The Mercury 10 03 22

Impassioned Comets stand for Iranian rights

Students protested against the Irani government's censorship and human rights abuse on Sept. 26 at Chess Plaza.

Approximately 180 protesters chanted “Say her name, Mahsa Amini” and “Zan, Zindagi, Azadi” which means, “Woman, Life, Freedom,” as part of the two-hour demonstration against assembly crackdowns in Iran. Visual and Performing Arts graduate student Shahrzad Hamzeh was part of a group of students and faculty from AHT that organized the protest after they heard about Mahsa Amini’s death, escalating protests and the subsequent internet lockdown.

“We need to show our support, but we are not there,” Shahrzad Hamzeh said.

“We can’t fight beside them. What can we do that could help them? It’s to make people who are here in America, in a country where there is freedom of speech ... be their voice. Maybe the superpowers of the world will do something about this, because the Islamic Republic is a threat to everybody.”

Newsweek reported on Sept. 13 that Amini, 22, was arrested in Tehran by Iran’s morality police for breaking the law by not covering her hair with a hijab. Upon her arrest, she was beaten and entered a coma for three days, after which she died in police custody on Sept. 16. As protests erupted across Iran, the country’s government responded by shutting down the internet on Sept. 19. Three days

later, on Sept. 22, Reuters reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards would begin prosecuting anyone spreading false news about Amini’s death.

Finance graduate student Alireza Hamzeh said that Amini’s death unified the sentiments of various other protestors in Iran. Pensioners, teachers, truck drivers and others all had previous efforts toward political change, and Amini’s death and the crackdowns on freedom of speech pushed the country over the edge.

“There were a lot of different separate movements,” Alireza Hamzeh said. “Nobody has gotten what they wanted. So now, this time, we are all united …

SEE

PAGE 7

oDEI

merges multiple departments

SG increases senatorial participation

Boosted participation means Comets chose school representatives

Student Government wrapped up its fall elections with an addition of 23 new senators, creating an entire senate body with no appointments necessary.

Raul Hinojosa

Six departments were merged into the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusionn on Sept. 1 to unify advocacy for underrepresented students.

In spring of 2022, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion—known as oDEI—began the process of acquiring and rebranding centers to achieve a new sense of unity. The merger will include the Multicultural Center, Galerstein Gender Center, AccessAbility Resource Center, Equity Policy Education, Employee Equity Initiatives and Student Equity Initiatives. oDEI Communications Manager Alexandra Pirkle said acquired departments received remodeled office space and websites, as oDEI began to capitalize on more recognizable centers for outreach.

“This is a reorganization and an expansion of the office,” said Pirkle. “We’re looking at how we could best align our resources, our talent, to align with a strategic plan and best serve students and employees on this campus from the perspective of oDEI.”

Raul Hinojosa, the new Vice-President for Equity Policy Education, said that the merger hasn’t been all smooth sailing.

“I’ll admit that one of the challenges

As SG focused on enhancing the re cruitment cycle, this race was much more competitive than past elections.

"We really focused on recruitment and getting as many people to apply for posi tions as possible, as many people to run.

We had a solid goal of making every po sition competitive...[and] we succeeded," said Margaret Moore, the SG Vice Presi dent.

After years of decreased participation, SG recognized that transforming the re cruitment period would result in visible im

Passport help available at UTD International center opens office for travel services

UTD’s International Center will now offer a Passport Services office to ease the application process for students, faculty and the broader Richardson community.

As the country returns to prepandemic travel levels, UTD’s International Center—representing students from more than 100 countries—is looking to capitalize on the positive trend and satisfy its mission of bringing the “world to UT Dallas and UT Dallas to the world.”

reach out to potential members to encourage them to run. This year, senators’ outreach began long before the election cycle. SG tabled numerous initiatives at various Weeks of Welcome events. They laid their foundation by handing out flyers to build awareness and encourage

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Contributors

19 • A student reported an assault at 10:48 p.m. at Phase 3.

September 21 • Officer made an arrest for possession of marijuana less than 2 oz. at 1:22 a.m.

September 24 • A student reported a missing bicycle at 1:10 p.m at building 29.

Corrections/ Clarifications

Bring factual errors or innacuracies to the attention of The Mercury’s staff by emailing editor@ utdmercury.com or calling (972) 883-2287 and a correction will be published in this space in a future issue.

Ivan Schitco’s last name was mispelled Shitco in a photo caption in the Sept. 19 issue.

We apologize for these errors.

From The Mercury Archives: September 26, 1994

Human development at the forefront of infant research

UTD’s Callier Center. Some of the work is done on the UTD campus. This pulls the students out of the classroom and into the real world.

There is a fascination with things all humans once knew, but do not consciously remember. The fascination is now inspiring experiments being conducted with infants in the School of Human Development.

“Four years ago, our knowledge of the repertoire of infants was incomplete,” said Dr. Bert Moore, dean of the School of Human Development. In those four years, the School of Human Development has been working to create a program that focuses on early childhood. TO create a “world institution prominent in infant research,” the School of Human Development has received grants from the UTD foundation, the Meadows Foundation, the Hoblitzelle Foundation, and the Hillcrest Foundation. Funds are used to create facilities to test infants on campus and in hospitals.

