7th September Issue by The Mercury

the Mercury

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The Student Newspaper at UT Dallas

Vol. XXX, No. 10

Volunteers gather for one day event Page 7

Men and women’s soccer preview Page 13

September 7, 2010

New series explores sustainability Page 5

An American tragedy, nine years later Aviators and air traffic controllers will gather to share new perspectives on 9/11 Mari Vila

Staff Writer mxv093120@utdallas.edu

The Mercury file photo

Photo from the 9/11 2009 memorial event. This year’s speakers will include Ben Sliney, the controller who made the order to shut down U.S. air space.

Navigating Chaos: Aviation’s Response on 9/11 will take place at 1 p.m. Sept. 11 in the Conference Center Auditorium. This is a free symposium for students which will include panelists who experienced the attacks on 9/11 first-hand. Lynn Spencer, author of “Touching History: The Un-

told Story of the Drama that Unfolded in the Skies Over America on 9/11” will moderate the symposium. Two panelists include Ben Sliney, a veteran air traffic controller who made the order to shut down U.S. airspace following the strike and Gerald Earwood, whose plane nearly collided with the second plane to hit the World Trade Center. The panel will be split up into two portions, “View

Math exam mix-up Alternative testing methods proposed Jessica Melton & Elizabeth Anderson Mercury staff report news@utdmercury.com

Undergraduate math exams are no longer scheduled for Saturday. As the semester began, all Natural Science & Mathematics undergraduate math exams were scheduled for Saturdays, regardless of when class met during the week. Vice President for Communications Susan Rogers said this was a scheduling mistake, which likely arose because university policy was misread. She said the registrar sets class schedules. “Exams have to be scheduled during class,” Rogers said. “I think there’s a deep misunderstanding here.” In an e-mail to The Mercury Sept. 2 Natural Sciences & Mathematics Dean Myron Salamon said exams were moved back to regular class periods in response to student complaints. Mathematical Sciences Department Head Wieslaw

from the Ground” and “View from the Cockpit.” Paul Oelkrug, Coordinator for Special Collections at the McDermott Library, said this organization will give students a unique perspective on what happened that day. “The air traffic controllers were responding to (the strike) from a control perspective and the pilots saw it from a different point of

see SYMPOSIUM page 4

Courses may be cut Rebecca Gomez

Krawcewicz said exams were scheduled for Saturday as part of the department’s goal to coordinate each course section to help students have a uniform experience. Krawcewicz said the reason behind initially moving the exams to Saturday was because in previous semesters grading had been inconsistent, with some classes making mostly A’s while others had the majority of students failing. “The question became, ‘who is the loser?’ — the answer was the students,” Krawcewicz said. All math courses with multiple sections were slated to have course coordinators who instructed the course. The coordinator was to ensure instructors had identical homework assignments, grading standards and exams. The system was designed to make the test-taking environment more competitive and show students they

Staff Writer becks@student.utdallas.edu

Low-enrollment elective courses may be cut due to a sate-wide budget shortfall. A 5 percent reduction in state funding occurred in the last academic year. UTD President David Daniel said he doesn’t think students should currently notice. “An even greater concern is the biennium (two year period) that starts a year from this September,” Daniel said. “There are requests that we look at a 10 percent cut for next year.” Vice President of Communications Susan Rogers said the state’s funding last year was only a quarter of UTD’s budget, and 5 percent of that number was $7 million out of hundreds of millions of dollars. “We are making sure that we are making smart choices now so that we are prepared in case the next biennium is as dire as some of the forecasters in the state have preillustration by Laura-Jane Cunningham

see EXAMS page 4

Student killed in hit-and-run

see BUDGET page 4

Fast for a day for Fastathon

Police continue search for driver who fled fatal accident Shane Damico

Managing Editor spd064000@utdallas.edu

A UTD student was declared dead after an unknown driver struck the student and failed to stop his vehicle, Dallas police are continuing to search for the suspect. A Dallas Police Department representative said at approximately 4 a.m. Aug. 28 a witness observed 20-year-old UTD

student Wen Dan Qu standing outside his vehicle after he scraped a barricade near the Hillcrest Road exit on LBJ Freeway. As the witness began to pull over to help, a silver 2004 Volkswagen Jetta passed the witness on the right and hit Qu. According to the police report, the suspect continued to drive, failing to offer any type of assistance. Qu was rushed to the hospital where he died of

his injuries less than an hour later. The force of the impact tore the license plate from the suspect’s vehicle, which police detectives reportedly used to locate the car at an apartment complex. Police said they know the identity of the vehicle’s registered owner, but are still trying to determine who was behind the wheel at the time of the incident.

photo by Brandon Higgins

Molecular biology sophomore Kamilah Hyder (left) and biology sophomore Yasamin Khanian attending Fastathon Sept. 1 in the Galaxy Rooms.

News

September 7, 2010

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the Mercury

theMercury | Blog

A bunch of UTD creative’s put their efforts inside a house We stopped by a house in Plano to see what kinds of creations were conjured by some of UTD’s artists. Music, paint and video were the mediums being played with that afternoon. It was a pretty impressive affair, with 18 art-pieces being displayed total. The video piece was projected in the backyard (see image to left). There were also a countless number of spray paint cans strewn about the back yard. Sheets tacked up awaited the cans colors. This resulted in a few collaborative pieces being created that evening (see image blow). Large sheets of paper were also taped up on the back fence so people could play on a less-permanent canvas. Two musical acts were also scheduled to perform. [I incinerated NY] played first, followed by a DJ set by [DnC]. Check out http://utdMercuryBlog.com for pictures of the art and fun!

Janan Siam’s video art piece

[I incinerated NY] - Michael Hubbard

This Blog Post was written by Alex Hays

Frank Tringali organized the event, and Exhibited 2 Art Pieces. Yaseen Benhalim Exhibited 4 Pieces. Adnan Razvi Exhibited 3 Pieces Janan Siam Exhibited 1 Painting 1 Video Art Piece Jason Perry Exhibited 3 Pieces (and let people use his house!) Michael Westfried Exhibited 4 Pieces.

