4th Ocotober edition of The Mercury by The Mercury

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The Student Newspaper of UTD

Vol. XXX, No. 12

Discover a life entirely unlike your own Page 6

Battling bedbugs Jessica Melton

Editor-in-Chief jjm082000@utdallas.edu

Bedbugs made their way onto campus apartments, and are currently being treated by Terminix. Bedbugs are more likely to nest in apartment buildings because there are many residences within a close proximity and there is no way to prevent them, said Terminix employee Christie Stotts. Electrical engineering graduate student Sandeep Kannappa has had three bedbug treatments in his apartment so far, and said apartment management has partnered with pest control company Terminix to fix the situation as best they can. The treatment requires apartment occupants to move all of their belongings into the center of the room so Terminix can spray the walls for bugs. Students are then advised to wash and dry all of their clothes to rid them of any bedbugs. “The worst part (about it) is that once you get the

treatment all the bugs come out,” Kannappa said. “If they’re still there after three weeks (Terminix) comes out again to spray. Kannappa said he’s had multiple problems with bedbugs because other people he knows get them and when they come over they bring them back into his apartment. Bedbugs can travel on people, clothing, bags, boxes or anything else they can get into, Stotts said. Impossible to prevent and difficult to see at the size of an apple seed, most residents learn they have bedbugs after they see the bites. Management information systems graduate Saudamini Kadam said she realized she had bedbugs after she noticed itchy bites on her arms. “That’s how you know you have bedbugs,” Suyaj said. “They itch a lot.” Psychology sophomore Brittney Gordon said she

see BEDBUGS page 4

October 4, 2010

Lady Comets earn victory after victory Page 8

Fuzzy faces find a home Page 7

New record set Growth of UTD student body 17,000

18,000 16,000

14,000

2005

2006

2007

2008

15,000

14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0

2009

2010

illustration by Laura-Jane Cunningham

Enrollment totals more than 17,000 Jessica Melton

Editor-in-Chief jjm082000@utdallas.edu

Enrollment has increased more than double its expected rate, resulting in the largest growth in the history of UTD. With more than 17,000 students in

attendance newly created space is already fully utilized. “We are pleased that we’ve had double our expected enrollment increase,” said Provost Hobson Wildenthal. “At the same time it creates problems we weren’t pre-

Dedicated to finish mall Mrs. Margaret McDermott receives flowers at the Sept. 29 campus enhancement dedication in appreciation of her major contribution to the project. UTD President David Daniel speaks at the dedication before an audience sitting on the newly renovated SU steps.

pared for.” According to the UTD President David Daniel’s strategic plan the targeted rate of annual enrollment growth is 4 percent. In the past five years the second largest enrollment increase occurred in 2009 at 5.6 percent.

“We don’t want to grow too fast,” said Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Analysis Lawrence Redlinger. If the university receives students faster than the

see STUDENTS page 4

Entrepreneurs stand strong Danelle Adeniji

Staff Writer dxa102120@utdallas.edu

It started with a few rubber bands and pencils. All they wanted to do was make a simple stand to hold up their iPad so they could continue watching TV. That’s when the idea developed to design something that would functionally hold and stand up most mobile Apple products. Entrepreneur senior Ajay Desai and his partner UTD alumnus Vindi Sedey have worked to upgrade an accessory that works and plays as hard as they do. Desai said as high end technology consumers,

Ajay Desai they’re always looking for ways to enhance the gadget experience. “Some Apple products already come with a stand, but they can be more trouble than they are worth,” Desai said. “The user would have to carry (the stand) around instead

see ICHAIR page 4

Technical textbooks Rebecca Gomez

Staff Writer becks@student.utdallas.edu

photos by Albert Ramirez

Expense and impracticality of use underlie uneven adoption of e-textbooks on campus. Portrayed as a lowcost, light weight option to traditional textbooks, they have been used by students with varying degrees of popularity. School of Management (SOM) Professor Marilyn Kaplan endorsed e-textbooks as inexpensive and useful for her distance-

learning students. “My distance learning students are literally all over the world. It’s not practical for them to haul paper textbooks to Japan with them on business trips,” Kaplan said. The motivation to seek out collaboration with a publisher to provide e-textbooks for her courses came five years ago, after intervening on a student’s behalf to correct a mistake the school bookstore had made. “The campus bookstore

see E-TEXTS page 4

News

October 4, 2010

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How to haggle with the homeless Alex Hays

Social Media Editor anh034000@utdallas.edu

Willie Baronet has had a haggling habit for a while now, but not with the types of people you’d expect. He doesn’t debate with hoighty toighty business types. It’s the homeless he’s after. Willie haggles with homeless people over the price of their signs. When he happens upon a sign-wielding member of this society he inquires into the price he would have to pay for their sign. This changes the usual social relation of the situation. Homeless people are usually in the position of the un-empowered, of the beggar. Willie flips this social relation on its head, placing the homeless in a position with bargaining power because they now have something he wants to buy. Having been a collector of homeless people’s signs since 1993, Willie has gathered quite a collection. He recently shared his project with K.E.R.A. on The Story with Dick Gordon. You can listen to the whole broadcast at http://bit.ly/WillieOnTheStory Visit www.WeAreAllHomeless.org to find out about the art Willie’s created with the signs, and some video’s about the events he’s put on to raise awareness. We went downtown to talk to a homeless person about living on the streets, in a hope to gain insight into the struggles they go through. See the video at www.utdMercuryBlog.com

signs scanned by Willie Baronet

photo by Sheila Cunningham

The homeless signs seen here are a small sample from the large collection Willie has amassed. A full image gallery containing all the signs can be viewed at www.WeAreAllHomless.org

