The Mercury 1/23/17

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January 23, 2017

THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM

Tobacco to be banned on campus SG VP expects flexible enforcement by officials

ROMAN SORIANO | MERCURY STAFF

ATEC junior and e-cigarette user Eric Larson said he would continue smoking even after the ban goes into effect.

MIRIAM PERCIVAL News Editor

Computer science sophomore Kaitlyn Morris grew up in Daingerfield, a small town in Northeast Texas. After coming to UTD, she had trouble adjusting to the diversity and academic rigor, but soon found the community and resources necessary to succeed in college.

Small towns, big dreams

According to a university-wide announcement made by President Richard Benson, smoking on campus will be prohibited. Starting June 1, a comprehensive tobacco ban — which includes cigarettes and e-cigarettes — will go into effect.

Of the 14 UT System universities, UTD is the last campus to implement a policy banning tobacco products entirely.

Calvin Jamison, the vice president of administration, said this measure will benefit the UTD community.

“I want to emphasize this, our goal as

Students with roots in rural areas deal with social, academic challenges at UTD

→ SEE TOBACCO, PAGE 9

Internet speed to rise in UV

STORY BY : NIDHI GOTGI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PHOTOS BY : SAHER AQEEL | PHOTO EDITOR

K

aitlyn Morris sits on her great-grandparents’ porch, taking in the colors of the sunset. An expanse of land stretches out in front of her, outlined by pine and oak trees. She watches night fall as she chats with her family and helps them shuck corn and shell peas.

This is a typical evening for Morris, a computer science sophomore, when she goes home during school breaks to Daingerfield, a small town in Northeast Texas. The nearest WalMart is 25 minutes away going at 70 miles per hour.

“You could never go anywhere without not seeing someone,” Morris said. “Everyone always knew where you were, everyone always knew what you were doing.”

UTD was Morris’ way to get out of Daingerfield.

“I loved living in a small town, but my personality, I wanted out,” she said. “When I was looking for a college, I said, ‘I don’t want anything within a 30-mile radius. I’m going somewhere else for a while.’ I just needed the change.”

For Morris and others who grew up in rural counties, college poses unique social and academic challenges. Limited learning opportunities at school and growing up in a homogenous culture put them at a disadvantage at UTD, but the community and resources offered here

Switch to CometNet expected to finish in May

ANTHONY MCNAIR | MERCURY STAFF

Time Warner wiring will be replaced and new hardware will be installed in the next few months to support the shift.

BHARGAV ARIMILLI Life & Arts Editor

Residents of University Commons and University Village can look forward to faster Internet speeds and more reliable network support, thanks to an initiative by the Office of Information Technology and Housing and Building Operations.

The university is ending its nine-year contract with Time Warner this month and will instead activate CometNet in residential areas. The change was supposed to take place in February but was rescheduled for the summer to minimize potential internet service interruptions. Until this happens, the university will utilize Time Warner internet on a month-to-month contract.

The Mercury conducted a series of tests to measure Internet bandwidth on campus using an app called Speedtest. Over a period of 10 days in two and three-day intervals, UV internet speeds were measured in Phase 8 and CometNet speeds were measured in the Student Union.

On average, UV speeds were found to be 6.71 MB per second whereas CometNet speeds were found to be 145.64 MB per second. According to Speedtest, the national average internet speed for 2016 was 54.97 MB per second.

→ SEE INTERNET, PAGE 11

have given them a supportive environment to pursue their education.

Culture Shock Coming from a town with a population of 2,000, Morris was overwhelmed by UTD’s growing campus. Her greatest fear was that she wouldn’t find a community to call her own within the crowd.

“I’m an introverted extrovert,” Morris said. “That was one of my biggest things. Showing up to a lecture hall (with) 230 people, what would I do? Would I run out of the class freaking out? That was the thing I was nervous about, but other than that I’m a very fearless person.”

Morris was struck by the diversity of UTD more than by the size of the student body.

“I’d never seen a Muslim,” she said. “I’d never seen anyone wear a hijab. I’d never really been around the different Asian cultures to know enough to tell them apart. Everyone was Chinese to me because of where I was from. I was really ignorant. I just hadn’t seen anything.”

Because of the lack of exposure to different cultures and customs in Daingerfield, Morris admitted she grew up in a close-minded community. She said coming to Dallas has

→ SEE RURAL, PAGE 12

Chase Bosley, a healthcare studies sophomore, spent most of his childhood in the Mexia area, which is an hour away from Dallas.

I want to succeed because of how my view point changed because of growing up (at the farm). It's like, ‘I will work harder because I want more.’

— Chase Bosley, healthcare studies sophomore

WHAT’S INSIDE?

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Student starts non-profit to help educate children in Vietnam

Softball program ranked third in preseason ASC poll as new players join ranks

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Chess team to increase focus on recruiting female players

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THE MERCURY UTDMERCURY.COM Volume XXXVII No. 31

NEWS

THE MERCURY | JAN. 23, 2017

UTDPD Blotter

Editor-in-Chief Nidhi Gotgi

editor@utdmercury.com (972) 883-2294

Managing Editor Cara Santucci managingeditor @utdmercury.com (972) 883-2287

Ad Sales Representatives Naima Abedin Sneha Ramashesha ads@utdmercury.com

Graphics Editor Chad Austin

graphics@utdmercury.com

Photo Editor Saher Aqeel

photo@utdmercury.com

News Editor Miriam Percival

news@utdmercury.com

Sports Editor Summer LeBel

sports@utdmercury.com

UTDMERCURY.COM

C January 9 • At 4:27 p.m., a student was arrested at Bryce Jordan Drive for an agency warrent out of Dallas county for assault.

January 12 • A former employee was issued a criminal trespass warning in Green Hall at 1:21 p.m.

January 13 • At 6:59 p.m., a student’s bike was stolen from outside NSERL. January 14 • An unaffiliated person driving on th e wrong side of the road was arrested for two class C warrants at 6:18 p.m. on Waterview Parkway.

January15 • An unaffiliated person was arrested for using a wireless device in a school zone and wearing no seatbelt at 6:01 p.m. on University Parkway.

January 18 • At 7:31 p.m., a student reported theft by deception at the UTD police station.

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Life & Arts Editor Bhargav Arimilli life@utdmercury.com

Web Editor Bharat Arimilli

web@utdmercury.com

Contributors Samee Ahmad Carolina Alvarez Vibu Anabarasan Ankith Averineni Emilio Chavez EJ Chong Ariana Hadden Brianna Hubiera Chris Lin Anthony McNair Chiamaka Mgboji Hussein Njoroge Shannon Ramirez Ian Seamans Roman Soriano Matt Strack Dev Thimmisetty Kevin VanHorn Ruth Varghese Marisa Williams

LEGEND VEHICULAR INCIDENT

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THEFT

-Corrections-

DRUGS & ALCOHOL

In the last issue of The Mercury, in the story titled “UTD startup impresses at conference,” the Office of Technology Commercialization was incorrectly attributed.

OTHER MAP: UTD | COURTESY

JUST THE FACTS

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 © 2014, 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.