Opinion

the Mercury www.utdmercury.com

Exam explanation

Editorial Board

Miscalculations

Math exam methods in review The editorial you are about to read was initially different. It was originally written to discuss a new undergraduate unified math exam with an unexpected move to Saturday, but on Sept. 2 the decision was rescinded and math exams will once again take place during class-time. Under university policy, students must sign up for all required course components when they register, and as a result the decision to add exams outside scheduled course time was impermissible. We are not sure how this policy oversight arose, considering General Chemistry courses have had a unified exam period each semester for several years, in which students are promptly notified of the out-of-class exam. Student complaints were said to be the reason for reverting to in-class exams. These complaints cannot be called anything but understandable, as students were blind sided with an additional exam day. Changing schedules on such short notice — twice — is not only disrespectful to students, but undermines the stability they typically associate with university policy. Doing so while classes are in session only further inflames the situation. Beyond the inconsistencies of policies and scheduling, students will likely lose out most since exams could have been made better through unification. Though they are likely the least enthralling aspect of any course in the eyes of a college student, exams are tolerated as a necessary evil to demonstrate to professors a sufficient knowledge of course material. Unified exams were initially scheduled on Saturday to help satisfy a desire to standardize courses. The proposed system could also have helped lower the probability of cheating since it eliminates the opportunity for students to divulge concepts or specific problems before exams. It would have also held individual professors accountable for their teaching and grading styles. Now the system will stagnate for another semester, at least. As students, giving up more time outside of class to take an exam, especially on a Saturday, is generally unappealing. However, there are benefits of providing a unified exam. Regardless of the reasoning, students should be given the opportunity to plan for exam days, whether they are on the weekend or not.

Editorial Board Jessica Melton, Editor in Chief Shane Damico, Managing Editor James Woolley, Advertising Manager Benjamin Linke, Copy Editor Laura-Jane Cunningham, Graphics Editor Alex Hays, Social Media Editor Swaroop Rayudu, Web Editor news@utdmercury.com The Mercury Editorial Board voted 7-0 in favor of this editorial. The board consists of the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, managing editor, advertising manager, copy 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.

Mathematical Sciences Department Head discusses Saturday math exam cancellation Wieslaw Krawcewicz Contributor news@utdmercury.com

The goal of the Department of Mathematical Sciences is to provide our students with the highest-quality mathematics and statistics instruction he or she can find nationwide. Only in that manner can our students gain the edge necessary to compete for the best jobs in the nation and the world. You, as an aspiring student at the University of Texas, Dallas, should Wieslaw be fully confident that we are doing our best to offer you a top-flight mathematics/statistics education. Your enrollment in this university demonstrates commitment to education and recognition that you will need the mathematics and statistics skills we can provide to you, for your academic goals and future career. Because of this, you have additional reason to feel pride in conducting your academic pursuit at the University of Texas, Dallas. By being here, you show you understand the dedication of UTD’s faculty to you and to your goals. Our faculty is consolidating its position in guiding the Department of Mathematical Sciences within this highly respected university, which has earned a solid reputation of insisting on the finest academic standards in all departments. Ensuring that our students are reaching their greatest potential is an objective that clearly requires hard work, devotion and sacrifice, from both teaching faculty and from our students. Having various teaching and grading styles did not permit proper assessment of whether students had actually mastered the material or if an instructors were providing effective teaching. It is the responsibility of our faculty to transfer

Comet

required knowledge to the stu- and stat courses are core for many dents — that’s exactly what the programs in engineering and the students are paying for. Lack of sciences, all our students will be uniform standards does grievous better prepared for their acadisservice to students and compro- demic endeavors and meet their mises the university’s reputation. career goals in a highly competitive Our new policy is to assure world. that the same high standards are Reaching these objectives applied to all sections of each math requires common exams, in which and stat course each student in a course must write offered by our the same exam at the same time. department, and These common exams must apply to serve our stu- to all math and stat courses. H dents by providHowever, a resulting and compliing them with cated problem is caused concernthe education ing the availability of exam rooms, they are here to as well as scheduling conflicts. earn. In a pursuit of an acceptable Under the solution we proposed to hold comleadership of our mon exams on Saturdays. I freeKrawcewicz course coordina- ly state that these changes were tors, our instruc- not introduced smoothly and that tors will work together to cover proper warning time for those stuthe course material, administer dents who might be affected by common examinations and provide them was lacking. students with common homework I sincerely apologize to all stuassignments, which will be graded. dents who experienced frustration A combined grade book will be and difficulties resulting from the used for determining final course proposed examination schedule. In grades. recognition of this, we decided to What this means in practice is abandon in fall 2010 the idea of the that each student’s common examinagrade will emerge tions on Saturdays, from her or his and return the origiI sincerely overall performance nal schedule. apologize to all in all sections. Thus, We would like to each student will be assure everyone that students who competing against in the future we will experienced all other enrollees. do our utmost to frustration In this type of setimplement this polting, the instructor and difficulties icy during regular becomes the trainweekdays and we resulting from er for his section, will work with you a coach if you will, to ensure that this the proposed preparing his or her transition goes as examination team for competismoothly as possible schedule. tion. It is intended henceforward. that so doing will I emphasize that — Wieslaw Krawcewicz inspire students common examinaand instructors to tions will continue improve performance by working because I am firmly convinced that together as a team. all students in all math/stat courses The instructors will aim to pro- will reap tremendous rewards in vide students with the finest and their individual future careers. most effective teaching, and the students will earn a robust, solid, Dr. Wieslaw Krawcewicz math/stat education. Because math Professor and Department Head

Comments

hat’s your opinion of the Saturday math exam cancellation?

“I’d rather have Saturday exams. It would have been easier that way.”

