The Mercury 09 20 21

EcoHub expands student sustainability opportunities

UTD Office of Sustainability establishes student farm initiative that will generate produce for the food-insecure

The Eco Hub—a 20,000 square foot student farm that will provide produce for food-insecure communities—is intended to beautify the area around the new water tower and provide more opportunities for Comets to get involved in campus sustainability.

Partially inspired by the micro farm that UT Austin operates, the Eco Hub will be a student-led gathering space located on Synergy Park Boulevard to grow food, discuss environmental issues and explore how sustainability and education converge, Sustainability Director Gary Cocke said. Harvests from the farm will be donated to the Comet Cupboard, with any excess produce going to the North Texas Food Bank. The team is hoping to break ground on the farm on Oct. 16, which is World Food Day.

“I expect that the Eco Hub will be a hub for students that value sustainability,” Cocke said. “We will have the students educating about food insecurity, climate justice – all these topics that are rolled up within the topic of sustainability – and give students an area where they can come together and discuss the ideas that they care about.”

Geosciences senior Caroline Lonneman, an Eco Rep who serves as the student assistant director for the farm, said that the team is recruiting a cohort of student volunteers to manage the operations of the farm and plan new projects. Each student will be responsible for the care of a plant family, from selecting which plants to grow all the way to harvest. On designated community service days, such as when plants are ready to be harvested, other members

of the UTD community will be able to volunteer.

“We also hope that we can get some other groups on campus involved, even if not with the gardening part,” Lonneman said. “It’s a great way to get more people involved, and we do see this as being a long-term project.”

The Eco Hub will include about half an acre of soil, a supply shed, a new apiary, picnic tables and green space. Cocke said that the new apiary is one of the unique value propositions that the farm will bring to the student volunteers. When it’s established, they’ll have the first opportunity to learn beekeeping, maintain the hives, and harvest and sell honey to support sustainability projects.

Cocke said that the farm has already generated significant interest. He’s had conversations with faculty who want to grow plants for natural dyes to be used in art installations, and the Chemistry Graduate Student Association is interested in repurposing single-use plastics into a construction material at the site.

“Having this facility where we can do these outside-of-the-box type of projects is something that I’m really excited about,” Cocke said. “As a sustainability educator, I think that anytime you can get your hands on what you’re interested in, it makes a difference.”

Cocke said that while plans for the Eco Hub developed rapidly over the summer, its foundation has been in place for over a decade since the large-scale UTD composting program began.

Greenhouse Landscape Coordinator Craig Lewis, affectionately known as Compost Craig, started composting on campus in 1991. For 15 years, it was a small pro-

Vaccination Statistics

gram that was mostly used for new flower beds on campus. Then in 2006, he was asked to turn the site on Synergy Park Boulevard into a composting site to use in the JSOM II landscaping for LEED certification points. In just one year, the site produced 150 tons of compost – all with material from the UTD campus.

“We started collecting only debris from UT Dallas – trees, landscaping materials like flowers that were done for the season … food from the food courts, from all dining services,” Lewis said. “We had no outside sourcing because we knew what we were putting into the mix.”

Lewis managed the area until 2016 when the program was shut down to make way for the water tower that was built in 2020. Seeing a need to beautify the area after construction finished, Cocke proposed the student farm idea. The remaining compost at the site has been leveled and the area is being prepared for planting. While the team hasn’t yet decided what will be planted, they do plan on growing some fall and winter crops this year.

“We’re working with a piece of land that hasn’t seen any sort of development or management in years,” Lonneman said. “A lot of this first year is going to be preparing the soil, planting things that maybe we can’t harvest, but that will make the next year’s better. Because, you know, the whole point of this is sustainability.”

In addition to learning how to grow food, the team hopes that the Eco Hub will become a place for students to learn about the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability, Cocke said.

“Food insecurity itself, it has an envi-

SEE ECOHUB, PAGE 8

Vol 1: what happened to V-Bikes?

Dedensification continues

Courses meet under modified attendance procedures for at least two additional weeks

FATIMAH AZEEM Opinion Editor

After evaluating the state of COVID-19 in North Texas, UTD President Richard Benson has decided to extend classroom de-densification protocols to Sept. 24.

The decision came with knowledge that positivity rates of both proactive testing and active cases are less than 1% of UTD’s population.

The de-densification measures themselves are unchanged with Benson’s extended timeline; that is, whatever method of de-densification professors implemented within the first three weeks of school

will remain the same for an additional two weeks. Other COVID safety protocols enacted within the first weeks of school, such as required daily health screenings and proactive testing, will also continue with the extension.

“I hope we will return to the full classroom experience as soon as possible,” Benson said. “Please continue to follow the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which includes wearing masks, engaging in social distancing and practicing good hygiene, such as frequent hand-washing. These actions will help expedite our return to full classrooms.”

Bikeshare program disappeared from campus after Dallas regulations increased operating costs

operators soon followed the company to North Texas, and at one point, there were an estimated 20,000 dockless bikes in Dallas.

A couple of years ago, you’d be hardpressed to walk anywhere on campus without spotting a bright yellow bike. They seemed to be everywhere – outside academic buildings, on the sidewalks by the residence halls or parked by the orange signs that instructed passersby on how to operate them. But almost as quickly as they arrived on campus, the bikes were gone.

VBikes, a Garland-based company that offered a network of dockless bikes riders could rent with an app, first brought the system to campus in 2017. Charging $1 per hour, the bikes were a convenient option for students who needed to quickly get across campus but didn’t want to invest in their own bicycle.

In 2018, the Dallas Morning News reported that VBikes’ launch in Dallas the prior year brought a massive but shortlived biking boom to the area. Four other

Then they began showing up in unusual places. The city of Dallas fielded complaints from annoyed residents, and the oversupply of bikes left downtown sidewalks blocked. The problem became so widespread that an Instagram account, @dallasbikemess, was created to document it. Pictures from the account show bikes in a tangled heap on the sidewalk, upside down on lawns, in trees and half-submerged in the Trinity River.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the city of Dallas started regulating bikeshare companies to help curb the problem. Vendors had to pay more to operate: an $808 application fee, a $10,000 security deposit and $21 per registered bike. Soon after the regulations were announced, companies started pulling out of the market.

