20th Sept Edition by The Mercury

the Mercury

www.utdmercury.com

The Student Newspaper of UTD

Vol. XXX, No. 11

‘The Scrubs’ get down and dirty for football season Page 10

? ?

Are you racist?

Page 3

September 20, 2010

Drugs, sex and alcohol, Poetry Slam has it all Page 7

Wi-Fi woes Comic creations for all ages unresolved Rebecca Gomez

Staff Writer becks@student.utdallas.edu

Waterview Park apartment residents are now required to pay a mandatory $15 per month fee for the recently acquired AT&T Wi-Fi internet service. Some residents, tired of the unreliable network, have chosen to pay an additional monthly charge to add Time Warner’s internet service. Undecided junior Michael Stettler and his three roommates represent many residents who, after being told that the $15 fee was not cancelable, still found it worth their while to pay for an additional carrier.

Stettler said he and his roommates share a $30 monthly bill for Time Warner internet which provides them 15 megabits (MB) per second speed in addition to the $15 per resident fee Waterview charges for one MB per second speed on a good day. Residents of Waterview were not charged an internet usage fee prior to May, but were notified on their leasing contracts a fee would be imposed once Waterview found a new Wi-Fi provider. In June 2010, a month after the new service rolled out, Waterview had already begun issuing refund credits

see INTERNET page 4

Artist hopes to expand cartoon audience Mari Vila

Staff Writer mxv093120@utdallas.edu

POW! BAM! WHRUNCH! Batman is here to save the day! His DC Comics nemesis of the month will destroy all of Gotham because of generic daddy issues and a yearning for revenge. That makes perfect sense to a child, but to Arts & Humanities graduate student Ruben Nieto the narrative is weak. “POW! La Revolucion!” a collection of comic book style paintings by Nieto, will be on display until Oct. 2 at Centraltrak.

photo by Ben Hawkins

Close-up of Arts & Humanities graduate Ruben Nieto’s portrait, one of many in his collection titled “POW! La Revolucion!” featured at Centraltrak. Nieto’s pieces included familiar faces from his childhood. The exhibition is co-sponsored by UTD’s Center for US-Mexico Studies and celebrates the 200th anniversary of Mexico’s independence from Spain. Nieto’s paintings feature

large blotches of bright color and feature familiar yet unsettling images of comic book characters such as Batman and Daffy Duck. The paintings, which

feature recycled characters and motifs, decompose the narrative and recontextualize the imagery in an attempt to redefine the

see COMIC page 9

Beware: cheating is easy Academic dishonesty could stem from unclear policy Rebecca Gomez

Staff Writer becks@student.utdallas.edu

illustration by Laura-Jane Cunningham

Teaching tolerance

Students collaborating on schoolwork without express written consent by their professors can be guilty of academic dishonesty and possibly expelled from UTD. Fixing how collusion is addressed is not within the scope of the academic-integrity policy review committee set to convene this month, said Dean of Students Gene Fitch. “The reality is that some professors will tell you what the point of collusion is and some won’t,” Fitch said. Collusion is the point where student collaboration on homework, essays or exams is considered cheating by a professor. Intentional collusion is obvious cheat-

ing like students in different sections of a course sharing exam answers or plagiarizing each other’s papers. Collusion can also be unintentional; meaning if a student steals another student’s exam and uses it to cheat both students can be equally guilty of academic dishonesty. Accounting junior Paul Im said his rough draft for a final paper was stolen and used by a fellow classmate to write a nearly identical paper. Im said he explained to Judicial Affairs Officer (JAO) Susan McKee in Judicial Affairs (JA) that his notes were taken without his knowledge because he had already finished his paper and no longer needed the notes. Im was found guilty of

see POLICY page 6

Crowd goes wild for local multi-billionaire

MSA educates audience on Islamic culture Jessica Melton

Editor-in-Chief jjm082000@utdallas.edu

In hopes of battling stereotypes and overcoming prejudices, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) will host a 9/11 commemoration. Biology senior and MSA member Sunna Syed said the events’ main purpose is to remember the 3,000 people who lost their lives that day, while a secondary purpose is to educate

the community about Islamic culture. Syed said 9/11 often places Muslims under the spotlight, and negative stereotypes often ensue. “(The event) is sort of a way of saying we were hurt by this too, as equally if not more hurt on 9/11, because it was our religion that was hijacked,” Syed said. “They killed in the name of Islam, in the name of Muslims, in the name of a god and prophet that we hold very

dear and we’re not ok with that.” Marketing junior and MSA member Azim Sookoor said the actions of a few shouldn’t reflect on the majority of many. Part of MSA’s hope to educate people about Islamic culture involves an Imam, the leader of prayer at Mosque, who will lecture on Islam and terrorism and then answer

see MSA page 4

photo by Amanda Duke

Owner of the Dallas Mavericks and multi-billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban spoke Sept. 14 in the School of Management building as part of the Entrepreneur Club’s speaker series. Full audio available online: utdmercuryblog.com.

Opinion

September 20, 2010

the Mercury www.utdmercury.com

Editorial Board

Academic integrity policy revision needs refocus, redirection Academic integrity policies are up for review, but the areas that sorely need revision are being ignored. The prosecution of collusion cases, and the universities definition of the term, deserve more attention as the process currently allows students to be convicted subjectively, but punished objectively. The judicial affairs website defines collusion as any instance a student participates in an act of scholarly thought with another person. Cases of collusion are not to be confused with cheating which, defined by the university, means one student

took another students’ work without permission. On the same website it singles out transferring a file from one persons account to another as collusion, and states that any group and study work should be identified on the syllabus. Under the current definition there is no distinction made between a study group and people who share answers on an exam. With that level of variance, students should be given better warning of policies that could cause them to be sent to the Office of Academic Integrity. With this system in place, students

could accidentally commit acts of academic dishonesty. Once charged the student must present absolute proof they were not cheating to satisfy the guilty-until-proven-innocent system. It would be difficult to standardize policies for all classes since differences exist between labs and lectures. It makes sense for professors to set their own guidelines since they are likely to be reporters of academic dishonesty. If rules existed from the beginning of each course, there would be no question or gray areas when academic dishonesty is called into play.

