October 15, 2018
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n water*
S in richardso common SUBSTANCE
THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
WATER IN RICHARDSON:
WHAT'S BEHIND ITS TASTE? STORY BY: DEV THIMMISETTY | MERCURY STAFF ILLUSTRATION BY: MATT STRACK | GRAPHICS EDITOR
K
athryn Vos said she finds herself not drinking as much water as she should be. Instead of filling her water bottle in the morning as she would usually do, she waits to find a working water fountain throughout the day. “I just don’t (drink from the tap) because of the taste,” Vos, an undecided freshman, said. Undecided freshman Kevin Young, who lives in Residence Hall West, said the taste of the tap water was subpar. “It’s slightly metallic. It’s more like something I would go to as a last resort,” Young said. “I would rather spend $1.75 buying a water bottle instead of drinking from the tap. " Steven Silco, the supervisory control and data acquisition supervisor in the City of Richardson’s Utilities Department, said the source water that’s supplied to Richardson as well as UTD piping infrastructure might be possible causes of taste issues. The source water comes from the North Texas Municipal Water District, and the City of Richardson distributes it to its many
Richardson supply: 266 mg/L EPA standard:
clients, including residential 250 mg/L areas, industrial complexes and institutions such as UTD. Gary Cocke, the associate director for sustainability and energy conservation at UTD, said water is supplied to UTD via a larger water line that is then split up into the university-owned plumbing and pipes for the various buildings. Richardson “UTD is essentially just a supply: 108 mg/L large household,” Cocke said. EPA standard: “We’re the same as anyone 250 mg/L else in the city.” The NTMWD collects the water from a mix of reservoirs and lakes, of which the primary source is Lake Lavon. According to its website, the NTMWD owns and operates six water treatment Richardson plants and has water rights supply: 0.025 mg/L in four lakes. The purified water is passed on to the EPA standard: 0.05 mg/L
sulfate
Richardson supply: 123 mg/L
sodium
EPA standard: 30-60 mg/L
chloride Richardson supply: 0.38 mg/L
fluoride
EPA standard: 2.0 mg/L
Manganese
→ SEE WATER, PAGE 3
CHRISTINA JIA | MERCURY STAFF
Data gathered from Richardson's 2018 Water Quality Report and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
*DOES NOT INCLUDE ALL CONSTITUENTS OF RICHARDSON WATER
Counseling Center starts online therapy program Web modules to reduce waitlist for counseling services
NOAH WHITEHEAD | PHOTO EDITOR
Kennedy Patton, an American studies sophomore, began counseling in 2015 but stopped because of cutbacks in the number of free sessions available to students.
Survey shows dissatisfaction with mandatory freshman group project Challenge to solve global water crisis originally launched to promote collaboration ANNIKA RUSSELL Mercury Staff
A survey conducted by The Mercury revealed that Comets to the Core — a six-week group project required for all freshmen to complete their UNIV1010 graduation requirement — has sparked controversy in its second year of operation, with 100 of 109 respondents saying they would not want to see the program as it is now continued for future freshmen. For the last two years, all freshmen taking the course have been tasked with developing an innovative solution to the global water crisis. Every student is assigned a small group of peers of varying majors. Each student is then expected to submit a group evaluation, a brief written response and a three- to five-minute video pitch outlining the merits of their group’s proposed solution by Oct. 1. Neuroscience freshman Keltan Cripe said the project was difficult to complete.
“I wish I didn’t have to do it,” Cripe said. “I’m glad it’s off my plate — good luck to the next people who have to deal with it.” Michael Carriaga, the head of core curriculum assessment at UTD, had been working on revising the entire core curriculum five years before it was introduced to Comets. Carriaga said while she hopes students can benefit from the experience of working on the project, the main objective is for it to be used as a means to measure how much students have learned from their core curriculum while at the university. “We’re required to show the Higher Education Coordinating Board — our state agency — that our students can demonstrate proficiency, or at least that we’re measuring their level of proficiency, with respect to ... different skill sets,” Carriaga said. Before CTTC, UTD gathered re-
quired data from professors teaching core courses, all with different assessment approaches. Carriaga said that a major factor considered in the development of the new program was removing burdens from professors and creating a more streamlined system. Students were also present during each stage of CTTC’s development, including after its first year of operation. Carriaga said the feedback received from 2017 freshmen was a driving factor for making 2018 the first year the project was completely executed through eLearning. Finance freshman Emily Maclain said the project raises the issue of incentive and whether or not freshmen have any reason to put effort into their submissions. “I was talking to a kid, his video was the sink running for five minutes and at the very end, he said ‘Don’t do this!’” Maclain
→ SEE FRESHMEN,
PAGE 10
MADISON YORK Mercury Staff
In anticipation of the release of its fiscal year report, the Student Counseling Center is looking for solutions to challenges such as a shortage of personnel and a growing waitlist due to resource constraints. Since the state recently implemented a soft hiring freeze, discouraging the hiring of non-essential personnel, students seeking services at the center have experienced long waitlists and delayed care. American studies sophomore Kennedy Patton utilized individual counseling services intermittently as a freshman in 2015 and said they’ve noticed a drastic change since the hiring freeze. “The counselors are always great, and I think mainly it’s just availability,” Patton said. “It was really easy at first. I think I got in with a consistent counselor within a week. It wasn’t very long at all. And now — I’m not even going to try now, because you only get six appointments, and what’s the point?” Initially, the SCC offered 12 free counseling sessions per year to students, in addition to an initial evaluation session. However, due to the hiring freeze, limited space and lower salaries for UTD psychiatrists compared to what those in private practice receive, the amount of sessions per year was reduced to six, said Jim Cannici, director of the SCC. “So we knew — and this is something
colleges around the nation have been facing —how do you help a lot of students with limited resources, that nearly all college counseling centers have?” Cannici said. “We’re trying to be as mindful as we can to get students in as soon as we can and get them hooked up with some resources.” According to Statista, in a fall 2017 survey of 31,463 respondents over 52 different schools, 21.8 percent of college students have been diagnosed with anxiety and 17.8 percent with depression. Luba Ketsler, a healthcare economics lecturer, said these two major disorders are the easiest to get under control if treated properly and in a timely manner. “Every year there’s a report called Becker’s Hospital Review,” Ketsler said. “And they do this thing where every year they talk about what industries get headhunted the most. It’s always been, for the last 10 years, it’s been primary care physicians that are at the top of the list in terms of what they’re looking for. Guess what’s next? Psychiatry. First time in 23 years — because now you see the prevalence and the importance of it.” As enrollment numbers continue to grow, Cannici said the SCC is working to reduce the number of students on the waitlist. The center recently obtained approval for a new
→ SEE COUNSELING,
PAGE 10
Oct. 15, 2018 | The Mercury
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THE MERCURY UTDMERCURY.COM Volume XXXVIV No. 32
NEWS
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Oct. 1 • A student reported his vehicle was broken into at 7:43 p.m. in Lot U.