The Mercury is a proud member of both the Associated Collegiate Press and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.

SOURCE | CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

The Mercury regrets this error.

OPINION

JAN. 23, 2017 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM

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Campus tobacco ban will not solve health problems

Asking community members to quit smoking without transistional aids like e-cigarettes, vapes is unrealistic, detrimental request

ROMAN SORIANO COMMENTARY

The campus tobacco ban, which will go into effect on June 1, is not a good idea. It will only cause stress to smokers, and the current smoking situation on campus does not warrant a ban.

According to the American Cancer Society, tobacco causes several health issues and prolonged use is harmful, but users are addicted to the nicotine contained in tobacco. Suddenly being forced to quit is going to cause an immense amount of stress to both students and faculty members, especially when the ban is extended to e-cigarettes and vapes. If e-cigs and vapes are still allowed, then people looking to quit can switch to those in order to get themselves off of their nicotine dependence, without all the extra carcinogens found in cigarettes.

In his email, President Richard Benson stated his main concern was assisting faculty, staff and students who suffer from nicotine addiction through the ban. Benson went on to explain that UT Southwestern and UT MD Anderson will aid people in overcoming their addiction. It’s great that resources will be available to those who are willing to quit the use of those products,

but this will take effort on part of the students and faculty.

Students are busy, and may not have the time to put in the effort to quit smoking cigarettes. It’s easier for them to continue smoking, especially with the stress that comes with being a student. Not to mention the fact that some of them may not want to quit at all, meaning this ban is essentially going to force them to change their lifestyle, which can be very challenging.

The American Cancer Society states that almost 9 out of 10 adult smokers start the habit in high school. They start smoking as a result of peer pressure, parental influence or advertisements. Although smokers almost always understand the damage they are causing to their health by smoking, they may not want to quit simply because they like it, they like the relationships they have made as a result of it or they don’t want to go through the process of overcoming the withdrawals.

The resources provided by UT Southwestern and UT MD Anderson should be made available to anybody who wants to make an effort to quit smoking, and people should be encouraged to quit, but they shouldn’t be forced into it. A better solution than the tobacco ban would be to maintain the designated smoke areas, but perhaps put up signs encouraging smokers to stop and offer assistance in the Student Health Center.

The effects of second-hand smoke have been proven to be harmful to bystanders,

Comets

EJ CHONG | MERCURY STAFF

which means that smokers can negatively affect the health of non-smokers. But if smokers stay in designated areas, away from groups of people, non-smokers are not affected.

A study done in 2014, published in BioMed Central found there were no contaminants that warranted attention found in second hand vapor, meaning that the ban on e-cigs and vapes is especially unnecessary, as these users are usually already making an effort to quit.

E-cigs are many people’s first steps to quitting tobacco. Although they are still used to maintain nicotine dependence,

COMET COMMENTS

and

Craters ATEC Scholarship ATEC senior Heidi Neunhoffer was a recipient of the Entertainment Software Association Foundation scholarship.

She was among only 30 students to receive the award this year nationwide.

Avery Watson ATEC Freshman

Comet Cruiser Redesign New and improved Comet Cruisers allow for more space and a more modern design to accomodate students needing a ride.

CentralTrak’s Future UTD’s artist residency program will no longer be located in Deep Ellum after June 2017. The building’s lease is up, leaving the program’s future uncertain and the university scrambling for a new location.

Yulia Vorotyntsera Operations Management Graduate Student

Hazing on Campus In an email sent out by Dean of Students Amanda Smith, Chi Phi joins Alpha Kappa Psi and Sigma Lambda Beta as fraternities on campus which have faced repercussions for incidents of hazing in the past three years.

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY?

Students interested in writing opinions for The Mercury can email editor@utdmercury. com.

e-cigs and vapes allow one to control the amount of nicotine intake, thanks to the ranging levels of it in different e-liquids.

Quitting cold turkey is incredibly hard because of all the withdrawal symptoms that come with it. These include dizziness, depression, anxiety, headaches and many more. It is a lot easier to avoid or manage these symptoms by steadily lowering the amount of nicotine rather than suddenly stopping.

Currently, UTD is the only school in the UT system that does not have a tobacco ban in place. UT Austin implemented its ban in order to receive more funding for

Adam Yousri Mechanical Engineering Freshman

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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Email letters to editor@utdmercury.com.

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Authors may only have one letter printed per edition of The Mercury.

cancer research from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. It is not clear if there are any similar overarching reasons for UTD’s tobacco ban.

Instead, resources should be available on campus to aid nicotine addicts overcoming their dependence. Currently the designated smoking areas do a good job of keeping smokers away from bystanders, but if these aren’t sufficient, then more secluded areas could be added. Although the intentions of the tobacco ban are well meaning, the reality is that it will not solve any problems, and will only cause more issues around campus.

How do you feel about the campus tobacco ban?

“I’m kind of glad to see cigarettes gone because the smell is just noxious but I can understand if people are upset about it.”

“I have mixed feelings about it because on one hand I agree that smoking is the major killer, on another hand I believe that people should decide themselves.

This is too much of an imposition on their personal freedom ” “I think its not fair almost especially when it comes to apartments I feel like if they’re allowed guns, if its in a safe, then they should be allowed at least an e-cigarette.”

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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NEWS

THE MERCURY | JAN. 23, 2017

UTDMERCURY.COM

RESEARCH

SG, LGBTQ clubs look at proposed Texas law ‘Bathroom bill’ to restrict transgender individuals

CHAD AUSTIN | GRAPHICS EDITOR

Legislators in the Texas House have proposed a bill which would require individuals to use the bathroom that corresponds to the gender on their birth certificate, no matter what gender they identify as.

CHRIS LIN | MERCURY STAFF

Alex Piquero, the associate dean of graduate programs for the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and Ashbel Smith Professor of Criminology, has been gathering data regarding NFL player arrests and penalties is one of several of his studies that have blown up in the media in recent years.

Piquero’s work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and in a speech by former-President Barack Obama.

Research earns nat’l media spotlight CARA SANTUCCI Managing Editor

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lex Piquero’s work has appeared on the front page of The New York Times. It’s been lambasted in an opinion authored by Ann Coulter. Former President Barack Obama has cited Piquero’s research as a reason for declaring October National Youth Justice Awareness Month.

The Ashbel Smith Professor of Criminology and associate dean of graduate programs for EPPS, believes the influx of media attention on his research has caused him to relate differently to his work as an academic. “(As) a scientist, you’re never taught how to deal with the media. You go to graduate school, you never learn this stuff,” he said. “So it’s kind of learning as you go. … It’s been interesting to communicate to different audiences the same message. And so it forces you as a scholar to kind of think carefully about that. It’s pushed me to be better.”