Respecting the message Mari Vila

Staff Writer mxv093120@utdallas.edu

‘Too long; didn’t read’ or ‘tl;dr’ is a phrase that’s been popping up more and more on the Internet as a way of telling people their post was too long and warrants a shorter explanation. It’s time for people to learn, if you can’t tell me something in less than 140 characters, I don’t care. And no, I don’t think this is destrucMari tive or backwards. With new websites offering individual perspectives popping up every day, those consumed with it thirst for information in convenient packages. One reason the Internet and social networking sites have become so popular is because they allow users to build virtual communities. As President Obama demonstrated with his Facebook campaign, the ability for users to reply back to posts only furthered the notion that he was a man for the people. With each social networking site offering a slightly different experience, leaders and their

teams have learned to adapt to audiences. Twitter, for example, has a 140-character limit. Although packing vital information in 140 characters might have been a daunting task for leaders accustomed to giving speeches, they adapted flawlessly, and users were able to stay informed, educated and interested without being overwhelmed by lengthy posts. tl;dr: Leaders like Obama have succeeded in gaining the youth’s favor Vila because of their ability to be simple and concise. I just wrapped up paragraphs worth of argument into 113 characters. If this was Twitter, I would have had 27 characters to spare. See my point? On June 13, 2009, trending topics were almost all exclusively focused on indignation and anger following Iranian elections. Tweets were generated too rapidly for the Iranian government to censor adequately, and what resulted was an inside look of what the people of Iran were experiencing. And is it a coincidence that Twitter, the social networking

Jessica Melton, Editor-in-Chief Shane Damico, Managing Editor James Woolley, Advertising Manager Laura-Jane Cunningham, Graphics Editor Alex Hays, Social Media Editor Swaroop Rayudu, Web Editor news@utdmercury.com The Mercury Editorial Board voted 6-0 in favor of this editorial. The board consists of the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, managing editor, advertising manager, graphics editor, social media editor and web editor. The board will discuss, debate and develop editorial positions on issues affecting the UTD community. We welcome your responses at news@utdmercury.com. Opinions expressed in The Mercury are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the university administration, the University of Texas System Board of Regents or the Student Media Operating Board. Editorial and business offices are in Student Union, Room 2.416. Telephone: 972-883-2286. Mailing address; SU 24, Richardson, TX 75080.

California dreaming

website most bashed for being impersonal, was the one to house this revolution? Not in your dreams! If the good people of Iran were taking their sweet time writing blog posts the government would have had time to step in and censor them. tl;dr: Twitter’s speed and effectiveness liberates us and emphasizes the truth. But screw politics for a second. Think about your best friend and the last time you talked. Was it over the phone? Was it in class? Or was it through text? Some might argue relationships based through text messaging and social networking websites are superficial. Alright. You got me there. I agree to some extent. However, it all depends on how you utilize your resources. If you’re sitting in class, you can’t talk to your best friend and have meaningful conversations. But does talking about your professor’s awful, lime green button-down shirt lessen your bond? It doesn’t. tl;dr: Use the information age to your advantage, but don’t forget that some things are too important to summarize in 140 characters. But not that. Because that was still only 126.

Comet

illustration by Laura-Jane Cunningham

Comments

hat’s your opinion of academic integrity on campus?

“(Cheating) happens frequently and there isn’t anything anyone can do.”

“I think the policy is taken pretty serious on campus.”

“I think it’s high time for the policy to be better enforced.”

Arvin Taneja Business sophomore

Kaci Froman Literary studies senior

Devan Samineedi Graduate student

“Since we’re in college now it’s more important.”

“Professors should restructure assignments so students can work in groups.”

“In college it’s taken more seriously.”

Raji Pathak Mathematics freshman

Caleb Brackens Business senior

Garrett Trickey Engineering freshman

the Mercury

Photographers

Contributors

Albert Ramirez Brandon Higgins

Danelle Adeniji Nada Alasmi Richard Arduengo Jameshia Bankston Anwesha Bhattacharjee Amanda Duke Ben Hawkins Lauren Monsalve Michelle Nguyen Adita Vira

Editor-in-Chief Jessica Melton

Graphics Editor Laura-Jane Cunningham

Media Adviser Cristen Hixson

Managing Editor Shane Damico

Web Editor Swaroop Rayudu

Staff Writers Rebecca Gomez Mari Vila

Advertising Manager James Woolley

Editorial Board

Social Media Editor Alex Hays

The Mercury is published on Mondays, at twoweek intervals during the long term of The University of Texas at Dallas, except holidays and exam periods, and once every three weeks during the summer term. Advertising is accepted by The Mercury on the basis that there is no discrimination by the advertiser in the offering of goods or services to any person, on any basis prohibited by applicable

law. Evidence of discrimination will be the basis of denial of advertising space. The publication of advertising in The Mercury does not constitute an endorsement of products or services by the newspaper, or The University of Texas at Dallas, or the governing board of the institution. Copyright © 2010 UT Dallas

E-MAIL: news@utdmercury.com

MAIL: 800 W. Campbell Road, SU 24, Richardson, TX 75080-0688

the Mercury www.utdmercury.com

Opinion

I am racist

(and you can too!) missing word, one misunderstood statement, one ill expressed thought I could barely remember and just As a white guy, in the last like that I became a racist. election I had two choicThe thought that I failed es: vote for McCain and to express was “you’re you’re a racist, or Vote for too pretty to be called a Obama and you only did beaner”, even if it was it because you don’t want coming from the mouth of people to think you’re a a Latina. racist… because you’re a But I’m not here to argue racist. my case. My These days extensive black peofan base has ple are racstuck with me ist toward despite this white people, scandalous Christians blow to my t o w a r d reputation. I Muslims and should be in Mel Gibson some sort of is just racist. rehab soon. John McCrary Studies I read What I am somewhere here to argue show, at current rates by is the difference between the end of October every- ignorance and prejudice. one will be a racist. You can’t be prejudiced Personally, I inadvertent- without being ignorant, ly became a racist on Sept. but you can be ignorant 1. I went to Fort Worth without being prejudiced. to see a friend play at a Bigotry, intolerance and bar and at one point in racism are all born out the night a pretty woman of ignorance, but that from work asked me point doesn’t mean ignorance is blank to guess what race a red flag for racism. They she was. could just be clueless. After ignoring flashIt’s stupid to assume all backs to other “does adults are fully aware of this dress make me look the ins and outs of every fat?” moments, I told her culture, of the things that based on her fair skin make people who they and her habit of speaking never see who they are. Spanish that she must be Now, I’m OK with peo“Spain”-ish. ple thinking I’m an idiot. The conversation What I’m not OK with is moved quickly and she how easily witchcraft 2.0 said, amongst numerous gets thrown around these Latinos, that she was a days. “beaner.” She explained If someone never acts they were all “beaners.” like a racist, then odds I told them I wasn’t com- are they aren’t. Tricking fortable with that word. them into making a politiThe rest was a blur until cally incorrect statement I woke the next morning or discovering they misunto texts asking what I had derstand something about said. A friend explained a group of people doesn’t that she called me a racist mean you caught them because at some point I red-handed. said “you’re too pretty to When people yell racism be a beaner.” at the slightest misstep, And there it was. One it acts like inflation. The Contributor news@utdmercury.com

