UTD Mercury April 4th Edition

the Mercury

www.utdmercury.com

The Student Newspaper of UTD

Vol. XXXI, No. 6

Basketball players get national recognition Page 9

April 4, 2011

Professor thinks big to educate the small Page 5

Ripple of global events reach UTD Page 3

Time crunch

Plan of attack

Class schedule redesign to fix ‘inefficiencies’

How UTD is preparing for budget cuts

Anwesha Bhattacharje

Anwesha Bhattacharje

Staff Writer axb094820@utdallas.edu

Staff Writer axb094820@utdallas.edu

SUAAB throws a vibrant, good time

Friday classes may become unavoidable for some students in the fall because of a new scheduling system UTD officials say aims to better accommodate more student schedules.

“Right now Mon-Wed-Fri schedules create significant scheduling inefficiencies,” said Lisa Bell, senior lecturer in the School of Arts & Humanities.

Currently, some courses meet Mon-Wed for an hour and 15 minutes, while others meet Mon-Wed-Fri for 50 minutes.

UTD officials say the current schedule has a number of thirty minute gaps because of the mismatch in the schedule. This leads to a conflict in classes for students who have both Mon-Wed and Mon-Wed-Fri classes, Bell said.

Under the new schedule there will only be MonWed-Fri classes for 1000 and 2000 level courses, UTD officials said.

Start and stop times for classes will also be the same whether they are Mon-Wed-

Courses necessary for graduation will not be cut next year, despite a planned 2.5 percent budget reduction across all UTD schools, university officials said in late March.

The planned reduction in spending comes in anticipation of decreased state

see BUDGET page 4

UT Systemwide policy may change Paul Dang

Contributor news@utdmercury.com

Students go wild for Springapalooza on page

6

photos by Ben Hawkins

see CLASSES page 4

illustration by Laura-Jane Cunningham

ATEC gaming gets top ranking

UT System policy changes, including a smoking ban, were passed on March 4 by the UT System Student Advisory Council, or UTSSAC. UTSSAC meets three times a semester to discuss issues

see UTSSAC page 4

Glover sells out CN Comedy star makes student crowd roar Sheila Dang

Contributor news@utdmercury.com

photo by Christopher Wang

“The Princeton Review” ranked UTD’s graduate gaming program among the top 10 in the nation.

Administrators want even better Nada Alasmi

Staff Writer nma096020@utdallas.edu

UTD’s Arts & Technology graduate program is the 10th best school in the nation to study game design, according to “The Princeton Review.”

The ranking was released early March and was determined through the survey of 150 universities on their academics, faculty, technology and career prospects for graduates.

School officials said the program’s high ranking can be attributed to the wellrounded education its student’s receive.

“We have a very expansive view,” said Thomas Linehan, director of the Institute for Interactive Arts and Engineering at UTD. “We are not training people necessarily for game companies that exist today, but for lots of productive work over

see GAMING page 4

Finding humor in often-offbeat topics such as the Home Depot and racism, comedian Donald Glover from NBC’s “Community” performed a hilarious and politically incorrect routine March 22 in front of a full house in the Conference Center.

“How many of you guys have seen my show ‘Community?’ Well, this is going to be nothing like that,” Glover warned as the crowd laughed.

photo by Duc Cao

Donald Glover, best known for his role in “Community,” performs March 22 in the Conference Center. The show sold out in only four hours.

“Springapalooza” and sold out of tickets within four hours. More than 500 students formed a

How many of you guys have seen my show ‘Community?’ Well, this is going to be nothing like that.

— Donald Glover The highly anticipated event was part of the Student Union Activity Advisory Board’s, or SUAAB,

line that snaked through the Conference Center to attend the performance.

“My Chi Phi brothers

and I waited from 3 p.m. until show time to get front row seats,” said Andrew Jones, computer science freshman.

The actor, comedian and musician got his break as a writer for “30 Rock” and wrote for three years before leaving to focus on acting and stand-up.

The open-mindedness of younger people is a reason why Glover enjoys performing at college campuses.

“Young people are more open to weird and

crazy topics,” Glover said. “I think as you get older, you become more resistant to change.”

Glover’s performance appeared to be a hit with the audience. Many of the students continued to wait up to two hours after the show for a chance to receive an autograph or picture with Glover.

“I absolutely loved the crowd,” Glover said after the show. “They were energetic, I’d put this in my Top 5 (university performances).”

2

News

April 4, 2011

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the Mercury

UTD Police scanner The following is a breakdown of key topics raised at the March 22 Student Government, or SG, meeting.

Full minutes of meetings can be found at www.sg.utdallas. edu.

Haroon Hashmi, Student Affairs Committee chair and political science junior, announced that Lot I, located on the west side of campus near the Conference Center, has been repurposed to accommodate more student use. The once 155 visitor spots have now become 16 Orange, 40 Gold, 37 Green and 62 visitor spots. This provides students with 93 additional spaces.

In response to student demand, SG has coordinated with Student Life officials to arrange for the Comet Café dining area to flow into a

renovated Comet Lounge, said Dina Shahrokhi, SG Vice President and political science senior. The project should be completed by this fall and the added booths and tables will provide students with around 100 extra places to sit, Shahrokhi said.

Shahrokhi also noted that UTD President David Daniel is currently taking any comments students have regarding the availability of UTD’s soccer fields. The university is weighing the pros and cons of renewing a contract that allows off-campus organizations access to the fields.

Up to $1,800 was allocated towards the purchase of “I Heart UT Dallas” T-shirts.

Up to $520 was allocated towards SG’s promotional election event.

Police seeking information

courtesy of UTD Police Department

The above individual is believed to have information connected to an event which occurred fall 2009.

Police are requesting anyone who recognizes this person to contact Lt. Ken MacKenzie at (972) 8832572 or ken.mackenzie@utdallas.edu.

