The Mercury 11/12/18

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November 12, 2018

THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM

Donation establishes real estate institute Gift to fund scholarships, conference travel expenses NADINE OMEIS | MERCURY STAFF

“Joni's Chorus Line,” part of the Davidow art collection, hangs in the atrium of JSOM II across from the undergraduate trading lab.

jsom art collection

SPARKS DISCUSSION Artwork installed earlier this year draws staff, student complaints

MEGAN ZEREZ

JINDAL SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT | COURTESY

Donna (left) and Herb Weitzman made a $3 million gift to JSOM to establish a dedicated real estate institute.

BHARGAV ARIMILLI Editor-in-Chief

The Jindal School of Management announced last Tuesday a $3 million donation to establish a dedicated real estate institute at UTD. The donation, made by Dallas-based real estate leaders Donna and Herb Weitzman, will establish the Herbert D. Weitzman Institute for Real Estate, along with providing funding for scholarships and travel to real estate conferences across the country.

Herb Weitzman is the founder of the Weitzman real estate firm, which has operated in Texas since 1989.

Hasan Pirkul, the dean of JSOM, said in his opening remarks at the school’s annual Scholarship Breakfast the creation of the institute was a significant milestone for the university.

“This gift will make it possible for us to make our school the center for real estate, at least for Texas,” Pirkul said. “As Texas goes, the rest of the country (follows).”

Randall Guttery, a clinical professor of finance and managerial economics who also serves as the director of JSOM’s real estate programs, helped oversee the creation of the new institute.

“Mr. Weitzman and I have known each other for years,” Guttery said. “I’ve been advisory to his company, and I’ve done some training for his employees, and you know, we’ve both been (in) the real estate business a long time and known each other, so I think that relationship definitely helped.”

Guttery will serve as the director of the new institute and will oversee the expansion of JSOM’s undergraduate real estate offerings to include a fifth course that focuses on real estate valuation.

“It puts us at the level with other national real estate programs that have been around for many decades,” Guttery said.

Part of the challenge in planning the establishment of the institute was finding common times for all the parties involved — including Weitzman and Kyle Edgington, the vice president for development and alumni relations — to meet, Guttery said.

“Everybody’s so busy,” he said. “That’s probably why it took so long.”

Finance senior Shiv Patel, who serves

→ SEE REAL ESTATE,

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Mercury Staff

N

ine months ago, a large collection of contemporary and abstract art was installed throughout the JSOM building. Since then, the collection — named for its donor, Joan Davidow — has been the subject of numerous staff, faculty and student discussions, a thwarted call for removal and the loss of two of its pieces.

The collection represents the bulk of Davidow’s personal collection. Davidow first donated the collection to UTD in 2014. It was originally installed in the ATEC building but was later moved into storage to make room for student work. In 2017,

Diane McNulty, the associate dean of external affairs and corporate development for the School of Management, petitioned to have the collection installed throughout JSOM facilities.

In an Oct. 10 meeting of the Staff Council, an anonymous complaint cited concerns that a piece in the collection depicted violence against women and objectification of the female body, according to minutes from the meeting.

The piece, titled “Joni’s Chorus Line,” is a large textile wall hanging by artist Hiram Williams. It’s one of several pieces by Williams in the Davidow collection. The piece occupies a prominent space placed in the atrium of JSOM II, across from the undergraduate trading lab.

The complainant described the piece as depicting “decapitated bloody female bodies.”

Maria Reyes, an administrative project coordinator in JSOM and a member of Staff Council, said she heard similar sentiments echoed among multiple staff members throughout JSOM and had concerns about what the students thought of the art. “(‘Joni’s Chorus Line’) hangs in front of the undergraduate lab, so it’s exposed to the youngest of the JSOM students,” Reyes said. “As a mom, that’s something I worry about — what message is being conveyed to these kids?”

→ SEE DAVIDOW,

PAGE 12

University installs weather station New fixture to allow UTD to anticipate storms, prepare for emergencies DEV THIMMISETTY Mercury Staff

NADINE OMEIS | MERCURY STAFF

Continuity planning specialist Courtney Spooner (left) and emergency management specialist Angela Dees manage UTD's new weather station.

UTD recently installed a new weather station, called WeatherSTEM, on the roof of Residence Hall West to monitor weather conditions near campus.

A website, dubbed “Comet Watch,” provides students with up-to-date weather information as well as real-time camera feeds. Twitter and Facebook feeds disperse selected information from “Comet Watch” on social media.

Emergency management specialist Angela Dees said the previous weather station was lacking, so the department had been looking for an upgrade.

“We had a very basic weather station. (Its) information wasn’t shared as widely,” Dees said. “The timing was right with regards to funding and the appropriate vendor, so we went with a commercial instrument that is valid and trusted.”

Dees said the cost of the WeatherSTEM station was nominal and would not affect students’ tuition rates.

One of the new features of the WeatherSTEM station is the ZapMap, which tracks lightning strikes within 10 seconds in up to a 15-mile radius. The system is now set up to notify campus workers about potential hazardous lightning strikes if

they’re working outside.

“We’ve started reaching out to different stakeholders across campus to see if they would like to be a part of this project,” Dees said.

Mariah Armitage, the director of emergency management and continuity planning, said students can see the ZapMap on the official website of the WeatherSTEM station, but as of right now, notifications won’t be sent to students’ phones.

“Because lightning strikes so often and so fast, you would get too many notifications … to send out to campus life,” Armitage said.

→ SEE WEATHER,

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Family makes largest gift to university in history Collection of art to be housed in on-campus museum MEGAN ZEREZ Mercury Staff

University officials formally announced the donation of a large collection of Swiss art at the beginning of November.

The announcement, made Nov. 2, stated that the Barrett collection is the highest-valued art donation ever made to a school within UT System and is the largest collection of Swiss art outside of Switzerland. The collection will be housed in a standalone museum

to be built on campus, named for the Barrett family who donated the collection. None of the Barretts have ties to UTD, save for a longterm friendship with Richard Brettell, the founding director of UTD’s Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History, and Executive Vice President Hobson Wildenthal.

“Our wish is for our collection to remain intact and have a permanent, public home in our own city as well as in Texas,” Richard Barrett,

→ SEE SWISS ART,

PAGE 12

UTD NEWS CENTER | COURTESY

Ferdinand Holler's 1908 painting “Landscape with Rhythmic Shapes” is one of the works included in the Barrett family's collection of Swiss art that was donated to UTD last week.

In honor of Veterans Day, the Chew Crew tried military food rations.

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Nov. 12, 2018 | The Mercury

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THE MERCURY UTDMERCURY.COM Volume XXXVIV No. 34

NEWS

UTD PD Blotter

Editor-in-Chief Bhargav Arimilli

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Contributors Razan Afghani Madeline Ambrose Sofia Babool Nikita Bantey Sarah Besserer Soujanya Bhat Mansi Chauhan Jenna Cherrey Pranati Chitta EJ Chong Bianca Del Rio Travis Dickerson Amber Doan Ambarina Hasta Amina Hussain Vanessa Idigbe Christina Jia Izaak Lux Ryan Magee Chiamaka Mgboji Keaton Nations Elizabeth Nguyen Nadine Omeis Anna Phengsakmueang Marco Salinas Arian Shariatmadari Medha Somisetty Nathan Steinle Sarah Streety Dev Thimmisetty Sabur Woldu Madison York Zuhair Zaidi Megan Zerez

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Mailing Address 800 West Campbell Road, SU 24 Richardson, TX 75080-0688 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.

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Nov. 2 • A student reported a theft of their backpack and calculator at 12:40 p.m. in Residence Hall West.

Nov. 3 • Five students were issued c it a t ion s for being minors in possession of alcohol at 12:15 a.m. in Residence Hall South.

D

A

B

Nov. 6 • A construction worker had property stolen from his unlocked company truck at 10:01 a.m.

C

Nov. 8 • A UTD student was issued a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia at 11:37 p.m. in Residence Hall Northwest.

D

Nov. 9 • At 8:54 a.m., the Parking and Transportation Office reported a parking boot stolen after it was placed on a student’s vehicle the previous day due to excessive fines.

E

B

A

C

E

LEGEND VEHICULAR INCIDENT

THEFT

DRUGS & ALCOHOL OTHER MAP: UTD | COURTESY

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VISIT JIMMYJOHNS.COM TO FIND A LOCATION NEAR YOU The Mercury is a proud member of both the Associated Collegiate Press and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.