“I would much rather them be during the regular times.”

“I’m not paying to have a Saturday class, I want what I’m paying for.”

Melbin Chacko Biology junior

Cody Haines Computer science freshman

Joseph Laskus Neuroscience junior

“I actually like Saturday exams because it gives us more class time.”

“I’m very relieved.”

“It’s a lot easier when its not on a day that I get to sleep in.”

Samantha Preisser Biochemistry freshman

Michael Bostock Computer science freshman

Nadia Black Biology junior

the Mercury Editor-in-Chief Jessica Melton

Graphics Editor Laura-Jane Cunningham

Managing Editor Shane Damico

Web Editor Swaroop Rayudu

Advertising Manager James Woolley

September 7, 2010

Copy Editor Benjamin Linke

Social Media Editor Alex Hays Photographers Albert Ramirez Brandon Higgins Media Adviser Cristen Hixson Staff Writers Rebecca Gomez Mari Vila

Contributors Rebecca DeButts Jameshia Bankston Danelle Adeniji Elizabeth Anderson Apoorv Vaidya Anwesha Bhattacharjee Ben Hawkins Sumner Anderson

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

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News

September 7, 2010

SG promotes sustainability Rebecca DeButts

Contributor news@utdmercury.com

New sustainability programs and a recap of summer progress topped the agenda of Student Government’s (SG) first meeting of the fall semester Aug. 24. Andrew Previc, politcal science sophomore and chair of the SG Sustainability Committee unveiled UTD Unplugged, a university-wide energy reduction competition. Planning for UTD Unplugged took place during the summer and is scheduled to kick off midSeptember. To be eligible contest participants must submit a copy of their energy bill each month of the competition and the apartment with the highest percentage of energy saved wins. UTD Unplugged will involve students in Phases VIII and IX in one group and Phases I-VII as well as off-campus competitors in another. First prize winners will be

EXAMS

continued from page 1 possess the skills they need to move to more advanced studies, Krawcewiez said. “We want students to know their performance will be counted,” Krawcewicz said. “Not that the instructor is nice and gives (them) a good grade.” The decision to have exams on Saturday was due to scheduling concerns, Kraw-

eligible for an award of up to $800, which will be distributed at $200 per resident. Second prize winners will be eligible for an award of up to $300, $75 per resident. Previc asked to allocate $300 for contest marketing, which he said will be as paperless as possible. Political sciences senior and SG president Grace Bielawski presented a summer recap. Included in her presentation were the following issues: · Proposed improvements on the Academic Integrity program, which aims to ultimately give students more voice in the process. · Textbook savings, an initiative to make used books more accessible by asking faculty members to turn in their textbook adoptions earlier so local bookstores can have longer to find used books. · Problems with Waterview Park Internet which occurred after AT&T replaced

Report

cewicz said. “In order to carry on the examinations for all students at the same time, we (needed) the space, and this space is absolutely not available right now during the week days,” Krawcewicz said. Because this was the first semester the math department scheduled Saturday exams, students weren’t aware of the change until they received their course syllabus. “I acknowledge this was

the former internet provider, SG advocated for refunds to students paying for the spotty connection. It was announced Sept. 1 that the refunds will be awarded. · Renovations to The Pub, SG advocated for murals and dedicated the Donna Rogers Stage · Support of the international student airport pickup program, SG teams up with the International Student Services Office to greet international students at the airport and drive them to campus · Expansion to the Comet Discount Program, area businesses have been contracted to add

our mistake,” Krawcewicz said. Lack of student notification was the issue in this situation, Rogers said. She said if students had been notified as part of their registration, there wouldn’t be a problem. “You have to give people reasonable notice,” Rogers said. Computer science junior Patrick Funk said he didn’t find out about the Saturday exams until the second time

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· kick off of the “Govern to Vote” program, which aims to spread awareness of the Governor’s election Richardson Mayor Gary Slagel discussed issues that will affect UTD, such as a DART rail line that will go to DFW Airport. Business administration junior and SG Legislative Affairs Committee chair Zayd Mabruk discussed highlights of the “Govern to Vote” and a proposed on-campus debate between gubernatorial candidate Bill White and Governor Rick Perry. Political science junior and SG Students Affairs Committee chair Haroon Hashmi presented the lounge in the Dining Hall, which might feature couches and TVs. Neuroscience senior, Lewis Chang, chair of the Academic Affairs Committee announced the School of Management Town Hall meeting will take place at 4:30 - 7 p.m. Sept. 22.

his once-a-week course met. He works weekends, and said it’s not reasonable to expect non-traditional students like him, with children and financial obligations, to lose income to take an exam. “That’s my mortgage, that’s my car payment, that’s my grocery bill,” Funk said. “Alternate exam periods will be arranged for those students with unavoidable conflicts with the scheduled exams,” Salamon stated.

Symposium continued from page 1

view,” Oelkrug said. “It’s important that we got a good overview of a lot of the different people who were involved in responding to the threat.” The event will span three hours, and Oelkrug said it will do a good job of covering what happened that day. He said Spencer plans to lead the discussion in a meaningful and concise way so the audience does not get bored. Oelkrug said UTD is fortunate to have these speakers come this year. “We decided that this will be the year for (UTD) to do something special,” Oelkrug said. “I’m sure (the panelists will) be asked to do something bigger for (9/11’s) tenth anniversary.” Tom Koch, program director and public relations coordinator, said he thinks the opportunity for students to hear the pilots’ and air traffic controllers’ different point of views will be one of the best events in the country.

