The Mercury 09 19 22

Alzeihmer's Month Q&A

JACK SIERPUTOWSKI Opinion Editor

September is World Alzheimer’s Month, and UTD is a hotbed for both Alzheimer’s related research and activism.

Denise Park is the Founding Director for the Center of Vital Longevity and a Distinguished University Chair in Brain and Behavioral Sciences. She has spent her entire career studying the aging mind and is currently finalizing her landmark Dallas Lifespan Brain Study.

Could you tell me a little bit about the Dallas Lifespan Brain Study?

"So as people get older, they face some structural and some functional challenges. In terms of the structural, their brain. Some people deposit amyloid. We know that because we found that sometimes when people would die of causes other than Alzheimer's disease, when an autopsy was done, they would find that people had brains that looked like they had Alzheimer's disease, but they were performing normally…

I would've predicted that the brain would show less activity as it got older, because everything else is bad, but that's actually not true. As people get older, they show more activity in their brain when they're performing a task than a young person…And we've actually done a lot of research, and I think we have isolated definitively that this extra activation is not noise. It is support for your aging brain. So we've argued that people, as they face these general challenges, create these compensatory scaffolds that protect their brain and help them solve problems and do things."

How common is it for people to have amyloid buildup but not show signs of cognitive decline?

"It's pretty common. About 20% of people over 65 have amyloid in their brains. And they're really pretty asymptomatic…the truth is that people have had this amyloid for a long time and they're not getting that much worse. They're still pretty normal. So the amyloid—on one hand, you really wouldn't want to have it. And it would be really disturbing to know if you had it because it's an incurable disease. But on the other hand, it's lurking there, but it's nothing serious. So it doesn't really take effect for many years.

And we're trying to get people at the very earliest phases so that when we do have some treatments, we can treat them like we treat hypertension—where you never really get super ill. You deal with the hypertension as soon as you find it and control it… And the scaffolding model suggests that if you stay very mentally active and keep developing these scaffolds that you'll protect your brain to some extent. Just to some extent, not totally and not forever, but it's very meaningful to slow down Alzheimer's disease by five years, because people wouldn't get it. If they get five more years, they're likely to die of something else."

Breanna Shen is a senior majoring in neuroscience at UTD and the founder and president of UTD’s chapter of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA). The AFA is dedicated to raising awareness about the disease and volunteering in impactful ways.

What kind of places does the AFA volunteer around Richardson?

So the two ways that we are trying to achieve our mission is through volunteering and through education. So for the volunteering component, we have UTD students go to nursing homes in

WHERE

DID

Rainbow Coalition demands swifter action against Farage

Students expressed frustration at Farage's continued employment at campus protest

Comets gathered in protest against Computer Science professor Timothy Farage because of the lack of repercussions after his Twitter comments made in July.

Students from UTD Pride, Student Government, the National Women’s Association, the United Communist Party, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and more showed in waves of support at the Chess Plaza on Sep. 12 to sign a petition to take action against Farage’s career. The standing rally displayed students holding pro-LGBTQIA+ and antiracist signs calling into account Farage’s

tweets and classroom discussions that made national news last summer.

“I’ve already had current students come up to me and express how uncomfortable they are in his class, that he’s still saying the things we’ve shown concern for. If UTD has gone up its chain of command to issue a verbal or written warning, it obviously hasn’t worked,” Psychology junior Chase Mueller, who spearheaded the demonstration, said.

Protestors said that Farage had broken the Code of Conduct, which all UTD

SEE DEMONSTRATION, PAGE 9

BRONZE MYSTERY

Enigmatic sculptures entice

21 sculptures showed up across campus seemingly overnight. How did they get there and what do they represent? Find out on Pg.7

Biden loan forgiveness plan promises debt relief

to

MARTIN FRIEDENTHAL Mercury Staff

Days after the fall semester started, President Biden announced a student loan forgiveness plan that could alleviate the debt of millions of Texans. The state’s more than $120 billion in federal student loans could be significantly reduced after an administration press release detailed $10,000 in forgiveness for

individuals earning less than $125,000 and as much as $20,ooo for Pell Grant recipients.

Despite UTD’s history of generous academic scholarships and an almost billiondollar endowment, a quarter of incoming freshmen and a third of overall undergrad-

treme financial dilemmas brought on by the pandemic and inflation by lessoning or completely erasing their balance before the end of the year.

Students such as Neuroscience junior Erin Lauraine have expressed support for the bill.

“I feel that this is definitely a good move,” Lauraine said . “Policies like these are going to allow people more control over their livelihoods.”

uates have taken out student loans according to the National Center for Education Statistics, amounting to roughly $23,000 when they graduate. Additionally, tuition at UTD rose by 41% from 2012 to 2021.

Mass forgiveness could help UTD students and faculty struggling through ex-

Qualified

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Corrections/ Clarifications

Bring factual errors or innacuracies to the attention of The Mercury’s staff by emailing editor@ utdmercury.com or calling (972) 883-2287 and a correction will be published in this space in a future issue.

In the Sept. 6 issue, in Comet Comments, Tanvi Pardhi is incorrectly named Tanvi Kiran Mate.

In the Aug. 22 issue, in Comet Comments, Nakshatraa Kurmude is incorrectly named Nakshatraa Gupta. We apologize for these mistakes.

UTDPD Blotter

September 3

• A student was issued an arrest at Residence Hall South at 2:19 p.m. for the assault of another student wherein both parties were involved in a romantic relationship.

September 4

• A student was arrested for engaging the fire alarm in the Founders Building at 2:29 p.m.

September 6

• A student was issued a citation for possession of a fake driver’s license at 6:36 p.m.

