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December 4, 2017
THE STAR WARS ISSUE: THE LAST JEDI
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ON A CAMPUS WHERE 75% OF VICTIMS DON'T DISCLOSE THEIR ASSAULT, UTD IS IMPLEMENTING SOLUTIONS, SPREADING AWARENESS OF RESOURCES FOR
SEXUAL ASSAULT STORY BY: CINDY FOLEFACK | MERCURY STAFF GRAPHICS BY: MATT STRACK | MERCURY STAFF R
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recent UT System-wide report on campus sexual assault prevention procedures found a low disclosure rate among victims at UTD and a lack of knowledge among students of the reporting process and resources available. Since the release of the report, Cultivating Learning and Safe Environments, in March 2017 university officials rolled out a series of programs aimed at improving student perceptions of the school's approach to sexual assault prevention. These include booklets detailing victim rights and resources, on-campus rape kits, updates to key websites and workshops to raise student awareness.
SOURCE | CULTIVATING LEARNING AND SAFE ENVIRONMENTS
Lt. Ken Mackenzie said the police department is working to clear up misconceptions of the reporting process that can keep victims from disclosing. According to CLASE, 8 percent of victims at UTD disclosed to law enforcement, compared to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service’s report of 11.5 percent of college-age victims nationwide. Seventy-five percent of victims at UTD did not disclose to anyone. In response, UTD PD is making sure that victims know their rights and the resources available to them by providing a booklet containing various resources, including the Title IX office and Turning Point Rape Crisis Center in Dallas. “A lot of people don’t want to report (an assault) because they’re afraid that their parents will find out about it,” Mackenzie said. “That’s not the case, we protect the person’s identity and will sometimes give them a pseudonym.”
Thirteen percent of students at UTD who took part in CLASE reported being sexually assaulted, in comparison to the 20 percent of college students nationwide, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. The Student Counseling Center is trying to increase disclosure rates and student knowledge of the reporting process. This will be done by providing Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners to perform rape kit exams as part of the Student Health Center's services. The Counseling Center is working in conjunction with the Student Health Center, as well as Turning Point to provide the service, which could be available as early as next semester. Clinical psychologist at the Counseling Center Mallaree Blake said having nurses on campus can reduce victim trauma, which in turn
→ SEE CLASE, PAGE 12
Molecule makes monumental impact Prof developed particle to prevent tumors from further damaging healthy cells
Donated sculpture finds home at UTD “Big Bend” located outside of School of Management SARAH CHAN Mercury Staff
ANUPAM GUPTA | MERCURY STAFF
A student working in Jung-Mo Anh's lab helps with the ongoing research of a molecule that could help breast cancer patients. Anh has worked on developing this treatment with his team for the past five years. NOUMIKA BALAJI Mercury Staff
A UTD professor and his team have developed a molecule that could benefit breast cancer patients who don’t respond to current treatments anymore. Jung-Mo Ahn, an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and his team of researchers developed ERX-11, a molecule that works differently from molecules in other current breast cancer treatments. Their work was published on Aug. 8 in the online journal eLife. Ahn said the current breast cancer
therapies work for a while, but in time, tumor cells develop immunity against these methods. “When people are undergoing treatment, their bodies produce lesser estrogen than what they used to,” Ahn said. “Since estrogen is less, the tumor cells harvest as much as possible from them and mutate more number of proteins.” Breast cancer cells contain proteins called estrogen receptors. These receptors bind to the hormone estrogen and help tumor cells spread through the body. Current treatments involve one of two approaches – limiting estrogen production
in the body or blocking estrogen molecules from binding to their receptors. The molecule ERX-11 prevents the proteins activated by the tumor cells from mutating neighboring proteins. Ahn and his team started working on this idea around five years ago. They have been developing small molecules targeting protein-protein interactions from the start. “Because protein-protein interactions deal with enormous surface areas, small molecules cannot compete with them,” he
→ SEE CANCER, PAGE 12
The newest addition to UTD’s outdoor sculpture collection, a large metal sculpture, was placed outside JSOM after an anonymous donation. On Nov. 4, a new piece of art was added to UTD’s growing collection. This piece was particularly interesting because it is one of the few monumental sculptures on UTD, said Rick Brettell, distinguished chair of art and aesthetic studies. Named the “Big Bend,” the abstract sculpture has a long history of different owners. “It’s the most important work of monumental sculpture that we’ve ever received as a university,” Brettell said. “It was very generous of the donor — it was an unsolicited gift.” John Murdock, the late curator of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, originally commissioned the “Big Bend” in 1976 for an exhibition. Its artist, Mac Whitney, was one of the forerunners of abstract sculptors in Texas. He was commissioned $2,000 to create this sculpture, which is made entirely of hot-rolled steel. It was initially placed on display outside the museum in the exhibition of abstract sculpture. The Murchison family, who are art collectors, then purchased the “Big Bend” in the same year. They displayed it on their lawn outside their home, where it remained until the property was sold upon the death of Mrs. Murchison. The Kirk Hopper Fine Art gallery in
NOAH WHITEHEAD | MERCURY STAFF
A crew from the Kirk Hopper Fine Art gallery in Dallas in stalled an anonymously donated art piece on Nov. 4.
Dallas kept the “Big Bend” until the piece was anonymously donated to UTD this year. It is now located behind the School of Management. However, because of the sculpture’s location, it will be difficult for students to view it completely, Brettell said. “I think that the placement of it is unfortunate, and that’s its too far back, that one can’t go around it,” Brettell said. “(It’s) not placed so that (there is) full aesthetic impact, which is an important piece to be
→ SEE SCULPTURE, PAGE 12
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THE MERCURY UTDMERCURY.COM Volume XXXVIII No. 16
THE MERCURY | DEC. 4, 2017
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Nov. 13 • A UTD student made several alarming phone calls in Canyon Creek Heights North. Nov. 17 • A student in Resident Hall North received a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia at 2:51 a.m. Nov. 21 • At 4:47 p.m. a student in Canyon Creek Heights North was arrested for threatening to kill a UTD police officer because of his position as a law enforcement officer. Nov. 25 • At 10:43 p.m. a UTD student reported being impersonated online. Nov. 29 • A UTD faculty member reported theft by deception when an unknown person posed as federal law enforcement officials and demanded money to waive an arrest warrant.
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Contributors Carolina Alvarez Noumika Balaji Emaan Bangash Neil Bhamoo Sarah Chan Jenna Cherrey Kolton Coats Ethan Christopher Travis Dickerson Erin Eubanks Cindy Folefack Anupam Gupta Christina Jia Ayoung Jo Christi Lazutkin William Legrone Sam Lopez Anthony McNair Chiamaka Mgboji Keaton Nations Will Nguyen Bianca Del Rio Anna Schaeffer Yannis Shafi Amit Singalwar Roman Soriano Matt Strack Anjali Sundaram Noah Whitehead
Media Adviser Chad Thomas
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Mailing Address 800 West Campbell Road, SU 24 Richardson, TX 75080-0688 Newsroom Student Union, Student Media Suite SU 1.601
The Mercury is published on Mondays, at two-week intervals during the long term of The University of Texas at Dallas, except holidays and exam periods, and once every four 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. The publication of advertising in The Mercury does not constitute an endorsement of products or services by the newspaper, or the UTD administration. Opinions expressed in The Mercury are those of the editor, the editorial board or the writer of the article. They are not necessarily the view of the UTD administration, the Board of Regents or the Student Media Operating Board. The Mercury’s editors retain the right to refuse or edit any submission based on libel, malice, spelling, grammar and style, and violations of Section 54.23 (f ) (1-6) of UTD policy. Copyright © 2017, The University of Texas at Dallas. All articles, photographs and graphic assets, whether in print or online, may not be reproduced or republished in part or in whole without express written permission.