word loses its value, and it’s far too important a word to be taken lightly. Think back to some of the awful things people have done to each other throughout history, if you look close enough, you’ll likely find at its heart is racism in some shape or form. Sept. 9, Rev. Terry Jones of Gainesville, Fla. called off his proposed Quran burning scheduled for Sept. 11 in protest of the “Ground Zero Mosque.” He planned to publically insult and hurt over one billion people. This is racism. This should not be taken lightly. By putting my misstep on the same level as this, it diminishes the significance of what this man was planning to do, and that is not OK. Things like disagreement, conflict or misunderstanding aren’t born out of prejudice, they’re born out of ignorance. Take a closer look at whoever it is you fail to understand, and often it’s not a racist you’ll find, it’s just someone different from you. The difference between a racist and an ignoramus is whether or not you’re open to understanding this new and strange person you’re encountering. Look, I like making jokes at the stupid things people do just as much as the next guy, but when someone comes along who deliberately hurts another person because of their race, religion or ethnicity, we need the tools to recognize that act for how serious it is. We need words like “racist” to hold their value, otherwise how will we know when to joke and when to save the boy from the wolves?

Thoughts on ‘Islamophobia’ Professor opposes ground zero mosque William Katz

Professor news@utdmercury.com

John McCrary

September 20, 2010

As a professor at UTD, I notice different students’ attitudes towards identity, religion and ethnicity. Some students are anxious to assimilate – they are self-conscious if their background is noticed and quickly mention they really don’t relate. Others are clearly comfortable with their heritage, reacting with pride and ease. Yet others seem to require participation in what some call a “grievance lobby,” reacting strongly to any perceived slight and needing to address this publicly. In the wake of the recent anniversary of the 9/11 World Trade Center bombing, issues dealing with Islam have gotten much press. At UTD we have heard at least one opinion suggest that Muslim students suffer unjust persecution or stigma, post 9/11. We have also heard a student voice supporting the construction of a mosque at Ground Zero. There has also been recent mention of a Muslim student who received a Fulbright Award to study Islamic law (i.e., Shari’a) in Egypt. This achievement was suggested to be a type of potential empowerment for Muslim women and a case of “building bridges” to Islam. As a long-time observer of religion and international politics, I have a rather different opinion. First, it seems clear that the Ground Zero mosque is not about tolerance or worship. Rather, it is a planned showcase for Islamic triumphalism. Though I don’t doubt it may occasionally be difficult in a campus setting for students who are religiously observant, of any religious persuasion, I see little evidence of persecution

against Muslims in America, While I suppose the and not the slightest hint notion of sending Muslim here at UTD. UTD students abroad to If one wishes to speak study Shari’a in Egypt could of persecution, it would foster some religious depth, appear to be quite the one wonders whether there opposite. Islam, as a politi- is any real potential for cal institution, has a noto- building bridges or helping rious history for oppress- women by training univering minorities worldwide sity students in Shari’a. (Copts, Druze, Bahai, Unfortunately, many disJews, Buddhists, Hindu, turbing aspects of Shari’a Maronites, Chaldeans, etc.), do not agree with modern as Dhimmi (minority people notions of universal human under protection) and Kufir rights. For instance, Shari’a (infidel). This is the basis situation conupon which tinues unabatMuslim men ed today. may marry W o m e n ’s women as rights fare paryoung as age 9, ticularly poorly Muslim women under Shari’a, may be beaten and gays and by their husapostates live bands, caned, under a peror stoned to William Katz petual death death, apossentence. tates are Considered from this per- required to be killed and spective, the situation non-Muslims are granted of Muslim students on less rights than Muslims. American campuses today If UTD and other acawould scarcely constitute demic institutions, such as persecution. the Fulbright foundation, While any anti-Muslim wish to help the Muslim bigotry is of course deplor- world, we should spend able, study after study money to offer those shows incidents of religious trapped under Shari’a an attacks against Muslims opportunity to come here represents a tiny fraction and learn Western civiliof anti-religion violence in zation and human rights. America (the vast propor- Under the guise of political tion being anti-Semitism, correctness, we are doing followed by anti-Christian things precisely backviolence). wards. Indeed, many of the soJust as the Catholic called “Islamophobia” cases Church saw fit not to estabone may read about are lish a convent at Auschwitz purposely exaggerated by in deference to the memopolitical front groups such ry of those who perished in as Committee on American the Holocaust, one would Islamic Relations to advance hope that sensitive memIslamist causes. bers of the Muslim comWhen one reflects that munity would respect the America has suffered brutal memory of those murdered attacks from radical Muslim at Ground Zero. groups at home and abroad Fortunately, most and that we have sacrificed Americans realize how soldiers’ lives in an effort to unbelievably offensive democratize Muslim countries, and wrong this proposed a more accurate assessment venture is. Our university would be how remarkably tol- should seek to foster true erant and patient Americans tolerance and not fall prey are with the American Muslim to a “grievance lobby” community. mentality.

September 20, 2010

News

the Mercury

www.utdmercury.com

MSA

continued from page 1

UTD Police scanner Sept. 1 •PD responded to three reports of bicycle theft, two at the University Village Apartments (UV) Phases VI and VIII and one at the Waterview Park Apartments (WV) Phase IV. •PD responded to a report of minor in possession in UV Phase VIII. Sept. 2 •PD dispatched to Lot F in

response to the theft of two pieces of construction equipment. Sept. 3 •Subject at the McDermott Library arrested for criminal trespass. •PD dispatched to Lot B in response to a reported injury. Sept. 4 •PD responded to suspicious activity report in the UV

Phase VIII and at the Green Center. •PD responded to student report of bicycle theft at Berkner. Sept. 5 •Student reported burglary of their vehicle and theft of a Nintendo DS at WV. Sept. 7 •Employee reported theft of one fourth tank of gas from

INTERNET

corner of the living room,” Stettler said. Stettler and his roommates moved to building 31 and are now able to pick up a signal in two of their bedrooms, albeit a slow one. Rodriguez, who lives in building 8, can only pick up a signal in his living room and sometimes can’t even log on to use it. “Frequently, the access points are broadcasting but aren’t routing traffic anywhere,” Rodriguez said. Once a student finds a place in his apartments where a signal can be received, the speed of the connection becomes a problem because the more students who share the available bandwidth the slower the speed becomes. “It was decently fast at the beginning of this school year, then when everyone came back for fall it crawled to like a tenth or a fifth of a MB per second,” Stettler said. Along with offers of refunds for poor service, the June bulletin said a firmware

upgrade of the signal broadcasting system, the switch from a single band to a triple band system and the upgrade of a primary receiving antenna would result in improved service. Stettler said he attempted to use the internet once the antenna was upgraded but it was still slow and hard to receive a signal. On Aug. 31 Waterview addressed the continuing complaints with another bulletin, through e-mail, stating that every resident would have reliable internet within the next 7-14 days or else a non-specific contingency

continued from page 1 to assuage all the complaints to both them and AT&T. Per the community bulletin issued by Waterview that same month, every resident who had moved in prior to May 1 was to receive a $30 credit on their account for May and June due to either poor service or no service at all. Residents do not receive a bill from AT&T; they pay a technology fee along with their rent each month to Waterview. Computer science junior Kenny Rodriguez said the problems stem from the use of hotspot Wi-Fi as residential internet for students. Hotspot Wi-Fi generally broadcasts an internet signal from a fixed location that becomes weaker the further you move away from it. “When I was living in building 29, my roommates and I could only pick up a signal by standing in one

a UTD vehicle located near Founders. •Student reported bicycle theft at WV. Sept. 8 •Staff member reported theft of a UTD property cell phone at Jonsson. •Two UTD vehicles were involved in a traffic accident in the UTD Police Department parking lot.