This is an event Willie created to help raise awareness of the homeless population in Dallas. More information about the event can be found at www.WeAreAllHomeless.org

Opinion

the Mercury www.utdmercury.com

October 4, 2010

Editorial Board

Waterview Park needs consistent, better care for students Waterview Park (WP) has not shown consistent care for their students. In housing designed specifically for those on campus, more should be done to ensure better treatment. Since May the apartments have issued two refunds to residents for an almost nonexistence Internet service. These refunds were issued after the addition of a $15 technology fee, established to pay for a new service provider that was supposed to fix the Internet problem. The technology fee resulted in two groups of students: those who paid for an outside Internet source, and those

who had poor service when they were able to establish a connection. With a university push toward more web based programs, Internet for those who live on campus should be reliable. Shoddy access students are unable to consistently log onto WebCT. This prevents them from retrieving notes, doing homework assignments and taking quizzes. Online services such as paying for tuition, parking fees or any number of services become the least preferred method when a stable connection isn’t certain. As unavoidable as they are undesir-

able, bed bugs have found their way into Waterview Park apartments. WP is addressing the issue by sending Terminix to provide bedbug treatments and issued e-mails to residents notifying them of the problem and the best ways to prevent the creepy crawlers from invading their beds. WP’s steps are proactive, and done in a timely method. The only drawback is that WP asks students to catch a live bed bug in a sealed container to prove they have the bug before receiving treatment. Consistent standards of quality care should be standard for students living on campus.

Editorial Board Jessica Melton, Editor-in-Chief Shane Damico, Managing Editor Laura-Jane Cunningham, Graphics Editor Alex Hays, Social Media Editor Swaroop Rayudu, Web Editor news@utdmercury.com The Mercury Editorial Board voted 5-0 in favor of this editorial. The board consists of the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, managing editor, 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.

I am a phony (and you can too!) John D. McCrary

Contributor news@utdmercury.com

As a young lad my older siblings and I would say, because our siblings were stupid and couldn’t spell, the letters H.O.U.M.E. to let each other know when we wanted to play what is also known as “house.” Looking back I think that was the first indication I would become the sensational writer I am today, but it was also the time first I realized that I was awesome at pretending. The reason I bring this up is because I’ve returned to the comfortable confines of college, and going about my school day I radiate with a very James Bond like cool confident intelligence. Whether or not it’s authen-

tic is entirely beside the point, but looking around at all the sharply dressed students in power suits and pencil skirts gathered for the Career Expo, I can clearly envision them in their usual T-shirts and Uggs, and I can’t help thinking I’m not the only skillful phony on campus. What I would like to remind all of us pretentious young college students is that however cool we may be now that we’re big kids, we’re not quite adults just yet. The things we do here are in fact inconsequential, or in other words “just for pretend.” The lessons we learn, on the other hand, are what will ultimately have real consequences on our lives. As my artist brother, who does graphic design for a poli-

tician running on “traditional family values,” will tell you, your views and opinions will give way to those who write your paycheck. Not to say you’re bound to sell out, simply that what makes it through to your adult life are the core beliefs you have the chance to explore, foster and establish right now within the safe sphere of school. The process starts by reminding yourself that you are not in fact cool, because, let’s be honest, you know better than anyone how much of a dork you actually are. Once you have your ego out the way you can spill the beans on how you want to, dare I say it, learn as opposed to pass. For those of you who are unfortunate enough to have a class with me, you will know me as the guy at the back who talks … a lot. Not because I have anything particularly compelling to say,

but rather because I recognize that college ain’t cheap, so I’m going to get every drop of insight I can out of the time I spend here. Otherwise I’m just spending thousands of dollars to sit around and wait for a diploma. I am here to discuss, to explore, to see things differently. We have a unique opportunity of being surrounded by students whose primary obligation, for their own sake, should be telling us precisely where we’re right and much more importantly, where we’re wrong. The only things you will take with you are the things you figured out for yourself and our time here is not worth the money we’re spending if we don’t learn anything essential to how we define ourselves. So, do what I do. Pretend that you’re smart, and who knows, maybe if you pretend long enough you just might get the hang of it.

Letter to the editor: Allegations against student are incorrect Re: “Islamaphobia,” published Sept. 20.

In a previous opinion piece a former student was alleged to be studying Shari’a in Egypt. In fact, the former UTD student is studying at the American University in Cairo, a secular institution. The person is studying language and literature. Next academic year, the student will be attending law school at the University of California, Berkeley. The UTD graduate is one of the most promising young people I have had the privilege of instructing during my 34 years at our great university. The student was a McDermott scholar,

a recipient of several national and international fellowships and a speaker at the spring 2010 commencement. This distinguished UTD graduate plans a career in promoting human rights, equality, and non-discrimination. UTD in 2010 is a splendidly diverse place. It serves as a model for the world of how people of different origins and beliefs can live, work and study together. The vast majority of faculty and staff are thoroughly committed to enhancing that ideal.

—Stephen Rabe Arts & Humanities Endowed Chair

Pests by Michelle Ngyuen Have something to say? Click on the “Contact” tab at www.utdmercury.com and send a submission of 500-800 words, or a letter of 250 words or fewer on any topic. Include references for any facts you cite. Include your name, address, class, major and e-mail or telephone number. Contact information will not be published. We reserve the right to reject submissions and letters or edit for clarity, brevity, good taste, accuracy and to prevent libel.

Comet

Comments

hat do you think of enrollment exceeding 17,000 students this semester?

“The more people the more money for the school.”