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Nov. 30 • A staff member at the DavidsonGundy Alumni Center reported outdoor furniture theft at 8:56 a.m.
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DRUGS & ALCOHOL OTHER MAP: UTD | COURTESY
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THE MERCURY | DEC. 4, 2017
Community loses funds to cyber crime Missing Scammers are targeting university population through online impersonations, fake phone calls
cutlery prompts response Relocation of utensil dispensers cause confusion, concern
ANTHONY MCNAIR | MERCURY STAFF
CINDY FOLEFACK Mercury Staff
Editor’s note: Vicky’s name was changed to protect her identity UTD victims lost nearly $50,000 to online and telephone scams this year. When students and faculty become more aware of the warning signs, scammers adapt to this consciousness and continue to victimize the UTD com-
munity. Telephone scams are the most common type reported to UTD Police, but Lt. Ken Mackenzie said students are now looking for misspellings, wire transfer requests and other warning signs, thanks to an email he sends out once per semester. “Scams are getting reported less because they’re happening less,” Mackenzie said. “We started sending out the emails three years ago, and now a lot
the messages we receive are from students who didn’t fall for it.” Historical studies freshman Vicky* fell victim to a scam and ended up losing about $2,300. Vicky received an offer through her student email for a personal assistant job in October, cashed two checks and tried to cash a third, when her bank realized the checks were fraudulent. At this point, Vicky realized she was the victim of an employment scam.
“I’m always on top of my finances because I’m a first-generation college student, and I worked through summer to raise money to put myself through college,” Vicky said. “After my bank told me the last check she sent didn’t go through, I checked my account and all my money was gone.” Vicky had over $2,000 in her account before the scam, and was down
→ SEE SCAMS, PAGE 6
UTD goes mobile New app uses technology to improve UTD experience ANNA SCHAEFFER Mercury Staff
A UTD app, with features designed to improve the campus experience, is now available to students. Student Government and the Office of Information Technology launched UTD Mobile on Oct. 27. The app contains a variety of functions for students and visitors to the campus. It includes features such as Comet Calendar, EZPay Mobile and a Directory, as well as Emergency feature, containing hotlines for UTD PD and other emergency services. A news component provides easy access to articles on current events at UTD, including sports updates and research breakthroughs. For visitors, there is a Virtual Tour with an interactive map and information regarding each stop in a prospective student’s visit. In the top right of the main menu is a tab labeled Feedback. Any student, faculty, staff or visitor can leave suggestions or improvements for the
app, and the comments go directly to OIT. SG president JW Van Der Schans said he considers the feedback option to be the most valuable component. “I sent in a suggestion that something should be added, and within a few days it was there,” Van Der Schans said. “Because it’s an app for all of UTD, the communication is pretty clear.” Van Der Schans said this will lead to a more productive and versatile second version of the technology. He said a second phase will also likely include forms of existing apps, such as Shop UTD or UTD Crush Crew. “There are a lot of apps for the university that I think can be condensed and put into that one application,” Van Der Schans said. “Parking has a lot of online tools. One of them was already implemented, which is the parking tracking, where you can see how many spaces are available in a parking garage. I think the future of (UTD Mobile) is that a lot of other apps will be condensed and
→ SEE APP, PAGE 6
UTD APP | COURTESY
OIT launched the UTD app on Oct. 27. It contains multiple features to make experiences on campus easier, such as an emergency contacts tab, Comet Cab transit routes, as well as EZPay and the Comet Calendar.
Comet card dining features temporarily unavailable Video Series: Modern Politics The Legislative Affairs Committee is working on a video series for the Student Government website. The videos will be one to three minutes long and cover modern political issues and legislation. The committee’s goal is to provide resources that students can quickly watch in order to grasp what’s happening in the world of politics. 24-hour Dining Services After a student poll totaling in over 1,200 responses, the Residential Affairs Committee is considering extending UTD’s Papa Johns’ operating hours to 24 hours a day. Although most students voted to keep Dining Hall West open 24/7, the Residential Affairs Committee deemed Papa Johns, the second most voted option, as a more
likely candidate for success. Of those polled, around 94 percent of students were in favor of a 24-hour dining option. The committee is continuing to poll more students on campus before finalizing a course of action. Public Piano The Student Affairs Committee is working on bringing a public piano to UTD. The exact location of the piano has yet to be decided, but the lawn next to The Pub is a possibility. The committee reached out to a city with its own existing public pianos to determine the practicality of having the piano on campus. They concluded that the cost of maintenance and caretaking were low enough to merit having the piano. Although unlikely, there is a possibility that the piano will feature student art on its body.
RUTH VARGHESE News Editor
Certain Comet card features became unavailable at different locations on campus for three days because of planned server maintenance. Meal exchange, Comet cash and meal money features were unavailable at different times from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1. The reason for the maintenance was to set up registers for the Starbucks on campus, said Joel Dille, the assistant director of the Smart Cards program at the Comet Card Office. “When they started working on that Monday morning ... people could still use their Comet cards, but they wouldn’t have been able to process a meal exchange on Monday at all dining locations,” Dille said. “Just during the lunchtime period.” Because Moe’s and Smash’d had
older registers, it took longer for them to come back up. The Moe’s register was down for two days, making all Comet card features unavailable. Only meal exchange was affected at Smash’d, and was not accepted until Wednesday. “In order to tie in the two new registers here and to add another server to be able to handle the volume of all 20 food service operation(s) that we have … we needed to have outages,” said Carrie Chutes, director of food and retail services. “They were here for three days, and it was a phased process where they had to take the system down, here, there, all at once, just a couple of times in the morning to tie in the system.” There were signs at the locations saying the restaurants didn’t accept Comet cards, and Dining Hall West was not affected. All locations were still open for business and could accept debit or credit cards and cash.