The experiments are conducted in cooperation with Richardson Medical Center, Parkland Memorial Hospital,

UTD has developed a new tradition in master’s programs in human development, focusing on early childhood disorders and including a training program for early childhood intervention specialists.

The aim of the School of Human Development’s experimentation with the infants is to “try to determine new assessment to detect behavior and sensory delays in childhood development,” said Dr. Moore. The results of the tests will benefit society by creating guidelines for more costeffective detection and treatment of various disorders.

“I am genuinely interested in infants’ memory and the processing of sounds,” said Dr. Melanie Spence, the researcher heading up the experiments in the School of Human Development. Dr. Spence and UTD scientist, Dr. Tomas Bower has been working together to determine the existence and the extent of

memory in infants.

One of the experiments being done at UTD tests infant memory for nursery rhymes the mother recites to the infant. A nursery rhyme is assigned to a volunteer mother, and the mother recites the nursery rhyme to the infant two times a day, four times each, for 14 days. One to three days following the final recitation, the mother and her infant come to the lab. Then researchers determine whether the infant will react differently to the familiar nursery rhyme, or a new nursery rhyme. Responses are assessed using a sucking procedure, which indicates infant responses through a pacifier. The infants are presented with two different cues on a computer screen: a bull’s eye and a checkerboard. Each screen is associated with a different vowel sound, and the old and new nursery rhymes are recited over the separate computer screens.

“We’re trying to determine whether babies can differentiate between the two nursery rhymes, and if they

will suck to hear one nursery rhyme more than the other,” Dr. Spence said. The experiment focuses on memory in infants between the ages of six and twelve weeks old. Dr. Spence stresses the study “is still ongoing,” and no real results have yet been determined.

However, Dr. Spence is working with a colleague, Dr. David Moore at Pittzer College in Claremont California. “We are looking at when babies can distinguish different pitch patterns and when they can come to sort pitch patterns into groups,” Dr. Spence said. Dr. Spence and Dr. Moore is trying to see if babies differentiate between comfort and approval pitch patterns by observing whether a baby will look at one computer screen for another pitch pattern. Dr. Spence said, “We have found that six-month old babies can distinguish that difference, will they act differently towards and around their “bundles of joy” Well, I don’t know,” Dr. Spense said with a chuckle.

DEBRA BRADBERRY Mercury Contributor

Phase 8 Clubhouse returns from the dead

The clubhouse will be renovated after 4 year closure

Students advocate for local pedestrians

Comets walk through Campbell Road with City of Richardson to discuss design flaws

JACK SIERPUTOWSKI Opinion Editor

Members of the UTD club Comets for Better Transit walked through sections of West Campbell Road and Jonsson Boulevard with Daniel Herrig, a Project Manager with the City of Richardson. The goal of the walkthrough was to gather community feedback on safety issues with the road and possible solutions.

noise from passing cars made it incredibly difficult to communicate and direct sunlight was almost inescapable. History senior Daniel Yahalom, the club president, explained the group’s goals for the project.

through was meant to give firsthand exposure to the issues that local UTD students face in everyday transportation.

For the last three years, the Clubhouse next to the student apartments has been a breeding ground for mosquitoes and roaches. The Phase 8 Clubhouse was once a key feature in the Weeks of Welcome luau and a desired meeting location for various social clubs and Greek life organizations, but it is now a pale imitation of its pre-pandemic self. To many students, it was both a place of study and UTD’s heart of the party. To better serve the safety and integrity of the student body, Housing Operations began maintenance of the study lounge and pool. Thousands of students were repelled away from the Phase 8 Clubhouse before it fully shut down during the pandemic, where it has since become home to a broth of pollution and parasitic eggs.

Residents might have expected these fixes to occur during the pandemic, when many UTD construction projects took place, like the Pedestrian Promenade and Science Building.

Construction for these projects formally concluded in 2021, which left a year-long period of absence from further construction and maintenance. Trash and mud filled the bottom of the clubhouse pool until mid-September. Even when it was closed, the Clubhouse was consistently used as a marketing tool on the Housing website to attract new students, as if it was still open. A constant maintenance

sign locked out students from using the area, with an email restating its closure. Housing Operations was unable to respond to inquiries about the construction.

“In order to complete the work,” Housing Operations said in a public email, ”the Phase 8 Clubhouse will be closed starting Friday 9/9 and will reopen when the construction has been completed. The parking spaces in front of the mailbox area and pool will be coned off for deliveries and construction vehicles.”

Formally, the Phase 8 Clubhouse wasn’t open to the student body even before this email, despite the claim that they are just now closing the Clubhouse again. This is the only University Village clubhouse to be shut down for maintenance and renovation. A turning point came in summer of 2022, when University Housing increased their housing rates to accommodate future labor expenses.

“Each year, the University evaluates potential rate increases for on-campus housing, taking into consideration such factors as labor expenses, utility rates and material supply costs. Currently, fall housing rates have been approved with a 3% increase from previous year’s rates,” said Matthew Grief, Associate Vice President-University Housing, in May.