“It’s a lot. I guess we’re going to have to have more classes.”

“It’s good. As long as they’re adding more parking.”

Juan Blanco Engineering freshman

Jackie Le Accounting sophomore

Indra Sutedja Arts & Technology senior

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Photographers Albert Ramirez Brandon Higgins Ben Hawkins

Editor-in-Chief Jessica Melton

Graphics Editor Laura-Jane Cunningham

Media Adviser Cristen Hixson

Managing Editor Shane Damico

Web Editor Swaroop Rayudu

Staff Writers Danelle Adeniji Rebecca Gomez

Advertising Manager James Woolley

Social Media Editor Alex Hays

Contributors Nada Alasmi Jameshia Bankston Rebecca DeButts Lauren Monsalve Michelle Nguyen Adita Vira Christopher Wang

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

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October 4, 2010

Student affairs takes lead Shane Damico

Managing Editor spd064000@utdallas.edu

The following is a breakdown of key topics raised at the Sept. 21 Student Government (SG) meeting. Full minutes of meetings can be found at sg.utdallas.edu. • Student Affairs Committee chair and political science junior Haroon Hashmi said students have complained of congested traffic flow at the University Parkway and Campbell Road intersection while leaving campus. Hashmi said he has contacted Richardson City councilman Amir Omar regarding the issue and hopefully a solution is on its way. • Hashmi said the DART system currently arrives on campus at every quarter and three quarters of an hour. This poses a problem for students who wish to use the buses immediately after class, as UTD’s class schedule is identical to DART’s. • The Student Affairs

ICHAIR

continued from page 1 of it already being attached to the product.” That’s how Desai and Sedey came up with the idea for iChair, where the slogan is, ‘U sit, it stands’. The iChair is a slider case that attaches to an iPhone or iPad. Built into the back of the iChair is a stand which allows the user to set the phone down on a desk or a table and view it. Desai said it’s a more convenient way to browse through your Apple product. For the iPhone the user can pull out the stand and view it standing up or on its side. The device offers iPad user the same capabilities as the iPhone but the stand can extend for better functionality, as well. When it becomes available the iChair will come in either all black or white. “(It’s) a value someone is not going to be able to live without once they get it,” Desai said. But the iChair’s creation hasn’t been an easy for the team. “Some days I wake up feeling on top of the world and others like we’re not going to make it,” said Desai. Desai and Sedey worked on the iChair for six months and

E-TEXTS

continued from page 1

sent a distance-learning student the wrong book and tried to make them pay for postage to return it. This was a student in Japan. I had to fight with the bookstore on the student’s behalf,” Kaplan said. Kaplan researched publishers and decided on an e-textbook deal with McGraw Hill. She chose to set up a custom e-textbook package, which was the lowest-cost option for digital textbooks. “Custom just means I removed chapters that I didn’t use in the original textbook,” Kaplan said. Once the custom packaged was created, Kaplan was given a unique ISBN and has been able to offer it for the last five years without a price increase. She said custom e-books never update editions so the price never changes. Students access the e-textbook by either purchasing a 180-day subscription to the website that gives them onlineonly access or they download

Committee is trying to get a convenience store location on campus. Hashmi said he will share more details as they develop. • Hashmi said a mural for one of the Activity Center’s walls is in the design phase. Any students with design

Report

suggestions can e-mail Hashmi at haroon@student.utdallas.edu. • Residential Student Affairs Committee chair and graduate student Dypti Lulla said Waterview Park (WP) apartment residents will receive refunds for faulty internet service encountered during the months of August and September. The refund will be reflected through a credit on resident’s October rent.

said one of the main hurdles was dealing with an overseas manufacture. The design is first drawn up and sent to China, and once finished it’s shipped back. If the model isn’t up to their standards they ship it back to be fixed. Sedey traveled to China to make sure the iChair was being produced to the highest quality and meet their needs. This duo is also self-funded -- no sponsors or grant money. Desai said there have been a few losses but not bad enough to knock them off track. “Its cost us a lot of money,” Desai said. “It’s not just some start off in your garage project.” Local multi-billionaire and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban recently visited UTD and Desai was able to present and pitch the iChair to him and Cuban asked Desai to send him a prototype. Desai gave mechanical engineering senior Steven Shaffer a product demonstration to see what he thought of the product. Desai took Shaffer’s iPhone and placed it in the iChair case. Shaffer said it was a product he would use. The iChair is officially being released at the end of this month and will come out online. Desai said UTD students will receive a discount on the iChair.

a pdf file of the book to their laptop or PC. To download the pdf file, the students have to also download a program created by the retailer that will monitor when the 180-day period expires. Required use of monitoring the programs to view e-textbooks governs Arts & Technology senior Alexander Chi’s decision to not adopt. The program installs antipiracy files on your computer, Chi said, the files act like a time clock, letting the retailer know when your license has expired. E-reader devices like the Kindle come loaded with antipiracy software, but they are self-contained with no access to a student’s laptop. “It raises privacy issues when you have to download anti-piracy software onto your own computer,” Chi said. In 2005, Sony BMG broke state and federal laws by violating consumer’s privacy with anti-piracy software encoded in their compact disks (CD), Chi said. When the CD’s were played on PC’s, the software

News

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Series studies decisions Rebecca Gomez

• Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Matt Grief has submitted letters to University Village (UV) apartment residents regarding an increase in cases of bed bugs. Lulla cautioned that any students with bed bugs should report them immediately in order to receive treatment. • Lulla announced that all new graduate students will be placed in the same phase within UV. This will start during the next rental season. • Graduate student Vishal Channe was elected the new graduate and international affairs chair. • SG nominated Daniel Myers and Kia Wright for homecoming king and queen respectively. • SG Vice President and political science senior Dina Shahrokhi moved to allocate up to $200 for senator polo shirts and the motion passed.

certain input is stimulating,” Banuri said. Portions of the brain receiving blood flow are said to be excited, and observations of these regions are used to determine their role in decision making. “Excited brain circuits tell us things behavior can’t express,” Park said. Park’s life work is studying decision making as the mind ages People consider potential rewards and consequences when making economic decisions. It’s how people construe a reward, Park said, that is a key factor in their decision. A person construes a reward by using their value system to rate a certain reward over another, and this changes with age, Park said. People have an inherent set of values, Park said. A cultural value influences a person’s overall set of values. “One important cultural value in Texas is independence. We can predict choice based on how much someone endorses this value,” Park said.