Nov. 12, 2018 | The Mercury

3

NEWS

Bookstore brings bargains to students New university program to provide more accessible textbooks, cheaper class materials

AMBARINA HASTA | MERCURY STAFF

The UTD bookstore is making efforts to lower the costs of textbooks and other resources by implementing Discover, a program designed to simplify the process of accessing and buying textbooks.

ZUHAIR ZAIDI Mercury Staff

The UTD bookstore will adopt a new program to simplify the process of shopping for and using textbooks.

Follett, the university’s bookstore partner, plans to use a new optimization tool known as Discover to make accessing textbooks a more seamless experience for both professors and students.

Discover will launch in the spring of 2019 and will expand to its full capacity later in the summer.

Healthcare studies sophomore Aa-

sir Noorali said the process of buying books has become increasingly cumbersome in recent years.

“I feel as though there is a huge inconsistency between Blackboard and UTD Coursebook that just confuses me and leaves me having to stress about where to find my books, what books I need to buy and how much I need to pay for books,” Noorali said.

Manager Rawn Johnson said the decision to adopt Discover was a much-needed addition to the bookstore. He said the decision will improve user experience and help

students and the bookstore better prepare for the upcoming semester.

“What Discover will do is streamline the process and hopefully make the adoption a lot more intuitive and user-friendly than anything we’re doing now,” Johnson said. “This is going to be a one-click access to all of your classes on one page and what or what not those course materials are.”

The Discover workflow comprises four main components. The first will allow professors to browse and adopt more than textbooks. Alternatives such as open education resources will allow for course

materials such as online textbooks to be offered to students at much lower prices.

In addition, having professors choose their materials for the next semester in advance will allow for the university to negotiate prices with publishers and accurately measure the sizes of orders for course materials, allowing the bookstore to gauge the number of students willing to sell back textbooks that could be sold as used books for the following semesters.

“We have had some huge wins. We’ve brought the calculus book down by more than $50, we’ve brought the (general) chemistry books down by more

than $150,” Johnson said. “There are a lot of options open to us when we have that information in time.”

Students will have access to a “view and shop” module, which will be in place for the spring. This will allow students to view all required materials for all their courses in one area within Blackboard and be able to immediately view prices and purchase their materials while on that page. Additionally, in the future, Discover will allow integrations with savings programs so students can access discounts and other sales.

→ SEE TEXTBOOKS,

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Community bookshelf comes to ATEC Building UTD faculty, student-published works to make academic writing more approachable RAZAN AFGHANI Mercury Staff

NOAH WHITEHEAD | MERCURY STAFF

A set of “zines,” which are self-published student or faculty works, stand in the new community bookshelf.

In an effort to make research more accessible to the UTD community, a group of ATEC professors helped establish a small zine community bookshelf on the first floor of the ATEC building.

Kim Knight, the associate dean of graduate studies at UTD, spearheaded the community bookshelf, which was put up at the beginning of the semester and makes up part of a wall displaying the works of students in Critical Media Studies. “(The bookshelf ) is part of the Critical Media Studies showcase. In ATEC, we’re trying to decide how to best showcase both student and faculty work,” Knight said. “People have said that academic writing can be a little dry and inaccessible. What we are trying to do is make our research a little more accessible.”

A zine is a self-published work that is circulated throughout a community. It is made up of original or appropriated texts, images and drawings.

“They actually started in the early 20th century with science fiction fans developing zines and circulating the pamphlets. And, of course, when we got Xerox copiers, (zines) became much more accessible and have a really important place in punk and riot girl culture,” Knight said. “But they could be traced earlier back than that … (such as) early pamphleteering and other practices of self-publication.”

Currently there are several zines on display, all of which are written by faculty members. Contributors include ATEC assistant professors Hong-An Wu and Juan Llamas Rodriguez.

“Zines can be interpreted multiple ways, but I can only speak for the

→ SEE BOOKSHELF,

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Road Warriors launches offshoot for freshmen New commuter program created to better integrate first-year students into campus life IZAAK LUX

Mercury Staff

The New Students Programs office is working to involve commuter students more on campus with an initiative called the Freshman Commuter Program. The FCP will provide first-year commuter students with monthly luncheons or breakfasts for them to talk about their experiences on campus and at home or simply chat with fellow Comets.

FCP is an extension of Road Warriors, an organization that specializes in involving commuter students in campus life. Upperclassmen meet with freshmen once a month to attend on-campus events, eat together and talk about their lives at UTD. Alex Ewing, the assistant coordinator for New Students Programs and the driving force behind the FCP, said the program is meant to integrate

students more fully to the campus culture.

“We’re trying to get people to athletic events, we’re trying to get people to SUAAB events, we’re trying to get people engaged in events that other organizations are already putting on,” Ewing said.

The mentors who guide freshmen through their first year are equally excited to share their Comet energy, Ewing said. Political science senior Alireza Nourani has been working in the New Students Programs office for three years and is currently mentoring a group of 10 freshmen. “(The FCP) is more like a catalyst and a first step that (freshmen) can take in their own route in college,” Nourani said. “It’s a more involved way than just home-school.”

Nourani said he believes the necessity

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AMBER DOAN | MERCURY STAFF

Political science senior Alireza Nourani helps run the new Freshman Commuter Program at UTD and mentors 10 freshmen.

causes utility concerns

While the side effects of the new science building under construction on Rutford Avenue have been minimal — according to facilities management personnel — there have been reports of brown water and noise complaints in neighboring buildings.

Mark Lee, the head of the physics department, said the physics building experienced loss of water because of construction in October. Earlier that month, Lee said, there were also incidents of brown water coming out of the taps.

“After it was reported to Facilities, they turned the water off — about a half-hour maximum — then everything came back on, the water was clear,” Lee said. “Whatever it was, they fixed it in under an hour.”

Kelly Kinnard, the director of physical plant services, said that dirt and noise are givens when undertaking a major construction project and that the brown water could have been caused by the city rerouting the water away from UTD for maintenance. Kinnard also said aside from one complaint from occupants of the SLC, there haven’t been many issues with noise, and that the construction crews often work very early or very late in the day to minimize disturbances.

To expedite progress on the building, Facilities Management worked to complete an early release package, which allowed for utilities — such as water, sewer and gas lines — to be installed as soon as possible. Completing the package has allowed construction to continue through bad weather, Kinnard said, because utilities were already in the ground.

“This has really been a very good project,” Kinnard said. “We did that early release package, so that saved us a lot of time. We didn’t know we were going to get all this rain. Had we not done it, we would be in a much different place construction-wise, and the weather would have had a huge impact.”

Groundwork on the new science building began in the summer of 2017.

The building is projected to be ready by the spring of 2020.

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LIFE&ARTS

Nov. 12, 2018 | The Mercury

All-male dance team gains national recognition New Bollywood fusion group selected as one of eight teams to perform in national dance competition

MADELINE AMBROSE | MERCURY STAFF

Members of UTD Raftaar practice in the courtyard of ECSW. The group will perform at Jhalak, one of the only Bollywood fusion competitions in the nation that requires teams to perform without props.

MANSI CHAUHAN Mercury Staff

UTD’s Bollywood fusion all-male dance team earned a spot in the first national dance competition of the 2018-2019 season.

Bollywood fusion dance encompasses styles from hip hop to bhangra. The dance group applied to Texas Jhalak, a competition held in Austin, and recently received news of their acceptance.

Finance junior Aneesh Bindingnavile and mechanical engineering junior Abin Thomas originally had the idea for an all-male team in November 2017. After months of planning, UTD Raftaar became an official UTD organization at the beginning of the 2018-2019 academic year. The current team of 25 will take the stage for the very first time at UT Austin

on Nov. 17.

“Originally, we had thought of just making a new co-ed team. But then we realized that an all-male one would be something completely new to UTD,” Bindingnavile said. “We wanted to experience the different dynamic of a guys’ team.”

UTD Raftaar is led by captains Bindingnavile and Thomas but also has six other executive members that handle aspects such as production, funding, marketing and logistics. The rest of the 17 members were chosen through a series of individual auditions in early September.

“There was never a doubt of whether we wanted to go to Jhalak or not. It’s an amazing experience — it was my favorite competition in the two years I’ve been on a collegiate team,” Bindingnavile said. “It’s also in-state, so

we don’t have to spend a lot of money or worry about flights for this one. Most of all, we just wanted our boys to get to experience the hype of this competition.”

Any team that places at Jhalak gains points toward Legends, the national championship held in Chicago in April 2019. Jhalak is one of 16 such pre-championship competitions, but it is different from the rest in that it does not allow any elements of production, including props or costume changes. It is judged solely on dance as expressed by its slogan, “Cut the frills, bring the skills.”

“We had a record number of teams apply this year, and the decision was super difficult.