Funk suggested the department open up a testing center, where students could come in during several hours or days, and take the exams at their own convenience. Krawcewicz said to have the same exam given at different time may raise the chances of cheating. “We have to help honest students be honest,” Krawcewicz said.” We don’t want them to abuse the system.” Funk said the department

the Mercury “For this year, I think it’s the best different perspective,” Koch said. “Annually in New York, they have a lot of commemorations on that day, but it still focuses on the victims. So this perspective, we think, is probably one of the most unique in the country.” According to Oelkrug, the aviation aspect of 9/11 has not been covered adequately. He said other discussions and books cover the terrorists, the first responders, the Pentagon’s reaction, the victims and the survivors, but the pilots acted without expressed authority and put their lives and jobs on the line. Oelkrug said this panel is a great opportunity for students to not only reflect, but to also become educated in an event which isn’t thoroughly explored. “If any students (at UTD) are looking to be historians, this is a wide open field to write about, because not a lot has been written,” Oelkrug said. “There are areas that haven’t been covered and could be.”

is trying to help students, but it isn’t working. He continued to say if he had known about the Saturday exams beforehand, he wouldn’t have registered for the course. “We continue to believe that combined exams for multiple sections of the same course are appropriate and, in the future, will make the schedule for combined examinations part of the registration process for each course,” Salamon stated.

the Mercury

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News Feature

September 7, 7, 2010 2010 September

Defining your sustainability The first article in a continuing series on the environment Jessica Melton & Laura-Jane Cunningham

Mercury staff report news@utdmercury.com

The sustainability movement has been around for a while, but recently being green has become more accessible. Large chains like Target carry banana leaf notebooks, so you can take notes without killing trees. Walmart sells cage free eggs. Certification logos have been developed by the USDA so you can easily tell if you are buying organic or fair trade products. As sustainability has become more discussed in the media, it has developed its own vocabulary. All the buzzwords can start to become a jumble. Do you know the difference between ‘cage free’ and ‘free range?’ Below are some terms to help you get up to date with sustainability lingo.

Biodegradable

Eco-friendly

Capable of being broken down by natural processes into more basic components. Products derived from plant matter are usually biodegradable. Synthetic products like plastic are not.

Environmentally safe practices which inflict minimal tp no harm on the environment.

Cage free Used to indicate hens which have not been raised in battery cages and are allowed outside. Hens must meet the requirements for cage free classification established by the USDA.

Cage free eggs Eggs which were laid by hens in a cage free environment.

Carbon footprint Amount of carbon released into the atmosphere by any individual, company, household or organization over a given period.

Emissions Energy, in many forms, emitted from a source.

Energy efficient Equipment designed to reduce the cost of heating and cooling by using less energy to maintain similar results.

organisms. They include coal, natural gases and petroleum. Fossil fuels are made of carbon and are non-renewable.

Free range Animals that have been allowed to roam outside instead of being in a cage. Examples: chickens, turkeys or cows.

Going green Exhibiting practices which are environmentally safe, most commonly by using and re-using recyclable materials.

Fair trade Market based trade aimed towards producers in developing countries to help them obtain better trading conditions. Fair trade products must be manufactured in ethical working conditions.

Fossil fuel Fuels formed by natural resources and decomposed

Green Describes any product, service, behavior or person which is environmentally friendly.

Green house effect Increase in the Earth’s

temperature due to gases, such as methane and carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere trapping energy from the sun. Gases which cause the Green House Effect are commonly referred to as Green House Gases.

Non-renewable resource/energy Natural resources that can’t be produced, grown or generated at the same rate that they are used. Example: fossil fuels.

Organic Unprocessed food and products. Organic produce is grown without the use of pesticides. Organic meat is raised without hormones.

Post-consumer product

posed of as a solid waste but is reused. Examples: office paper, cardboard or metal.

Recycle Processing waste into new items. Example: electronics, glass or paper.

Sustainable Potential for long-term maintenance of life depending on the maintenance of natural resources.

An end product that has completed its life cycle as a consumer item and would otherwise have been dis-

illustration by Sumner Anderson

September 7, 2010

News

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the Mercury

Our website got a makeover! UtdMercury.com | Keep up with UTD This semester just started and we’re already swamped. The Mercury is here to keep you updated with what’s going on at UTD so you don’t have to worry about it. We report on events around campus and publish articles about them every Monday. Stopping by our webpage is the easiest way to see what’s been happening. We’ve made an effort to make that as easy as possible. For starters, we changed the layout of our website to make browsing our content easier. Any section you want to find won’t be very many clicks away. Don’t feel like clicking at all? Well don’t worry. We added a new splash screen so you can see the latest articles instantly. Keeping up with our content just got easier! There are a lot of exciting UTD related articles in the pipeline that we can’t wait to publish, and now there is no reason to miss them. We have made our content as accessible as possible, no matter what social media network you prefer. You can now can keep up with The Mercury online via email update, our Facebook page, Twitter or by using our RSS feed. There is also a whole new website for our blog! UtdMercuryblog.com offers insight into what students are getting up to. So far we have covered a claymation fiasco, a DJ from UTD who has been getting some gigs around Dallas, an art show with various pieces from UTD artists and a headshaving extravaganza. Visit the blog for more madness!

by Alex Hays website goodness provided by Swaroop Rayudu

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You can now access the print edition of the newspaper online in an easyto-read, flip-through format. Or you can download the whole issue as a PDF, to read at your leisure.

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Life &Arts

Charitable cause Annual Viva Volunteer event aids various organizations

September 7, 2010

New ‘Metroid’ remixes series

Jameshia Bankston, Anwesha Bhattacharjee, & Apoorv Vaidya Contributors news@utdmercury.com

On Aug. 28, 2010 the Office of Student Volunteerism (OSV) held its annual Viva Volunteer event. Many local businesses, charities and organizations came to receive aid from the students and faculty of UTD. The event contributed to a broad range of necessities within the community, including planting trees in the local parks, organizing collected merchandise for hungry families and providing arts and crafts for the children of needy families. More than five hundred students participated in this year’s event, which contributed more than 2,000 hours of community service to the local communities. Assistant Director of Student Volunteerism Monalisa Amidar said this was a drastic change from the start of the program in 2005. “We invited more community partners to be involved so that we could offer more service projects and in that we could have more participants,” Amidar said. The program began with about two hundred students until OSV revamped the structure of the program. It now offers a more eclectic range of volunteer projects for the students to participate in. “We wanted the program to serve as an outlet to inspire students to give back to the community in whatever ways it can be fulfilling to them even after Viva,” Amidar said. Many of the participating students return to help the next year she said. Applied sociology graduate student Melissa Kenfield said one year’s experience inspired her to participate five consecutive years. “It’s amazing,” Kenfield said, “you get to volunteer and see all of the campus come out to help with something.”

courtesy of TheTanooki.com

Heroine Samus Aran finishes off an enemy.