Piquero’s latest research project

Mass communication of professor’s work changes his approach to future studies

delved into whether or not NFL players ties on the field and arrest outside of had higher rates of arrest than the rest of the workplace. the population — which he said most of “Some people do really stupid things the country was inclined to believe. when they’re 14 or 15 years old. A lot “That was all fine and dandy, but it of people have arrests. It doesn’t mean wasn’t based on any objective data,” he that just because they have one arrest said. “As a social scientist, I’m always in- they’re going to be a bad employee or terested in understanda bad person. In fact, ing the way the world the majority of people (As) a scientist, in the general populaworks, but also, if people say, ‘X is the reality of tion who have one aryou’re never the world,’ to me that’s rest never have a sectaught how to what’s called an empiriond arrest,” he said. deal with the cal question. I need to “The key is to use that gather data to see if that information to inform media. ... It’s is in fact the case.” a decision, but not pushed me to The effort resulted automatically to rule in three papers. The someone in or rule be better. first, published in 2015, someone out.” found NFL players ac— Alex Piquero, As Piquero’s football tually had lower arrest studies emerged over professor of criminology rates. The second, pubthe past three years, lished in 2016, proved media attention for his incidents of violent arrest are lower NFL research — among other projects than expected for NFL players.

— exploded.

The most recent study found a posiAfter his first paper on the players tive correlation between NFL penal- and arrests published, Lisa Friel, spe-

cial counsel for player conduct to the NFL, helped Piquero set up a conference call with three vice presidents of the corporation, who wanted to keep tabs on what he was learning.

Reuters, ESPN, CNN and The Huffington Post all covered his research.

Gaining that kind of recognition for UTD is critical to help put a university on the map.

Part of the media’s interest in his work, he said, comes from the blending of pop culture and science.

“It’s been interesting because everybody’s like, ‘Oh, I always thought it was this.’ And so they’re intrigued by the novelty of the research, not just debunking this myth, but also the fact that we were able to access these data and to ask these kinds of research questions,” he said.

Despite Piquero’s willingness to be interviewed for radio shows, television and print articles, he said he was never given any formal training

→ SEE PIQUERO, PAGE 9

ELECTIONS AND TAO COUNSELING

JOEY CAMPAIN SG Vice President

Elections for Student Government senators will be the week after spring break.

Those who are interested must sign up by Feb. 20.

“Contact someone from Student Government as well as the Election Board’s Chair Casey Sublett and they will try to get them paired with a ticket and at least try to get them

connected with the people who they know are running,” said Joey Campain, SG vice president.

Recently, Campain also met with Dean of Students Amanda Smith, Director of the Counseling Center Jim Cannici and Associate Dean Laura Smith about establishing Therapy Assisted

ELECTIONS Online counseling.

TAO counseling is meant to assist students who can’t or don’t wish to go to the counseling office.

University administration is in the process of getting price estimates, but TAO counseling should be in place by the middle of next fall or the following spring semester.

AKSHITHA PADIGELA SG President

Current senators are planning to revamp informational materials to encourage students to run for positions, said Padigela, SG President.

‘BATHROOM BILL’ A new bill introduced by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick requires all state-funded institutions to demand individuals to use the bathroom that corresponds to the gender on their birth certificate.

According to the leader of the Legislative Affairs Committee Christian Filsouf, SG senators will be meeting with campus officials and administration to get

their feedback on how to proceed with possible implementation.

“I can say that our main objectives are the following: to ensure that all students are accommodated and taken care of in the event that the university has to make the transition. Having gender neutral or ‘family’ restrooms could be an option. However, we would need to have it verified by our legal consultants that implementing

such restrooms wouldn’t violate the tenants of the bill should it become law,” Filsouf said.

SG members also plan to get student input and report it to state legislatures.

“We will be gauging our student body to gain their perspective on the matter, and that ultimately will help us to assist the university bearing in mind students’ interest during the

implementation of the bill,” Filsouf said.

Although the bill may not pass, SG senators want to plan ahead for all possible outcomes.

If implementation were required, SG senators intend on seeking advice on how to help the student body with the transition by the means of town hall meetings, pamphlets, posters and advertisement campaigns.

CHRISTIAN FILSOUF

Legislative Affairs Committee Leader

IAN SEAMANS Mercury Staff

Texas Republican Sen. Lois Kolkhorst and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have unveiled a “bathroom bill” in the Texas Legislature which forces individuals to use the bathroom corresponding the the gender on their birth certificate and creates harsher punishments for crimes committed in bathrooms. The bill covers government buildings and specifically state colleges and universities like UTD. “It hinders business opportunities and taxes,” said Christian Filsouf, student government senator.

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus’s comments mirrored that sentiment when he spoke to the Texas Association of Business on Jan. 18.

“Many people where I come from get concerned about anything that can slow down our overall job-creating machine. …

They are also watching what happened in North Carolina, and they are not enthusiastic about getting that type of attention,” Straus said at the TAB meeting, as reported

by The Texas Tribune.

SG members are currently formulating a plan regarding the bill, including polling, a possible resolution, and talks with the administration.

“This week in senate, we will be voting on whether or not we want to draft a resolution in dissent of the bill or in support of our (transgender) community or student body in general. … We would submit it to not only administration but also to the Texas State Legislature just as a way of saying ‘Hey, we’re Student Government. Each one of us represents approximately 500 students each, and this is what our constituency wants and this is what we care about as a government,’” Filsouf said.

The bill hasn’t been debated in the Legislature yet, but SG members are already planning their next move.

“We do want to have a contingency plan in case, to make sure that in the chance that it would pass that we can immediately react and we can immediately make sure that our students are accommodated and taken care of,” he said.

On campus, members of the LGBTQ community have been watching the legislation’s progress.

UTD is home to two LGBTQ organizations: Pride at UTD, a social organization, and Rainbow Guard which is aimed at student activism. Rainbow Guard Vice President Cody Kuhn said there are several members of the community who are planning on protesting or have contacted their representatives.

“I think that in a lot of ways (transgender) people have become a scapegoat for a kind of cultural shift that a lot of conservatives find very scary,” said Zachary Gentry, the president of Pride at UTD. Gentry said he views the legislation as the product of a lack of understanding and also as a tool to stifle progressive freedoms.

“There are a lot more (transgender) students here than I think people think, and they deal with a lot more struggles than people think, and just seeing it in the news (if enacted) or even seeing it here will have an impact on their mental health, especially in their ability to interact with other students and their ability to be academically successful,” Gentry said.

Kuhn echoed Gentry’s concerns, and added that he believes the bill to be a misguided attempt to prevent violations in restrooms.

“Excluding (transgender) women from women’s spaces is not protecting women,” Kuhn said.

LIFE&ARTS

JAN. 23, 2017 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM

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Non-profit to combat cycle of poverty Student Sophomore launches ‘Mai’ to provide educational opportunities for impoverished children in Vietnam

releases debut novel Senior completes first part of trilogy despite funding setbacks

DREW CORDELL | COURTESY

‘Absolute Knowledge’ explores a world where a hidden government collects the thoughts of its citizens.

SAHER AQEEL | PHOTO EDITOR

Sophomores Sanya Lakhani (left) and Grace Nguyen sport hats made by Mai. All proceeds from sales go directly to help educate less fortunate children in Vietnam.

MARISA WILLIAMS Mercury Staff

A 15-year-old boy roams the streets of a new country. His future looks hopeful, considering he just fled his home in Vietnam after witnessing the devastation of war. Little does he know he’ll be given something that children in his country don’t recognize as a right, but rather as a privilege: free education.