Usually, our rubric consists of energy, difficulty of choreography, cleanliness, creativity and a certain X factor,” said Ayushi Sharma, a student at UT Austin and a director of Jhalak

2018. “Raftaar was chosen for a variety of reasons, but one of my favorite comments was that they were so clean, they got described as ‘uncomfortably clean.’”

Raftaar practices a minimum of three times a week at three hours per rehearsal. It is completely student-run, which means the students, overseen by the finance chairs, are responsible for raising the money for costs such as flights and registration fees. The manager handles logistical issues, including travel and various deadlines put forth by competitions. The production chairs are responsible for all issues surrounding costumes and any other non-dance visual elements the team decides to add.

“Everyone on the executive board does their job when we ask,” Bindingnavile said. “The biggest thing is that we established at the first practice that nobody talks when captains are

talking, there are no phones and everybody treats each other with respect. It doesn’t work if just captains say that, it’s needed that the whole team and exec holds each other accountable, which they do.”

A majority of new Raftaar members had not danced competitively before. Raftaar promoted itself as an opportunity to travel and broaden horizons — something Bindingnavile said prompted many freshmen and new recruits to end up joining. Healthcare management freshman Akarsh Gadey is one of Raftaar’s 13 new dancers.

“I like to dance but had never competed.

I joined Raftaar because it was something to do besides school. My favorite thing is definitely the team dynamic,” Gadey said.

→ SEE DANCE,

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Student veterans find welcome on campus

ANNA PHENSAKMUEANG | MERCURY STAFF

Biomedical engineering freshman Jillian Penney (left) and criminology freshman Kaia Duckworth made s’mores at Friday After Class on Nov. 2.

UTD launches formalized pre-weekend programs Group of university departments collaborate to provide students opportunities to de-stress NADINE OMEIS | MERCURY STAFF

Student worker and supply chain management senior Cristobal Puga works at his desk at the Military and Veteran Center.

AYOUNG JO

Life & Arts Editor

MARCO SALINAS Mercury Staff

During a deployment to Afghanistan, Eric McCrory said he remembers sitting in a gunner’s hatch driving to Kabul thinking about the commotion surrounding him.

“For about 98 percent of the time that I was over in Afghanistan, I felt very safe,” McCrory said. “But then there’s also that 1 percent of sheer terror … and I’m thinking — what am I doing right here right now?”

Student veterans such as McCrory find

support at UTD through the Military and Veteran Center. During Veterans Day and through the month of November, the MVD offers programming that emphasizes getting to know veterans and understanding the military experience.

McCrory retired from the army as a sergeant first class after 25 years of service. His job specialty was visual communications chief.

McCrory attended UTD before transferring to Arizona State’s online program this semester.

During a deployment in Afghanistan, McCrory was a part of a military transition team.

McCrory taught Afghani border patrol personnel how to use communications technologies such as radios.

“Literally, we were 35 miles from the border with Pakistan,” McCrory said. “Without that radio and that communication, they were basically sitting ducks for whoever wanted to come along and roll over them.”

McCrory said his time with the military transition team helped him with his communication skills — skills that he brought back to

→ SEE VETERAN,

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Several UTD departments have partnered to organize a recurring event where students can relax and de-stress on Fridays.

Since the start of the fall semester, University Recreation, University Housing and the Student Wellness Center have been hosting an event called Friday After Class. On the first Friday of every month, students can go to the Rec Center West Courtyard to lounge on the hammocks or participate in planned programs to enjoy free time before their weekends begin. “(An) important part of our wellness is

finding that relaxation,” said Chris Gormley, assistant director of competitive sports. “We thought that Friday afternoon is a great time for that after a long week of test and exams.”

Frankie Branham, University Recreation’s coordinator of fitness, conceived the idea for Friday After Class. Branham said she first found out about a program called Friday Afternoon Club when she and her sister visited Colorado. She said they believed it to be specific to the hotel where they were staying, but after exploring different towns the following day, they saw that many other restaurants were

→ SEE FRIDAY,

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Nov. 12, 2018 | The Mercury

5

NEWS

MIDTERM

20 ELecTIONS 1 8

STORY BY: ARIAN SHARIATMADARI | MERCURY STAFF PAGE DESIGN BY: EJ CHONG | MERCURY STAFF

U

TD students joined the rest of the country last Tuesday in voting in the midterm elections. For several voters, this election was different from past cycles.

Students such as emerging media and communications senior Justin Stephens reflected on the competitive nature of the race. Stephens cited rallies for candidates such as Democratic hopeful Beto O’Rourke, who lost the Texas Senate race to Republican incumbent Ted Cruz.

“I saw a lot of push for the other students to register. Especially on weekends,” Stephens said, “There was a rally, too, for Beto, where a lot of people were recommending for me to go to.”

Accounting senior and chair of Student Government’s legislative committee Ben Darling said SG held several events throughout the election to register students to vote.

“We were going pretty hardcore on registration. We ended up registering over 500 people,” Darling said. “We had booths every single week at the Plinth, we had people going in the classes, we went to (residential life) events and then there was a few select other events that we registered people at.”

Stephens, who voted in previous

elections, said he noticed this election was taken more seriously than past midterm races.

“I saw a little more urgency and people trying to get out and vote,” Stephens said.”

Richardson City Secretary Aimee Nemer said she noticed a rise in voter numbers early on.

“They have increased the voter turnout, for sure. We are a polling place for early voting for the November elections, always,” Nemer said. “I definitely could tell by the numbers and the lines that there was more interest and more voter turnout.”

Psychology junior Aliayah Himelfarb said she found herself becoming more aware of the politics surrounding each candidate during this election.

“I didn’t pay as much attention in the 2016 election. I voted, but I wasn’t really paying attention to the media and the news,” Himelfarb said. “To me it did seem different, but (it) might just be that I was paying more attention.”

Koby Kim, a healthcare studies freshman, said although he doesn’t usually get involved in politics, he regretted not voting in this race.

“I try to distance myself from

politics. I find that it usually sparks a lot of arguments and disagreements, and I don’t want any of that,” Kim said. “I did not register in time. I realized afterwards how important it actually was.”

Kim said he now believes that voting is a civic duty. Some students said they wanted to vote, but didn’t have the time or transportation.

Val Campbell, a computer science freshman, said he had complications when it came down to actually voting on Election Day. “I did register in time, but I was unable to find a way to get to the (polling) place,” Campbell said.

On Election Day, Student Government offered free transportation to the polls. Campbell said he knew about the service, but ended up not having the time to vote, citing wait times of up to two hours to cast a ballot.

Despite some students not being able to go vote, Nemer said the spike in voter turnout for the midterm elections could become increasingly common.

“I do think it’s a trend,” Nemer said. “It seems like more people are interested in what the government is doing and want to be involved and make sure their voices are heard.”

EJ CHONG | MERCURY STAFF

Data gathered from CNN exit polls.

Nov. 12, 2018 | The Mercury

6

LIFE&ARTS

EMAAN BANGASH Mercury Staff

Military food: Meals ready to eat

→ DANCE

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“The members are all of different years and different backgrounds, but we’re still all close and a fun team.”

Raftaar will compete against several teams considered to be

→ FRIDAY

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

advertising it as well.

“It turned out that the concept of Friday Afternoon Club is when you just kick back and you start your happy hour a little bit earlier than usual, and it’s just a very, very chill vibe,” Branham said. “At that point, I thought, ‘Okay, we need to create that kind of a chill, healthy happy hour-type thing for our students at UTD.’” Branham said when she returned to campus in August, she first shared her ideas with her peers at University Recreation, to University Housing and then to the SWC, who were all excited to collaborate. “Everybody was excited about the concept,” Branham said. “Because we’re all excited and because we’re all creative and enjoy what we do in our individual department, it has not been difficult to

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

the U.S. and to the classroom.

In addition to deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, McCrory also worked in the White House Communications Agency.

“It’s definitely a high-stress environment. I’ve been deployed to Afghanistan on the border of Pakistan, but there’s just as stressful moments when you have the weight of holding our nation’s leaders’ audio and video up,” McCrory said.

“There’s no room for failure.

It’s a zero-fail environment.”

McCrory works full-time at the George W. Bush presidential library in Dallas. Because of his position, McCrory said he does not need a bachelor’s degree, but getting one is a goal he has set for himself.

McCrory said he was made to feel welcome during his time at UTD. “Everyone was super cool to me just like I was a regular student.” McCrory said, “They made me feel totally at home.”

