the Mercury
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The Student Newspaper of UTD
Vol. XXXI, No. 3
UTD player makes the best of a bad break Page 10
February 14, 2011
Student directs first professional show Page 7
Comets on ice Page 6
UTD snow daze Students take snow days with an icy disposition Paul Dang
Contributor news@utdmercury.com
Students’ excitement quickly melted as snow and ice kept UTD closed for almost a week, causing coursework and event delays for nearly everyone. On Feb. 1, the inboxes of all UTD e-mail accounts received the same mass message. “UTD closed due to
inclement weather,” it read. It was a snow day. Tests and assignments were dodged as the streets were blanketed with a fresh layer of snow. Snowmen and snow angels came to life as students enjoyed the unpredictable Texas climate. The ice and snow proved relentless. One snow day became two, then three, four and five. The powdery snow hardened into ice and the nov-
elty of staying home on a school day quickly wore off for some students. It wasn’t fun anymore. “I love a good snow day as long as it doesn’t last a week,” said Saad Abughazaleh, a marketing junior. The same e-mails of hiatus continued for the remainder of the week, canceling all
see SNOW page 4
photo by Akshay Harshe
A student gazes down the half-frozen reflection pools toward the center of the SU mall, surrounded by snow-dusted greenery and ice-covered walkways.
Jok Duop reflects on his past, moving through Sudan and then to Dallas. Duop plans to return to Sudan once he obtains his political science degree.
HOPE for sudan Anwesha Bhattacharje Contributor news@utdmercury.com
Updated SU on the way Students play ‘an active part’ in upcoming renovation plans Anwesha Bhattacharje Contributor news@utdmercury.com
Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya (1997): They had news — he was here. For 10 years they had searched for him and until now no one had known where he’d gone. Now they were at the border, so close to seeing him, yet the registration for refugees seemed to go on forever. As they walked, led on by the authorities, clustered shelters appeared as dots on the dusty horizon, and the vast sprawling
photo by Albert Ramirez
see SUDAN page 4
Post-grad job quest
The suites in the lower level of the Student Union, or SU, will soon undergo a complete renovation, UTD officials recently said. The suites have been empty since the Office of the Dean of the Students moved to the new Student Services Building, or SSB, in September 2010. Darrelene Rachavong, vice president for student affairs, said the plan for renovating the SU had come up when the proposal for building the SSB arose. “When we … put the referendum out for the students to vote on, to build (the SSB), a part of the thought process at that point was (that) as this building gets finished and everybody that’s on the first level of the union — (the SSB offices) — would move into this building, we could renovate the lower level for other student activities,” she said.
The students played an active part in the design and thinking behind planning the renovation of the SU, Rachavong said. “I actually had a committee (of students) and had them vote on what they wanted down there,” she said. “What they finally as a group voted on to put in that lower level is exactly how we’re doing it down there.” The renovated lower level will harbor Student Media — Radio UTD, UTD TV, A Modest Proposal and The Mercury — Fraternity & Sorority Life, meeting rooms and a reflection room, she said. Grace Bielawski, Student Government president and political science senior, said the different student factions that voted for what would go into the lower level didn’t vote for themselves, but for those groups that needed the space on a priority basis. Dina Shahrokhi, vice president of Student
see SU page 5
Israeli flag defaced on Spirit Rock
On the road to conquering the job monster, UTD students differ in their weapon of choice Nada Alasmi
Contributor news@utdmercury
Since the economic crisis of 2009, low employment rates are no longer startling, but have become a norm. Hundreds of résumés sent out, constant searching and many failed interviews have become an almost integral part of any job search. The same can be said for UTD students. According
to a recent Career Center study, the employment rate for the class of 2010 is 80.8 percent. This rate is a full 10.9 percent lower than the current Texas employment rate of 91.7 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. With such low employment, students are trying different strategies to find jobs. Some students, like grad-
uate student Lauren Booth, hope to get a head start many months before their graduation. Booth will graduate in May, four months away, with a master’s degree in Public Affairs. She has been seriously job searching since the beginning of January. “(I want to work in) any-
see JOBS page 5
photo by Ben Hawkins
Students and a UTD police officer inspect the recent defacement of the Spirit Rock on March 31. The rock was soon after repainted, removing both the red paint and the Israeli flag itself.
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February 14, 2011
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the Mercury
UTD Police scanner The Feb. 1 Student Government, or SG, meeting was cancelled due to inclement weather. The next SG meeting will take place Feb. 15 and will feature a visit from Darrelene Rachavong, UTD Vice President of Student
Affairs, who will speak about further renovations to the Student Union, said Grace Bielawski, SG president. Bielawski will also provide a brief parking and transportation update at the meeting, she said.
Jan. 23 • A male was arrested for an outstanding warrant • A student was issued a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia Jan. 24 • A Novel Brew employee reported the theft of their products and the
criminal mischief of their serving counter Jan. 26 • A student was issued a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia Jan. 27 • A student was detained and released following a search of his vehicle
Patriotic scholarship offered Rebecca DeButts
Contributor news@utdamercury.com
The time for scholarship application deadlines is fast approaching and one professor has made sure that former military members have more options. The Aage and Margareta Scholarship for Veterans of the Iraqi and Afghanistan Wars is funded by Aage Moller, a Behavioral and Brain Sciences professor. Moller and his wife also fund a general scholarship in addition to the scholarship for veterans. Moller said their was no specific moment of inspiration for this scholarship but, he saw his veteran students needed help and wanted to give that to them. “They certainly deserve the recognition for their service to the country,”
Moller said. “Many of them have economic hardship when they come back and they may not be able to get the education that they want and that’s what we wanted to help them with.” There are two available scholarships, one of which is endowed. Both awards are available to undergraduate and graduate students. The endowed scholarship is available to all veterans while the other scholarship shows preference to veterans of the Iraqi and Afghanistan Wars. Boyd Sherbet, Veterans certifying official said in the past veterans who have received this scholarship appreciate the recognition and acknowledgement of the service. “(Moller) really cares for the veterans and that was his purpose, trying to help
during a traffic stop, and prescription pills • A student was arrested for public intoxication Jan. 28 • Officers were dispatched to a Phase 1 apartment on a report of an alcohol violation • Officers were dispatched
UTD student wins biz comp Rebecca Debutts
Contributor news@utdmercury.com
courtesy of Aage Moller
Aage Moller created and funds the “Aage and Margareta Scholarship for Veterans.” the veterans,” Sherbet said. Corey Crawford, historical studies junior and Vice President of Veterans of Dallas at UTD, said schol-
arships that come from an individual really help former servicemen adjust
see SCHOLAR page 5
to the LLC for a domestic dispute Jan. 29 • A student was issued a citation for consumption of alcohol by a minor Jan. 31 • A student reported a theft of cash and credit card abuse
First prize for the Business Idea Competition went to Team Rhone for an application that can turn phones into remotes. David Evans, computer Science junior, teamed up with Texas A&M student, Michael Ellsworth to market their product. The application that won the fourth annual undergraduate competition out of 46 competing teams uses Bluetooth to operate and offers more features than the standard fare while keeping costs low. It offers different viewing modes. This means, only the buttons needed for the device being used are visible. That way the user can
be sure they’re using the volume for their TVs and not their stereos. “I’d love it to be a big hit,” Evans said. “When I describe it to people they get intrigued and when I describe the extra features they tend to really like it.” Evans said he came up with the idea when he needed to design a product to market for a class project. Afterward, he asked Ellsworth to join him in the Business Idea Competition and help him write the business proposal. Team Rhone is currently designing a prototype and preparing to market it for actual production, Evans said. The Business Idea Competition began in
see BUSINESS page 5
Opinion
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February 14, 2011
3
Picture of UTD Gray
Editorial Board
Parking needs progression
Paul Dang
contributor news@utdmercury.com
