The Mercury 8/20/18

August 20, 2018

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PAYMENT CHANGE CAUSES CONCERN Campus housing switches to semesterly rent scheme amidst management shuffle

STORY BY: MADELEINE KEITH | OPINION EDITOR PHOTO BY: MADELINE AMBROSE | MERCURY STAFF

U

niversity Housing has begun preparing for the transfer of management of certain on-campus housing properties from American Campus Communities to the university. But while university officials attempt to ensure a smooth handover, students are expressing concern that the change could do more harm than good.

When University Housing announced it would be taking over the management of on-campus living spaces, officials publicized a new payment plan requiring students to pay their rent in one semesterly sum instead of the previous monthly installment system. In addition, housing payments would be paid through the Bursar’s Office instead of paying University Housing directly. Though students can opt to pay the sum in quarterly payments instead of one lump sum, not all students are sure that the new system is something they can afford.

→ SEE HOUSING, PAGE 7

Students moved into campus housing during the week of Aug. 13. Earlier this year, University Housing officials announced that UTD would take over management of all on-campus housing properties.

Pete Sessions’ campaign finances under scrutiny Filings raise questions about spending, contributions CINDY FOLEFACK Managing Editor

A Texas representative responsible for the congressional district including UTD is currently in a congressional race and has caused controversy after an external news outlet investigated his political finances.

On July 20, The Texas Observer pub-

lished an article delving into congressman Pete Sessions’ political action committee, People for Enterprise Trade and Economic Growth. The article uncovered fundraising expenses, including a ski resort and a golf club, totaling over $96,000 in the 2016 election cycle. Sessions, a Republican, is currently running

→ SEE SESSIONS, PAGE 10 CHRISTINA JIA | MERCURY STAFF OPENSECRETS | SOURCE

AMBARINA HASTA | MERCURY STAFF

The 7-Eleven franchise located at the intersection of Synergy Park Boulevard and Rutford Avenue is scheduled to open Aug. 23.

ABC NEWS | SOURCE

7-Eleven to open at Northside Convenience store to remain open 24/7, provide unique features for customers IAN SEAMANS Mercury Staff

Slurpees, taquitos and other snacks will soon be available at Northside after a new convenience store opens later this month.

The 7-Eleven chain will expand to UTD on Aug. 23, bringing with it Amazon lockers, extra slurpee flavors and a refrigerated room for beer. The store, lo-

cated on the western corner of Northside Phase 1 near the intersection of Synergy Park Boulevard and Rutford Avenue, will remain open 24/7. Unlike other businesses at Northside or on campus, it will maintain the same hours on school breaks.

The store’s grand opening on the 23rd will have free slurpees, free coffee, free big gulps and coupons for any

customer who shows up. For slurpee fans, there will also be a truck with expanded flavors on hand.

As part of 7-Eleven’s rollout of delivery services in Dallas, the Northside store will soon be able to deliver products directly to students’ doors. Another feature that

→ SEE 7-ELEVEN, PAGE 10

Aug. 20, 2018 | The Mercury

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THE MERCURY UTDMERCURY.COM Volume XXXVIII No. 28

NEWS

UTDPD Blotter

Editor-in-Chief Bhargav Arimilli

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editor@utdmercury.com (972) 883-2294

Managing Editor Cindy Folefack managingeditor @utdmercury.com (972) 883-2287

Copy Editor Diego Alvarez

copyeditor@utdmercury.com

Graphics Editor Matt Strack

graphics@utdmercury.com

Photo Editor Noah Whitehead

August 8 • A female UTD student reported at 11:58 a.m. that an affiliated male accessed her UTD account, withdrew her from classes and harrassed her online.

August 8 • UTDPD arrested a UTD student for possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana in Phase 7 at 10:20 p.m.

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photo@utdmercury.com

News Editor Emaan Bangash

news@utdmercury.com

Life & Arts Editor Ayoung Jo life@utdmercury.com

Web Editor Bharat Arimilli

web@utdmercury.com

Outreach Editor Carolina Alvarez

media@utdmercury.com

Opinion Editor Madeleine Keith opinioneditor@ utdmercury.com

Contributors Madeline Ambrose Sarah Besserer Jenna Cherrey Bianca Del Rio Travis Dickerson Ambarina Hasta Vanessa Idigbe Christina Jia Samantha Lopez Chiamaka Mgboji Ian Seamans Michael Stout Sarah Streety Madison York

August 10 • An unaffiliated female was issued a criminal trespass warning after soliciting money near the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center at 4:17 p.m.

August 12 • Unknown person(s) shattered the glass of a vending machine and took an assortment of items in Erik Jonsson Academic Center at 10:23 p.m.

August 13 • A cleaning crew staff member reported a broken glass window in a room in the Administration Building at 1:32 a.m.

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LEGEND VEHICULAR INCIDENT

THEFT

DRUGS & ALCOHOL OTHER MAP: UTD | COURTESY

Media Adviser Chad Thomas

chadthomas@utdallas.edu (972) 883-2286

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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Aug. 20, 2018 | The Mercury

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NEWS

MICHAEL STOUT | MERCURY STAFF

Campus police, students, staff and community members are attending training sessions hosted by the Center for Students in Recovery to learn how to recognize an overdose and administer naloxone, a drug sold under the brand name Narcan that reverses the effects of opioids.

Students, police learn to use life-saving drug Center for Students in Recovery offers training sessions for overdose reversal agent naloxone in wake of national opioid crisis DIEGO ALVAREZ Copy Editor

The Center for Students in Recovery at UTD has recently been promoting overdose awareness by providing a new training program.

Since the start of the summer, the CSR has begun an initiative to train campus police, students, staff and other community members on what to do in case of an overdose. The Collegiate Recovery Manager at the CSR, Stephanie Epstein, led the effort to bring overdose prevention training to UTD. The training teaches participants how to use the medication naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, an over-the-counter drug that can be bought at most pharmacies and which the CSR provides on request. Epstein said since starting at

Student Union changes hours The Student Union will now be closing at midnight on weekdays instead of 2 a.m.

The new hours of operation from Monday to Friday are 7 a.m. to midnight.

On Saturdays and Sundays, the building will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Director of Student Union Dan Goodwin said the decision to change the hours of operation stemmed from limited foot traffic in the building after midnight and from a security and safety perspective.

“We wanted to make sure that our student employees are getting home or to where they’re going at a decent time,” Goodwin said.

Although the SU will be closing earlier, the dining locations and any other offices will maintain their previous hours of operation.

“We know people are probably interested in when the Starbucks will be closing,” Goodwin said. “They’ve always maintained a midnight closing so we’re in sync with the Starbucks as well.”

Some exceptions to the new operating hours include midterms and finals week. Extended hours may be considered to allow students study in the Student Union or to accommodate events from student organizations.

“We feel confident in the hours we put forward,” Goodwin said.