WILLIAM LEGRONE | MERCURY STAFF
After students voiced their concerns about the missing utensil dispensers, SU faculty moved them back to their original locations. EMAAN BANGASH Mercury Staff
Utensil dispensers in the Student Union were returned to their original locations after students voiced their concerns about their relocation. After the dispensers were moved behind the counters of the nearby restaurants last month, students had to ask the cashiers for utensils. Computer science senior Sai Srinadhgatram emailed Student Government President JW Van Der Schans after the utensil dispensers were relocated. He posted the response from Van Der Schans on Reddit and persuaded a few other students to contact SG to resolve the issue. “I thought it was pretty inconvenient because a large portion of this school does commute,” Srinadhgatram said. “I can bring a spoon from home, but a lot of the days I forget and I don’t want to be the guy cutting the line and being like, ‘Hey, pardon me I just need a spoon.’” Four students, including Srinadhgatram, contacted Van Der Schans following the relocation of the utensils. Van Der Schans then contacted Carrie Chutes, director of Food and Retail Services, and discussed the issue further with the food advisory committee in a monthly meeting. Steven Goodwin, resident district manager of UTD Dining Services, said the decision was to reduce the cost of buying utensils and improve the customer experience by shortening the lines to get a utensil. William Boyd, director of Dining Services and Retail, said the electronic dispensers would often be unusable. Students would tamper with the machines and open them up to get more than one fork or spoon. “We’ve had multiple times where students would come empty the stock and they’re not a paying customer, which makes it very difficult,” Boyd said. Boyd said an employee would often be standing near the dispensers at all times to repair and replenish them when they were opened up and emptied. After relocating the dispensers, the cost of supplying the utensils was cut by 50 percent. When students began sending their concerns to the Dining Services, the machines were returned for student convenience. The food chain workers in the SU will continue to hand out utensils to maintain efficiency and reduce the length of lines. Boyd said these decisions are normally made during monthly Food Advisory Committee meetings, which usually have around 10 to 12 students attending. The next meeting will take place on Dec. 5 in SSA 14.265 at noon, where students meet over lunch and discuss their ideas and make decisions with the staff on how to improve the dining services at UTD. “Ultimately, we’re here for your experience and we want to make sure that you are getting what you’re wanting, but we don’t know if we are if you’re not voicing your opinions,” Boyd said.
DEC. 4, 2017 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
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LIFE&ARTS
SCULPTING A FUTURE Student Union coordinator brings artistic experience to university community, family
Hopsin’s album leaves sour taste Rapper’s aggressive tone, disdainful lyrics let down listeners
UNDERCOVER PRODIGY | COURTESY
“No Shame,” Hopsin’s fifth studio album, was released on Nov. 24.
ROMAN SORIANO COMMENTARY SEAN COLLINS | COURTESY
Sean Collins, a coordinator at the Student Union, studied fine arts sculpture at the University of North Texas before assuming his current position at UTD. AYOUNG JO Mercury Staff
Upon first glance, students may never guess the artistic background of this UTD Student Union employee. However, their opinions may change once they take a step into his office. The “bat cave,” as SU Coordinator Sean Collins calls it, is located on the first floor of the Student Services Building and is decorated with self-shot photos of landscapes and framed comic book covers. Collins often uses art in his job, where he helps plan events, create promotional images and handles the beautification of the building. One of his projects included making posters and flyers for the Late Night Program, a retired program that provided weekly events to help students take a break from their studies. Collins said that the promotional posters and flyers helped bring about a higher turn-
out at the events. In his youth, Collins was introduced to the arts through his grandmother who was a painter, and said he enjoyed drawing characters of cartoons that showed every Saturday morning. Later, he attended Richardson Arts Magnet School exposing him to other art forms, materials and processes. For college, he attended the University of North Texas, and he said he intended to become a drawing and painting major, but changed his mind and decided to study fine arts sculpture instead. “I figured I would do a degree plan where I could learn how to make everything, and (majoring in sculpture) allowed me to do that,” Collins said. Collins said he became interested in working at UTD because of Andrew Helgeson, assistant director of the SU and a friend Collins knew in college. “He let me know when there was an opening almost 10 years ago. I hopped on
board and I love it,” Collins said. “It’s really a cool thing to be in a tech and engineering school with an artsy and creative, longhaired, hippy background that I (have), and see how the creativity of an artist and the creativity of an engineer are quite similar.” Collins said he has asked the question of “Why do art?” to himself and other artists over the years. He said that it is a compulsion and he is drawn to it. “It’s always been a part of my life, and it’s a driver of the things that interest me. It’s the creative aspect,” Collins said. “In a course of a lifetime, you see a lot of things being torn down, not for a positive reason. Creating something and bringing people in and including them in the process, I think that is more positive.” Collins said his whole family enjoys making art and that he and his wife — who went to school for fashion design — hope to encourage their children to continue art in the future.
“My son wants to be a game designer and my daughter is going to be a wild crazy artist, because that’s just how she is,” he said. “My grandmother passed (art) on to me, and I’m just trying to pass it on to them.” Collins said he does not have any ongoing art projects at the moment, but would like to get involved in more projects in the future. “I’m in my dad years, just making sure everything is good while my kids are in school,” Collins said. “When they get older, I’ll probably turn the garage back into a studio and build crazy stuff.” Collins said he would like to go back to school and that he is interested in UTD’s strategic plan proposal of developing a master of fine arts degree. “Art is one of the things that has made (me) the happiest in my life,” Collins said. “Doing art — and now doing art with my children — is one of the coolest things.”
“No Shame” is California rapper Hopsin’s fifth studio album and is a sullen recounting of the past two years of his life, which he describes as being a downfall. There’s no denying that Hopsin is a talented rapper, but his lyricism and attitude tend to garner a lot of criticism. He takes on an aggressive tone as he expresses frustrations, but often he becomes very toxic, making it difficult to sympathize with him. He’s expressed a lot of disdain for teenagers, and comes off as “fake deep,” believing he is wiser than most. Unfortunately, “No Shame” is no different, and that was made very clear when he released the music video for “Happy Ending” on Oct. 13. “Happy Ending” is a racist, offensive video recounting Hopsin’s experience visiting an Asian massage parlor. YouTube took down the video the same day it was
→ SEE NO SHAME, PAGE 7
Int’l students find joy in festive season Students celebrate first American holiday while drawing parallels between native cultures, American traditions quake recently caused damage to their home. However, she said even though she is away from her family, she still feels During the holiday season, at home because of her friends at UTD. “One major part that I can mention international students are experiencing their first American celebration with is my roommates,” she said. “Actually, because I am spending a lot of time fellow UTD students. According to UTD’s university pro- in the house, and in the house you should get that peace, file, 22 percent of the you can function betUTD population is international. A portion ter in your work or in I do insist on of these students will school. If things are not just having be experiencing the going well at home, American holidays for I will be functionfriendships with the first time in their perfect at school. the people of your ally lives, and often away I’ve got these amazown country, but from their families. ing roommates and Midia Yousefi, an they support me. They other countries. electrical engineering guide me, they take me Try to experience Ph.D. candidate, is to some stores because one of these students. I do not have a car, everything and Yousefi holds an F1 and it’s been great.” be in touch with visa, allowing interAnother student everyone. whose friends have national students to helped him celebrate study in the United — Midia Yousefi, the festivities is Rahi States. Coming from the western region of electrical engineering Shah, an accounting Iran, this winter marks graduate student freshman, who is originally from her first time away Ahmedabad, India. from her family durHe said his friends encouraged him to ing the holidays. “Every single day is a new experi- participate in the holiday seasons and ence for me,” Yousefi said. “Especially took him out on his first trick-or-treat the holiday part, which is somehow outing. Shah celebrated Thanksgiving scary, because in the holidays, we this year at a friend’s house, and said have always spent our holidays with that participating in his first Black Friday experience was a lot of fun. the family.” “Everyone’s excited for something,” Being away from her family has been especially hard for Yousefi, as an earth- Shah said. “Especially Thanksgiving, SARAH CHAN Mercury Staff
ETHAN CHRISTOPHER | MERCURY STAFF
UTD organizations hosted traditional Thanksgiving dinners for students who remained on campus for the fall break.