VBikes managed to hang on until at

least March 2019, which is when their last Tweet, advertising a new family sharing feature, was posted. The company doesn’t appear to have given any kind of notice that they were shutting down.

Assistant Director of Parking and Transportation Elena Galli Grant said that prior to the fall 2018 semester, the VBikes on campus started disappearing, the number dwindling from 70 to 10. She tried for several weeks to get in touch with the company, but their phone had been disconnected and they weren’t responding to emails. After about a month, the website was decommissioned. Then, with no notice from the company, all of the bikes disappeared from campus – except for a broken one that had been sitting in storage. Grant said that when someone did finally come to get the bike, they confirmed that the company had folded.

“I feel like if maybe they put the restrictions in place to begin with, it might have been a different story, but then you

have to wonder if the businesses would have even got off the ground,” Grant said. “It was just sad that we got swept up in it too.”

Grant said that VBikes’ failure was disappointing since UTD users were always responsible with the bikes.

“We had at one point I think 70 bikes on campus,” Grant said. “Very rarely did we have any issues – they all stayed pretty much within a three-mile radius of the campus, we didn’t have any issues with them dying [and] we didn’t have issues with vandalism.”

Grant said that her department checks every few months for companies that offer bike sharing, but they’ve never been able to find a replacement since surviving companies like Lime and Bird now primarily offer e-scooters. UTD has a policy against electric bikes and scooters except for people who need them for mobility reasons.

“Our problem is trying to find a vendor that will do bike share again because

with the laws that Dallas put in place, there’s just not companies that are really willing to put them out anymore,” Grant said.

While Parking and Transportation has also considered providing bike rentals internally, Grant said such a program wouldn’t be affordable. Prior to VBikes, they did so with the now-defunct ride sharing company Zagster, but the pricing model didn’t make sense for the relatively low student demand. The bikes cost between $1,200 and $1,700 each, and department staff had to manage the fleet. In addition, the bikes would end up concentrated by the academic buildings.

“We used to have to send our staff out to go ride the bike to the locations,” Grant said. “That wasn’t too bad, but when it comes to the maintenance, the money to buy the bikes we need, and then … swapping them out, fixing things – we just don’t have the capacity for that.”

LAUREN DOUGHERTY Life and Arts Editor

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Contributors

Blake Bathman

Charlie Chang

Astrid

UTDPD Blotter

September 6

• Officers reported catalytic converters missing from three separate vehicles on campus at 10:25 a.m.

September 8

• At 3:23 p.m., a student in Residence Hall Southwest reported assault causing bodily injury and unlawful restraint.

Septmber 13

• Officers charged a student with reporting a false statement to police at 10:46 a.m.

September 18 • A member of UTD staff reported theft of a powerwasher from the Founders Building roof at 1:21 p.m.

From The Mercury Archives: Aug. 27, 1990

A first class first class

UTD welcomes first fresman class

UTD rolled out the red carpet during orientation Friday and Saturday to welcome the school’s first ever freshman class to campus.

More than 100 top-notch high school graduates – four valedictorians, four salutatorians and a National Merit Finalist among them – make up the school’s first freshman class.

The class is composed of 107 students boasting an average SAT score of 1125 and average class rank of 10 percent. These numbers, according to Dean of Undergraduate Studies Christopher Parr, place the class ahead of any other Texas statesupported institution’s freshman class and fourth highest of all institution in the state, according to recent data.

Many of the freshmen represent excellence not only in academics but in extra-curricular activities:

*One of the new freshmen is valedictorian of West Mesquite High School and a recipient of a “UTD First Freshman” scholarship. In high school, she received four annual leadership awards, three annual math/science awards and was an ROTC Battalion Commander, with 100 other students under her command.

*Another valedictorian, from Berkner High School, began his career in science this summer as part of the Clark Summer Internship Program at UTD, working with space scientists to develop better methods of retrieving satellite-borne information.

*Of the 107, more than half hold part-time jobs, and many volunteer at area hospitals, social agencies, or for the Special Olympics.

*The class include participants in the Academic Decathlon, student governments, and orchestra or band.

- UTD News and Information

1990 Freshman Class

photo

Ex-pro coach comes to collegiate OW

The

former OWL coach comes

to UTD to pursue an MBA and collegiate Overwatch success

Coach check-in: Danielle Kcholi

Comet cross-country teams are coming out of the gates hot, looking to improve this year

TYLER BURKHARDT Editor-in-Chief

In the third Coach Check-in, I sat down with cross country coach Danielle Kcholi to talk about the Comets’ hot start to the semester, their season aspirations, and the new cross country regional alignment.

From college to the Overwatch League and back again, UTD’s new head Overwatch coach has proven he can compete professionally while also furthering his education and the Overwatch team’s experience.

Christopher “Bani” Benell, MBA student and new head coach of the Overwatch team, is the former Washington Justice coach and a previous Houston Outlaws support player. After his time as the Justice coach, he said he wanted to work on an MBA and that UTD had come up as a good option.

“I became interested in the business side of esports, so I decided that I wanted to get some hard skills. And the MBA program was the way to go, essentially, for me,” Bani said. “I landed on a couple of options, and UT Dallas was one of them – just because they had a great esports program. And I still wanted to keep my foot in Overwatch and esports in general while pursuing my MBA, so I reached out to Greg and we kind of talked back and forth. … So, yeah, I ended up going with UT Dallas.”

Bani graduated in 2017 from Carleton University with an undergraduate degree in neuroscience and mental health. When Overwatch was released in 2016, however, he made it his goal to

go pro in the competitive team shooter.

“I was addicted,” Bani said. “Like, I played it nonstop. At some point, I don’t remember exactly when, I realized I’m going to go pro in this, like, that’s gonna be my goal for the next little while at least. And it just so happened that while I was finishing my degree, I had the opportunity spring up, and I took it.”

After this, Bani would play for the Outlaws as their main support. After some time competing, including a top 8 regular season finish with the team, he shifted into the coaching role, saying that he felt it was a natural transition considering his strategic playstyle.

“Season two, we had some struggles, and they wanted to revamp the roster,” Bani said. “So, I was looking at my options and whether I wanted to play or move into coaching. I already knew that… I approached the game in a kind of analytical way already, like, you know, a strategic way. So, while I was on the Outlaws, I would basically be the in-game leader and kind of give the idea of what we’re doing. And so that transitions pretty well to coaching where you approach the game in that kind of conceptual way, and you try and

teach those concepts to your players.”