‘Metroid: Other M’ takes players to new worlds for reasons unknown to her and the audience. One thing the game does monopolize in a way that The Metroid series is other Metroid games don’t revered among Nintendo is storytelling. While Metroid fan boys and girls alike, and games are famous for being many cries were heard when science fiction action-adventhe trilogy concluded in ture games, “Metroid: Other 2007. Despite the end of the M” seems to focus more series, Metroid on the adventure has always aspect in a way Commentary been one to that is almost hop on the reminiscent of Mario banda RPG. The stowagon and ryline focuses on release countSamus’ growth less games and her relawhich feationship with ture alternate Malkovich with situations and relatively long, explorations of voiced-over cut other settings. scenes. The newest in While the this series is “Metroid: Other script is ridiculous and takes M,” which is set between itself too seriously at times, “Super Metroid” and it’s hard not to get drawn “Metroid Fusion.” in by Samus’ happiness and In case it wasn’t clear when pain as you’re taken through the game takes place, the her journey. Nintendo was question is quickly answered probably hesitant to have a as the game begins with a voice for Samus that wasn’t cut-scene showing the final sound bites and scraps of battle with Mother Brain at audio effects, but the consethe end of “Super Metroid.” quence is worthwhile. Their Our protagonist, Samus goal of having the player Aran, wakes on a Galactic relate to Samus and her charFederation ship after escap- acter in a way that other ing Planet Zebes. Samus Metroid games didn’t focus receives a distress call and on is met relatively successin proper Metroid fashion, fully with average voice actshe decides to investigate ing. further. Samus’ voice is meant to The player is filled with sound apathetic, but really, nostalgia — or confusion if it’s just boring. Add in the you’ve never played a Metroid fact that Samus has to cut game before — as familiar into every little thing and faces appear in the form of give her opinion, and you’ve Galactic Federation soldiers. got Christmas at your grandOne soldier is the command- ma’s house. You think you’re ing officer, Adam Malkovich, who is distrustful of Samus

Mari Vila

Staff Writer mxv093120@utdallas.edu

photo by Brandon Higgins

Psychology junior Rebekah Spencer caring for a kitten at the Richardson Animal Shelter as part of Viva Volunteer on Aug. 28. Viva Volunteer is an annual event in which students gather to help local businesses.

She said being a veteran to the program allowed her to assist multiple organizations, each providing a different service to the community. This year she

chose to work with Family Gateway, a local nonprofit organization that provides emergency shelter for homeless families. Her group had the

chance to babysit and play with the children in the shelter, many who were only 5-years-old. The group

see OSV page 8

see METROID page 8

Economics honor society’s stock on the rise Danelle Adeniji

Contributor mercury@utdallas.edu

Due to inactive membership Omicron Delta Epsilon Honor Society (ODE) went silent but with a new president they’re energized for the upcoming school year. ODE is one of the world’s largest academic honor societies and was brought to the campus in the early 90’s. But while the economy was booming the chapters student interest took a dive. The organization is designed for economic, political and policy science (EPPS) honor students. The student organization is not only for

EPPS majors but also those who show a genuine interest in economics. Its purpose is to provide discussion and debate for members. The chapter at UTD was founded in 1991 but has been inactive until recently. EPPS Professor Jim Murdoch was one of the original founders. He said when the organization was first started large numbers of students came out for the different discussions of what was going on in the economy. “Back when ODE was first started different events were hosted where local business people were brought in to talk about interviewing for different positions,” Murdoch

said. Why ODE went inactive he said it had something to do with the economy and student interest. “It was a period of transitioning, Murdoch said, “EPPS major sunk, jobs were soaring and there wasn’t a lot of student interest.” Murdoch said that this was his first time hearing about the re-launching of the group and he looks forward to what they have in store. Finance junior and president of ODE, Nikki Sheffield, is enthusiastic about the organization taking off again. She said she is ready to come into the position as president and make the organization’s

presence known on campus and the surrounding areas. ODE adviser, Luba Ketsler, also offered insight into the groups history; she was apart of the original organization when it first started. She said the members involved then were a tight-knit group of people. Ketsler believes that now is a great time for the group to re-launch because of the growing interest in the economy and the influx of students coming into the EPPS department. “The economy right now is such a hot topic that I think a lot of students are very, very interested in debate and discussion. I think the timing

is perfect for the organization to restart,” Ketsler said. As for discussions, each week members will be emailed a few research articles or media publications to read for the week’s discussion which takes place 7 p.m. Thursdays at The Pub. September discussion topics are on the homepage and topics further into the semester are on the calendar. Debates will be between two society officers and focus on one main topic proposed ahead of time. The debaters will prepare statements regarding the for- and against sides. According to Sheffield most of the events are closed

to freshmen economic students because of the 12 credit hour requirement but debate nights will be open to all. Students interested in membership need to have completed required credit hours in economic courses while maintaining a 3.0 overall GPA and a 3.0 in economics courses. Graduate students can join after one semester of full-time work with a 3.0 minimum GPA. “We are a group to watch in the coming semesters,” Sheffield said. For further discussion dates and events being hosted you can visit their website, odeutd.org.