Cultural values can make people respond to a questions with an answer that is a cultural norm, but an fMRI scan of their brain can verify if their decision was be based on something else. For example, if a cultural value is honesty and a person responds to questions with an answer based on that value, the fMRI may show the logic portion of the brain excited. Another subject with the same cultural value might answer the same, but the fMRI shows the emotion region of the brain excited. This may indicate the first person answered based on reason, while the second person answered based on emotion. Both people are upholding the cultural value, but for different reasons. “The fMRI tells us things about financial values and decision-making that a person can’t,” Park said. The Colloquium Series on Neuroeconomics continues through the spring semester. Students can visit The Negotiations Center website at utdallas.edu/negcent.

illustration by Michelle Nguyen

process unnecessary. “They have a crazy system. I obviously didn’t (follow it),” said computer science graduate student Surtha Suyaj who has had one treatment to get rid of bedbugs at his apartment. Suyaj said the apartment office asked him to collect a live bedbug in a sealed container to prove he had a problem. Stotts said while it is possible to catch a bedbug, they can be extremely difficult to see because of their small size and ability to nest in anything. General Manager of Waterview Park apartments said collecting the bug is

a suggestion but not a requirement. In an e-mail to The Mercury Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Matt Grief said there have been some cases of bedbugs reported in Waterview Park and University Village and no cases have been reported from the Residence hall. In the same e-mail Grief said the university is working to ensure treatment is given effectively and as timely as possible. He said one treatment is usually enough, but apartments are inspected after the treatment to determine if the bugs are gone.

“I think we can handle this increase, but another 8 percent and we’d be pretty cramped and forced to adapt,” Redlinger said. Wildenthal said it’s unknown why there was such a large increase in the number of students this year, and that most of the increase is due to graduate student enrollment. “Throughout the year we were receiving a lot of applications, but we didn’t know if they would come,” Wildenthal said.

The enrollment process changed the past year for graduate students, Wildenthal said, including the elimination of the application fee. The number of freshmen stayed relatively the same, which Wildenthal said is progress because enrollment standards were increased. “We looked for a better class rank and SAT score,” Wildenthal said. “We didn’t gamble with weak backgrounds.”

Wildenthal said the university has a large request for buildings, but at this point it depends on approval of the state and UT Board of Regents. A second Residence Hall is currently being constructed, but that won’t help with space issues if students keep entering on the graduate level, Wildenthal said. Redlinger said from the data received so far he anticipates a 4 - 6 percent increase fall 2011.

Staff Writer becks@student.utdallas.edu

The brain doesn’t lie. That is the general theory behind Neuroeconomics, said Center for Vital Longevity Director Denise Park. The Negotiations Center kicked off their Colloquium Series on Neuroeconomics with a lecture given by Park on Sept. 20. The center’s primary focus is interdisciplinary research of behavioral science to better understand human behavior from different angles. Political economy graduate student Sheheryar Banuri said neuroeconomics combines psychology, economics and neuroscience to study the way people make decisions. Researchers in this field, Banuri said, use functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to scan the brain while a subject is being questioned about choices they have made. “The fMRI calculates the level of blood going into the brain to see which region a

BEDBUGS

continued from page 1

hasn’t confirmed she has bedbugs, but recently started to see bites.

STUDENTS

continued from page 1

faculty can grow or space can allow, there could be scheduling issues, Redlinger said. Redlinger said space in the two new classroom buildings, Founders and the Science Learning Center, has already been absorbed. Space university wide is also fully utilized Monday and Wednesday nights and mornings.

installed on customer’s hard drives and acted like spyware. Customer’s computers were left vulnerable to data thieves and viruses. Chi said that in some instances the only way to remove the Sony BMG spyware was to completely wipe the hard drive. Privacy concerns aside, Chi said he doesn’t see the benefit to going to e-textbooks in their current state. “You can’t share or use it as you would like and you can’t re-sale or transfer ownership of it like you can with a regular book. You pay money and lose it after the license ends,” Chi said. While management information systems senior Phil Kasper also didn’t find a benefit in going to e-textbooks this semester, he might have found a way to bridge the gap between e-textbook retailer formats. In August Kasper became a citizen journalist after he purchased an iPad to create the theipadstudentexperiment. com, a blog to determine if a college student could use an iPad as their primary com-

www.utdmercury.com

“It’s annoying because I don’t know how we got them,” Gordon said. Some students are satisfied with the help they’ve been given, but others find aspects of the treatment

puting device. He said the experiment was created to channel his natural curiosity about new technology into a practical guide students could reference before deciding if the iPad was for them. Early into the experiment, Kasper tried to find an iPad compatible way of purchasing the five textbooks he needed for the semester. In his experiment, Kasper used the Kindle Reader, iBook and CourseSmart apps, acquired for free from the iPad app store, to search their catalogs for his textbooks. Only two of the five could be located, both available for 180-day subscriptions from CourseSmart, but for the same price as a new version of the regular textbook. He chose to buy regular textbooks for the semester, but said he expects the stores to have a larger selection by spring. “I think right now retailers are holding back in making their eBooks compatible across multiple formats because it’ll make it too easy for people to convert it to an ultimately

photo by Laura-Jane Cunningham

free-source format,” Kasper said. He said he thinks that, much like the music industry eventually did, e-textbook retailers will loosen their hold on exclusivity of content and allow for more cross-compatibility of formats. He said the iPad

and tablets like it are uniquely poised to fill a niche in that future marketplace. “In the next five years I think cost and compatibility issues will be mitigated by an influx of lower-cost devices that will be able to support multiple formats,” Kasper said.

