What Are Those Weird Jesus Notes in UV?

Students reported receiving mysterious religious notes on their doors.

The Mercury was in contact with nine students who received identical handwritten notes at both UV apartments and apartments off campus. The notes referred to Bible passages referencing hypocrisy and confession and urged the reader to confess before judgement day as “the end of the world is near.”

Students in UV reported receiving notes going back to 2020, although the postings have escalated in fall 2022 semester. Notes have been posted through phases of UV and other apartments in the Richardson area, like the Ashwood Park Apartments. However, identi - cal handwritten notes have been appearing around DFW since 2015, when CBS News reported on sightings in East Dallas. Kara Curtis, a junior majoring in international political economy, received a note on her UV apartment on November 7, 2022.

“They definitely made me feel unsafe — the idea of someone going up to my door and leaving that feels really odd,” Curtis said. “The first thing that struck me was how obviously strange the note was. Like what religious organization would handwrite identical notes calling themselves Jesus, saying the end of the world was near and making up bible verses? It just didn’t make any sense and seemed like the actions of a seriously unstable person.”

Megan Gray Hering — the assistant dean of AHT and an instructor of introduction to can speak to men and forbid singing and dancing. As a result, Hamzeh said that for her, dance was a powerful tool for protest.

“I feel like I’m using my art,” Hamzeh said. “First of all, I had to learn most of the dances that I know underground in Iran. So, to bring that out of that scary place and use it somewhere to fight the regime that’s in Iran, it gives me this sense of power.”

Hamzeh and her fellow performers’ dance was one of multiple performances at the event. There were also two other dances, the singing of the protest song “Soroode Sogand” and speeches from former student prisoner Mitra Razavi and assistant AHT dean Pia Jakobsson. Hamzeh hoped to embody through her dance her experience in Iran.

“I’m trying to physically give form to the oppression I went through,” Hamzeh said.

“When we’re jumping up and down, it’s like I’m in a situation where I’m nervous, or I’m ashamed or that I don’t know if I’m doing it right. Because as a woman, you’re constantly hearing that you’re doing it wrong because you shouldn’t be laughing too loud, you shouldn’t be talking to males. You shouldn’t dance, you shouldn’t sing, all these things. So you’re constantly questioning yourself.”

Mahmoodi said that the group — Iranian Scholars for Liberty — plans other events to bring awareness to the human rights violations in Iran. Their full statement can be found on their website, www.iranianscholarsforliberty.com. Mahmoodi said that he hopes the event inspires people to fight against human rights oppressors wherever they are.

“I think if we don’t defend these human rights in Iran,” Mahmoodi said, “who knows, tomorrow we have to fight for basic human rights all over the world … maybe tomorrow we have to fight for basic human rights even in other developed countries. So I wanna make sure that we’re cutting that lack of human rights right at the beginning.” speak to the motivation of the author , but offered thoughts on their usage.

“These sorts of notes are typically a form of proselytization,” Hering said. “Those who proselytize may be prompted by feelings of fear for believed consequences of that outside of the religion, a sense of duty to the divine or religious institution, or a genuine desire for others to share the positive experience that they have with that religion.”

— Kara Curtis

Christian studies — said that there is a range of beliefs in all religions, and the notes aren’t necessarily reflective of what others believe. She could not

UTD PD Chief Larry Zacharias confirmed that both UTD PD and the dean of students are aware of the notes but have no information on the person posting them. Zacharias said that since no threats were made, posting the notes is not a criminal offense.

Emo Nite:

On a cold autumn night, Student musical organization Strings Attached performed their annual Emo Nite. From the angsty rock vibes of My Chemical Romance to the indie pop sounds of Boy Pablo, this year's Emo Nite hosted a blend of of musical genres to entice emo music veterans and newbies alike.

his parents, who both helped to organize Hoodies for the Homeless and taught him the importance of giving back to the community at a young age.

“I've always had a passion for service, just helping others,” Miles said. “I like to see others happy. I don't like really to see others down. That really bothers me. So when I drive through a city like Houston, where there's a very large homeless population and I see people sleeping on the ground, with no clothes on and stuff like that … that's a very hard thing for me to look at.” Miles’ favorite part of Hoodies for the Homeless is being able to sit down to talk with the recipients.

“I had a group, it was, it was two guys, last year and it's actually a video of 'em on Instagram,” Miles said. “Once they got the hoodie, they were kind of just talking about how excited they were, how grateful they were. And I [liked] just seeing the excitement on their faces, seeing them grab that hoodie and put it on as soon as they got it and walk around the street. I drove around that area maybe a week later and saw a couple people still having a hoodie on. So that really just fueled my heart, knowing that I did something great for the community at such a young age.”

