Oct. 28, 2019
facebook.com/theutdmercury | @utdmercury
THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
Mock trial takes first at annual tournament Team goes undefeated with 8-0 score against four other universities
‘It allows us to have our own heritage, our own pride’
ROSHAN KHICHI | MERCURY STAFF
Dallas replaces Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day
UTD Mock Trial members argued their cases in front of judges at the tournament. ESTHER MATHEW | MERCURY STAFF
Native American students, who make up 0.1% of UTD's student body, will now be honored alongside Indigenous populations in Dallas. AYESHA ASAD Mercury Staff
W
hile some UTD students celebrated a recent Dallas City Council decision to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day, others disagree with the change, citing an erasure of Italian history. The resolution was placed on the voting agenda with a five-signature memo by councilmember Omar Narvaez and passed on Oct. 8. Narvaez said that the passing of the resolution would “right a wrong” for the Native Americans that originally populated America. Among the Native American leaders present during the vote was Leroy Pena, a member of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas and national director of the Red Handed Warrior Society, who approved of the change. According to Fall 2018 data, the Native American population at UTD is 0.1%, which is about 2,875 students. Lauren Boggs, a biology junior, is one of the Native American students that make up that percentage. “Indigenous Peoples’ Day was actually started by Indigenous people for Indigenous people. It was a form of protest for the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus landing in the Caribbean,” Boggs said. “Most tribes don't celebrate Columbus Day. They don't even recognize it as a holiday. A lot of tribes opt to completely throw it out and celebrate their own tribal history and significant figures in their tribes.” Boggs said that she supported the name change and that it was a step in addressing
the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Native Americans that occurred as a result of Columbus’ arrival. “We define Indigenous history into two eras: the Columbian Era and the Pre-Columbian Era. This is something that was a very definitive change in our history — it marked the beginning of eradication,” Boggs said. “I don't think Columbus is the representative of American ideals — I don't even think he's the representative of Italian or Catholic ideals, which is kind of where this holiday originated from. I mean, he served as the first governor for the Indies and during that time, he mutilated and tortured indigenous people. He sold them into slavery. He murdered them.” For Boggs, the name change meant having a voice. She said that it shifted the focus towards having pride for her Native American culture and the recovery of culture for many tribes. “It’s a really powerful act of solidarity because not only does it legitimize the protests and movements for decolonization, but it also shows that there are people actually listening to what Native Americans want and what they believe is best for our cultures,” Boggs said. “I think changing this can help shift that narrative back to Native Americans telling our history, rather than white people telling Native American history.” A student who chose to remain anonymous for fear of retribution or backlash told The Mercury that changing Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day takes away from overlooked groups such as Ital-
ian Americans celebrating Columbus Day as their heritage. “Indigenous People's Day seems a bit redundant when Native American heritage has an entire month, which is November,” he said. “I don't like Columbus. He treated people like slaves. He literally tortured Native Americans. He wasn't a good guy. So instead of celebrating him, it should be celebrated for what it currently is, and currently, Columbus Day is celebrated by a lot of Italian American communities as their day, their heritage. Irish have Saint Paddy’s. Native Americans have an entire month. Black culture has a month. And, so they like their little spot.” The student said that the name change felt like the Dallas City Council was trying to quell outrage rather than focusing on what the day represented instead of the person it was named after. “Columbus Day is, first and foremost, not exactly about Columbus. It was initially created to celebrate the anniversary of his landing in the Americas, more of a celebration of the unification between North America and the Americas and Europe,” he said. “So, I would say change Columbus Day to either the anniversary of the landing, or say something about — make it Discovery Day, or — people can come up with better names than I can. Or simply name it Italian American Heritage Day.” The anonymous student said that the passing of the resolution was a lose-win situation. “It shows that we're still a democracy,
→ SEE INDIGENOUS,
PAGE 10
PATRICIA MATHU Mercury Staff
A UTD mock trial team went undefeated and finished in first place with a perfect ballot at their latest tournament. The team competed at the Bulldog Brawl against four other teams from two other universities, Gonzaga University and Washington State. The Bulldog Brawl is an annual tournament hosted by Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Political science junior Annika Russell joined the team this fall. “It was interesting because our competitors were all from the Pacific Northwest and the Washington Area. And then we came from Texas, out of left field, and swept the tournament,” Russell said. They went completely undefeated with an 8-0 record. Mock trial coach Tony Seagroves said he’d never seen this happen in his five years with the university. Political science junior Zahrah Khan, a captain of the team, said that in each round, two judges sit and score the teams to decide which team won. “All of the judges were actually in the legal profession,” Russell said. Judges included the Vice Dean of Gonzaga Law, the assistant attorney general for the State of Washington, the district attorney of Spokane County and a federal prosecutor turned federal judge. Winning 8-0 means that beyond winning the overall competition, every single judge the team interacted with voted for them. Khan said it is important to read
→ SEE MOCK TRIAL,
PAGE 10
Esports to add ‘Rocket League’ team to roster BEN NGUYEN Mercury Staff
The esports department announced the addition of a "Rocket League" team to the official varsity roster, making it the fourth esports team in the athletics department. “Rocket League” is a game in which players drive rocket-powered cars to maneuver a giant soccer ball into a goal. In the competitive version, teams of three face off with a general setup of two offensive players and one defensive player, but two-versus-two remains a popular playing format. One key factor in the creation of the “Rocket League” team is the game’s
understandability, “Rocket League” Club treasurer and computer science junior Skylar Sonnevelt-Bixler said. “I mean, it’s easy,” Sonnevelt-Bixler said. “Somebody scores and that’s the game.” The “Rocket League” Club already had a focus on esports when it was founded last semester by president and ATEC junior Brenden Strenger and vice president and computer science senior Margey Shah. SonneveltBixler said the team is likely going to funnel players to the newly-established esports team, with the club’s A and B teams moving up to varsity while the C and D teams will take their place in the club. “We were brand new, and we got
picked up and we were super stoked,” Shah said. “We started an A through D team so that just in case there were people who wanted to get better, they have the opportunity to do so, so that when UTD does pick us up, which they did, they would be ready for varsity.” “Rocket League” is an easy-to-learn, hard-to-master game, Shah said. He added that there have been members who start at the bottom and then work their way up the in-game ranked system by improving their skills. “We’ve had people go from the lowest tier to champion and to grand champion, the highest tiers of the
→ SEE ESPORTS,
PAGE 10
BEN NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF
Tryouts for “Rocket League” will be held Oct. 28 to Nov. 1.