questions from the audience. Electrical engineering senior and MSA president Muhammad Khan said he hopes people can learn what Islam is really about. He said a lot of groups are not exposed to the Quran, and don’t know what message it contains. Some people currently portray Islam as an aggressive religion, and it’s culture as anti-western said Sookoor.

“Hopefully people will walk away with a better understanding, and go home and read,” Khan said. “Read about Islam.” English translations of the Quran will be available for free at the event. Syed said the best way to change the perceptions is for people to know a Muslim. She said they are less inclined to stereotype a group if they know someone who fits inside it. The commemoration event will take place at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 20 in the Galaxy Rooms.

illustration by Michelle Nguyen

plan would be implemented. “Nobody has actually stated what will happen if AT&T doesn’t make their service reliable,” Rodriguez

said.” They’ve just vaguely implied that something will happen.” As of press time no verifiable improvements have been

made in the reliability of the network and Waterview Park would only offer the bulletins as their official statement on the issue.

the Mercury

www.utdmercury.com

September 20, 2010

News

September 20, 2010

www.utdmercury.com

the Mercury

Dining Services policy changes announced Richard Arduengo Contributor news@utdmercury.com

Changes to UTD Dining Services and logistics for the upcoming voter registration drive dominated discussion at Student Government’s (SG) second meeting of the semester Sept. 7. Director of Dining Services Keith Foreman thanked senate for their contribution of ideas to improve Dining Services. Foreman gave a recap of the changes that have already taken place: • Extended dining hall hours of operation to 9 p.m. • Students can use their meal plan to purchase food at The Pub. Foreman also noted upcoming changes: • The addition of up to three cable televisions in

the Dining Hall and nearby hallway. • The closing of Coyote Jack’s in the Comet Café. SG was prompted to participate in an optional survey intended to help Dining Services choose a replacement. Current choices include Papa John’s Pizza and Wild Greens, a salad specialty restaurant. • A potential smoothie shop on campus. Options include Jamba Juice and Fresh Mango. The location is yet to be determined. Legislative committee chair and business administration junior Zayd Mabruk presented a more detailed plan for “Govern the Vote,” the voter registration drive announced during the last meeting. Mabruk said the voting drive will consist of three phases:

Report

• A two-week period during which booths set up around campus will offer registration cards to students. • Two days specifically dedicated to handing out flyers advertising voter registration. • A party offering free food and prizes to newly registered voters. Specific dates were unavailable due to the late procurement and delivery of supplies. Mabruk said the voting drive will occur in mid to

BBS tutoring added at GEMS Danelle Adeniji

Contributor news@utdmercury.com

Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS) courses no longer have to be a mind game now that tutoring is offered at the Gateways to Engagement, Mastery and Success Center (GEMS). Focus for GEMS, located in the Conference Center, was originally math and science courses, but has widened its scope. The building is separated into different areas of study. The math lab, writing center and newly renovated peer tutoring offices are just a few of the other different locations. GEMS now offers tutoring for most BBS courses. GEMS’ website said its mission is to provide opportunities of academic success for undergraduates who seek help in their core classes. Associate Provost Thom Chensey said due to an increase of students from the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences seeking help the center decided to

“We start small and if the demand grows we take off from there,” Chensey said. Psychology tutor and senior Valerie Richardson began working as a supplemental instruction leader last semester. Richardson has a broad psychology background and said she made herself available when psychology tutoring became available in GEMS. “I work diligently and try to explain things in simple terms,” Richardson said. “And it helps illustration by Aditi Vira to be able to relate to the students.” add BBS tutoring. The cenAs a newcomer to psycholter offers help with courses ogy tutoring, international such as introduction to psy- political economy sophochology, statistical decision more Dunya Taher said she making and statistics for got what she needed out of psychology. it and that Richardson was Chensey said that GEMS very helpful. overall has been a great sucBBS tutoring sessions are cess and even though BBS in the Conference Center in tutoring has just kicked off CN 1.206. For more infora good number of students mation visit utdallas.edu/ have still shown up. ossa/gems.

late September, before the Oct. 4 deadline for voter registration. Mabruk requested an allocation of $2,850 to finance the venture and the motion passed unanimously. Others issues on the meeting’s agenda were: • SG approved the appointment of seven additional members to replace senators who had resigned. SG President and political science senior Grace Bielawski said the resignations had been tendered due to a misunderstanding of senatorial duties. New SG appointees included political science junior Brittany Ellenberg, biology freshman Simon Le, political science freshman Giovani Jonenson and biology freshman Nalini Kanthety. Also confirmed were four

residential senate officers, who will represent on-campus residents. • Graduate and International Students committee chair and graduate student Mayur Mehta announced a new survey to promote the need for a Walmart-bound bus route to serve students without cars. The survey will seek to quantify how many students are in need of this service. • Vice President and political science senior Dina Shahrokhi announced that applications for a $500 dollar undergraduate research award are now available online at utdallas.edu/research/. She also announced the formation of an ad hoc committee to advocate for more affordable textbooks. • Sustainability sub-committee chair and political science sophomore Andrew

POLICY

continued from page 1

academic misconduct because he couldn’t prove he wasn’t. “She said they couldn’t rule me out as a co-conspirator and failed me for the class,” Im said. McKee refused to comment to The Mercury because she said she is not at liberty to discuss individual cases due to the restrictions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Student Government (SG) president and political science junior Grace Bielawski created the committee with Fitch because she said the current academic integrity policy might need to be improved. Bielawski said she is now reticent to even give classmates advice on schoolwork because that could also be considered collusion. “Lab partners collecting raw data during an experiment is not collusion,” Fitch said, “but after that point you must have explicit instructions from your professor on how far you may collaborate.”