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Oct. 4 • UTD PD issued a citation for a student in possession of a fake license at 11:24 p.m.
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Oct. 4 • A cleaning crew member reported a theft of cash from her handbag at 9:20 p.m. in ATEC.
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Oct. 6 • A student reported their bicycle stolen at 6:15 p.m. in PS3. Oct. 8 • A student reported her wallet stolen from her backpack at 12:29 a.m. on the second floor of the McDermott library.
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Opinion Editor Madeleine Keith opinioneditor@ utdmercury.com
Contributors Nikita Bantey Jenna Cherrey EJ Chong Bianca Del Rio Travis Dickerson Ambarina Hasta Vanessa Idigbe Christina Jia Samantha Lopez Izaak Lux Ryan Magee Chiamaka Mgboji Keaton Nations Elizabeth Nguyen Mubaraka Patanwala Anna Phengsakmueang Annika Russell Marco Salinas Anna Schaeffer Sarah Streety Pavan Tauh Dev Thimmisetty Madison York Megan Zerez
LEGEND VEHICULAR INCIDENT
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THEFT
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CORRECTIONS Media Adviser Chad Thomas
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Mailing Address 800 West Campbell Road, SU 24 Richardson, TX 75080-0688
1
The Oct. 1 issue of The Mercury featured an article incorrectly stating that Richardson health department officials use agent orange in mosquito sprays. The health department does not use this chemical in its adulticides. The Mercury regrets this error.
Newsroom Student Union, Student Media Suite SU 1.601
The Mercury is published on Mondays, at two-week intervals during the long term of The University of Texas at Dallas, except holidays and exam periods, and once every four weeks during the summer term. Advertising is accepted by The Mercury on the basis that there is no discrimination by the advertiser in the offering of goods or services to any person, on any basis prohibited by applicable law. The publication of advertising in The Mercury does not constitute an endorsement of products or services by the newspaper, or the UTD administration. Opinions expressed in The Mercury are those of the editor, the editorial board or the writer of the article. They are not necessarily the view of the UTD administration, the Board of Regents or the Student Media Operating Board. The Mercury’s editors retain the right to refuse or edit any submission based on libel, malice, spelling, grammar and style, and violations of Section 54.23 (f ) (1-6) of UTD policy. Copyright © 2017, The University of Texas at Dallas. All articles, photographs and graphic assets, whether in print or online, may not be reproduced or republished in part or in whole without express written permission.
The Mercury is a proud member of both the Associated Collegiate Press and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.
AGENT ORANGE NOT UTILIZED IN MOSQUITO SPRAY
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INCORRECT NAME, TITLE OF STARTUP EMPLOYEE An article on the first page of the Oct. 1 issue of The Mercury incorrectly reported the name and title of an employee working for Tech EdVentures, an education-oriented startup. Her name is Brittany Jones, not Brittney Nicole, and she works as a curriculum development associate. The Mercury regrets this error.
Oct. 15, 2018 | The Mercury
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NEWS
SAMANTHA LOPEZ | MERCURY STAFF
→ WATER
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
EJ CHONG | MERCURY STAFF
cities served by the water district, which include Plano, Frisco, Allen and Richardson, among others. “Any water at UTD (or any area in the cities served by the NTMWD) that is used to fill a toilet or drink a glass of water is the same — it’s all potable drinking water of the same quality,” Cocke said. This source water the NTMWD gathers, however, has some differentiating characteristics, Silco said. North Texas water is “hard,” in contrast to the “softer” water found in other parts of the U.S., such as the southeastern coast. While calcium and magnesium are the defining minerals in hard water, soft water is full of other minerals that do affect taste. “If you’ve ever heard of Mineral Wells in Texas, that’s a great example of soft water,” he said. “The taste is a lot more mineral-ly, and the source is groundwater rather than surface water.” The NTMWD water supply is also prone to algal blooms that take place in the spring and late summer. Due to a natural buildup of nitrates in the lakes and reservoirs, algae multiply rapidly. The city currently uses activated carbon to remove the taste created by the algal blooms. Chlorine and potassium permanganate are used to combat issues of odor. According to the city’s 2018 Water Quality Report, the use of these chemicals may result in somewhat
grassy, earthy tones in the taste or odor of the water, but is not a cause for health concerns. “We can do a lot to purify the water and remove contaminants, but it’s very hard to remove the taste that water picks up,” Silco said. The City of Richardson also routinely monitors water quality at 50 sample sites throughout the city. Sample site locations are chosen based on distance from the water tower. Silco said areas furthest away from the water tower are ideal sample site locations as opposed to areas near the water tower, such as the university. “There are five sample sites in residential areas around UTD,” Silco said. “Unless we have issues with the sample sites we have now, we probably wouldn’t introduce a new sample site on UTD’s campus.” The city’s water line supplies water to the campus, but all piping and plumbing on campus is owned and operated by the university. UTD is in charge of maintenance and upkeep. Cocke said the pipes are made of copper and are as old as the buildings they are located in, so they range in age from under a year old to just under 50 years old. “Stainless steel or copper piping can sometimes leave a metallic taste in the water, so that’s my guess as to what the students are tasting,” Silco said. “We haven’t gotten any complaints about this issue, but all you have to do is call our office or call center. That would be the best way to go about (placing a complaint to investigate the issue).”