Let’s play a game. Pause reading for a second, assuming you’re on campus, and step outside. Do a quick headcount. If you’re lucky and it’s a busy hour, there will be people instead of tumbleweeds shuffling about. Now take a moment to notice how excited these students are to be here, singing Asher Roth and skipping to their next classes with anticipation glimmering in their eyes. That was sarcasm. When I first wandered through the beaming campus of UTD I was somewhat impressed. I’ve always wanted to go to a school modeled after Futurama. To my disappointment, I would soon learn this university would be like the title suggests; all looks and no soul. It seems to me like the majority of the zombies here have one mission: Get in, get credits and get out. UTD has become an academic drive thru. Good news though, the walk of shame between classes doesn’t have to be so. I might be coming off as Mr. School Spirit, but I assure you I haven’t touched my pompoms in ages. Quite the opposite actually, but whenever I look at UTD I see so much potential. I see character. I see all this money and labor that’s been invested into our university to make it look sexy and voluptuous, only to be draped by monotony. What’s the point of having an awesome school if no one
Just before the onset of midterms is around the time student attendance seemingly hits a low point, but this year the lack of parking continues through the lull. This isn’t the first time parking has been discussed in The Mercury, but continuing student concerns coupled with the minimal amount of change bring it to attention. Our student body has increased to more than 17,000, and that’s not counting faculty and staff, most of whom park on campus at some point during the week. Through the past year we have seen the addition of new lots, but that includes two new areas designated to visitor parking. Adding a parking garage right now is unreasonable, mostly due to the fact that each space would cost students about $1,000 to buy, but what we have now could be much better. One of the more frustrating aspects of parking on campus is driving around the smaller lots, such as the Activity Center, SOM or Conference Center, before realizing there are no spaces left before heading around to lots A-D. What adds to this is that students who pay for gold or green passes can end up parking in remote lots after their already prolonged search for a closer spot. The result of hunting for a spot for a prolonged period of time can lead to students parking in spots they know they shouldn’t, usually orange, purple or visitor’s lots. In reality there are no bad places to park on campus. Pretty much anywhere is accessible within 10 minutes, but the way our system is currently set up causes problems. Calling any kind of parking “remote” immediately places it in a negative light. Currently the larger lots are filled with potholes and no effort has yet been made to aid the view of the walk toward campus. In December 2009 a parking panel was assembled at UTD to make suggestions about our current system. One of the things they recommended was removing the color passes and designating groups to spots, such as having undergraduates park in lots A-D. This wouldn’t add any additional spaces, but knowing beforehand what lot to park in and knowing it’s first come, first serve would alleviate the frustrations of finding out where to park and paying for spots that are unavailable. While finding a place to park can be frustrating, especially if it’s done on a daily basis, it’s important to keep in mind that if parking is the biggest problem on this campus, we’re probably doing pretty well.
sticks around to enjoy it? known as UTA, and if you’ve students, the megaphones of We just finished building ever been to Arlington, you the campus, filling seats and a new fog fountain, and the know how it is. attracting crowds. That being only times I ever see students Arlington is the largest city said, UTD seriously needs to congregate around this state in the United States without grow its Greek life if it wishes of the art investment are for public transportation. That’s to improve. the occasional game of three- fine I guess, since used car The major complaint I hear man hacky sack. Money well lots virtually dominate the from the Greeks here are about spent. city. Arlington has also been the stringent rules placed on If a fog fountain fogs and crowned the fattest city in them. While it’s understandthere’s no one there to appre- America by Jay Leno who did able for a newer Greek system ciate it, does it still fog? a bit here where he visited to be strait-laced, there comes Another thing the local fast food joints and a time where some slack needs we take for grant- interviewed the portly deni- to be trimmed. ed is our athletics. zens. They had to build both Restrictions on recruitment Instead of the Rangers Ballpark and the and fuss over words like “rush” sports scholar- Cowboys Stadium just to get because of its supposedly bad ships, we have people to actually go there. connotations are unnecesscholarships for Did I also mention that I had sary. Let the fraternities and chess team. Need a blast there? I have scars to sororities have some leeway I say more? Now prove it. in their public relations. Don’t I’m not biased Despite having a much put baby in a corner. (Yes, I did towards one or older and unattractive cam- just make a “Dirty Dancing” the other but let’s face it, pus than UTD and being per- reference.) which has a more prominent vaded with homeless people Sports and fraternities/ impact on the campus com- whose shelter resides right on sororities work together in a munity and highlights the campus, Arlington has come symbiotic relationship creating school? Checkmate. to embrace what it is and the pulse in campus life. A Like it or not, after education, celebrate the fact that there good college demands both athletics and campus activity is nothing going on. All you strong scholastics and an are likely the main factors for really can do is have fun at interactive campus community college choice. And while our UTA. That or get mugged at that ties people to it. We need school has great business and Centennial Courts Apartments to solve for the latter variable science programs, the cadaver in broad daylight. of that equation and building that is our campus life, or lack What UTA does have going new edifices won’t work. thereof I should say, is scary. for it though, is an active Greek The way I see it, UTD is in enclosed in a fancy box, but life, one that collaborates with college limbo. It’s not an empty if the setting commutis Halloween, er school then that box anymore, What’s the point of having an is a coffin. but it’s not awesome school if no one sticks Maybe I’m one that just used to can boast around to enjoy it? something a vibrant different. campus life This being my second its athletics. either without some changes. semester here, I’m still a relaThe thing fraternities and And while it’s quickly growtive newbie to the campus so sororities are best at, besides ing and improving, it needs I might be taking things out making tacky T-shirts, is pro- more focus on its Greek life of context. I’ve heard some moting the school. Fundraisers, and athletics to develop its of the tales from the old war sporting events and other campus. Otherwise, it’s just an veterans of the school about campus activities hype the uni- accreditation institution with how it used to be a lot worse versity and shine the spotlight vacant fish scale buildings and than it is and how things have on the campus and attract fog fountains where a college improved dramatically. potential students. The broth- should be — kind of like a I transferred to this little ers and sisters of our uni- bigger ITT Tech, minus the joy-fest from another school versity are the most involved commercials.
SNOMG
by Laura-Jane Cunningham
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-in-chief, 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
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Comments
hat did you do to entertain yourself over the multiple snow days?
“I stayed in my apartment and took care of my two cats and played with them.”
“I played ‘Plants vs. Zombies’ on my iTouch.”
“I did go out and play in the snow. I had a great time with my roommates.”
Hannah Weir Literary studies sophomore
Michael Lee Business freshman
Jenna Mattingly Physics freshman
the Mercury Editor-in-Chief Jessica Melton
Graphics Editor Laura-Jane Cunningham
Media Adviser Chad Thomas
Managing Editor Shane Damico
Photo Editor Albert Ramirez
Photographers Ben Hawkins Brandon Higgins
Advertising Manager Josh Moncrieff
Sports Editor Bobby Karalla
Contributors Nada Alasmi Anwesha Bhattacharje Paul Dang Rebecca DeButts Akshay Harshe John D. McCrary Michelle Nguyen Christopher Wang
The Mercury is published on Mondays, at twoweek intervals during the long term of The University of Texas at Dallas, except holidays and exam periods, and once every three weeks during the summer term. Advertising is accepted by The Mercury on the basis that there is no discrimination by the advertiser in the offering of goods or services to any person, on any basis prohibited by applicable
law. Evidence of discrimination will be the basis of denial of advertising space. The publication of advertising in The Mercury does not constitute an endorsement of products or services by the newspaper, or The University of Texas at Dallas, or the governing board of the institution. Copyright © 2010 UT Dallas
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February 14, 2011
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Accounting team takes $10 grand and title
SnOW
continued from page 1
courtesy of Diane Henry
Accounting students Jinson Jose, Jennifer Rauschuber, Diane Henry and Dariel Dato-on won first prize and $10,000 at a national accounting competition in New York. This was the first time UTD competed in this competition, and the team of students became three out of 64 groups who pitched the ideas of a roof garden and LED lights for the best way to promote sustainability.