Fitch said that while the policy is being reviewed now it’s not due to any specific incident but rather to a general perception that the current policy may not be as fair as it could be. Data provided by Fitch showed a decline in misconduct cases from fall 2009 to spring 2010. In fall 154 accusations of misconduct were brought to JA and 135 in spring. He said out of the accusations, or referrals as they’re called in JA, about 4.5 percent of cases were dismissed in spring and 11 percent were dismissed in fall. Dismissed cases mean no evidence turned up to prove academic misconduct actually occurred. The policy review committee convening this month may take a year to conclude and present findings, if any, Fitch said. A separate committee will be formed to decide how to best educate students on how to avoid academic misconduct. Educating students about how not to collude, Bielawski said, is going to be a difficult task. Fitch came to UTD from Middle Tennessee

Previc said Waterview Park Apartments have agreed to provide additional prizes for the UTD Unplugged environment sustainability competition. The sub-committee has also started to develop a website. • $500 was allocated toward the School of Management’s town hall meeting, and $250 was allocated to the Residential Student Affairs to print information brochures. • Finally, due to the impending retirement of Mehta, nominations were submitted to fill his post as chair of the Graduate and International Students committee. Stavan Desai and Ashley Wagner both accepted nominations. Elections will take place during the next SG meeting Sept. 21 at 5:15pm in the Galaxy Rooms.

State University (MTSU) where he was able to both propose and implement changes to their academic dishonesty policy during his 13 year tenure. Bielawski said one his changes at MTSU, to replace the previous system of having one JAO to hear each case with a panel of JAO’s and students, may be proposed by the committee. Im said in a case of clear-cut cheating the process he went through with Judicial Affairs (JA) would have been fair, but there wasn’t a straightforward way to prove innocence of unintentional collusion. “They didn’t know who did what, but rather than go through a process of figuring it out they just took the shorter route and failed us both,” Im said. Fitch said the best advice he can give students is to get written documentation from their professors before proceeding in any situation they are unsure of because that is the only way to prove your case should an accusation of collusion be made.

the Mercury www.utdmercury.com

Life &Arts

September 20, 2010

Facebook event drawing pays off Sold out concert tickets awarded to student by chance Anwesha Bhattacharjee Contributor news@utdmercury.com

In 2008, health care management freshman Archana Subhash flew 300 miles and spent over 8,000 Indian Rupees to attend an Allah Rakha Rahman concert in India. This time around, the show is in Dallas and Subhash is going for free. Subhash won a free ticket

to see A.R. Rahman, who is most well known for his musical compositions and his Oscar-winning soundtrack for the 2009 film “Slumdog Millionaire.” Rizwan Moosa, better known as Disc Jockey (DJ) Riz, announced her name as one of the first three winners. The announcement appeared as a Facebook event Sept. 6, giving out one free ticket every day for two

weeks from Sept. 4 until the day of the show. Those who accepted the invite to the event were entered in daily drawings. Subhash and her roommate, finance graduate student Esha Shah, said they planned on attending the event whether they got free tickets or not. “I got lucky by winning that pass. I am really excited about the show.” Subhash said.

DJ Riz said he predicts that this concert is going to be Rahman’s best in the United States. The show has a lot of surprises lined up for the audience including moving stages, acrobatics, dances and visual effects. “It’s a full-fledged production this time, comparable to a Britney Spears or

see TICKET page 9

Slam poets take stage

photo by Brandon Higgins

Healthcare management freshman Archana Subhash displays her free A.R. Rahman tickets.

Cultures collide with iFriends Richard Arduengo Contributor news@utdmercury.com

photo by Brandon Higgins

Political science sophomore Andrew Previc (left), Jonathan White and Rock baby perform during the Underground Poetry Circus (UPC) Sept. 16 in The Pub.

Poetry team starts new verse, new semester Rebecca Gomez

Staff Writer becks@student.utdallas.edu

A passionate explosion of word, poetry and song were the many rings of the Sept. 16 Underground Poetry Circus (UPC). Hosted by SUAAB advisor Jonathan “GNO” White and Dallas slam poet Rock Baby, this circus was the first to feature members of the

newly organized UTD Slam Poetry Team. Unofficially formed last fall, the team registered as a student organization in August. “The only difference is now we get money from the school for t-shirts,” said computer science graduate student Camron Quituga. The team is comprised of an eclectic group of students united by a desire to move a

room with their words. Slam poetry is similar to rap music with its musical flow of words used to bring a poem to life for a live audience. It is traditionally competitive, and impromptu poets are encouraged to spring from the crowd to “battle” each other for best poet of the night. The UPC used an “open mic” style, poets signed up

as they entered the room to perform in an order decided by the hosts. Prior to the circus, mathematics sophomore Alan Lu practiced his performance of “When I am Drunk I Have No Inhibitions and You Are Really Hot.” Performing as the drunk in the title, Lu

see SLAM page 9

The International Student Services Offices (ISSO) continues its quest for greater participation among domestic students with its latest venture, iFriends. iFriends is an eight-week program designed to help international teaching assistants (TA) gain a better understanding of American students during their first semester at UTD by pairing each TA with an undergraduate student. The inaugural meeting took place Sept. 3 in the Student Union. Throughout the course each pair will explore topics relevant to the American university experience, such as academic decision-making, extra curricular activities and employment. Domestic undergraduate students serve as ambassadors for their international partners. As part of the program, the undergraduate students can take their partners on visits to their workplace, favorite restaurant or intramural Ultimate Frisbee. Each week will have a different topic, and the pair is required to meet for at least one hour every week. The program closes with a potluck party, in which students

and TAs will be encouraged to bring cuisine that reflects their respective cultures. The program was developed by ISSO Program Coordinator Andrea Wagner, who said she drew inspiration from her own experience as a student at Michigan State University. Wagner said participation in iFriends can provide an awesome volunteer experience for American youths. “It’s fun. It opens your eyes, and you learn a lot about other cultures,” Wagner said. “It’s also a great way to make friends.” The recruitment of domestic volunteers has troubled the ISSO. At iFriends’ launch there were only 11 domestic volunteers available for the 18 international TAs signed up. Wagner said this is a source of frustration for the department. “I don’t know why it is,” Wagner said. “(But) it’s been slow.” The ISSO is pursuing options to increase participation in iFriends and other programs. ISSO Assistant Director Lisabeth Lassitor said one initiative seeks increased freshmen awareness. Lassitor said she believes attracting younger volunteers to the ISSO can foster long-term volunteer participation, since

see IFRIEND page 9

‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ reverts to old-school gaming Mari Vila