September 9

• Two students stole a golf cart from PS3 at 2:31 p.m. without permission.

From The Mercury Archives: Sept. 26, 1994 Proposal for recreation center passes student vote

Richardson, TX 75080-0688

The resolution to build a new recreational sports facility passed by an overwhelming majority of 340 for and 63 against. The number of students who voted on the proposal was only approximately five percent of the total student body. The proposal will now be sent to the UT System Board of Regents for approval before construction can begin.

“This is going to add a lot of social life, said SGA President James Sanders.

“It will offer us a place to congregate and meet. I am sad that we did not get a large number of students to come out and vote on

this. It’s an important part of the university. As we continue to become more and more like a traditional university, and as we continue to strive for more excellence, it seems that students would join in and voice their different

facility will be approximately 60,000 square feet and will include six racquetball courts, 8,000 square feet of workout/exercise area, a 25-meter enclosed pool, and seating capacity for

dents will pay beginning next fall.

The initial amount students will pay will be $25, rising to $40 as construction nears completion, approximately the fall of 1997.

The fee will be assessed on tuition statements and all students will be liable for the added amount.

concerns and awareness to things around them. However, I am greatly pleased that we are going to be sending this resolution to the Regents and I look forward to seeing the project’s completion.”

Under the current plan, the

about1,500

people. The facility will be located where the soccer fields are currently, while the fields will be moved to the west near the Waterview Park Apartments. The plan is financed by an added student fee that all stu-

Students voted on the resolution for the recreation center and fee increase during Student Government Elections Sept. 19-21.

The elections were held in Green Pit.

Construction of the new facility is scheduled to begin in 1997, and to be completed sometime in 1998.

LORI BOST WISE Mercury Contributor

It will offer us a place to congregate and meet. I am sad that we did not get a large number of students to come out and vote on this. It’s an important part of the university.

Student draws against world chess champ Magnus Carlsen

JACK SIERPUTOWSKI Opinion Editor

Economics sophomore Ivan Schitco made history at an international chess tournament when he achieved a draw against chess world legend Magnus Carlsen. Schitco was the second ever player from his home country to play Carlsen and the first to draw.

In August, sophomore Ivan Schitco participated alongside other UTD Chess Team members in the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India. Schitco faced off against world-renowned grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and achieved a draw; Schitco’s team, representing Moldova, finished in sixth place.

Schitco—who is 19 years old and a sophomore at UTD—began playing chess at the age of five in his home country of Moldova. He initially became interested in the sport because his sister played chess. While his sister would later quit, Schitco took a liking to chess after his grandparents brought him to a chess academy.

“I quickly got hooked because the game was extremely interesting,” Schitco said, “and I was performing pretty well even without some serious training. I suppose I had some degree of talent when I was little, because I started winning these tournaments. And of course, winning as a young kid, who doesn't like that? I got addicted straight from the start.”

Schitco attributed his success both to hard work of his own and to help from chess coaches in Moldova and the UTD Chess Team. Between July and August 2022, several players from the UTD Chess Team participated in the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India. The tournament is structured similarly to the Olympic games; each country sends only a handful of its stron -

We beat them not because we're stronger players ... but we just had something special at this tournament. We were united, we were working together. Everyone was young, everyone was ambitious.

Ivan Schitco

gest players. Schitco held first board for Moldova even though it was his first time ever participating in an Olympiad. Schitco’s team, representing Moldova, placed in sixth, close to both the U.S. and India.

Schitco attended the Olympiad alongside many members of the UTD Chess Team, who represented a wide array of countries. Some of these members were newcomers to the Olympiad, like masters student Andrei Macovei (second board for Moldova), freshman Gergana Peycheva from Bulgaria and freshman Karlois Juksta from Lithuania.

Schitco was also accompanied by several Olympiad veterans, including masters student Razvan Preotu from Canada and senior Brian Escalante from Peru. The Chess Team’s coordinator, Nikhilesh Prabhakar, is from Chennai and helped to provide live coverage of the event.

In the Chess Olympiad, each team competes for several different prizes arranged into categories based on starting points.

The team of Moldova received a gold metal because they started in 48th place and finished in sixth. Schitco emphasized that the Olympiad is a team-based tournament; four players represent a team, and their result is an aggregate of each player’s performance.

“For example, we beat Norway,” Schitco said, “which had the world champion right on their team. We beat them not because we're stronger players—they're obviously stronger players than us—but we just had something special at this tournament. We were united, we were working together. Everyone was young, everyone was ambitious. So I guess it all makes sense.”

Schitco regarded playing Magnus Carlsen as an achievement because only two players from Moldova have ever played against Carlsen.

“There’s Victor Bologan,” Schitco said, “who’s our greatest player ever. He was like top 30 at his best. So an extremely good player, top grandmaster. And then there's me. So there's only the two of us who played Magnus in the history of Moldova.”

Moldova was paired with Norway by chance, which turned out to be a stroke of luck for Schitco. The team expected Carlsen to play given that his winning percentage was high. But each team does not find out exact board pairing immediately— until the day of the match, all they are given is the name of the country they are to face. When Schitco found out he was paired with Carlsen, he did not expect much of an out -

come, given he was playing black against one of the best players in the world.

"I basically prepared the whole array of chess openings because that guy knows everything,” Schitco said. “I looked at a little bit of everything, but of course I couldn't realistically predict what he would play. So I just took a walk before the game, slept well, and went into the game. And, of course, Magnus didn't play his best. When he's at his best, even computers find it hard to play against him. But, you know, I did my best...I mean, I had some chances, he had some chances, but in the end when the dust settled, it was equal. So of course I couldn't be more proud with such a result. It was a historical result for me and for the whole team of Moldova.”