SUDAn
continued from page 1 expanse of the refugee camp emerged. Their hearts seemed to beat louder even as their eyes searched for their son and brother. In their minds they saw the face of the 6-year-old they remembered and wondered what the boy, now 16, surely must look like. When he finally appeared before them nobody spoke for a while. They hadn’t thought they would see him again — this young man who had grown apart from his family and friends — a boy lost in the angry swirl of a civil war for independence. In the middle of nowhere, with the rugged heat sending beads of perspiration dripping down his back, Jok found himself recalling yet another hot day, in his village, 10 years before. From between the folds of his mother’s skirt he’d watched his two brothers being taken away by military men to be trained as soldiers to fight in a bloodied civil war that had claimed the lives of millions of Sudanese. For years he watched and waited, and hoped they’d come back for him, take him to his brothers. But over time the memory of his brothers faded as Jok’s own fight for survival overpowered all his waking hours. He’d come to believe his brothers were dead. Now, seven years after fleeing his home to escape genocide sweeping his homeland, Jok stood in front of this young man
separated by a decade of displacement, and realized he was looking at his brother while their mother wept in stunned silence. “For years I thought it would be fun to be taken away with my brothers,” recalled Jok Duop, political science senior. “Had I been older than my two years, I surely would have gone. Now, I don’t regret it anymore.” For 22 years, until 2005, South and North Sudan have been engaged in civil war in a power play for resources, and Jok Duop, who is originally from South Sudan, grew up travelling across different provinces of Sudan with his family in search of safe shelters for almost seven years. “The Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement or SPLA/M was the main group fighting for the independence of South Sudan,” he said. “They said they would take my brothers to school, but turns out most such boys were drafted into the army.” The war started in 1983, but came to his village only in 1991, Duop said. “We were moving all the time,” he said. “We’d live in each displaced camp for some months, maybe a year. Then someone would bring news of an imminent attack and off we’d go again.” Between 1991 to 1997 the family moved on foot across South Sudan towards the Eastern border of Kenya. Some of the tribes were quite hostile, said Duop. “I remember, once we were attacked while on our way, by what must have been a local tribe,” Duop
recalled. “This man travelling with us was captured and slaughtered. I was too young to remember details, but even then it was hard to perceive that someone could be killed in such a violent way.” Until Kakuma, there had been no schools that he could go to, Duop said. Most of the children sat under trees and wrote on the floor while they travelled. “In a refugee camp, life itself is tough,” Duop said. “There is no food on some days, and going to school is not sustainable. I kept myself going hoping something good would happen in spite of the bad weather and no shelters. Those are the seven years of schooling I had.” Dallas (2004 – Present): In 2001, Duop’s brother was sent to the U.S.A as part of the Lost Boys of Sudan Program of the U.S. government. In 2004, Duop joined his brother. Duop’s life is like that of thousands of other children who grew up in South Sudan. Peter Kuol, Accounting & Information Management sophomore and Awan De’Kwech, Accounting & Information Management senior both came to the U.S.A as part of the Lost Boys program. They are both excited about the referendum and are sure South Sudan will soon be an independent country. “I lost my parents initially to the war,” Kuol said. “We have lost 2.5 million people in Southern Sudan alone. All I have are my brother and two sisters. I came here in 2002, and
photo by Albert Ramirez
UTD students Peter Kuol, Awan De’Kwech and Jok Duop are originally from Sudan and in favor of the country splitting to aid peace through the nation.
classes and events until further notice. For some students, the weather proved to be more of a hassle than a blessing. “I missed my intermediate accounting test which I really needed,” said Jimmy Cardoza, an accounting junior. Students will have to make up for a week’s worth of lost time. “My exams are being pushed back, and we are still going to cover all of the material stated on the syllabus which means that we will have less time in between (each exam),” said Wendy Rabadan, a psychology senior. As the absence from school complicated course schedules, transportation became hazardous and cars cautiously teetered along icy roads to thwart collisions. Abughazaleh chose to avoid the frozen streets.
the Mercury “Gets boring, not being able to drive anywhere,” he said. Even those at home weren’t always safe from the frigid draft. “Our power went out,” Cardoza said. “So did our water.” The ice eventually thawed from the asphalt and lawns. The university resumed normally Monday, Feb. 7, with only traces of white remaining as a reminder of the break. But the cold made a comeback. Sleet crept in before the dawn of Wednesday, Feb. 9, and ice found a familiar home on the streets. Classes were cancelled once again. The encore would be briefer than before, and students like Abughazaleh didn’t welcome it. “Too long”, he said in regards to the ongoing hiatus. Professors and students returned to their duties again on Thursday, Feb. 10, resuming classes after the wintry intermission.
1991: Jok Duop and his family fled their village (Taktat) when the village came under attack from warring factions. His older brother and one of the Lost Boys was killed fighting for the army. 1993: Duop and his family left behind their province of Jonglei, and crossed into the South Sudanese province of Central Equatoria.
1995 : The family moved to Eastern Equatoria, heading towards the Kenyan border. They met people who had not even heard of the war and crossed through areas of hostile tribes. 1997: The family entered the Kenyan border and was housed at the Kakuma refugee camp where he attended school for the first time in his life.
Jok’s journey 5. 2004: Duop came to live with his brother in Texas.
Illustration by Laura-Jane Cunningham
my brother is here with me, but my sisters are both back home. ” The war came to an end in 2005 in Sudan with a promise of a referendum for the independent state of South Sudan. The peace agreement stated that the referendum process was to start in 2010. “The war had been going on for too long between North and South Sudan,” said Meryl Nason, a professor at the School of Economics & Public Policy here at UTD. “The North is mostly Arab while the South is mostly Christian and Animist. The referendum was to break off the southern part from the North and end this war.” The other issues of contention between the South and North Sudan were control of oil bearing regions, representation in the government and equal rights for citizens of South Sudan, Duop said. As part of the referendum process in 2010, six registration centers were opened up by the Sudan Embassy for roughly 10,000 South Sudanese citizens across the United States, Duop said. In Dallas, the registration center and polling booth was at Royal Lane and Plano Road and registration opened up on Dec. 22. Voting commenced on Jan 9, 2011 and continued until Jan 15. Kuol said
1507 votes were cast from at the Dallas booth. All the ballots have been sent to Sudan, said Duop. The results of the referendum are due Feb. 14, Duop said. He said his friends from South Sudan are all expected to have voted in favor of an independent South Sudan. Duop said after he graduates he would like to get a master’s degree and return to South Sudan where he wants to help in leading his country. “It will take a long time for us as a new country to get there in terms of economic and political structure,” Duop said. “All our leaders know is to fight. You can’t rule civilians with military rule.” Nason said that the key thing to South Sudan’s success as an independent nation in the region is to ensure its economic viability. Duop said that democracy, building schools and social and health-care programs are essential building blocks for the country’s future. “For medicines for malaria, people need to travel for thousands of miles, and even then it is not affordable,” he said. “If we look at the U.S.A. of today and take out any one aspect of living here — electricity, healthcare, education, shelters, this country will collapse into
a disaster. It’s the same there. It will be important that these (amenities) are in place so the burden on the new government can be reduced.” Duop said he wants to return to Sudan when independence is declared this summer. “Back home, people are not advanced technologically,” he said. He speaks to his parents on phone, he said, and they still cannot believe something like the phone exists and it is their son they can hear on the other end. Awan has his mother back home but lost his father to the war. He said he speaks to his mother on the phone regularly, now that they have phones back in Sudan. Duop has not been back to his village home of Taktat since 1991, and his parents don’t live there anymore either, he said. “Most of the people I grew up with are not alive anymore,” Duop said. “Sometimes I wonder how this happened and what I bring to the table that God’s kept me alive. When I came here first I wanted to be a business administrator. Then I thought what use was a business manager back home? So I chose political sciences instead, so that someday I may be of use to my society.”
