progression if fans feel the need to one-up themselves yet again, and those gigantic gatherings devalue other similar demonstrations around the world that actually serve a social or political purpose. The right to peacefully assemble for any reason — used mostly to protest — is protected by the Constitution. During the past 50 years alone, Americans have gathered in large numbers to raise awareness for political issues, to march for civil rights or to object to Wall Street’s preference towards the rich. Slowly, but surely, we’re starting to see more groups around the world take the opportunity to legally express themselves in public. For the most part, we in the U.S.A. have historically made good use of
see RIOTS page 13
to continue the rest of the season. He can be a dominant pitcher in the first game of the series, and he has been just that.”
UTD
12-3
23-11
UT Tyler
8-4
26-8
Louisiana
6-6
13-17
LeTourneau
7-8
13-18
Mississippi
5-7
14-19
East Texas Baptist
5-7
10-20
Ozarks
2-10
10-21 Note: Standings are accurate as of April 13
ASC EAST RACE HEATS UP With 6 games left in conference play, Comets must nearly win out for wins, as she earned her 12th of the year. UTD then went on to repeat The Comets have come back the score line to pick up another home after a grueling 10-game win in the second game of the road trip and have picked up six double-header. They were able wins out of 10 along the way by to capitalize on the errors made defeating Centenary College and by Ozarks and edge out a win as the University of the Ozarks. junior pitcher Jeni Olbeter conThey lost out to East Texas Bap- trolled the game from the mound tist University and University of by picking up her second win of Texas at Tyler, but gained valuable the season and tossing a complete experience of going through a pro- game. cess, according to head coach Brad In the second double-header Posner. against the Ozarks on March 31, They are now 19-11 overall and the Comets dominated the Lady BEN HAWKINS/STAFF are in fifth place in the East Divi- Eagles to finish the game in just sion standings with a conference five innings with the score of 9-1. After winning six of eight games, the Comets dropped three of their last four as of April 12. They’re currently sitting in fifth place in the East. record of 7-9. With eight games Freshmen Hannah Creech went left until the end of the season, 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored the Comets are more than capable from the lead-off spot while junior in each of the final five innings. because we are fully capable of it.” of moving up in the standings to Rachel Riley was 1-for-2 with two Juniors Stephanie Harris, BrittaThe Comets have eight conferqualify for the post-season playoffs. RBI and two runs scored. nie Knowles and Rachel Riley each ence games remaining on their The Comets opened the series The Comets sealed the series finished the game 3-for-4 as the schedule, and they can make the against University of the Ozarks sweep with a commanding 7-3 Comets went 16-for-33 (.485) as conference tournament if they finon March 30 with a solid 5-3 win. win in the second and last game a team. Freshmen pitcher Megan ish in the top three in the division Sophomore pitcher Heather Foust against the Ozarks, pounding out Aragones picked up her first col- standings. set the UTD single-season record a season-high 16 hits as they scored legiate win, tossing the first 4 in“I truly believe that our destiny nings and giving up just two runs is in our own hands,” Posner said. on three hits. “And it doesn’t mean that we have “We faced a lot of challenges and to go 8-0 either. I think a 7-1 or EAST DIVISION PLAYOFF PICTURE obstacles against the Ozarks but possibly even a 6-2, depending on rose to the occasion,” Posner said. how the rest of the division per“We brought our best effort every forms, will be sufficient to make 2. East Texas Baptist (11-5) single pitch, overcame bad umpir- the playoffs.” - Remaining Games: @ Louisiana (DH), LeTourneau (DH) ing, and the travel itself with stayIn the last five seasons, the Coming in hotels and everything.” ets failed to reach the playoffs after 3. Louisiana College (10-6) The Comets then traveled to they reached it consecutively in - Remaining Games: ETBU (DH), @ UTD (DH) (twice) Tyler to face University of Texas at 2004 and 2005, and so making the Tyler in a double-header on April playoffs will be a huge stepping7. They lost out 4-2 and 7-1, re- stone for this program according 4. Mississippi College (11-9) spectively, but Posner doesn’t want to Posner. - Remaining Games: @ LeTourneau (DH) his players to dwell in the losses. “If we continue to play at a con“The approach was there, but sistently high level and take care 5. UTD (8-10) we just didn’t take care of the pro- of all the little things and play for cess,” Posner said. “As coaches, we each other,” Posner said. “We will - Remaining Games: Louisiana (DH) (twice, April 20-21) see what we aim to be in certain get a shot at making this happen.” glimpses here and there, and our The Comets played LeTourneau *All records are accurate as of April 12 and do not include information aim and goal is to consistently com- University on April 11 and 14 in a from any series played during the weekend of April 13. The three teams pete at that level. And so it can be four-game series, and will follow by with the best ASC record qualify for the ASC Tournament. The graphic does not include first-place UT Tyler, who has clinched a playoff spot. frustrating at times when we don’t playing Louisiana College at home reach that level in certain games, to close out the season on April 20 but we do reach it in other games and 21.