This summer, Schitco received the title of grandmaster, which is the highest title a chess player can receive. He also became first board for Moldova and will be representing UTD as first board in all future collegiate tournaments. Schitco was excited to be “informally” named team captain.

“So I think I like what happened in this

30.exf6+ Nxf6 Whitetomove.HowshouldBlacksecureadraw? White (Carlsen) threatens a fork on Black’s rook, but Black (Schitco) has eyes set on the weak g4 square. White’s pawn structure locks up activation on the kingside, which may prove to be an issue.

Carlsen vs. Schitco, Chennai Olympiad (2022)

—

COURTESY | UTD CHESS TEAM

Ivan Schitco (right) faces off against world chess champion Magnus Carlsen (left) at the Chennai Olympiad (2022). Shitco is a sophomore studying economics at UTD.

9.19 CROSSWORD PUZZLE

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9.19 SUDOKU

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RUBIO | MERCURY STAFF

ARTS

C-DRAMA LENDS SOLACE TO SINGLES IN CUFFING SEASON

"Put Your Head On My Shoulder" provides a comfy and endearing college romance set inside of an academic research lab.

With internships already recruiting for next summer’s precious few slots and oncampus research labs needing pages-long of achievement-ridden CVs, college students in the real world and the characters in “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” struggle with academic and career worries amidst mounting senioritis. Although watching the show won’t allow students to forget their woes, it’s comforting to know that these problems are felt by others all over the world enough to be displayed in international media.

The Chinese drama is a romantic comedy about the relationship between Situ Mo and Gu Weiyi, but it follows the lives and antics of peripheral characters as well. The characters push the narrative in “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” from Situ Mo, Gu Weiyi, all of their friends, and everyone they meet working towards their goals (even the lady in charge of Situ Mo’s dorm, Gu Weiyi’s research professor). It’s a slice-of-life as it mirrors how we all go about our lives, meeting people and acting or reacting to

those around us. There’s a simplicity in the character dynamics and interactions that is familiar and charming to watch.

As the C-drama follows the characters in their senior year of college and the months after as they enter the workforce or continue studying, we see the process of learning even after college graduation -- the best part of the C-drama. This drama truly encapsulates growth for students and people in their early 20’s, that transitory period that needs more representation in media. There are also so many interesting perspectives that can be addressed in this stage of life that are tackled with each and every character in this story from applying for jobs, finding a place in a post-grad research lab to taking the next steps in your relationships or even just trying to keep your head above water.

Not just a cute romance, "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" features characters in their senior year of college trying to figure out what to do with their lives, something any student can related to no matter what year they are in.

A rite of passage that every college student goes through is the rollercoaster of doubt over their major. Situ Mo (Fair Xing) certainly relates and concluded that accounting wasn’t what she wanted to do. Realizing her passion for advertising, her search for a relevant internship is complicated, though any recent grad regardless of major change can relate to the constant scramble to find a job that will take a chance on them. And even if some seniors don’t immediately go into the workforce, the process of hoping and praying after graduation is universal; some are vying for spaces in coveted research labs. Gu Weiyi (Lin Yi), the male lead of the drama, understands this desire well as a physics major planning to go into grad school. His research hours and the hilarious conflicts that arise out of being in a lab are situations that many of us can relate to at this STEM school.

The drama is amazingly detailed. The wardrobes of all of the characters are reused and repurposed throughout the show, just like a regular student’s fashion would look like. There aren’t any high-fashion clothes that show up one day and are never worn again despite the fact that the characters are “poor” (I love you, K-dramas, but sometimes you aren’t relatable in terms of closet capacity). It’s such a small detail, but it’s definitely noticeable and brings the characters closer to the viewer, making it easier to find a kinship with them. There are also easter eggs at the end of every episode that give the audience insight into a pivotal scene that occurred, usually something comedic or sweet. All of these small details make the drama even more realistic.

Not just a cute romance, "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" features characters in their senior year of college trying to figure out what to do with their lives, something any student can relate to no matter what year they are in. Do your best to stave off senioritis and get inspiration to keep applying for those labs by watching this comforting drama!

"The Invitation" should be cordially declined

New over-the-top supernatural horror fails its social commentary

It’s every woman’s worst nightmare, having to room with a stranger in a new environment. “The Barbarian” begins with a simple incident of a double booked Airbnb and quickly plunges the viewer in a violent bath of grime and crime.

Tess (Georgina Campbell) is shocked when she finds another guest inhabiting her Airbnb, and hesitantly agrees to stay the night with Keith (Bill Skarsgård) after taking a look at the dimly lit neighborhood. Albeit a tad awkward, Keith eventually proves himself to be not as threatening as Tess originally believes, and they strike up a flirty conversation with just a hint of mutual wariness of one another.

After the night passes with barely any chilling occurrences with Keith on the couch and Tess locked in the bedroom, the viewer is condemned to feel anxious and unnerved by how well the duo are getting along. The success of this movie lies with its unpredictable nature and its vague trailer. When will one of them show their true colors and leave the Airbnb a crime scene? Is Keith’s awkward charm an act?

The casting was perfect, they purposefully used Skarsgård, a man known for playing one of Stephen King’s notorious villains, Pennywise, to immediately stir suspicion within the audience. His natural boy next door vibes mixed with his acting career are equally as confusing as figuring out where the evil in the house lies.

Campbell exuded final girl energy that rivals the ultimate horror queen, Sidney Prescott. She was likable, a tad too selfless, but you can’t help but root for her survival. What she does have that a lot of horror movie characters possess is occasional realistic hesitancy. She knows that the situation she is in is bonkers and is cautious of her surroundings and decisions most of the film.