it’s so cool, everyone is going to meet their family going to their home. Throughout the year, you don’t get time to spend with your family, and then you use Thanksgiving break to be with your family.” The Thanksgiving holiday was also a new experience for actuarial science freshman, Khanh Nguyen, from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, who had previously celebrated Christmas, and so was more interested in the American holiday of Thanksgiving. UTD International Christian Fellowship hosted a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that Nguyen attended. She said she enjoyed both the food and the company. “I think the way people gather, it’s
more like family. If there is a sense of the holiday, I feel like it’s warm,” she said. Nguyen also attended her first Thanksgiving dinner at a friend’s house this year, as she was away from her family. Shah said the American Christmas decorations were similar to the ones used in the Indian winter holiday of Diwali, the festival of lights, although he said he was surprised at how early Americans started preparing for Christmas. Yousefi said she found the Christmas decorations to be a fun, new tradition to participate in. “Actually, in the holidays in Iran, we do not pay attention to decorating the house or having a special thing,
like a Christmas trees or wreaths on the doors — we do not have that,” she said. “So this is very interesting for me that Americans find it so exciting.” Yousefi said she wants fellow international students to be active in their participation of their first American holiday season. “The most important part is do not be afraid of going out and presenting yourself to other people, because they will be very happy to keep in touch with you,” she said. “That will be a good experience, and I do insist on not just having this friendship with the people of your own country, but other countries. Try to experience everything and be in touch with everyone.”
SPORTS
DEC. 4, 2017 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
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total domination UTD rugby records two shutouts during undefeated start
WILLIAM LEGRONE | MERCURY STAFF
Senior flanker Steven Larsen attempts to charge through Stephen F. Austin defenders. UTD rugby beat SFA 96-0 on Dec. 2, moving to a 6-0 record on the season. The team also had a 101-0 shutout at SMU on Nov. 4. TRAVIS DICKERSON Mercury Staff
The UTD men’s rugby team made a huge comeback this season, winning all six games so far, including a blowout victory against Southern Methodist University with a score of 101-0. Last season ended with the team missing the playoffs after going 2-4, but the team has a 6-0 record so far this year.
Head coach Tony Wagner said this was because veteran and junior players are willing to working together. “We’ve got a group of guys that really want to play, we got a number of freshmen that have stepped up and playing well, the seniors they’re doing the same thing as juniors,” Wagner said. “I can’t just pick one out of so many. We have a good core of guys.” The team’s recent string of victories
includes the win against SMU. Junior prop Yahve Gallegos scored the first goal five minutes into the match. Wagner said this was because of the team’s forwards and backs putting a stop to any attacks from the opposing team. “We went into it every game, we just started putting points on the board and we just kept rolling with it and kept them from scoring,” said Andrew Matheson, a junior who recently joined
the team as a flanker. “Before we knew, it we had 66 points at half. By the end we had triple digits.” Coach Wagner said the team had the same mentality going into the game against Rice University on Nov. 18. The team won the game against Rice with a score of 67-8, with senior flyhalf Andrew Whiteis scoring first three minutes into the match. The team has a short break after its final
game of the year on Dec. 2 against Stephen F. Austin State University, which ended with a score of 96-0. The regular season will finish in January with a game against Abilene Christian University. Wagner said the team is positive about the next few games as soon as the season steps off into the new year. “I think we have a very good chance at placing at least in the top four at the state playoffs if we continue doing what we’re doing right now,” Wagner said.
One final shot at glory Quick start
Seniors look to make a lasting impact on the UTD men’s basketball team Women’s basketball season begins with 5-1 record KOLTON COATS Mercury Staff
WILL NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF
Senior shooting guard Ben Smith played 21 minutes during the Dec. 2 game against Sul Ross State. Smith had four rebounds and a .750 free throw percentage. The Comets moved to 4-2 on the season with the 63-60 win, including 2-0 in conference. YANNIS SHAFI Mercury Staff
The four seniors on the men’s basketball team have one last chance to make a run in both the ASC and NCAA tournaments after going 12-15 in 2016-2017, the team’s worst record in over a decade. Last season, the Comets had eight losses within the ASC. Despite the Comets’ record, they finished the 2016 season on a high note. Senior shooting guard Ben Smith has one last chance of winning an ASC championship before he graduates. “Our leadership wasn’t completely there, but this year we have four seniors, including myself,” Smith said. “If we can share what we have learned over the past three years, over the losses and the wins, I think we’re doing really well this year.” Senior point guard Caleb Banks said he
believes senior leadership and experiences are important in helping the younger players succeed because it allows them to learn from the senior athletes on the team. “I want to show them the ropes and teach them how everything goes, but at the same time, help them to develop into the player they want to be,” Banks said. “You have to develop into your own player and see what works for you.” The four seniors on the team have earned a variety of honors throughout their basketball careers. Banks earned a spot on the allASC First Team, and center Reagan Keogh was named the ASC East’s Defensive Player of the Year. In addition to this, the league’s preseason poll projected the Comets to place second in the ASC East. “Last year, we kind of struggled early, but we finished strong, so I’m hoping we continue that momentum,” Keogh said. “I think that
everyone’s goal is to win the ASC this year, and it’s definitely within our capabilities.” Head coach Terry Butterfield named Keogh, Banks and senior guard Jon Hatcher “group leaders.” The Comets started off the season with wins over Trinity University and Schreiner University to tip off the 2017 season before dropping a pair against Southwestern and UT Arlington. The 2-2 start is an improvement over last season, when the team lost its first four games. UTD also won the first two ASC games this season. Last season, the Comets went 1-3 to start ASC play. By starting off with these wins, the team is in a better position for seeding in the ASC tournament. “I think we’re in a really good spot to compete athletically,” Keogh said. “I think that we can build off our preseason games and scrimmages to get off to a better start.”
The UTD women’s basketball team has gotten off to a 5-1 start this season after losing seven graduating players in the offseason. The team started primarily upperclassmen last season when it won the American Southwest Conference Championship. This year, the team has only four seniors graduating, with seven new incoming freshmen to take their places. Senior forward Madison Steele said part of the team’s progress so far is the newer players working hard during practices and quickly learning how to compete at a collegiate level. “The freshmen have really bought in to what the coaches are trying to get done,” Steele said. “They really just fit in with what we’re trying to do and there’s really no cutoff between upperclassmen and the newbies.” Senior center Megan Badejo said having a newer team added a certain vitality to the environment. “I think this is probably our freshest team,” Badejo said. “Just that energy of having new people and wanting to work hard is nice and I think that’s actually going to go a long way for us this year.” Freshman shooting guard Raenett Hughes said inspiration from veteran players helped keep her and other new players focused during practices. She also said the coaching staff’s high expectations for the young team added a healthy pressure that motivates them to improve every chance they can. “They really motivated us to stay confident,” Hughes said. “Ultimately, the first day of practice and the practices we’ve done have just been better with their support.” Badejo said the staff ’s ability to harness the fresh energy and focus helped unify the 2017-2018 team. She also said the team’s practices leading up to the exhibition homecoming game were shaky. Assistant coach Natalie Marlowe said the coaching staff was
AMIT SINGALWAR | MERCURY STAFF
Freshman guard Mia Spennatov led the Comets with three steals in the 6734 victory over Sul Ross State on Dec. 2. She also racked up 10 points.
pleasantly surprised by the team’s homecoming win. “Our practices weren’t the greatest, but seeing them all come together at the right time is a great thing,” Marlowe said. “I think that finally got them to understand and realize how hard they need to work in practice and how much our practices mean leading up to our games.” Junior guard Tyra Banks said the game set a precedent for this upcoming season. Banks, one of the team’s captains, said the game provided the players with a starting point for where the team needs to go in terms of practice and communication. “I think we realized that we still have a lot to work on,” Banks said. “It was nice to win, but it was also helpful to figure out where we need to go from here.”