pleasure of defeating all seven of Ramona’s evil exes. “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” throws back to the Students are notoriously classic side-scrolling beat-emstrapped for cash, and for a up. With all the charm of the gamer, that’s a tough situation. “Scott Pilgrim” franchise and Prices have risen on two out of some added grind elements, three next genthis game has eration consoles, serious play time Commentary and as a result, for a downloadbuying a $60 able game. game might not You get to be feasible on a unlock new weekly basis, but moves, level up fear not! your charac“Scott Pilgrim ters and spend vs. the World” a lot of time is $10 for Xbox being dead. For 360 and PS3. a game of this E v e r y b o d y ’s genre and time seen the movie, and some of period, “Scott Pilgrim” has an you have read the comics. As almost frighteningly high level Scott Pilgrim, you’re a walk- of challenge. You’ll inevitably ing warning sign that falling spend time collecting coins in love with a hipster may not for upgrades and trying to be all that great. In this game improve your stats. you and your friends have the When all of that fails, you’ll Staff Writer mxv093120@utdallas.edu

still probably die countless times during each level. Since the “Scott Pilgrim” franchise has become so popular, one might reckon that this game would be targeted more toward casual gamers, but this is not the case. This game stays true to its nerd roots and assumes that everyone playing it is part of a core gaming group. The game almost forces you to have a social life, because trying to beat it alone for the average gamer is going to be like trying to beat “Contra” without dying — which is impossible. It’s clearly meant to be played in co-op mode, and that’s especially hilarious considering the game doesn’t allow for drop-in co-op play. And by hilarious I mean terrible. Yes, that means that in order to feasibly beat this game without feeling frustration you

courtesy of www.gamerant.com

Scott Pilgrim fends off attacks in this side-scrolling brawler from Ubisoft.

and your three best gamer friends have to sit together on your second-hand couch and drink water from your dirty coffee cups. You’ve got time to kill anyway. It’s not like you have a paper to write or anything. Besides, this game is everything a gamer would want.

It’s Scott Pilgrim plus eight-bit nostalgia and a killer soundtrack. And if you’re not a gamer, I’d advise you to stay away. You’re not going to get the humor and you’re not going to beat the game. The game’s got seven unique levels, each of which

will have you furrowing your eyebrow as you try to understand what just happened. And for 10 bucks, that’s more than plenty.

Metroid: Other M

8.5 / 10

September 20, 2010

Life &Arts

www.utdmercury.com

the Mercury

Cell phone guide for budgets of any size Mari Vila

However, the phone is still only about six ounces, and it won’t weigh down your pockets by any means.

require a spare battery or constantly plugging the phone in to charge.

Students and their cell phones go hand-in-hand, Work - HTC HD2: $99.99 or rather, phone-in-hand. from T-Mobile That being said, it’s important For business Commentary for students to savvy students choose the right who need to cell phone to suit work from their their needs and phone, this is their price range. a wonderful The following choice. One four phones are might think tracurrently the best ditional multiavailable on the tasking phones market in their are Blackberries respective cator Palms, but egories. HTC is quickly taking over this market. Texter - Motorola DROID The phone runs on a 2: $99.99 from Verizon Windows operating system and has one of the fastest If you’re someone who processors available, JAVA heavily uses text messaging, support and best of all, you’ve you’re probably going to want got Microsoft Office at your a full QWERTY keyboard and fingertips. spacious keys. This phone is With built-in Wi-Fi support roughly 4.6 inches wide and and Bluetooth, synchroniza2.3 inches tall. And when the tion with your computer is phone slides out, just about easy. all of that is keyboard space. For business professionals Another positive about this who are used to typing away phone is its long battery life. notes on a keyboard, this It’s got a Li - Ion 1400mAH phone’s touch screen may battery, and if that means take some getting used to, nothing to you, it’s alright. but the auto-correct feature is More or less, you’re going to sensitive and accurate. It also get a lot of talk and text time, doesn’t hurt that the screen almost 10 hours worth. has a roomy feel, so students The phone has a nice reso- with bigger fingers can suclution and a large screen size cessfully navigate this phone. as well, but one of the drawThe cons of the phone backs is the phone’s weight. begin and end with a poor As is the case with most slid- battery life. It only has about ers that have a large touch six hours of talk time and screen as well as a full key- 49 hours of stand-by time. board, the extra convenience This means frequent usage translates into extra weight. throughout the day will

Cheap - Palm Pixi: $0 from Sprint

Staff Writer mxv093120@utdallas.edu

Overall best rated phone: HTC EVO 4G

Having money to spend on a phone is great, but what’s even greater is that there are fantastic free phones in case you’re tight on cash. As a student it’s sometimes hard to justify spending a couple hundred bucks on a phone. If this is you, don’t fret. With a full QWERTY keyboard and Internet access the Palm Pixi will still do everything you need. The battery life is extremely short at only five hours of talk time, and the camera has a pathetic two mega-pixel resolution, but if you’ve already got a camera, what do you care? It’s a Palm with 3G capabilities in a stylish package. And best of all, it’s free with a two year activation. Overall Best - HTC EVO 4G: $199.99 from Sprint If you’ve got the money to blow, and you want a nice phone that will last you two years until your contract expires, this is definitely the one to get. It’s good at everything and looks beautiful. It has a screen that’s even larger than the HTC HD2. With an eight mega-pixel resolution and built-in flash and auto-focus the camera is as good as stand alone cameras on the market. It can even shoot movies in true 720p high definition. The resolution of the actual phone is

photo by Amanda Duke

impressive as well. Best of all, it runs on Android. This means the phones comes with hundreds of possible applications you can download for free off the Android marketplace, which is perfect since the phone’s

Internet runs lightning fast both on the 3G network and via Wi-Fi. The touch screen is responsive, the phone feels huge in your hands but tiny in your pocket and it runs smoothly courtesy of its top of the line

processor. No matter what your budget or needs are for your phone, there is one out there to suit all of your needs, and one of these four is probably your best bet.

the Mercury

www.utdmercury.com

Life &Arts

Women learn defense strategy RAD courses to be offered year round, when requested Mari Vila

Staff Writer mxv093120@utdallas.edu

On the first day of RAD, prevention and tactics are discussed via lecture and a slideshow which UTD Police Officer Kristina Herrmann said hasn’t changed much since the course’s introduction in 1989. While the exact nature of the course is kept private, some of the topics covered are basic safety tips which Herrmann said many people don’t take advantage of. One prevention technique is to lock every door and window and to not have a spare key lying around under a doormat. Another is to always be aware of suspicious behavior. Rape Aggression Defense

(RAD) is a course offered at least once a month by the UTD Police Department. The aim of the basic course, according to the manual, is to prevent the abduction of women. If the abduction does not occur, neither can a rape, sexual assault or forcible sodomy. “My dad always told me you may not be able to out-muscle someone, but it’s nice to have the element of surprise,” Hermann said. “And the training helps, too.” The second day of RAD encourages participants to dress casually and comfortably, and involves the execution of defensive and offensive maneuvers. RAD requires participants to sign off that they will not be competitive during this portion of the course. Its aim is

not to compete with other women but to learn how to defend against abduction. Hermann said the third day is the one participants like the most. They participate in different abduction scenarios in which they must defend themselves. Herrmann said once the course is completed, it has a lifetime guarantee. This means the participant can enroll in any similar RAD class in the future free of charge, even if it is a class that normally costs money. Arts & Technology senior Marianna Torres said she has always wanted to take a self-defense class and liked the convenience of having the course on campus. “(Sexual assault’s) always been one of my greatest fears since I was a kid,”