“But if there are some challenges that arrive in our updated facility hours, we certainly will adapt to that as well.”

the CSR a year ago, she realized how many students were struggling with opiate addictions and wanted to bring something to the campus to help them.

“I knew about naloxone trainings and just about naloxone in general, and I started to just feel concerned on what would happen if one of these students relapsed or were to use on campus, and unfortunately overdose... and for us to not be able to save that student’s life,” Epstein said.

The training is two hours long and teaches participants how to react in the case of an overdose. Along with introducing topics such as defining addiction, substance abuse and the opioid crisis, the training teaches participants how to identify an overdose and how to prevent them. The training also includes a simulation of what an over-

dose looks like, how to administer the medication and an overview of how naloxone binds to opioid receptors in the brain in place of opioid drugs to reverse overdoses.

After focusing first on the community near the school, Epstein reached out to UTDPD and subsequently began training them, followed by CSR staff and then students and alumni.

Detective Randy Holton was among the officers who attended the training and said the training was valuable for his work.

“Our police chief heard about this and he felt that it was important enough that he’s requested that all his officers go through this training, and I would agree with him. It’s exceptionally good training,” Holton said. “This training is a quick, easy simple method

to deal with overdose and dangerous situations, we practiced it and it went really well.”

Craig Anderson, a community member who had previously attended other naloxone trainings and had recently been to one of the overdose trainings UTD offered, was able to use his training to save someone’s life on Aug. 6.

He said of all the trainings he has been to, the one offered by the CSR has been the most interactive and informative in addition to helping him prepare for the situation he had to face, as he felt the more hands-on approach the CSR took was an important step most trainings he attended omitted.

“Each one of the trainings I’ve taken away something a little different… and I’ve only been to one (at UTD), but I think it’s awesome, we can’t have

enough trainings,” Anderson said. “(The UTD training) covered every single detail, and a lot of trainings I’ve been to, they kind of skip over some things that I find important.”

Epstein said she acknowledges the difficulty in the community accepting that substance abuse issues exist. However, she said she is thankful to have the support of the school to train as many people as possible in case of an emergency.

“I think it’s a hard conversation to have to explain to administrators and students and people on campus that we do have a problem with students that use opiates,” Epstein said. “It is a hard conversation to say, ‘you do have some students that are struggling and there is a reason for us to do this training’…

→ SEE NARCAN, PAGE 7

New rail line to be built near Northside apartments, campus UTD transportation officials work in collaboration with Dallas Area Rapid Transit to enhance student experience, expand university facilities through new mode of transportation MADISON YORK Staff Writer

Dallas Area Rapid Transit is working closely with UTD to develop a new rail line that will run adjacent to the Northside complex.

The new line, called Cotton Belt, is due to start construction in 2019 and will begin welcoming riders in December 2022. Mark Ball, a DART Media Relations representative, said the project has a budget of $1.135 billion and that he was optimistic about the economic impact of the Cotton Belt on the surrounding area.

“It’s something that Richardson is looking forward to,” Ball said. “If you’re familiar with that City Line area, it has exploded with transitoriented development. Just a couple years ago, that entire area was empty field. Of course, you got major corporations that have moved there (and) all the benefit of the tax revenue generated by those companies for the city of Richardson.”

DART officials said they anticipate ridership to be nearly 12,000 riders per day. A large number of UTD students use DART already, with 4,800 to 5,600 riders per weekday during the school year for the Comet Cruisers alone. Calvin Jamison, vice president for facilities and economic management at UTD, said DART’s expansion plans would benefit UTD’s student population.

NOAH WHITEHEAD | PHOTO EDITOR

UTD and DART hope to complete construction of the Cotton Belt rail line by December 2022.

“The goal is to minimize the number of students who will need to have cars on campus,” Jamison said. “In terms of our long-term student plan, there will be multiple ways to have access to campus. The fact that you can actually land in DFW, get on DART, board DART and get off at the UT Dallas stop is a huge plus.”

Assistant Vice President of Capital Planning for DART Chad Edwards acknowledged that, as with any project of this size, there are public concerns. He said DART is proactively working to address these issues.

“The biggest concern that we have heard along the entire corridor is about noise and vibration,” Edwards said. “A close second would probably be traffic impact. And then the last one is probably — if I had three to begin — would probably be just how it’s going to change their daily lives.”

“What we’ve done is spend a lot of time with the public in public meetings (and) focus groups. We’ve done Facebook live events, we’ve done lots of different activities to get out in front of the public and talk to them about the project,” Edwards said.

“We’ve been doing this part of the project probably for at least a year, probably two years now.”

Edwards said that construction of the Cotton Belt will likely start at different locations along the 26-mile long corridor of rail. DART has had plans to construct a commuter rail in the area since the 1980s. Though the precise boundaries of the line may have yet to be determined, there are already existing tracks, so the general public in the surrounding areas have been aware of

→ SEE DART, PAGE 7

Aug. 20, 2018 | The Mercury

4

NEWS

a g n i c n a l ba

t e g d u b Tuition and Fees $316 million

Net Auxiliary Revenues $52 million

Local and Private Sponsored Programs

State Sponsored Programs $13 million

$13 million

Federal Sponsored Programs $37 million

A closer look at UTD's expenses and revenues

Total Revenues (Adjusted)

$635 million

UTD OPERATING BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2018 | SOURCE

Operating Revenues Total Operating (Adjusted) Net Sales & Services of Educational Activities

Other Operating Revenues

$13 million

$3 million

$446 million Operating revenues are revenues that are actively earned, such as tuition and fees. Non-operating revenues, on the other hand, refer to income that is not directly tied to student enrollment and instead comes from state or federal appropriations.

Nonoperating Revenues Total Nonoperating (Adjusted)

$189 million

Gifts in Support of Operations

$15 million State Sponsored Programs

Adjustments to UTD’s operating budget include tuition discounting, capital outlay, debt transfers and depreciation expenses.

The revenues and expenses reported are adjusted to account for these transactions.

Federal Sponsored Programs

The Permanent University Fund, established in 1876, leases state-owned land to agricultural and energy companies. A fraction of the revenue generated is placed in another fund called the Available University Fund and is then used to support UT and Texas A&M systems’ operations. The AUF is also used to directly support UT Austin’s operations, but UTD does not receive money directly from the AUF.

$26 million

$150,000

State Appropriations

$117 million

Net Investment Income $30 million

EXPENSES Total Expenses (Adjusted)

$686 million Academic Support $77 million

Instruction

$195 million

Institutional Support

$51 million

Research $83 million

Scholarships and Fellowships $19 million

Student Services $20 million

Auxiliary Enterprises $54 million

Debt Service Principal $35 million

Public Service $9 million

Debt Service Interest $29 million

Depreciation and Amortization

$81 million

Plant Maintenance/ Operation $35 million

Education Break

down

Total $319 milli on

Interdisciplinary Studies

$4 million

BBS

$15 million

ECS $41 million

GRAPHIC BY: MATTHEW STRACK | GRAPHICS EDITOR

ATEC

EPPS

$8 million

$11 million

NSM $27 million

Other $110 million

A&H

$11 million

Provost and VP Academic Affairs $41 million

JSOM $51 million

LIFE&ARTS

5

Aug. 20, 2018 | The Mercury

Alumnus, student start self-funded gaming company Horror-themed video game opens doors for startup to develop virtual, augmented reality games for other organizations

IMMOSIS | COURTESY

Business partners Brian Hoang and Marwan Kodeih demonstrated their upcoming virtual reality horror game “Amelia's Curse” to attendees at the SXSW Festival held in Austin in March of this year.