Many other pro players try to stay in the esports scene via coaching or by leveraging their brand into making a streaming career. While players and personalities like Seagull, Doublelift and Ludwig have cultivated successful streaming careers and brands, many more are never seen in the spotlight again, and the option of going to school is becoming increasingly laden with incentive. Bani says that whether going for a bachelor’s or graduate degree, the potential that comes out of going to a good university with a good esports program is growing.

“There’s a lot of universities that are picking up esports,” Bani said, “For example, UTD. We don’t necessarily have any, you know, top-tier sports or traditional sports teams, but our esports program … we’ve got four of the best teams in the country. And the overhead is much less than if you were to try and have a, you know, multi-billion-dollar football team or something like that. It’s gonna grow as a potential option for the path to pro. Just like the more these colleges start offering scholarships and even full rides for students, I think there are a lot of people out there who want to have a backup plan. And that’s

I peeked at the standings, but tell me a little bit about how the season is going so far? We had a really good start. With cross country, this is the time of the year when you want to be easing into things and getting races out of the way as workouts, stuff like that. So, it’s still really exciting to see those results and see them running this fast this early in the season. That’s a nice surprise. But, we’re aiming for those championship meets—regionals and conference, for us—so these early ones are good to focus on racing as a team, not worry too much about what’s happening around us.

Has the buildup for the season been impacted by last year’s awkward schedule?

Honestly no, not necessarily. It was a weird cross country season, but we still had a full track season after that, and all of our runners do both. We got to train and have usual competition during the spring under that schedule. So out of all the fall sports on campus, we got the best out of last year.

Speaking of—both teams did well, especially the men’s team, who won their third consecutive title last year. What’s the outlook for this season?

Our mens team’s goals have really evolved, especially over the past couple of years. Before, it was win conference. And, that’s always been in our minds, but now it’s a bit more attainable, and we’re working on doing something at the regional level, and from there, going to nationals in the next few years. It’s really cool to see how the team has evolved in a really short period of time, and that’s the goal: to elevate everything; the conference, elevate to the point where we’re competing at the national level with all of the DIIIs,

etc. For our women’s team, the whole losing by one point thing at conference last year was frustrating, but the goal is to be better than we were last year. We’ve got a good, solid core, and a great freshman class coming in, so if it can all come together, I think we’ve got a good chance to really do something on the conference level.

Can you speak to structure of those competitions this year?

So, they actually just realigned our regions this year in part of a 10-region realignment for cross country. We’re in the West region now, one of the strongest regions—one of the schools in our division actually won nationals in 2019—and the way to qualify for nationals is either winning your region, or collecting at-large bids from out-ofregion competition. It actually works out kind of well for us, though, that we can now drive 5 hours, go to Memphis, and get out-of-region competition with a good team who run a great meet we’ve attended in the past. Same thing when we go to Chili Pepper, in Fayetteville, which isn’t as much of a DIII meet, but we’ll see some of our competition there, although we do plan on going to a meet in Kentucky instead in the future.

And, I saw that Comets won both the men and women’s runners of the week for the conference. Can you speak to that a little bit?

Yeah, so they do runners of the week for ASC, and that’s the whole conference.

SEE CROSS-COUNTRY, PAGE 8

Today’s Best of 5 is an Overwatch filled edition, mixed in the return of Comet Clash and a top level collegiate play. The last two weeks have marked a return to collegiate esports for collegiate Overwatch, for better or for worse depending on the tournament organizer.

HUE Invitational 2021!

Overwatch Team comes bursting out of the gate at UGC

If you follow me on twitter (@Jazzy_reporter), then you’ll know that I’ve been ready for the performance of UTD’s Overwatch team for a very long time. With the addition of Bani as head coach, and a stacked roster aside, this is one of the best Overwatch rosters UTD has ever had, and they came out of the gate swinging. In the first tournament of the semester, UTD ran through the bracket, only being stopped by Northwood Esports in the finals, one of the best teams in the nation. You can tune in to the team’s matches when they go live on Mondays for the NACE Starleague, and keep an eye out for when UGC matches are announced.

Comet Clash is back! Maybe once I write enough columns, a drinking game could be made off how many times I’ve used the “X thing is back” format. But it’s genuinely exciting to see the return of Comet Clash to the weekly Smash tournament lineup, since it provides another good opportunity to compete without having to make a big drive or pay a venue fee. It’s hosted in the Student Union right now due to complications with using the Blackstone Launchpad, but that’s still ridiculously easy for Comets to attend on Sunday evenings. With a location that’s right at home and an entry fee combined of $3 to play in the singles bracket, there isn’t a better chance to fight for glory against some of the best players in the DFW area.

The HUE Invitiational just happened last weekend, but unfortunately due to production timing I’ll be writing this column before it actually happens. Once again, UTD OW should’ve been there (Curse COVID-19!!!) but instead I’ll have to actually make bracket predictions that aren’t UTD winning everything. I’ll make the minorly safe bets that Maryville wins the League of Legends tournament and Northwood wins the Overwatch tournament, but you, the reader, can check the bracket and laugh at how silly past me was to predict such a thing. But, if you didn’t watch the matches, it’s most likely the most competitive collegiate gameplay of recent memory, so I highly recommend going back to watch the VODS.

The Overwatch collegiate schedule gets announced, and blasted Blizzard announced a brand new schedule for collegiate competition, and the uproar was loud and immediate. Especially for West Coast schools, many matches were scheduled during common class times, seemingly forcing the “rock and a hard place” decision between playing official matches and going to school (y’know, the reason that students are enrolled in college.) While the schedule was since mildly adjusted to benefit the most affected schools, it still remains that there will be some tough decisions to make and workarounds figured out for schools to participate. Compounded with additional leagues and tournaments operating on the weekends and during the week as well, and it seems that collegiate competition is getting kneecapped by the biggest enemy of all – Time.

Dallas Fuel Playoffs Watch Party is 21+ only

Oh boy, the Overwatch League Playoffs are this week! Not only that, but Dallas Fuel is hosting a watch party at Northside Drafthouse, right in our backyard! Lemme just go and buy the tickets and … what?