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News

October 4, 2010

Big names in sustainability on campus The second article in a series on the environment Jessica Melton & Shane Damico

Mercury staff report news@utdmercury.com

Saskia Versteeg

has been hosted to inform students about the benefits of recycling through games and speakers, but this year she hopes to add in a fundraiser to help SNORC, a recycling organization formed by former SEA president and international political economy junior Alison Beatty. Through the course of the year Versteeg said she also wants to get speakers to lecture about sustainability. For more information or for a weekly update email SEAatUTD@ gmail.com. Alison Beatty

Students for Environmental Awareness (SEA) began five years ago to get recycling implemented on campus. President and physics junior Saskia Versteeg said SEA is a general sustainability group that looks for ideas from all types of students. “SEA is trying to build into a more inclusive organization where we want people to come to us for projects they’d like to see (happen) and we’ll make it work,” Versteeg said. The new focus of the group is not solely on recycling, said Versteeg, and she hopes to reach a broader range of students this year. While recycling isn’t SEA’s only focus, Versteeg said it is still a concern. “When I picked up recycling from convocation I had to take all the bags in my car to put them in the big recycling compactor,” Versteeg said. “I didn’t realize until after convocation the only recycling compactor was by building 66.” SEA’s hosts two events each year including Texas Recycles Day (TRD), which takes place in the fall and Earth day that occurs in the spring. Versteeg said in the past TRD

The Secret Noble Order of Recycling Collectors, now known as SNORC, is a silly name for a serious undertaking which began last year. “It’s an activity that’s big enough to be an organization,” said organization founder, president and international political economy junior Alison Beatty. Former president of the Students for Environmental Awareness, Beatty said this group focuses on comprehensive recycling. Beatty said because there is only one on-campus recycling compactor near building 66, she wanted to help on-campus recycling. “The majority of students don’t walk that far,” Beatty said. The organization gave each apartment a 20-gallon recycling bin along with a list of what is and is not recyclable and asked residents if they’d like their recyclables picked up, they just needed to place the bins outside Friday mornings. The inconvenience didn’t fall with residents, but with SNORC members who volunteer their Friday mornings

to run around the three buildings to pick up recyclables, place them in a larger bin and then take them to the trash compactor. The project began with buildings 61, 62 and 63 with more than half the residents who chose to participate in the program. Beatty said the first week SNORC picked up recyclables they totaled 79.5 lbs, and by the end they had more than doubled that number with 179 lbs. Facilities management aided SNORC’s efforts by allowing them to use the bigger bins on Fridays, said Beatty. Because of last years’ success the program is going to expand to include all of phase VIII along with phases V - VII. According to their records, SNORC expects the average per building recycling to be about 60 lbs per week. “Potentially, this could be a campus wide effort,” Beatty said. Currently SNORC has ten members, and they are looking for more. For more information or to join SNORC email Beatty at abeatty@ student.utdallas.edu. Andrew Previc

dent can reuse is a sturdy water bottle instead of a disposable plastic one. As chairman of the sustainability subcommittee in Student Government, Previc is currently anticipating the kick off of UTD Unplugged, an event Previc organized and put most of his time into this semester. UTD Unplugged is a new official event on campus aimed to get students involved with sustainability. Students sign their apartments up for UTD Unplugged and compete with each other to see who can save the most energy for the rest of the semester. Winners receive cash prizes. Previc took a unique approach to marketing his event. By giving announcements at Greek Life gatherings, the Underground Poetry Circus, on Facebook and getting featured in the UTD News Center and UTD TV, Previc was able to minimize costs and the use of paper advertising. Nonetheless, Previc said 75 apartments, or roughly 200 people, registered from Phases I-VII. Previc said he’s hoping for 100-150 apartments from Phase VIII, but those numbers aren’t in yet. If everything goes according to plan, this year’s competition will get students pumped about the event and then next year will gather a much greater number of participants, Previc said. The competition could even be taken to an intercollegiate level at some point. UTD vs. UTA anyone? Donna Riha

Political science sophomore Andrew Previc wants you to look at the things you buy and ask yourself “do I really need this?” Sure, you can recycle, but Previc said there are better things students can do for the environment. If you’re recycling a lot then there’s a good chance you’re consuming a lot, too, Previc said. A better way to help the environment is to reduce consumption and this can be done through reusing daily items, Previc said. An easy item almost every stu-

The next time you glance at the Student Services Building (SSB) you might be looking at the first building in the UT System to receive plati-

num status by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the highest certification the international system awards. SSB was intentionally designed to meet rigorous requirements platinum status demands and the result is a sustainability expert’s dream, the type of building Energy Conservation and Sustainability Manager Donna Riha said she would like to see more of at UTD. But aside from filling out paperwork required by LEED, the final step towards what she said she hopes will earn the SSB platinum status, Riha has also become involved in other sustainable efforts across campus since she was hired January 2010. Riha said her biggest project is to gain more information on the campus’ electricity usage so problem areas can be minimized. The majority of the campus uses the same meter, and so there is no way to track energy usage, Riha said. Riha estimated it would cost around $300,000 to set up individual meters for each building, but the amount the university would save in the long run would be much greater. After the metering system is established, Riha said she would tackle buildings with excessive lighting. Riha said she suspects the McDermott Library, which uses large amounts of energy to illuminate aisles of books, is responsible for using a lot of UTD’s energy. Students can do a lot to make the campus greener, as well. Riha said getting students to perform one sustainable action a day can make a big difference. In time, students will realize how they’re helping the environment and then one action will turn into two until they find themselves doing everything they can to make the world a greener place. Riha said sustainability is a mind set.