At the MVC, each student veteran is assigned an advisor from Peer Advisors for Veteran Education. McCrory said his peer advisor was always helpful and able to answer questions. “(She was) just enough to be helpful, but not like ‘Hey, let me have to hold your hand,’” McCrory said. “This person

Two weeks ago, I thought military food was bland, tasteless and solely there to provide ample calories and nutrients for soldiers at war. While military food does serve the last purpose, it’s not actually as awful as I expected it to be.

Military food comes in the form of “meals ready to eat,” more commonly known as MREs. The first military food rations consisted of simple vegetables and meat and were introduced during the American Revolutionary War. During World War I, the meals became more diverse and contained

veterans at Jhalak. Three have made it to the national championships before, and the national champion of 2018, OSU’s Genesis, is also competing at Jhalak again.

“Everyone thought that as a firstyear team, we weren’t going to be

successful, but the news of us getting into Jhalak let us be excited about getting to showcase our talent and made us work even harder,” Bindingnavile said. “But we understand that the competition is also really, really good. We just want to focus on doing our best.”

come up with ideas of things to do.”

University Housing provides the space for the event, as well as various yard games. University Recreation provides hammocks and helps plan activities. The SWC provides students with healthy snack options.

The initiative also includes Chartwells, which has attended every Friday After Class event, to provide a cooking demonstration at the kitchen in Residence Hall West.

The SWC administers the American College Health Association’s survey every two years. Sara Asberry, a registered dietitian at the SWC, said that in college student populations, the biggest health concern is stress, with the stress level at UTD far above the average compared to that of other universities.

“We know that college is a stressful time, but we look at specifically the personalities of UTD students, and we notice that it’s even more

of a concern. We have really academically-focused, high-achieving, amazing students and we also have students from all over the world, and that can create stress,” Asberry said. “We want to provide more opportunities for students to get together and have fun and take a break, and we try to encourage students to do that more often.”

The monthly program will resume after winter break, on the first Friday of February. Similar to the ones that took place in the fall semester, the events in the spring will include music, food, yard games and cooking demonstrations as well as other programmed activities.

“We’d love for more students to join. It’s the end of the week, so let’s just exhale and have some fun,” Asberry said. “If we could just create a space for more students to come de-stress for a little bit, we would love that.”

was there to assist me and point me in the right direction.”

Cristobal Puga is a senior majoring in supply chain management. In addition, he is also the outreach coordinator for Student Veterans of America and an advisor for Peer Advisors for Veteran Education. Puga is currently a specialist serving in the Army reserves.

In preparation for Veterans Day, Puga helped set up some of the 850 flags across campus.

Each flag represents a student veteran at UTD. Puga said in 2018, Student Veterans of America changed from a student organization to a departmental organization. Because of the change, Puga said funding now comes through the Military and Veteran Center. Student Veterans of America is still a student-run organization.

“For me and pretty much everyone else, it’s pretty great mainly because we don’t have to deal with the paperwork like other student (organizations) have to,” Puga said.

Lisa Adams, director of the Military and Veteran Center and retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, said she enjoys seeing students achieve their goals.

“That’s one of the things that I like, that not every day is the same,” Adams said. “We have different people coming in with different ideas, different issues, and that makes it very challenging

and rewarding at the same time.”

As the outreach coordinator for Student Veterans of America, Puga said he talks to companies who want to work with the orgniazation.

“I tell them what we’re about, what’s our history, why pick us over any other location,” Puga said. “The average GPA in the U.S. is a 3.2, while (for) student vets it’s a 3.4.”

At the MVC dedicated space is provided for studying and socializing. McCrory said he would take a day off from work to study for major exams at the MVC. “(The MVC) is great. They really take care of you. Ms. Adams and Mr. Short, they were always there,” McCrory said. “That was a super helpful element.”

McCrory was unable to finish his degree at UTD because of conflicts with class schedules and his work schedule, but said he intends to return to UTD for graduate school.

“I felt like a regular student,” McCrory said. “I never felt any different than anyone else that was going to school there.”

Puga said that his favorite part of working with the Student Veterans of America is seeing companies recognize the value of veterans in the workplace.

“Just like how getting diversity in the workplace is great, bringing in a vet into the workplace brings in even more diversity,” he said.

canned meat, coffee, bread, salt and sugar. However, it wasn’t until 1963 when the Department of Defense developed the MREs we see today.

MREs are more lightweight, portable and come in different varieties to prevent soldiers from getting tired of the same meal. These meals are meant to last and have a minimum shelf life of three years.

I was accompanied this time by Michael Stout, a former U.S. Marine and procurer of the MREs we’d be eating. I also invited Cris Puga, a current member of the U.S. Army on reserve and student worker at UTD’s Military and Veteran Center. Stout and Puga both delved into intense stories of their times in the military,

RYAN MAGEE | MERCURY STAFF

the harsh nature of boot camp and the extreme conditions they were often put in on the job. Stout told me

he’d eaten hundreds of MREs and

→ SEE MRE,

PAGE 11

SPORTS

7

Nov. 12, 2018 | The Mercury

Volleyball, soccer teams lose out at ASC Coaches had positive outlook prior to matches

SOUJANYA BHAT | MERCURY STAFF

The wrestling club plans to reclaim club sport status after it was revoked in 2015. The group holds practices in the Rec Center's green room.

NIKITA BANTEY | MERCURY STAFF

Wrestling to be reinstated as club sport

New leadership sets sights on regaining status after expulsion for failing to fulfill UREC requirements VANESSA IDIGBE Mercury Staff

The wrestling club is seeking recognition from University Recreation to become a club sport again.

The previous wrestling club was removed as a club sport in 2015 because it did not meet University Recreation requirements, which include communicating with the UREC office, submitting budgets, maintaining its constitution and attending regular meetings with UREC staff.

Chris Gormley, UREC’s assistant director of competitive sports, met with leaders of the wrestling team to assist them in becoming an official club sport. He said that once a sport is removed, it can be revitalized, but that the group must start from scratch.

Biology freshman and current president of the wrestling team Hamza Huq has over six years of experience wrestling and has

competed in over 63 matches. More than 40 students have registered to be in the club, and about 20 show up regularly for practice.

The wrestling club was originally intended to be established in the spring of 2018 by graduate students but was delayed due to an initial lack of interest from undergraduates. Huq then took over as the head coordinator and president to spark more interests from undergraduates.

“This semester we have about 15 to 20 freshmen, which is exactly what UREC wanted,” Huq said. “Additionally, we’ve submitted the constitution and budget, and the director seemed pleased with the one we sent in, so we think we’re good to go.”

Biology freshman Isaac Wright is the vice president of the wrestling club.

Wright also has six years of experience in wrestling and began wrestling in middle school. He said the organization typically meets in the green room at the Rec Center

at 9:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays but also has impromptu practices during the week. Once recognized, the wrestling club will post the official practice times on the UREC website.

Huq added that after the team is recognized by UREC, it will begin attending wrestling competitions against UNT and Richland College because of their proximity to UTD. “The club has to pay a fee just to enter the National Collegiate of Wrestling Association, and each competing wrestler has to pay a fee of about $50 just to compete, but we plan on fundraising, so wrestlers may not have to pay the full amount or the amount at all,” Wright said.

The wrestling club has also implemented safety measures in order to abide

by UREC’s policies. Gormley said for wrestling, risk management is especially important, but UREC employs staff who

are trained in areas such as first aid and concussion treatment.

“We have mats and we allow them to bring in volunteer coaches to assist and reduce the levels of risk that (wrestlers) would be exposed to,” Gormley said. “Risk management is not a determining factor in eliminating them because we have other high-risk clubs that participate, but it's certainly a concern in making sure we trust the individuals to follow the protocols and the policies.”

The club is also looking into establishing a women's wrestling team.

“We actually had two women wrestlers come over, and we are actively trying to build a women's wrestling team because it's not uncommon for women to wrestle, and the NCWA has a women's division and a men's division, so we don’t want to leave the

→ SEE WRESTLING,

PAGE 8

Pre-season polls bring hope for basketball Initial ASC, NCAA rankings place women's team as most likely to take regional tournament title TRAVIS DICKERSON Mercury Staff

AMINA HUSSAIN | MERCURY STAFF

The women's basketball team advanced to the ASC semifinals last season.

The women’s basketball team holds a strong position after initial polls from the American Southwest Conference and National Collegiate Athletic Association ranked the team as the most likely to win the regional tournament.

In the 2017-2018 season, the team qualified for the semifinals of the ASC Tournament. Its victories last season allowed it to participate in the NCAA DIII national tournament, where it won the ASC East Division title and made it to the second round. Individual players also received acclaim, with junior guard Victoria Pena named ASC East Player of the Year and sophomore guard Raenett Hughes receiving the ASC East Freshman of the Year award.