The watch party is being hosted next door to a university full of undergraduates under 21, and only fans 21 and old are allowed entry? To quote the former president, this is the worst trade deal in the history of trade deals, maybe ever. Why can’t most of the undergraduate population go to the party? Why host it here when it’s right next to the university? I can’t even go to this watch party! While at time of writing I haven’t got a response from Dallas Fuel regarding the policy, I’m greatly saddened by the inability to go to a bar that on any other night I could walk into. How many retweets to be allowed inside the watch party social media manager?

DAVE WESTER | COURTESY

BEN NGUYEN MANAGING EDITOR

BEN NGUYEN Managing Editor

QUINN SHERER | MERCURY STAFF

UTD ESPORTS| COURTESY

"

... I think there are a lot of people out there who want to have a backup plan. And that’s what I did you know, I played Overwatch passionately, but I still finished my degree. And, you know, it would have been great if that was all paid for in the meantime."

- Chris "Bani" Benell, Head OW Coach

UTD ESPORTS | COURTESY

QUINN SHERER | MERCURY STAFF

ISABELLE VILLEGAS | MERCURY STAFF

WARNER BROS. | COURTESY

'Malignant' movie

is a mediocre mess

Overused tropes, uninteresting script create horror film that waffles between intense and campy

MIA NGUYEN Mercury Staff

While there are well-written horror movies and comical horror movies, “Malignant” was a mediocre mash of overused tropes combined with a laughable script.

After suffering a spousal beating, Madison Mitchell (Annabelle Wallis) struggles with visions that incapacitate her, forcing her to witness gruesome murders committed by a dark force that is aching to burst free. As the murders pile up, Madison goes from a witness to a suspect, leaving viewers wondering if the crimes are the work of a supernatural being or the protagonist herself.

James Wan, director of the “Saw” and “The Conjuring” series, has had a long history of creating horrific stories, but “Malignant” was more comical than anything. Rather than focusing on advancing the plot, the film seemed more focused on shock value from disturbing special effects. The movie was not frightening, and I wish Wan had incorporated more jump scares and psychological horror rather than rely on cliche plot twists.

Upon watching the trailer, I had high hopes, especially since Wallis has had roles in notable works such as “Peaky Blinders” and “The Mummy.” But the script failed to thoroughly dive into her character’s potential. Madison is first introduced as a woman struggling with a history of miscarriages and an abusive husband, and Wallis’ wide eyes and animated expressions conveyed a sense of mania wonderfully. Unfortunately, cheesy dialogue and underdeveloped storylines caused Madi-

son to feel less like the heroine and more like a minor character. The only distinctions between her character and the rest of the ensemble were her penchant for cringeworthy lines and her rushed backstory.

Many horror movies fail to make female characters anything more than two-dimensional victims. Some films like “Scream” and “Ready or Not” give their female leads opportunities to showcase more than just fear. These female leads are fully realized figures that audiences are rooting for, while “Malignant’s” usage of bland characterization made me indifferent to Madison’s fate.

In contrast to Annabelle Wallis’s performance, the rest of the casts’ performance was far more entertaining. Madison’s younger sister, Sydney (Maddie Hasson), stole the show. While Madison struggles with her strange psychic connection to the killer and loss of her recent pregnancy, her sister devotes herself to caring for Madison. As the detectives remain suspicious of our heroine, Sydney embarks on a mission of discovering the truth of Madison’s unknown past. Complete with doe eyes and a sense of justice, Sydney is the true hero.

Wan knows how to use overused horror cliches to his advantage, causing them to be a focal point of his films. The determined and seasoned detective (George Young), splatter gore and ominous phone calls have been utilized in films before, and Wan combines these factors with dark

In essence, video games are just moving pixels on a screen given meaning by game developers. And while SNKRX is basically just a modified Snake game, it’s one of the most entertaining collections of polygons in recent memory. There are two ways to describe SNKRX’s premise. The simple way is that you build up a “snake” of squares that generate polygons to get rid of other polygons on the screen. Your goal is to build the snake properly so that it doesn’t disappear by getting hit by the other polygons.

The fun way, the engrossing way, the way that the game pulls you in, is that you are building a party of fantasy heroes to fight through 25 arenas against perilous foes. The heroes will automatically attack any enemies in range of their spells, and between arenas you gain access to a shop to buy more heroes. Like Teamfight Tactics, buying duplicate heroes will make them stronger, and different classes of heroes have synergies that provide partywide buffs. Get three mages together and the enemies’ defense will be lowered automatically. Get three warriors together

and all the warriors will gain defense. The game becomes a Snake variation of an auto-battler, getting the player to reroll the shop to try and build the best polygonkilling snake of heroes they can.

That’s not to say that the game doesn’t play up the “RPG Battle” fantasy as much as it can with said polygons. Each hero on the snake has its life bar shown when you take damage, and when a hero dies, the game will slow time and the music to force the player to acknowledge their loss. The sound effects are on point for all the spells, with “knives” having a metallic clang when they hit the wall and lightning bolts, well, just looking and sounding like lightning bolts. Different spells of different classes are color-coded so that you can tell them apart in the wild mix of colored circles and squares on the screen of a lategame run. Just by listening, you can tell when your wizard has fired off their spell or when your warrior has swung their sword.

And speaking of sounds, the game has a wonderful soundtrack to punctuate the Snake battling action. The songs increase

in tempo and excitement as the game progresses, with late-game runs fueled in part by the banging soundtrack. You can even purchase the soundtrack separately on Kubbi’s Bandcamp, and even if you don’t play the game for that long, I highly recommend the soundtrack.

Once you beat the game, you gain access to the new game plus looping options, which increases both the difficulty and the max party size, letting you play with more synergies but also increasing the navigation difficulty. The bigger the snake becomes, the easier it is to get hit by stray enemies, forcing you to strategize where to put all of the heroes on your snake which increases the depth of the game even more.

I’ve already spent over five hours on this game, and for only $2.99, SNKRX will provide a fun and hectic explosion-filled experience. If you need to scratch that auto-battler itch, want to play along to a great soundtrack or just need a fun excuse to waste 30 minutes, SNKRX is the modern Snake game for you.