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to $700 after her bank determined the checks were fraudulent and deducted the sum of the first check from her account. Vicky removed the remaining $700 and closed her bank accounts to protect the rest of her money. Two days later, Vicky’s bank contacted her and said she still owed the sum of the second check, $1,250. “The money that was stolen was meant to pay for my rent and put me through college,” Vicky said. “These last couple of weeks I’ve been worried because I don’t know how I’m going to afford my next semester.” Employment scams are common among college students looking for a source of income. The scammer draws students in by offering a high salary, then sends fraudulent checks to their victim, resulting in an out-of-pocket payment that is lost forever. Vicky said she hopes her story will motivate other victims to come forward. “I think other victims should alert their friends, family and anyone at UTD that could be affected by this type of scam, because this isn’t fair or right,” Vicky said. “If this message had come to my personal email, I wouldn’t have given it a second look.” Scammers gain access to victims such as Vicky by using the online directory to obtain student emails. They target international students by pretending to be with immigration, and threaten their victims with deportation due to a nonexistent unpaid fee, Mackenzie said. UT Arlington’s Information Security Office stopped publishing student emails in their directory to deter scammers. Mackenzie said if UTD were to implement this change, students would be less likely to become victims. “By taking down any links to student emails, we can make it harder for the scammers to target individual students,” Mackenzie said. Director of Information Security Nate Howe said 85 percent of all messages sent to UTD emails are
rejected by the school’s security system or Microsoft’s own filters, which screen out key words that indicate scams. However, theives have become aware of this and are constantly changing their wording to avoid the filters, he said. “Sometimes there are typos because the person who created the scam might not have a strong grasp of English writing,” Howe said. “Other times, typos or terminology that seems out of place are used on purpose to get around our filters.” Scammers use phishing as a method to get personal information from their victims, including their social security number and date of birth. These are usually carried out by making a web page almost identical to an official page that the student is familiar with, such as the Galaxy portal. Once students put in their information, scammers use it to purchase houses or cars using their victim’s identity and credit score. “Scam artists want their potential victims to feel like they’re under pressure because we don’t make good decisions when we’re in a rush,” Howe said. “That sense of urgency is something the criminal uses to draw victims in.” When students report scams, the Information Security Office can block the website on the university’s firewall so that it’s no longer accessible on CometNet. ISO can also contact the hosting companies for fraudulent websites to get the sites taken down. Students and faculty are able to submit screenshots of attempted scams to Phish Bowl, a section of the Information Security website, to make others aware of how to spot potential scams. “When one person reports a scam, that then turns into intelligence our office can use to protect other people, because that scam may have gone to more than one person,” Howe said. “The sooner we hear about it, the sooner we block those links and protect other students who may not have
LIFE&ARTS even opened the message yet.” Howe said these deceptions could be prevented through training. Faculty members are required to complete an hourlong training module on cyber scams, but students aren’t, so they’re more vulnerable. “I want students to be protected, not just because of UTD, but also for the years to come after UTD,” he said. The advisory committee for ISO, comprising student and faculty representatives, is currently testing a system known as two-factor authentication. This provides an extra layer of security by asking for both the user’s password and a code that’s sent to an external device only the user has access to, such as a mobile phone. This technology is used by companies such as Apple and Twitter, and ISO is considering implementing the system across UTD. “We could do two-factor authentication today on our campus email, PeopleSoft or eLearning, so stolen passwords would become worthless,” Howe said, “But we need feedback from students and faculty to make sure this extra security doesn’t make logging in so difficult, that people just abandon it altogether.” Howe said phishing scams increase during the holiday season because of a rise in online shopping. Scammers copy the logo and colors of popular shipping companies in their emails because most people are expecting a package near Christmas, so they won’t hesitate to provide personal information. Because of this, students should be careful to protect their information and be aware of who is on the other end of the email. “We have to be alert and aware,” Howe said. “Unfortunately, we have to realize that when there’s money to be made, criminals are going to get organized and motivated.”
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then put into that app.” It took about three years to create and launch the app. The idea, brought up during former SG President Brooke Knudtson’s term, developed over the course of three more presidents’ terms
UTDMERCURY.COM in collaboration with the OIT. Van Der Schans and SG Vice President Alex Holcomb helped provide a beta version for SG to test. “To my knowledge, the initial goal of the app was to have an additional resource that students could easily access,” Van Der Schans said. “From
how I’ve experienced the app, it has achieved that goal.” After a two-year proposal period, UTD Mobile was finally released. Van Der Schans said he expects the app to receive significantly more usage in the future, as well as have an improved aesthetic design and added components.
UTDMERCURY.COM
LIFE&ARTS
THE MERCURY | DEC. 4, 2017
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‘Justice League’ riddled with plot holes Latest iteration of DC superhero franchise has glaring inconsistencies in spite of stellar cinematography, well-timed comedic relief
WARNER BROTHER PICTURES | COURTESY
“Justice League” follows the adventures of the titular superhero team as they work to save the planet from a catastrophic threat following the death of Superman. The movie was released on Nov. 17.
