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July 29, 2019
THE MERCURY
UTDMERCURY.COM
E M A I L S C A M S TA R G E T C A M P U S CO M M U N I T Y
New security measures include upgraded filtering software, incorporating two-factor authentication
STORY BY: EMAAN BANGASH | MANAGING EDITOR GRAPHICS BY: RYAN MAGEE | VIDEO EDITOR
I
n the past month, multiple posts have been made by students on the UTD subreddit about scam emails offering prestigious job opportunities and linking to suspicious websites. University officials said that the messages were linked to compromised university emails, and a new filtering software that has been in the works since December was recently put in place to help further prevent issues like this. Chief Information Security Officer Nate Howe said that around 85% of scam emails were filtered using the now-outdated filtering software Cisco Email Security, and the 15% that weren’t filtered can contain scams from compromised email accounts belonging to professors, faculty or students. “It comes from an internal location and you automatically trust it, like if it’s from a professor or student, and those are valuable accounts,” Howe said. The UTD Information Security Office implemented a new email filtering system, Microsoft Office 365’s Exchange Online Protection on July 19. Howe said the office is also looking to incorporate two-factor authentication through the Duo app into many of UTD’s most-used programs including Box.com, Galaxy and PeopleSoft by the end of the calendar year. “But it’s not going to be 100%, I don’t think we’ll get to
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University launches new brand campaign ‘SpeedofBright’celebratesUTD's50thanniversary, increasesvisibilityinDFWareathroughadvertising
RYAN MAGEE | MERCURY STAFF
Construction recently began on various Student Union eateries such as Subway (pictured), which will be replaced by Firehouse Subs.
Construction begins on Student Union eateries
New restaurants to open in Fall 2019 include Firehouse Subs, Halal Shack RUHMA KHAN Mercury Staff
UTD will be replacing three of its dining locations with new options. Subway, Ben and Jerry’s and Za'tar will be replaced by Firehouse Subs, Smoothie King and Halal Shack respectively. UTD director of Auxiliary Services Carrie Chutes said the additions will be part of a new project known as the Comet Cafe. “It’s going to be each of the three concepts being replaced by something new as well as a refresh in the common area, so where folks line up, new drink stations, new light fixtures,” Chutes said. The Comet Cafe will also be renovated with mobile ordering in the near future, Chutes said. “We’ll be replacing something that might not be quite as visible and certainly not edible, a whole new point-
of-sales system. We’ll be implementing that over the winter break. We’ve talked about possibly doing a refresh of the dining hall over a winter break,”Chutes said. “Other things that we’ll be working on over winter with the new pointof-sales system is mobile ordering. We’ll be building those pickup locations into our structure.” Steven Goodwin, the resident district manager for Chartwells, said that the renovations are part of a complete dining services master plan along with a new ten-year contract between UTD and Chartwells. “Effective January 1, UTD entered a continued relationship with Chartwells. It’s part of phases of our new contract with projects happening every summer between now and the end of the contract to further enhance and build on the program that we’re developing here with the growing needs of
our students,” Goodwin said. “As you see, Halal Shack specifically speaks to our demographics and some of the things that our students are asking us for during our survey season.” The current renovation and updates to the Comet Cafe will be completed in time for the first week of classes, Chutes said. Other possible renovations and updates will take place between semesters over the lifetime of the contract. “Smoothie King has been requested for years. We listen entirely to our surveys that are conducted. We have monthly meetings with the food service advisory group and discuss those options,” Chutes said. Chutes said students were recently involved in a tasting at Firehouse Subs to judge the quality of the product. “We always seek student feedback
→ SEE EATERIES,
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UTD OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS | COURTESY
The university's new brand campaign, headed in part by UTD President Richard Benson (pictured), aims to celebrate its progress over the past 50 years. ANIKA KOTARU Mercury Staff
In early June, university President Richard Benson, along with the marketing team in the Office of Communications, launched a new brand campaign to celebrate UTD's 50th anniversary. The idea is meant to highlight the university’s mission and increase its visibility in the community. “There’s something that has started to frustrate me: I cannot count the number of times people have said to me, ‘UTD is Dallas’s best kept secret.’ Of course, they mean it as a compliment, but I don’t want it to be a secret,” Benson said. “We designed this campaign to get the word out. We are coming into a celebration of our 50th year, so we were looking for a number of ways we could celebrate. I sometimes wish that the university’s founders could come back and gaze upon UTD and see the students that are here. It was really bold and daring, what they attempted to do back in the 1960s. We’ve grown into such an impressive university.” Before the university was founded, it was a private research center titled
the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest. This was established by Eugene McDermott, Cecil Green, and Erik Jonsson in 1961. Eight years later, it became part of the UT system. “It’s just a nice time. We are still a very young university. If you look at the schools we compete with, a great majority of them were founded 150 years ago,” Benson said. Kent Best, the senior director of marketing,alsohelpeddevelopthecampaign. “The marketing team had begun this about a year ago,” Best said. “We wanted an advertising tagline that would be tied to the 50th anniversary of the university. We brainstormed possible taglines that would be fitting to UTD and we focused on the smart nature of our students, faculty, and staff.” The campaign’s primary purpose is to raise awareness for UTD through means of print advertising and social media. Ads are posted in both DFW and Lovefield airports, as well as billboards around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. “I think it’s about getting the name
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