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LIFE&ARTS
Oct. 15, 2018 | The Mercury
homeless serve hope to community Nonprofit organization opens cafe to provide hospitality training MUBARAKA PATANWALA Mercury Staff
AMBARINA HASTA | MERCURY STAFF
Placards will be implemented to manage overcrowding in dining areas of the Student Union.
Tabletop signage to open up more seats SG introduces placard system to encourage socialization among students in SU AYOUNG JO
Life and Arts Editor
Dining areas of the Student Union will adopt a table-sharing system by the end of the semester in an effort to alleviate overcrowding during busy hours. Student Government, in partnership with the SU staff, is currently working on a project to create placards to place on dining tables of the SU. The placards, which will be placed on top of every table, will indicate whether the student sitting there wants to share the table with other students. Computer science senior and Student Affairs Committee Chair Anuhya Emmandi said the initiative will not only address the problem of crowding in the dining area, but also encourage students to socialize with each other. “The basic concept is that if you have the placard flipped to the color red, that’s indicating that whoever is already sitting down is saying ‘don’t sit down, I’m using this table’ or ‘this table is reserved,’” Emmandi said. “On the other hand, if the placard is flipped to green, it’s more of a ‘Hey, I’m down to chat’ or ‘you’re welcome to sit at this table with me.’” Student Government Vice President and political science sophomore Carla Ramazan said the committee members have been looking at how other universities have carried out projects similar to this and are discussing how they can tweak and customize them to fit UTD. “We’re looking at the ones from Purdue (University) really closely, because that’s an example of another university in the nation that has done this successfully,” Ramazan said. “People really enjoyed it and utilize it pretty heavily over there.” Ramazan said the idea was suggested to Student Government by a UTD student who had recently toured and saw such placards at Purdue University. “We love it when people pitch projects to us,” Ramazan said. “When I got the email, I forwarded it to the chair of the Student Affairs Committee and told her I would love it if she could look into it further. She passed it along her committee members further, and they’re currently working on it.” Dan Goodwin, the director of the SU, said his management team had spoken with UTD Dining Services in 2017 about the concept of a table sharing program. He said the conversations did not get past the concept stage because the issue was raised mid-semester and there were other priorities they needed to focus on. The idea was postponed until this semester, when the Student Affairs Committee brought it up in a meeting that he attended. “We love opportunities like that, because we had at one time been working on this, and then as a matter of fate, a student brought it back up, and that reinvigorated us to be able to talk about this again,” Goodwin said. Though the project is still in its concept phase, Goodwin said SU staff are encouraging student input for this project, as they do with all other projects. “Within the Student Affairs Committee, they have been talking amongst them and throwing out ideas,” Goodwin said. “They have examples of how Purdue University and
→ SEE PLACARDS, PAGE 10
A Dallas cafe is providing the community with food, drinks and job opportunities for the homeless. CitySquare Cafe opened April 23 as an extension of the nonprofit organization CitySquare, which works to combat poverty. The organization was formed in 1988 as a small food pantry in east Dallas and has grown into 17 different social service programs in Dallas, Waco and Denver. Jarie Bradley, the chief people officer of the community workforce department at CitySquare, said the group concentrates on the needs of the community. “We are looking to close the financial gap in our communities, especially those who are overlooked in society,” Bradley said. “We focus on service, advocacy and friendship.” The cafe, which operates as part of a hospitality training program, is located on the campus of the CitySquare Opportunity Center and serves breakfast and lunch from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Graduates of CitySquare’s training programs have found jobs in locations such as the Omni Dallas Hotel, with which CitySquare has a longstanding partnership. Sonya Dorsey, the cafe’s executive chef, said the transition from the program to the workforce is typically a one- to three-week process, and some students receive a job offer by the time they complete the training. “I give them culinary foundations, whatever I need to give them to get into the industry,” Dorsey said. “We partner with hotels and restaurants, and then we get them jobs.” Dorsey was originally homeless but worked her way to obtaining a degree and starting a business. She was scouted by CitySquare two years ago to do recipe demos and recently became lead chef instructor to manage the hospitality training program. The curriculum for the training program includes knife skills and prep work, which allows the students to begin at a food service facility such as a restaurant starting with an entry-level job. Dorsey said the program is like a crash course on life. “(Our students) feel like the world is against them,” Dorsey said. “I just try to instill in them that they’re important, that what they’re doing is important, and what is important for us is to see them to succeed.” Students of the program are paid interns and receive housing arranged by CitSquare. After the training program, the students either join the workforce or intern at the cafe for an additional seven weeks.