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February 14, 2011
SCHOLAR
continued from page 2
to civilian life. Crawford said it is a relief to come out of the service and have Veteran’s Affairs take care of former service members when it comes to education. This kind of scholarship, he said, is an extension of that. “Besides the government and things like the G.I. Bill, it’s still nice to
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know there are people that appreciate the service and the sacrifice and the commitment they (former service members) made.” Crawford said. “Scholarships like this often let veterans know that their actions aren’t forgotten and the sacrifices they made (are) being recognized at home.” More information about these scholarships can be found at utdallas.edu/student/finaid/ scholarships.
BUSINESS
continued from page 2
illustration by Laura-Jane Cunningham
This rendering depicts the revamped lower level of the Student Union which will house a reflection room, Greek Life, meeting rooms for students and Student Media. Construction is slated to begin at the end of March 2011.
SU
continued from page 1
Government and political science senior, said that the best part about the reflection room is the amount of student input that has gone into creating it. Rachavong said that the reflection room would be at the end of a long hallway leading up to it, with stressful words written on the walls easing into more peaceful words and in different languages. The request for the reflection room came to her several years ago, Rachavong said. She gave a copy of the proposal to The Mercury. The proposal states the purpose of the room “for students to use in order to release stress,” “meditation and self reflection” and for “building stronger commu-
nity spirit through cultural understanding and awareness.” The proposal describes the structure, provisions and furniture that the reflection room would need to have to be conducive to prayer. Rachavong said she remembered the request for the reflection room, and all the requirements in the proposal were taken into planning the room, including the colors and the layout. Gene Fitch, dean of students, said that the budget for the renovation project is $1.1 million and the budget will not be cut down in view of the recent budget cuts that the university has had. Fitch and Rachavong said the design of the lower level will be edgy, creative and contemporary. Briana Lemos, assistant director for Greek Life, said the Greek chapters were all
very excited about their new office space. The renovated lower level will have, for the first time, a ritual room that will be shared by all the chapters. The storage areas will also be accessible to all chapters, she said. “Our SOF group which is currently in the Northwest corner (of the SU) near The Pub will move over to Student Media where The Mercury is now and the SUAAB group will move into where the SOF is now,” Fitch said. “There’s been some requests from Food Service to use that space (which will be freed by the UTD Radio in the lower level of the SU) but that’ll be up to the Union folks to decide.” Rachavong said Student Government had been asked and they chose not to move. “We talked about mov-
ing into the SSB even before moving downstairs,” Bielawski said. “The main thing (about our current location) is its proximity to the meeting room and Galaxy rooms and it’s so much easier to just go across the hall for a meeting.” Shahrokhi said that although it is her last semester at school, it gives her a sense of pride to be a part of the plans for the SU renovation. “I think it’s more exciting to be part of the change than experiencing it,” she said. “It’s more powerful.” Rachavong said the designs have been completed by the architects and that construction is scheduled to begin by the end of March so that all the student groups can move in to their new spaces before classes begin next fall.
2007 and is hosted by the Institution for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UTD. Nancy Hong, coordinator of the event, said that the competition is not meant only for inventions. Students are encouraged to submit a range of applications from ideas to business plans. Hong said everything from iPhone apps to Internet security ideas are submitted. When all entries are submitted, a panel of successful entrepreneurs judges them. “It’s a huge opportunity. How many times would a regular person get to present a business idea to people who are themselves entrepreneurs and in the position to help?” First place winners are awarded $4,000 and a month’s free rent in an office to help market their product. In addition to these prizes, winners are also awarded another
David Evans $1,000 to fund Team Rhone’s attendance in another competition of this kind. Evans said the $1,000 has been very helpful. Team Rhone will soon attend the intercollegiate business competition at the University of Nebraska. “The Business Idea Competition allows you to put an idea to paper and allows you to have people go through it and give you a lot of feedback,” Evans said. Hong said. “I think we as a university and student body need to really take advantage of (this) expertise while they’re on campus.”
JOBS
continued from page 1 thing in Human resources,” Booth said. “I have experience in recruiting, employee relations, training and development.” Booth said she hopes to get a job by the time she graduates. “You hear about how bad the work market is,” she said. “I just hope it won’t take long (to get a job).” Other students, like alumna Mariam Dirbashi, have decided to opt out for smaller jobs and wait for their dream career, a job in their field. Dirbashi graduated spring 2010 with a degree in Arts & Technology, or ATEC. “I want a job in animation or as an illustrator,” Dirbashi said. “ I would say (my degree) was not very practical and is only good for people who are very talented and have a good portfolio.” While in school, Mariam worked part-time at Richland College Testing Center. When she graduated she searched for an ATEC-related job for two months but stopped searching after she got her second part-time job at a small architectural company. “I think I will start again to look for a job in my field,” she said. “It will most probably take a long time (to get one), maybe three to six months.” Untill then, Mariam said she works on an art project every now and then to improve her portfolio. One aluma who has landed a job is Taneska Lewis, a 2010 graduate with a degree in business administration. Lewis works as a policy analyst for the North Texas Transit Authority, or NTTA.
illustration by Michelle Nguyen
One of the things she does is monitor and review state and federal transportation legislation. Lewis said she worked part-time at the NTTA before graduation but her interview for the full-time job was like that of any other applicant. “I had to prove I was ready for a new position,” she said. To get her job, Lewis developed answers to possible interview questions in advance. “If they would ask why
they should hire me, I would give them actual reasons based on my experiences,” she said. While the job search process can be long and tiring the Career Center offers tips and tools to give students and alumni a head start and compete effectively for a job. Regina James-Dorsey is a Career Center coordinator who helps students and alumni with résumé building. Dorsey said professional
résumés can stand out by being relevant to a job position. “An employer does not connect with a generic résumé,” Dorsey said. “You have to put a little work and customize it for a specific job description.” Relevant experience is experience that relates to the job a student is applying to. It is not necessarily work experience and should be put at the top of the résumé, Dorsey said. “Say you’re a finance
major and you are treasurer of your organization. That is relevant experience,” Dorsey said. “That should be put at the top of your resume.” Online trading broker, Fidelity Investments, is a company which has hired UTD students in the past. Cynthia Howell, college relations manager at Fidelity, provides advice of her own. Howell said that professional conduct with the possible employer is important. “Be professional, not causal, in conversation,” she
said. “Don’t say things like ‘yep’ and ‘nope,’ have a professional e-mail account and leave professional voicemails.” Howell recommends not having phone interviews in loud, distracting environments. She says first impressions are key, and can be made by giving firm handshakes and by keeping eye contact. For more information contact the Career Center at 972-883-2943 or at areercenter@utdallas.edu.
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News
February 14, 2011
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the Mercury
Courtesy Photo by Kieth Demele photo by Akshay Harshe
Bicycles near the library are covered by snow after a snow storm on Feb 4. UTD closed for 5 days after the winter storms.
Students walking through phase 5 parking lot during snow storm on Feb. 4.