BetOnYourself accepts $30 donations through Zelle, CashApp,

PayPal and in-person donations, which covers the cost of producing a hoodie. Leftover money goes toward beanie production. Those interested should contact Miles’ business Instagram or business email, betonyourselfclothing@gmail.com.

Organizers are also seeking food and toiletry donations such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, fruit cups, crackers, protein bars, fruit snacks and face masks. Miles invites students to participate as volunteers to give back to their community and earn volunteer hours.

“I don't really do it for the exposure, but I know it is good for my brand,” Miles said. “Like that we are giving back … but the main focus and the main message behind this is, you know, to get those people who are struggling something to wear, something to eat and just [be] a positive spirit around Christmas time.”

In the future, Miles plans to expand Hoodies for the Homeless to Dallas. As president of the Tau Xi chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Miles organizes several other community service events, and after graduation, Miles hopes to continue his philanthropy by creating a college scholarship fund for his hometown of Humble, Texas.

“You just never know how you can impact somebody's day… so that would be my message, you know, just try to get out every once in a while. I know people are busy with school and work, but you know, you can block some time off for somebody else and just make a difference in the community … Just spread positivity, spread love.”

HOUSING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

2020, traffic and safety concerns were cited, including comments from UT Dallas Vice President for Facilities and Economic Development Calvin Jamison who voiced concerns that the project might “oversaturate the market” while students were attending school online.

In September 2021, the council denied another revised request to rezone because the plan wouldn’t align with the land use map which designated the region as property for “regional employment,” according to community impact.

City council members raised concerns at the November 2022 meeting over various elements of the development’s design, including parking minimums and phasing. Two plots would compose the development: subarea 1— student-focused housing—and subarea 2—the hotel and retail spaces. They sought a guarantee that if construction on subarea 1 was approved, then subarea 2 would be built.

“We would agree to subarea [1], a 0.8 parking ratio … [and] that subarea 2, that everything would be under construction, going vertical, with the exception of the hotel before the certificate of occupancy is issued for subarea 1,” council member Ken Hutchenrider said. Council members also raised concerns over affordability.

“To make sure I understand, y’all have talked about the market price and so forth,” council member Bob Dubey said. “I think it’s clear we need to make sure we understand that this is not affordable housing. So how much it will cost to occupy or rent or lease these buildings, I think it’s gonna be expensive, or like you said, market value or market price. I do know that the college is planning on doing a bunch of new revitalization and a lot of housing on campus. So, it bothers me a little bit that this is promoted as student housing.”

In total, 21 UTD students attended the meeting to show their support for the zoning change. Five UTD students spoke at the meeting in favor of the development. Comets for Better Transit, a student organization devoted to transit and housing advocacy, organized student turnout for the event. Prior to the vote, the organization circulated a petition for students in support of the development, which by Nov. 14 had received 200 signatures.

Daniel Yahalom, computer science junior and president of Comets for Better Transit, spoke on both the lack of housing and high rents in the area surrounding campus. In the past year, the average UV floor plan saw an 3% increase in per-semester rent. The average monthly rent at Northside increased by 16%.

“The crisis our university is facing is not just a housing shortage, but a housing affordability crisis,” Yahalom said. “It is not something that is going to be caused by the construction of some luxury apartments, it is something that is happening because supply simply cannot meet demand. Right now, neither the university nor Northside have any serious plans to address the shortage in the short term. Since 2018, attendance has increased by over 4,000 students, while housing capacity has increased by zero. This is the only serious solution attempting to address this right now.”

UTD Student Government passed a resolution on Oct. 25 in approval of the zoning file. According to Griffin Davis — who spoke on behalf of Student Government — last spring, 2,325 students signed up for university housing, while only 1,717 beds were available.

“In total, there are 6,094 beds on campus, with plans to only add 1,300,” Davis said. “And that’s plans —aspirational plans — to serve a campus population of around 30,000 people. That math doesn’t add up to me … any delay to the availability of student housing is an undue burden on the students of our university. Please allow this developer to provide us with what we so desperately need. Don’t stand in the way of them providing it to us. Please approve the zoning file.”

Despite not voting on or codifying any city ordinance for the site, the seven-member council agreed with the developer's ratio of beds to parking spaces and plans for phasing the building process. “We’re violently agreeing. I don’t think you understand that you’ve just won,” Richardson Mayor Paul Voelker said. “Just let us put it in writing and we’ll vote on it.”