Several years later, that boy’s story influenced his daughter Grace Nguyen, a psychology sophomore at UTD, to found a non-profit organization focused on funding education for children in Vietnam.

Nguyen’s initiative, which is called Mai, meaning “tomorrow” in Vietnamese, is largely inspired by her father’s success story.

“If it wasn’t for the free education that he received in the United States, a boy like him that had to labor since the age of 8 would not be able to become an accomplished mechanical engineer here today,” Nguyen said.

Her parents constantly remind her of the privilege she possesses and the respon-

sibility that comes with it. Their words echo the truth about the lifestyles of those back home in Vietnam, where an education isn’t part of the plan for everyone.

“These kids live in extreme poverty. So not only are they not able to afford school, another reason they have to quit school is that their families need a source of income.

You are seeing kids at the age of 8 and 9 quitting school so that they can work and these kids are just in elementary. … It is a cycle of poverty for them because they cannot get out of it,” she said.

For Nguyen, her good fortune, which has allowed her to take the steps to get where she wants to be in life, translates into Mai’s mission. She hopes to make the same dreams achievable for as many impoverished children as she can.

“My primary goal is really simple,” Nguyen said. “I hope through this collective effort from our team, and especially Mai supporters, we can help make tomorrow more worth looking forward to for the children we send to school. Maybe one day these kids will have a stable job and get themselves out of this cycle of poverty that

their parents and grandparents could not escape because of their lack of education.”

Mai’s primary way of raising funds is through the sale of hats in blue or gray, complete with the stitched image of a child running with a kite trailing behind them, inspired by the plot of a novel she loves.

“If you have read ‘The Kite Runner’

by Khaled Hosseini, then you might remember the quote ‘There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood,’” Nguyen said. “To me, this message is painfully true because, not just the children of Afghanistan, but millions of children spend every day living under all kinds of uncertainties. For the children that Mai helps send to school, their next meal is just as uncertain as the tuition they need for school. The image of a kite runner delivers the far-flung hope that with philanthropic efforts, every child will be able to receive a childhood free from such worries.”

Mai’s main product line is centered on hats because it translates into Nguyen’s desire to give millennials the opportunity to give back while receiving

something in return.

“We seek to make change through very simple methods. Our proceeds from each hat will help cover the costs of school fees, uniforms and school supplies for Mai children. It will also help provide resources for impoverished schools. Most importantly, the support you give, whether through getting one of our cute hats, spreading Mai’s message or fundraising for our children, donations big or small will give children who live in extreme poverty an education they deserve and a childhood free from one less uncertainty,” Nguyen said.

Rita Bargerhuff, a marketing professor, witnessed Mai’s growth in her classroom. The idea for the non-profit came from a group project Nguyen worked on for Bargerhuff’s class.

Mai is partners with the Blue Dragon Foundation, an Australian charity working in Vietnam with over 1,500 of the country’s most vulnerable children.

“I think the idea of figuring out a way,

→ SEE CHARITY, PAGE 8

New club engineers equality Women in STEM find mentorship opportunities on campus to prepare themselves for industry seen this problem with retention of women in the workplace throughout her career.

“When I was an undergraduate, almost forty years ago, there were very few women Female engineering students will have an opportunity to gain valuable in computer science, and here I am 40 industry experience through a mentor- years later and there are still no women,” Mazidi said. ship club founded by a UTD student.

Aird cited studies that point to women disJeanie Aird, a mechanical engineering junior, started Women Mentoring Wom- favoring the engineering industry because of en in Engineering after noticing how the machismo culture and the lack of effort women are disadvantaged in the engineer- from engineering firms to retain women.

According to NPR, ing workplace. According nearly 40 percent of to the Society of Women women with engineering Engineers, only 12 perWe have to degrees leave the profescent of women were engilook at the imsion or never enter the neers in even though they pact of culture. I industry in the first place. earned a quarter of en“(My family friend) gineering and computer ask myself often thought it would be differsciences master’s degrees why women, ent for her daughter. But it in 2013. was not any different and The objective of the especially girls, she also faced the same group is to pair an unaren’t seeing hostile work environment. dergraduate engineering themselves So she started her own student with a female encompany since she dealt gineer in the industry or as potential with so many issues from academia to provide them engineers at a her boss,” Aird said. with guidance.

Mazidi explained the “One of my family young age. societal bias against having friends worked in an agricultural engineering depart— Karen Mazidi, women in STEM fields.

“We have to look at the ment, where it was mostly engineering faculty impact of culture. I ask men. She felt consistently myself often why women, undermined and disrespectespecially girls, aren’t seeing themselves as ed. That caused her to leave,” Aird said.

Karen Mazidi, an engineering lecturer and potential engineers at a young age,” she said.

Her mentee, Diksha Chopra, a comone of the club’s mentors, said that she has SAMEE AHMAD Mercury Staff

WOMEN MENTORING WOMEN | COURTESY

Jeanie Aird, a mechanical engineering junior, started a club called Women Mentoring Women in Engineering to help female engineers enter a potentially unfriendly industry.

puter science sophomore, agreed.

“How to get women involved in STEM is really important, especially in understanding why we are underrepresented in this area. What prevents women early on in education from getting involved?” she asked.

Aird wants to ready women engineers for the environment they will face in the industry.

“My goal is to foster long-term relationships between our mentors and mentees. Women can enter the workforce more proactive to build bonds with other women engineers and stay in the workplace,” she said.

Chopra said the fraternal nature of the club would help her in her career.

“I think forming a close relationship both with my mentor and the club will be helpful because it will maybe give me some guidance on how to get where I want to professionally,” she said.

Mazidi celebrated the strong community within the club.

“There is a feeling that you are not alone but there are plenty of women that have faced these struggles and have overcome them and you can too,” she said.

The club will meet for the first time on Jan. 24.

ARIANA HADDEN Mercury Staff

Jacob Ashton entered into his threeyear evaluation. While he worked as a Thinker making ends meet, his results came back askew, and he knew instantly that something was wrong.

That’s how Drew Cordell, a senior business major with a concentration in innovation and entrepreneurship, opened his first novel, which came out this month.

Cordell has published the first book in a trilogy entitled “Absolute Knowledge” after two years of writing. While the initial retail launch was on Jan. 2, he has already sold over 100 copies both in print and digitally.

“Basically, there is a faceless government that nobody has seen or knows what they do and they collect people’s thoughts,” Cordell said. “The evaluations are special tests to determine if citizens can be selected for a special government job rather than just working as a Thinker. That’s the citizen’s only way to earn a legal income. The overarching idea is that all thoughts have value no matter how small.”

After deciding to pursue the novel, Cordell said he put the book online on Wattpad, a site where writers can publish their work for free and users give feedback. He posted it on a chapter-by-chapter basis for others to read and critique. Due to the positive responses he got, Cordell decided to publish his book.

“I would love to become a fulltime author in the future, but I also wouldn't mind writing as a hobby on the side,” Cordell said. “Nothing is more rewarding as an author than having a reader contact you saying how much they enjoyed your book.