Winter wonderland photo by Akshay Harshe
Left to right: Graduate Student Thanneermalai Narayanan gets hit with a snowball thrown by graduate student Koteshwar Reddy.
photo by Akshay Harshe
Students wait for the bus after the snow storm hit on Feb. 4. Services were cancelled a few days later because of the icy road conditions. Courtesy photo by Kedar Manekar
Courtesy photo by Kedar Manekar
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Life &Arts
February 14, 2011
7
Prof novel enters Hollywood Paul Dang
Contributor news@utdmercury.com
A UTD professor’s family legend has become a movie in progress, tied to big names in the film industry. The movie, adapted from the book, is scheduled to shoot on Feb. 20. It touts up-and-coming actors such as Shia LaBeouf (“Transformers”) and Tom Hardy (“Inception”) in its cast. Matt Bondurant is in his second year of teaching literature and creative writing at UTD. “I don’t think I started seriously writing until I got my master’s degree,” he said. Despite a modest start as a writer, he quickly received recognition for his work. The professor’s first novel, “The Third Translation,” was stamped as an international bestseller, narrating the escapade of an Egyptologist. His following novel hit a lot closer to home. “The Wettest County in the World” finds its origins in family lore regarding Bondurant’s grandfather and his two brothers’ moonshine gang. Scenes of gritty violence permeate the tale of the outlaw trio as they defy Prohibition laws of the 1920s. After the death of the professor’s grandfather, Bondurant’s father began genealogical research which unearthed a trail of newspaper and magazine articles covering the late Jack Bondurant’s involvement in a shootout with federal officers and a trial underscored by corruption and conspiracy.
“I was thinking about writing that book for more than 10 years,” Bondurant said. The story, however, was still incomplete and mostly speculative. Blanks were yet to be filled in and Bondurant had to find answers at the source: Franklin County, VA. “There was a peculiar kind of culture in history about moonshining in the South,” Bondurant said. “In places where it was very popular, it was seen as not just a common activity, but almost a sort of pride. Franklin County developed a reputation of a place where everybody did it.” The author inquired into the town’s history, but said his foreign presence did not appeal to locals. “It’s a very small, closed community and I didn’t grow up there,” he said. “I was an outsider on the outer edge, trying to get in and trying to get people to talk to me.” Bondurant eventually gathered enough information to thread a plotline together. “I was able to connect events together like a constellation,” he said. Working only with records and reports of crimes he had to develop characters with motives and reasons behind their illicit actions. It wasn’t Bondurant’s intention to portray his relatives and the moonshiners of the South as ruthless profiteers. “I had to tread a line,” he said. “I was very cognizant of not making them out to be horrible people. They were good people doing bad things, people that made bad decisions, but
photo by Christopher Wang
“The Wettest Country in the World” details Matt Bondurant’s family history in the prohibition era. While it’s his second book, it’s the professor’s first venture into film with starts such as Shia LaBeouf taking roles.
Real-life bootleggers make a great read John D. McCrary
Contributor news@utdmercury.com
Cars packed with illicit substances flying through town, as gangsters lean out of the windows and take shots at the police cars barreling towards them. This is the kind of scene one can expect to find dripping all over the pages of “The Wettest County in the World.” Set in Franklin County VA., during prohibition, literature and creative writing professor Matt Bondurant’s second novel chronicles the life
ultimately good people.” Bondurant’s sensitive portrayal of his characters was eventually beyond his control. The rights to “Wettest County in the World” were first sold to Columbia
and times of his pater- Moonshine Conspiracy nal grandfather and two Trial of 1935” and the granduncles surrounding as they took p e o p l e Commentary part in one and places of the largest involved bootlegging with it. operations T h e in America. events of The centhe book are tral plot of set against the book is the beautiframed by ful backa fictional drop of rural account of Virginia, but the southern author the exclusive moonshinSherwood Anderson ing community draws and his time spent in a veil over the inner Franklin County as he workings of the people attempted to investi- who live there, setting a gate the famous “Great mysterious and ominous
Pictures. “When you sell the rights, you sell the rights,” said Bondurant. “It’s out of my hands now.” Australian director John Hillcoat, who directed Cormac McCarthy’s “The
‘Love and Vices’ to showcase relationships, burgers Jessica Melton
Editor-in-Chief jjm082000@utdallas.edu
courtesy of Danielle Georgiou
A dancer from “Green Light,” one of the pieces from Danielle Georgious multimedia show.
Coffee cups, flannel shirts and skinny jeans are the best ways to spot this PhD candidate who is literally running the show. Danielle Georgiou is choreographing her first professional work, “Love and Vices” at the Teatro Dallas Feb. 12 and 19, which she created using both her own and others’ experiences in relationships. “It starts off with this couple arguing,” Georgiou said. “It’s this really combative, violent argument that I think pretty much everyone has gone through when you’ve been (in a relationship) so long and you can’t figure out why they don’t get you or the things that you do.” She said her show is meant to be an argument and universal take on relationships, involving seven pieces broken up into two acts. After the initial fight the couple works it’s way through their antagonistic relationship. “The girl wants out, but she cant figure out how to get out,” Georgiou said. “The guy will do anything to get her back, and eventually you find out he’s been actually been with other women and
so it gets a little twisted. It’s a beautiful love story and at the end he leaves her for another woman. A combination of live dancing and prerecorded film, Georgiou uses multiple media to convey her message. During the first piece the featured couple can be seen on screen getting all the moves right, but in reality they can’t stay in sync. Georgiou said it symbolizes the way a relationship can look perfect and be idealized to the outside world, but in reality it’s falling apart. Throughout the performance the male role changes from a good boyfriend to an awful one, but Georgiou said he represents any male figure throughout women’s lives. In one piece he leaves a dancer alone in bed, while she thinks he’s just gone to get breakfast and be right back. When she realizes he’s gone, the dancer goes through a rollercoaster of emotions and at the end of the scene she rips out her own heart and eats it. “People say it’s this feminist piece, but it’s not,” Georgiou said. “I just thought it would be funny.” Georgiou said she hopes her audience can find the humor
see DANCE page 8
tone as the southern author pursues the elusive “Bondurant Boys.” As Sherwood is forced to finesse his way into the good graces of the people he hopes to explore, he finds a tight knit community with plenty of secrets worth keeping, and the notoriety of the bootleggers at the center of them grow to mythic proportions. Throughout the character driven story, Bondurant skillfully formulates the identities of
see MOVIE page 9
Road,” would have teamed up with Australian screenwriter Nick Cave in the adaptation of the novel. With word of Shia LaBeouf playing Bondurant’s grandfather Jack, Ryan Gosling playing Jack’s older
brother Forrest and Scarlett Johansson as Maggie, the film was destined to be a big budget blockbuster. Then the recession hit.
see BOOK page 8
A play on appearances Nada Alasmi
Contributor news@utdmercury.com
The upcoming UTD play titled “Permanent Collection” promises to be a bold discussion of race and gender. “Permanent Collection” tells the story of two coworkers, one black and one white, who accuse each other of racism and discrimination in a society where racial politics are hotly debated and stereotyping is both common and accepted. Chinweolu Greer, an actress in the play, said that “Permanent Collection” challenges the audience to not judge people by their appearance. Greer said that she always wanted to be an actress but was at a time thwarted by what other people thought of her. “You have people tell you that you don’t have the look for it based on their interpretation of what an actor should look like,” Greer said. “That kept me away from doing it.” When Greer came to work at UTD two years ago, she saw a play and remembered her calling. “I remembered, ‘ah this is what I want to do,” said Greer. “My confidence is coming back to life.” Greer is an Arts & Humanities student and hopes to one day become a play director. Jonathon Horne, who plays the part of the African American, has been acting professionally for more than 10 years. Horne said that working on “Permanent Collection” has been both a vibrant and enjoyable experience. “I love working with young actors and teaching them,” Horne said. “I get the joy of being a
see PLAY page 9
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Life &Arts
February 14, 2011
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‘The Eagle’ falls short Roman adventure turns out surprisingly bland
Contributor news@utdmercury.com
Contributor news@utdmercury.com
In Channing Tatum’s new film “The Eagle,” Tatum plays a Roman officer in search of a relic lost by his father and with it, his family’s honor. While his journey takes him across Hadrian’s Wall into wild Celtic Britain in search of the prized “Eagle of the Ninth,” he does not manage to find anything that makes for an original or entertaining movie along the way. The film, based on the book “The Eagle of the Ninth” by Rosemary Sutcliff, is directed by Kevin Macdonald, “The Last King of Scottland,” and “State of Play,” and costars fellow rising star Jamie Bell and veteran Donald Sutherland, as well as a small appearance by Mark Strong. With a cast this scant all eyes fall to Tatum to carry the audience through the film, and he manages to do so with his unwavering blank face and perpetually indifferent voice. The plot is so simple it’s suffocating and offers little need for variation from stern Roman officer to stern Roman traveler. Despite a script that required little to no substantial acting from its cast, newcomer Jamie Bell manages to convey some authenticity with his part as the resentful but loyal slave until his character takes a completely contradictory and almost
continued from page 7 in her work, but admits it sometimes may be as a result of confusion. In the second act there is a piece called ‘You Don’t Like It, You Love It” in which Georgiou dresses up her female dancers in male drag and then has them romance not women, but hamburgers during their lunch hour. “They start to smell the food and the music transitions from ‘Office Space’ music to ‘I’ll Make Love to You’ by Boys to Men, but before they can eat the burgers they have to seduce them,” Georgiou said.