October 4, 2010

Life &Arts

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‘All My Sons’ fosters growth Director pushes cast to new levels of performance Nada Alasmi

Contributor news@utdallas.edu

“All My Sons,” Arthur Miller’s award-winning play, should be a production that is both dynamic and wonderful, said director Arts & Performance lecturer Akin Babatunde. Based on true events, “All My Sons” revolves around a single lie that breaks up an entire family. Joe Keller is the father in this family. Joe denies committing a crime in order to save both himself and his family.

Joe’s business partner, Steve Deever, is held accountable for the crime and put into jail. Two years later, the Keller’s family realizes that Joe was not innocent. Full of shame, the family falls apart. “All My Sons” takes place in the 1940’s World War II era and discusses human aspects such as denial vs. truth, which are everlasting, Babatunde said. “It transcends time and explores characteristics that still exist in our society today,” Babatunde said. A cast of 10 is working to

bring “All My Sons” to the stage. Since the start of the semester, the cast has been practicing 3 - 5 hours per day, 5 - 7 days a week. Amanda Jakaboski is an Arts & Performance junior. She plays Anne Deever, daughter of the imprisoned Steve Deever. In the midst of the KellerDeever conflict, Anne decides that she wants to marry Joe Keller’s son, Chris Keller. “This obviously escalates a lot of problems,” Jakaboski said. Jakaboski has been involved in acting since

middle school. She said that because of Babtunde’s guiding advice, she was able to improve her acting. “Babatunde made sure that we had the script down from the beginning,” Jakaboski said. “This helped us focus on adding layers to our characters.” Jakaboski also said that when actors are able to become their characters, the result is a natural play that relates to the audience. “I am sure emotions in (“All My Sons”) are going

see PLAY page 7

Embrace yourself

photo by Albert Ramirez

Jonathan Horne plays Joe Keller, a factory owner who lets his partner go to jail for a crime he committed.

Veterans to join forces Rebecca DeButts Contributor news@utdallas.edu

reality and put on paper whatever was in his heart, Blair said. It was usually his escape from dwelling on his imperfection. “It was my way of embracing it. I could jump into my

For former military members now going to school, the transition from military to student life can be very difficult. That’s why former military students have joined to create an organization on campus for veterans returning to school. The Veterans of Dallas at UTD will aim to meet the personal needs of veteran students and faculty members. The organization was founded by Arts & Humanities junior Matt Jones, historical studies junior Corey Crawford and historical studies senior Dustin Elam, all former military members. Jones, the organization’s president, said the three main goals of the organization are to help veterans adjust to student life, provide information about benefits available to veterans and serve as a support group for veterans seeking fellow military members. “We’re looking to get all the veterans together,” Jones said. “Have a good time and just let everybody know we’re here, we’re organized, we can support you (and) we want to support you.” Jones said there are currently 583 military veterans receiving benefits from the G.I. Bill and Hazlewood Act. Jones and faculty sponsor Stephen Rabe suspect there are many more former military members enrolled at UTD who are not utilizing their benefits. Jones said one of the most important things is for the organization to help veterans understand the benefits that are available to them. Rabe is the Arts & Humanities Endowed Chair and served in the Marine Corp for six years from 1970-1976. Rabe said that in his 34 years teaching at UTD, he has encountered a number of military veterans and veteran’s spouses and, being a veteran himself, he felt strongly about sponsoring the organization.

see DESMOND page7

see VETERANS page 7

photo illustration by Brandon Higgins

Arts & Technology professor and alumnus Desmond Blair sits and draws outside of Green Center.

Blair masters art without the use of his hands Jameshia Bankston Contributor news@utdallas.edu

A bilateral absence of hands is a rare medical condition artist and designer Desmond Blair has had to accommodate into his life

since the day he was born. Under these circumstances, it would make all he has accomplished seem impossible. But at the age of three, when most are barely learning to speak their own name, Desmond Blair knew exactly

what he wanted to be. An artist. “I would trace pictures of cartoons and action figures,” Blair said. “I wanted to be a 2D animator.” By placing his utensil between his two palms, he would take himself from

Dawe weaves art with social criticism Danelle Adeniji

Staff Writer dxa102120@utdallas.edu

Arts & Technology graduate student Gabriel Dawe is busy with a needle and thread sewing his way in and out of social concerns. Featured at Dallas Contemporary gallery, and created by Dawe, is a floor to ceiling structure weaved of yellow, orange and blue. Titled “Plexus 4,” Dawe said it is a reflection of shelter and humanity. “These installations are about the human need for shelter from the elements,” Dawe said. “By reversing material and scale, I ended up with something that speaks to the need for social structures that we require to

survive as a species.” “Plexus 4” is constructed of almost 120 miles of thread. Dawe said it took him two months to create the artwork. Dawe’s room sized installation is fresh territory for him. Trained as a graphic designer, he began using thread in his hometown of Mexico. He started out threading large pictures of insects onto clothing and moved towards wrapping children’s toys in brightly colored thread. Dawe said this act symbolized the gender roles given to toys as well as the reminder of childhood. Political science senior Nathan Jackson attended open night of the “Plexus