March 18 • UTD Police were dispatched in reference to a report of a suspicious person March 19 • A student was arrested for Public Intoxication • UTD Police responded to a hit and run at the Athletic Field

• Three non-affiliated individuals received citations for Possession of Alcohol by a Minor, Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor and Possession of Alcoholic Beverage in Motor Vehicle after a traffic stop March 20 • A student reported the theft of a GPS from their

vehicle March 21 • A student reported an Assault by Contact March 23 • An employee reported theft of a storage cabinet • A non-affiliated male was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia

during a traffic stop March 24 • A non-affiliated female was cited for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol by a Minor • Two students reported a burglary of their apartment • A student reported a theft of his bicycle

News briefs Rock the Campus for the Cure Rock the Campus for the Cure 2011 will be the seventh iteration of the annual charity concert hosted by the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity.

Each year, this concert donates its proceeds to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Rock the Campus began September 2005 when Brad Monks, a UTD Student, lost his battle to lymphoma.

Devastated by the loss of their brother, the members of SAE organized the first Rock the Campus to honor Brad.

The tradition continues to this day.

This year, Rock the Campus will take place at 5 p.m., on April 16 at the Softball Field.

Despite rain delaying or canceling the past three years’ shows, SAE has raised over $73,000 in honor of Brad and the

inspiration he left behind.

“Brad was someone who you only had to meet once for him to leave an impact in your life,” said Carl Lutz, Rock the Campus’s Executive Director.

SAE hopes to raise over $30,000 at this year’s event.

“Being recognized as a federal non-profit foundation is a game changer for us,” Concert Chairman Elliott Zieba said. “Achieving this status allows us to gain more avenues of fundraising and marketing and, most importantly, makes ticket purchases a tax deduction.”

Rock the Campus is funded by ticket sales and companies that donate to the cause.

“Without the support of many organizations, we would not be as successful as we are today,” Zieba said.

Rock the Campus has grown larger each year.

“This year, hundreds

of bands contacted us from San Antonio, Austin and around the country wanting to play the show,” Lutz said.

Bands that play Rock the Campus donate their time to play to raise awareness for cancer research.

Many relate personally to this cause, because of a family member or friend that has fought cancer.

On April 16, ten bands will take the stage for Rock the Campus for the Cure 2011.

They include: The Orange, Nancy Silva Project, Sidekick Mafia, Don’t Wake Aislin, The Red 100’s, Andrew Tinker & Co., Robinson Hall, Tiger Darrow, The Burgundys and The Family Business.

Two bands in this year’s lineup got their start at UTD. “Pulling talent from UT Dallas is a way for us to support our alma mater and our fellow Comets,” Lutz said.

More information can be found at www.

RocktheCampus.org.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the show for a tax-deductible donation of $10.

Debate team results UTD hosted the 65th annual National Debate Tournament from March 24-28. The top 78 teams in the nation competed in intercollegiate debate’s premier event.

UTD fielded two teams in the competition, and its team and individual results are as follows: • UTD’s top team of Andrew Baker and Collin Roark tied for ninth place in the country, finishing the tournament with a 7-3 record.

• UTD’s second team of Wes Dwyer and Mayu Takeda finished 2-6 overall.

• Andrew Baker was named ninth overall out of 156 individual speakers in the event.

Opinion

the Mercury www.utdmercury.com

April 4, 2011

3

Editorial Board

New schedule inconvenience to some,vital to everyone For incoming students, or those who haven’t completed lower level courses, fall 2011 may shake up their schedule.

Classroom availability and scheduling consistency issues have caused all 1000 and 2000 level classes to be offered Tue-Thurs or MonWed-Fri, and those classes are more likely to be offered in the morning.

Intended to make things easier, university officials say the new scheduling system will be better for students because it’s aimed at accommodating different schedules, including those with jobs.

Upon first hearing the words “Friday classes,” there are at least a few students who will immediately follow with an audible “ugh.” One can only wonder if a few students will pile the classes on Tue-Thurs to avoid the dreaded day.

One of the benefits of leaving high school and going to college is undoubtedly freedom.

The ability to pick what classes you want, to an extent, and scheduling them when you want.

The result of this freedom for some? No classes before noon and no class on Friday.

This may be a bit of an extreme, there are definitely diligent students at UTD who want to take classes early and often, and those with jobs have to schedule classes when they can.

But Thursday night isn’t called “college night” for nothing.

Although the first gut reaction may be a gloom one, once the facts are considered, it’s hard to deny the reason behind the change.

As it is right now, Mon-Wed classes can overlap Mon-Wed-Fri in start and end times, or leave a 30-minute gap between them.

In addition, the number of applications UTD has received for the next semester is already 27 percent higher than it was a year ago. And this past year was a record setter for enrollment.

New buildings have been popping up to give all these new faces a place to fit, and while we have more land than any other school in the UT System, we can only expand so fast — especially with budget cuts on the horizon.

When higher enrollment isn’t coupled with new buildings, steps have to be taken to make sure everyone can take the classes they need to.

So, while it may seem less-than-desirable to some, the possibility of waking up early or taking a class on Friday is much better than not having the opportunity to take a class you need, at all.

‘United we stand’ makes more sense now than ever Paul Dang

Contributor news@utdmercury.com

So here we are, amidst the earthquakes, revolts and recessions.

As much as some might like to think these events don’t concern us, the reality is they do. Global events have a way of hitting close to home even when they happen thousands of miles away.

With so many students of different ethnicities and cultures at UTD, it’s not hard to find someone affected by the happenings around the world.

Believers of the 2012 apocalypse must be teetering on the edges of their seats as we near the date they have marked on their calendars as Judgment Day. And who can blame them? Just turn on any television set.

Indonesia. Haiti. New Zealand.

And since March 11, Japan succumbs to one of most devastating earthquakes witnessed by mankind.

Reaching a staggering magnitude of 9.0, the Tohoku earthquake of Japan sent barrages of tsunami waves, reaching heights up to 77 feet, towards the coastline of Japan, sweeping buildings, cars and other structures along its torrents as though they were just debris.