The renovation project began on Sept. 9 with incremental progress. After twenty-one days, the pool area has

Comets for Better Transit was founded in December 2022 with the goal of creating an environment that is more friendly to those who do not drive, either by necessity or by choice. Before this meeting, members of the group collected feedback from students and locals on the section of Campbell between Waterview and Coit and compiled a list of issues and ideas. Throughout the walk, the road proved hostile as projected, as

When does the Plinth release mist?

“A lot of us just want to build an environment where driving isn’t the only choice,” Yahalom said. “Because, as we’ve seen today, even though there are technically ways to walk or bike down Campbell or Johnsson, they’re not really feasible options. Our goal is to get students to know that alternatives can exist and to get the city government and university administration to take action on it.”

Herrig—a transportation engineer involved in Richardson’s Active Transportation Plan—hopes to focus on improving connectivity of bike, pedestrian and transit paths in the area. The walk-

“I really appreciate walking with students who I can tell are very thoughtful,” Herrig said. “Y’all are not just bringing up issues, but you’re bringing up ideas also, and so that’s great, to be able to kind of talk about both … I love hearing the ideas, how proactive that is. To try to think of what’s a good solution to the problem I’m having and to be able to work on that together.”

Herrig said that he values community feedback’s use in getting a sense of future development and what needs to be done in both the short and long term.

While the date has not been announced, Richardson’s Active Transportation Plan will have an open house sometime in the fall. This event will be an open fo-

"Overwatch 2" release forces change for Overwatch team

BEN NGUYEN Editor-in-Chief

Overwatch 2 releases on Oct. 4, and with that, the Overwatch team must adapt to the incoming game change.

The Overwatch League—known as OWL—has been playing on a beta version of Overwatch 2, so players already know that the game will be quite different from Overwatch. The sequel will replace the original game, as those servers will be taken offline.

Overwatch 2 has 5v5 instead of 6v6 gameplay, cutting down one tank from the previous game. Alongside rebalanced heroes, as well as new ones like Junker Queen and Kimiko, the new game will play entirely differently from the original. Without access to the new game, computer science senior, coach and tank player Luey Salinas says that the team is preparing for the sequel by practicing their mechanics and working on their team synergy.

“We’re just focusing more on individual play, practicing on your own, reviewing your own play,” Salinas said.

players to shine. I would like to have for them to have more impact. So hopefully that’s not the case going into Overwatch 2, but I think that’s really gonna make it or break it for some teams … like which one has more synergy, who gels better together, who can actually solidify the meta and get it down.”

Some collegiate teams were able to start playing Overwatch 2 earlier by way of the Contenders League, including Redbird esports. This early play time has given them the opportunity to answer the hard questions about how to transition into the new game and figure out the new meta (or strategies), but Salinas says that he isn’t worried about the disadvantage.

“We do what we can, you know, it is what it is,” Salinas said. “I’m not gonna complain or cry about it. We’ll still kick some ass, beat some teams, take some names.”

Kelly Kinnard, Assistant Vice President for Facilities Services, said that the schedule of the mist column is on 20-minute intervals. It turns on for three minutes and off for 17 minutes. The timing is designed so that the pipes underneath the fountain would not get ruined, based on manufacturer advice.

Eugene McDermott was one of the founding fathers of UTD. When he passed away, his wife, Margaret McDermott, made UTD a campus with more aesthetic appeal and constructed things like the magnolia trees, the Plinth, and the mist column at the Plinth. “What you see here [gestures towards

the plinth area] all the way down to Campbell was a gift from her in 2008,” Kinnard said. “She wanted an actual campus, not just a corporate campus. This was what her vision was.”

The Plinth has become a major attraction on campus for students and visitors, and many organizations hold events there for fundraising and outreach. One of its most prominent features is a mist column in between the Student Union and the Eugene McDermott Library. Due to Texas’ heat and humidity, the mist column was constructed to cool off passersby.

“Because if you’re standing close to it, it cools you off,” Kinnard said. “That's what it was for. It was to, it was to offer a little bit of relief from

the heat and all this concrete.”

The mist column also lights up at night, which provides the campus night life a source to continue hanging out or study throughout the late hours of the night.

“One of my favorite things is to stand down there by the entry circle [gestures towards the area] and look up this way at night,” Kinnard said. “It actually feels like a college campus.”

The infrastructure is surrounded by a type of vine called Wisteria. Eventually, the plant will grow all around the outside border of the Plinth and act as a roof covering the area. The wooden planks on the perimeter of the struc -

“And then, just getting the team to gel a little bit better. That’s been our primary focus.”

Going into the sequel, Salinas said that with the removal of a tank, damagedealing players (known as DPS players) would get the chance to showcase their play more. However, as was evident in OWL, team play and cohesion remain more important to the overall meta, with a popular team composition being JOATS. JOATS draws inspiration from the previous GOATS team composition, which relied on coordination and space control using only tanks and healers. Salinas said that he hopes the release patch will shift the game away from this style of meta.