EMAAN BANGASH News Editor

A UTD student and UTD alumnus founded a startup company creating games using virtual and augmented reality technology.

Software engineering senior Brian Hoang and alumnus Marwan Kodeih co-founded their company, Immosis, in December 2016. Hoang and Kodeih created the VR horror game “Amelia’s Curse” in their time running UTD’s Virtual Reality Society and Artificial Intelligent Society, both founded

by Hoang. Hoang said they realized they couldn’t market and distribute their games as a student organization, and thus created Immosis. The company was personally bootstrapped by Hoang, and the team kept their expenses low at the same time.

After displaying their game in a booth at the South by Southwest 2017, the team decided to exhibit their newly developed game.

While the game wasn't meant to be released

to the public, Hoang said there was always a crowd around their booth, leading the team to want to further develop the game and distribute it to the public. “‘Amelia’s Curse’ was never meant to be a huge title,” Hoang said. “When we saw the audience play ‘Amelia’s Curse,’ it was like, oh my god. Seeing people with ‘Amelia’s Curse’ and getting into it, we were like, you know there might be something there, so we kind of kept going with (the game) and it got bigger and bigger.”

“Amelia’s Curse” is a single-player first person shooter game involving horror and survival themes. The game features the player walking through a decrepit castle rife with humanoid monsters and giant spiders. The player explores the castle while collecting Amelia’s paper notes along the way to find out the mystery of the castle and its curse. “Amelia’s Curse” is currently on Steam, an online game and technology distribution platform, but will not be released until the spring of 2018.

Additionally, the cost remains undetermined.

Hoang said the game was more challenging to create than expected.

“It’s kind of like creating a movie because there’s so much thought put into it,” Hoang said. “Like what are the mechanics that go into it? What should the environment look like? Why should it look this way and not that way? What is the storyline supposed to be like and why should there be a storyline? What are the monsters going to look like? There’s a huge creative component to it.”

After “Amelia’s Curse,” the two began taking clients and creating games for other companies and industries. Currently, the team is working on five different projects such as VR games for physical therapy, fitness and dance training alongside developing “Amelia’s Curse.” Hoang said he wants to work with artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies because they can reach across the world.

“We really believe that VR could revolutionize the way humans interact with con-

tent and the world around them. And now we’re seeing demand and interest from so many different places,” Hoang said. “From education to healthcare, and we’ve talked to people like the military. It’s just a matter of how quickly people are willing to adapt and can we reach those people.”

Hoang said creating Immosis was challenging because of how startups work initially.

He and Marwan worked with the Blackstone Launchpad at UTD and received mentorship on how to approach creating their company and become established. During his time at UTD, Hoang founded the Artificial Intelligence Society, which grew to up to 500 members and is one of the largest engineering organizations on campus. Hoang said it was his first time learning how to lead and delegate a group of people, and that it helped him with organization and leadership at Immosis.

“A really common mistake people make, especially newcomers like students, is they have misconception that what you know is

all you need to know. In reality…it’s about who you know and how effectively you market yourself,” Hoang said. “Relationships will always matter the most because people can get you to your destination while avoiding more mistakes along the way. Without them, you’re basically on your own.”

Currently, Hoang and Marwan work with a team of 10 people, consisting of designers and volunteers. The team continues to receive client work alongside developing “Amelia’s Curse,” and Hoang said he hopes to expand the client base as much as possible in the future.

“Running a startup, you have to wear multiple hats,” Hoang said. “In a corporation, if you don’t know something, someone will be there to help you, but in a startup no one is there to help you do it so you’re going to do it or no one else is. We had to just figure it out and we had a lot of really good mentors, and that was a really big part of it, having people to help you by your side.”

Shaking up spirit The annual Residential Life Rumble pits the different sections of campus housing against one another to raise morale. Six teams competed, with four teams representing each of the four residence halls and two teams representing apartment residents.

UT DALLAS | COURTESY

UTD alums VJ and Justin Boyd switched careers and moved to Los Angeles to pursue their childhood dreams of screenwriting and producing.

Q&A: Hollywood alums Brothers pursue lifelong goal of producing TV series, screenwriting in entertainment industry UTD alums VJ (BA’02) and Justin (BA’06) Boyd took risks after graduating by moving to Los Angeles to pursue their dreams of screenwriting and producing.

Since they moved, the brothers have gone on to work on series such as “Justified,” “S.W.A.T” and “Channel Zero” alongside industry veterans including Shemar Moore (“Criminal Minds”) and Rutger Hauer (“Blade Runner”). The pair sat down with The Mercury to discuss their paths to success and future plans.

NOAH WHITEHEAD|PHOTO EDITOR

Q: When did you first get interested in screenwriting?

VJ: When I was a young kid I loved movies, especially sci-fi action movies, as most kids do, and when I was saw behind the scenes and “making of ” specials about “Star Wars,” I decided I wanted to be a part of making movies when I grew up. At first, I focused on special effects because that’s what in-

terested me most as a child, but later I got some understanding that the person most associated with making a movie is the director, so I thought perhaps I’d be a director. When I was 11, I discovered a love for writing short stories, so then a few years later it clicked that I could combine the two and write screenplays.

I wrote my first screenplay when I was 16. It wasn’t very good, but I finished it, which is an important step. So many projects writers start go uncompleted.

Justin: I came to screenwriting later than my brother, who’d been writing since we were kids. We grew up with a real love for film and television, and I think the fact that we were exposed to alot of classic films from an early age really helped hone our sense for storytelling, the rhythm of dialogue, etc. But even so I always thought of screenwriting as

→ SEE ALUMS, PAGE 10

6

SPORTS

Aug. 20, 2018 | The Mercury

NOAH WHITEHEAD | PHOTO EDITOR

Incoming esports coach Greg Adler plays “League of Legends” in the newly-constructed training room in the Student Union, which were formerly known as the Pegasus and Phoenix rooms. Adler said he hopes to build two five-player teams for “League of Legends” and two six-player teams for“Overwatch.” Tryouts begin Aug. 27 and end Sept. 6.

Esports team introduces dedicated coach Program expands as fall semester begins with increased staff positions, recruitment efforts to build four competition teams EMAAN BANGASH News Editor

The UTD esports program hired its first-ever esports coach and is currently recruiting students to join the esports team in the next few weeks.