More than 10,000 lives have been claimed and the numbers are expected to rise still as more casualties are found.

While Japan struggles to stay afloat, rebellions in countries like Tunisia hope to tear down existing regimes of oppression.

In defeat to his corrupt government, a young Tunisian named M o h a m e d Bouazizi set himself on fire in front of a government building on Dec. 17 of last year. He unknowingly sparked an international revolution.

Following the revolutionary footsteps of Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq and other countries started their own protests and rebellions for democracy. Of these countries, Libya has recently received attention since a full-scale rebellion has erupted since late February.

To keep the peace, the US, France and other world powers got involved, but tensions escalated as bombing commenced.

While noble in our fight against possible genocide, one has to question how we’re going to pay for this conflict if it worsens.

The Great Recession, aptly deemed, left millions in America unemployed as the banking system faltered, causing the government to mandate a $600 billion bailout of the banking institutions.

This financial crisis eventually developed and spread into the current global economic crisis. Much like us, countries in Europe are facing similar deficits that jeopardize the economy of their collective European Union.

As these pivotal events unfurl around the world and it becomes clear that actions are never isolated, their effects echo throughout the world and one person’s cries become an alarm for humanity.

We live in a web of civilizations, and if one strand breaks, we all lose.

The thing that natural disasters teach us is that no matter what race, religion or ideology we subscribe to, we’re all

to go.

The old us-versus-them mentality won’t sustain humanity for long.

Debate spending policies all you want, but ignorance is a luxury we can’t afford any longer.

Watching the images on the news, it can be easy to put things on the back burner and go about your day, unaffected. It can be easy to get lost in the detached language of the talking heads on T.V. — subprime this, coalition that.

But if you really want to get a simple, straightforward idea about what’s going on, just ask somebody next to you.

You might realize that the objects on the screen are closer than they appear to be.

Editorial Board Jessica Melton, Editor-in-Chief Shane Damico, Managing Editor Laura-Jane Cunningham, Graphics Editor Albert Ramirez, Photo Editor Bobby Karalla, Sports Editor news@utdmercury.com The Mercury Editorial Board voted 5-0 in favor of this editorial. The board consists of the newspaper’s editor-inchief, managing editor, graphics editor, photo editor and sports 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.

Comet

Comments

W

hat do you think of CHLs on campus?

Michael Solorio Engineering senior “Totally against it, for my own safety and my right to security”

Van Dao Biology senior

We live in a web of civilizations, and if one strand breaks, we all lose.

— Paul Dang just as equally vulnerable to powers beyond our control.

In that uncertainty, we unite.

Any second now, mothernature could evict us from her residency, the foundations of capitalism could give way, another global war could break out and the sky might fall.

Don’t worry though, you can stop stocking up on beef jerky and non-perishables.

The world isn’t going to end in 2012 or anytime soon — not in the fiery, apocalyptic Hollywood fashion at least.

But something does have

Going to UTD, we have an opportunity to learn firsthand about the things happening around the world. Sometimes that’s the best we can do.

Open mindedness and a willingness to see from another’s perspective are mankind’s best hope right now. If we can’t handle that then we’re doomed to fail.

Consider this quote of relevance from a forefather of our nation, Thomas Paine: “The World is my country, all men and women are my brothers and sisters and to do good is my religion.”

“I am against it, this is a learning environment and there is no need for this type of violence”

“If someone was going to bring a gun and shoot people I don’t think a law against it would change anything”

Brandon Miller CS junior “If you give the right to someone you have to give it everyone and there are mentally unstable people.”

Harini Medicherla Biology freshman “Not just anyone can get a gun, there is a process involved in getting one”

Pompeii Google Streetview

by Laura-Jane Cunningham

Brent Luckey Accounting sophomore “I don’t find a reason why students should bring their guns to campus, we have the police”

Mustara Hashmi Bilogy freshman

the Mercury Editor-in-Chief Jessica Melton

Photo Editor Albert Ramirez

Media Adviser Chad Thomas

Managing Editor Shane Damico

Sports Editor Bobby Karalla

Photographers Ben Hawkins Brandon Higgins

Graphics Editor Laura-Jane Cunningham

Web Editor Dhamodaran Subramanian

Staff Writers Nada Alasmi Anwesha Bhattacharje John D. McCrary Contributors Paul Dang Sheila Dang Rebecca DeButts Duc Cao Akshay Harshe Navneet Kumar Michelle Nguyen Christopher Wang

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4

News

April 4, 2011

CLASSES

continued from page 1

Fri classes or Tue-Thur classes, which will make it more convenient for students, said Provost Andrew Blanchard.

The move towards restructuring the class schedules will make it possible to maintain a consistency in class offerings from one semester to the next, so students will know what the schedule in fall 2012 will look like when they see the fall 2011 schedule, Blanchard said.

UTD officials stressed

GAMING

continued from page 1 the long term.”

Bobby Frye received his master’s from UTD with a speciality in 3-D modeling and said UTD’s Arts & Technology program, also known as ATEC, is unlike any other.

“I think I have gotten a depth of understanding of game design that I probably would not have gotten elsewhere,” he said. “I can not only 3-D model, I can run a team fairly well and be a manager for a group of modelers.”

While Frye graduated in 2010, UTD’s first ATEC master’s degree was awarded to Monica Evans in 2004.

“The courses I took were all in place for the degree to be approved, so when the (ATEC

that the schedule change is an effort to provide equal opportunity for all students to take the necessary courses in order to graduate on time.

Blanchard said fall 2011 classes will be offered from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. As a result, if there are three sections in a class, one will be offered in the morning, afternoon and evening to allow all students equal access to classes.

“We’re trying to accommodate undergraduates who come to class and are also working,” Blanchard said.

Schools such as the School of Management will see a slight shift toward evening classes, whereas schools like Natural Sciences & Mathematics will have more morning classes, so schedule changes will be discipline specific, Blanchard said.