Q&A with Channing Tatum John D. McCrary
John D. McCrary
DANCE
the Mercury
After shooting his new movie “The Eagle,” Channing Tatum sat down with Mercury contributor John D. McCrary to answer some questions about his experiences during filming.
courtesy of theeaglemovie.com
Channing Tatum (right) seen caught in an obstacle during his search for a family relic in the Roman time-period movie, “The Eagle.” nonsensical turn. tion until the film moved into Tatum brings little to the the Scottish highlands where table in terms of original- it simply didn’t matter anyity, but isn’t the only one more. to blame as The plot everyone on set does manage Commentary appears to just to flow along be going through smoothly withthe motions. out too much I don’t pretend dawdling, but to be an expert on disappointRoman culture, ingly the action but for whatever sequences are creative reason brief, sparse the powers that and cut so that be opted out they are effecof implementtively incohering accents, which gives the ent. entire period piece a sense Tatum and Bell both bring that the cast merely slapped an impressive and youthful some dirt on their face, threw vitality to their fight scenes, on some armor and got in but sadly they all end before front of a camera. any sense can be made of The lack of effort made what’s happening on the to capture the feel of the screen. time was a constant distracThe one new trick that
“If you watch the music video to “I’ll Make Love to You,” I kind of recreate it with burgers and glow sticks.” The inspiration for this piece stemmed from real life experiences where Georgiou said she remembers counting down the minutes to lunch, but because of a slight beef allergy and health conscious attitude she was never able to eat what she really wanted — a hamburger. “Some people have told me after they see that piece they can never eat a burger again,” Georgiou said. “But you should eat a burger, eat one for me.”
BOOK
continued from page 7 “They say nothing’s definite in Hollywood,” said Bondurant. The producers l lost interest and the project was ditched. Clay Reynolds, the head of the Creative Writing department at UTD, is a veteran novelist and no stranger to an author’s fickle relationship with Hollywood. His books have been optioned on and off for the past two decades with no films resulting. “Hollywood’s a black hole,” said Reynolds. “You just keep pouring energy into it and nothing comes out.” Having published many books himself, Reynolds has become accustomed to vola-
Macdonald brings to a genre that has an impressive and intimidating legacy is the surprisingly fresh look of his shots. The movie oscillates between functional and bland to surprisingly creative and impressively aesthetic takes. Ultimately though, outside of a completely out of place conclusion, the best I can say for “The Eagle” is that the whole experience is relatively painless but certainly nothing more than that. If you want to watch a movie about Roman escapades in Great Britain you’d probably be better off renting Clive Owen’s “King Arthur.”
“The Eagle”
5 / 10 tile nature of the film industry. “You’re dealing with people that are exceeding flaky,” he said about Hollywood. “Some films will be made and never released, some of them will never be shot and some will be halfway done and then fall apart. I’ve made 10 or 12 trips to LA.. to finalize a deal that still fell apart.” The fate of the film was uncertain. Fortunately for the professor, interests in the film were resuscitated. The film was recently scooped up by Sony Red Wagon Entertainment, an indie studio, which meant a lower budget film. Gosling and Johansson have since dropped out of the cast to be
Q: What was the hardest part about filming for this movie? A: If it looks cold I promise you it’s a thousand times colder. It’s a weird thing that Jamie (Bell) and I kept laughing at that… as soon as they would yell action you could stop shivering for a few seconds. It was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done… This was hard, just mentally and spiritually, to know every single day that you were going to be soaking wet, head to toe and freezing, and without anything warm to wear. By the end of the shoot we were wearing wetsuits under everything. Q: How was working with [Jamie Bell]? What do you think he brought to the table? A: I think his quiet sincerity. He’s so smart and he has such a wit to him. You wouldn’t believe how funny he is because he really plays… reserved characters. I don’t know why but I think for some strange reason people end up playing against type… [Also] he’s so unbelievably athletic as well. He’s oddly enough from that area of the world that’s close to Hadrian’s Wall. I think they were about 40 miles away from where Hadrian’s Wall would have been. Q: Where did you film? A: Budapest and Scotland. Yeah, it was Budapest for the fort stuff. I think just [because] lumber is really cheap there. We built the fort there and shot about the first 15 minutes there, and also the [Villa]. All that was done in Budapest and as soon as we go over the wall the rest of it was shot in Scotland Q: What sort of training did you have to go through to do the movie?
replaced by Hardy and Jessica Chastain. LaBeouf, however, was still attached to the lead role despite the decrease in pay. “The actors are taking very little,” Bondurant noted. “Which in a way is great because that means they love the film and that means it’ll be good.” At this point, Bondurant said he maintains a hopeful yet detached interest to the film. “I really try to not worry about it too much,” he said. “There’s nothing I can do and when it comes out it’s not my book. It’s a different art object created by somebody else.” Reynolds is familiar to the writer’s minimal role in film. “Very few authors get creative control,” Reynolds point-
ed out. “The least important person in a motion picture is the writer.” Despite the inevitable changes made to the novel, Bondurant said he appreciated how the script remained true to the story and its characters. “I wanted them to be faithful to the book, and I think they mostly were,” he said. “In the end I’m pretty happy.” The professor said he maintains a positive attitude regarding the unforeseeable outcome of the movie. “If it stinks it’s not my fault,” he laughed. An experienced Reynolds remains skeptical towards the film industry but sends the best regards to Bondurant. “I wish him luck,” Reynolds said.