If I am able to become a full-time author in the future, then I know my business degree will be incredibly useful as I manage all aspects of my career myself.”

Friends and family helped Cordell initiate the Kickstarter campaign, a project that seeks funding through crowd sourcing, and once they backed him, he said he began to get pledges from people he had never met.

“As a college student, I don’t have a huge budget,” Cordell said. “I launched my campaign with a goal of raising $500 and I doubled that.”

Cordell published his book with Createspace for about $1,000. While publishing the book was his main goal, Cordell said he endured a few obstacles during the publication process.

“Setbacks in terms of crowd funding were difficult,” Cordell said. “At first I didn’t know how to market it and who my audience would be, so I began a kick starter campaign and other people were interested.”

Cordell’s friend, mechanical engineering junior Josh Williams said he

→ SEE DEBUT NOVEL, PAGE 8

SPORTS Softball prepares for new season 76

JAN. 23, 2017 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM

Program ranked third in preseason American Southwest Conference poll as new assistant coach, freshmen players join team SUMMER LEBEL Sports Editor

UTD’s softball program is gearing up to start their new season following a run in 2016 that matched the school record for wins and saw the team make the semi-finals of the ASC tournament.

Head coach Rich Wieligman, who is entering his second year at the program’s helm, coached the Comets to a 25-20 record in 2016. They earned the third seed in the ASC tournament after they failed to earn a bid in 2015. Coming into the 2017 season, the team had some holes to fill in the roster, including several outfielders and the starting catcher, as well as replacing the leadership the outgoing class had provided.

“A lot of times you don’t understand what your seniors bring to the table until they’re gone and we lost a great group of seniors last year,” Wieligman said.

While the team looked to fill the positions vacated by the recent graduates, new assistant coach Rayn House spent time getting acquainted with the returning student-athletes. House was impressed with the intensity and focus the girls showed when she began to train with them.

“They want to be on the field and that’s something you really need to see coming right off of the break,” House said. “They love each other and they love the game. They show up and they work hard. There’s no wasted time.”

Wieligman has the benefit of experience with the program under his belt as he moves into his second year at UTD. This time around, the players are more comfortable with him and better understand what he wants from them, Wieligman said.

“It allows them to work harder and not worry about me so much,” he said.

For senior pitcher Lauren McLeod, the stability of having a coach she knows is beneficial.

“He’s been stricter than any coach that we’ve had, but it’s better because he makes us keep our nose down and work hard,” she said.

UTD’s strength and conditioning program kept the student-athletes training during the offseason when there weren’t practices. It’s helped them to prepare in a more focused manner than if the athletes were on their own.

The scheduled workouts force the players to be ready to go, no matter how they feel.

“It’s made us a lot stronger, faster, harder hitters and better pitchers,” McLeod said. “Most importantly, it also helped us mentally because you get in the mindset that you are a college athlete and you have to work out.”

Wieligman, who cannot check on the softball players for most of the offseason due to NCAA restrictions, said the UTD players can gain an edge over the other teams because of their improved stamina and training. While he was unable to work with the team, the new strength and conditioning program is allowed to keep the players working year-round. After over a year of the program, the athletes are seeing the results from the weight room pay off.

“They love the ability to go work out and get stronger to help them succeed,” Wieligman said.

The players share meals and hold other get-togethers on their own both in the lead up to and during the season to make sure everyone gets along and to avoid any potential problems that may arise.

“Last year, we had a really great season, so we’re just trying to make sure everyone’s a team this year,” McLeod

CHRIS LIN | MERCURY STAFF

Assistant coach Rayn House instructs student-athletes during an afternoon practice as they get ready for their upcoming season opener, a double header on Feb. 2 against Pacific. House is in her first season at UTD and has already coached the women’s cross-country team to an ASC title in the fall.

said. “We all have the skills to win, we just have to make sure we’re a family.”

There are a few weeks of practice before the team’s first game and the coaching staff gave everyone things to focus on during the break to prepare to hit the ground running.

“They went and did exactly what we asked them to do in the offseason,” House said. “I have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

The players are looking forward to

the challenges of the new season after training hard over the offseason.

“We’ve got a lot more depth than we did last year,” Wieligman said. “I think we’re going to have a little bit more power as a team and still have our speed.”

Looking forward to their schedule, McLeod has her eye on the East Texas Baptist University games as well as on the school that knocked UTD out of the ASC tournament last season.

“UT-Tyler won the national championship last year for Division III, so we’re really gunning for them,” she said.

Wieligman plans to focus on each game as they come, taking it one at a time and being sure to start off on the right foot.

“I think if you look ahead, you forget somebody,” Wieligman said. “That first game is important for us right now. We’ll see if we come out and take care of business there.”

Women’s basketball breaks record Female role models key to student-athlete growth Important to have mentors from variety of careers

KEVIN VANHORN | MERCURY STAFF

SUMMER LEBEL COMMENTARY

HUSSEIN NJOROGE | MERCURY STAFF

On Jan. 14, UTD’s women’s basketball team broke the school record for consecutive wins with a run of 11 victories. After falling to Mary Hardin-Baylor two days later and having their winning streak snapped, the team bounced back with a win over East Texas Baptist University on Jan. 19. They kept rolling, securing a bid in the ASC tournament with a win on Jan. 21 over Louisiana College.

Female coaches are an easy way for athletic departments to provide role models for female student-athletes, but it’s not the only option for schools.

It has long been commonplace to see women coaching women’s sports and men coaching men’s sports, but this is starting to change for women’s athletics.

The Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport researched changes over time in regards to Title IX, the law that prohibits discrimination by sex in college athletics as well as in other aspects of education. Before Title IX, the coaches of women’s college teams were 90 percent female, as opposed to current day where that number has fallen below 50 percent. For men’s college teams, the number of female coaches has stayed very low at around 2 percent. This can be seen as a downside of Title IX, but the coach who is best for the job should be the one hired, regardless of gender.

With the number of female coaches dropping, it’s important to look to other roles in athletic departments. One of the assistant athletic directors at UTD, Angela Marin, was named emerging athletic administrator by the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators at the start of 2017. This is awarded to an administrator with less

than seven years of experience who has shown great involvement and leadership.

Marin provides mentorship to studentathletes both at UTD and at the NCAA Convention in January where the award is given. Her mentorship and the work of others like her can provide a strong female role model.

Playing professionally is unlikely for anyone. For example, around one percent of college basketball players make it to the NBA or WNBA, according to the NCAA. For those women talented enough to go pro, their jobs come with a much lower salary, when there is a salary. An article by Canadian Living said the Candadian Women's Hockey League only pays each championship winning player $1,000 while the rest go unpaid.

The Sport Digest found that the difference in average WNBA and NBA salaries was $55,000 versus $4,000,000 respectively.

This difference is due to the lower popularity and revenue.