The team this year is once again led by head coach Polly Thomason, who received ASC’s East Division Coach of the Year honor for

the last season. Thomason said the team kept working after the last season ended in February in preparation for this coming season.

“The team has been working hard over the summer trying to get ready,” Thomason said, “I think they’re entering this season with a stronger bond and a greater energy than last."

The Comets beat East Texas Baptist, who won against the team last year in the tournament, by six points in the poll. National news site D3hoops placed the team at No. 25 in the entire division. This season is different for the team, as it is primarily composed of veteran players. Hughes, who last season had a 9.4 point and 5.3 rebound average per game, said it built up a strong unity that motivated them to keep on top of their game.

“The chemistry has gotten a lot stronger

→ SEE BASKETBALL,

PAGE 8

The volleyball and soccer teams lost their ASC championships on Nov. 4.

PRANATI CHITTA Mercury Staff

Men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball advanced to the American Southwest Conference championships last week but ultimately lost, concluding a series of high-stakes seasons.

Head volleyball coach Marci Allison began the volleyball program at UTD and has coached the UTD volleyball to five ASC championships.

“Every year the conference is starting to become better and better and more competitive,” Allison said. “We just have to keep raising the level of the program.”

The volleyball team has been undefeated at home games. Alison said that the team often finds that its only competition is itself.

“We’re the only team we need to be worried about,” Allison said. “We can either win games or lose games. We’re not going to do anything different other than control what we can control.”

The volleyball team advanced to the ASC championship game, where it lost 2-3 against Mary-Harding Baylor. Junior Caroline Shecterle had 33 assists during the game. “(This game) showed how much fight we had,” Shecterle said. “The only reason I did well was because of my teammates. They did super, super well.”

In addition to the volleyball team, the women’s soccer team set a record at UTD, winning 16 games this season under head coach Kanute Drugan.

“No other team in women’s soccer has accomplished our record,” Drugan said. “It allows us, either way, win or (lose), to claim the highest win percentage in the history of the school.”

Drugan has coached at UTD for five seasons now, where he has set a back-to-back record for the past two seasons.

“The key factor here is the seniors and the leadership, the experience and wisdom they bring to the younger girls, which has allowed them to come along and grow faster,” Drugan said.

The team advanced to the ASC semifinals where it lost 0-2 against Mary HardinBaylor, a group that they previously defeated during the season.

During the ASC championships, women’s soccer players freshman Sofia Munoz and sophomore Keely Fillman both scored a goal.

→ SEE ASC,

PAGE 8

Nov. 12, 2018 | The Mercury

8

SPORTS

Alum becomes one of few Texas women in football Former UTD athlete breaks barriers as Dallas high school coach SOFIA BABOOL Mercury Staff

UTD ESPORTS | COURTESY

Spring tryouts for the “League of Legends” teams begin Nov. 12, with “Overwatch” tryouts soon to follow.

Esports teams prepare to open spring tryouts

Player ranking requirements increased for upcoming season TRAVIS DICKERSON Mercury Staff

With tournaments and skirmishes continuing throughout the month, including its first tournament out of state, the esports teams are already planning for the spring semester.

Both teams for “Overwatch” and “League of Legends” have played locally in tournaments and TESPA events against teams all over the country. The “League of Legends” teams went to Tulsa, Okla. on Nov. 3 to play their first out-of-state tournament. The esports teams have also begun the process of recruiting new players for the spring semester, with tryouts for “League of Legends” starting Nov. 12.

This season, both “Overwatch” teams scored 6-4 overall, with highlights including its 2-0 victories against Texas A&M and California-San Diego at TESPA-hosted events. Both “League of Legends” teams have also had successes

→ BASKETBALL

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

other,” Hughes said. “Those of us who hung around Dallas during the summer would come in and shoot together in the gym.”

The team started practices in mid-October, focusing on both defensive and offensive play.

One area of difficulty the team had last season was filling into the post position, which is a player’s ability to keep their back

→ WRESTLING

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

women spot empty for UTD,” Huq said.

Although Gormley could not

→ ASC

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

“I feel like it was a mixture between nerves and a feeling of rushing things and not letting things develop,” Munoz said. “(The semifinal) was a good game, but it was definitely not our best.”

Coming into the season as a freshman, Munoz said she has had a successful season and looks forward to many more.

“I’m so proud of the team and what we’ve accomplished this year,” Munoz said. “(In the future) I’m go-

against Texas Tech and Arizona State after they played in a tournament hosted by Alienware and ranked eighth place. Head coach Greg Adler said the teams weren't nervous about moving on to their first in-person tournaments.

“It’s the same things we’ve been doing — after all, you put into performance what you put into practice,” Adler said. “The teams are ready to play the best game they can regardless of who they’re going against.”

In Tulsa. the “League of Legends” A team made it to the final round, where it ended in second, while the B team made it to third place. Junior jungler Karlin Oei, who plays under the nickname “Faith,” said the team had a great start but fell short in the end compared to where they were this time last year while playing on their own.

“We should always strive to get first in a tournament like this. We went into the final round a little un-

prepared,” Oei said. “We’re nowhere near where we were last year, but we’re definitely getting there.”

Tryouts for the spring semester will be held this week for “League of Legends.” “Overwatch” tryouts are expected to follow. The current season required players to be ranked Platinum 1 or higher for “League of Legends” and Diamond or higher for “Overwatch.” Now, prospective players have to be ranked Diamond 3 or higher for “League of Legends” and Master or higher for “Overwatch.” Oei said he is excited about the possibility of adding new members to the teams and that it will hopefully keep veteran players at the top of their game.

“It feels kind of stale right now, so maybe mixing things up will be for the better,” Oei said. “There is a clear best for a certain number of roles, and then there’s a few roles where it’s up for contention, and it’s up to those currently in that spot to show why they’re the best.”

to the goal and receive and pass the ball. Pena, who had a 15.4 point and 5.3 rebound average per game, said their technique has improved dramatically.

“We have new freshmen who are still learning that area,” Pena said. “Then our returning players who have kept up in practices over the summer come in and show them that they really know how to make that position work.”

The team will start the regu-

lar season with a game against Washington-St. Louis on Nov. 16. Thomason said that the team sill has a lot of things to work on — mostly in defense — but that she’s confident the team can do it.

“They’re determined and focused — they want to get after it and finish the season out differently this year,” Thomason said.

“It’s pretty exciting that we have a great core returning, so this year it’s all about fine-tuning it.”

provide a specific date on when the wrestling team will be officially recognized by UTD, he said he is optimistic about the direction the team is going.

“Everybody that I’ve interacted

with has been tremendous and I’m really excited,” he said. “They are on track in doing everything they’ve been asked to do so I’m confident in their abilities to do well as a club sport.”

ing to try and enjoy the season more while it’s happening because it was all over before I knew it.”

The men’s soccer team has had 12 wins this season, which head coach Jason Hirsch attributes to the players.

“I think we have a talented group here — some young guys mixed in with some more experienced guys,” Hirsch said. “I think that I’m really happy with not only their talent level but also their attitude and their mentality towards this season.”

The team advanced to the final game of the tournament and lost

0-1 against Mary-Hardin Baylor.

Senior goalkeeper Chase Therrien saved three goals during the game.

“I did virtually everything that I could,” Therrien said. “As soon as the game ended, I knew that was the best performance I could give as a team.”

This is Therrien’s last season with the soccer team as he will be graduating next semester.

“Ultimately this is one of those things that comes to an end,” Therrien said. “I think (the ASC championship) was my best game I’ve ever played in college.”

While football is considered to be a male-dominated sport, North Dallas High School has veered away from the traditional rules of the game by appointing a female coach to lead the men’s football team. A multisport athlete and former sports video coordinator, Desiree Allen BA ’99 is the only female coach of the men’s football team in the history of North Dallas High School.

As a four-year soccer and basketball athlete, Allen’s experience in the world of athletics is not unfamiliar. Having been a coach for volleyball and track and field at other schools in Dallas, Allen said her journey to being a football coach was an unexpected one.

“I actually wanted to be an athletic coordinator, which usually goes to the football coach,” Allen said. “I began as a video coordinator and started playing women’s tackle football before then. You can coach better when you’ve been an athlete for the sport.”

From being an athlete, to a video coordinator and finally to the head of the men’s football team, Allen said her journey through the various stages of leadership as a woman has encountered heavy judgment and a particular attitude from her past players.