After accidentally getting locked in the basement on a toilet paper excursion, Tess finds the basement has a door leading to intricate cave-like pathways and a room with a filthy mattress and eerie camera

set-up. She eventually gets out of the basement and tries to convince Keith to leave with her, and that's when the duo is plunged into hell.

This film does provide something that many horror movies have lacked in recent years, a pacing that doesn't leave me feeling sluggish like I’ve been glued to the theatre seat for eons. Right from the beginning there is a problem our protagonist must face, and it intertwines with Keith and a television actor played by Justin Long who is introduced mid movie. Long’s character changes the trajectory of the movie, causing the audience to be extra wary of this new misogynistic man and his connection to the house. Fortunately, the audience does not have to wait long to see who the antagonist is, and even after the evil is revealed, the perfectly timed jumpscares and plot twists do not allow boredom to seep in.

The initial movie plot was so simple, it could have easily become a B-ratedslasher film, but every jumpscare was so nuanced and the gore was perfectly balanced with humor. The humor itself

If you like being beaten bloody by ham-fisted themes and unoriginal social commentary, then “The Invitation” is for you. Like in many stories, vampirism is established as a metaphor for some sort of social disease. In past adaptations of the vampire myth, this concept has strayed into anti-Semitism. “The Invitation” does not go there—instead, it draws a connection between blood-sucking vampires and today’s greedy old rich.

In this 2022 horror, protagonist Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) is a starving artist in New York City whose only living family—her parents—are dead. That is, until a DNA test reveals that she is related to a line of fabulously rich Englishmen, who invite her to a wedding at their country estate. Evie discovers that wealth treats her well, and quickly acclimates to the new environment. Instead of serving hors d’oeuvres as a fancy cocktail party, she is now receiving them. However, wealth is often maintained by less than ethical means, and bit by bit, Evie discovers dark secrets about her family’s true intentions.

Unfortunately, this story explores the ideas of corruption and greed without even the most rudimentary understanding of nuance. The plot is dominated by a family of ancient vampires that survives by literally eating the help. Maids are given numbers instead of names and sacrificed one by one to a bloodthirsty eldritch horror. The film’s protagonist is bombarded by microaggressions concerning her ethnicity, most of which seem out of place and a caricature of true prejudice. Finally, this eternal all-strong family is so obsessed with maintaining their bloodline that they would rather inbreed than leave their haunted house.

Don’t get me wrong—there is nothing I find more amusing than taking the piss out of rich people. But it has

But, I have to be honest. I did enjoy this movie, but not more the reasons the writers intended. I enjoyed this movie because its aesthetic is pure camp. Every single undead or vampire trope is combined in an outrageus, formless debacle

to be done with at least some nuance or thematic complexity. Otherwise, you end up with a story that says little more than “rich people bad”—AKA a shitpost in a new medium.

But, I have to be honest. I did enjoy this movie, but not for the reasons the writers intended. I enjoyed this movie because its aesthetic is pure camp. Every single undead or vampire trope is combined in an outrageous, formless debacle. We have a family with a cursed bloodline living in a hokey Gothic manor lit by 16th century torches. The set of the movie is a hilarious hyperrealistic take on the “Addams Family”

house: dark wood, elaborate balconies and balustrades, and a vacant character to a dwelling meant as an ancestral home. Then, there is the immaculately campy feast scene where a maid’s throat is slit at the dinner table and the vampires each drink from a bowl full of blood one by one.

Much of the gore in this film is sensual at the same time, like the slick moves of the movie’s cleanshaven lead vampire, Walter De Ville (Thomas Doherty). And then there is the most iconic scene in the film. The protagonist marches into a dark Gothic cathedral, to be married to an ancient vampire in front of a worshiping crowd straight out of “Rosemary’s Baby”. They are joined in matrimony by a man in an executioner hood, and a maid is literally chained to the wall so that Evie can eat her upon being transformed. Before the night is over, our protagonist will be kicking ass in a bloody torn wedding dress and trashy CGI fangs right out of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”.

Besides the protagonist and antagonist of this film, every character in “The Invitation” comes across as flat and cliché. Evie’s friend Grace (Courtney

"The Barbarian" never drops tension in AirBnB

JACK SIERPUTOWSKI Opinion Editor

COURTESY SONY

Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) wanders halls order to discover the dark secrets within.

Tess (Georgina Campbell) is tasked with a harrowing escape from a mine shaft at the Airbnb she's at.

MIA NGUYEN Life and Arts Editor

COURTESY | 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS

'RateMyProfessor'; useful metric? Or just plain mean?

While popular among students searching for professors, the website fluctuates between reliable and crass

Since 1999, the website RateMyProfessor has allowed University students to anonymously review their teachers in an public online forum. Since its creation, the site has been a subject of controversy. Is RateMyProfessor a useful metric? Or is it just plain mean?

Syed Naqvi, a member of the faculty senate and a UT Dallas professor for the School of Interdisciplinary Studies shared some his thoughts on RateMyProfessor potentially being, “a place where people with grievances that are oftentimes a result of getting in trouble for academic dishonesty can go and try to extract revenge.” He said when the website is mentioned between teachers, “it’s almost a way to explain what a bad metric would be.”

Reviews do not disappear on the website over time. Past comments are viewable to the sites visitors years after the review is posted. One such comment on a professor from the College of Business, Michelle Connell reads:

"Proffesor Connell is honestly the best proffesor I have had at UTD so far. She goes out of her way to help us and truly

cares about her students. You must attend class in order to understand homework, review, and exams. 4 exams that are not too difficult if you study, and several homeowkr assignments on pearson. She's also HOT."