4” installation. He said the installation had astronomical qualities and that he really enjoyed the interactive quality of it. Dawe said he is intrigued by the reaction the installations has on its viewers. He said “Plexus 4” seems to affect people in a positive way that is very satisfying, while art historian Erin White describes “Plexus 4” as an experience. “The careful placement of two walls of vibrantly hued threads directs the viewer’s movement through space,” White stated in Dawe’s brochure. “Plexus 4” will be on display at Dallas Contemporary until Nov. 14 and Dawe’s next project, “Indig-nation,” will open in October at the Visual Arts Building.

photo by Christopher Wang

The opening of UTD Alumnus Gabriel Dawe’s art exhibition, “Plexus 4.” The Exhibit will be on display until Nov. 14 at the Dallas Contemporary.

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Life &Arts

October 4, 2010

New society shows growing support for beards Alex Hays

Social Media Editor anh034000@utdallas.edu

The bearded members of UTD have wandered the campus grounds without official representation since this institution was established in 1969. Bill Kitchens wants to change that. Kitchens is in his first year of graduate school in economics and hopes his degree will go well with his beard. Over the summer Kitchens, economics senior Ravi Hanumara and interdisciplinary studies junior Anthony Tantillo established the base for The Beard Society of UT Dallas. The Beard Society is a laid back of social club. The group hopes to gain both male and female beard enthusiasts. Growing a beard is not a requirement of the club, you just have to be a fan. Kitchens said The organization wants to bring a

Veterans

continued from page 6 “I felt that we should be doing more things to help veterans who are back on campus,” Rabe said. “I think in the next 10 years or so, veterans will be a major presence on campuses throughout the United States, particularly the kind of urban campuses like UTD. So I think it would be good for them to have a group.” Jones said the organization will not be exclusively for military veterans but also spouses of military members, students thinking

cross-section of student life together. People from various backgrounds with differing opinions can meet, all unified by the idea of The Beard, and have a conversation. “Sporting a beard, or other facial hair for that matter, has become a popular trend recently. I believe it adds a sense of individuality and enhances masculinity — maybe even the perception of authority, also,” Kitchens said. Kitchens said the group hopes to host social events off campus because there is a lot more to do outside of Richardson. The creation of the group was born from a conversation between Kitchens and his friends. After making a Facebook page for it, it began to slowly grow. “I made a Facebook group and did a little bit of homework to see what it would take to make an organiza-

of joining the military and students with questions. The Veterans of Dallas at UTD had their first meeting in September and plan to host another mid-October. The Veterans of Dallas at UTD can be found through OrgSync on the UTD homepage or contacted through utdveterans@ yahoo.com. Jones said he thinks it’s important for veterans to keep in touch and that was one of his main goals in forming the group. “It’s the brotherhood of the military, we stick together,” Jones said.

tion. It started with a core group of guys and the surrounding people where like ‘yeah this is awesome,’ so we do have some followers,” Kitchens said. The group has mainly picked up fans by word-ofmouth and via the Facebook group. People who hear about it tend to support the idea. Kitchens could not find an adviser before this semester’s organization registration deadline. The Beard Society is currently on the lookout for an adviser so it can become official in the spring. T-shirts are still being designed. If everything goes according to plan the group will grow naturally by itself, Kitchens said, so he doesn’t have to spend too much time keeping it kempt. For more information about the group visit Facebook and search for The Beard Society of UT Dallas.

illustration by Laura-Jane Cunningham

PLAY

continued from page 6

photo by Ben Hawkins

Arts & Humanities junior Matt Jones (left) and historical studies senior Dusitn Elam helped found the Veterans of Dallas at UTD.

DESMOND

continued from page 6 own world and not have to live up to anyone else’s expectations or rules. It was my escape,” Blair said. But his quest didn’t stop on the canvas. As he grew in his artistry there became a need to be more than just an artist. Blair expanded his vision and goals and became more involved and knowledgeable in all areas of the Arts & Technology (ATEC) field, to better understand his craft.

Be better than me, not like me — Desmond Blair From painting and pastels to lighting and 3-D animation, Blair ventured into everything the field had to offer. By the age of 23, Blair had received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Arts and Technology from UTD. He is now a business and systems analyst for the First Person Cultural Trainer project in the ATEC department at UTD. Which is a 3-D interactive simulation that trains soldiers about the social norms of a specific culture in order to carry out missions. Blair has also worked as an Emerging Media Consultant for CultureLab Creative. He began publicly speaking to serve as an inspiration to young children with a variety of disabilities, to encourage them to follow their dreams in spite of the obstacles presented to them.

to get across to people,” Jakaboski said. Political science freshman, Luis Hartu plays the role of George Deever, Anne’s older brother. When George finds out about his sister’s wish to marry Chris Keller, he sets out to change her mind. “He brings out the entire problem of the play,” Hartu said. “He is a vital character.” Since middle school, Hartu has been involved in more than 20 theater productions and said that