“I hope it’s not just another GOATS type deal,” Salinas said. “I want DPS

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During the pandemic, the Phase 8 pool became a forgotten breeding ground for insects. ANDRE AVERION Distribution Manager

SHRIYA VYASAM MERCURY STAFF

Like many aesthetic elements of campus, the Plinth is a gift of Margaret McDermott. Its cycle is on for three minutes, off for 17 minutes.

"Yellow"

"Our Idol"

10.3 CROSSWORD

Pearl

Ti West's origin prequel serves excellent scares

Dramatique: #Alive

Korean horror film provides fresh zombie take

hile A24 has produced a handful of cult classic films, director Ti West breaks ground with the studio’s first horror trilogy. The most recent addition to the trilogy, “Pearl,” is a prequel to the sex-fueled slasher “X.” This film follows Pearl, a farm girl aspiring for fame but burdened by her ailing father and uncompromising mother. She feels trapped in her family’s creaky old farmhouse—the same one in “X”— and impatiently awaits her husband’s return from war. Her childish priorities start off as relatable desires and quickly become a murderous temper tantrum. The only solace that Pearl has from the dreariness of her isolated farm life are her occasional trips to

the “pictures,” where she can dream of joining the dancers on the big screen. Thwarted dreams and aspirations are a classic motivator in villain origin stories, but Ti West refuses to let his movie fall into overused tropes. The vintage filming style is a wild roller coaster ride that combines gore with the technicolor feel of “The Wizard of Oz,” bringing the audience into the erratic mind of our villainess. The bright colors and dance numbers create a whimsical veil over Pearl’s concealed wickedness.

Mia Goth’s performance as Pearl is breathtaking, and every crack in her facial expressions was captivating. Every movement is extremely animated, making Pearl seem like more of a cartoonish daydreamer than a psychopath. Casting an actress with the essence of an ingenue contrasts with the audience’s knowledge of her future to create a fine line between feeling disgust and feeling sympathy for Pearl. Despite Pearl’s murderous lack of remorse, it is impossible not to see her as relatable. She represents every Midwestern kid aching to leave their hometown in search of love and acceptance, and West and Goth created one of the most

sympathetic horror villains to date. Our tenuous feelings for Pearl mirror those shared by her mother Ruth (Tandi Wright), a German immigrant struggling to both keep her farm afloat and care for her incapacitated husband. All the while, Ruth must navigate the struggles of raising a daughter who screws scarecrows and murders farm animals. Pearl resents her mother for the lifestyle they must live and selfishly chooses to focus on her own unhappiness. The tension between Pearl’s lack of affection for her mother and her mother’s knowledge of Pearl’s inner darkness contributes to a palpably intense relationship. Every interaction between the two counterbalances Ruth’s hidden revulsion and Pearl’s deep-rooted fury, which is on the verge of being released. By writing the screenplay “Pearl,” West and Goth sought to illuminate the backstory of the titular villainess and shed light on how she interacts with the world. Pearl’s path crosses with a movie projectionist (David Corenswet) with whom she begins a sweet, naïve love affair. Her failed attempts at relationships

Bagel Cafe 21 offers great breakfast

The cafe offers a great range of both bagels and drinks with fast service

of whether or not he will hear from his family weighs on him heavily as time goes by.

“Alive” is the perfect zombie flick for Halloween.

We all know how well Korea does zombie apocalypse movie, with hits like “Train to Busan” and “All of Us Are Dead” enchanting audiences worldwide. But have you heard of “#Alive?” In an aptly timed 2020 release, the movie mirrors pandemic lockdowns even though the film was produced the year before. “#Alive” wastes no time jumping into the action and has audiences tensely holding their breaths throughout the whole movie.

Yoo Ah-in of “Seoul Vibe” plays Oh Joon-woo, a video game streamer who finds himself home alone in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Joonwoo’s occupation gives the traditional zombie narrative a unique perspective by integrating technology and the internet. The internet, power and utilities are not immediately cut off, giving Joon-woo a connection to the outside world—for better or worse. While the news depicts the world in flames, there is hope that he may be able to reach his loved ones through social media.

Yoo nails the comedic personality of a golden retriever even as the shadow of loneliness and death linger all around him, resulting in mental strain. Though the movie is focused on the zombie apocalypse narrative, there is an emphasis on the effects of prolonged isolation, which adds realistic layers to the story. As Joonwoo is constantly connected to others through his livestreams, isolation affects him greatly, and the uncertainty

Park Shin-hye from “the Heirs” plays Kim Yoo-bin, a quick-witted woman who lives across from Oh Joon-woo. Though it is refreshing to see Shin-hye act in something radically different from her previous roles, there is something missing from the female lead. Her past is consistently hinted at, but the movie never delivers on the mystery of her character’s backstory. This may be an intentional comment on the importance of focusing on the bigger picture, but the outcome is a character that lacks depth and could have been written out of the story altogether.

Besides the uses of technology and social media, "#Alive'' also twists the zombie apocalypse narrative by changing the zombies themselves. While the traditional zombie is mindless, this movie’s zombies retain memories from their past lives, which contributes to an eerie view outside of Joon-woo’s window. The infected spend their days stumbling around and mimicking everyday activities. The threat of a zombie opening a door and finding the survivors looms in the background with every step they hear in the hallway.