Mario parties for 25th birthday

Torres said. “And the words ‘free’ and ‘only three days’ drew me in. It seemed rather perfect.” Herrmann said she hopes more students will take advantage of the opportunity and any group of women can contact the UTD Police Department to have a RAD class set up specifically for them. Herrmann said she is flexible and will instruct the class to suit the needs and schedules of a sorority, an organization or a small group of friends. UTD offers only the basic class for women, but RAD is also available in an advanced form for women, basic and advanced classes for men. To sign up for the course visit utdallas.edu/police.

COMIC

continued from page 1

photo by Brandon Higgins

Electrical engineering sophomore McKenna Jackson and Computer engineering sophomore Nick Rotundo celebrate Super Mario’s birthday event hosted by the Student Union Activities Advisory Board.

SLAM

continued from page 7 compares the thrill of inebriated sex to a cocaine high. Undecided freshman and newest slam poet Joe Rosenbaum performed a piece about love. “I’m kind of in a rut right now with my poems. They’re all romantic,” Rosenbaum said. Rosenbaum’s piece, entitled “A Momentary Lapse of Reason,” begins

with a man explaining what it feels like to be in love, as the tone elevates to passion and then drops to the morose once the love is gone. Quituga and Art & Performance senior Frank Tringali performed “Trophy Husbands,” an ode to what life would be like to be the male arm candy to a wealthy woman. Quituga also took to the stage with “Somewhere over the Rainbow”, in which he performed as

an angry narrator whose voice rose to a shout because he wanted to know where the rainbow is for all those he sees suffering in stories on the evening news. “During one meeting someone pointed out a “death and taxes” theme in the poem to me,” Quituga said. Open mic performers at the UPC included slam team members, individual students from UTD and unaffiliated poets from the around the metroplex.

relationships of the characters, said Nieto. “When I was a kid, I grew up reading American comic books, and I was really interested in the story,” Nieto said. “Now as an adult, the narrative isn’t clear. I’m approaching (the comic books) aesthetically as an artist. So I’ve discovered that if I remove the text and recontextualize the images, (the piece as a whole) makes more sense.” In order to emphasize the visual imagery over the text, Nieto eliminated many of the speech bubbles classically seen in comic books. The paintings that do feature the speech bubbles have letters and words missing, with only the suggestion of dialogue still visible.

The main event was the performance by national and world champion poet Joaquin Zihuatenejo with the rollercoaster range of emotions in his poems about suicide and xenophobia. Between acts White and Rock Baby hyped the crowd, screaming out phrases like “I’m Rick James,” to which the crowd replied,” bitch!” UPC takes place the third Thursday of each month in The Pub.

September 20, 2010

students who join as freshmen are more likely to stick with the program throughout their college career. In addition the ISSO works closely with Student Affairs to spread awareness of international culture. This year’s homecoming will even have an “Around the World” theme. “(We’re) confident. We (know) we can make it work,” Lassitor said. Lassitor said this past summer more than 900 international students attended orientation, more than 2000 international students study at UTD and in fall 2009 about 60% of all international students studied at the graduate level. International students often arrive in the United States after months of tests, applications, dealing with consulates, forms and interviews before moving thousands of miles from home.

This can take up to a year. “We learn management even before we come to get our MBA,” said Deepak Rathor, an international TA in the School of Management. Lassitor said iFriends and programs like it can be places for international students to find Americans who are open-minded and accepting. “I know it can be really intimidating to come into a new culture,” said Natural Science and Mathematics junior Caitlin Williamson, an ISSO domestic volunteer who just returned from a study abroad in Spain. Despite the troubles, Lassitor said the ISSO is hopeful the program will be successful enough to continue in the future. “Once (iFriends) gets started, people will get the word out,” Lassitor said, “and more people will sign up.” For more information about iFriends or the ISSO please contact Andrea Wagner at 972-883-4084, or visit /www.utdallas.edu/ student/international.

The boundaries between scenes are blurred, and characters are obscured. Nieto said this forces the viewer to formulate their own opinions and thoughts about the meaning of each scene. The abstractions were helped by modern technology and artistic programs such as Adobe Photoshop. Mechanical engineer sophomore Alyssa Birchler came to the exhibition’s opening as part of a class assignment, but said she was immediately drawn into the art. “(The paintings) grab your attention. They grabbed mine,” Birchler said. “They’re more exciting than dull classical art, and I think people can connect to them.” Nieto is currently housed at Centraltrak, UTD’s artist residency, but he is originally from Mexico. He said his paintings cel-

ebrate Mexico’s freedom and his independence. He said because of Mexico’s independence, he had the freedom to live and study where he wanted to. He was able to display internationally in Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France and Canada, and now he is able to display in America. “I decided to use American comic books because as an artist, that’s my style,” Nieto said. “I didn’t use Mexican comic books because I live in this country now, so I celebrate my freedom — Mexico’s freedom — by choosing not to include them.” Nieto’s friend, Ashley Georgia, said she was impressed with his paintings and his unique style. “There’s something about how he takes comic book scenes and redoes them that’s hard to explain,” Georgia said. “It’s wild.”

IFRIEND

continued from page 7

TICKET

continued from page 7

Madonna concert. It will be the best Indian music concert anyone has been to,” DJ Riz said. DJ Riz is a UTD graduate student who works as a senior financial analyst in a pharmaceutical company and DJs full time. He has been a DJ since he was 15 years old and now, even 16 years later, performs in 50 - 80 events a year through AsianSoundz, his own event management enterprise.

DJ Riz said Rahman’s July 4 Dallas show was cancelled and most people didn’t know about the Sept. 18 show. “I created that event on Facebook to spread awareness about the show and also to give back to the community by giving out free tickets,” DJ Riz said. The Facebook event has over 300 hopefuls and the number is increasing. The tickets, most of which are sold out already, range from $39 - $1,000. For many fans, a free ticket is their last chance of getting to the show.