RateMyProfessor initially offered the

ability for students to select a ‘chili pepper’ to indicate if the professor they were reviewing was attractive. Due to criticism, this function was removed but the same courtesy was not extended to reviews on the site. As it is, a professor’s career and

the subsequent ratings allow zero nuance overtime.

Finance senior Zack Nguyen shared his own thoughts on the site, “I use RateMyProfessor every time I need to pick classes for the semester,” he said.

For Nguyen, RateMyProfessor has been a useful tool during his college career. Students looking to have a level of control

“Support from family and friends, and also finding happiness in things like dance or singing. I realized that when I was depressed, upbeat music really helped. It boosted my energy to get me through though tough times. So I think music is a really big part of my life, and my name actually means ‘a little song’ so its kinda ironic.”

- Geetika Vedula, Computer Engineering, senior

"I guess it’s the people around me. Knowing that I have a community at UTD and that I’m involved also helps to have that strength to go on.”

- Nathan Simanjuntak, Finance Major, senior

“Having other people around you who suffer, who have been though it, and hearing their stories. When I hear in people’s pasts, looking back on your own personal struggles and how you got through them. Surrounding yourself with people who started somewhere difficult and ended up somewhere awesome."

- Sarah Gifford, Business Administration, senior

“Seeing people honestly. Just seeing people do their things: doing whatever they can, whatever they want, trying whatever they can. They’re doing their best, and if they’re doing their best I might as well too."

- Zayan Hossain, Computer Science, senior

“I have to say, well, for background I live on a farm. So every day I get to go out to work with the horses, the cattle, and the chickens-it reminds me there’s great things in the world both natural and manmade."

- Becca Whitten, Psychology, junior

UTD honors sculptor

'José Sacal: Un Mexican Universal' collection finds home at UTD

Is it a character out of your worst nightmare or Gandhi with elephant feet?

The sculpture that mysteriously appeared in front of McDermott library overnight was revealed to be one of 21 sculptures brought to UTD to honor Mexican sculptor, José Sacal.

“José Sacal: Un Mexicano Universal,” is one of UTD’s latest efforts to bring more art and culture to campus. This sculpture walk is the result of a large collaboration between the UT Dallas Center for U.S. and Latin American Initiatives (CUSLAI), UT Dallas Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History (EODIAH), the Mexican Embassy in Dallas, the Sacal Foundation, and the American Jewish Committee. This traveling exhibition has been through several states across the country, and features sculptures modeled after a diverse collection of historical figures. Craig Cole, a UTD alumni and the curator of this exhibition placed

these sculptures all over campus, several of them being featured inside buildings such as Sciences, Green Hall, ATEC, and more.

“Art in our country is very walled off; it’s very elite, expensive, and hyper-capitalist. This [exhibition] is a way of showing something for the public. So, it really is something special. Not every university gets this opportunity,” Cole said. This exhibition has toured all over the country and will be available for viewing at UTD until the week before Thanksgiving break. The collection at UTD includes sculptures of Frida Kahlo, Winston Churchill, Napoleon, Michelangelo, and the most prominent being a depiction of Gandhi directly outside of the McDermott Library.

“[Sacal] traveled a lot as a young artist and throughout his life, so this collection is about tying the world together and displaying the impacts that all these

cultural figures have had,” Cole said.

The Sacal Foundation aims to spread word about Sacal, who passed away in 2019, and his works, as information available online about the sculptor is very minimal. Sacal sculpted all his pieces completely from memory, resulting in an artistic process that stripped away any defining features of the figures he modeled and very geometric and surrealist pieces. Additionally, he was a big proponent of people interacting with his pieces tactically, so viewers are encouraged to gently touch and engage with the artwork.

“[This collection] is about having a location for an artist who is international at UTD with EODIAH, because we aren’t just a Dallas institute or Richardson art institute; we’re all about the exchange of ideas across the continent,” Katrina Saunders, a program coordinator with EODIAH, said.

What's Big Bend?

Sculpture near JSOM isn't religious symbol

MONYA BONDADA Mercury Staff

Wandering near JSOM, you might find yourself face to face with a tall and looming brown sculpture. Is it a cross? Nope, it’s Big Bend. What is it and where did it come from?

This 5000 pound and 23 feet tall steel sculpture, valued at almost half a million dollars, has traveled a lot despite its massive size, and took 2-3 days to install on campus. Donated to UTD through an art campaign hosted by JSOM in 2014 to get more art for its once barren halls, this sculpture was installed in 2018 and has been one of UTD’s most curious pieces of artwork since. Though its shape resembles a cross, the sculpture itself has no religious affiliations.

Originally created by artist Mac Whitney, Big Bend was meant to be part of a DMA (Dallas Museum of Art) exhibition. It was later bought by Lucille Murchison, a wealthy Texas oil heiress, who had a massive art collection. The piece finally reached JSOM through an anonymous donor, who obtained the sculpture after Murchison passed away.

“We felt that the management school needed art in it, because we needed to

develop in our students a symbiotic relationship between art and business… we raised enough money to purchase some sculptures in our courtyard, like the owl,” Diane McNulty, the Associate Dean of External Affairs in JSOM, and the person who handled the donation, said

The sculpture was built in a factory with Mac Whitney, the sculptor who is part of a renowned Dallas group of artists called The Oak Cliff Five, and 12 other people in 1976. Whitney had to use cables and pulleys in order to create bends at the top of the sculpture, resulting in its name, Big Bend.

This sculpture’s resemblance to a cross was also heavily deliberated before being installed on campus, as UTD is not publicly affiliated with any religious groups or organizations. McNulty and other university administration did not feel as though this piece had any religious affiliations and believed that it was simply a unique creation by an artistic individual.