Greg Adler, a music education graduate from Kutztown University and avid gamer, was hired to become the official esports coach for the “League of Legends” and “Overwatch” teams this August.

After graduating college, Adler started the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia League Championship series, where he oversaw coaching teams and hosted matches and tournaments. When he came to UTD, Adler started an interest form for those who could help the esports department with organization and re-

ceived over 150 responses.

“Something with esports is there’s so much room for so many different outlets, you can have people that can cast games, people that can stream, people that can come and do analysis (and) people that can make highlight videos,” Adler said. “It’s such a huge and booming industry and there’s so much potential for it.”

Adler plans to have two “League of Legends” teams with five players each and two “Overwatch” teams with six players each. He said in the future he’d consider looking for more to substitute players when necessary, but for now he is working on developing a team of approximately 25 players total. Adler said the purpose of having two teams is so they can compete and practice with one another and distinguish between

the good and better players.

Tryouts for the “League of Legends” team will be held Aug. 27-29, and players must be ranked Platinum or higher. “Overwatch” team tryouts will be held Sept. 4-6 and players must be ranked Diamond or higher.

“In the team A, you have people behind you that are eager and getting into that spot and it motivates that top team to stay in their game and keep motivated,” Adler said. “An A and a B team, looking at the people, it’s not a big difference skill-wise so you’ll have a lot of communication between the two teams. You’ll talk about strategy and be able to play against each other, and there’s a lot of opportunities to become a family.”

Both “League of Legends” and “Overwatch” have rank systems to dis-

tinguish players in terms of skill and persistence and add a competitive aspect to the game. Players must win a certain amount of games and perform well in placement matches to ascend the rank ladder. The ranks range from Bronze to Grand Mastertier in “Overwatch,” with Diamond tier falling two ranks below Grand Master. In “League of Legends,” the ranks run from Bronze to Challenger, with Platinum tier falling three ranks below Challenger.

However, ranks do not transfer into the next season, and players must continue to play competitively to maintain their rank. Adler said the “League of Legends” team has a few Master players — the tier directly below Challenger — while the “Overwatch” team also has Grand Master players.

Rob Bogardus, associate athletic

director for external operations, said Master players and Grand Master players are very rare in collegiate esports.

In comparison, UT Arlington’s “Overwatch” team’s highest ranking player is Diamond tier.

“When (Adler) says a grand master is the top 2 percent in the world, it’s the top one tenth of one percent of collegiate gamers, because the other ones are pros. So if you have a grandmaster in the collegiate game, that’s big,” Bogardus said. “Most collegiate teams aren’t going to have that at that level.”

Adler said the program will give students the opportunity to get involved beyond playing on the team itself. He said there could be potential openings for analysts, highlight reel

→ SEE ESPORTS, PAGE 7

Volleyball team receives fourth academic honor

Group began award streak in 2014 after raising cumulative team GPA, adopting new recruitment methods to emphasize both scholarly and athletic demands TRAVIS DICKERSON Staff Writer

MICHAEL STOUT | MERCURY STAFF

Logan Barrett is UTD's first full-time assistant strengthening and conditioning coach.

UTD Athletics adds new staff position Department hires assistant coach for strengthening, conditioning team due to growing number of athletes TRAVIS DICKERSON Staff Writer

With an ever-increasing number of athletes coming to UTD, the athletics department has added its first full-time assistant coach to the strength and conditioning team.

Logan Barrett, who assumed the position of assistant coach on Aug. 6, is responsible for training the growing number of student athletes on campus. This hiring comes two years after the construction of the Athletics Performance Center and the hiring of Jami Clinton as its full-time head coach. Strength and conditioning programs are designed for student athletes to prevent potential inju-

ries during games by preparing their bodies through lifting and agility exercises. With the total number of athletes reaching nearly 350 for the upcoming year, Clinton said she was excited to have the additional help.

“Athletics is mirroring everything else the university is doing, and as the school grows, so does the athletic department,” Clinton said. “We want to be sure that our department maintains the high level of standards that the rest of the school is pushing towards.”

Originally from Indiana, Barrett earned

→ SEE COACH, PAGE 7

The volleyball team received honors from the National Coaches’ Association with only two more weeks until the season starts.

UT Dallas was one of the 973 universities that received the honor from the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The honor focuses on the academic standing of teams. Schools nominated for the award must maintain a cumulative team GPA of at least 3.30 on a 4.0 scale. The AVCA announced the honor winners on July 17, marking the fourth time in a row that Comet’s volleyball has received the award. Earlier in the year, ten players from the team were honored by the division, including senior outside hitter Sydney Riordan.

“Our team is always looking to be the best at everything.” Riordan said.

“This just proves to us that we’re doing our job right and keeping a good balance between class and the sport.”

The team received its first AVCA honor in 2006, but the team’s average GPA sat below the required mark until 2014. Head coach Marci Allison, who has been with the team since 2004, attributed this to changes in the way the team recruits new players and emphasizes their academic abilities, allowing the players to excel in both

MADELINE AMBROSE | MERCURY STAFF

UTD joins 973 other schools whose teams maintained a GPA of at least 3.30.

the classroom and on the court. This includes study time on the buses to away games and optional study halls to help the team stay up to date on their class work.

“Our recruiting philosophy has changed a lot over the years we’ve been going,” Allison said. “We’ve been going after highly academic students with the ability to really come through not only in the game but in their studies.”

The honor marked the end of a 2017 season that saw the team secure

its third ASC championship in a row and entrance to the NCA D-III National Tournaments. With the last of the 2017 honors secured, the team has begun looking forward to the 2018 season. Though team practice didn’t begin until the week of August 13, most of the senior players had already met their teammates in preparation for the coming season.

“As upperclassmen, we reach out to

→ SEE VOLLEYBALL, PAGE 7

Aug. 20, 2018 | The Mercury

7

NEWS

→ NARCAN

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

but our campus has been really open and supportive to us doing everything we can to support and save those students.”

According to UTD’s 2017 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, there were several arrests made in 2016 for drug violations,

→ DART

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where the rail system will be.

The UTD station for the Cotton Belt line will be constructed just north of the Northside complex, on land owned by the school. Edwards said UTD transportation administration and DART have been in close communication about the design and location of the station.

He said the corridor will open new doors for transportation and will also create the possibility of expand-

including 18 on campus, 15 on residential areas and 18 on public property. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Texas had 1,375 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2016 and a rate of 4.9 deaths per 100,000 persons, smaller than the national rate of 13.3 deaths per 100,000 persons. Between 1996 and 2014, at least 26,500 opioid over-

doses in the U.S. were reversed by using naloxone.

Throughout the school year, the CSR has planned at least one naloxone training a month.

The trainings are free and open to all students, faculty, community members and anybody who is interested in learning how to help someone in the case of an overdose.

ing university facilities and other transit-oriented developments.

“The university is supporting the project as well,” Ball said. “And since they have land that is impacted, they’re looking at making it a positive impact by developing it in some way, so that the students or student housing or the university classrooms — something that they want — can be developed on that property to benefit the university.”