The new schedule is designed to ensure that all classrooms are efficiently used, pairing classes with the right size classrooms, Blanchard said.

In addition, more classes will be offered online which will free up classroom space, he said.

master’s) degree was approved I could graduate fairly quickly,” she said. “I can’t give you the exact number but when I started I felt like there were 35 people.”

Evans is now an assistant professor at UTD and teaches classes in game design, production and theory.

“When I graduated as a master student, I had a very clear choice to go into the game industry as a content writer or to come back, teach, and become an academic,” Evans said. “I deliberately chose to stay and a big piece of the reason that I am here is because of the ATEC program.”

Despite ranking 10th, UTD is not as well known as other universities on the list, such as the University of Southern California which ranked first.

“UTD is not necessarily at the top of the radar,” said Jacob Naasz, a graduate student specializing in game design and production. “But we are working our way up there and we are something people are starting to pay attention to.”

Another well-known university in game design, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is not on the topten list.

Dennis Kratz, dean of Arts & Humanities, said the quality of the ATEC program is as important as its rating.

“Just like the goal of a student should be to learn and study hard and then the A will come naturally. If we do our work very well, the A will come naturally as well,” he said.

Correction: In the March 21 issue of The Mercury, the article “Election Q&A” contained an error. “University Wide Auxiliary Services Committee” was incorrectly phrased. The Mercury regrets this error.

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UTSSAC

continued from page 1

that affect all UT System schools. Two representatives from each school come to make suggestions and share ideas that could operate on a system-wide level.

Recommendations are typically geared towards the UT System Board of Regents, which ultimately decides whether they become mandated or not. Resolutions state the opinion of UTSSAC on an issue, usually concerning recommendations and the Texas Legislature.

The council is divided into four committees: Graduate and Health Affairs, Financial and Legislative, Academic Affairs and Campus Life.

Dina Shahrokhi, SG vice president and political studies senior, served on the Campus Life Committee which oversaw the proposal to ban smoking on all UT System campuses.

“I was probably the most vocal in that committee of my opposition to having it be systemwide,” Shahrokhi said.

“Because I felt while bans aren’t bad and they are necessary for certain smaller schools, I think for larger institutions, like ours, it would not be appropriate.”

Despite objections to

BUDGET

continued from page 1

funding for the next two years.

While these reductions will not affect any courses required for graduation, students may see a decrease in the number of specialized course offerings and an increase in the number of students per class, said Hobson Wildenthal, vice president and executive provost.

“Anytime the funding per student decreases, the average class size must go up,” Wildenthal said. “And almost certainly the funding per student will go down.”

Classes in high demand with more than 30 students are not likely to be cancelled next fall, said Sheila Pineres, dean of undergraduate education. Smaller classes currently offered each semester may be offered less frequently starting fall 2011, she said.

“Our commitment and intent is to ensure students will have the course work in a timely and relevant fashion to allow them

the smoking ban by UTD representatives, UTSSAC approved the ban.

The ban states that all UT System schools must create a policy that will work towards a tobacco-free campus over the course of the next two years.

Grace Bielawski, SG president and political studies senior, said that while the smoking ban was a hot button issue, it was not the only focus of the council.

Under the Academic Affairs Committee, a proposal passed which would require students going through academic dishonesty hearings to be judged by a panel consisting of their peers, as well as university officials.

The committee also proposed that faculty should submit course schedules and textbook lists no later than 30 days prior to classes. Information about assistance in purchasing textbooks should be provided to students.

Publishers would be required to show the difference of information in new textbooks from old textbooks and provide an option to purchase texts individually from bundled packages.

The Financial and Legislative Committee suggested minimizing budget cuts to Higher Education. Along with

to complete their studies,” said Austin Cunningham, dean of graduate studies. “(The cuts) will perhaps influence the frequency with which we offer some of our smaller enrollment classes at the graduate level.”

There is a possibility more online courses will be offered next fall, which will give students the option to complete certain credit hours with more flexibility, Cunningham said.

Offering more online courses is a positive move towards providing more choices to students, Pineres said. However, only parts or sections of core courses may be offered online, she said.

The recent cutback for all schools has been proportional to the enrollment of the school, which means schools with a larger budget have seen larger cuts in numbers, Cunningham said.

With a 27 percent growth in applications since last year, UTD is looking at a projected enrollment of 1500 freshmen next fall, university officials said.

Despite the cutbacks, UTD will not react by decreasing

the suggestion, it was proposed that students help prioritize Higher Education spending.

“For example, we’re having to do budget cuts. One of the ways for students to be involved would be for them to have some say in what academic programs are cut. Students already have a lot of input on the student affairs side, but on the academic side of the house there isn’t really institutionalized student input,” Bielawski said.

A push was also made for domestic-partner benefits to be allowed for same-sex couples working at UT institutions.

“That was a little bit controversial in the committee,” Bielawski said.

“We see it as a student issue because we want faculty to want to come to Texas and if they can’t get domestic-partner benefits we don’t want that to prohibit them from coming. But it’s a legal issue. Unfortunately the way the state of Texas legislation reads, it stipulates that the state can’t allow that right now.”

Propositions made by UTSSAC will be presented to the UT Board of Regents in May. They will have the final say whether or not the recommendations become part of UT System-wide policy.

enrollment, because funding from the state is on a per student basis, Wildenthal said.

To ensure the entire student body receives quality education, all resources — including human resources — will have to be managed more efficiently, Wildenthal said.

As a result of the budget cuts, some staff members have either been transferred out to other departments or have lost their jobs, Wildenthal said.

“I imagine there will be a significant number of people who are on the payroll, who will not be on the payroll next year,” Wildenthal said.

In the initial statement issued

by UTD President David Daniel on Feb. 14 to all students, faculty and staff, the projected number of reduction in forces was stated to be 10.