His first public speaking event was hosted at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, where he often volunteered and worked as a Graphic Designer. Scottish Rite is also the hospital Blair received treatment and therapy from as he was growing up. Blair is currently teaching Intro to 3-D modeling and Computer Animation at UTD, he teaches his students the foundation of 3-D modeling and texturing. Blair said he aspires to be more than just a mentor, he would prefer to be a motivation. “Be better than me, not like me,” Blair said. In hopes of beginning a career with DreamWorks production company, Blair has drawn inspiration from his life story as his concept for his demonstration reel submission. “Project Kiss My Front End,” a 3-D virtual environment centered around a car, a Nissan GTR, traveling through a series of environments and each one telling its own story, each a different phase in his life. “The idea behind it is, I wanted my demo reel to actually tell my story. It’s reflective of my journey towards my goals, I have a “dream” car, and as the car travels through the different environments of course its going to wear down but it keeps going. It’s saying I’m not going to quit,” Blair said. Anytime he enters into a new environment, whether it be a new school or a new job, people assume the worst when it comes to his capabilities. So there’s always a need to prove himself, Blair said. “‘Project Kiss My Front

working on “All My Sons” has been a demanding experience. “The process takes time and endless hours of work,” Hartu said. “It will all pay off opening night.” “All My Sons” performances are at 8 p.m. October 7 - 9 and October 14 - 16 in the University Theatre. Admission is free for everyone on Thursday night, and all performances are free to students with a Comet Card. For everyone else, tickets are $15 per person.

I wanted my demo reel to actually tell my story. It’s reflective of my journey towards my goals. — Desmond Blair End’ is like my smart and edgy defiance,” Blair said. As dedicated and workobsessed as Blair might seem, his work ethic has not interfered with his relationship his best friend of 11 yeas said fellow ATEC major Timothy Hunt. “To be honest, I think it humbles him. He knows how to manage his time, and if we wanted to hang out, he would make or find time to do that. That’s my brother,” Hunt said. From being featured in “Jet” magazine for being an advanced artist despite his disabilities, to publicly speaking to children about following their dreams despite their own faults, these are only a small portion of all that Blair has accomplished. Even he found it difficult to sum up all of the projects he is or has been involved in. In a few short words to sum up who and what Desmond Blair is: a son, a friend, a brother, a mentor and an artist, a task even Blair himself has found difficult to do. “What do I do? That is a very complicated question,” Blair said. But, I am stubborn, so whenever I do run into walls I always try to prove myself wrong.”

October 4, 2010

Sports

Racing ahead

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Volleyball victory Lauren Monsalve Contributor news@utdmercury.com

Expectations were high and the competition intense when the UTD women’s volleyball team played a tournament in Oshkosh, WI. Criminology sophomore Dana Hilzendager said they found out some things the team did right and other things they could improve on. The Lady Comets won three out of four games at the tournament. They lost their fourth game against the Oshkosh team, the number no. 6 ranked team in the nation. “We were up on them. We were at 23-19, but we got beat 27-25, we let it slip through our hands,” said Head Coach Marci Sanders. More than just their success in their placement the team had two of their own named to the All-Tournament Team; Criminology senior Amber

photo by Ben Hawkins

photo by Albert Ramirez

UTD volleyball playing against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Sept. 18 in the Activity Center (AC). The Lady Comets won the game 3-0. The next Volleyball game will take place against Austin College at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 in the AC. Wetz and senior Nicole Calverley. Wetz led the team to their third victory at the tournament with 12 kills, 21 digs and a pair of blocks. Caverley contributed with 32 assists within the three-set match and averaged more than 10 assists per set. “I felt we flowed as a team and that’s pretty rare

for any volleyball team,” Wetz said. The UTD woman’s volleyball team is now ranked no. 18 in the nation. Undecided Freshman Kailey Killingsworth said that she came to UTD just to play on the volleyball team, due to its status. “With our girls we could reach the top 6 or 8 in the NCAA,” Sanders said.

Women win by miles

Mechanical engineering freshman Benjamin Tijerina, who plays forward and midfield, out strips a player from Lousiana College on Sept. 18. The men’s soccer team won the match, 4-0, contributing to their 8-2 win ratio this season.

Men score a win ratio of 8-2 Jameshia Bankston Contributor news@utdmercury.com

First there’s the competitive practices which leads to the team unity, then there’s the passionate players with big shoes to fill and maintain. This developed the positive leading season for the UTD Men’s Soccer team. At eight wins and two losses for the current season, the team is challenging the mediocre standing of sixth-ranked in the American Southwest Conference’s Preseason poll. The team is pressing forward to earn themselves the tenth ASC Championship in UTD’s men’s soccer team history, political science senior Mazi Rabiee said. After last year’s lapse in

the team’s 7-year streak in ASC appearances, the team is on a mission to redeem itself. Veterans are mentoring the new recruits and with a stronger team bond, and everyone is playing their role, Rabiee said, the team is built on a strong enough foundation to get them exactly where they want to be. “Our team is definitely a force to be reckoned with,” Rabiee said. By creating more competitive practices, Head Coach Jack Peel and staff aim to push the players to reach their fullest potential. For example, at the end of each game, there is a “Man of the Match” award given to the player who steps up and puts forth a little more effort than others during the game.

“This raises the competitive nature within them right before each game,” Peel said. The team has had a five game winning streak so far this season with nine games left within the conference. Though the Championship tournament is a short term goal, the team prefers to play each game as if it’s the only game of the season Peel said. The next men’s soccer game is Oct. 8 in Seguin, Texas against Texas Lutherans University . Mechanical engineering sophomore Bryan Shiba said the more people in the audience screaming in support, the more intense the game becomes. “And everyone loves a good soccer game,” Shiba said.

photo by Ben Hawkins

Geography junior and forward Leah Bowyer blocks a Louisiana College player from the ball during a game on Sept. 18. The UTD women’s soccer team won the match, 9-0.

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October 4, 2010