I give SNKRX a 4.5/5.

Music, mythology and Madonna

Local artist Armando Sebastian discusses his eclectic sources of inspiration

BLAKE BATHMAN Mercury Staff

Touting an impressive three solo exhibitions this year alone, Dallas-based visual artist Armando Sebastian is dominating the DFW art scene. Sebastian’s work captures a dense collection of inspiration, from Mexican folk art to Madonna, in unique and engaging portraits. “Serenade,” Sebastian’s current exhibition at Cluley Projects, features the artist experimenting with the connections between music and his work.

I had the opportunity to speak with Sebastian about “Serenade” and the many sources of inspiration for his work. Focusing on his career, this interview peeks into Sebastian’s curiosity and idiosyncratic character.

(Interview edited for clarity)

BB: Your exhibition at Cluley Projects, “Serenade,” opened about two weeks ago. The opening reception went great; there were a lot of people there really enjoying your art. How do you feel about it?

AS: I mean, it feels – it's, it's every word, you know? When I'm at my openings I’m like a spectator too. I kind of detach from my work and just let the paintings be the star. I like when people actually can connect to my work. So, it feels good. You

know, it's a reward for the long hours that it takes to paint.

BB: You can really see those long hours in your work, especially with those new oil paintings that you made for “Serenade,” like the one with the woman by the water. The title is “Moonlight,” I believe?

AS: Yeah, it's called “Moonlight” or in Spanish it’s “Rumbos de Luna.” Sometimes I title my paintings in both languages, but it's not necessarily a translation. It has the same meaning, but they’re different phrases. So Rumbos de Luna means like, the path that the moonlight is showing you or following the moon, but it'll sound weird in English. So that's a way for me to try to engage the viewer with my work.

BB: And there's so much to engage with. I also notice a romantic theme across your works in “Serenade.” Where did the romantic impulse come from and what were you inspired by when you started considering the idea of “Serenade”?

AS: My first thought about “Serenade” was, why not make a show that is going to be inspired by songs I have always liked? Music to me is like water. I'm not a musician, I don't play any instruments, but I

feel like I can connect to music. Music has always been part of my work. But more than that, I wanted the pieces to be like a piece of music for the people. To me, all those paintings in “Serenade,” including “Rumbos de Luna/Moonlight,” they were serenading to the spectators. Does that make sense? I could be literal and paint a Charro underneath a window serenading someone, but that's not the way I do it.

BB: Your paintings are like, in the way that songs are, self-contained and melodic poems. You get the impression from the painting, and you walk away with something meaningful. Which reminds me of the work of Frida Kahlo, which your work references especially with its ex-voto iconography.

AS: I feel very flattered when my work is compared to hers, but I feel like the people see that connection because we were inspired by the same things. I love Catholic imagery, which she did, and I grew up in a very traditional Mexican family. We are both Cancers. I grew up looking at Diego Rivera’s art, and other Mexican artists, which she did too.

So, I feel like I grabbed the same ingredients, but I'm making a different recipe. Sometimes, I don't mind being obvious

BEN NGUYEN | MANAGING EDITOR

BEN NGUYEN | MANAGING EDITOR

Campus Org h O sts ' s lut Walk'

Groups of demonstrators wearing revealing clothing huddle together on-stage gripping posters that say “I’m a survivor, stop raping,” and “Boys will be boys held accountable for their actions.” After raising their posters in the air, they turn to face the crowd in front of the Plinth and chant, “Yes means yes, and no means no!” as Beyoncé’s “Who Run the World: Girls” blares through speakers behind them.

The demonstrators are here on Sept. 15 for a Slut Walk: a protest against rape culture, particularly, the aspect that excuses sexual assault by any part of a victim’s appearance. It’s why many of the demonstrators are wearing short clothing: they seek to communicate that less clothing is a means of self-expression—not sexual consent.

The Slut Walk was organized by UTD student activist organization Deeds not Words. Biology junior and President of Deeds not Words CC Crocker said she was initially skeptical about calling the demonstration a Slut Walk, as the word “slut” is a derogatory term towards women. However, she later saw the demonstration’s name as a way to take back the term for victims of sexual assault who are “slut-shamed” after their assaults.

“We’re definitely trying to reclaim it,” Crocker said. “That’s what the whole national movement is trying to do: claim the word. And it's not a negative thing: it's body positivity and no one should be shaming you or victim-blaming you because of what you're wearing.”

Among demonstrators present at the Slut Walk are victims of rape, Comets concerned with sexual assault incidents at UTD and individuals promoting body positivity. One such demonstrator is molecular biology junior Lizzie Schmitz who helped coordinate the demonstration.

“I can tell you personally, I am a victim and not only just a victim but a survivor of sexual assault,” Schmitz said. “We are here

today to make it known that we are taking our power back. We're making it known that consent is mandatory and no matter what we wear, no matter what we look like, no matter what situation we're in, sexual assault is never okay.” Schmitz’s message is one that resonates with other demonstrators at the protest, such as psychology freshman Hannah Robert, who holds a sign reading “if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out.” Robert says her poster is a way to showcase the hypocrisy in obscuring holy texts to ridicule women by what they wear rather than rapists for raping women.

“I believe that modesty for certain people can be a beautiful thing,” Robert said. “There's nothing wrong with wanting to dress that way … but I think it oversteps the line when you impose yourself on other women and ridicule them for simply showing their own skin. Women are their own human beings; we have our own personalities and our own souls. That should be what we’re defined by: by our morals, by our rules for ourselves and what we live by personally and not exactly the clothes that we put on our backs.”

People other than women and sexual assault survivors also attend the Slut Walk to show their support for assault victims and protest the slut-shaming of women. Biomedical engineering sophomore Siddarth Jayakumar is one such supporter who said as a straight man, he felt a responsibility to be at the Walk.

“I know that a lot of who's responsible for rape are straight men, even if it's not all straight men,” Jayakumar said. “A lot of guys, they think when they see a woman dress a certain way, they're inviting them over to talk to them, but women are allowed to dress however they want [without that implication].

It's just a form of expression, you know? Just like everyday clothes are another form of expression. It's not all about getting a guy or

guys getting girls.”