September 20, 2010

Sports

the Mercury www.utdmercury.com

Golf teams tee off for semester Jameshia Bankston Contributor news@utdmercury.com

At 8 a.m. when most students are just waking up to get ready for class, UTD’s men’s and women’s teams were beginning their season on Sept. 13 at the John Bonham Invitational Golf Tournament in Seguin,Texas. The men’s and women’s teams competed against 10 of the university’s rival colleges including the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor and Texas Lutherans University in an attempt to surpass and sustain a lead for the second half of the tournament the next day. The first half of the tournament lasted until 5 p.m., which meant the teams had

to play during the hottest hours of the day. Fatigued and exhausted, the players continued to play each hole with humility and grace, which made political science junior Alex Campos a proud team member. “Two of our players threw up (from dehydration), but they still came back out and played,” Campos said. Business administration junior Chase Curtis led the men’s team with 79-75 and computer science freshman Nikki DeOcampo with a low of 88-85 for the women’s. But after seven hours and 36 holes the team was left trailing behind in 8th place, five strokes behind A&M International University. The teams were not discouraged, but rather encouraged by their per-

sonal achievements and they utilized the experience to better their aptitude and motivate themselves for the next day and their future endeavors, Head Coach Eddie Bull said. At the tournaments end, the women’s team managed to sustain their previous position in 8th place with an 2-day score of 799 and the men placed in 10th with a score of 936. For some teams placing that far down the line of succession brought forth their true perception of sportsmanship. From throwing clubs to crying, many of the other team’s players would lose composure when losing, but UTD’s players were the exact opposite. Though winning the tour-

Now serving

nament would have been an added benefit, UTD’s teams seemed to be more interested in just doing what they love, DeOcampo said. “Our main strategy, both days, was to go out there, play well and just have fun,” DeOcampo said. UTD’s golf teams will be participating in the Rhodes Collegiate Classic golf tournament on Sept. 26-27, in Tunica, Miss. Coach Bull, in support of his teams, looks forward to their progress as they proceed in this year’s season, and proudly invites students to come out and support them. “Come and see us play and practice sometime and you will be swept up by the enthusiasm that the UTD Intercollegiate programs exude,” Bull said.

photo courtesy of Bruce Unrue

Computer engineering senior Brent Marshal at the John Bonham Invitational Golf Tournament.

Intramurals kick off Flag football teams return to the field for new season Rebecca Gomez

Staff Writer becks@student.utdallas.edu

With names like “No Punt Intended” and “Our Foot Your Balls,” a total of 77 student teams have signed up to compete in this year’s intramural Flag Football League. “It’s something to do on campus at night other than play ‘World of Warcraft,’” said graduate student Brian Vaughn. Vaughn, under his independent affiliation of flag football veterans, “The Scrubs,” has entered both “We Touchdown There” and “I Like Your Steve Breastons” under the corec and men’s divisions respectively. Flag football is an alternate version of football with no tackling, said intramural sports coordinator Ben Piper. Everyone wears a flag belt, and rather than tackle, players de-flag opponents and the belt comes undone. It’s a faster game than regular football because it’s 5-10 yard passes. There are four divisions: Men’s, Women’s, Freshmen and Corec. Each affiliation may enter as many teams as they can find participants for. The Filipino Student Association (FSA), another repeat-affiliator, has also entered multiple teams including “FSA Pandubs” and “Got Kanin,” both in the

corec division. “‘Kanin’ is Filipino for ‘rice,’ and it’s a play on ‘Got Milk?,’” said electrical engineering sophomore Carlo Wayan. Cheeky names aside, “The Scrubs” feel they have a serious edge over all the other teams — they’re old. “The average age of our team is 25” said fellow Scrub and graduate student Kevin Adamic. “It’s experience over youth when it comes to winning at sports,” Vaughn said. After two years playing as an independent affiliation and even longer before that under other affiliations, “The Scrubs” have proven to be resilient. “Two years ago I collided with a guy from another team and shattered my collar bone, breaking it in eight places,” said graduate student Eric Philibert, “I still played the next year.” Philibert has a large scar over the seven inch metal plate which had to be screwed in to repair the injury. Electrical engineering senior Elora Torres, who is going into her fourth year playing for FSA, said the more seriously a team plays, the more injuries can happen. “People may be running to catch a pass and just not see you and push

see football page 11

Team brings victory home photo by Ben Hawkins

Neuroscience freshman Mindy Tu taking a shot. The women’s tennis team plays Sept. 24 in San Antonio for the Women’s Southwest Regional Individual Tournament.

Men’s and women’s tennis teams prepare for new season Lauren Monsalve Contributor news@utdmercury.com

This year’s tennis team is driven by competitive expectations and team chemistry. With a fairly even amount of newcomers and veterans the reconstructed team agrees they have rejuvenated spirit. Throughout the team unity there is a common desire for a winning season. “We really want to go to the conference tournament and I think we have a

good chance,” said psychology sophomore, Kathrine Aaslestad. The team is more conditioned than ever this year with more frequent and vigorous strength training sessions said Head Coach Bryan Whitt. “The fitness and conditioning is definitely tougher this year,” said biology sophomore and returning player Rachel Houston. The men’s and women’s teams are very supportive of each other, said Houston.

They practice together in the fall and travel alongside each other throughout the season. “We have a lot of team unity,” Aaslestad said. Whitt said he has great faith in his players this year, and plans to win as a team. With their quiet focus, determined competiveness, and team spirit the UTD tennis team is setting themselves up for a winning season said Aaslestad.

photo by Albert Ramirez

Management senior Bailey Williams blocks shot against Mississippi College Sept. 16 men’s soccer game. UTD won the game 1-0.

the Mercury Football

continued from page 10 you over,” Torres said. “The common thread on ‘The Scrubs,’” said graduate student Allison Britton, “is that everyone is either a current or former athlete and that’s probably why they take the game so seriously.” So seriously, in fact, that a Scrub will make it a point to let the referee know when he has made a bad call. “The refs don’t like it because we know the rules better than they do,” Adamic said. Torres said she initially started playing flag football because she ran track in high school and wanted something athletic to participate in at college. Now she said it’s just a fun way to grow closer to her friends in FSA. The Scrubs are all older

www.utdmercury.com students with full-time jobs, and in Adamic’s case, a baby on the way, but they continue to make the commitment to play. “The extra effort is made mostly because it’s a fun, social activity,” Philibert said. FSA and “The Scrubs” were meant to meet on the field in the Sept. 9 “Got Kanin” v. “We Touchdown There” game, but it, like every game scheduled that week, was canceled due to inclement weather. Piper said the league is now set to get underway on Sept. 13, but even then it might be a washout as rain has also been predicted for that week. Students can find out when their favorite team will be playing by following the schedules link on the intramural sports home page.

Sports

September 20, 2010

Women’s soccer loses in overtime

photo by Brandon Higgins

“Scrubs” team member and business graduate student Eric Philibert plays in Sept. 16 flag football match.

Biology sophomore Victoria Theobalt prepares to kick the ball in the Sept. 10 women’s soccer game against Trinity University. UTD lost the game 2-1 due to a penalty kick in overtime.