“We really encourage our students to be well rounded and appreciate the art that has been given to this school,” McNulty said.

MONYA BONDADA Mercury Staff

New University Catholic Center Opens

Sounds of laughter emanate through the air as a group of students emerge through the double doors of a new building located across from the Canyon Creek apartments.

The Catholic Diocese of Dallas has opened a new University Catholic Center directly across from the University main campus. The center, which is open to all, will provide mass, fellowship and other activities to UTD’s population of about 5,000 Catholics.

Newman Catholic Ministry, the largest Catholic student organization on campus has been one of the organizations benefited by the building. Ann Van, a senior HR management major and the president of NCM, said that the building has made it easier to have a space for events.

“Before we had the building, we would have to hold Sunday mass in the faculty dining hall and it was difficult to find a quiet space for us to worship each week,” said Van. “Now that we have access to this building it makes everything easier.”

Reverend Tymo Ksiazkiewicz, the newly appointed chaplain for the center said the center was created as a response to the growing Catholic population at UTD.

“The bishop of the Diocese of Dallas came to campus for

two consecutive years for mass on Ash Wednesday to masses packed with students and saw the growing need for a new space,” Ksiazkiewicz said. “Once the opportunity arose, we were able to purchase the building as a permanent place for students.”

The center, which is open to all regardless of religious affiliation, is currently under renovation. However its study rooms, kitchen, movie theater, game room and sanctuary space are currently open for student use. Reverend Ksiazkiewicz said he was excited to see how the building will serve students.

“We want the building to be a place of rest and gathering,” Ksiazkiewicz said. “We are planning to renovate part of the building and turn it into a chapel (or worship space) that will accommodate the sacramental needs of the center.”

Mass is open to all students daily and on Sundays, with meals being served after afternoon and evening services. The building is also open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the week.

Senior neuroscience student, Yasmine Elsaadany, comes to the center in her free time between classes.

“It’s a super welcoming place. I can come here any time of day and study and hang out with friends, Elsaadany said. “During study breaks I can play ping-pong or eat with friends because there’s always free coffee here. It’s like my home away from home.”

Lemma Coffee Shutdown

Popular coffee chain permanentely moves off campus

With pumpkin spice latte season here once again, returning Comets may have noticed the first floor of ATEC looking more barren than usual. As of Fall 2022, Lemma Coffee Co has ceased its on-campus operations -- both the ATEC and McDermott Library locations have been closed for good.

"We were sad to see Lemma go, but they left their pop-up at UTD to focus on their brickand-mortar stores in the metroplex. We wish them much success," Pamela Stanley, Director of Dining & Retail Services at UTD, said . Daniel Baum, owner and founder of Lemma, explained further.

"Unfortunately, COVID-19 played a massive role in our departure from UTD," Baum said.

Lemma, which was founded as a wholesale roasting company in 2017, did not originally have a physical location. Baum said beginning in 2018, they sometimes catered events out of a food truck. After staffing an event attended by a member of the UTD Dining Services team, they received an inquiry about opening a coffee bar in ATEC.

Lemma opened its first stand at UTD in spring 2019, and would later take over the pre-existing coffee stand in the library. It closed with the rest of campus for the 20202021 school year, but planned to reopen in Fall 2021.

"However, the Delta variant seemed to have different plans," Baum said.

The constant back-and-forth between virtual

SEE LEMMA, PAGE 9

The Student Counseling Center in 2018 provides that among students 53% of clients have thoughts suicide with 17% reporting unwelcomed thoughts of hurting others. In total the SCC provided 2,776 individual counseling sessions to students in a time where the student population was 28,755. Now, the SCC and SWC have to support over 31,000 students coming out of a 3-year long pandemic, where within the first year alone mental illness increased globally by a massive 25%.

“Yes, we are feeling overwhelmed [...] There’s no way this crisis can be staffed by the 20 people the Counseling Center has to solve this

CHRISTINE JACOB Mercury Staff

ANDRE AVERION Distribution Manager SEE CRISIS

SEBYUL BAIK Courtesy

RYLEE RUSSELL | MERCURY STAFF

Catholic Center welcomes students with window murals of The Virgin Mary during opening.

Dallas and also we've had a partnership with the Mayo Clinic Senior Living Center in Rochester, MN. So the ones at Dallas are New Horizon Homes Assisted Living and Teresa’s House Assisted Living and Memory Care Center…

So last semester actually was unique. We had a very large service program with UTD students. So we were awarded a $1000 Victor Worsfold Grant from the UTD Honors College…to fund supplies for us to have music and art classes at different nursing homes.

So that was a four month program, and each month we had three

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stems from the shock value, and serves as a break from the gritty nail biting scenes. Along with great script and insane plot twists, the film doesn’t try to erase its whimsical nature. It is outrageously entertaining

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Taylor) exists solely for the protagonist to bounce her ideas off of and sound her inner thoughts to the audience. Grace does not have any independent drive or motivations other than to be “a good friend”. Evie’s servant sacrifices her own life to save Evie because of a bond with a former mistress which is discussed for a whole of thirty seconds. The various corrupt

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For Nguyen, RateMyProfessor has been a useful tool during his college career. Students looking to have a level of control over their inclass education can use the site to pick teachers who are rated better than others.

“I try to look for classes in my major that are rated highly on the site and also have reviews about leaving knowing more than when people started.” Nguyen said.

Interestingly, both interviewees expressed that RateMyProfessor can be useful in comparing how different professors conduct their classes. Naqvi shared his thoughts on the sites rating function.