“I would never say I have gotten the utmost respect from my players anytime. You’re always going to have some knuckleheads. On other campuses, I have had some kids try to flirt with me or come at me in an inappropriate way. I have never had that issue here though,”

MEDHA SOMISETTY | MERCURY STAFF

Desiree Allen BA ’99 was an athlete at UTD before becoming one of the only female football coaches in Texas.

Allen said. “You are going to have issues, whether it's coaches or family or whatnot.”

Besides the adversities, however, Allen said that her experience at North Dallas High School reached a level of respect she never received from her former players.

“It’s a kind of mom or big-sister relationship,” Allen said. “I don’t have kids, so last night at the game they were hugging me and calling me mom. That was pretty cool.”

One of her first-year players, Cornell Lavant Bailey, said having a woman as a football coach is a demonstration of the school’s commitment to gender equality. “(Hiring a female coach) shows that our school does not discriminate. I feel like the players give (her) more respect because she is a woman coaching a sport run by men, so

you have to give her respect,” Bailey said. “If you can teach it and play it, it doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman — we can learn from it.”

Her colleagues, including a special education faculty member, a basketball coach and the school’s athletic trainer, said their relationship to Allen has been strengthened by her coaching a men’s football team. Jeremy Mason, a second-year basketball coach at North Dallas High School, has known Allen since her arrival to campus.

“I coach basketball, so women are already at the forefront of that sport. But I feel like now, women are moving forward in the world,” Mason said. “Why aren’t more schools doing this?”

Allen said she gained confidence

→ SEE FOOTBALL, PAGE 11

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COMICS

CONED

Nov. 12, 2018 | The Mercury

9

FOODIE

JENNA CHERREY | MERCURY STAFF

A YEAR IN REVIEW

KEATON NATIONS | MERCURY STAFF

EJ CHONG | MERCURY STAFF

CARTRIDGE CONUNDRUM

ROMEO AND JULIET

CHIAMAKA MGBOJI | MERCURY STAFF

O&B: TAX EVASION

SARAH STREETY | MERCURY STAFF

TIS THE SEASON...?

SARAH BESSERER | MERCURY STAFF

TIL DEATH DO US PART

BIANCA DEL RIO | MERCURY STAFF

CARLZ SAYS

ELIZABETH NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF

CAROLINA ALVAREZ | MERCURY STAFF

10

OPINION

Nov. 12, 2018 | The Mercury CHIAMAKA MGBOJI | MERCURY STAFF

What the people want Why we must stop populist leaders NATHAN STEINLE Contributor Authoritarianism is simply the abuse of authority at the expense of liberty. America certainly has had authoritarian tendencies — from the brutal subjugation of native peoples, the legacy of anti-immigration ideologies, the reluctance in accepting refugees, the heinous system of mass incarceration, to our ever-expanding imperial presidency.

Still, over the past 200 years, the civil liberties of the average American have improved greatly because historically repressed groups have fought for social and political equalities, from ethnic minorities fighting racism and discrimination to labor unions fighting industrial and corporate tycoons.

Nevertheless, over the last 20 years, it seems we have begun to move backwards. This is perhaps most vividly demonstrated by the resurgence of farright political ideologies into mainstream politics, collectively known as the “alt-right,” for whom President Trump is a demagogue.

As discussed in an article published in ***The Mercury*** in 2016, “Democracy Threatened by Authoritarian Ideas,” Americans are increasingly prone to follow despotic leaders who use ideologies such as nationalism and extreme populism as conduits to gain power.

A bait-and-switch is when a seemingly reasonable proposition is given, but after the proposition is accepted, it is replaced with an unreasonable assertion (hence the switch). Sometimes it’s done in reverse — a motte-and-bailey — where something absurd is said before a politican retreats to

something more sensible. These tactics are ubiquitously used by authoritarians, and we need not look far to find examples.

After the tragic events of 9/11, Americans fell for an ultimate baitand-switch. Under the guise of better protection against terrorism — the bait — our Congress passed the Patriot Act. The legislation allows the government to arrest and indefinitely detain anyone they label as an imminent threat to national security, opening the doors to the abuse of our liberties by groups such as the Department of Defense and the FBI — the switch. President Obama further baited us with campaign promises that he would revisit the Patriot Act to increase oversight of government surveillance, but he barely made a dent and instead used it to justify his expansion of America’s drone war.

Trump’s regime stoops deeper into the authoritarian abyss, since it baits-andswitches with vociferous rhetoric and abhorrent actions that ought to disqualify him from leading free people.

For instance, while Trump denounces climate change as a hoax and climate scientists as frauds, he builds walls to protect his golf courses in Scotland from the sea level rise due to climate change. Such hypocrisy is glaringly blatant.

He repeatedly calls the press the “enemy of the people,” while he sat at a table with one of the world’s most cruel authoritarians, Kim Jong-un, and admitted jealousy of how well the dictator is treated by his state-run press. This should deeply worry you.

Trump set the bait that he’s a victim of unfair criticisms and then switched

to cozying up with a legitimate tyrant.

As another example, Trump assured the “return of law and order.” However, he clearly has the opposite in mind since he didn't speak out sufficiently after one of his supporters sent bombs to his selfdeclared enemies — Democrats and the mainstream media — and since his rhetoric directly coincides with the increase of crimes against Jews, Muslims and other minorities.

Although he would have us think differently, the danger of the regressive-left pales in comparison to the danger of Trump’s authoritarianism. To discredit anything the left wing does, he associates the regressive-left's faults with the entire political left-wing. This president's deceit is not only fallacious. It’s grievous, since the anti-fascist movement is rooted in left-wing liberalism, and fascism emerges from right-wing populism such as what he symbolizes.

We should not fear Trump, nor what his followers are capable of.

Rather, we should be wary of falling for authoritarian tricks. If we cannot identify and overcome low-level authoritarians that run our government without sacrificing our liberties, then we have no shot against the high-level authoritarians elsewhere in the world.

As Voltaire said, anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit injustices. His words are as relevant as ever, and each of us has a role to play here. Don’t take the authoritarian bait, don’t be overwhelmed by fear and don’t hate your opposition.

Voting is a great start, but take the step to get to know those with whom you disagree — you'll be surprised to find that there’s an ocean of similarities around the pond of differences.

CAROLINA ALVAREZ | MERCURY STAFF

UTD(iversity) Embracing cultural competence on campus

SABUR WOLDU Contributor

W

hen you’re walking around UTD, you see people from all walks of life. A Bengali student to your right, a Korean girl in front of you, an Argentinian person to your left and your Indian BFF right next to you. When you’re in your classrooms, you speak to people with different experiences — one story of a refugee whose family made a tough journey here, another student from Plano who has lived a comfortable life with absolutely no worries and another of a single mom who is going back to school to show her kids that it’s never too late. When you’re introduced to your professors and TAs, you that find that they, too, are from different countries — a Russian professor with an Indian TA from very different worlds who are nonetheless linked by their teachings. There is a certain beauty in that. We don’t realize how lucky we are to be a part of a community that not only welcomes us just the way we are but allows those who are different from us the same peace of mind.

I know it’s difficult to see UTD as the typical college scene, but instead of dwelling on the things we cannot change — such as the party

scene or the lack of school spirit — we need to look at how UTD is preparing us for our future in so many more ways than one. UTD’s diversity provides you and me the ability to break bread with our brothers and sisters from across the world and has allowed communities from different corners of the globe to come together and flourish in one place. I myself am immersed in many different communities at UTD, and each one holds a special place in my heart. I’ve met incredible people in all of them, I’ve mingled with people I otherwise wouldn’t have and I’ve seen the beauty of all these communities coming together to make UTD feel like home for me.

My Habesha community, made up of fellow Eritreans and Ethiopians, helps me realize that wherever I go, I’ll always have my fellow countrymen and women by my side, reminding me of the beautiful culture that we have, and how in order for us to preserve that, we need to educate our youth and embed in them what our parents embedded in us. My Greek life community is composed of my Tri Delta sisters and all the men and women of Greek life who I’ve formed lifelong friendships with. UTD was even recognized among one the best values and most diverse campuses in the newly released 2018 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings.

We are redefining stereotypes and blazing our own paths while carrying our culture along with us. Without realizing it, UTD is teaching us lifelong lessons about inclusiveness, unity and the beauty of our differences.

The state of our country today is more about hatred than love. The U.S. has seen a rise in hate crimes, most recently with the attack of the synagogue in Pittsburgh.