With the lack of money in professional women’s sports and the general unlikelihood of pursuing playing as a long-term career, it can be difficult to stay involved in sports. For those who are passionate about athletics, seeing options outside of playing can help make informed career choices. At UTD, Marin isn’t the only woman outside of the coaches who can form a support network for aspiring girls, as there are women in the

→ SEE ROLE MODELS, PAGE 7

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SPORTS

7

THE MERCURY | JAN. 23, 2017

‘One is too many’

CHRIS LIN | MERCURY STAFF

On Jan. 21, UTD’s basketball teams hosted a Title IX themed event. Before a pair of games against Louisiana College, players wore t-shirts during warmups that had a message against sexual assault.

Officials from the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance spoke to the crowd at the event.

→ ROLE MODELS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

strength and condition program, the sports medicine program and in other administrative roles.

Due to the limitations of being a Division III school, there

are only so many options UTD can provide. The athletic department isn’t as large as a typical Division I school, so there are more shared resources, including the athletic trainers and strength and conditioning coaches.

On the flip side, Division III programs are often more diverse

than Division I institutions.

Coaches play a huge role in the development of players, but mentorship from a variety of viewpoints and positions makes a big difference in long-term prospects for women wanting to pursue a career in athletics.

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LIFE&ARTS

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Queens of Chess

Globally renowed program to focus on recruiting female talent DEV THIMMISETTY Mercury Staff

Coach Rade Milovanovic started working with the UTD Chess team in 1999, when there were only two players on the team carrying the highest title competitive chess has to offer — Grandmaster. Now, 18 years later, there are triple that number on the team as the program grows and increasingly emphasizes female involvement.

UTD’s successful chess program began with school-sponsored scholarships. After the University of Maryland Baltimore County, UTD was the second school in the nation to recruit players with the promise of university-funded scholarships. These scholarships are divided into three tiers based on the skill level of the player, and only the bottom tier fails to fully cover tuition for the two to four years a player would study at UTD. “From the 90s to 2008 or 2009, there were really only two teams, us and UMBC, who gave scholarships. After that, we started getting competition from many schools like UT Rio Grande, Texas Tech and Webster University,” he said.

“It’s not easy when these schools are often trying to recruit the same players we want.”

Since 2004, UTD has hosted

→ CHARITY

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

while you’re a student, to give back and to find a cause you really believe in. … (The Blue Dragon Foundation) has more resources and abilities to put those funds to better use than she would as an individual, so I thought it was a tremendous idea,” Bargerhuff said.

By investing her own money, Nguyen orders the hats and profit from sales are sent directly to the Blue Dragon Foundation.

“We are not a charity. We are not asking for money. The Blue Dragon is the charity. We are a non-profit. We raise money through the sale of hats. Also, because we are raising money for a charity … it is okay for people to donate or if people want to fundraise. One of the goals is to spread the power of making a difference,” she said.

Bargerhuff is optimistic about

a tournament for high level players called the UTD Open as another way to scout for potential players. While the chess tournament takes place, students who are thinking about joining UTD’s chess program can take a look at the campus and decide if the school is right for them.

“I think chess is progressing, you know? Thanks to all the computers and softwares and such, the level is getting higher and higher,” he said. “Again the problem is that we have more and more competition, so we need to do more, like this tournament.”

Although the UTD Chess Team has maintained a women’s division for several years, Alekhya Nandula, a finance and computer science junior, said the program recently began efforts to bring in more top female talent.

Milovanovic said he sees more girls playing than ever before, but they seem to dwindle at the collegiate level. The increased participation at younger ages doesn’t seem to correlate with the number of female players at higher levels.

“In our chess camps, we see many, many girls, a lot of girls.

But the question becomes where do they go afterwards? Do they drop out (of playing)?” Milovanovic said.

To Milovanovic, this has be-

come a global problem because, at the top level, there are overwhelmingly more males than females. When the UTD Chess team first started sending a women’s team to the Pan-American Chess Championship there were only enough members for one team. In some cases, like this year, there wasn’t even enough for a full team.

“That’s why we are trying to recruit more girls and send more female teams to tournaments,” he said. “We are thinking about more and more ways to make our program more attractive to girls.”

One of the top female players on the team is Mariam Danelia, a finance junior and a Women’s International Master. Her title is one tier below Grandmaster, and it qualifies her for the highest scholarship UTD has to offer — the Chess I scholarship. She was recruited as a result of winning the European Junior Chess Championship for girls under 18.

“Mariam’s recruitment was a bit different,” Milovanovic said.

“We used what we refer to as a tournament-based scholarship.

A representative or Mr. Stallings, our director, would have gone to meet her in Europe to offer the scholarship. We do this so players can have a year to think about it and of course we want to beat the competition.”

Mai’s future, especially with Nguyen leading the way.

“I really believe if she’s persistent, because the concept is good and apparently, it’s like I said, the tying together of some kind of quasi fashion item and donations seems to be appealing.

Then I think she’ll be successful,” she said.

The cost of each hat is $20 with all profits going directly to the foundation. For the equivalent of 27 hats, a disadvantaged child can attend school for a year.

Upon purchasing a hat, the buyer will receive a profile of the child they have helped with their purchase.

Nguyen said she chose The Blue Dragon Foundation because it is an established charity that has the means and the knowledge to use the funds that Mai will raise in the future to help those children who are in extreme need of assistance.

Nguyen sees her fortune and

privilege as something that she was bestowed with for a reason: to help those less fortunate than her.

“A friend who helped me with Mai brought up a great point,” Nguyen said. “He said, ‘If you feel overwhelmed because of college tuition, imagine what life would be like if you had the same financial burden for your high school education or if you or your family couldn’t afford to send you to school. Do you think you could function in society without it? What about a middle school education? Or an elementary education? Could you imagine being an adult with a second-grade education?’ And I feel like what he says is really powerful in the sense that it’s crazy that we don’t think about how blessed we are until we think about what others don’t have compared to us.”

RUTH VARGHESE | MERCURY STAFF

ITS junior Suhasini Sundar (left) and finance senior Alekhya Nandula (right) face off in a chess match.

The increase in talent for the Chess Team, either from Danelia or the six Grandmasters, benefits all the members of the team.

“When I first started, there definitely weren’t as many Grandmasters or anything, but now they’re everywhere,” Nandula said. “Sometimes, I feel a little intimidated because I know that I can never, ever be as good as these guys, but it’s really helpful to have them around for support and insight.”

Managing school as well as chess is difficult, but being surrounded by strong players makes it easer to study, learn and improve, Milovanovic said. Suhasini Sundar, an informational technologies and systems junior,

agreed that her ability to focus and improve on both of those things was her biggest challenge.

“For me, I would definitely say my biggest issue was that my dad kept pushing me to do my best at school,” she said. “He really wanted me tofocus on my grades and get a good education for myself, so I found it hard to balance that with my passion for chess.”

Sundar finds it helpful to learn from the various grandmasters that lecture every Friday for the Chess Society, a club that is for students who want to play chess in a more casual setting. These grandmasters lecture on a demo board and explain to the students the theory and tactics of a

given position.

“They’ll come at the very beginning of Chess Society and you get to learn from their lectures.

After that, you just have free play where you can play with other members,” she said.

The Chess Society is only one component of the program’s greater goals, Milovanovic said.