In the future, UTD students can

look forward to more convenient transportation access to the greater Dallas area, and, as a result, more opportunities for recreation and jobs.

“There are probably a generation of professionals who will utilize different modes of transportation — everything from the bus system, to Uber, to Lyft, to the rail stations,” Jamison said. “When we’re looking at what we’re trying to accomplish (with the Cotton Belt), the goal is to examine ways in which we can enhance the student experience. And this will actually help do that.”

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makers, game casters and students to help with recruitment for the team.

“I had people sending me paragraphs of how they want to get involved and just tons of all these videos of their gameplay and stuff so I think you can really sense that UTD is the perfect place for esports and it’s because of the students,” Adler said. “It’s because of its passion and their experience

→ COACH

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Southern Indiana University and recently graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a master’s degree in exercise physiology. He spent the past two years at UT Arlington where he worked with track & field, baseball and softball. Previously, he worked

→ VOLLEYBALL

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

the incoming freshmen and make them feel comfortable with giving them a taste of the culture and

→ HOUSING

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“For people like me who work to pay our rent and live paycheck to paycheck, it’s kind of hard because I don’t just have a couple thousand dollars laying around to pay for housing,” international business sophomore Lucia Arguello said. “I wish it was still month to month because that would make it so much easier for me and my friends.”

In a poll published by The Mercury on Aug. 8, 40 percent of respondents voiced a desire to pay in monthly installments rather than a single semesterly sum. Almost 25 percent of respondents said that they would not be able to afford rent in one overarching payment. Despite such opinions, Assistant Vice President of Residential Life Ryan White said he believes that the new payment system will be more beneficial for students moving forward.

“I think it’s a culture shock, for sure. And the reason behind going that route (of semesterly payments) is because we are taking over the operation of our housing program on campus, and we don’t have the

with it. They’re the ones that are pushing this culture here.”

Athletics Director Bill Petitt said the program is working on finishing the practice room currently under construction in the Student Union. The room will have four 80-inch screen TVs for match viewing, 24 seats, a cubicle for the coach, Alienware PCs and custom-made gaming chairs. He said the department is currently discussing sectioning off part of The Pub to turn into a small gaming café for students to play with

each other. Additionally, the staff in the esports program will continue to acquire funding for the 3,500-seat arena that is projected to begin construction later during this academic year.

“Things move slowly around here except esports. We got a building built like that, February was when they just started initially talking about it and we already started the program in August, which includes a fulltime staff. It’s phenomenal,” Bogardus said.

for other Division I institutions including North Dakota State University, Kentucky State University and Wake Forest University.

“UTD was a great opportunity to come in and learn under Coach Clinton,” Barrett said. “She’s got a lot more experience than me, so it’s a great chance to come learn so I can be better in my professional career.”

Practices did not begin until the week of Aug. 14, but student

athletes could use the Athletics Performance Center before then to prepare themselves for the coming semester. As an assistant coach, his duties include preparing schedules and training athletes.

“It’s been great working with the students and seeing their passion before the semester even begins,” Barrett said. “I’m excited to see what my first semester here at UTD brings.”

expectations, Riordan said. “This helps our team jump into training more cohesively in August.”

The team’s first scrimmage of the season is against Dallas Baptist University on August 18.

Allison said the scrimmages will be preparation for the Labor Day tournament held in Richardson that will see the team go up against Wisconsin-Superior and Heidelberg.

management company in place to collect rent and do the things there,” White said. “I get that it’s a shift in culture, but I think that it’s a good one stop for students when they see their university bill and it has everything in one place. So if they pay the bursar, in that bill they’re going to have their tuition, their fees and their housing.”

Arguello said the primary issue she sees with UV is a lack of communication and transparency, a complaint echoed by numerous students within The Mercury’s poll.

“Last year when I was supposed to move in early, I called at least five times, and every time I got a student worker on the phone they would transfer me to someone else, and someone else wouldn’t know what I was talking about,” Arguello said. “I was wondering why was it that every time I called or emailed no one could ever figure out what I was talking about.”

Political science senior Ben Schlebach said he tried to cancel his apartment lease in July. After sending three separate cancellation emails to the UV leasing office, Schlebach received a reply notifying him that the cancellation would result in a

$750 fee. Another poll participant recounted being unknowingly charged a fee of $200, causing them to incur an additional $50 late fee for not paying the unknown $200 balance. White said he hopes the transition will help do away with such complications.

“Like anything, there’s going to be growing pains and that’s to be expected. What I’ll tell you is that any growing pains that might affect the student, we’re going to work to make that right,” said White.

“We’re not just going to sit there and throw up our hands. But we’re going to work to make that right if there’s a growing pain. We anticipate those, but we think it’s going to be a positive experience for both students and the operation.”

Arguello said she worries the switch to UV-managed housing will create more problems.

“I just don’t think they’re capable of running all these apartments by themselves,” she said.

“I definitely understand why they had ACC because it’s a lot of people to manage and I just don’t think they can do it on their own.

I’m very nervous the rest of the school year.”

Aug. 20, 2018 | The Mercury

8

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WEEKS OF WELCOME AUG.19-31

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Aug. 20, 2018 | The Mercury

10 → ALUMS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

VJ’s thing until sometime around 2008 when we co-wrote a screenplay together that went on to win first prize at the Screamfest horror festival. That’s when I started taking seriously the possibility of actually making money from writing scripts.

Q: You both pursued other careers before turning to writing and producing; what inspired the change?

VJ: I didn’t have the resources to move to LA when I first graduated, nor did I have any idea where I’d start if I did. Looking back, I probably would have been okay, but there was still a part of me that was listening to what others said about being realistic and getting a normal job.

I had interned at IBM for two years, so they offered me a job in sales after I graduated, and I took it. I had some success there for a few years, which kept me comfortable and delayed my switching careers.

I always wanted to make the break though, and after 6 years at IBM I finally felt I had the resources to comfortably do so.

Justin: Before coming to LA, I was working on a PhD in philosophy at DePaul University in Chicago. Then I woke up one day and realized that I was actually a better writer than I was an academic — and anyway, screenwriting is a lot

→ SESSIONS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

for re-election against Democratic candidate Colin Allred in House District 32, located mostly in Dallas. Political science professor Robert Lowry said these kinds of expenditures are not uncommon for PACs. “PACs that are not connected with a corporation or a union, they actually do spend a lot of the money they raise on raising money because they have to send out requests and that sort of stuff,” Lowry said.

According to OpenSecrets, a government watchdog, total PAC fundraising efforts have reached $2 billion so far in the 2018 election cycle, compared to $360 million given to candidates. Lowry said to keep in mind that the 2018 cycle is not over, and that the gap is likely to close.