The Anti-Defamation League reported a 60 percent rise in anti-Semitic incidents from 2016 to 2017, the biggest single-year increase in reported anti-Jewish hate since it started tracking such data almost 40 years ago. The NAACP has also seen a 12 percent rise in hate crime since 2016. These numbers should scare you and encourage you to be the change. Overlooking our differences and concentrating on our similarities is crucial to the path the U.S. will be taking in the next couple of years. We are more divided than we have ever been and it’s up to us as the generation of tomorrow to start fighting. Love your neighbors, respect their culture and see them for their personality instead of their religion, race or origin. Doing your part can make such a difference and allow us to be the change that we want to see in this country.

Nov. 12, 2018 | The Mercury

11

NEWS

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of this program arises from commuter students’ own lack of opportunity to really get involved with the campus.

“It’s convenient — you know that you have some 30 odd minutes of driving back, so it’s like, ‘Should I spend an extra hour on campus getting involved in something, and what’s the incentive here?’” he said.

Ewing said she hopes the program will take off after this year, considering the large commuter population at UTD. “Since it’s our pilot year, we took 40 people.” Ewing said, “It’ll grow, and hopefully we

can take more people next year.”

Ewing said the need for a program outside of Road Warriors to involve students arose out of the limitations of simply having an umbrellalike program for commuters.

“A lot of the work Road Warriors was doing before was really passive. People would come and say, ‘Can I just get the food?’” Ewing said. “But I think there’s so many students who want a chance to just meet people.”

Ewing said she is optimistic about the purpose the FCP will serve in the long-term.

“We’ve had two (students) who have decided that they don’t want to do it anymore be-

cause they’ve said they already got connected with some other people.” Ewing said, “And that’s our main goal, serving as that connection because our commuter students don’t know where to look.”

Road Warrior events have always had many participants, but the FCP will serve as a much more fulfilling experience for commuter students, Ewing said.

“Our commuter breakfasts are always well-attended, and I’m always happy to hand out kolaches in the SU, but just that opportunity to meet people outside of their major everywhere on campus and get connected — that’s what’s really important,” Ewing said.

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purpose of that zine that I made,” Wu said. “I’ve been researching and publishing in different kinds of avenues, traditionally in academic circles, and trying to convey it in a digestible and different way for the undergraduate students of ATEC.” The bookshelf was put up so professors had a space in which they could put up a condensed version of their area of research, Wu said. Zines on the bookshelf include topics varying from failure, to the recent

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said school cafeteria food was higher quality in comparison to the MREs. They both repeatedly told me not to expect much and that people from the military often hated the MREs after eating so many. Their stories didn’t diminish my excitement to try them at all.

MREs come in a vast range of menus. I had Menu 14, which contained creamy spinach fettucine as the main meal. I was pleasantly surprised by the tasty-sounding vegetarian options because I was expecting something like beans or bread. Everything was stored in vacuum-sealed packages or squishy plastic bags filled with liquid. My meal contained a bag of spinach fettucine, plain crackers, peanut butter, a protein bar, a chocolate protein shake, pretzel

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the president of UTD’s Real Estate Club, said funding for travel to real estate conferenc-

nuggets and some instant coffee.

To heat up the meal, there was a special flameless ration heater bag included in the MRE. We filled each heater with water and inserted the main meal package inside.

You had to prop the heater bag up against something in order for it to work. After five minutes, the bag started smoking, and much to my surprise, was actually quite hot.

The various sides were average and nothing special. However, eating the spinach fettucine was very strange. Michael instructed me to pour the contents of my meal into the bag that the MRE came in, which we folded and formed into a crude bowl. The spinach fettucine was cheesy, and the pasta had a decent texture, but it was also extremely salty and tasted a little metallic.

Michael cautioned me not to eat the entire portion and to drink lots of water afterward because

MREs contain a lot of sodium.

However, creamy pasta happens to be my favorite food, and I really don’t have high standards, so I finished it.

Michael and Cris talked about how they often had as little as five minutes to eat their MREs, and they’d usually just eat whatever they could as fast as possible to keep moving. They weren’t the most unpleasant food I’ve had (honestly, school cafeteria meals weren’t much better), but being able to assemble my meal and eat pasta out of a bag was a unique experience all on its own. I couldn’t imagine having to make my food like this and eat it on the go, especially with the very intense and hectic sort of lifestyle people in the military have. By the time we finished our meal and conversation, I had a renewed respect for those serving in the armed forces.

es and networking events will boost students’ chances for securing internships.

“A lot of times, students think that they can apply online and call it a day, but in re-

ality, knowing someone within the firm definitely helps,” he said. “Having them going to the conferences, it will definitely but them in a better position than just applying online.”

Director of Food and Retail Carrie Chutes said the adoption of Discover was to help alleviate textbook-related issues the university community as a whole faced.

“It’s giving students the heads up right away, where we weren’t able to do before, for what they need to budget for their classes for the next semes-

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from her experiences at UTD as a student and athlete.

“UTD has given me an experience of diversity,” Allen said.

“I was used to being the only African-American in college in all my classes — actually, from kindergarten through college, I only had one African-American professor at UTD.” As a mathematics major, a multi-sport athlete and a coach, Allen said that UTD allowed her

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On the other hand, the weather station’s Facebook and Twitter feeds make frequent updates, sometimes every hour. In addition to regular forecasts and inclement weather warnings, the social media channels include lifestyle forecasts to let students know how concerned they should be about frizzy hair or mosquito activity.

Armitage said the WeatherSTEM station helps the university plan more effectively.

“Our department works hard to prepare for emergency situations and return the university back to health in those situations,” Armitage said. “This data helps us get more information, and it helps us get it more accurately, specifically for our campus, not the city of Dallas or the metroplex.”

The station itself is comprised of specific measuring instruments such as an anemometer, a thermometer and a rain gauge that sends recorded data to an electronic interface which publishes the information.

Feminist MakerSpace event and to game development.

“Traditionally we think of research as papers and published in journals that are not widely accessible and circulated in other kinds of communicative platforms,” Wu said.

“The idea there is to have a platform that people could just take a zine which gets at all the really heavy and deep research ideas that we’re investigating.”

The bookshelf follows a “take one, leave one” rule. Rodriguez, an assistant professor in Critical Media Studies, contributed to the zine bookshelf as well.

“In the traditional sense, the little library has to do with books being donated and shared in a particular community,” Rodriguez said. “In ATEC, we’re trying to replicate that.”

Rodriguez said the original purpose of these historical libraries was to make ideas more accessible, a goal mirrored in the creation of ATEC’s bookshelf.

“It’s a community-oriented artistic practice and follows the advocacy that information should be free and accessible,” he said. “There’s no reason why people who don’t have the resources shouldn’t have the access to things like books.”

ter,” Chutes said. “As a university, we don’t receive a commission on textbook sales. There is no hidden initiative from us — it’s simply to provide the best value to our students.”

The final component of Discover allows students to open most online services such as homework or course materials that require access codes directly within Blackboard, diminishing the need for students to go to specific pub-

lisher sites to be able to redeem and access their coursework.

Noorali said the implementation of Discover will be an important tool to use in future semesters.

“If this initiative goes as planned, then it will be a huge conduit of success for UTD students and the UTD bookstore,” Noorali said. “It will allow me to shop for books stress-free and offer me a unified place where I can do all my school work.”

to experience diversity at a new level which now supports the diversified players she encounters on her team.

“At North Dallas High School, I like the variety of kids,” Allen said. “It reminds me of UTD — it’s more diverse. I have taught at so many schools that are primarily African-American to start, but the demographics are changing.”

Although she wasn’t a football player at UTD, Allen said that her passion for sports never lied in football from the beginning, but in Texas, it carried heavy importance.

“In Texas, football is the way to bring people’s attention,” Allen said. “I have always been a tomboy, and this is just something new for me to tackle.”

Allen said her ability to both play and coach the game has introduced a female angle of the sport at North Dallas High School.

“Me being a woman and being physically able to play the game and show them, it makes them understand that one, I know what I am talking about, and two, if a girl can do it, then it’s possible,” Allen said.

In addition to the weather station at Residence Hall West, the university also installed four new weather cameras on other buildings. Dees said the locations of the cameras at Residence Hall South, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Lab and Canyon Creek Heights were chosen strategically.

“Usually when storms come in, they come in from the west. When that happens, we want a camera facing the western point,” Dees said.

“The cameras help because let’s say if we have a tornado warning, we can see the wall cloud. Students can also check the cameras from the website.”

The National Weather Service has recognized UTD’s WeatherSTEM station as an official source of information. The qualifications for this achievement had to do with the personnel as well as the equipment, Armitage said. “(We) … are official weather spotters, and we all took training for that,” Armitage said. “This is also coming from a valid vendor, and they take that seriously. We can coordinate and communicate with them … (to) produce warnings based on what they observe from our system.”