Though the female characters leave more to be desired, the innovative twist on a modern technologically connected zombie apocalypse should put “#Alive” on watchlists this month for spooky season.

Blonde

Freshly baked bagels and 12 varieties of cream cheese are available just down the street at Bagel Café 21, with an excellent drink selection to complement a toasted breakfast meal. Bagel Café 21 is located on Campbell and Coit, just about a 15-minute walk from campus proper and less than a five minute drive. It’s located in the same strip mall as Jersey Mike’s, and in the same parking lot as Whataburger and Richardson Bike Mart. The indoor seating area is small, but as the second summer ends and winter approaches, the outdoor seating area will start to feel nice as well. It’s generally open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and provides a nice closeto-campus early morning option with its fast service.

The cafe’s namesake offering comes in multiple varieties, ranging from the classic everything bagel to sweeter options like the cinnamon sugar bagel and savory ones such as bacon cheddar. Even their plain bagels come with a twist on the weekends: they’ve got rainbow colored bagels on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a pop of color to go with the customer’s favored cream cheese spread. This too comes with multiple good options, with the garlic and herb spread and the lox spread being standout cream cheeses. The lox spread comes pretty close to replicating a regular lox bagel with salmon, and the garlic and herb spread just seems like an enhanced standard cream cheese. Moreover, they also offer multiple bagel sandwiches both breakfast and lunch themed.

For coffee, it’s both good and cost-

efficient. You won’t pay any more than 2 to 4 dollars for any normal coffee, and the specialty horchata, matcha, and chai drinks cap out around $7 bucks. In essence, unless you want a milkshake, the drink prices are comparable to Starbucks while being

'Not Okay' is not okay to watch

Quinn Shepard offensive satire targets society's social media obsession

“Not Okay” attempts to explore just how far the internet-obsessed will go to achieve fame, but misses its mark and comes across as flippant and insensitive.

A social media focused film like “Not Okay” comes at the perfect time. Phones are no longer just used for twenty-centa-minute calls—nowadays, through the internet, we have access at all hours of the day to near-limitless amounts of information. “Not Okay” calls into question the commodification of self, something that it argues is a result of the new phenomenon of chronic internet use. Those who are ‘media obsessed’ in the film cleverly exploit cursory trends that go out of style as quickly as they are in. “Not Okay” shows us how commodification in the name of fame is short-lived and unsatisfying.

The film’s “not-so-pro” protagonist Danni Sanders finds herself thrust onto a global stage after she lies about being

a survivor of a terrorist bombing. This premise is where the film begins to fall apart. The odds in which she situates herself toe the line between outright offensive and totally unbelievable. Further, Danni’s interaction with people who truly experienced traumatic terrorist events in the film fails to be comedic and comes across as making fun of survivors. The film goes so far as to reduce therapy for trauma to a playground for Danni where she can take advantage of a community of people who, unaware of her lie, are nothing but kind to her. In the film, Danni befriends Rowan, a younger woman whose older sister died in a school shooting. Rowan is the film’s only redeemable character, who Danni copies to better fit the role of “survivor.”

The concept of appropriation is stressed in the film with Danni’s total willingness to step into spaces she has little knowl-

a statement about the relentless exploitation and objectification that Marilyn Monroe endured at the hands of Hollywood. But how is that message meaningful when it is done by exploiting the legacy of a mentally ill woman’s chaotic life and tragic death? Critics have called this film self-indulgent for good reason—it is unbearably hypocritical.

from relationship to relationship, Monroe comes across as having little depth of her own. Some might argue this is a symptom of her illness. But I say it is lazy writing.

attempts to communicate this point but only misrepresents her life and exploits her death yet again.

The entire plot of “Blonde” is entangled with bizarre reimaginings of Marilyn Monroe’s life; I won’t spoil them here, but it is clear they are done for shock value. The true details of Monroe’s life are obscured by unnecessary lies invented by a writer bent on subjecting this woman to a marathon of suffering. The movie’s motive for doing this is clear: to make

“Blonde” could be described best in two words: “male gaze.” It criticizes voyeurism in media by creating a feature-film length chronicle of voyeuristic torture porn. It criticizes hypersexualization by telling a tale of graphic trysts that once again force Norma Jeane into the sex roles she felt so stifled by. In life, she was a complicated but highly intelligent woman with a talent for writing and a love of literature. This film prefers to portray her as a milquetoast man-pleaser—completely ignoring her independent spirit. Flitting

Many modern psychiatrists believe that Marilyn Monroe suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), a serious mental illness that affects a person’s ability to control their emotions, thoughts and impulses. For a woman whose life was crippled by the disease, this movie does a good job of playing up the symptoms it deems romantic and excluding the ones it finds disagreeable.