The CitySquare Café serves breakfast and lunch on the campus of CitySquare Opportunity Center in Dallas. CitySquare is a nonprofit organization that works to combat poverty and homelessness.
→ SEE CAFE, PAGE 10
PHOTOS BY: NOAH WHITEHEAD | PHOTO EDITOR
EMAAN BANGASH Mercury Staff
WaGaShI:
JaPaNeSe sWeEtS
The Japanese truly know how to make incredible desserts. I had the opportunity to try traditional Japanese desserts known as wagashi. Wagashi were originially made with simple fruits and nuts, known as “kashi,” in Japan between 300 B.C. and 300 A.D. during the Yayoi period. Because sugar was rare and expensive, it wasn’t until Portuguese missionaries introduced sugar to the Japanese that they started using it in their confectionaries. Today, wagashi is made with mochi (a type of dough made out of rice), anko (red azuki beans mashed into a paste), flour and agar-agar. Wagashi is traditionally served with green tea during Japanese tea ceremonies. Wagashi is a gorgeous and intricately made dessert. Inspired by nature, different types of wagashi are often formed to look like leaves or cherry blossoms, and The shape and design of each dessert changes according to the season. The art of wagashi is so complex that some have to attend up to 12 years of school to master its creation. My fellow Chew Crew member Izaak Lux and I headed over to Mitsawa Marketplace in Plano to try three types of wagashi: daifuku, dango and yokan. Inside Mitsawa was a little sweet shop called J. Sweets where we bought our daifuku. We purchased the rest of the wagashi from Mitsawa itself. J. Sweets sells many varieties of wagashi, from colorful jellies to little bunny-shaped pastries. We passed by rows and rows of adorable mochis filled with tantalizing creams, jellies and pastes. We selected a small green daifuku with anko filling, which is the red bean paste
sweetened with honey that is extremely popular in Japan. The anko filling was surrounded by green mochi and was powdered to keep it from being sticky. We also indulged in some bitter matcha tea to counter the sweetness of the wagashi, as traditionally intended. Trying daifuku was unusual because I couldn’t imagine beans being a primary ingredient in dessert. Although I wasn’t expecting it to taste like the inside of a burrito, the texture definitely had a familiar, grainy feel. However, combined with the chewy mochi outside and the honey, the red bean filling was surprisingly pleasant and sweet. Our next dessert was dango and was probably the most appetizing one to look at. Small mochi balls were skewered onto little sticks and covered with a thick brown syrup. However, trying it was one of the most confusing experiences I’ve had to date. It tasted like both sugary chewy goodness and, strangely enough, soy sauce. When I checked the ingredient list to find out if there was actually soy sauce in the dango (there was), I discovered the dessert also contained sake, a Japanese wine made from fermented rice. Needless to say, I promptly stopped eating it. Finally, we dug into yokan, which was a type of thick jelly cut into squares and made with anko and agar-agar, a type of gelatin made from red algae. Yokan looked like a cross between a chocolate bar and a popsicle, but biting into it was an entirely different experience. It was very similar in taste and texture to eating a date, as it was extremely sweet, sticky and heavy. Although I could feel little azuki beans as I bit into the yokan, the combination of jelly and beans was unusually tasty. I wasn’t sure I could get used to beans as a
→ SEE WAGASHI, PAGE 10
SPORTS
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Oct. 15, 2018 | The Mercury
Freshman runner ends ASC dry spell Men’s cross country gets title for first time since 2010
NIKITA BANTEY | MERCURY STAFF
Both men’s soccer and women’s volleyball achieved three-game winning streaks this season along with ASC honors for their offensive and defensive players.
Volleyball, soccer gain winning streaks Teams attain consecutive victories, receive player honors while aiming for championships TRAVIS DICKERSON Mercury Staff
The men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams have earned player honors and American Southwest Championship victories as they move into the final stretch of matches before the championships. The men’s soccer team is currently leading with a five-game winning streak. Women’s volleyball ended September with a three-game winning streak and
continued with a series of wins from games held on Oct. 12 and 13. The soccer team ended September with three shutout wins and is currently undefeated in ASC play. The victories against Louisiana College, Belhaven and Howard Payne led to freshman forward Jovi Munoz and sophomore goalkeeper Max Dier to be nominated for ASC offensive and defensive players of the week, respectively. Munoz made his third game-winning goal of the season against Louisiana and added a goal
on just two shots in the game against Belhaven. Dier made four saves against Howard Payne, a season high for him. This is the second season Dier has played for the team, and he attributed the team’s greater success this year to the group’s all-around chemistry. “You can see that the team chemistry (is great) both on and off the field,” Dier said. “Off the field, we’re always hanging out, and on the field, we really flow well together which gives us the edge we need.”
The team opened October by playing two teams it had lost against last season, Mary Hardin-Baylor and Concordia Texas. This season, the Comets beat both, scoring 3-1 against Mary Hardin-Baylor and 3-0 against Concordia. With four games left in the season, men’s soccer head coach Jason Hirsch said he isn’t worried about the team losing momentum because of the routine they’ve built.