“I’m always impressed with professors who have a high rating in both

CRISIS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 problem or to prevent it completely. They need us, and we need them,” said the Student Wellness Director Kacey Sebeniecher. The SWC and SCC have been

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wanting to receive updates on loan forgiveness ought to sign up for automated emails from the Department of Education’s website. Currently, applications will be accepted until the end of 2023, and relief should come within four to six weeks after applying, based on statements from an Aug. 26 tweet by Secretary Miguel Cardona. Moreover, according to the Federal Student Aid’s website, if your balance is less than the amount you qualify for, you won’t be able to pocket the difference.

Another implication for uni -

to four UTD volunteers go to each nursing home…we had them go there and teach classes—scrapbooking, journaling, watercolor painting and music. They went there once a month to each location and interacted with the seniors and caregivers, just leading those classes and helping build connections.

If you are able to talk about it, can you tell us your plans for the upcoming year?

So last semester we had the Victor Wordsworth grant funded project which we called Alzheimer's disease patient-caregiver engagement groups. That was our service project and this semester, kind of going off of that, we have the Apollo Project;

and a great film for horror movie buffs and scaredy cats alike.

In an almost “whodunnit” fashion, the audience is forced to question their instincts and trust mysterious characters who attempt to escape the horrors in the quaint Airbnb.

vampires fill many different caricatures of the rich—one woman is a catty backstabber, the other a hopeless romantic ala “Emma” by Jane Austen.

If nothing else, this movie truly does present a thrill. Despite her lack of in-depth characterization, the viewer cannot help but identify with Evie, and the mystery of her situation creates real suspense. Powerful body horror and the squeamish feeling of blood drinking will make

difficulty and the overall course,”

Naqvi said. Both identifying that perhaps the definition of a successful course is not necessarily making it easy for students.

Functions on RateMyProfessor extend beyond its namesake. Students can also rate their university based on perceived reputation, its facilities, and other categories. UT Dallas holds a 3.7 out of 5 rating on RateMyProfessor. Its most recent review reads:

"Better go to a school like My Computer Career to actually learn something. A poorly run degree mill, be careful if American, student population is like a third world country. Go to a true American College."

Hateful ratings like this, call the sites anonymity function into ques-

working together to further address these concerns even with limited resources. SWC acts as a forefront preventative provider for education and awareness across campus events, where the SCC provides secure professional

versity students to enter the workforce is the Education Department lowering of the percentage borrowers have to pay each month based on their income.

Assistant Political Science Professor Thomas Gray said these loan payment rule changes could become more important in the long run.

“By changing the maximum you have to pay for loans acquired as an undergraduate from ten to five percent, [the amount of money received] could be well over ten thousand dollars for some people,” Gray said. Forgiveness is also based on your financial situation while in

it’s a partnership with the National AFA. So this is focusing on bringing poetry related activities to seniors and caregivers in nursing homes. So they're providing some of the educational materials for that and the framework.

So we're going to bring UTD students to nursing homes and then read a poem and reflect on the topics that that poem brings up, like what memories or feelings that that'll spark and what other creative insights they have from that group of seniors and caregivers. And then we'll synthesize their thoughts into another poem… throughout the whole upcoming year we're just going to do poetry related activities.

The film truly understands that human nature is fickle, and the director fully embraces throwing the viewer into stressful situations that makes the line between antagonist and protagonist seem hair thin.

you want to look away from the screen. Creepy sound design and a constant sense of urgency won’t let you take your eyes off the screen.

The story of “The Invitation” (2022) may fail to surprise you. The characters may bore you. But the aesthetics of this tale cannot be denied. Choose to pursue this story in the theatre and you will be treated to a bloody tryst with all the technicolor melodrama of a drag show.

tion. Positive or negative, reviewees do not have to put their name on what they write. So, does the fact that students can write reviews anonymously impact the site?

“Absolutely it does, no one would use the site if our names were attached to it. Especially since most of the time it’s used when people have bad experiences.”

Nguyen said.

Remaining anonymous seems to be pivotal to the sites success, but this also has the potential to give students a platform to publish hateful things with no consequence.

Naqvi said that occasionally he does check his own profile on the site.

“There are a lot of times I get upset at the notion of someone being uncharitable and I just remember

consultation, support, and even psychiatric treatment. With a new focus on redefining infrastructure to meet student demand and promoting new opportunities, more effective systems are being worked on.

school.

“It doesn’t look at who needs the money now. It looks at who needed the money when they were 17,” Gray said, pointing out why some feel the policy is not well targeted.

For example, a person making $124,000($249,000 for families) could see $20,000 come their way.

Even those who agree with the policy feel it doesn’t go far enough to hold universities accountable.

“This policy definitely addresses some of the immediate issues, [but] it's not an end all be all solution,” Lauraine said.

“[College] is really skewed to -

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employees are required to follow, stating faculty members cannot discriminate against race, sex, and gender. Additionally, they called criticism against UTD for not taking accountability or being transparent in their eight week investigation, further pointing out that this contradicted UTD’s message of welcome and high ratings for both diversity and the LGBTQIA+ community.

Grievances and concerns could be reported to the Institutional Compliance, Equity, and Title IX Initiatives (ICET), but many of the students noted they didn’t know how to file a report to ICET.

“Going through ICET I was told their report [on Farage] has been closed, citing a lack of severity, a lack of retribution, and that they passed it to the ECS School for review,” Mueller said.” Despite the fact, I have an email sent to a parent last week from Dean Adams of the school stating

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past three months a lot. It’s always been my dream to be a good chess player, to lead my team, to inspire others. And I think that’s going pretty well. And for now I just want to keep getting better. I mean, get as good as I can and then take it from there. I don’t really have plans. And, as my coach used to say, we only make plans for yesterday.”