The office of the provost alone has already had six staff reductions, Wildenthal said.

The undergraduate education office has also had to reduce its force and has not replaced the associate dean of undergraduate education, Pineres said.

Arts & Humanities Reduced by $ 244,599

Center for Brain Health Reduced by $ 5,685

Total percent reduced: 3.6 % Reduced by $ $54,268,362 of $ 248,081,600

Behavioral and Brain Sciences Reduced by $ 236,250

Engineering and Computer Science

Original budget: $ 99,381,840

Reduced by $ 558,460

Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences Reduced by $ 262,930

Interdisciplinary Studies

Original budget: $ 49,317,920

Reduced by $ 69,994

Management Reduced by $ 691,764

Natural Science & Mathematics Reduced by $ 414,864

16 administrative offices reduced by 5%

8 academic offices reduced by 2.5%

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Life &Arts

Military man adjusts to UTD

April 4, 2011

5

Movie in the making Students start production of feature film Bobby Karalla

Sports Editor rjk090020@utdallas.edu

courtesy of Matt Jones

Former Marine and current UTD student Matt Jones served in Iraq from 2004 to 2005.

Ex-Marine makes transition from battle to books Rebecca Debutts

Contributor news@utdmercury.com

Former Marine Matt Jones is the president of the Veterans of Dallas at UTD. He is now making the difficult switch from military life into the world of academia.

Jones, a historical studies senior, joined the Marines in May 2002 and was shipped

I was 18 and didn’t want my niece to grow up in a world where people flew airplanes into our buildings.

— Matt Jones out that October. He said deciding to join the service was not difficult once he made up his mind.

“At the time that I joined, I had a niece that was four years old and I was 18 and didn’t want my niece to grow up in a world where people flew airplanes into our buildings,” Jones said.

“I figured I was the demographic that needed to step up and do something about it.”

Jones has a history of military tradition in his fam-

ily. Both of his grandfathers served in the United States Navy during World War II, and his brother served in the Navy.

Each enlisted Marine is required to go through an intense 13-week training camp called Basic training.

Jones said during Basic, the commanders break you down so they can build a soldier and instill discipline.

Jones was deployed to Iraq in 2004 and 2005 during the Battle of Fallujah.

He said deployment was monotonous and boring most of the time. It could go from action packed to a lot of sitting around with no internet or radio.

Jones said once in Iraq, he went to a shop a friend of his worked at to say hello after work. They were smoking behind the building when they heard a loud noise and saw a 105 caliber Chinese Rocket dropped a few feet from where they were sitting. Jones said that they were lucky the rocket was a dud and that the enemy was using bad Chinese equipment or they may have killed.

Jones said he chose to leave the service to go to school and spend time with his family. He will graduate in May and said he is currently considering re-enlisting with the Marines or Air Force. ”I just don’t have the

see MILITARY page 8

An actor and an engineer have teamed up to make their first feature-length film, and are looking to gain exposure and experience for the movie they not only wrote, directed and edited, but also produced with their own money.

Erick Lopez, an Emerging Media and Communications sophomore, met engineering senior Rodolfo Guzman through a professor. What may seem like an odd coupling for a film duo is instead a perfect pairing.

Lopez has acted since high school, and moved to Los Angeles for six months at the end of 2009 to explore his acting potential. While in L.A., he and high school friend and fellow actor Braden Loosely, a Radio, Film and Television sophomore at the University of North Texas discussed writing a screenplay for a movie they felt could win over film festival audiences.

There was just one problem: They needed someone to shoot it.

Luckily, Guzman came on board in February 2010 to direct, and once the script was complete, the trio looked into casting.

There was another problem: They needed someone to fund it.

After unsuccessful meetings with a few potential backers, Lopez decided to try Kickstarter, an online fundraising platform for various projects including films. That also failed, as the group could not raise enough to completely support the project.

Confident in both themselves and the film’s potential, they decided to personally fund the project, with Lopez picking up the bulk of the budget: $2,000 of his own money.

Guzman owns most of the equipment used on set, including the camera, lighting equipment, dollies and other miscellaneous items.

Lopez’s mother also chipped in to help acquire a few other pieces of equipment.

Other than that singular contribution, Lopez, Guzman and Loosley are in charge of paying for everything, from day-to-day

photo by Brandon Higgins

Rodolfo Guzman (left), Braden Loosely (center) and Erick Lopez are co-producing “Left With Nothing,” the trio’s first feature film project. necessities such as food to renting or leasing houses for shooting.

Finally, everything was in place and the group launched the process to turn their idea into a reality.

The film, “Left with Nothing,” is a drama about two friends, Josh and Trey, that rob houses. Josh’s little brother Brian wants to follow down his older brother’s path until he is taken by Child Services after his father is killed. The film follows Josh’s emotional transformation as he tries to bring back what is most important to him.

“You really see the change from within, and I

really wanted to push that,” Lopez said, referring to Josh’s individual journey.

The trio began casting in May 2010, using shortfilmtexas.com — a site for acting comparable to Craigslist. org — to find Dallas-area actors and crew willing to work for free.

Lopez said young, fresh actors and crew would accept provided meals as payment to gain widespread exposure and an IMDB credit, in hopes of developing a name for themselves on a large scale.

The actors and crew responded, and Lopez, Guzman and Loosely narrowed down the hundreds

of hopeful college-aged actors to 20 before finally making the final cuts.

Everything was in place to shoot, but Lopez noticed errors in the story and script, so he told the actors they would have to wait for eight months before production meetings began.

During that span, Lopez and Loosley closely reviewed the script, changing and adding new characters to help fill in holes in the story and adjusting plot details to reach their vision.

Though eight months is a long time to wait, Lopez said every single actor held

see FILM page 8

Nanotech: not just for adults Professor and wife co-author children’s book Jessica Melton

Editor-in-Chief jjm082000@utdmercury.com

photo by Albert Ramirez

Moon Kim, electrical engineering professor, co-authored a children’s book about nanotechnology with his wife, Sun Song, to make the science fun to learn.