→ SEE ASC,
PAGE 6
Tennis teams advance through regionals Players welcome new members as they work their way through opening, final rounds of tournament MARCO SALINAS Mercury Staff
This year’s men’s and women’s tennis teams have added new players to their lineups, bringing wins for both teams at early competitions. The women’s team did not lose any players to graduation, which head coach Bryan Whitt said will strengthen this year’s lineup. “All the new players will try to fight and find a way to make their way to the lineup, and that just means if we had a good team that managed our conference finals last year, we add new people, (pushing) some people down,” Whitt said. “That just means depth.” Adrienne Large, a freshman who recently joined the team, played her first college tennis match during the fall invitational tournament held on Sept. 15 and 16. Large won her singles match as well as her doubles match with teammate Svaksha Iyengar, a sophomore. “The upperclassmen are really supportive,” Large said. “Simone (Spielmann, a junior on the team), actually started an Instagram for us. During invitationals she gave a shout-out to all the freshmen.” The women’s team made it to the finals for both singles and doubles at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regionals held from Sept. 21-23. Kathy Joseph, a junior on the women’s team, advanced to the finals, defeating Caroline Kutach from Trinity University 7-5, 6-3, but lost in the finals to Elisa Kendall from East Texas Baptist 6-3, 6-2. For doubles, Joseph and Frida Meudsam, a freshman on the team, defeated Morgan Flores and Kutach from Trinity University 8-1 to advance to the finals. Joseph and Meudsam lost the finals to Mary Kaffen and Zoe Kaffen from
ANNA PHENGSAKMUEANG | MERCURY STAFF
UTD Tennis has gotten second place in the ASC championship since 2015 and is setting its sights on the top spot this season.
Trinity University 7-6 (9), 6-2. The men’s team advanced out of the opening rounds but did not make the finals. The men’s team’s regionals took place Sept. 28-30. Freshman Haydn Steffes advanced to the consolation semifinals by defeating Carlos Subealdea from Texas Lutheran 7-6 (6), 6-3. Steffes defaulted the semifinals due to an injury. Rodney Brown, a senior who has been with the team since his freshman year, said the team is preparing for the last tourna-
ment of the fall semester at Collin College. “It’s a great way to put into play some of the stuff we’ve been practicing,” Brown said. “We’ve been working on different doubles strategies, singles strategies…putting all that in to play is a great way to practice.” The men’s team will also be attempting to return to the conference finals in the spring. However, the team lost their No. 2 and 6 players to graduation. UTD has been a runner up for the American Southwest Conference championship
for the past three years, losing the championship last year to UT Tyler. This year will be the first without UT Tyler in the conference. Assistant coach Christian Nagy said this brings the conference title into play. “That puts pressure on teams that are in the upper end of the conference, and we’re one of those teams,” Whitt said. “It makes it pretty exciting, because they were a perennial top dog, and now they’re gone.”
ALBERT RAMIREZ | MERCURY STAFF
Freshman runner Cannon Leavitt placed third at the Red River Shootout Sept. 28. MARCO SALINAS Mercury Staff
After running 8 kilometers in 26 minutes and 10.76 seconds, a UTD men’s cross country runner earned the title of American Southwest Conference runner of the week for the first time since 2010. Undecided freshman Cannon Leavitt placed third at the Red River Shootout on Sept. 28. His time was the second-fastest recorded in the conference this season and Leavitt’s personal record. The race was held at the Boy Scouts of America’s Camp Perkins near Burkburnett, approximately 140 miles east of Dallas. The course had several turns and elevation changes, which head coach Danielle Kcholi said made the competition especially difficult. Leavitt said there were logs and branches to jump over on the course, but the effects they had on his time were negligible. UTD was the only Division III school at the meet. Midwestern State University, which hosted the race, is a Division II school. Leavitt recently competed at the Bill Libby Invite in Abilene, Texas on Oct. 13, where he was the highest scoring men’s runner and placed third. Overall, UTD came in second at the meet with a total of 58 points. Leavitt previously competed at the Chili Pepper Festival on Sept. 21, where he finished the race with a time of 26 minutes and 34.3 seconds. The festival hosts 441 runners in the men’s 8-kilometer event. Leavitt said the atmosphere of such a large race made it his favorite of the season. “It’s just a race where people go to run fast.” Leavitt said. “I thought I ran a good race (and) went hard.” Leavitt came to UTD’s cross country team from Twin Falls High School in Idaho, where he injured his knee during the beginning of his senior year. Leavitt still managed to win three of his last five races of his high school career. He said he took time off to recover in the summer but is back to training normally. “I’ve been getting back in to it,” Leavitt said. “I feel it every once in a while, but it’s been holding up.” At Twin Falls, Leavitt was named the Great Basin Conference Runner of the Year in 2015 and again in 2017 when he won the Dani Bates Invitational and the Great Basin Conference title. “He’s a great kid,” Kcholi said. “This is just the beginning for Cannon, and that’s the most exciting part. It’s just getting started.”
CHRISTINA JIA | MERCURY STAFF
Oct. 15, 2018 | The Mercury
6 → ASC
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
“It’s at that point now where you’re in a routine, a couple of practices to start the week, (a) game on Thursday, another one on Saturday,” Hirsch said. “We’re just in that groove right now where we’re working on things early in the week and playing the games at the end.” Women’s volleyball powered
SPORTS
through most of the season and currently stands at 7-1 in the ASC and 12-6 overall. Toward the end of the month, the team will play at the Washington University Tournament in St. Louis. ASC honored several of the team’s players, including junior middle blocker Lauren Schilling, who earned Defensive Player of the Week three times in a row, with the most recent one from the game
against California Lutheran where she averaged 1.69 blocks per set. The team had a threegame winning streak that ended when it played Southwestern on Oct. 5. Senior outside hitter Sydney Riordan said the team will push forward with the end of the season now in sight. “The team is feeling a little tired now that the season has been going on for a while, but this is the time that we must push the hardest,”
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Riordan said. “It’s easy to come in and work hard in August, but working hard in October is what we really focus on to continue to get better and hopefully win another conference championship.” This season, the team has mostly played away from home. Alison said the team has improved at playing away games, evident in the team’s match against East Texas Baptist in Marshall, Texas where the team won 3-0.
past, it has been held at UTD. Riordan said that the team is constantly improving and looking to face the challenges ahead. “The challenges we can expect to face are staying focused on the little steps that will lead us to where we ultimately want to be.” Riordan said. “We also must continue to improve, and not become content with where we are, so we can be the best team possible when the time for post-season comes around.”