While its depiction of Monroe is misleading, the film communicates BPD’s more confusing symptoms in a way never done before. Monroe’s inner world is a pinwheel of moods where reality and delusion all blend together; this stream of consciousness is perfectly por-

hypocritical and disrespectful

BEN NGUYEN Editor-in-Chief

RYLEE RUSSELL Mercury Staff

Director Andrew Dominik’s “Blonde,” starring Ana de Armas, is a heavily fictionalized retelling of the life of Marilyn Monroe (née Norma Jeane Baker), based on a book by Joyce Carol Oates. While people know of Marilyn’s rough childhood and her legacy as a Hollywood icon, most are unaware of a how a predatory media economy exacerbated her mental illness. “Blonde”

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“Yeah, I actually do. Devin Booker. He’s my famous basketball player. He supports like late Kobe Bryant, so as a support I look up to him. He’s one of the few Hispanic players in the NBA. There’s a select few stands(?), another guy named Jordan Poole, so that’s why it was special.”

COMET COMMENTS

Who's a Hispanic figure you look up to?

“I would say I look up to Dolores Huerta. She is an immigrant rights activist so she also was like an activist that worked with the field workers during the ‘60s and ‘70s and she was the only woman doing it at that time and she’s a Hispanic one and that’s unheard of you know, so I really look up to her for all the work she’s done, female empowerment as well, and Latino heritage and stuff like that.”

“He’s a fashion designer, his name is (Blazey?) and he makes graphics for shirts and other companies and stuff like that. I think I look up to his work ethic.”

“I actually do, she’s like one of my best friends, and she actually goes to MIT. She’s super smart and a really supportive best friend and I think she’s just always there for me. She’s super hard working, she’s caring, so my friend is like the person I look up to the most.”

“That’s funny, I’m Hispanic. It is a writer, Her name is Laura Chimaras. She is a motivational speaker, writer, and her story is based off of her dad. He was a famous TV star back in my home country Venezuela and he got murdered. She was reading a couple books and stuff… it definitely helps sometimes and her points of view, like searching topics.”

"Cesar Chavez, I suppose. Impact with wheat… is that what it was? Trying to remember if it’s fire or what. I honestly couldn’t give you a good explanation why. Not the right person to ask, I assume.”

- Khizar Badshah, Business Administration, sophomore

- Jillian Sandate, Political Science, senior

- Angelica Baez, Psychology, freshman

- Bhuvana Madiraju, Computer Science, freshman

- Hasset Yoseph, Computer Science, freshman

- Adam Brunn, Computer Science, senior

[Pointing to a flag] This is the emblem of the monarchy of Iran. A lot of people here do not believe in that. A lot of people believe we have to have a republic afterwards. But we are all united in the fact that this regime must go and we have to have freedom of speech.”

The protest featured a speech by Mitra Razavi, who grew up in Iran during the 1979 revolution. She was a college student when she was imprisoned in 1982 and was continuously beaten by interrogators until her release in 1991. Immigrat -

ing to America deepened her understanding of women's rights and helped her continue her fight for women in Iran.

Razavi believes that the movement has unlocked many years of concentrated anger and frustration.

“Today marks the 10th day of this movement, which started with mass death.” Razavi said.

“I thought it would be crushed like the previous ones, but in spite of regime brutality, the movement for freedom and equality continues.”

Literature graduate student Bahareh Momeniabdolabadi, one of the organizers of the

event, said that The Handmaid’s Tale, the novel written by Margaret Atwood, accurately describes the control that the Islamic Republic has over Iran.

“It seems this generation that is making that change in Iran was born in a different Iran, which is like Gilead,” Momeniabdolabadi said. “I was born after the Islamic Revolution, so I didn’t have any frame of reference … even suppression seems to be normalized to you after a while.”

Demonstrators cheered as several women cut their hair to show their solidarity with protesters and rebel against Iran’s

enforcement of Islamic law.

“A lot of the protesters believe in hijab. But they do not believe in enforcing it because they see this as a threat to Islam,” Alirezah Hamzeh said. “Because they say if Islam is the religion of peace, it shouldn’t be enforced like this.”

While hijab laws are foreign to people in the U.S., their enforcement in Iran remains a constant form of oppression for many women. Shahrzad Hamzeh specifies that the act of wearing hijab is not itself the issue.

“We are chanting for the right to choose to wear hijab or not,” Shahrzad said. “We don’t have

student council."

that anymore. It does not matter if you’re a Muslim, if you’re a Christian, if you’re Jewish, any religion you have, you are forced to wear hijab and that’s not right.”

Flyers at the demonstration advertised the Snowflake web extension, which helps Iranians circumvent the internet shutdown. Snowflake works by using the user’s Chrome or Firefox browser as a proxy for others to disguise their internet traffic. However, with the ongoing internet shutdown, VPNs and proxies can only do so much. Ultimately, people can’t use workarounds if there is no effec -

tive internet access at all. Shahrzad Hamzeh said this lack of communication access has left students worried about relatives back in Iran.

“Everybody here, we haven’t talked to our families in days because there’s no internet,” Shahrzad Hamzeh said. “Why should it be like that? Why shouldn’t they have a voice? Why shouldn’t people talk about what is happening inside of Iran? … So we’re giving hope to the people inside of Iran that we are here for you. Even though you don’t have internet, we will be your voice from outside of Iran.”

for super long at UTD, but that's that passion that comes in that."