In order to keep up performance, UTD’s Chess Team treats the game like any other sport, with daily training

LEMMA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 and in-person learning drove down profits significantly. On top of that, the lack of plumbing at either stand made logistical management "quite involved.”

"Being on a college campus, if enough students aren’t there, we don’t have enough customers to operate sustainably," Baum said.

"To be honest, I kind of saw it coming," former barista Ellis Blake, a senior ATEC major, said. "People just weren't really in the habit of studying in public spaces, or meeting in person, or buying expensive coffee."

Blake said management frequently complained about profits being lower than they had been before the pandemic. In addition, Lemma now had two brick-and-mortar cafes, which were bringing in far more customers. Blake also attributed

wards the working class and it’s pretty much designed to keep everyone either in debt or just becoming worker bees to where we’re either constantly paying off debt or constantly in this work cycle … it’s a form of indentured servitude.” Lauraine believes that we are beholden to institutions with significantly more resources.

History sophomore Connor Kinney believes student loans were problematic from the start and is skeptical of the new policy.

“Student loans were mishandled in the first place when they were government funded , now they’re half private and half gov -

that there was no ECS investigation. Maybe they’re scared of appearances.”

Demonstrators said that this is just the start of their action against Farage. QR codes to the petition can be found across campus cork boards, asking many organizations to join them.

“We have an open letter that we are asking many of the organizations on campus to sign and so that along with the names on the petition, we are going to be submitting to the president's office when they are completed,” Mueller said. “I have been in contact with the Federal Office for Civil Rights and they are processing whether they think that UT Dallas has taken enough action on this situation. They are currently in the middle of their review. They are going to be asking the school for their information and their records, which I think is good in getting them to realize that this was a situation that actually matters.”

necessary for consistent results. Every Friday is “chess day”, where mornings are reserved for physical training, and afternoons are reserved for the theoretical. The other days of the week are left to individual study, so that team members can work on areas where they are lacking. The team’s intense training represents a large time commitment.

“In general, I just think that you have to enjoy it,” Schitco said. “Of course you have to do some work...But at the same time, I love chess a lot. So for me, it's a passion, so I can easily work on chess two or three hours every day. Maybe even

financial issues to the location of Lemma's second stand.

"The library is just such a bad location. No one goes there," he said. "I think it could have swung better if it was like, first floor right by the entrance. But yeah — basement level, behind a staircase? It was never gonna work."

Students can visit the current library coffee stand, Novel Brew, in the McDermott Library from 9 a.m. -3 p.m. on Monday – Thursday.

Rumors that management would be cutting back operating costs circled among staff for months. But Lemma didn't just take espresso drinks off the menu, as several employees anticipated. Instead, Blake and the rest of Lemma's UTD staff received an email in mid-June informing them that Lemma would not be returning in the fall.

"The email effectively laid us

ernment-funded,” he said.

It’s impossible to cure a system that allows universities to charge more money and students will end up paying more, Kinney added.

After prominent conservatives, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, vowed to bring lawsuits against Biden’s mass cancellation, some fear they won’t receive aid if Republicans win either majority in the House or the Senate.

“Somebody has to bring a lawsuit … and has to be hurt,” Gray said referring to politicians who call the move unconstitutional.

“[You] can’t just not like it.”

Since “the government has

Farage’s impact has sparked debate between what separates freedom of speech from hate speech across campus organizations. However the underlying concern for this protest was to clear up misinformation that UTD hasn’t been publicly transparent about and to establish that even if it is a matter of freedom of speech, it shouldn’t mean freedom from consequences.

“I just want to reiterate some of the misinformation that I've seen and clear that up. Farage is not tenured,” Mueller said. “So that is not what's preventing action from being taken. It has been exactly eight weeks and no action has been taken. He has not been fired. He has not had any further positions taken away from him. We are just hoping that action and transparency is taken whatever form you think is right. I hope that at least many people can agree that some amount of responsibility should be on the school for this situation.”

more.”

Schitco would especially like to thank UTD’s chess coach, grandmaster Julio Sadorra. Schitco said that while his previous coaches also helped him greatly, Sadorra was the last help he needed to reach the level of grandmaster.

"After three or four months of working together...it just all clicked. And in April I got my final requirement for the grandmaster norm and in summer I fulfilled everything. So it was just a cumulative effect after that. It just all came into place. And my game took a completely different shift and I elevated my level.”

all off," Blake said. Lemma's UTD stands didn't operate during the summer, so the staff was primarily made up of seasonal student workers. Most, like Blake, were forced to seek out other employment for the upcoming academic year. Despite their sudden departure from campus, Baum is grateful for the "unbelievable" opportunity the pop-up stands provided.

"We loved being a part of UTD’s campus. We had the opportunity to build some incredible relationships with students and staff," Baum said. "It’s something I’ll always be appreciative of."

In addition to their Carrollton and Frisco locations, Lemma Coffee Co will soon be opening a cafe in downtown Plano. Students craving an iced Bee's Knees latte can stop by to get their daily dose of caffeine, and a taste of UTD past.

promised you something and you reasonably rely on it, we’ve formed a contract.”

Gray pointed out that Biden’s statements are an example of “reliance.” Effectively, the government is prevented from withdrawing a promise (i.e., forgiveness) once the policy is put in place. The loan servicing companies - the most likely to bring a suit - have until the beginning of October when the department starts processing applications.

“If it was struck down, I could see it not being reversed for those who had already finished, but being stopped for anyone else and would also mean there wouldn't be a round two,” Gray said.