Fundraising expenses for the PETE PAC tripled between the 2012 and 2018 cycles, jumping from 19 percent to 58 percent of total PAC expenditures. In February 2017, PAC managers amended Federal Election Commission filings to change the description of expenses totaling over $20,000 at Caves Valley Golf Club from membership fees for Sessions to a PAC fundraising event. The Sessions campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

As the fundraising budget increased, the amount of money for contributions decreased,

→ 7-ELEVEN

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

will soon be rolled out is a mobile-phone based self-checkout application. 7-Eleven field consultant Zain Abbass said the app will allow students to skip the line entirely.

“They can just grab an item, open their phone, scan it, and pay on their phone. (Students can) show the associate their phone and just walk out. Self check-out,

NEWS

more fun than trying to publish papers on obscure philosophical arguments that no one will ever read. There’s a lot more money in it, too.

Q: How did you get your start in Hollywood?

VJ: I got an assistant job on the TV show “The Beast” in 2008 just after I moved out here. I didn’t realize at the time how lucky I was to get an assistant job in a writers’ office so quickly. Friends I made on that job then helped me get my next two assistant jobs.

Justin: My first Hollywood gig was as the Writer’s PA for season one of the TV show “Snowfall.” Shortly after that job ended, I was fortunate to get my writing sample in the hands of Nick Antosca, who’d worked with my brother in the past and was now running his own show.

He liked it and hired me as a writer on seasons three and four of “Channel Zero.”

Justin: Not really, no. I’d made a similar move five years before, when I left a stable, but boring, corporate job to go to grad school. In both cases I knew I was ready for a change and knew I would always regret it if I didn’t take the leap.

I think to succeed in an industry like this one, you have to be self-assured and a willing to take risks. Despite the cliche of the timid, self-doubting writer, I have yet to meet a successful screenwriter who isn’t quite confident, even a bit arrogant, about their own abilities.

Q: Did you have moments of doubt when making your career changes? What kept you going?

VJ: There was a time I was without a job for a number of months and living partially off of credit cards which was pretty uncomfortable, but I never doubted I’d make it if I stuck to it. Irrational confidence, perhaps, but I also knew that whether it took two years or ten years or even longer I was not going to quit trying.

Q: What has been your most memorable experience as screenwriters?

VJ: For me it’s probably having my first episode of television air and seeing my name in the credits on TV. Another one that sticks out is when Justin and I won the Screamfest screenwriting competition.

Screamfest is a horror film festival and I got to attend the awards dinner and go up to the microphone and accept my award at the same dinner Ti West and other successful filmmakers were being honored.

The star of “The Human Centipede” was at my table, before anyone really knew what that movie was. I’m probably still facebook friends with him.

Justin: So far it would have to be seeing Rutger Hauer read lines that I wrote in “Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block.” I’m a big science fiction fan, and

dropping nearly 23 percent between 2012 and 2018. Contributions are usually given to other candidates to help with funding during election cycles.

Lowry said this kind of change is unusual for a PAC. “I don’t know why that would be, unless the people he’s raising money from are getting more and more requests from other political committees, so it’s just harder to get them to give,” Lowry said. “Other than that, I wouldn’t know.”

Despite the increase in fundraising efforts, the PAC had more expenses than revenue during the 2014 cycle and is experiencing the same deficit during the 2018 cycle thus far. Lowry said this increase in fundraising could come from increased competition as methods of campaigning change.

“In any given election, it’s an arms race, and people just sort of raise as much money as they can and spend it,” he said. “Over time, with the loosening of some of the campaign finance laws and development of new technologies, like raising money over the internet, there are more ways to raise money and it just keeps going up.

In addition to his PAC, Sessions’ campaign managers also submitted FEC filings with financial records for his congressional campaign. According to the April 2017 filings, the Sessions campaign received $15,000 in donations for the primary election from six em-

ployees working at the same company, Paragon Healthcare.

Campaign finance law for congressional elections dictates that corporations aren’t allowed to give money directly to candidates and caps individual donations at $2,700 per election. This means an individual can donate that maximum amount twice during an election cycle, once for the primary election and once for the general. Lowry said those wanting to donate are legally required to list their employer.

“If an individual contributes more than $200, then the candidates’ campaign committee is supposed to notify the FEC of their name, their address and their place of business,” he said.

“So that’s how they can aggregate those up, but those count as individual contributions.”

While Sessions is an incumbent, House District 32 narrowly voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, leading experts to judge the congressional race as a toss-up between Sessions and Allred. The 2018 midterm elections are set to be the most expensive in history, with over $1 billion in ad sales.

However, Lowry warned against getting excited by the label.

“It seems like every election is the most expensive one, presidential years more than midterm ones,” Lowry said. “It seems like at some point it would have to level off, but not so far.”

essentially,” Abbass said.

One feature that will be unique to this location is a wine fixture.

A portion of the store will have dedicated wine shelving, housing a larger selection than is typical of 7-Eleven stores. This will be in addition to what 7-Eleven calls the “Beer Cave,” which will stock a large selection of bottled and canned beers.

The store will also have energysaving lighting. Light sensors detect the amount of natural light

coming through the windows and dim the lights accordingly. This system works on a per-light basis, dimming the lights closest to the windows first while still keeping the light level high towards the back of the store.

As the store sells products through the coming months, it will adjust inventory to students’ tastes. Abbass says he expects certain sections such as cleaning supplies to be expanded after opening.

“Blade Runner” is one of my favorite films, so that was awesome and pretty surreal.

Q: How do you think your time at UTD helped you in your careers?

VJ: Tony Daniel, who was an instructor at the university for a time, became a mentor of mine, taught me a lot about writing and was the one who encouraged me to take the leap and move to LA. He also introduced me to the invaluable habit of workshopping my material with other writers.

I learned something from all the humanities classes I took at UTD, both as an undergrad and as a grad student.

Justin: UTD is where I really started to take the craft of screenwriting seriously. I wrote my first screenplay there, in a course taught by the sci-fi novelist Tony Daniel. He, along with professor Clay Reynolds, helped sharpen my storytelling sense and encouraged me to persevere and believe in my own abilities as a writer.

Q: What’s your most memorable experience at the university?

VJ: Honestly, that would be winning an intramural flag football championship. Without UTD intramurals, I might not have discovered what’s become one of my lifelong passions: flag football. Also perhaps the moment I left my last final my senior year. I was a business major for some reason, so was delighted to be finished.

Justin: Probably the first

philosophy course I took with professor Charles Bambach.

It challenged me intellectually in a way I’d never experienced before and taught me to think in new and creative ways.

The passion for philosophical thought that it inspired in me did a lot to shape the person — and the writer — I am today.

Q: What advice would you have for students looking to pursue careers in entertainment?

VJ: As far as writing goes, and I think the same can be said of acting, perhaps to an even greater extent, if you can think of anything else you’d be happy doing with your life, do that thing instead. It’s incredibly difficult to make a living writing fiction of any kind. If you do pursue it, make sure you’re always writing something new. Writers write.