Along with protesting hypocrisy in sexual assault cases and supporting victims of rape, attendees say the Slut Walk is a safe, judgment-free space for them to show skin. Accounting junior Chesley Turton and finance senior Jamesson Tankersley, who are the first men to show up to the protest, don crop tops — clothing they say helped them express themselves but would’ve felt uncomfortable wearing elsewhere.

“It’s a self-confidence thing and just wanting to support the ladies for doing [what they’re doing],” Tankersley said. “It seems kind of weird to be standing up there. I wouldn't want to stand up there all day if I was just wearing this, so I'm impressed that they can do that.”

Overall, demonstrators such as Crocker, Schmitz, Robert, Jayakumar, Turton and Tankersley echo similar messages at the Slut Walk: that a person’s appearance is for themselves and should have no role in excusing sexual assault.

“I hope that males will realize that no matter what a woman is wearing, that cannot excuse their actions,” Crocker said. “Luckily, as society, we're progressing to understand that a little bit better than we have in the past.”

FATIMAH AZEEM Opinion Editor

ANNA PHENGSAKMUEANG | PHOTO EDITOR

Demonstrators turned out on Sept. 15 to protest rape-culture, promote consent

"

We are here today to make it known that we are taking our power back. We're making it known that consent is mandatory and no matter what we wear, no matter what we look like, no matter what situation we're in, sexual assault is never okay.

"

—Lizzie Schmitz DNW Secretary

ANNA PHENGSAKMUEANG | PHOTO EDITOR

ANNA PHENGSAKMUEANG | PHOTO EDITOR

Hidden Heroes Among Us

Many unheralded campus personnel kept UTD running during the pandemic

and eLearning teams pushed out new technology to help faculty deliver online courses, while technology groups inside each school came to the office every day to resolve even the most complicated issues for faculty.

I have a Comic 4 U!

Courtney Crumrin is a comic that explores the dark side of childhood

For those who prefer something with a little more of an edge than a lighthearted story when venturing into a new genre or media, a good starting comic might be Ted Neifeh’s series Courtney Crumrin.

On March 30, 2020, UTD resumed classes after an extended spring break – and everything about being a college student instantly changed. From attending class to engaging with faculty and friends or even taking exams, college life was suddenly unfamiliar for both students and faculty.

What students did not know, however, was that the University survived and thrived during the pandemic because of the sacrifices made by an endless number of hidden heroes who worked all hours of the day, night and weekend to make sure that students and faculty had what they needed.

Running a university is like managing the supply chain of a major corporation. When the pandemic hit, every aspect of our operations had to be reinvented and communicated to students, faculty, university leaders and even our community stakeholders.

UTD Registrar Jennifer McDowell and her team reconfigured everything from course modalities, class schedules and registration processes to class sizes and physical spaces. They also implemented the constantly changing academic policies around grading, enrollment and probation — just to name a few. The Office of Financial Aid dispersed huge amounts of federal COVID-19 aid to help students with bills, tuition and expected financial hardships. The Bursar Office worked with students to help manage tuition payments, loans and financial delays. The Comet Cupboard –led by staff in the Office of Undergraduate Education – worked throughout the pandemic to distribute donated food to thousands of students, while unheralded staff members volunteered their time to hand out food from a parking garage stall. The Office of Information Technology

Academic advisors were on the front line tending to students who were more comfortable with face-to-face service, while staff in the International Students and Scholars Office, led by Josephine Vitta, made sure that the pipeline of future international students received their I-20s and got their CPT and OPT paperwork approved. Enrollment management staff in central administration and colleagues inside each school made every effort to not let the pandemic derail the recruitment of new students for upcoming semesters. This took extraordinary effort without a single face-to-face event or in-person recruiting experience. Departmental staff were constantly crafting marketing messages and helping deliver endless webinars to prospective and current students. Others managed the daily needs of students in their designated degree programs. The Student Health Center and the OEMCP constantly monitored COVID testing, contact tracing and social distancing for every person on campus.

Critical staff came to the rescue of hundreds of students on campus who experienced the harshest winter storms in the history of North Texas during the pandemic. Our facilities and maintenance teams kept our buildings clean to ensure a safe learning environment. Even the University grounds maintenance crews were beautifying the campus with newly landscaped areas and entrance signage so we would have a lovely place to return to. And finally, we cannot forget our UTD Police force that worked 24/7 and was relentless in its effort to protect the campus community. These are only some of the hidden heroes among us. There are dozens more whose sacrifices helped our university survive a pandemic and who continue

SEE HEROES, PAGE 8

In short, Courtney Crumrin is about a child moving to a new town and into the house of a relative, where she experiences general childhood experiences. But instead of experiencing lighthearted things like playing outside with friends, going to school, and getting in wholesome trouble, it focuses on the darker side of childhood: experiences such as being ostracized, emotionally neglected, experiencing loneliness and feeling powerless. These themes are explored through its complex narrative that takes place in a dark fantasy world parallel to ours, but filled with witches, warlocks, night markets and magical creatures.

While other comic book series have a large main cast filled with many side characters, Courtney Crumrin has a much smaller main cast that consists of only Courtney, the main character, and her uncle Aloysius. At first their dynamic is cold and distant, but as the story progresses it morphs into a mentor-apprentice relationship

and finally into a familial bond. Having such a small main cast works for this series because Courtney and Aloysius constantly act as each other's foils, so through their dynamic the author is able to explore what loneliness does to somebody but also how kinship can save a person.

As for the few side characters that we see our main cast interact with, they don’t stick around much. They are predominantly there to further the main plot's narrative, themes of loneliness, and need for kinship. Yet, that doesn’t take away the added complexity and world building that these side characters bring with them. And at points, the setting of the magical world within our “normal” one can feel like a character

of its own; as the narrative progresses, becomes more complex, and starts to wrap up, so does this magical world. For example, at the beginning of the series this other world is only mentioned, but as the story progresses we see it slowly become revealed, at first with hazy depictions of gothic architecture and then eventually with fantastical forests and landscapes.

Now, having a series of a darker and fantastical nature requires an artistic style that’s fitting. Neifeh does this by illustrating the series with a striking gothic style that is detailed, sharp, and expressive. At times it can be unsettling and at others it can be incredibly soft,

SEE COURTNEY, PAGE 8

Loot boxes should be regulated

is this being glossed over?