NEIL BHAMOO COMMENTARY
The newest DC comics movie, “Justice League”, had good action sequences and fight scenes, but had a disappointing plot and lacked a reason to cheer for the heroes. A large portion of time in the movie, especially near the beginning, was spent setting up the heroes’ characters and personalities, but it seemed rushed and unconvincing. The director, Zack Snyder, was likely trying to create a cinematic universe starting with this movie. However,
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posted because of its offensive content and nudity. The main story conveyed throughout the album is of how Hopsin and his ex-girlfriend, who was pregnant at the time, broke up, which ultimately got him banned from Australia after he received a restraining order. He was accused of assaulting her, but he claims all he did was push her onto the bed in frustration after he found out she was cheating on him, refused to get a paternity test
there wasn’t enough time in this twohour film to do that thoroughly and uniquely. For example, The Flash, played by Ezra Miller, had a goal of becoming a sort of lawman to prove that his father was wrongfully incarcerated. Unfortunately, this characteristic didn’t seem to affect The Flash’s actions throughout the movie whatsoever until the end, when he randomly got accepted to work at a crime lab. Furthermore, the characteristics of the superheroes felt extremely similar to those of the heroes in Marvel’s cinematic universe. Batman, played by Ben Affleck, was just like Iron Man, not only because
he seemed to be the leader, but also because he was always ready to sacrifice himself for the others. Furthermore, he seemed to not be on the best terms with Superman, played by Henry Cavill, who was DC’s version of Captain America. Just like Captain America, Superman was the second leader of a group of heroes, one who had come back from the dead and was the more ruleabiding member of the heroes. These are only two examples, but the rest of the DC heroes seemed to have Marvel counterparts, and this made the movie feel a little uninspired. Another big issue with the plot was the villain, who felt uninspired
as well. Steppenwolf, played by Ciaran Hinds, was a villain wanting to collect cubes hidden on Earth. These cubes were holders of a power that would destroy the Earth if they were brought together. This plot point was never explained well. Steppenwolf’s motives were very shallow — simply to destroy the Earth because he was evil — and it felt like he was a character the audience was just supposed to dislike. There was no nuance in his character, and that made him a weak villain. The dialogue was cheesy, and the movie tried too hard to make the heroes look cool. There were many meaningless obstacles, and they were
almost always solved with minimal effort by one of the heroes. the Flash, the only hero who didn’t keep making corny comments, instead saturated the movie with sometimes unnecessary comedic quips, but these did provide a welcome break from the rest of the bland script. Despite the major plot problems, the fighting and action in this movie were very enjoyable to watch. Any scenes that weren’t action-filled or didn’t have The Flash felt extremely slow, but I felt as though the fight scenes, for the most part, were a reward for suffering through the rest of the movie. The action sequence near the beginning involving the Amazonians
trying to protect one of the cubes was especially enthralling, and the amazing choreography and filmography made up for the fact that I had no idea what the cube was or why it was important. Unfortunately, the scenes involving the Atlanteans were lackluster, and there was a severe deficit of scenes involving Aquaman’s water-related powers, but he still had some awe-inspiring fighting moments. Overall, I would rate the movie a 2 out of 5 because the plot, which is the most important part of a movie, was just so disappointing. The movie’s main redeeming qualities was the action, the great cinematography and Flash’s comedic relief.
and revealed she was a stripper, not a bartender. Most of this is explained through the first song, “Hotel in Sydney,” through a combination of verses and skits. Hopsin’s frustration and anger is understandable, but the way that he presents it can be very off-putting to listeners, partially because his lyrics often rely on shock value. Hopsin also targets other rapper on tracks such as “I Wouldn’t Do That,” where he essentially claims he is the best rapper. He warns other artists by saying lines such as “So who
tryna wake up the dragon? You? Nah, I wouldn’t do that,” and asserting that he does not see any areas where he should improve. These are bold claims that are common in hip-hop, but Hopsin is often criticized for having a holier-than-thou attitude. Using these types of lyrics only feeds the negative perceptions of him. “No Words 2 (Skit)” criticizes a more specific group of hip-hop, “mumble rappers.” These are artists that critics claim mumble all their lyrics, making them hard to understand, such as Young Thug and Future. Hopsin mocks them
by mumbling in an exaggerated manner, making him sound almost unintelligible. One of the most sentimental track on the release that makes the listener want to sympathize with Hopsin, is “Ill Mind of Hopsin 9.” The “Ill Mind of Hopsin” series has been a constant part of Hopsin’s career. During these songs, he focuses on one important or controversial topic. This new addition is dedicated to his 10-month-old son, who he has yet to meet because of the complications with his ex and his restriction from Australia. However, he also chooses to
criticize his ex, which takes away from his message. He comes across as petty, and it is easy to lose empathy towards him. Had he chosen to make his lyrics more heartfelt and sincere, it would have more substance. On the very next track, “Marcus’ Gospel,” Hopsin proves that he is capable of writing profound, earnest lyrics, which only makes “Ill Mind of Hopsin 9” that much more disappointing. He expresses feeling lost, lonely and hopeless. “Marcus’ Gospel” depicts a vulnerable side of Hopsin that is rarely
seen, and it would be interesting to see him commit to these types of songs more often. “No Shame” proves that Hopsin does have a lot of potential. He has a good ear for production, and all of the beats found on this project suit him well. A lot of the flows he employs are interesting and unique. What holds him back is his attitude, which affect his lyricism a lot and often pulls the listener out of the moment. If he had taken on a more serious tone like he did on “Marcus’ Gospel,” this album could have been much better.
Paws for Finals The
Student
Counseling
Center
paired up with the Eugene McDermott Library 30
on
to host their
semesterly for
Nov.
Finals
Paws event.
From 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., students could stop by to play with dogs as a way to take a break from
studying
finals. ERIN EUBANKS | MERCURY STAFF
for
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star wars 101:
In preparation for the upcoming “Star Wars” film “The Last Jedi,” The Mercury sat down with UTD film professor John Petty to talk about his feelings and expectations about the upcoming sequel to “The Force Awakens” (2015). Q: What are you most excited about in regards to “The Last Jedi?”
A: I want to see where they take this one. I think Disney right now has a very fine line to walk with these movies. They’ve got to appeal to the older fans, fans like me, but they also have to reach out for the newer generation of fans, and I think that’s a really difficult thing to do. With so few of the original cast going to be in this movie, I think they made a big mistake killing off Han Solo the way they did. I don’t see that there was any point to it — it didn’t really have a big emotional impact on the film, I think it was done just to say, “Look, we can kill Han off.” Now granted, at the time they didn’t know Carrie Fisher was going to die, but as it is now, they’re losing their ability to connect with the older, more traditional fans. I think they’re doing a really good job of developing a “Star Wars” for the fans who sort of came in with “The Force Awakens”. I think characters like Poe Dameron, for example, are great, and I think people are really going to respond to that. But I’m anxious to see what they’re going to do to reconcile those two sides. You know, how is Luke’s story going to continue? At this point he’s sort of the framework for all of it — what happens with him, why is it the last Jedi, and who is the last Jedi. Those are all things that I’m really looking forward to seeing how they deal with. Q: What are some of the questions you think this film will answer? A: : I hope that we get an answer to what — to who — Rey is. You know, there’s something with her, there’s some connection to Luke, or maybe there’s not, maybe it’s a connection to Obi-Wan, maybe it’s a connection to Darth. But what is Rey’s place in the whole thing? We sort of knew, by the time the first “Star Wars” movie (“A New Hope”) ended, we sort of knew what Luke’s place in this thing was — we knew that he was going to rebuild the Jedi faith and we knew that he was going to be that guy who can sort of resurrect the past. But we don’t know what Rey is, and I’m anxious to see what they have in store for her.
DISNEY | COURTESY
Q: Could you talk a little bit about the impact of the original trilogy on film?