SHAWN CHO BOBBY KARALLA
the UTD lineup ¬— Jacob Starnes, Zak Anderson, and Chase Brown — finished the series opener hitting a combined 13-for-15 with 8 combined runs scored. “As they go, we go,” Shewmake said. “Those guys are really setting the table for us. When they’re on, we’ve got a pretty good chance of winning the game.” Pitcher Derek Dallas almost achieved a perfect game as he threw 7.1 innings of no-hit baseball and retiring the minimum of 21 batters through seven frames before Mississippi finally broke through in the 8th inning. “Dallas is getting better and better every time out,” Shewmake said. “We expect that kind of performance
Mercury Staff
Sports
THE MERCURY n APRIL 16, 2012
RIOTS
continued from page 12 what the First Amendment grants us. But recently, what are supposed to be peaceful assemblies of sports fans have turned very violent, very quickly, for absolutely no reason at all. Following the University of Kentucky basketball team’s win in the national championship game on April 2, Kentucky fans stormed the streets for the second time in three days to wreak all sorts of havoc on whatever they saw. Cars were flipped and subsequently lit on fire, bottles of beer were thrown and shattered in every which direction and someone was even shot. The first riot came two days earlier, after Kentucky defeated intra-state rival Louisville to advance to the national championship game. The latter instance was similar to the first, but Kentucky crowds one-upped themselves by getting drunker, larger in size and even more dangerous. Since when has winning justified such a massive riot? Just last summer, it seemed like the entire city of Vancouver went up in flames after the Canucks lost in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The city suffered millions of dollars in damages, and police donning riot gear had to mitigate the masses before something truly devastating happened. Losing, of course, always infuriates fans, especially those so hungry for a championship. But why are these uprisings happening? Sports fans have always tended to copy other sports fans. Take, for example, storming the football field after a huge win against a rival. Fans used to reserve the act for only the biggest wins, but now that national TV networks like ESPN or CBS glorify the moment, student sections fell the
urge to pour out of the stands after almost any win. The same goes for rushing onto the basketball court after an important victory against an arch-nemesis. What was once rare to see has now become common, and the sanctity of storming the field has been diminished as a result. And we all know sports, especially in college, is about outdoing what anyone else has done or trying something new to be different. So what’s next? Taking to the streets. Rallies like those in Egypt and, most recently, Syria have become ingrained in our minds and, when combined with the nationwide Occupy Wall Street movements, have become the next-best way to show our joy or disdain. Nothing practical comes from blowing up cars because your favorite team won a basketball game. While Egyptians died in the streets for the most elementary civil freedoms, Kentucky fans chucked glass at one another as Anthony Davis hoisted a trophy. Who thinks it’s a smart idea to destroy buildings, cars and other people after something good happens? How insane can a fan base become? Kentucky wins a game, so its fans destroy the city. Where’s the logic there? We were all able to keep up with the madness on Twitter, which has become the place to keep up with current events, not necessarily to kick start them. “#LexingtonPoliceScanner” was the No. 1 trending topic worldwide shortly after the championship game, as people were tracking ongoing events to see if any bad things happened. CNN and other national news outlets all covered the riot as well, and broadcasters were obviously denouncing the acts as brutal and excessive. But what’s seen on the Internet and on TV becomes potential competition in fans’ eyes. A fan base in Lexington will see Canucks supporters go crazy in
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CATHRYN PLOEHN/GRAPHICS EDITOR
Once Kentucky defeated Kansas to win the national championship, Wildcats fans rioted in the streets of Lexington. Such riots are devoid of logic and cause more damage than the celebration itself is worth.
the streets of Vancouver, and then feel the need to follow suit. But at some point, sports fans will hopefully realize that risking arrest, injury or even death isn’t worth the thrill of a nationally broadcasted celebration. The Mavericks won their first NBA championship last June. You won’t find a bigger Mavs fan than yours truly, but I can tell you I had the time of my life celebrating for weeks, yet I never set a car on fire, I didn’t smash bottles and
I didn’t take on a police officer wearing riot gear. Risking long-term personal and citywide damage just to take part in a joyous occasion has never been worth it, nor will it ever be. The embarrassment that follows such rampant destruction from celebrating something as relatively trivial as a sports game will soon outweigh the rush that rioters feel in the process. Not only are the demonstrators degrading protests for honorable causes
that have taken place around the world, but also they’re starting down a slippery slope. Sure, street-side celebrations are bigger and better than on-field parties, but what comes next, full-scale war with the rival fan base? The need to beat everyone else off the court is leaving a sour taste in the mouths of those who rejoice solely in what happens on it. Peaceful celebration is just as exhilarating as ruining public property in the name of a sports team.
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Comics
APRIL 16, 2011 n THE MERCURY n WWW.UTDMERCURY.COM
It’s All Fun and Games Until... by Alison Kwong
Robin Likes to Troll by Adam Thomas
Proposal by Kyle Berlin
COMETS Y U NO CONTRIBUTE?
email cathrynploehn@hotmail.com for submission info
I Can Has... by Mr. Quibbels
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