“Traveling and playing on the same day is always hard,” Allison said. “I was really proud of them — that was probably the best we’ve played in a long while.” The volleyball team will have seven more games before the regular season ends, while men’s soccer has four left. After the regular season ends, the top teams in the region will compete in the ASC Championship. The date and location have not yet been released, but in the
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COMICS THE LAZIEST MAGICAL GIRL EVER
Oct. 15, 2018 | The Mercury
7
IM BABY
JENNA CHERREY | MERCURY STAFF
O&B: BOOGER BABIES
EJ CHONG | MERCURY STAFF
SARAH STREETY | MERCURY STAFF
CHICKEN TENDERS
UGH. SHOE AGAIN?
CHIAMAKA MGBOJI | MERCURY STAFF
AN ALARMING SPEECH
RYAN MAGEE | MERCURY STAFF
THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE
ELIZABETH NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF
TURNING THE STOVE ON
KEATON NATIONS | MERCURY STAFF
CARLZ SAYS
BIANCA DEL RIO | MERCURY STAFF
CAROLINA ALVAREZ | MERCURY STAFF
8
OPINION
Oct. 15, 2018 | The Mercury
THE COMMUTER CONUNDRUM Students living off campus should contribute more to UTD culture RYAN MAGEE | MERCURY STAFF
IZAAK LUX Mercury Staff
With the enrollment at UTD inching toward 30,000, it could easily be said that the campus has become a self-subsistent community of its own, nestled in a corner of Richardson. However, rather than just accepting UTD’s culture as “young” or “developing,” students — commuters, in particular — should seek and explore ample opportunities in the forms of clubs, organizations and various other social activities that occur on campus every single day. After attending the university for a year and a half now, I have, at times, struggled to connect to the cam-
pus culture or to form any lasting connections. Even when I do decide to meander about and explore the opportunities on campus, it can feel alien and unnatural. Oftentimes, I don’t understand the way people think around campus, and overcoming such steep contrasts in culture and the sheer range of different upbringings is rather difficult. That difficulty is exacerbated further when traveling back and forth between two completely different worlds. I am also oblivious to some of the ongoings on these 500 acres. When people talk of “sex bowls” and other large events on campus, I am naturally intrigued, yet reluctant to ask of any details as I allow the commute home to stand in the way of late-night plans. This feeling of alienation may be felt by other students as well. UTD is made up of people from all backgrounds. According to the university’s Office
of Strategic Planning and Analysis, students come from a number of places besides the U.S., including India, Taiwan, China, South Korea and Iran, to name a few. The opportunities to meet new people, experience different cultures and explore grow with our student population. With that in mind, the ability to learn isn’t restricted to the classroom. Commuters should take every opportunity to interact with fellow students to become more acquainted with their surroundings. Commuters comprise the largest portion of students at nearly 20,000. How could it be that they also feel so disconnected from the university itself? Furthermore, how can the university go about unifying these wayfarers under the orange, white and green banners? Road Warriors, for instance, is an organization on campus dedicated to helping com-
muter students feel at home at UTD. While it’s certainly a welcome step toward progress, there are only seven events scheduled for the fall 2018 semester on its official page, serving as testament to how difficult it can be for a commuter to get involved. However, much of the burden of becoming more engaged with the university and education as a whole cannot be laid squarely upon the shoulders of the university and should also be placed with commuters, even as they make the 45 minute drive down I-75. The will to not just show up everyday but to get involved and make our mark at UTD as commuters has been firmly rested in our own hands. We must not settle for less simply because of the fact that we do not live on campus. We must strive to not only be students at UTD, but also be active members of our university community.
It's not a question: No means no Sexual harassment should never be justified MEGAN ZEREZ Mercury Staff
Last week, my news feed was plastered with images of a belligerent Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s most recent nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. In these photos, he’s been captured red-faced, in fierce denial of allegations of sexual assault. Perhaps Kavanaugh denies the allegations so vehemently because he, like many perpetrators, does not realize his actions constitute assault. Christine Blasey Ford tells of a moment seared into memory. Kavanaugh and his friend hold her down on a bed. Their hands are held over her mouth, and the boys are laughing. When they lift her shirt, they find a swimsuit, and that gives Ford an opportunity to flee. For Kavanaugh, the moment would be fleeting. It’s simply not memorable — it was a single interaction over a busy summer, years
ago. Kavanaugh doesn’t see himself as the shadowy, evil rapist hiding in an alley way because he’s not. He was a high school boy at a party. He had close female friends. He went to church. However, these facts don’t absolve him of any potential wrongdoing. It’s not the perpetrator who gets to define what is and isn’t sexual assault. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, 7 in 10 cases of sexual assault occur between people who know each other. In my experience, it’s often the case that the perpetrator doesn’t realize it when they cross the line into harassment. Yet a recent online survey by the non-profit Stop Street Abuse found that 81 percent of women and 43 percent of men had experienced sexual harassment at some point in their lives. At the height of #MeToo, my little sister came to visit me. That weekend, she told me about the first time she was sexually harassed. It’s a strange but sickeningly
→ SEE ASSAULT, PAGE 9
EUNJEE CHONG | MERCURY STAFF
Starving for change Muslim students need inclusion through halal eateries MUBARAKA PATANWALA Mercury Staff
Growing up, I always referred to UTD as a “brown school.” My mom especially felt more secure about sending me to UTD, knowing that a Muslim community was present and active. UTD takes pride in its diversity, but “diverse” does not always mean “inclusive.” The lack of halal eating options on campus may not raise much concern, but it is a need that must be fulfilled for the Muslim student population. UTD has a plethora of clubs and organizations catered specifically to majors, genders, races, religions and interests. Within this excess of organizations, there are many catered specifically to Muslim students. The Muslim Scholar Association, Islamic Relief and Alpha Lambda Mu, UTD’s Muslimbased fraternity, all help Muslim students find a solid community through the practice and teachings of Islam. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at UTD and realized that there was only one halal establishment on campus. Halal meat includes all meat but pork. “Zabiha” is a designation for halal
meat that is prepared according to Islamic law. According to the Qur’an, Muslims are required to eat meat that is prepared through a halal method, which includes prayers and humane treatment of animals.