September 7, 2010

OSV

continued from page 7 provided arts and crafts and orchestrated games such as volleyball to entertain them. But as helpful and generous as Viva is, her visit with them for only a day left her unsatisfied Kenfield said. “Having to play with those kids and then just telling them bye knowing that I will never see them again. I see how many needs are in the community and knowing that I can’t do anything about it (financially) makes me feel bad,” she said. As the program continues to grow it is gaining more recognition in the local communities and importantly, receiving more support from the university. The Office of Student Affairs is making an effort to ensure that the resources for students to get involved are accessible and can be applied within the classroom Amidar said. Many of the participating students this year were enrolled in RHET 1101 and were required to participate in a community service event. Accounting freshman Yuanyuan He was inclined to offer assistance to the International Student Service Office’s (ISSO) “Garage Giveaway” project. “Being an international student myself, “He said, “(participating) provided me with an opportunity to work with ISSO.” Many previously participating organizations returned this year seeking aid from the program. Network Community

Ministries (NCM), which collects and distributes nonperishable food items and baby necessities to needy families, was proud to work with UTD and the Viva program again this year said its Food Run coordinator Cleta Blackledge. “We love UTD and all of its groups that come out and help us,” Blackledge said. Viva Volunteer is not the only available opportunity for students to give back. “We have ongoing opportunities, Amidar said, “we are also partnered with at least 10 nonprofit organizations and send volunteer groups to them (whenever needed).” For more information visit the Office of Student Volunteerism located in Student Union office 1.610. Family Gateway What began as a 14 block walk in the sun ended with 10 girls helping children in need. As part of the Viva Volunteer event, service sorority Gamma Sigma Sigma (GSS) and Assistant Director for Student Life Programs Mary Jane Partain chose to help the Family Gateway. Family Gateway Community Relations Manager Shama Shams said the Family Gateway began in 1986 to help keep homeless families together, unlike other shelters which may separate familes based on age. “To qualify for our support, the family could be a single parent or a two parent family, but they must have at least one child below

Life &Arts the age of 17,” Shama said. “Currently we have 79 people, of which 51 are children.” The activities for the day included crafting bookmark decorations, kaleidoscopes and flower arrangements. Princess Leeper and Litia Pickney sat together watching their children have fun. Princess said, “We’ve both been here since the past 3 weeks. I am excited about this,” Princess said. “My daughters Delilah and Jinayah are having a lot of fun.” Victoria and India Jackson, third and sixth graders, sat with Lisa Allman, speech pathology sophomore, eating cookies they’d decorated in pink, blue, green and red icing. Georgina Solis, site leader and Political Science senior made a paper drum for one of the children. She said GSS members have several

continued from page 7 about to battle? Yeah right. You first have to flash back and listen to Samus explain something or another. And if you’re playing Metroid for the gameplay, get ready for a not-so-pleasant surprise. The creators must have been too proud of their voice acting and cinematics to remembers to throw in a skip button. That’s right kids, you can’t skip the cut-scenes. Not that all of the cut scenes are bad, the first one is terrific. It’s just that all the other ones are bad. TECMO and Team Ninja get an ‘A’ for effort but a ‘C’ for execution when it comes to the storyline. One thing that the developers did execute successfully is the actual control scheme. The game is controlled by turning the Wii remote sideways. That’s right, the nunchuck isn’t used. What you think might be a disastrous mixture of 2-D and 3-D gameplay is a successful control scheme which throws back to the times of an actual NES or SNES gamepad.

MediSend International Thirtyone students from UTD gave their Saturday on August 28 to help hospitals in developing countries cope with scarce resources. Making their way to MediSend International, a non-profit organization that donates medical supplies to third-world countries, the students helped with tasks

such as sorting materials, ensuring equipment was usable and packaging items. Led by Cynthia Jenkins and two site leaders, child learning and development senior Rachel Beaulieu and molecular biology sophomore Olivia Belli, the group spent over three hours volunteering while learning about equipment that most of them would be using daily, in the future. “I’ve seen them asking questions (such as), ‘What is this?” Beaulieu said. “A lot of them are learning in the process.” The majority of the volunteers were students who aspired to attend medical school. Students said they believed the experience would benefit them in terms of understanding the field of medicine. “MediSend is a great opportunity for me, since I’m pre-health,” said Belli.

“Looking at a particular object, you learn what it’s used for, and get more exposure. It’s good that you’re able to identify (these) things.” While most students were pre-health, those not focused on health professions also attended. “I’m here for my rhetoric class,” said computer engineering freshman Zachary Webber, referring to the community service requirement for Rhetoric 1101. Webber said he picked MediSend because he thought it would be interesting to deliver supplies to hospitals. Pre-health or not, students said they felt that contributing to MediSend was a nice thing to do. “It’s good to give back to the community; volunteering is a must,” said neuroscience freshman Shrinath Kadamangudi.

Students volunteering with Medisend International on Aug. 28 performing a whoosh.

Samus shoots at foes in the side-scrolling section of ‘Metroid: Other M.’ The automatic targeting is intuitive, switching perspectives is innovative and pointand-shooting is accurate. It’s everything done right in a Wii game, and the battles are the perfect difficulty. You may die a couple of times trying to defeat a boss, but the game doesn’t force you to watch the cut scenes again. It throws you right back into battle, and when you finally do beat that boss, you’ll feel proud of yourself. And viva la auto-save. Until you figure out the patterns the enemies take, you’ll be thankful for Other M’s save feature which doesn’t require you to go back to a save point. Most of the time, you’ll be picking the game back up from where you died, which is great in a game that’s so heavy on immersion. One of the only minor problems in the game goes back to irrationality. If you’ve played Metroid before, you know that you’re going to be stripped of everything. But not in Other M, sort of. You’ll have all of your weapons and abilities, but you can’t use them until Big Brother says so. That makes sense, right? You’re a quasi-rogue

chances to work on impactful projects, and education for homeless children is one of the most satisfying. At the end of their visit, Partain told GSS volunteers how rare it was for these children to have fun the way they had had today thanks to each one of the GSS girls present. “I am very proud of each one of you for touching the lives of so many and for what you have done today,” Partain said.

the Mercury

photo by Albert Ramirez

courtesy of TheTanooki.com

METROID

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agent who’s taking the world on to solve any mystery you want, but you can’t turn on your heat shield until Galactic Federation tells you so, right. This is a particularly glaring problem when you’re trying to fight your way through a level and die over and over again, only to realize that a room you skipped at the beginning of the stage has a cut-scene you missed, and the cut-scene tells you to use said power-up. But if you can get around these moments of questionable programming and design, “Metroid: Other M” is a fantastic game which old and new Metroid fans alike will appreciate. When you take into consideration the exemplary controls the Wii remote provides, the challenging and non-repetitive boss fights and the warm feeling you get learning about a character you grew up with, you just can’t put the game down, even though the cut scenes are awful.

