the Mercury
www.utdmercury.com
The Student Newspaper of UTD
Vol. XXXI, No. 4
Tennis team gets into the swing of things Page 11
UTD hosts nat’l debate tourney Nada Alasami
Contributor news@utdmercury.com
More than 500 students from across the nation will be coming to UTD for the National Debate Competition, which UTD will host from March 24-28. Members of UTD’s debate team, some of the highest ranked in the country, will be participating in the event. “The competition is considered the Super Bowl of college debate,” said Christopher Burk, director of debate. UTD’s debate team cur-
rently ranks 12th in the nation based on votes by college debate coaches, Burk said. Two UTD debaters, Collin Roark and Andrew Baker, have been invited to the competition. Baker said the competition is like a combination of sports even and a very long test. “We wake up at 7, have one hour to prepare for debates and do that at a minimum of two to three times a day,” he said.
see DEBATE page 3
As temperatures rise, SU mall comes to life Page 6
February 28, 2011
Mother, daughter bond at UTD Page 7
‘Tier One’ gets defined What this status means for students Anwesha Bhattacharje Contributor news@utdmercury.com
The words “Tier One” have likely been heard by every student, but what the phrase means may not be clear. It entails more than a brand name, and as the university expands under this initiative, students are likely to see changes through upcoming years in aspects
see TIER ONE page 4
C R O W D
photo by Akshay Harshe
Sophomore Daniela Hagenasr works with Carbon Nano Strands. Tier One status would promote more research such as Hagenasr’s at UTD.
C O N T R O L
Fee could result in bigger SU
Plan aims to expand Comet Café
Shane Damico
Paul Dang
Managing Editor spd064000@utdallas.edu
Contributor news@utdmercury.com
The first wave of complaints came during the summer of 2010: there’s nowhere to sit. A year ago, students began complaining to Darrelene Rachavong, vice president for Student Affairs that the Comet Café’s dining area was often crowded or at full capacity during busy times. Student Government leaders began approaching Rachavong suggesting that opening the Comet Lounge to diners might relieve the buildup students were then complaining to their offices about. UTD deans were even reporting dining space was a common issue discussed at their Dining with the Deans event, at which point Rachavong made up her mind —
President David Daniel’s 2010 annual report, student enrollment should reach 20,000 by 2015. “If we’re at 17,000 and it looks like this now, how is it going to look when we’re at 20 to 25,000?” she said. The first step in answer-
For students who frequent the crowded Comet Café, the Comet Lounge might provide additional space to eat and mingle. Daniela Huerta, a political science sophomore, and her friend Nazish Taj, a speech language pathology sophomore, are both commuters. They go to the Comet Café to hang out but seldom buy the food there. “We meet here every Thursday with another friend,” Huerta said. “I usually bring my own lunch.” The convenient locations of the dining places can make them a hot spot on campus for students who want to meet between classes. Azim Sookoor, a business marketing junior, comes regularly to the Student Union to see his friends. “If I want food I’ll eat at
see SU page 4
see CAFE page 4
photos by Brandon Higgins
Students crowd into the Comet Café to meet, eat and study. Plans are in place to provide more space to the popular locale. perhaps UTD needs a larger Student Union. Currently the SU’s pool and table tennis tables are all used, there’s not enough dining space for students and study areas are minimal, Rachavong said. The problem could get worse in coming years. According to UTD
Mid-East conflict felt at UTD Nada Alasmi
Contributor news@utdmercury.com
courtesy of Sarah Berriche
Sarah Berriche, a spring 2010 UTD graduate, reflects on her experiences in Tunisia, where her family felt the effects of January’s political protests.
The Middle East is changing. From the souks of Morocco to the streets of Iran, citizens have been protesting for democracy and an end to corruption. In the midst of this change, two UTD students, one from Tunisia, the other from Egypt, reflect on their countries and the changes that have recently fallen upon them. Salsabeal Hassanin is
biology senior from Egypt, where protests against poverty, unemployment, and government corruption took place in January. Hassanin said there are two words that describe Egyptian people, and those words are “funny” and “courteous”. “We are light hearted and fun to be around,” she said. “People cannot sit with us and not laugh, even when we are being serious.” But Hassanin said some Egyptian people in the country were losing their
charm. They were evolving into a frustrated people who sometimes fought with each other in the streets. Two reasons for the change, she said, were increasing poverty and unemployment, things she knows because she visits Egypt every summer and because her mother and two sisters live in the country. “My mom says that (the price of) books, papers, pencils and especially medicines, have all skyrocketed,” she said. “A loaf of bread is so expensive to some people to
the point that bakers make two different types of bread, one for the poor and one for the rich (people).” Not only were many Egyptians poor and unemployed, she said, but they also were unable to express their opinions without fear of persecution. “(My people) were oppressed politically, not religiously,” she said. “There was no freedom of speech and people lived in fear for
see PROTESTS page 5