Justin: Read a lot of scripts, write every day and forget the idea that screenwriting is something you need a degree in to do professionally. Unlike a lot of other careers, there’s not really a set educational or career path to become a screenwriter. Film school degrees or screenwriting MFAs may give you time to dedicate to your craft and can offer useful networking opportunities but in and of themselves, they aren’t going to make you a great writer. Curiosity, empathy and a love for storytelling are far more important.

Q: What’s one lesson from UTD you carry with you today?

VJ: I don’t know that I can zero in on one lesson in particular. I learned a lot about what I was capable of through the challenges I faced both academically and socially. I’m thankful for my time at UTD. Justin: I’d say it’s the basic story structure I learned from Tony Daniel. He used to pass out little cards with it written down: "Hero faces a problem; hero tries to solve the problem; that attempt to solve the problem leads to worsened problems; hero faces these worsened problems and either solves them or is solved by them." It’s amazing how you can pretty much fit any story into that structure, and I still refer to it to this day.

Q: What are your current plans for the future careerwise?

VJ: My goal is to create a TV series that makes it on the air.

I’ve sold and shot two pilots, but neither show got picked up to series.

Justin: Ultimately it would be great to work on a project with my brother. We’ve cowritten a few feature scripts, but nothing that’s sold yet. Right now we’re kicking around a few ideas for TV shows to develop, so fingers crossed. I’d say my ultimate goal career wise is to create and run my own TV showS, and eventually get to a place where I can spend time developing small, interesting genre features.

UPCOMING EVENTS COMET BEACH LUAU Relax with hula dancers while taking in free food and drinks at the Phase 8 pool and clubhouse.

Aug. 20, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m., Phase 8 Pool

SEX BOWL Test your knowledge of sexual education trivia with friends.

Aug. 21, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m., SSA Auditorium

COMETVILLE Learn about student organizations, win giveaways and play games.

Aug. 22, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., SU Mall

SILENT DISCO Put on your headphones and dance the night away.

Aug. 23, 9 p.m. - 12 a.m., Rec Center West

MEET THE PRESS Meet staff members from Student Media, participate in activities and get some merchandise.

Aug. 24, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., SU 1.601

Aug. 20, 2018 | The Mercury

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11

Aug. 22

COMETVILLE WoW

WEEKS OF WELCOME

Treats, games, giveaways and information about student organizations and campus departments.

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

SU Mall Rainout: AC Main Gym

12

COMICS&COMMENTS

Aug. 20, 2018 | The Mercury

YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME

ABCDs

SARAH BESSERER | MERCURY STAFF

O&B: OLIVER THE MEOWNIFICENT

BIANCA DEL RIO | MERCURY STAFF

SARAH STREETY | MERCURY STAFF

READY FOR SCHOOL!

CARLZ SAYS

CHIAMAKA MGBOJI | MERCURY STAFF

JOB PROBS

CAROLINA ALVAREZ | OUTREACH EDITOR

COMET COMMENTS

JENNA CHERREY | MERCURY STAFF

What is one thing you 'd like to see the new Student Government administration do this year?

Comets and Craters Crosswalk sign installed

"I knew there was one, well, it’ll probably never happen, but one of the things that we’ve joked is about them getting Chick-fil-a or Panda Express back on the meal exchange program because that would be so great."

"Oh, I’ve never, didn’t even know there was one, I don’t expect anything from something I didn’t even know existed. It’s fine."

Maria Dunning Computer Science Junior

Alex Ku Biology Sophomore

"I think the new student government should maybe try helping with more of the parking issues if they can, because I know that’s a big deal for a lot of the commuters since this is a big commuter school. So I think that’s a top priority. That’s one thing I’d like."

Everett McCrea Computer Engineering Sophomore

A city crew installed a crosswalk sign at the intersection of Synergy Park Boulevard and Facilities Way. The intersection, a 30 mph curve, will have flashing lights to warn drivers of pedestrians.

Dying tree remains unreplaced A single tree out of the 116 magnolia trees on the south mall near the fountain is dying for unknown reasons and is currently being investigated by Facilities Management.

Professors win teaching award Associate professor of chemistry Gregg Dieckmann and clinical assistant professor of literature Peter Ingrao received the 2018 Regents’ Oustanding Teaching Award.

OPINION

Aug. 20, 2018 | The Mercury

13

Advocacy instead of afterthoughts More proactive accessibility services needed to support students with disabilities MELISSA NIESCHLAG CONTRIBUTOR

A

s a student who uses a power wheelchair daily, I have experienced physical and academic hinderances at UTD. These obstacles are more prevalent than the average able-bodied student may realize.

For students with physical or mental disabilities, UTD offers the Office of Student AccessAbility, which provides a variety of accommodations such as adaptive technology, alternative testing and professional notetakers. Despite the resources provided, I have experienced a myriad of physical barriers as well as a major academic hindrance during my time as a Comet.

Handicap buttons are a recurring issue throughout campus. Even though handicap buttons are installed at a majority of UTD’s buildings, many times they do not work or fall into disrepair. This forces me to wait for a passerby to help open the door or find an alternate route. Not only do I often encounter faulty buttons, but I also have areas of campus that are simply not accessible to me. I am unable to access buildings like Einstein’s Bagels, IHOP or the ECSN building via the Berkner skybridge, all because of a lack of accessible doors. At Recreation Center West, a handicap button has been installed but has not been operable since the building’s opening.

To address such problems, the OSA has established a questionnaire to address the location and

type of obstacle that hinders or prevents access for people who are physically challenged.

Multiple choice options are presented for the location (in other words the building) of the barrier as well as vague descriptions of possible obstruction.

However, this questionnaire doesn’t allow for any specificity of where exactly the barrier was encountered in

A student with a disability should not have to work harder than their peers in order to become successful in college. said building, and many of the handicap buttons have remained in disrepair.

Elevators have also often been a problem. There was a period last spring where the only elevator in the Student Services Building was inoperable. There are two inescapable problems with this, the first being that there is only one elevator in a heavily-trafficked building. The second, and perhaps most salient, is that (ironically enough) the Office of Student AccessAbility and Student Health Center, located on the upper floors of the SSB, become inaccessible to people who are injured or people with physical disabilities when the elevator is out of service.

In addition to physical barriers I face at UTD, I have also

experienced an overall lack of advocacy for students with disabilities. For instance, I recently completed a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and child development and applied to the Master of Science in Communication Disorders program to continue my education. I met with UTD staff to discuss possible accommodations to pursue graduate school. This meeting turned out to be rather unpleasant, as the two employees discouraged me from my career goal and instead hinted that I should pursue a different career because of the hardships that I would face. Ultimately, I did not get admitted to the program.

While I am unsure of the two employees’ influence on this decision, I feel that, with an advocate on my side, I would have been able to have a productive discussion without being shut out from the possibility of graduate school.

It is my personal experience that UTD treats students with physical differences as an afterthought. It is not acceptable for anyone to have to feel that their difficulties are only recognized and addressed after a student makes a complaint.