NADINE OMEIS | MERCURY STAFF

The new weather station was installed on the roof of Residence Hall West.

Armitage said various departments pooled their efforts to install the new weather station.

Student Affairs and Facilities Management helped to physically set up the station and the cameras, and the Office of Information Technology made sure all the data was syncing properly.

“This type of work has an immediate impact,” Armitage said.

“Just knowing that you’re making that difference in somebody’s life … is very rewarding."

Nov. 12, 2018 | The Mercury

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one of the donors, said in a statement.

Sarah Kozlowski is the associate director of the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History, which will oversee the collection. At present, the collection consists of over 400 pieces, according to a statement from the university, and includes paintings that date back to 1490.

“The collection will serve as a point of departure for object-led teaching, original scholarly research and curatorial training, as well as technical study in the context of the Institute’s fledgling conservation science program,”

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Reyes said she would want the collection to be moved to a separate gallery area with more guidance and context presented alongside the pieces. Currently, each piece is accompanied by a small plaque containing a few questions. Davidow, a former art educator and museum director, said she suggested the format as a means to help students think more deeply about the art.

Gaurav Shekhar is a program manager and lecturer for the School of Management and member of Staff Council.

Shekhar said he hoped the curator considered the international perspective of the viewers.

“We take pride in calling ourselves a melting pot of cultures,” Shekhar said. “But what is appreciated by a certain culture might be offensive to someone else. There’s a painting in the dean’s office that looks like it has a stain on it. In India, where I’m from, it looks like betel nut juice — it looks like a mark of disrespect.”

The painting Shekhar described is titled “Surprised Man.” It features a prominent splash of brown, as if someone has suddenly spilled something onto the canvas. Another piece by Williams, it will be moved into an open space in JSOM next year.

NEWS

“It’s a balancing of the role of the humanities and the arts with the acknowledged excellence of science and engineering at the university,” Kratz said. “Great universities need that balance of excellence.”

Brettell said the effort will be multiphase. He said he anticipates additional phases will be announced in the coming months and will be equally monumental as the Barrett collection.

Other components proposed in meetings with Arts and Humanities faculty include an art library, an artist residency program, additional gallery space and expanded studio space. “(The Athenaeum) will be a complex of buildings, each of which

will have its own name and donor,” Brettell said.

Funding for the museum will be separate from the most recent donation, which only includes the art itself.

The collection will become the property of UTD following the death of the current owners, Richard and Luba Barrett. For the time being, the collection is owned and managed by a private foundation set up in their name.

Brettell said a portion of the income generated by the foundation will go into an endowment so the university can maintain and house the collection in perpetuity. He said the funds would allow the collection to

continue to grow.

Richard Barrett and his late wife Nona began the collection in 1990.

Nona Barrett died in 2014, but Barrett and his new wife, Luba Barrett, have continued to build the collection, at the request of Brettell.

“At the time, Swiss art was something that was overlooked,” Greg Metz, a clinical associate professor in the School of Arts and Humanities, said. “Rick (Brettell) told Barrett that they’d really have something special if they built the collection.”

The value of the collection will not be released until ownership is transferred fully to the university upon the Barrett family’s death. Their donation

exceeds the value of Margaret McDermott’s $35 million donation to the school — the largest donation to UTD before the Barretts’ gift — according to an article published in The Dallas Morning News.

Kozlowski said she hopes the collection will help UTD hone a unique approach to art history.

“The gift of the Barrett Collection, extraordinary for its range, depth and quality, will transform research and teaching in art history at the O’Donnell Institute and at UTD,” she said.

Two pieces from the Davi- 2018. Security camera footage dow collection have also gone shows the students placing the missing since their installation painting atop a nearby trashcan in early 2018. Kenneth Mack- and walking away. Later, footenzie, a lieutenant at UTD PD, age shows the painting mistaksaid that he cannot recall any- enly discarded by a member of thing like these cases in his nine the custodial staff. years with the department.

The other missing piece is “You have to remember this is called “Crown of Thorns.” The a school of 32,000 people,” he donor, Joan Davidow said she said. “We’ve had furniture sit- noticed the piece was missing in ting in the hallway, and all of a July 2018. Mackenzie said the last video footage sudden it goes UTD PD has of missing but turns That's the the piece dates up later in somepoint of art. to March. He body’s office. For said the motives all we know …

To get people in both cases are some staff memtalking. unclear. ber could have (the art) hanging While there up in their office — Joan Davidow, have been dison display, thinkart donor cussions about the collection in ing it looks better Staff Council, in there.” there are curMackenzie said that going forward, UTD PD’s rently no plans to alter the crime prevention officer should installations. Ravi Prakash, a be contacted whenever there’s a professor of computer science, valuable asset installed in a build- was present at the Staff Couning so appropriate security mea- cil meeting as a representative sures can be taken. He said to his from the Academic Senate.

“I don’t think the Staff knowledge, the officer was not contacted ahead of the installa- Council was talking about censorship or removing paintings tion of the Davidow collection.

One of the missing pieces is but about providing context, a small landscape called “Texas so students would understand Sky.” Mackenzie said the de- the art as something other than partment believes that two un- a random image,” he said.

Prakash said there was a secidentified students removed the painting from the wall in May ondary concern with some of

the staff members who had offices in JSOM. “It’s your workplace, and you have to go there every day,” he said.

“The message in these paintings is somewhat unsettling — profound, but unsettling — and they had no say in what was displayed where.”

Prakash said he understood the concerns but that ultimately, people come to a university to broaden their horizons.

The collection has sparked conversation in classrooms as well as among faculty. Kristen Lawson, a professor of business communication, said every semester, the topic of the Davidow collection comes up.

“I used to have an assignment in one of my classes that involved filming what we call an elevator pitch,” Lawson said. “I didn’t tell the students where to go (to film), but I noticed a lot of them naturally gravitated towards the art installations we have in presenting themselves aesthetically.”

Gordon Sheehan, a finance senior, said he spends a lot of time in JSOM and around the trading lab, where “Joni’s Chorus Line” hangs.

“When I first started looking at it, it made me a little uncomfortable,” said Sheehan. “It’s not my favorite, but it’s nicer than having just the plain wall, for sure.”

The collection was installed toward the end of Sheehan’s time at UTD. He said the

aesthetics of the JSOM building have changed dramatically since he started as a freshman.

“When I’m on campus, I’m usually in work mode and I don’t really stop to smell the flowers,” Sheehan said. “But the art here makes this building stand out more than a typical business school.”

Information technology management senior Sahar Moshtaghiaragh said she took note of the art as it was installed throughout the year.

“I used to like to sit (in one of the student lounges), but since (some nude paintings) were put up over those benches, I’ve stopped sitting there,” Moshtaghiaragh said. “What’s the relation of that naked woman to me, as a business student?”

Moshtaghiaragh is an artist and occasionally teaches art.

She said she prefers to work mostly in realism rather than abstract art.

“Some of these paintings, I have to think, ‘What is this?’

I don’t see a very beautiful thing,” Moshtaghiaragh said.

“As I’m an artist, I feel we could have things that really make the building more beautiful, not weird.”

Shekhar said he has concerns that some investors or recruiters might take the art the wrong way. As part of his job as program manager, Shekhar

helps to recruit corporate engagement programs to campus.

“It’s not just students (who walk these hallways). We have senior industry (recruiters) who come to JSOM almost every day,” Shekhar said. “What if someone really can’t appreciate art and thinks the art is average? It might translate to thinking that the students are average too. It is just not good for the reputation that we have.”

Diane McNulty is the associate dean for external affairs and corporate development in the School of Management. She was responsible for organizing the transfer of the collection from ATEC to JSOM. “There are a couple of management schools in the U.S. that have very nice art collections, and you notice this is a new trend in management schools,” McNulty said. “If you look at corporate moves to different cities, many corporations are moving to be close to arts facilities.

There’s a real appreciation when a community has arts as a centerpiece of the culture.”

Davidow said she’s happy that people are talking about the collection — whether it’s good or bad.

“That’s the point of art,” Davidow said. “To get people talking.”

Kozlowski said in an email.

The project is part of a larger effort to build a hub for the arts on campus. The venture is the brainchild of Brettell and notably includes a multibuilding art complex, nicknamed the Athenaeum.

In a 2014 presentation to Arts and Humanities faculty, Brettell said that as Dallas grew northward, Richardson was uniquely poised to become both the geographical and cultural center of the metroplex.

The Athenaeum would help UTD and Richardson secure that title.

Dean of Arts and Humanities Dennis Kratz said the project will highlight the importance of the arts at UTD.

Additional reporting by Madeleine Keith

Additional reporting by Razan Afghani