This year, SG is moving toward being more visible on campus. To this end, they have been collabo-

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SG CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 with our transition has been that we’re a little short staffed,” Hinojosa said. “We’ve had people leave, and we have new positions that need to be filled as we expand.”

rating directly with organizations on campus, posting weekly meetings on the Comet Calendar and flyers to advertise essential discussions. "This is not student council,” Moore said, “and anyone com-

Offices are undergoing transitions that initially interrupted department function in the 2022 summer semester, which had some students worried that the consequences would ripple into the fall semester. However, oDEI is looking for infrastructure solutions to

ing in expecting that…will not last. They will not last in student government because we actually implement projects and advocate for administration. Student governments are more like a local government than your high school

make amends before the spring and make up for lost time.

“We’ve had multiple people from the Multicultural Center come and talk to us about collaboration ... ” said Crystal Garcia, President of the Association of Latin American Students. “They’ll

Students can find the SG offices on the second floor of the SU across from the Galaxy rooms. The next general body meeting will be held on Oct. 4 at 5:30 p.m.in the Galaxy rooms; meets are held ev-

just talk about how we can tell people what resources are available for them, and that if they need help, they can go to them for information. They’re trying to be there for us this semester."

Hinojosa said oDEI will take a community approach to main-

ery other Tuesday. Both general body and committee meetings— held at the same time and place in the Tuesdays in between—are open for the public to attend.

"If you want anything done in student government, if you have

taining representation while investigating any internal issues caused by the transition.

“We are open,” Hinojosa said.

“We’re not sure what students were asking, or what they found out from us, but I think it’s important to know that we’re here to

an issue you're passionate about, come to meetings, email us, just send me a Teams message… We are accessible. We are a resource to students for a reason,” Moore said. “Don't just complain. Complain to us."

serve students, faculty, and staff as we look into this. We’re open to ideas and suggestions, and as the dust is settling a little bit from our changes and moves and our reorganizations, we’re very open to our campus collaborators and departments.”

to an hour for families.

The office will primarily help “first-time applicants and renewals if they are eligible to renew by mail,” Miranda said. Most

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-rum to receive feedback on how connected local walking and biking trails are and how well they

students fit under this category if they were issued before the age of 16. We saw an opportunity that we can basically get involved in this market and bring more revenue to our department,” Miranda said,

trash and debris that previously covered the tiled floors. Housing Operations’ preliminary

service important community destinations.

Mathematics senior and club

secretary Devan Bailey commented on the cost of the Richardson area’s

“so we can use those funds for all of our student programs,”

The facility also provides digital photos for international students when they apply for work visas to remain in the United States.

Once F-1 international stu-

work brings hope that residents will finally see an amenity that once played a key role in stu -

deficit in transit. Bailey said that most students don’t go outside off campus beyond visits to Northside, and that the city of Richardson is losing a large opportunity by sepa-

dents are near finishing their studies, they can apply for temporary employment through an Optional Practical Training (OPT). After international students have attained a degree, they can then apply for an Employment Autho-

dent life. In what has been nearly a month of silence since the start of the project, Operations

rating campus from surrounding neighborhoods.

“That’s something a lot of students have complained about-that there’s no campus life,” Bailey

rization Document through U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services.

“Because we have international students that require photos for their OPT vocations, we can take [their] digital photos,” Miranda said. “We looked at the specific

provided one last comment on its status. “We will provide updates on

said. “And part of that reason is that there’s nowhere to go other than campus. And there’s no places to meet people. Everyone’s spread out—people commute, but then

requirements that they were asked to submit and noticed it’s exactly the same passport requirements." For both passport and visas, students can have their pictures taken by walk-in appointments in 15 minute sessions.

the work’s progress as they become available,” Housing Operations said.

they don’t stay, because there’s no reason to stay. And I think it’s really important to give reasons for people to stay around campus… and connect with the community.”

Estacado x Dream Fever

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-ture are meant as a trellis for the vine to grow on. Kinnard said there are no construction plans for changing the area in the foreseeable future.

all stem from a fear of abandonment, and a large aspect of her character involves hiding her true nature in order to trick men into

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-edge of in the name of internet fame. The audience’s knowledge of the truth contrasts with Danni and Rowan’s relationship to create

-trayed with a cerebral style of cinematography. The movie frequently flips between color and black and white as Monroe rides an emotional roller coaster. Confusing shots obfuscate an objective view of reality so that we understand where Monroe’s mind has gone—for example, twisted reflections following her distorted sense of self. And, in moments of emotional crisis, Monroe can even become paranoid or delusional or outright hallucinate. Real-

“What I do know is we're going to try to keep ... to the vision that Mrs. McDermott had,” Kinnard said.

“What you see here, she approved, and in a lot of cases had a lot of input in how it went. This project here was

taking care of her. Pearl feels that at her core, she is missing something that everyone else seems to have naturally. She will end up hurting many in her attempt to fill that emptiness. Horror has often played witwh

and horchata drinks aren’t the pinnacle of greatness but are serviceable options that are

a near constant sense of discomfort. In a meta way, “Not Okay” making light of very serious topics like bombings could be interpreted as a commentary on the impact social media has on horrific events.

ity becomes a nightmarish waking dream.