modates vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free preferences, but halal is not among the options. The only halal place at UTD is Za’tar, the Mediterranean food outlet located in the Student Union. Based on my conversations
CHIAMAKA MGBOJI | MERCURY STAFF
At a diverse school such as UTD, a diverse pool of preferences is to be expected among the student body. Dining Hall West accom-
with friends, Za’tar is not a particular favorite among students. The clear lack of halal places on campus has students turning to local, off-
campus restaurants. There are several halal eateries near campus, such as the Chopped Halal Grill at Northside and Yummy Burger, located off East Main Street. Among Muslim students, there is a clear desire for halal eating options. MSA’s first general body meeting this school year devoted an entire segment of the presentation to cover halal eating options near campus. MSA’s membership alone has increased to over 200, a number that will continue to grow. What would it take for the Dining Hall to introduce halal meat to their vast selection of food? For a community that has such a large presence at UTD, halal options for Muslims to utilize are almost completely unavailable. Muslim students should not have to go to the same eatery every day. As the campus grows in size, the number of eating options for a small, but loud community remains stagnant. UTD is safe and tolerant of other cultures and beliefs. However, can we say it is truly inclusive when in some regards it isn’t? Muslims have a history of facing discriminationand underrepresentation, so a college campus such as UTD's should take certain measures to make a significant part of their student body feel welcome.
Oct. 15, 2018 | The Mercury
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OPINION
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common milestone for many women. She was 16. A man in a parked car beckoned her over, leering. Through the grimy window, she saw his hand moving rapidly near his lap. For me, it was a bit different. The first time, there was no stranger in a car. I was 10. A boy who’d sometimes chase girls around the playground
pulled me behind a tree and exposed himself to me then ran away laughing. It was just a joke for him. I’m sure he doesn’t even remember it. I don’t think that he’d do that today. We’ve all grown a lot since then, but that doesn’t change what happened. I will not name this boy. I see little point in doing so today. I know he didn’t choose to harass me out of malice. He did it because he didn’t know
any better — because he grew up in a society where small actions are excused until they snowball out of control. Maybe someone told him it was OK to chase girls around the playground because “boys will be boys.” It’s OK, until it’s not. After witnessing the trial of Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann, the theorist Hannah Arendt wrote that evil is born of banality. Objectively evil people don’t really exist. Rather, regular people exist
within a society that has become desensitized to the point where evil acts are commonplace. For Arendt, the solution was a sort of political literacy: should every person develop their political views in a public space, good would win over evil. As Kavanaugh was sworn in, Arendt’s solution seemed insufficient. It’s incredibly difficult for one victim to change the whole of political discourse, no matter how sincere their tes-
timony. There is much to lose and little to gain in coming forward with your story. There is a complex moral calculus here — a matter of survival and duty. If we assume Kavanaugh serves until the average age of retirement for Supreme Court justices, he will influence the court for the next 30 years. It’s OK, until it’s not. How do we get perpetrators to take responsibility for their actions? We should start by
dismissing the idea that rape and assault can only be perpetrated by monsters. We should stop telling little boys that it’s OK to objectify and victimize their female peers — in whatever seemingly innocent form it takes. In an endless sea of gray cases, we should teach children that assault, by its very nature, cannot be determined by the perpetrator. No means no, and sexual assault is never OK.
GREEN CAMPUS?
CAROLINA ALVAREZ | MERCURY STAFF
COMET COMMENTS
How do you feel about video modules instead of face-to-face appointments for counseling?
Comets and Craters Compost initiative on campus
"I feel like face-to-face appointments would probably be more effective. Although, you wouldn’t have that many opportunities to have a face-to-face appointment as you would to have a video module. "
"Honestly, it could be really helpful because sometimes people are nervous to go and be face-to-face. So, offering a face-to-face video module could be really helpful for people like that because it could offer an alternative to getting up and going to the therapy."
“I haven’t used the counseling services, but I guess it would be alright to have video sometimes. You have to work your own schedule, and I guess not all students live around campus. I think it could be a good solution for people who live far away.”
John Martinez ATEC Sophomore
Melanie Pannell Business and Marketing Freshman
Ana Perez Rodriguez Business Analytics Graduate
Food composting bins were placed in Dining Hall West as part of a post-consumer composting initiative. Students can now dispose of leftovers and napkins into the bins next to the dish return area.
Road closed on Rutford Avenue The southbound lane of Rutford Avenue at Franklyn Jenifer Drive is closed until Oct. 17 due to maintenance. During this time, only Comet Cabs and carts will be allowed to drive in the area.
