Meet your Student Government Judicial Board

“Academic Affairs will be focused on making this new school year as accessible as possible so as many students are on campus for the first time in a long time or ever. We want to make this academic transition as kind and conscious as possible as we are still feeling the effects of COVID-19 and can continue to be affected by it well into the year.”

—Kruthi Kanduri, Academic Affairs Chair

“My goals this year revolve around working with other organizations at UTD, especially OIT and the other SG committees. I want to focus on student outreach, making sure everyone is informed about the technology services UTD offers, like the laptop loaner program and the TechKnowledgy Bar in the Student Union. In the longer term, I would like to work on projects with student organizations, especially on-campus hackathons and technology events, to encourage new ideas that can help UTD students in their day-to-day life.”

—Vishvak Bandi, Technology Chair

“I see Student Affairs' mandate in two parts: student life and student services. This year, we're looking to work more closely with campus organizations to promote events and provide logistical support, as well as ensure students know about and have access to UTD services. I'm so excited to bring together a committee that's experienced things like Greek life, club events and being new to campus and/or Texas and getting involved for the first time; we've all used services like the Comet Cupboard, SG's free attorney consults and the Student Counseling Center. We're committed to making the student experience the best it can possibly be. Feel free to drop by meetings, my office hours, or shoot me a message anytime and get in touch regarding Student Affairs!”

—Margaret Moore, Student Affairs Chair

“Some of the goals this year include, increasing student engagement with the civil processes and increasing awareness on policies that affect the UTD campus. Practically speaking, this will include voter registration drives and future town hall opportunities for students to directly interact with their local representatives.” —Camila

Santos, Legislative Affairs Chair

“My main goal for this year is to focus on informing UTD students and the community about the opportunities and programs that support a more sustainable and green lifestyle. We will be holding events throughout the semester to promote green and sustainable practices, as well as working to support the events held by the Office of Sustainability. Another goal for this year is to work to make sure the UTD COVID procedures are as sustainable as possible and that sustainable practices and programs in the university are resumed that were paused or put on hold due to COVID.” —Madison Ibe, Green Initiative Chair

“My goals for the committee this year are to create a transparent atmosphere between Student Government and our constituents using our social media platforms and any other means necessary. Additionally, I hope to do as much as we can to promote the voice of our students and the power that the Student Government has to serve our student body. I have many exciting projects planned for this year, such as an SG-sponsored vaccination campaign, to keep our student body informed, safe, and best represent our organization.”

—Ishmerai Gonzalez, Communications Chair

“The GIA committee advocates the interests of both the international and graduate students at UTD. The goal for this year is to expand our repository of resources for the graduate and international students by collaborating with GSA, Intercultural Programs, and other departments and cultural groups on campus and continue to hold events that promote networking and communication to increase access to job opportunities.” —Merline Joseph, Graduate and International Affairs Chair

“The Diversity, Equity, and Belonging Committee’s primary goals for this year will involve advocating for the expansion and creation of services for underserved and marginalized communities on campus. We will serve as a channel of communication between the student body and University administration in the ongoing implementation of these efforts, particularly freshman diversity training and bolstering programs for low-income students. Some more of our goals will be working with the Graduate and International Affairs Committee to explore ways to better serve international students, working towards implementation of LGBTQ+ healthcare services in the Student Health Center and expanding menstrual equity efforts.” —River Bluhm, Diversity Equity and Belonging Chair

“In previous years, the role of Residential Student Affairs has been to ‘[serve] to make living on campus the best that it can be, and put power in the hands of campus residents’. This year, I want the committee to expand its agenda to serving off-campus residents as well. All UTD students are residents in some way, and I want to make sure that students are aware of their rights as tenants and can enjoy a high residential quality of life.” —Talia Devanadero, Residential Student Affairs Chair

MICHAEL STOUT Courtesy

Our nation’s mortified exit from Afghanistan has wrenched open barely mended wounds; among its old conscripts, refugees and young veterans of war, there is a terrible feeling that our nation has done it again: sustained continued bloodshed for nothing.

When Afghanistan’s regional capitols began falling to the Taliban last month, analogies to the Vietnam War were already being made. For many, it felt that we had again wasted lives and decades when the territory and governance slipped away with nothing to show. Larry Chambers, a retired rear admiral who participated in the 1975 evacuation of Saigon, said “To be perfectly honest with you, what is happening now is worse than what happened in Vietnam” during an interview with Military Times. He is right, too. Saigon fell a few years after our military withdrawal, but for Kabul, it was immediately on the heels of our retreat. When our nation entered Afghanistan shortly after 9/11, our mission was to deny extremists of their territory and deliver judgment to Osama Bin Laden. As mission creep would have it though, we continued to deploy our youth in pursuit of other dangerous men even after the first had been killed, having no clear measure or consensus between us and Afghanistan. Like Pete Seeger said in a 1967 anti-war song, “We were neck-deep in the Big Muddy and the big fool said to push on.”

It is no surprise to anyone familiar with the situation in Afghanistan that the U.S. could not win. In a 2015 report published by the Center for American Progress, bil-