“Pokémon is a game for adults and kids have no business playing it.” Does that statement seem bizarre to you? Not according to PEGI, the European video game rating system that will now rate all games teaching gambling as mature. But while certain children's games like Pokémon may come with the occasional casino level and be branded for a mature audience, games with loot boxes get to keep a rating suited for all ages. Loot boxes are a randomized reward system implemented in games to entice players to continue buying boxes with random rewards in hopes of getting the items they desire. This sounds a lot like gambling to me, but PEGI doesn’t see it that way because PEGI does not deem loot boxes, card packs or any other similar randomized reward system as gambling. In PEGI’s eyes, gambling is only of the Las Vegas variety: slot machines and casinos galore. As a result, games like FIFA and NBA 2k20 get to extend their reach to children as young as three years old with their loot box mechanics, hooking them into lotteries at an extremely impressionable age. NBA 2k20 even openly contains a slot machine and a roulette wheel, so how

Loot boxes are not the devil incarnate. When properly designed, they can keep games afloat financially while providing players a fun way to gain items. The problem arises, however, when the companies that abuse the boxes skirt gambling regulations because they are considered virtual and up to the player’s choice. The fact that a loot box system does not often come with the aesthetics of a casino does not mean it is incapable of embodying all the traits of one. A study by Aaron Drummond and James D. Sauer found that loot box systems shared similarities with gambling, including how they’re designed to target players psychologically. Furthermore, the study gives a stark warning: young minds caught in these systems are more likely to develop devastating gambling habits. This is a sign that we cannot ignore. We need to take action because it’s clear that schemes like these lure the more vulnerable to spend heaps of money on the slim chance of winning more – all to the benefit of gaming conglomerates.

It’s no secret video game corporations want their coveted loot box systems to be left untouched since they provide them with billions in revenue. Millions have been spent

in lobbying by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) to preserve the status quo of industry ratings for companies such as Electronic Arts Inc., owner of FIFA. In a brazen show of arrogance, this same company claimed loot boxes were ethical when defending them in front of the U.K. Parliament, rebranding the boxes as “Surprise Mechanics” in a ploy to downplay the negative aspects of their random nature. It’s easy to see how such highend companies can bypass ratings with their influence and corporate talk; meanwhile, indie games like “Overboard!” are not so fortunate. A murder mystery that should at most be rated for teens has to settle with a mature audience rating due to a blackjack mini-game that involves no real money transfer. At the same time, with the ESA routinely shooting down any bill which even hints at loot boxes being a form of gambling targeted at children, largerevenue companies continue to exploit the highly impressionable for quick profit. This isn’t the first time a randomized reward mechanism has taken center stage in regulatory debates. Baseball

ronmental dimension, so [they’re

learning about] access to healthy local, organic foods, [and] what are the contexts in

which food deserts exist? What are the communities associated with those? What are the eco -

nomic factors that contribute to food insecurity?” Cocke said. “By the simple act of having a

student farm that is providing support to food-insecure communities, I think we'll be able

to get at much deeper issues and I really can't wait to see where this goes.”

what I did, you know. I played Overwatch passionately, but I still finished my degree. And, you know, it would have been great if that was all paid for in the meantime.”

UTD’s team has appreciated

CROSS-COUNTRY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

And, obviously, Devan Maddie

about it. I have a piece that referenced “Two Fridas.” I don't mind because it's my story; it’s not like I'm copying her.

BB: What makes your paintings so unique is how you act out so many characters. What does this kind of performance mean to you and your pieces?

AS: I mean, I grew up involved in theatre. I used to do plays and costumes and stuff like that. It was always very fascinating that you get to play something else. Any artist that is painting people paints the person that they know the most. And I mean, I look at the mirror every morning. If the character has a mole, like mine, that means part of me is there, but if you don't see it, then it's something else or another story. Painting helps me to battle depression and not think

MALIGNANT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

humor and a ghastly creature to produce something entertaining but not unique.

COURTNEY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

and this artistic versatility is a large

LOOT BOXES

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

cards in 1996 faced a lawsuit for being framed as an “illegal lottery,” and Pokémon cards followed suit years later. Besides the similarities of poor Pokémon being caught in the crossfire, tabletop trading card games have little in common with their loot box counterparts. For starters, cards are tangible and possess some intrinsic value. Items from

HEROES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

to commit themselves every day to beating COVID-19. We are fortunate to have these

Bani’s experience with the Overwatch League and seems to have resonated with his coaching style. For computer science senior and main support player Fawaz

“NoneType” Ahmed, Bani’s game knowledge and ability have significantly benefited the team.

“Unlike other coaches, I feel like I have a better connection

both ran really well and won that. That was pretty cool for us—we don’t get that very often, so having

about things. I guess people see me in my paintings because what I'm going through at the moment jumps out.

BB: Your work is inspired by a wide range of things, from the theatre, to yourself, to Madonna. Do you look for inspiration in unlikely places or does it just come to you?

AS: Well, I like the outdoors a lot. Sometimes, I disconnect from everything, and I just go for a walk and listen to music. Sometimes I create playlists and then those songs start to become sketches. I mean, even fragrances – Calvin Klein One, Blue Jeans by Versace, Eternity by Calvin Klein. Smell triggers something in me. It really puts me in a mood and then that leads to music or a film or a book. Then the rest is in the canvases.

BB: If you were to give a scent for “Serenade,” what would you recommend?

The film was certainly exciting. How can a funny horror movie with an attractive detective not be? I just think that Wan should’ve committed completely to dark hu-

part of makes Courtney Crumrin such a great read.

Courtney Crumrin is one of those stories that heals the inner

most loot box systems, however, are tied to the game and if the game dies or is supplanted by a newer version, the previous items become obsolete.

Worse yet, loot boxes give often necessary advantages in gameplay.

For instance, “Gacha games”— a genre from the Eastern gaming market — are designed to hook players into spending real-world money to randomly pull playable characters and stay competitive.

Western gaming companies are

heroes, and on behalf of a grateful university, I join with many others in thanking them for their service, commitment,

with him since we play the same role,” NoneType said. “It’s been good so far. I just really like him being around, it’s really cool having an ex-professional player and coach on our team. Especially one that I’ve been a fan of for a while.”