Alarming alarm issues Fire alarms recently went off repeatedly without warning across multiple buildings on campus including ATEC, Canyon Creek Heights and the SU.
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Oct. 15, 2018 | The Mercury
10 → CAFE
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Funding for the program comes from private donors, United Way and other foundations. After learning about the program from a shelter in Arkansas, Brandy Dixon, a graduate of the internship program and now a full-time employee of the cafe, moved to Texas to take advantage of CitySquare’s programs. “I didn’t have these opportunities in Arkansas,” Dixon said. “I decided to just come and give it a try, and I fell in love with it.” Dixon now works as Dorsey’s pastry chef, though she didn’t have
→ WAGASHI
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primary ingredient in a dessert, but
→ PLACARDS
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(the) University of Houston do theirs, but we want it to be very UTD-centric.” Though the exact date of the
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counseling position to be filled and is in the process of establishing a satellite office in Residence Hall North. Furthermore, Therapy Assistance Online, an initiative designed to reduce the waitlist by connecting students with web-based counseling resources, is available for student use. Accessible 24 hours a day, the main domain can be found at thepath.taoconnect. org, allowing students to progress through therapy modules at their own pace. “Once we see a student, we check off the ones we think they will benefit from,” Cannici said. “But any UTD student, including yourselves, you go online, you sign up — all you need is a UTD (email) address — and then you can take any of those modules you want. And it’s either audio or video as you prefer for each of those modules.” Ketsler said TAO might help reduce stigma surrounding mental illness and give students more privacy and ano-
NEWS
much knowledge of baking before she joined the program. “Without this opportunity, I would probably still be homeless. I have learned so much,” Dixon said. “I know how to do biscuits, cinnamon bun things, cookies, cakes (and) bread pudding.” The cafe's staff currently includes five interns and four student workers, three of whom are set to join the internship program, which has a job placement rate of 75 percent. CitySquare provides other opportunities that work similarly to the hospitality training program, including a commercial construction training program. These initiatives ensure
students earn a living wage. Bradley said the community is the answer to the problems of poverty and that the cafe is an opportunity to build relationships with the community and provide access to a better quality of life. “Hope is given and received throughout the program,” she said. In the future, Dorsey plans to expand the program and make it longer. She said she tries to find the strengths in her students, such as baking or prep work, and hone in on them. “I would like to make the program longer to be able to concentrate on one area of expertise,” she said. “I’d love to see this cafe go further and open up in other areas.”
eating wagashi was an interesting way to change my perspective on the different ways sweets are made. You don’t have to drench something in chocolate
and syrup for it to count as a delicious dessert. A beautiful and meticulously made confection, wagashi is one of those things you can’t miss.
project’s implementation has not been determined, Goodwin and Emmandi both said that they expect the project to be ready well before the end of the semester. “I think that we have a real opportunity here to hopefully
alleviate some of the congestion in the SU dining hall, which is important,” Goodwin said. “But bigger than that, we have an opportunity to try to bring students together that may otherwise not have been brought together.”
nymity if they want it. “Companies are shifting over to telemedicine as their primary source of physician care, so (it’s) just kind of lowering the cost basically,” Ketsler said. “The caveat is that telemedicine is especially popular for psychiatry. It’s not as beneficial if you have a sore throat.” Though use of TAO at UTD is still in its infancy, Cannici said he’s hopeful it will help reduce waitlists and allow students to get the help and assistance they need, with psychiatric services continuing to be prescribed on an individual basis. “Now, it’s too early — we don’t really have a sense of how students are responding to it, since we’ve just started to implement it. We’re really interested in feedback from students, and how helpful they find it,” Cannici said. “If they get what they need from that, maybe they don’t need anything else. But I would say most students would prefer some sort of in-person contact, whether that’s individual counseling, group counseling or workshops.”
Patton also said they were disappointed in the way UTD has allocated funds to projects other than the SCC, and hopes that, in the future, students will be able to have more than six sessions with in-person counselors. “Building these massive pretty buildings doesn’t mean so much when your students aren’t functioning. And, I mean, I’ve known — I myself and people that I know — the counseling center, the counselors there saved (lives),” Patton said. “So, honestly, I just think taking the cap off of appointments (would be beneficial) — you can’t put a cap on somebody’s recovery.” Cannici said reducing the number of individual counseling sessions to six — in addition to providing TAO as another resource for students — will open up more opportunities for group counseling and workshops. “We’re continuing to look for ways to avoid students having to wait to get their needs met,” Cannici said. “We’re trying to be as mindful as we can to get students in as soon as we can and get them hooked up with some resource.”
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said. “That’s the level of seriousness this project is being taken at.” Dean of Undergraduate Education Jessica Murphy said that even if students can’t see how the project is benefitting them now, the soft skills they acquire from engaging in the project are valuable down the road. “One of the things that CTTC does offer students that is not a tangible … visible reward is you (have)
already engaged in a group project that is problem based … in a cross disciplinary group of students,” Murphy said. “All the employers want that.” Eighty percent of survey respondents said they spent a total of three hours or less on their projects. Carriaga said as part of the assessment process, a representative sample from each school is chosen to be reviewed by a committee. The goal is to review a quarter of the video submissions. She said there currently isn’t enough data to prove whether the
program is an effective measurement tool or not. In 2019, the first class of students who completed the program as freshmen will take it again as juniors, thereby generating the first batch of comparative data. “As far as changing the process, I don’t see that happening soon. But if we gather, you know, years worth of data, and it just isn’t working, then there’s that option on the table,” Carriaga said. “I wouldn’t say anything was completely ruled out at this point.”