“I think the main goal is to expand. It’s not only about the team — we have more aspects,” he said. “It’s not just the competition. We do chess education and chess camps during the summer. Our goal is to spread chess throughout the community with our players to popularize it as much as we can.”

→ DEBUT NOVEL

like, ‘Wow, this is really good, you need to continue it.’ I was just blown away with how good it was. The book itself flows so nicely and it was just a really good read.”

Cordell’s decision to make the novel a trilogy came from the notion that long books aren’t always attractive to readers.

“When I was writing, I was really close to 100,000 words, and I wasn’t even close to done,” Cordell said. “Nobody wants to read that much, so I decided to make it a trilogy. I even have a spreadsheet with plots and subplots so everything fills out.”

Cordell said he expects to have the second installment ready for publication soon.

“Definitely going to be this year for the second book to come out, hopefully before the end of the summer,” Cordell said. “I’m already up to 50,000 words. Then I’ll take a break and edit. Once I

finalize the plot then I’ll send it off to the editor.”

Throughout the whole process, Cordell said although there was a steep learning curve to self-publication, it was worth it in the end.

“For other people looking to write, self-publishing is the better way to go, because if you have sales numbers it’s easier to get a contract,” Cordell said. “It’s also known as hybrid-publishing and it’s popular because you can essentially sell books now and get representation later.”

Despite the strenuous process, Howard said Cordell could not be happier with the result.

“I think it’s funny because Drew’s a shy kind of guy, but once he found something he’s passionate about he’s very willing to show it to people,” Howard said. “He has done something really amazing that people enjoy.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

knew Cordell since middle school and was thrilled to be one of the first people to get to read the book.

“He told me to read it, and by then he was getting ready to do the Kickstarter, Williams said.

“The best part about it was the idea that it is very possible for the society to actually happen.”

Cordell’s girlfriend Elizabeth Howard, who attends Collin College, said while she does not normally read science fiction and prefers romance or comedy, the idea behind the novel was captivating and she’s eager for the next installation in the trilogy.

“I came across the book because I’ve always been really bad at writing,” Howard said.

“Whenever Drew gave me the first sample of his book I was

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UTDMERCURY.COM → PIQUERO

with reporters.

“I couldn’t have done this one year out of graduate school, beto do so. Academics shouldn’t cause I didn’t know anything. have to learn to communicate Who knows anything? I know a with media, he said. But, there little bit more now. And 10 years are definite advantages to schol- from now I’ll be better than ars who push themselves out of now. But I could not have done this earlier in my career,” he said. their comfort zones.

Learning to communicate his “It’s useful, because you nevmessage to the er know when laypeople has someone might I think very caused Piquero come across a carefully about to think more study or a newscritically about paper might see what the study certain aspects a press release, finds will mean, of his research. or something, and then they’re “The craft but more imporinterested,” he of an academic tantly about how said. “I think it and a researcher people interpret would be helpful is a serious enfor (academics) terprise.

You the findings. to understand are contributthe process.” ing scientific — Alex Piquero, knowledge to When thinkprofessor of criminology the body of sciing about his entific knowlentry into the edge that exists in the world. press, Piquero recalled the adage, “If you live by the sword, I think you have to take that part seriously,” he said. “I you die by the sword.”

“If you’re going to enter the think very carefully about what domain, be ready for the do- the study finds will mean, but more importantly about how main,” he said.

Having 20 years of experience people interpret the findings. as a devoted academic made And that’s the key.” him more comfortable speaking For example, reading the CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

study that shows a correlation between NFL penalties and arrests might cause one to think it unwise to draft a player with a record. That, Piquero said, is the exact assumption he wants the average person to avoid.

He not only wants his readers to interpret his work correctly, but to also enjoy the science behind it.

“I want my message to be able to reach my academic peers,” Piquero said. “I want it to be able to reach my parents, who never went to college. I want people to have dinner conversations about this stuff. Anything that can get people engaged and talking about the science, I think it’s fun. I think science should be fun.”

When he first began publishing his research on the NFL three years ago, Piquero did not expect an international spotlight to shine on his work.

Though engaging with the media and communicating his findings to all different kinds of audiences, Piquero said he’s begun to write better and think a little differently.

“You don’t set out to do this.

As an academic, you’re setting out to do good research,” he said.

“Never that this would happen.”

→ TOBACCO

EJ CHONG | MERCURY STAFF

THE MERCURY | NOV. 4, 2013

9

Campus Carry Update The passing of Campus Carry allowed individuals with a handgun license to bring concealed handguns to certain campuses in the state of Texas. Supporters and opponents of the bill are finding that UTD has not changed since the implementation.

A Campus Carry working group was created to oversee the implementation of the legislation by the previous Executive Vice President and Provost Hobson Wildenthal. The group has been monitoring the implementation of the legislation, partially through reports filed with the committee.

Criminology professor Alex Piquero, who heads the working group, said its mailbox’s traffic has been low.

ed the ban to begin in January.

“Dr. Benson asked for more CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 time from the Regents … and they weren’t happy about it, to we follow the direction of the get more time for the students, other 13 UT System schools which I really appreciate from … is to create what is really a him because he went out of his healthy campus and to help way to make sure it was done students, faculty and staff have right and students had enough all the tools they need to have time to react to the situation,” in place to help them make the Campain said.

The penalties are not expected transition,” he said. to be severe for A major comstudents who ponent of the Our goal as we are found smokban includes education and cesfollow the direc- ing after June 1. Additionally, sation programs tion of the other UTD police are to help students, not going to enfaculty and staff 13 UT System force the ban as quit smoking. schools ... is to it is not a state Signs indicating create what is or national law. a tobacco free “It’s going zone will also be a really healthy to be pretty replaced around campus and to laxed.

There’s campus.

Curnot going to be rently the adminhelp students, anything where istration is deterfaculty and staff they get a fine mining, among have all the slapped onto other details, them or they the penalties for tools they need get kicked off non-compliance. in place to help campus or any“It will all thing like that,” be spelled out them make the Campain said. in the ultimate transition.

“It’s going to be policy released supportive but by the universi— Calvin Jamison, at the same time ty. We are in the Vice President it’s going to be process of updating our presof Administration enough to make sure people are ent tobacco free following the building policy code of conand it will be over the next several weeks to duct.” months that we will have that SG’s Graduate and Internain place,” Jamison said. tional Affairs Committee plans Student Government Vice to focus on helping internationPresident Joey Campain said al students adjust to the new SG’s input on the tobacco ban policy as smoking can be a part was minimal because the Board of their culture, Campain said. of Regents favored establishing “(We are) going to spend a lot the smoking policy. of time thinking about how we The Regents originally want- can represent the international

So far there have been no reported incidents on campus.

“I think that’s a testament to how our administration has rolled out with Campus Carry on this campus and how we really educated the campus,” Piquero said.

On August 1, 2016, Campus Carry went into effect and most campuses across the UT system remain unaffected like UTD. “The campus looks the same and feels the same as it did on July 31 as it does today,” Piquero said.

The committee reconvened this year under the new President Richard Benson to discuss the future. The working group will remain intact and continue to be accessible to those on campus.

students,” he said. “To make sure that when they are on campus they are supported and they have a great time at UTD even though smoking cannot be a part of that.”