Students with physical differences would feel more appreciated if the campus was more proactive in recognizing potential obstacles. Routine maintenance of accessibility equipment would greatly benefit students to travel the campus with ease. I would also suggest a recurring group to be put in place for students with accessibility concerns to discuss ideas or potential p r o b l e m s before they become an issue.

A student with a disability should not have to work harder than their peers in order to become successful in college.

Searching for your sunrise How to avoid the trap of academic indifference

CAROLINA ALVAREZ | OUTREACH EDITOR

MADISON YORK STAFF WRITER

M

otivation. It’s the fuel, the invigorator, the sunrise on our otherwise dark desert of endless schoolwork. But most of us have those days — sometimes many days in a row — when our fuel reserves run dry. Pulled taut by the strain of finals and deadlines and the ever-ticking clock, we feel perpetually exhausted. We lose our elasticity, our will to act, to improvise, to create. In light of days like that, I’d like to discuss why I believe mistaking a constant sense of resigned studying for motivation is the deadly cancer of college life, and how we might change our mindsets to become better students.

In school, we’re challenged every day. We know that it’s not supposed to be easy. And we might enjoy large parts of it: the reading, the art, the science, whatever our interest happens to be. Yet, at the same time, it’s easy to feel knocked over by the tsunami of assignments. We can’t force ourselves to care about everything 24/7, and what we’re passionate about becomes just another box to

check off the packed schedule. Education becomes mentally draining. See the paradox?

Say a student has a heavy workload. Feeling unmotivated begets procrastination, and procrastination begets a little bit of guilt. Finally, the student must resign themselves to studying. Soon, every assignment becomes a reluctant task. And instead of allotting times for established breaks, procrastination — and with it, that gnawing guilt — takes a stronger grip. Homework becomes dreadful because it’s put off, and putting it off makes the guilt worse by association. Eventually, constantly scrambling for assignments leaves no time to pursue personal interests, and apathy tightens its grip.

The student may even start questioning why they came to college in the first place. Resolve to keep trying disintegrates. Being resigned to studying turns into being resigned to giving up.

Maybe this all seems like a far-fetched, hypothetical scenario. The statistics, however, tell a sobering truth. In fall 2017, the freshmen retention rate for UTD was 88%; and, for freshmen entering in 2012 on a 4-year graduation rate, only 54.5% graduated in 2016. It isn’t much of a stretch to guess that as many as a few thousand people left because college just didn’t feel worth it anymore. It may not have even been just the workload — rather, there wasn’t any excitement in learning any longer.

Say we take all of this to be true. Perhaps it’s not a particularly controversial idea that academic apathy is undesirable or wide-spread. But is it inevitable? Should we resign ourselves to more days of being stressed, overwhelmed, and, consequently, apathetic? Or is there a way to spark the flint of our creativity, passion and true motivation on the days when we feel stuck in drudgery?

Allow me to briefly illustrate a possible answer from my own experience. As a homeschooled high schooler, I more or less set my own schedules and deadlines. Friends in extracurricular activities often asked me how I stayed motivated to get things done. Truthfully, I was stressed with assignments and lagged in motivation just like everyone else. But I found that searching for spontaneity in my day was what revitalized my studying. Going on a spur-of-the-moment bike ride, jotting down a quick poem or making up a song on the piano — it seems random, but it worked.

Let’s map this idea on to our current college experience. Our schedules are more freeform now, much like mine was during high school. There are great gaps of time in the day when our time is our own. Sure, we have assignments and deadlines and places we need to be. But on a deeper level, we’re choosing to be there — learning

→ SEE SUNRISE, PAGE 13

Aug. 20, 2018 | The Mercury

14 → SUNRISE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

to make the choices that teach us adulthood. We don’t have someone constantly at our shoulder telling us what to do. We draw the boundaries for our lives.

Academic apathy becomes toxic when we choose to let those boundaries be completely predictable: studying, while important, will wear a person thin when

OPINION

there’s no variety in other aspects of life. What would happen if we let our boundaries and experiences become more unexpected— even to ourselves?

Examining this more factually, in their 2016 study “The Calendar Mindset: Scheduling Takes the Fun Out and Puts the Work In,” Gabriela Tonietto and Selin Malkoc demonstrated how test subjects reported that scheduling specific leisure

activities made it feel more like work than keeping plans spontaneous. Relatedly, there is overwhelming evidence that taking breaks helps studying: an article on The Huffington Post, “5 Science-Backed Ways Taking a Break Boosts Our Productivity,” sums up these ideas well. With all that in mind, I propose that making the contents of free time less mundane (essentially, something planned

far in advance) and more impromptu will stimulate studying. By choosing to be as creative as possible outside of school, we’ll bring creativity and motivation into our studies as well.

Don’t keep waiting for winter break, or Friday, or even the end of the day. Don’t merely survive. Waiting and always knowing what’s coming next doesn’t tend to energize anyone. Instead, look for ways to live in the moment.

Dress up and go to a dance.

Get up at 6 a.m. to watch the stars go to sleep. Go to the mall and put quarters in all the gumball machines for kids to find later. The possibilities are really only limited by your imagination. Finally, rather than letting one minute distractions grow into one hour distractions, learn to set time for established breaks—and exercising spontaneity within that time. Psychologically, it’s refreshing;

emotionally, it’s satisfying.

There will always never be enough time. Changing our mindsets about time—and actively pursuing creativity in all areas of our lives—will turn resigned studying into invigorated exploration. And maybe you already know (and have tried) these strategies, and still find yourself uninspired. If that’s your situation, then try again. And again. Never stop searching for your sunrise.

EDITORIAL CARTOON

CAROLINA ALVAREZ | OUTREACH EDITOR

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Aug. 20, 2018 | The Mercury

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ARTS

and

HUMANITIES

EDUCATION IS MORE THAN EQUATIONS UPCOMING EVENTS CLASSICAL

JAZZ

Sept. 14 Thalea String Quartet Oct. 6 Aaron Boyd Dec. 7 Musica Nova

Sept. 21 One O’Clock Lab Band Oct. 26 Orange, Green and Blue Notes Combo

GUITAR

VOCAL

Sept. 27 Rodolfo Perez Berrelleza Oct. 19 Luis Garcia

Oct. 20 The Dallas Street Choir Dec. 8 Holiday Choral Concert

THEATRE

DANCE

Nov. 8-10,15-17 Julius Caesar

Oct. 18-20 Reflections on Common Ground

ART

LECTURES

Sept. 9 Collect Preserve Change Oct. 5 Makers Mark

TRADITIONS Nov. 28-Dec. 9 Student Arts Festivals

Sept. 12 On-cho Ng Sept. 26 Christopher Carmona Oct. 10 Michael Szonyi Oct. 24 Natalia Sylvester Oct. 28-29 Einspruch Lecture Series Nov. 11 Confronting Our Past

For more information visit us at utdallas.edu/ah/events

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Aug. 20, 2018 | The Mercury

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