SG fall campaign promise check-in Spring COVID plan Spring intramurals announcement

eventually return to “normal” operations.

As finals conclude and students set their eyes on returning to campus next semester, UTD is doing the same with regard to its COVID-19 protocols.

By and large, Vice President and Chief of Staff Rafael Martín says that the current plan is to treat the spring semester as they had planned this fall before the Delta variant was introduced to the DFW area. This means that UTD will essentially return to the current status quo — full density in-person classes, Daily Health Checks, encouraged mask-wearing and random testing across campus — unless circumstances dramatically change over the next month. If positive trends continue into the spring as boosters become more accessible, the University may

“The plan right now — which, of course, big asterisk, is subject to change — is to come back full density just as we are now at the start of the spring semester,” Martín said. “We will obviously be monitoring local cases throughout the break, and if things start to take a turn for the worse, and especially if we start to see

After a semester of limited operations, intramural sports will return to full force for the spring semester with a lineup that includes basketball, FIFA and wiffleball leagues as well as special events like table tennis, Overwatch and a version of Battleship played on canoes in the AC pool.

Ben Piper, associate director of programs for UREC, said that the biggest change from the fall is that basketball and soccer, the two primary leagues, will be back in their full formats — a five-week regular season and twoweek playoff. Piper is also working to bring more of the one- and two-day tournaments and special events, which he said were popular during the fall semester.

“You always run into things like weather if we’re working outside, or sometimes life happens across campus and we have to make adjustments,” Piper said. “But I think the students, in those situations where we had that

UTD’s cross country teams concluded the year on a high note and now turn their focus to preparing for the track season.

Beset by a number of difficulties, including injuries to Graeme Maclean – the defending ASC 1,500 and 800m champion – both the men’s and women’s cross country teams fell short of the ASC conference title this year, although head coach Danielle Kcholi said she was proud of how the teams performed given the circumstances. But, in the last meet of the season, the men’s team put up its best NCAA divisional meet performance in program history, despite moving to a stronger division this year.

“Moving into the new region in the west, that was definitely an eye-opening experi- ence,” Kcholi said. “To put it all in perspective and realize we went to a region where two of the teams were in the top 10 at nationals last year – and one was the national champions –it was a really good experience for everyone to see where we eventually want to be.”

Now, UTD’s runners turn their attention to the track season as they begin individually

Tyler Burkhardt editor@utdmercury.com

Managing Editor Ben Nguyen managingeditor @utdmercury.com (972) 883-2287

Graphics Editor Alesandra Bell graphics@utdmercury.com

Photo Editor Anna Phengsakmueang photo@utdmercury.com