Beyond the securityguarded doors of NSERL, Moon Kim rides up four levels in a reflective elevator and past a glass-walled laboratory to his office.

It’s filled with an assortment of scattered books concerning electrical engineering or papers regarding a fighter jet the size of a red-blood cell.

Amid the shelves of academic literature in the electrical engineering professor’s domain sits

an unexpected guest: a children’s book — whose cover boasts vibrant colors, a giant smiley face and, perhaps most unexpectedly, Kim’s name.

This book — authored by the UTD professor and his wife — serves as arguably the largest and most tangible step in Kim’s journey to make the infinitesimally small things in science seem easy to understand, even for the smallest readers among us. In essence, the book is just one facet of his exploration to teach kids about nanotechnology, which he affectionately

refers to as “nano.”

As part of his journey to educate little ones about the littlest things in existence, Kim has made trips over the years to local elementary schools to give students handson experience with nano in creative ways. One of which is showing them how to make their own gold coins out of regular nickels and dimes. A fun project, which Kim said uses the same technology Texas Instruments companies use as a normal part

see NANO page 8

6

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Feature

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April 4, 2011

7

photos by Ben Hawkins

Students beat on drums and splash each other with paint during Splatterdance on March 21. Splatterdance marked the start of Springapalooza, hosted by SUAAB, a week long of fun events for students commemorating a Springbreak after party.

springapalooza 2011 photos by Duc Cao

photos by Aksay Harshe

Donald Glover performs his comedy routine to a sold out CN auditorium on March 22.

Tickets sold out in four hours. Glover said he was very pleased with the audience.

Students try their luck at the casino tables on March 23. Students turned out in large numbers during Casino Night to feel the rush of gambling without the fear of losing money.

photos by Akshay Harshe

Students enjoy Sprinkles cupcakes after waiting in a long line. The Sprinklemobile delivered hundreds of moist cupcakes to students on March 24. Some waited in line for as long as an hour to get their hands on the tasty treat.

photo by Christopher Wang

Page Horace, Arts & Technology junior, recieves a free Sprinkles cupcake on March 24 in front of the on-campus bookstore.

photos by Navneet Kumar

Students partake in a meal and dance during the Speakeasy Jazz Dinner on March 24. Students took a trip back in time dressing up as 1920s partygoers and dined in style. The dinner, which featured a live jazz band, was one of the last events of Springapalooza.

8

Life &Arts

April 4, 2011

FILM

continued from page 5 on because they liked the potential of the story.

“I felt bad that I had them wait a year, but I know that it paid off,” Lopez said.

Filming began in midMarch 2011. Lopez said they plan to wrap up filming in May, and complete editing by the end of summer in hopes of entering the Dallas International Film Festival, South by Southwest and the Austin Film Festival, whose deadlines are all around that time.

Guzman directs the film, but also works as the cinematographer and editor. While his name will be all over the credits and he will have considerable control over the production, Guzman said the vast workload can be overwhelming.

“It’s really hectic, especially for time,” Guzman said. “For example, I have to take care of lighting apart from talking with all the actors, and then make sure that everything on set is going smoothly.”

MILITARY

continued from page 5 (same) fulfillment in the civilian sector as I had in the military.” Jones said.

“Everything you did… was important and meant something down the line.”

Coming back to school was kind of difficult, Jones said. He returned from the Marines at age 24 and began going to school at Colin County Community College before coming to

While his several positions crowd his schedule, Guzman has not shied away from the extra work.

Lopez, Guzman and Loosley are all full-time students, and as all the other actors are college students as well, schedules can get chaotic. Filming unfortunately must at times be pushed back due to school.

For example, nights when the crew wishes to film, Lopez would have a school assignment, or Guzman — who graduates this spring — would have to work on his senior project.

“I’m doing this completely on my free time, and this is what I do when I should be doing other schoolwork,” Guzman said.

Lopez, Guzman and Loosely laughed as they admitted school takes a backseat to filming most of the time.

They all agree that free time comes at a minimum between school and filming. Lopez said going to bed at 2 a.m. is considered an early night, but asserts that through all the problems he

UTD. Being in a classroom full of 18-year olds just out of high school after returning from the military was tough, Jones said.

The biggest change was in the stark differences between the military and college life. The strict hierarchy and rank system of the military compared to the equality of college life has been the biggest change, Jones said.

Jones is currently in Japan helping with the relief effort after the earthquake and

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NANO

continued from page 5

courtesy of Rodolfo Guzman

Rudolfo Guzman uses his own equipment to create a feature-length film. and the other crew members have faced, their drive and hope for the project has and will continue to push them through.

“If you have that drive, you’ll find a way to get that extra money, and you’ll find a way to open up your schedule,” Lopez said. “First and foremost, just that drive, so you can make sure things get done, and you can make sure you’re progressing.”

tsunami.

He is the current president and one of the founding members of the Veterans of Dallas at UTD organization.

Every year they invite members to volunteer for officer roles within the organization.

Membership and officer roles are open to any student interested, not just veterans. More information can be found on the Student Organizations Forum on the school’s website.

of business.

“One of the best ways (for them to learn is to) let them do it with their own hands,” Kim said. “For example, when they’re young they already enjoy playing with a doll, but if someone just tells them what a doll is, it becomes boring.”

It was about a year ago Kim decided to extend this fun way of learning about nano by writing a kids book with topics that were both easy to understand and enjoyable to read, explaining ways nano could be helpful in everyday life.

But after Kim completed the first draft of his book, “A Day With Nano,” he presented it to his wife, who promptly informed him she couldn’t understand a thing he was trying to say.

Kim let out a loud laugh this week as he recalled the moment his wife became is co-author.

“As a scientist it isn’t that easy for me to communicate to the general public,” Kim said. “My co-author, Sun Song, did an excellent job with translating science into easy to understand (language). She’s like a science translator.”