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PLAY
an opportunity to discuss things about race that are not said, but often felt. “We live in a culture where people are afraid to discuss things about race as they are afraid to hurt others,” said Reese. Reese hopes “Permanent Collection” will help its watchers learn that it is OK to discuss topics like race and gender openly. She also hopes it might eventually set in motion an African American Studies Program at UTD. “Permanent Collection” performances are 8 p.m. February 17 - 19 and February 24 - 26 in the University Theatre. Admission is free for everyone on Thursday night, and all performances are free to students with a Comet Card. For everyone else, tickets are $15 per person.
continued from page 7
teacher without the bureaucratic problems.” Bill Hass plays the part of Greer, the white man. “(Greer) is stiff but does not think he is and can be brash at times,” said Hass. “He is single, has no kids and has nothing in his life but (his job).” While the play is a drama, it also includes elements of comedy, said Hass, who works as a professional actor in the Fort Worth Area. “If you are expecting to go and sit there with just a straight face, expect to be pleasantly surprised.” Venus Reese, associate professor of Arts & Humanities, is directing the play. She said that the play is
MOVIE
continued from page 7 his ancestors as he jumps from the stoic lives of one brother to the next. One of the initial plot points concerns the middle Bondurant brother, Forrest, as a couple of thieves attempt to rob him of a large cache of bootlegging money and cut his throat. Somehow, he managed to walk through a blizzard to a hospital 12 miles away with his neck cut to ribbons, and how is left entirely up to speculation. Rumors spread and rep-
utations grow. From that Bondurant manages to bring his reader into the inner workings of one of the largest illegal liquor operations of Prohibition’s America. As Bondurant weaves together the limited history, family lore and his own propensity for fiction, he creates something wholly unique. In the aftermath of Forrest’s incident, the novel begins to meander as Bondurant attempts to accurately depict the lives of these men living in 1930s Virginia. A great deal of the story is spent on painstaking detail of the less roman-
Life &Arts
February 14, 2011
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Q&A
continued from page 8
A: Obviously horseback riding and swordplay, and I’d done martial arts before… but really just I ran and ran and ran. Kevin [Macdonald] didn’t want me to look like I had, you know, muscles from the gym. These guys didn’t have very sophisticated diets. They ate whatever part of the world they were conquering at the time. They carried grain because it wouldn’t spoil so easy and that’s really about it. They’d hunt and fish and whatnot. It’s not very diverse whatsoever. As much as they marched and build and marched and built, I don’t know how they weren’t just like skeletons.
photo by Ben Hawkins
The roles of race are brought up and questioned by UTD play, “Permanent Collection.”
tic aspects of their lives, which makes for honest characters, but not always exciting ones. His elegant and vibrant prose establishes the insular community and real life characters with truthful and stunning intimacy, but the lack of urgency in the central plot causes a great deal of the story to feel like a lengthy tour of a fascinating and dangerous place. Ultimately, the payoff is worth it as the characters rise to the larger than life expectations Bondurant establishes for them. What is left are a couple of outlaw brothers soaking in realism and
yet still captivating and immense. A unique opportunity and entertaining piece of Americana, Matt Bondurant’s “The Wettest County in the World” makes for an excellent read and an expertly crafted account of three men who very well could be, and in many ways deserve to be, ranked amongst the most notorious and impressive of America’s outlaws.
“Wettest Country”
8 / 10
Q: Now that you’ve had an opportunity to play in comedy and drama, which do you enjoy more? A: Probably drama, just because it’s more comfortable. Comedy is scary… I’ve only done it once really. I was in “She’s the Man” but there I played the straight guy. And now I’m about to jump off the cliff into a really really broad comedy with “21 Jump Street” so we’ll see ,but I have Jonah Hill. He’s always aces and spades, so I’m sure he’ll take care of me throughout that whole thing. If all else fails he can be funny and I’ll just run into walls and do stupid things… I just feel more comfortable with drama and with reality and trying to figure out where the real is in the characters. And I hear that works in comedy as well, but it’s still a little foreign to me. Q: You’ve had a chance to work with a lot of really great directors over the last couple of years. Do you have any aspirations to get behind the camera? A: I do actually and I want to start soon so I can fail early. There’s a novel that’s being adapted right now by a guy that actually did part of “The Fighter.” He’s not well known. He’s only written a couple different novels. His memoirs which is “What’s Left of Us” is kind of like “Requiem for a Dream” meets “Cuckoo’s Nest” meets “Death of a Salesmen.” It’s set in Boston, in Lowell, and so it’s pretty intense. I would like for me and my directing, production partner to direct that. Not sure if I want to be in it… but not really positive it’s possible at this point. But yeah, I definitely do want to at this point. Q: Favorite Roman era movie? A: I gotta stick with Gladiator.
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February 14, 2011
Sports
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Player gives new meaning to ‘break a leg’ Baseball player recovers from tibia/fibula double fracture to have career season Bobby Karalla
Sports Editor rjk090020@utdallas.edu
photo by Ben Hawkins
Senior Joe Killgore led the Comets in batting average last season, hitting .424. The scar from his leg surgery is still visible 16 months after the surgery.
Joseph Killgore’s collegiate baseball career didn’t start the way he had hoped. The Greenville Christian School product enrolled at LeTourneau University in 2008, where he started as a freshman but had a measly .255 batting average, much below the expectations of a high school All-State player. His sophomore year showed no signs of improvement. He started again and hit an even worse .246 on the season, a far cry from his expectations heading into college. LeTourneau University was playing weak opponents and did not have the same type of success as UTD. Killgore felt like he was playing down to the competition. “I wanted to play at a higher level,” Killgore said. “I feel that coming to a stronger team allowed me to raise my game.” Competition had always brought out the best in him. He constantly plays games on the field and in the weight room, pushing both himself and his teammates. When he was fed up with mediocrity, he transferred to UTD, but it wouldn’t be easy here. He was replacing Cody
Ross, an All-American third baseman. Killgore was a struggling junior, brand-new to UTD and trying to fill a hole on his new team left by one of the best players at his position in the country. Break a leg, Joe. But he didn’t get the break he was looking for. In early October 2009, the infielders were practicing fly ball, pop up and trouble area drills. Killgore had already caught a ball over his shoulder. He was earning a starting job. It was near the end of practice, and a coach hit another pop up. “I turned and ran, and I lost my sense of where I was on the field,” he said. “I was sprinting and all I could see was the ball, and then the ball hit my glove.” Pop! His cleats were caught in the chain link fence he had just sprinted into, but his upper body kept going. Both his tibia and fibula snapped completely in half. When he looked down, half of his left leg wasn’t where it was supposed to be. The bone was at a right angle, and it was almost pushing out of his skin. “For five or six seconds I don’t remember what happened. I was yelling,”
Killgore said. “The trainer had to come out and pick up that part of my leg and line it back up and put it into an air cast.” His stomach was cut open from the collision with the fence, his ribs were bruised and his leg was in pieces. A few teammates carried him to his truck and drove him to the hospital. The next morning, doctors put four screws and a titanium rod into his leg. Welcome to UTD, Joe.