Cerebral cinematography also plays with Norma Jeane’s identity confusion—every time she looks in the mirror, she sees someone different. Reflection is a prominent motif throughout this movie: particularly the blurred line between Norma Jeane Baker and Marilyn Monroe. At heart, Norma Jeane was quite sensitive and shy, and in “Blonde,” she can only bear fame by projecting it onto her stage persona Marilyn Monroe—a person she views with

$30 million ... That's a lot of money.

So given that level of investment, we've got to keep it looking nice.”

There has never been a vandalism issue in the circle with the mist column. However, there has been a

unstable, manipulative women— like Annie from “Misery”--but the deception threaded through the plot of Pearl reaches new genre-defining levels. With each appearance, Pearl makes the viewer uncomfortable and unsure of her

close to home.

Like this review, any visit to Bagel Café 21 will be best as

However, the film does little to connect the disorganized portrayal of Danni Sanders—an ignorant white girl—to the dangers of giving ignorance a platform. Creating a film critiquing social media under the guise of fiction

bewildered disgust. “That thing up on the screen, it isn’t me.” Norma Jeane can hardly stand to look at herself, let alone have others see her, and so Monroe serves as a lightning rod for all of her self-hatred. While it is imperfect, “Blonde” is an effective portrait of a mind in pieces.

In “Blonde,” some of the symptoms of Marilyn Monroe’s illness are depicted in a way that is outright dangerous. All through her painkiller benders, Monroe has flawless skin and not a hair out of place. Despite the fact that she is constantly doped

Local bands Estacado and Dream Fever brang psych-influenced indie rock to the Plinth for excited Comets to hear. Fuelled by free boba provided by Bobaddiction, students rocked out to the concert hosted by Radio UTD on a cool summer evening.

history of students putting rubber ducks or food coloring in the water.

“On occasion they'll put food coloring to turn them green.” Kinnard said. “Which just absolutely frustrates our people to no end.”

motives. Does she really love any of the people in her life? Or are they merely means to an end? Her naïveté causes her to be careless, and only does the audience get to see Pearl’s horrific true nature. Pearl terrifies with her temper tantrums,

a short and sweet one: a quick stop before a morning class for any one of the excellent freshly

ultimately comes across as a copout and almost succeeds in doing exactly what Danni is criticized for in the film: commodifying a group of people for personal ends. In its conclusion, the film also tries to tackle the topic of

up, the drugs she takes are always conveniently off-screen. Like many directors, Andrew Dominik shows the “tortured soul” side of addiction and conveniently forgets its ugly details.

Most egregious is the scene where Monroe takes her own life. Glorifying suicide is nothing new in media, but it reaches an unconscionable level in this film. An overdose is not pretty; it is grotesque and tragic and horrible. Despite this, Monroe does not choke on her own vomit. We do not see her last sputtering gasp for

As students walk across campus to attend classes on a daily basis, the mist column offers a way for them to stop, cool off and appreciate their surroundings before going back to the reality of being a student

screaming matches and bratty greed. The true horror of this story is that—psychotic breaks aside— Pearl displays behaviors that are not so different than those we see in everyday people.

If you are brave enough to watch

baked options. And there’s fridges with grab and go drinks if you REALLY can’t wait. Ba -

cancel culture, but its position is overshadowed by the strange and undeserving idolization of Danni’s character, an idolization that feels misplaced at the conclusion of the film.

Overall, “Not Okay” misses its

air. She peacefully goes to sleep on a heavenly bedspread, an angelic beauty returning to God. Not only is this depiction inaccurate, it is unhealthy. I fear for the young people who might chance upon this movie and somehow convince themselves that suicide is anything but gruesome.

The movie ends full circle by reminding us of the underlying rhythm of Norma Jeane’s psyche: a woman with a good soul who forever grieved the loss of her parents.

The tragedy of Marilyn Monroe is that even though she knew she was

at UTD.

“Some people have said that it’s calming. Some say it makes them want to pee.” Kinnard said. “Whatever it is to someone. I just hope they enjoy it. That’s the main thing.”

“Pearl,” you will be thrown into the psychological equivalent of an alligator-filled lake. Goth and West have created a X-traordinary villain origin story that will leave you closely awaiting the trilogy’s next installment.

gel Café 21 provides a perfect place to get a bagel to go with your fix.

mark. Those looking for a hardhitting commentary on internet commodification will be sorely disappointed. The film’s poor attempt to portray the shallowness of social media succinctly describes “Not Okay” itself.

sick—an illness she frequently pondered in her writings—the world offered her no recourse for recovery.

Norma Jeane Baker dreamt of having a family, a creative career and a stable life. Instead, she was deemed “crazy” because she had an illness there was not yet a cure for. Without the proper tools, Norma Jeane couldn’t learn to love herself—even if it meant her life.

“But where does dreaming end and madness begin? And anyway, doesn’t all love depend on illusion?

(Dominik, 2022)”

MAIZIE CROOM COURTESY RADIO UTD

MAIZIE CROOM COURTESY RADIO UTD

MAIZIE CROOM | COURTESY RADIO UTD

MAIZIE CROOM | COURTESY RADIO UTD

PEARL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 of higher quality. The matcha