The pair, who lovingly go by Sun and Moon, then began to explore the best ways to explain sophisticated science concepts to small-scale learners.

Using her 17 years of broadcast experience, Song interviewed her husband asking him questions about everything she didn’t understand — which she gladly admits was almost everything.

“I don’t like science at all, I don’t like math. I am a much more linguistic person,” Song said.

“So I thought, if I understand this interview,

the Mercury Nothing sad, gloomy or too serious,” Kim said.

“The illustration is very important.”

Song agreed, adding that they felt a friendly character may make the intense subject appear less intimidating.

And so, Nano, a ballshaped hero with a smile that comprises more than half of his body, was conceived.

“The whole concept

The whole concept of the book is not to try to explain what (nano) is, but what it can do to make our everyday lives better.

— Moon Kim some other students out there who may not be interested in science may understand.”

While countless explanations of advanced concepts were being reworded, Song remembered fondly the fights she and her husband had over phrasing.

“He (would say) ‘this is the easiest answer I can give you!,’” Song said through laughter. “And I (would reply), ‘it’s still far too difficult for regular people’.”

Once the words were hammered out, Song said she had a much better understanding of what Kim’s job actually entailed and who her husband really was.

Then the story’s main character was created with children in mind.

“We wanted a very fun, smiling character.

of the book is not to try to explain what (nano) is, but what it can do to make our everyday lives better…and our future better, too,” Kim said.

Through the book’s five chapters Nano investigates examples of how nanotechnology can simplify life, with examples that include selfrepairing paint, painless needles and ultra-lightweight sporting equipment.

Kim’s and Song’s book is currently available in Korean and will be available in English, among other languages, as soon as fall 2011.

“I’m (hoping) to educate our future generations, and I really like that,” Kim said. “If one person has a good impression to become a scientist or a teacher, my role is done.”

Sports

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Senior adds All-American to list of program firsts Bobby Karalla

Sports Editor rjk090020@utdallas.edu

April 4, 2011

STANDING

TALL

Tarneisha Scott has already carved her legacy as one of the greatest women’s basketball players in UTD history, but she took it one step further.

Scott, a senior forward, was recognized as an AllAmerican honorable mention by both the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and Women’s D-III News. She is the first All-American of any kind in the history of UTD’s women’s basketball program.

“You work so hard in pre-season and post-season to get better, and to achieve something that big is a great feeling,” Scott said.

Head coach Polly Thomason relayed the news to Scott, who never had the national recognition in mind heading into her final season as a Lady Comet.

“I was surprised (when I found out). I wasn’t really setting out for that,” Scott said. “I was just really trying to improve and help our team win. I think it’s an honor to get all the recognition that I did this year and all the respect, I was ecstatic.”

Earning an All-American nod was just about the last record Scott could add to her list, after having the best offensive season UTD has seen in its history.

Scott led the ASC in scoring at 17.4 points per game, and set the school record for most points scored in a year with 470, dominating opposing teams in the low post. Always an interior threat, Scott shot a program-high 52.9 percent from the field, which was third highest in the conference.

She also averaged a steady 8.3 rebounds per game, second best in program history, and grabbed Scott’s season stats more than three offensive rebounds per game, giv• 17.4 PPG (1st in ASC) ing extra possessions to an offense that outscored its • 8.3 RPG (6th in ASC) opponent by 8.3 points per • 52.9 FG% (3rd in ASC) game. She led the team in • First Team All-ASC East scoring in all but nine of • All-American hon. mention their 27 games and was the top rebounder 16 times.

Although her name is atop several individual records, Scott said rather than hope no one eclipses her marks, she encourages her teammates and future Lady Comets to chase the records she just set.

“I think (the players) set out more so now to break those records,” Scott said. “I think that’s awesome.”

Scott said she rallied players like Lyndsey Smith

Forward earns honor after strong season Bobby Karalla

Sports Editor rjk090020@utdallas.edu

It was the day after the UTD men’s basketball team lost to Mary Hardin-Baylor in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Terry Butterfield and assistant coach Travis Carruthers went down to the Activity Center gym to blow off steam, as Butterfield put it, and they ran into All-American forward Chris Barnes lifting weights, working up what the coaches described as a heavy sweat.

The coaches didn’t expect to see anyone working out. The team just lost to their nemesis in a national tournament, ending their chances at a National Championship.

But Butterfield and Carruthers were not shocked at all to find Barnes working hard as usual, Barnes by the numbers even the day after a disappointment such as • 17.5 PPG (4th in ASC) that.

• 6.9 RPG (10th in ASC) “It shows you the • 52.6 FG% (8th in ASC) character of Chris Barnes,” Carruthers • 40.9 3-pt% (4th in ASC) said.

• ASC East POY Barnes was named to • Second Team All-American the National Association of Basketball Coaches, or NABC, Division III All-America Second Team on March 18. The honor is the highest ever awarded to a UTD basketball player.

“I was pretty shocked at first,” Barnes said. “I know I had a good season but I didn’t know how recognized I was by all the coaches throughout the region.”

Butterfield said players qualify for nomination to the NABC All-America Team by first getting nominated for the All-Region Team, or in Barnes’ case, the All-South Team. Each head coach of every team in the region has a vote, and Barnes received the most votes in the region, Butterfield said.

What makes the honor even more special for Barnes — who averaged 17.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game for ASC East Champion UTD — is that he played out of position all season due to team injuries. Barnes, normally a power forward, started at center all but two games and rarely played in the four spot.

“Really, all he wants to do is win. That’s his goal, and that’s what we love about him,” Butterfield said, referring to Barnes handling his position switch.

