Nov. 11, 2019
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THE MERCURY
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‘They ruined their life by doing this’ Students, ex-member talk about experiences with Elohim Bible Study Club CINDY FOLEFACK Editor-in-Chief
Editor’s Note: Christy’s name has been changed to protect her identity due to fear of retribution from church members.
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hristy listened eagerly as the stranger from the post office told her about their bible study group. She’d grown up religious and wanted her son to have a similar upbringing, so she wrote down the church’s address and paid them a visit. Less than two years after joining the church, she was homeless, had lost over $3,500 and was sharing custody of her son with her now ex-husband. Christy’s experience with the World Mission Society Church of God, which occurred in Nebraska, wasn’t unique. Since the church was established in Korea in 1964, several ex-members have released videos urging the public against joining. Two UTD students report-
ed recruitment attempts from church members while one witnessed what happened after her friend joined the UTD chapter of the church, the Elohim Bible Study Club. Political science senior Kathryn Higgins ran into church members in 2018 while running errands in Arlington. “I was on the toy aisle and suddenly, I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, and these two women came out of nowhere, both with empty baskets,” Higgins said. “They sort of cornered me. They boxed me in with their baskets so I couldn't walk anywhere, I couldn't leave.” Higgins said the women showed her bible verses on their phones and tried to explain the church’s teachings to her, but the language barrier made it hard to understand what they were saying. The women told Higgins about “God the Mother” and asked for her phone number. Higgins waited for her friend, who she had gone shopping with, to come back so she could exit the conversation. She said the experience left her uneasy. “When I saw that they were approaching younger women and just with my experience (with) them
boxing me in with shopping carts and targeting young women, it made me feel like they did have nefarious intentions,” Higgins said. “Maybe they don't, maybe this is all just a bunch of rumors, but it does seem a little bit strange that they would be targeting a vulnerable group of the population in a really aggressive way.” While the church has been accused of human trafficking, police investigations in various states such as New York, South Carolina and Florida have found no evidence to back up these claims. The church’s beliefs include the existence of Christ Ahnsahnghong, the physical embodiment of the second coming of Jesus. Ahnsahnghong is said to have been born in South Korea, where the church is based. A physical embodiment of God the Mother also resides in South Korea and sends out orders and messages to chapters of the
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Online student petition for campus swings receives over 600 signatures MADISON YORK Mercury Staff
SAMANTHA LOPEZ | MERCURY STAFF
Swings and playgrounds tend to be associated with the carefree whimsy of childhood — but could they also have a place on a college campus? For Eric Aaberg, business administration sophomore and president of Comet Life, the answer is simple. “We want to encourage students to stay on campus more,” Aaberg said. “An addition of mobile swing sets at the SU green or somewhere around the central part of campus would be great for students to get outside, destress and just hang out.” Aaberg said the petition — posted on the Comet Life website — gained traction quickly, and is currently sitting at over 670 signatures. “I simply shared it on my Twitter, and within a day it got 300 signatures,” Aaberg said. “The more signatures we get, definitely the
ROSHAN KHICHI | MERCURY STAFF
The petition gained traction less than a day after being posted to Twitter.
faster administration will be like, ‘Okay, yeah, a lot of students want this.’” Aaberg has been in contact with Ayoub Mohammed, Student Government president,
about how best to begin the swing set project. While Mohammed said the project hasn’t been proposed to the SG Senate yet, after the proj-
Survey finds mixed opinions on SHC Professor continues exploration of Students report late fees, convenience of center EMILY GAO Mercury Staff
The Student Health Center provides a range of medical services from blood work to prescribing birth control, but despite its benefits, students have given the center mixed reviews. Criminology senior Simone Sanborn has been a regular patient at the SHC since her freshman year at UTD, and said she has had positive experiences with both staff and medical professionals during her visits. Like other students who aren’t from the Dallas area, Sanborn goes to the SHC during the school year because of its location on campus, and has been going since freshman year. “I have a chronic illness so I’m in there every three months at least,” Sanborn said. “My primary care physician is in central Texas, so it’s not at all feasible to go down there, so I
kind of switched all of my prescriptions and general health appointments slowly in my freshman year to the clinic here and then I never left. There’s a lot of time dedicated to me, everyone is very nice, I don’t ever feel rushed and they’re always very accommodating with any questions.” According to Google reviews, a repeated complaint that students have with the SHC is the $25 fine that is imposed if patients with appointments do not check in by their scheduled time. A survey of 104 students conducted by The Mercury found that 4% of students have had to pay this fine. Actuarial science senior Mercedes Rodriguez left a review after she had to pay the fine. “Most places have a small grace period for being late. I got stuck in traffic and was 8 min-
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→ SEE SWINGS,
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Italian art as president of art society RUHMA KHAN Mercury Staff
Professor of visual and performing arts Mark Rosen was recently elected as president of the Italian Art Society. Founded in 1987, The Italian Art Society is a foundation dedicated to the study and promotion of Italian art and architecture. It is made up of a few hundred members who are art historians, museum professionals and academics. Rosen, an associate dean in the school of arts and humanities, said he has always been passionate about art and art history. “I always was really interested in artworks and painting. I grew up in Los Angeles and spent a lot of time in museums and I took the AP Art History class in high school and
MARK ROSEN I really loved it. I felt it was something that kind of came naturally,” Rosen said. “I was so excited to learn that stuff. And when I would travel or go places, I would always check out
the museum.” Rosen said the year after graduating with a degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, he began working with his university’s travel guide. “Berkeley started up this thing called the Berkeley Guides travel company that they needed students to go travelling (for). I graduated at the exact perfect time. They only did this for three years,” Rosen said. “One year, I did an editing job with them and then the next year I went to travel. They were doing an Italy book, it was the very first time they had done it so it all had to be written from the ground up.” Rosen said he spent the majority of the 75day trip in central Italy, visiting and writing about museums, restaurants and the historical
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