Metroid: Other M

8.5 / 10

the Mercury

Feature

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September 7, 2010

Computer engineering graduate student Suhas Joshi flips with the aid of bungee equipment available at Rec ‘n Wild, which was on Aug. 26.

photo by Ben Hawkins

Top: “TEMOC” guides freshmen from the Student Union to Freshman Convocation on Aug. 28.

photo by Ben Hawkins

Left: Interdisciplinary studies and history junior Kate Gougler races biology sophomore Hannah Kwang through an obstacle course at the Convocation Carnival on Aug. 28.

Right: Math sophomore Alan Lu and undeclared freshman Hannah Weir play their instruments for UTD students at the Acoustic Radio Event on Aug. 24.

Bottom: International political economy sophomore Maija Wallace finishes eating her third pie during the EPPS-travaganza pie eating contest on Aug. 24. Wallace took first place. photo by Brandon Higgins

photo by Albert Ramirez

International political economy junior Joy Castellanos and historical studies junior Tracy Stewart, talk to a freshman during the Cometville Carnival on Aug. 25. The Cometville Carnival gives students the oppurtunity to meet members of organizations.

September 7, 2010

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the Mercury

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Life &Arts

Gay romance hits silver screen

photo by Albert Ramirez

The cast and crew of “One on One” pose after their presentation at UTD.

Graduate students develop 10-minute flick Nivedita Parthasarthy Contributor news@utdmercury.com

After nine years of thought, funding concerns and a lot of laughter, “One on One” has finally come to fruition. The 10 minute romantic comedy written, shot, edited and directed by Arts & Technology graduate student Luis Midence, and centers around the idea of two guys trying to figure out their relationship. The film was co-produced by Midence, Arts & Humanites gradute student Danielle Georgiou and Terri HowardHughes. Arts & Technology student Matthew Cowling said the story, script and ideas all belonged to Luis. and he came in to assist with the camera and shots. Midence said romantic comedy is perhaps the hardest genre to film. “I looked for genuine come-

dy to suit the situations instead of resorting to slapstick or toilet humor,” Midence said. Luis said he came up with the idea for “One on One” after being involved with the gay, lebian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community for some time. “This is what prompted me to write this story 9 years ago when I was in theater school.” Midence said. “I feel like it is important to open a dialogue between GLBT and the heterosexual community and also to encourage the audience to look beyond stereotypes.” Midence said a major problem was funding. He said UTA was able to provide a filming location, and after other donations the film was completely made on a budget of $150. The first time he saw the film Midence said he was focused on the audience more than the movie itself. “It was a nail-biting test, but when it was completed and I heard the applause I

knew I had succeeded in winning them over,” Midence said. Georgiou said, for her, the best part of the experience was hearing viewers tell her they appreciated the crews efforts to make the classic theme universal. “To think beyond stereotypes and get an idea of how homosexual relationships are in many ways just like any other,” Midence said. “I have tried to disarm the audience by using comedy as my means of communicating this message.” The crew began pre-production in January, the film was completed by March and was screened in UTD May 19. The film has recently been accepted for screening at the New York International Film Festival. “One On One” will be screened on Sept, 9 at Dallas Out Takes in the Magnolia Theater.

September 7, 2010

Life &Arts

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the Mercury

Campus pitfalls: things to avoid on campus How to get to class on time while dealing with deterrences Mari Vila

Staff Writer mxv@utdallas.edu

2. Always look for wet paint signs.

The campus is looking nice, Few things can completely isn’t it? Well, that’s because prepare an individual for col- UTD is in a constant state lege. Diligence, organization, of building and remodeling. and intelligence are no match Watch out both inside and outfor construction and confu- side of buildings. That includes sion. old buildings. Without propMcDermott has Commentary er precautions, had wet paint you can show up signs in the baseto class with wet ment. If you’re pants, smelling not safe from like smoke, covruining your ered in dust and clothes by leanpaint and to add ing on the walls insult to injury, of the library, you’re limping. where are you There are simsafe? Just be ple tips and tricks careful, and if even you can folsomething looks low to avoid having your time fresh, that’s because it probat UTD turn from delightful to ably is. disastrous. 3. Watch out for other stu1. Avoid sprinklers. dents. Sprinklers at UTD think it’s Y2K all over again. They water the lawns, the sidewalks, the crosswalks and your shoes whenever they feel like it. They get an A for effort but an F for... “foiling” your plan to get to class without being drenched. Even if you think you’re a safe distance away from them, go ahead and move a couple of feet further away. They move, the wind blows and students get caught in them. The top spots to avoid are around McDermott Library and the Activity Center.