Twenty-four players were named to the AllAmerica Teams — eight on each — and Barnes was

see SCOTT page 12

Off to rocky start in ASC

9

see BARNES page 12

photo by Albert Ramirez

UTD snaps Tyler’s win streak

photo by Ben Hawkins

photo by Ben Hawkins

Freshman pitcher Heather Foust winds up for a pitch against the NAIA’s University of Science & Arts (Okla.) on March 15. Despite Foust’s complete game, 0 earned run outing, the Lady Comets lost the first leg of the double-header 3-0. As of March 30, the Lady Comets had lost four games in a row, lowering their record to 12-10. The streak came on the heels of a 9-3 stretch over 12 games. While their record is solid at this point, the Lady Comets are 1-5 to start the ASC portion of their schedule.

Pitcher Derek Dallas delivers to UT Tyler’s Jake Ashley. Dallas pitched a complete game shutout and improved to 6-0 on the season. At the time of the victory, UT Tyler was on a 22-game winning streak, the longest in the country. The Comets went on to win the game 7-0 and took two of the three games in the series, improving to 16-10 and 6-3 in the ASC in 2011. For standings, see page 12.

Bobby Karalla

Sports Editor rjk090020@utdallas.edu

The Comets stunned No. 3 UT Tyler by winning two out of three in a weekend series March 25 and 26.

UTD rebounded from its season-long five-game losing streak with a 7-2 surge in the last nine games.

Derek Dallas has continued his monster season. Through seven starts, Dallas is 6-0 with a 1.33

ERA. He leads the ASC in wins and innings pitched, and his 48 strikeouts places him third in the conference as of March 30.

The Comets’ 6-3 conference record has them in third place in the ASC

East, a game back of 7-2 UT Tyler. Tyler’s only two losses in 2011 have both come at the hands of the Comets.

UTD’s next home game is April 5 against Southwestern at 3 p.m.

10

April 4, 2011

HOUSING House for lease!

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Comics

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April 4, 2011

You snooze, you lose by Michelle Ngyuen

Sudoku

Math Puzzle solutions online at www.utdmercury.com.

Instructions:

*Remember multiplication and division are performed before addition and subtraction.

/

+

-

+ +

+

Try to fill in the missing spaces using numbers 1-9 to complete the equations for every row and every column. Each number may only be used once.

+

Math puzzle

5

21

+

/

-

52

2

/ 11 7

11

12

Sports

April 4, 2011

BARNES

continued from page 9 among those in the top 16.

“He’s among the elite 16 players in the country,” Butterfield said. “Wow, that’s a heck of a thing to be able to tell a (recruit) about. It’s a message to kids: we have good players here.”

The achievement joins the long list of awards Barnes has garnered for his 2010-11 season. The forward was also named to the All-ASC East Team and ASC East Player of the Year.

SCOTT

continued from page 9

and Brittany Houston to work hard in the off-season and surpass her totals.

Scott followed her own advice this season. After key scorers moved on following the 2009-10 campaign, the Lady Comets needed someone to step up and fill the void left from the departures. Scott knew she was the right one for the job.

“We lost two of our leading scorers,” Scott said. “I just wanted to win, and wanted to

Barnes’ growth and development as a player has been duly noted by Butterfield, who attributes Barnes’ incredible work ethic and drive to his success.

“At this juncture, I don’t know that we can say we’ve had a better player. But I think more importantly, I don’t know that we’ve had a better player that’s willing to work hard at every opportunity to be the good player he is,” Butterfield said. “His work ethic and his intensity and his focus is what really sets him apart and makes

him special. I don’t think he’s ever satisfied with where he is. I think he wants to be better every time he takes the floor.”

Barnes played 11.7 minutes per game as a freshman, contributing 4.8 points per game off the bench. Last season, Barnes was second on the team in scoring (11.8 points per game), still mostly playing the role of sixth man.

This season, though, Barnes improved his scoring and rebounding by 5.7 points and 3 rebounds respectively as he took on more of a

break that (stretch of) losing in the first round of the tournament.”

The go-to option in the offense, Scott led the Lady Comets to 21 wins — tied for most in school history — and their first victory in the ASC Tournament. The 201011 season was a huge step forward for the young program, and Scott was the main reason.

She cemented herself as a clutch performer with a lastsecond layup against UT Tyler, as Lady Comets clinched second place in the ASC East in a home game that nearly got

away from them.

Now that her collegiate career is over, Scott said she still hopes to play basketball in some capacity after she graduates. Always humble about not just her career season but also her impact on the program’s legacy in the future, Scott hopes her accomplishments will bring credibility to UTD and its growing success.

“I think we’ll continue to get better. Whenever you set records and break records, it inspires people to work hard and to beat you,” Scott said.

“I think it raises the bar for competition.”

Men’s ASC East Baseball Division Race

ASC Rec.

Overall Rec.

Louisiana College

5-1

18-9

UT Tyler

7-2

23-2

UTD

6-3

16-10

LeTourneau University

3-3

14-11

Note: Standings reflect all teams’ records as of March 30

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lead role in UTD’s offense, all while playing center instead of his more familiar position.

Heading into his fourth and final season as a Comet, Barnes is focused on what he needs to improve on rather than what he has already accomplished.

“I still have a lot of room to improve and I’m just trying to continue to work and get better,” Barnes said. “While I was out of position, I think I can still improve on that — getting stronger, making sure I don’t wear down as the year goes on. Another thing

Coach Butterfield continues to preach to me is to try to be a better leader and getting the most out of all my teammates.”

Instead of focusing on individual accolades, Barnes has taken the team-oriented leadership role head-on, iterating his hopes to make a deeper tournament run next year.

“Making the two deep runs, that’s a lot more exciting,” Barnes said, comparing All-America honors to an NCAA Tournament atmosphere. “I like being

the Mercury in the big games, winning them with all the guys (I’ve) worked so hard with all year. That’s really important to me.”

Butterfield, who has coached at the high school level and all three levels of NCAA, has high praise for a player he said is special.

“Never have I been around a better individual, a better person, a harder worker, or a more high character person than Chris Barnes,” Butterfield said. “And that is really what it’s all about in the long run.”