DISNEY | COURTESY
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY: SAM LOPEZ | MERCURY STAFF
A: That’s a huge question — it’s a good question. Before “Star Wars,” science fiction in movies had really reached a very low point. You know, the 50’s — we all know what 50’s science fiction was like, it was guys in bad suits and model rockets on strings and things like that. And that Odyssey” (1968), which was was fine. And then we get to “2001: A Space Odyssey spectacular. And everybody thinks, “Oh my God, this is going to be a renaissance for science fiction!” Well, it wasn’t. Because nobody else could do what Kubrick had done in that movie. You know, he took a huge risk — it paid off for him, but there’s no way to duplicate that. So, going into the 70’s, it was just a wasteland for science fiction fans. Wars” comes along, and with “Star Wars” comes this And then “Star Wars whole new concept of what science fiction is. It’s not just crappy little models, it’s something where whole worlds are being created. And it’s based on the narrative of the Western. You’ve got this kid whose parents are murdered and he goes to get revenge, I mean you can take this and strip out the aliens and put in cattle rustlers and use the same script practically, because it follows that really, really familiar story pattern that we’re all used to. In my class we talk about (Joseph Cambell’s) “The Hero’s Journey.” And Cambell talks about this hero’s journey, this mythic structure we all know by heart, whether we realize it or not. And (George) Lucas knew this, and he worked with it, and he brought out this story that was simple enough for anybody to understand but still had some of those hidden complexities about fate and life and destiny, and all of these things that were really cool. So I think in ‘77 when this came out, it ramped up science fiction. It gave everybody else something to shoot for. Most of them didn’t make it, some of them did, but it really raised science fiction up to a whole new level. But it also became sort of this new cultural mythology. Wars”, and everybody knew what Very quickly everybody knew “Star Wars it meant if you called somebody “Darth Somebody,” everybody knew that you were calling them someone evil and vicious. Even in the early 80’s when Reagan proposed his strategic defense initiative, it got the nickname “Star Wars.” That was just a few years after the movie came out! So it gave us this new sort of cultural touchstone that we all knew the mythology and characters of. And really that’s continued to this day.
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” premiers Dec. 15
COMICS&GAMES
DEC. 4, 2017 | THE MERCURY
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JUST KYLO REN THINGS
CHRISTMAS NIGHTMARE
BIANCA DEL RIO | MERCURY STAFF
LUKE CAT-WALKER
JENNA CHERREY | MERCURY STAFF KEATON NATIONS | MERCURY STAFF
TREEBACCA
KYLO TOO SLOW
KEATON NATIONS | MERCURY STAFF
CARLZ SAYS
CAROLINA ALVAREZ | MERCURY STAFF
A LOST HOPE
CHIAMAKA MGBOJI | MERCURY STAFF
CHRISTINA JIA | MERCURY STAFF
TEMOC STRIKES BACK
BIANCA DEL RIO | MERCURY STAFF
MATT STRACK | MERCURY STAFF
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LIFE&ARTS
UTDMERCURY.COM
The ATEC Design II students showcase their final projects in the ATEC building atrium. In Design II, students develop their design skills using different materials and immersive 2-D, 3-D, and 4-D concepts. PHOTOS BY: SAHER AQEEL | PHOTO EDITOR
ATEC DESIGN
II
The Shadow Walker | Angel Gonzalez
James and the Giant Peach | Jeffrey Castaneda
The Odyssey | Laura Stankovich
Beauty and the Beast | Kassandra Sanchez
The Giving Tree | Samantha Wood
The Colossal Titan | Laura Stankovich
General Grievous | Jeremy Tellef
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Sana Syed
Atlantis | Laura Stankovich & Kassandra Sanchez
OPINION
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DEC. 4, 2017 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
Comet card conundrum reveals communication issue Lack of announcement from UTD leaves students without Comet cash, meal exchanges during necessary service maintenance ANJALI SUNDARAM COMMENTARY
During the days between Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, certain restaurants were unable to take meal exchanges, Comet cash or meal money, but students were still able to use their credit cards and cash. Comet card transactions were unavailable in some of the restaurants on campus, but cards still worked at Dining Hall West. Despite being planned, students were not alerted of the issue besides a few signs posted outside of the restaurants during the Comet card unavailability. A mass email explaining that outages were going to happen could have better prepared students for the upcoming week so they could plan accordingly. The registers couldn’t accept Comet cards because the new Starbucks’ registers were being set up. During this time, certain restaurants in the Student Union were unable to take Comet cash and meal exchanges. Ironically, the university has a policy that every student living in the Residence Halls must apply for a meal plan, allotting students $50 to $150 in meal money,
based on which meal membership they choose. In addition, students with a meal plan are allowed one meal exchange a day, meaning they are able to swap one of their meal swipes at the dining hall for a preselected meal at one of the restaurants. However, no notice was given to students about not being able to use their meal exchange and Comet cash for certain restaurants. The randomness of the Comet cards was the most disheartening part about the entire week. I remember standing at the register at Za’Tar, food in hand and Comet card out and ready to pay, when Comet cards became unavailable. I was frustrated because the card reader was being used minutes before. Though the card readers were up and running in the next couple of days, the miscommunication brought a whole new wave of anxiety for me, and the whole process could have been avoided if a mass email explaining the issue and why it was happening was sent out. Rather than having students wait on their friends to relay the information to them, being proactive and alerting students about around campus, even if they are spur of moment — whether it be through social media, email or a public announcement — would be beneficial.
CHRISTI LAZUTKIN | MERCURY STAFF
Comets and Craters Stressbusters Beginning Dec. 11, SUAAB will host its semesterly Stressbusters events in which students can take study breaks to participate in stress-relieving activities. Events include Donut Stress Day, Glowcade and Cereal and Cartoons.
UTD loses pre-law advisor After UTD’s pre-law advisor Anne Dutia tendered her resignation in August, the university still has not filled her position, leaving students interested in law school without a director.
Trump selects professor Political science professor Thomas Brunell has been hand-selected by President Donald Trump as a candidate for the director of the U.S. Census Bureau. The final decision will be announced in the coming months. ETHAN CHRISTOPHER | MERCURY STAFF
COMET COMMENTS
What do you think of the new sculpture outside of JSOM? HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? Students interested in writing opinions can email editor@utdmercury.com.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR “It looks like some artsy thing that doesn’t really make sense. It looks interesting, it looks like a non-euclidean surface to me, I don’t fully understand it.”
Mauhib Iqbal Computer Engineering Senior
“I don’t know. I didn’t know if it was done, I don’t know what to think of it. It looks like it’s not supposed to be there, it’s out of place to be honest.”
Gabriel Barron Information Technology and Systems Junior
“I personally have never seen the JSOM sculpture since I’m a computer engineer so I don’t really go to JSOM, but I’d be willing to check it out soon.”
Prathyusha Thiruvuri Computer Engineering Freshman
Letters must be 250 words or less. Students should include their full name, major and year. Faculty, staff and administrators should include their full name and title. Email letters to editor@utdmercury. com. Although electronic copies are preferred, a hard copy can be dropped off at the reception desk of the Student Media suite (SU 1.601). Please include a headshot. Authors may only have one letter printed per edition of The Mercury.
OP-EDS
Apart from your name and photo, personal info will not be published. We reserve the right to reject submissions, and we cannot be responsible for their return. We reserve the right to edit for clarity, brevity, good taste, accuracy and to prevent libel.