But the transition back into the collegiate arena comes with

both of them, who they’re calling freshmen, because of the eligibility rules, but they both ran last year

AS: For “Serenade,” something with orange blossom and sage. Probably some patchouli but the main note would be orange blossom. I grew up in Monterrey, Mexico and orange trees are very common there and during the summer and autumn, the flower releases a scent that is very smooth. It's not like the regular orange you'll find in perfumes. It’s very soothing. So, it brings me, you know, good memories. We don't have AC in Mexico so, when it's hot all day, the nights are a little fresher, so people sit down outside just to refresh and you can smell the orange blossom.

BB: With your exhibition, you brought in an installation of your bedroom. Above the menagerie of items you’re inspired by is the line “Tu Amor le dio luz a mi vida,” Your love gave me my life. How does your relationship with love factor into your work?

AS: I'm a romantic at heart, but

mor or elaborating on Madison’s trauma. It seems in bad taste to incorporate abuse and mental illness with a goofy murder and laughworthy dialogue. The killer’s odd

child we all have, especially if you were the angry, perceptive, set aside type of kid. So, if you identified with the above and are seeking

following a similar trajectory, and EA’s Star Wars Battlefront II took it a step too far by limiting gameplay to loot boxes. Not only were players expected to shell out $60 for the base game, but in order to regularly win matches, participants needed “Star Cards” to increase their stats, which could only be acquired by purchasing loot boxes. Locking gameplay experiences behind a randomized pay wall forces gamers to spend far more than

kindness and resolve. Because of them, faculty could do their jobs, students could continue their education and the

a change in mindset about competition. While the focus in the Overwatch League is winning all the time, the focus at UTD is on academics first and competition second. With this, Bani said that he hopes to focus on the game fundamentals with the team and eventually build the program into a top 4 team in the

(although Devan didn’t run in the fall because of COVID) —get that was really awesome. And then on

my work is not just about the love of a relationship. To me, it's more of a love to yourself, a self-love. I think my work does deal with a lot of loneliness too, and a lot of sadness, but I like to embrace it. This relates to the serenade because Mexican music from the fifties, which is the music I reference for this show, is very melancholy and from the heart.

BB: Among a collage of music, pop-cultural and artistic references, your pieces often reference a wide range of religious subjects. The piece titled “Mictla and Quetza” from “Serenade” captures two Aztec deities in your unique style. What compelled you to want to take on these larger-than-life figures?

AS: I think the inspiration came from gender identity. When I was growing up, we went to Mexico City several times a year. As a kid, being there is just mind-blowing. I think it really got me to like value

gait and acrobatic movements were so bizarre I couldn’t help but burst out laughing every time he appeared on screen. While most of the movie seemed predictable, the

a type of validating and cathartic experience, pick this series up. Despite how tough love this series can be at times, as its main cast go

what they initially paid for the product or the advertised MSRP. Adults can practice some level of self-control, but for a child to play a game with loot boxes and expect the same is insane.

Our best option is to regulate the practice of loot boxes and give these games the mature ratings they warrant. If PEGI can do that with games that simulate gambling or introduce casinobased imagery, then it should do the same with games that involve

University could flourish. A few words of gratitude here can never do justice to the sacrifices that have been made on

scene. “We don’t exactly have pressure to perform every week like we did in the Overwatch League, right?”

to start, and then slowly build on that foundation rather than just trying to provide what we absolutely need to give us the resources to possibly win that week. I think we’re going to grow a lot as a team as a result of that, and hopefully the top four, maybe top three or two by the end of the year.”

sort of the same theme, our regional association does rankings, and those came out last night and the men’s

who we are in Mexican culture, where we came from and our ancestors.

But they don’t call them gods. They're more like energy or entities? Quetzalcoatl and Mictlāntēcutli are like two forces. One of them, Mictla, is the force of destruction on the world. Quetza is this spiritual delight that came from the sky and the stars.

So, it goes back to my aesthetic of good and evil, but the Aztecs didn't see the evil as something bad because it was always a part of a natural process.

There are some carvings where Quetza and Mictla are together, and they are very androgynous. They don’t have a clear sexual identity and they are very fabulously dressed. They have these giant garments like they’re in a pageant. In the carvings, they're also posing like they're voguing.

So, I'm like, this is a good opportunity to do something related to Vogue and Madonna. It’s a weird

revelation of the killer’s identity was disturbingly ludicrous.

I think this film was an unpredictable path for Wan and a playful take on his usual nightmare-

through more moments of adversity than of peace, it is ultimately a story about resilience, hope and connecting with others. Do your-

actual money in a casino-like environment. The studies are clear, the research is there, and if we do not act, we are just as responsible as these tone-deaf video game corporations with our silence. It’s because of the backlash from everyday players that games like FIFA, 2K20 and others came into the public eye and caught the attention of lawmakers to take action. If PEGI is going to implement mature ratings to games that teach kids

behalf of us all, but hopefully a moment of recognition will encourage students and faculty to acknowledge the

combination, but it makes sense to me. I have a lot more pieces that I'm developing on that because I feel like there's a lot more to explore.

BB: And Madonna is in the middle of it, which is great.

AS: Right, the pagan and the religious. That's who we are, that’s humans. We are like that. We have good thoughts; we have bad thoughts. I always like that duality. That to me is something that will never leave my work. Sometimes my sisters make fun of me because I like the Kardashians and I like the Real Housewives. They’re like, “How can you like this trash TV, but then at the same time be very spiritual?” But I like to have the other opposite. I need the other side too because I can’t always just be in limbo, you know?

You can check out Armando Sebastian’s solo exhibition, “Serenade,” at Cluley Projects on display through September 25, 2021.

inducing creations. In place of a well-written script, Wan opted for blood-fueled, fast-paced gore in a true slasher-thriller style that would’ve been enjoyable if it

self a favor and let this hidden gem transport you to a magical gothic world where there is drama, horror and a few sprinkles of humor.

gambling habits, then we need to speak up. It’s your voice that starts the conversation, and when one voice becomes many, no matter how big these companies are, they will have to listen or risk losing their consumer base. Loot box regulation is a change that companies will eventually have to face, and if they think they can throw money at this problem and weasel out, they have another thing coming. They can bet on it.

contributions of our staff with a nod, a smile or a kind and generous thank you.