Smokers tend to gather at certain spots outside buildings, so unless you want a face full of second-hand smoke, look for telltale signs of smokers – like smoke. Skateboarders and bicyclists aren’t gunning for you, but there’s no sense in playing chicken with them. Freshmen have their faces buried in a map and may not even know you’re there until they’ve spilled hot coffee all over you. Students with headphones will have a hard time hearing you ask them to move out of

illustration by Laura-Jane Cunningham

the way over their mainstream hip-hop, so squeezing around them or finding an alternate route might be quicker than interrupting them. The point is you’re not the only student on campus trying to make their way. 4. Listen for construction. Construction occurs every day at UTD, but some of it is dangerous. Obviously mind the fences and signs. Don’t go into construction areas, but

sometimes areas that aren’t blocked off are also susceptible to the side effects. For example, if you hear drilling in the area between McDermott Library and the Student Union, it’s probably going to be followed by a wave of dust and debris that makes you feel like you’re living in the Sahara or during the Dust Bowl period. How does that dust taste? Delicious and nutritious? How does it feel in your eyes? Awesome? I don’t think so.

5. Watch out for potholes. They’re everywhere. They’re in the parking lot. They’re on the street. They’re on the sidewalk. They’re right outside buildings. There’s one outside your window right now, watching you. Scan ahead on the ground to make sure you’re not going to become the next visitor to the Student Health Center. Sprained ankles are no fun, unless you’re already looking for an excuse to get out of class. Tripping

and chasing the papers you just dropped would also be no fun. And with any luck, the trail will lead you through sprinklers, into a construction zone, past a still-lit cigarette, and land on a freshly painted pillar. And then you’re late for class. By following these guidelines and avoiding the most common pitfalls on campus, you too can lead a successful and happy life where you accomplish everything you’ve ever dreamed of.

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Sports

September 7, 2010

Forward towards first

photo by Brandon Higgins

Math sophomore Bryan Shiba runs past a Texas Wesleyan University player during the first game of the season on Sept. 1. Shiba scored the first goal of the season.

Men’s soccer team vows to reach first, won’t settle for sixth Rebecca Gomez Staff Writer becks@utdallas.edu

Hardin-Simmons University better watch out, said criminology senior Jorge Morales, because the UTD men’s soccer team is coming for the no. 1 spot. After a ninth place finish last season, the men’s soccer team is predicted by the American Southwest Conference (ASC) to turn

it around and place sixth out of 14 this year. HardinSimmons is predicted to be first. The top six teams make it to the finals, which is what the Comets are hoping for this year, said Head Coach Jack Peel. Neuroscience senior Patrick Hing has a less modest goal in mind. “We just want to beat everybody and be the best,” Hing said.

The Comets will face a tough pre-season schedule against nationally ranked teams such as Trinity and Southwestern, Peel said. In addition to HardinSimmons, the team is excited about playing against UT Tyler. “We want to beat UT-Tyler at their own house,” Morales said. The last 12 years the team ranked fourth place or better, which is why last sea-

son’s finish was a surprise. Peel said last year’s players lacked goal scoring ability. This season, Peel said, the team is starting with a few new forwards. One new forward is computer science freshmen Michael Darrow. He was a top scorer for both his school and in the state when he attended Plano High School, Peel said. “We expect to be at the top but its a little less pressure because everybody just

thinks we’re going to finish sixth. We know that we can finish first,” said business administration senior Billie Dixon. The team stands at approximately 30 members, with a few out due to injuries and one member out in observance of Ramadan. Peel said numbers have never been a problem for the team and he believes every player is serious and on the field to win.

The spectator turnout for soccer games is normally good among the community in Richardson and surrounding towns, but attendance is not as good among students at UTD, Dixon said. “We’d like to see hundreds and hundreds of students,” Dixon said. The Comets first home pre-season game was at 7.30 p.m. Sept. 1 against Texas Wesleyan University.

Women promise best line up yet Rebecca Gomez Staff Writer becks@utdallas.edu

The American Southwestern Conference (ASC) predicted the women’s soccer team to finish fourth out of 14 this year, but the Comets are ready to strike their way to the top. “It’s just a poll,” said Assistant Coach Katie Johnson. “We’re the best we have been in a long time,” said geography junior Leah Bowyer Head coach John Antonisse said he understands the ranking after a disappointing regular season, last year, but expects to finish higher. “If you were here last year, what you’ll expect to see this year is a better team,” Antonisse said Better, Antonisse said, takes several factors into account. The starting goal keeper, which is the foundation of

the team, has two excellent players fighting over the position, Antonisse said. Emerging Media & Communications freshman Krysta Howard, interdisciplinary studies freshman Jamie Rheman, Elizabeth Sohns, Eboni Udenze and Savannah Sullivan are new freshmen ready to play this season with another freshman out with an injury. A good freshmen class improves the level of competition for the entire team, said child learning and development junior Brittany Ansel. “When we sub on the new members,” said criminology senior Andrea Jones, “the level of competition doesn’t go down.” Johnson said this is the best team the Comets have had yet. “We have people on this team that are much more versatile and athletic and mature than on past teams. Overall it’s a more advanced group,” Johnson said.

Jones said the team has also become a more cohesive group by spending time together off the field. “When you bond outside you’re going to bond on the field,” Jones said. Not that the team last season wasn’t a great team, Antonisse said, individual circumstances just kept cropping up that kept us from achieving what we are capable of. The team is looking forward to games against Hardin-Simmons University and University of MaryHardin Baylor. Bowyer said these universities are their favorite to play because they bring out the best in the team. “Those aren’t the pretty games, those are just the who-wants-it-more games,” Ansel said. Every team UTD will face in the conference is essentially from a school of student athletes, Johnson said. Schools like HardinSimmons and UT Tyler have

photo by Albert Ramirez

Women’s soccer players practice for the beginning of the season. The women’s soccer team played their first game 5 p.m. Sept. 3 against North Park University. Their next home game is 7 p.m. Sept. 10 against Trinity University. a larger pool of athletes to choose from, while UTD has to grab not only the most academically gifted but also athletic students for sports, Antonisse said. The team and Antonisse

encourage students to come out to watch an exciting game. “A lot of fans have more fun at the game than we do,” said interdisciplinary studies junior Katie

Makanani. The Comet’s first preseason home game was 5 p.m. Sept. 3 against North Park University. Conference play begins Sept. 16 against Mississippi College.