The struggle As a kid, Killgore didn’t start playing baseball until coach pitch, and never played on a travelling summer team until he was 13 or 14 years old. Instead, he played in city leagues and spent the summers at home with his family. He also played wide receiver — he was named first team All-State — and golf at Greenville Christian School. But baseball was his strength, earning All-State honors before enrolling at LeTourneau University. After two years of struggling, he made the switch and became a Comet. But, instead of breaking his streak of inconsistency, he broke his leg. In half. It was
see KILLGORE page 11
Lady Comets face top division rivals Women’s basketball team, in second place, prepares to face top two opponents in East Bobby Karalla
Sports Editor rjk090020@utdallas.edu
The Lady Comets (13-3 in the ASC, 17-4 overall) are in second place in the ASC East division with a two-game lead over Mississppi College (11-5). The Lady Comets trail Louisiana College (15-1) by two games. Louisiana defeated the Lady Comets Jan. 22 in Pineville, La., and will visit Richardson Feb. 12 for a match that could decide the champion of the East Division. Head coach Polly Thomason is not looking that far ahead. “We’re not looking forward. The East is so tough,” Thomason said. “Anybody can beat anybody on any given night, so we have to take care of business one game at a time.” The loss to Louisiana came at the end of a six-game road trip. The Lady Comets will play six of their final seven games at home. “One of the strengths of being on the road is you knew you had to be focused,” Thomason said. “I hope now being at home, we don’t lose that edge.” During the gym bleacher construction, the team practiced at SMU everyday through Winter Break and at the beginning of the semester. Along with having to focus to win, Thomason said her players had to maintain physical and emotional toughness to work through the circumstances and thrive on the road. “They could’ve packed it in,
but I think they really responded,” Thomason said. “They got to practice and worked out. I’m very proud of the way they responded. It could have been a hindrance but they didn’t take it as one.” The Lady Comets’ team defense has been their strength this season. They are second in the ASC in scoring defense and fourth in defensive field goal percentage, something Thomason said was the team’s goal from the start of the season. “We knew that defense was going to be something we had to focus on. We didn’t know what kind of weapons we would have offensively,” Thomason said. “We play good team defense. Our team has bought into it, so we’re proud to lead the conference in (defensive) points per game. We love it. That’s definitely what we want.” While the defense has performed well, the offense has at times struggled. Thomason said the Lady Comets must control the tempo on both ends of the floor to find opportunities to score on offense. “We have to get teams to slow down. We’re a smart team,” Thomason said. “We know when to burn a defense. We just don’t have a lot of players that are scoring. We’re methodical with what we run and how we run it.” Tarneisha Scott and Lyndsey Smith are the two main scorers. Both are in the top 10 in scoring in the ASC. Scott, a post player, has been able to score effectively because of the threat Smith and Tawni
Ichimura provide on the outside, Thomason said. Ichimura and Nikki Kosary are in the top 10 in assists in the ASC. Thomason said the guard play is extremely valuable. “Nikki has done an excellent job at the point of finding the shooters and running our offense,” Thomason said. “Tawni has such great court vision, she understands the game and she’s had a great scoring year as well.” Thomason said maintaining effective ball movement and improving on team rebounding could mean a conference title for the Lady Comets. “If we can get some rebounding, we’ll be in good shape,” Thomason said. “I think we have everything we need to win the conference. We’re just missing the rebounding. “I think we’ve done a really good job of distributing the ball,” she continued. “All of our players are pretty smart basketball players, so we need to continue playing as a solid group.” The Lady Comets’ next two games are against the highest-ranked East teams beside themselves. Thomason said the team would love fans to come and support the team through the tough stretch leading to the conference tournament. Note: All statistics and records are as of Feb. 11… Both the men’s and women’s games against Mississippi College, originally scheduled for Feb. 10, have been moved to Feb. 14 at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. due to weather.
photos by Ben Hawkins
Above: Tarneisha Scott puts up a shot against East Texas Baptist University’s Holly Phelps at the Activity Center. Scott, a senior, leads the ASC in scoring at 17.9 points per game. Left: Tawni Ichimura dribbles up the floor against East Texas Baptist University at the Activity Center. Ichimura is third on the team in scoring (11.9) and leads the team with 3.3 assists per game. The Lady Comets have won three straight games, and play thirdplace Mississippi College and firstplace Louisiana College in their next two games. Both games will be played at the Activity Center, where the Lady Comets are 9-0 this season.
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continued from page 10 the first time he had ever broken a bone, and he was out of school for a week. His teammates were the only people he knew at the school, and he couldn’t even see them. “I sat at home miserable. I couldn’t move, I had to keep my leg up,” Killgore said. “It was my first semester here, so I was just getting to know the teachers and it was right around midterms. The doctor said we’ll take it day by day.”
The recovery In this case, “day by day” meant six to seven months. That’s how long an injury like this normally takes to heal for men Killgore’s age. Six months after October is April. The season started in February. He would probably miss the entire season, even if he healed on time. Instead of making new friends, building a rapport with professors and becoming accustomed to life at UTD, his leg was shattered, potentially along with a season of eligibility and the rest of his career. He was away from the team, he couldn’t walk and he couldn’t play baseball. When things seemed like
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they couldn’t get worse, Killgore went back to the doctor a couple weeks later. To his relief, the doctor said it looked good. The bone had started fusing. There was still a knot the size of a ball on his shin. He had a long way to go, but this was a start. He used crutches for the first time to navigate UTD’s campus a week after the injury. After limping around campus for two months, something unexpected happened. In December, he put on a shoe and started running. “It was a blessing. It was a miracle. I can’t explain it,” Killgore said. The doctor said Killgore could be back by March. Practice started in late January, and Killgore was on the field and ready to go. He pinch-hit in the first two games, missed one and then started every single game for the rest of the season. The junior that limped through two years at LeTourneau and around UTD’s campus for a semester ended up having a season to remember instead of one to forget. He hit .424 with a .488 on-base percentage and had a .390 average with runners on base. He led the team in hits and
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doubles, and was second in RBI and total bases.
Looking forward The leg appeared to have healed fine. The doctors told him he’d never break the leg again. The rod makes his leg 10 times stronger than bone. “I gained full strength back into it, and I’ve gotten back to the speed I was at before I hurt it,” Killgore said. Heading into his final season as a Comet, Killgore smiled looking forward to 2011 The Comets start their 2011 campaign in Arizona, and will play two teams that were in the College World Series last year. Others are nationally ranked. Killgore said he’d love the team to go at least 3-1. Competition brings out the best in him. He can talk for minutes about the pitching and the rest of the offense, but says he’d hit .200 if it meant the team won. He doesn’t think about himself. “It feels good to be a part of a big-time offense. We’re gonna hit the ball,” he said. “The process of situational hitting is engraved in our minds. We know how to hit behind guys and get them over. We’ve got a really strong team and it’s the best team I’ve ever played on.”
We played 17 minutes in the first half without our top player. It was amazing that we did that and it’s a real tribute to Carter, Kyle and Dmitriy. Some of those young guys are doing a real good job helping us. — Terry Butterfield on UTD vs. ETBU
Men’s ASC East Basketball Sandings
February 14, 2011
ASC Rec.
Overall Rec.
UTD
12-4
16-5
East Texas Baptist Univ.
11-6
Louisiana College
courtesy of Joseph Killgore
An X-ray of Joseph Killgore’s leg. His tibia and fibula were completely broken in half, and another bone in his foot broke, as well. This X-ray was taken shortly after his injury in October 2009.
We were off for a week and you could definitely tell. Then they just kind of woke up and started playing our basketball. — Polly Thomason on UTD vs. ETBU Editor’s note: Here are some noteworthy comments from the coaches after both UTD basketball teams defeated East Texas Baptist University.
Women’s ASC East Basketball Standings
ASC Rec.
Overall Rec.
Lousiana College
15-1
19-1
14-6
UTD
13-3
17-4
9-7
10-10
Mississippi College
11-5
16-5
UT Tyler
9-8
10-12
UT Tyler
8-9
10-12
Mississippi College
8-8
11-10
Univ. of the Ozarks
7-9
11-10
Univ. of the Ozarks
3-13
6-15
East Texas Baptist Univ.
5-12
7-14
LeTourneau Univ.
0-16
1-20
LeTourneau Univ.
1-15
2-19
Note: Standings reflect all teams’ records as of Feb. 11
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February 14, 2011
Classifieds
T h e North Central Te x a s Council of Governments serves as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for transportation and is seeking Interns to support geographic information system and database activities related to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The TIP document contains federal, state, and local transportation proj-
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ects in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Applicants wishing to be considered for a position should apply online at: https://mycogcareer.silkroad.com/
HOUSING Roommate wanted in Large House with Students and recent Grads. Shared ar-
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eas include Kitchen, Living Room, Dining Room, and Bathrooms. Large Yard and Deck. Mostly a Quiet Place. No Smoking. No Pets. Richardson near campus. Call David at 512-310-0720
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The First LARP
by Laura-Jane Cunningham
Math puzzle
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+ + 3
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*Remember multiplication and division are performed before addition and subtraction.
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20
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9 7
Yellow snow is not lemon scented by Michelle Ngyuen
Thai-larious
by Pennyworth
February 14, 2011
Stuck on you
Math Puzzle solutions online at www.utdmercury.com.
Instructions: 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.
Comics
Workspace:
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by Alison Kwong
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February 14, 2011
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