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felt. But it’s also really near the trees, and the trees do this unfortunate thing called grow. They’re going to grow all into the sculpture all within two years.” Linda Anderson, a Ph.D. student in art, art history and archeology, was one of the few people who witnessed the setup of “Big Bend” outside JSOM. Because Anderson was one of the only people there that day when the sculpture was being placed on its stand, she decided to film the whole process. “I really enjoyed it,” she said. “It was really fun, and I sort of outlined the steps when you’re going to install a work of art, that you
MATT STRACK | MERCURY STAFF
can assist the Counseling Center in getting victims take back control after being assaulted. “The most important thing for us is to get the power back into the victim’s hands,” Blake said. “We make sure that students know their options and that we believe them, that it’s not their fault.” Victims can also contact the Title IX office to go over their legal options after being assaulted. According to the CLASE report, 48 percent of non-victims and 45 percent of victims don’t know or aren’t sure of where to get help after being assaulted. In response, the office updated its website to provide more information on filing a report and what to expect afterward. “It’s really important to me to be as transparent and approachable as possible, because I see where other schools have gotten things wrong, and if I were a student that saw and read those things, I would be hesitant to come forward,” Blake said. “I try to make sure everybody knows how we do things here — we center on trying to make the victim know that they’re in control of their options and that we take these things very seriously.” The Student Wellness Center also launched One Love — workshops focusing on dating violence awareness — as a direct result of CLASE report findings, SWC Director Kacey Sebeniecher said. According to the report, 27 percent
have to watch out for — lamp posts, buildings, trees. You got to have a guide wire, somebody with a guide wire, so that when the wind picks up then, even though it weighs four tons, it’s going to fly.” The piece had previously been kept disassembled in storage, with one part weighing four tons and the other weighing seven tons. No one knew how the piece had originally fit together, and thus had to base the reconstruction of the sculpture on a photograph, Anderson said. Eventually, the construction crew from the Kirk Hopper gallery managed to fit the pieces together. “It was like a jigsaw puzzle, basically,” Anderson said. “They used these big, huge bolts. I was really amazed because they had a wrench
to turn the bolts, but because you want to really get them in there tight, they put in an extension and so, I learned something out of it — that’s a lot of weight to make stand really still.” However, even after they managed to figure out the placement of the two parts and had positioned it on its slab, they realized that they had placed it off-center, and the construction crew had to replace the sculpture again. Brettell said he hopes the sculpture encourages students to consider the art. “(It) will play a role in the consciousness of UTD, which will, for some people, be a positive role, and for some people, will be a perplexing one. And that’s great,” he said.
of UTD respondents experienced some form of dating violence or domestic abuse since their enrollment. “The highest-occurring form of sexual misconduct among our student population in the CLASE report was domestic violence, so (One Love) is where we’re focusing our efforts right now,” Sebeniecher said. “We plan to expand our programming and make that piece of what we do even more substantial.” Despite these moves to improve sexual assault prevention, one in four new students received a hold on their grades this fall for failing to complete Haven, an online sexual assault education service, according to EverFi, the company that owns Haven. Blake said while a majority of these students eventually completed the modules, a lack of student education on sexual misconduct has made creating a dialogue difficult. “This is part of the problem, students don’t really pay attention to the online modules, and a lot of the students that come (to the Counseling Center) actually don’t know that they’ve been sexually assaulted,” Blake said. “They struggle to define it, we lack the language and awareness around it.” The report also states that males represent 54 percent of the student body, but only 44 percent of total victims. This reflects the national statistics from the American Association of University Women, showing that men are less likely than women to report sexual harassment or assault. UTD offers
UTDMERCURY.COM free Rape Aggression Defense training for women once a month, but the men’s classes have been placed on hold as UTD Police search for a new instructor. Mackenzie said even with the programs offered, there’s a discrepancy between male and female tendencies to sign up for the classes. “The whole time that we had a trained instructor for the men’s classes, we didn’t have interest,” he said. “We didn’t have enough (students) for a class, we have to have at least five or six.” Molecular biology sophomore Mason Galliver was interested in taking the self-defense classes for men last year, but received an email from UTD PD saying that no classes were scheduled. Galliver said he was frustrated when the same thing happened this year, and would like to see UTD reach out to the male population by putting self-defense tips on UTD PD’s website instead of RAD for men. UTD PD currently offers crime awareness programs and crime prevention brochures to students upon request. “I know that I’ll be fine without the class, I’m not interested because I feel like I need it,” Galliver said. “But I know that there are people out there that really want to take the class, and I feel like it’s a letdown on the school’s part because the class isn’t available to those people.” The lack of a male presence in the self-defense classes is also reflected in the Counseling Center, as well as the Title IX office, where female victims outnumber males. Addition-
ally, the report doesn’t mention the low disclosure rate among the male demographic in its key findings. “I think that there’s a degree of stigma for male victims to come forward and report, which is something that we try to address,” Davis said, “The (complaints) that we deal with, they can absolutely happen to anyone.” The SWC is currently trying to improve its strategies toward sexual assault prevention. The organization launched a series of programs focused around student action, including It’s On Us and Take Back the Night for nationwide sexual assault prevention, as well as Comet Voice, a bystander intervention program. “Our aim is to offer programs that address every possible type of sexual misconduct that occurs,” Sebeniecher said. “We know that there are male and female aggressors on this campus, so our programs are very inclusive and have a neutral approach in terms of gender.” Sebeniecher said it will be interesting to see if the implementation of new programs in response to the report, alongside pre-existing prevention programs such as Haven, will have any effect on students. “We’re taking what we already do and adding the information from the report to expand our reach,” Sebeniecher said. “The CLASE study isn’t over, it might not be a huge statistical survey again, but for now we have our data and know where we need to improve.”
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said. “Tumor cells target the inside of cells which are protected by membranes. We have been working on creating small molecules that can cross the membrane and stop the tumor cells from doing further damage.” Ahn’s research team, composed of research scientist Tae-Kyung Lee and chemistry graduate student Bikash Manandhar, helped with the molecule design and synthesis. They conducted the next phases of testing by collaborating with Ganesh Raj, a professor of urology and pharmacology at the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and Ratna Vadlamudi, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Ahn and his team initially researched prostate cancer, and around five years ago, started working on breast cancer. “When we moved to researching breast cancer, initially the compounds, which worked in the case of prostate cancer, were not so effective,” Lee said. “So, we designed a new one. ERX-11 is based on the structure of the molecule we developed for prostate cancer.” Undergraduate and graduate students helped Ahn and his team by testing the molecule’s design at the cellular and animal level. Ahn said it is important to have students on the team because they bring a
ANUPAM GUPTA | MERCURY STAFF
Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Jung-Mo Anh speaks about ERX-11, a molecule his team developed over the past five years to improve breast cancer treatments.
fresh perspective to the table. “Currently, I have 40 undergraduate students working in my lab, and about seven graduate students,” Ahn said. “But this is not enough. Sometimes if you see things all the time, you may miss something. We need a fresh pair of eyes. Even though they are not direct contributors to the paper, their work has been helpful for us to get here.” Ahn’s team of researchers and collaborators showed in their recently published paper that ERX-11 is much more effective in mitigating the growth of tumor cells. Lee said that despite the effectiveness, the molecule still needs to be refined. “It’s not easy,” Lee said. “Sev-
eral problems are yet to be solved. The first one is potency. The second is solubility. Practically, our molecule is not soluble in water. My ongoing effort is to improve the solubility of our compound.” Ahn and his team are looking at a five to 10 years timeline to advance to further trials. “We are in the discovery stage,” Ahn said. “We are sort of closing the pre-clinical trial at this moment. We are testing and trying to prove that our molecule works on cells, on animals and maybe in the human tissue. If we keep going further, it could be a clinical trial someday. That’s what we are actually pushing for right now.”