ATEC junior and e-cigarette user Eric Larson was upset when he heard about the ban.

“I needed those couple of minutes in between classes just to chill out,” he said. “It was just a space for me to … relax and now I’ve gotten that taken away.

It’s going to be taken away.”

Even with the possibility of facing penalties, he doesn’t plan to quit smoking.

“I don’t think it’s going to stop me. It’ll probably be a lot less of me standing around doing it but walking somewhere or going behind some of the less populated areas of the building and walking and doing it,” Larson said.

Jackson Turner, a computer science freshman and nonsmoker, said he understands why the policy is being put into place.

“Adults need to follow the rules already set in place because there are rules … to make smoking coexist on this campus and they were broken a lot,” he said.

However, Turner recognizes why people would be upset.

“I know a lot of people deal with stress with smoking and the email stated there were going to be measures in place to help people with that,” he said.

Jamison said he encourages faculty, staff and students to take advantage of the programs offered by the university.

“This is really an opportunity to make a life change for a lot of individuals, which is really positive for them individually and for the campus overall,” he said.

“I have informal discussions with most of those members of the working group as well as people throughout the campus on a fairly routine basis just to see if there’s anything new,” he said.

Piquero and the Campus Carry working group met this past fall. He said the meeting was brief and no issues had been reported.

He detailed on Provost Inga Musselman’s training for faculty members, which is supposed to focus on Campus Carry in a larger context and cover emergency preparedness in regards to the staff.

The campus will continue to educate the incoming students at the orientation as part of Chief Larry Zacharias’ presentation.

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→ INTERNET

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

For some, the university’s decision to migrate residential internet to CometNet is a much needed change.

“My internet in my apartment is awful. My connection is patchy and even on the best of days, the Wi-Fi speeds are slow compared to the campus internet,” said John Chan, a computer science sophomore and resident of Phase 8. “It’s gotten to the point where I’ll often go to the library to get work done.”

Other students, however, were wary.

“I feel like it could be an invasion of privacy,” said Christian Cortes, an electrical engineering sophomore.

“I’m ... concerned with now having to sign into my internet. I understand school Wi-Fi (is) tracked, but I want to keep my home life … a bit private from my school life.”

The OIT contracted internet service in residential spaces to Time

Warner in 2008 because it did not have the necessary infrastructure to implement an in-house solution.

But as the university has grown, the needs of the school have changed. In addition to providing faster speeds, CometNet will provide access to resources that are only available on the campus network.

“We had conversations about what potentially we could do to provide a quality service to our students,” said Matt Grief, the associate vice president for student affairs. “A student can sit in their apartment, get on CometNet, authenticate and be able to look up something in their research lab or … something in the library without having to come in from the outside.”

In preparation for the switch, the existing Time Warner wiring will be replaced in every residential building with new wiring capable of supporting faster speeds. New hardware will also be installed in each residential unit. The project

is still in progress and is expected to be complete in May. During the summer, the campus will be gradually phased over to CometNet to avoid disruptions.

Once Time Warner internet is suspended, cable television services will also be removed. To replace this, the OIT has a proposal for internet-based television out for bid.

“I think we’ll see better speeds (and) overall quality from the campus internet,” Grief said. “The help desks will be operated by the campus staff, so there will be no calling Time Warner or Korcett for help.”

The cost of the upgrade, Grief noted, was significant because the recently-installed CometNet routers are some of the newest on the market and help desks will be staffed for support. However, rent will not go up solely because of this initiative.

“You want to be able to have control,” Grief said. “Sometimes it’s more difficult to deal with someone on the outside.”

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THE MERCURY | JAN. 23, 2017

lenge students from small towns face. Chase Bosley, a CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 healthcare studies sophomore, spent a lot of his childhood made her more aware of what’s in the Mexia area, which is an important to the people around hour away from Dallas. He said her and she tries her best to un- he has to go the extra mile in derstand their perspectives and school to catch up with stushare them with her friends and dents who went to large high family back home. schools in a city.

“Pretty much 80 percent of “I do work really hard on my the people I graduated with school,” Bosely said. “I want never left, will never leave, their to succeed because of how my kids will never leave, and it’s just view point changed because of like a repetitive cycle and no one growing up (at the farm). It’s ever knows these like, ‘I will work things,” she said. harder because It’s proving that I want more.’

“None of my family knew this Their backeven though I’m stuff at the time ground versus a woman from a either. Now they my background know because of small town, I can was the intimime. The fact that dation factor.” do really awea whole famMorris, who some things and graduated with a ily had no idea about this stuff go be something class of 52 people was so upsetting in Daingerfield, more than stayto me.” said her confiAshley Levy, dence as a stuing in the small an accounting dent dwindled in town. It’s a lot of and healthcare her first semester freedom. management juhere because of nior, grew up the disadvantag— Kaitlyn Morris, es she faced comin Amarillo. It’s computer science ing from a small not as remote as Daingerfield, but sophomore high school.

Levy’s small town “I was the saexperience was lutatorian of my similar, in that she didn’t share class,” she said. “To go from the same socially conservative that to feeling completely unvalues as those around her. UTD prepared for college or for unihas offered her an environment versity life was super hard on to express her own views. me because people would come “Growing up in Amarillo, in like, ‘Oh, we did this last year as with a lot of small towns, in AP Calc’ and I’d never seen it’s very conservative,” she said calculus in my life.”

“I grew up in an atmosphere Andrew Koricich, an assistant that wasn’t exactly what I be- professor of higher education at lieved, so I think that was hard. Texas Tech University, conductIt makes me really appreciate ed a study on how rurality afcoming to a place like Dallas. fects access to higher education.

Everyone is accepted for who He found that students who they are, but you do grow up in come from increasingly urban this backwards world.” backgrounds have the social and cultural exposure necessary to Academic Rigor prepare them for changes linked to pursuing higher education.

Fitting in isn’t the only chal- For someone like Morris, the

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adjustment wasn’t so easy.

“I might not even be at UTD anymore,” she said. “It was such a culture shock and academic shock that I probably would’ve gone back home if I hadn’t had people to help me. … I don’t know if I would have stayed.”

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Although Bosley doesn’t want to settle down in the Mexia area, a town that only spans 5.2 square miles, he said there are valuable lessons he’s learned that can be applied to life anywhere.

“Growing up at the farm, I loved working with my hands,” Bosley said. “I know how to do a lot of little things that other people don’t know how to do because of growing up there.

But, it also gave me the view to growing up without some of the benefits that other people had.”

For Morris, the pursuit of higher education is important because of the escape it offers from the small town setting she grew up in.

“It’s proving that even though I’m a woman from a small town, I can do really awesome things and go be something more than staying in the small town. It’s a lot of freedom,” she said.

A Home at UTD Although the college experience has been vastly different from what these students were accustomed to growing up, the perspective UTD and its surrounding community have offered has helped make the transition easier.

“The diversity of backgrounds that people come from and the places that they come from and the places that they’re going has really shown me how much bigger the world is, which at first was a shock to me but it’s been really eye opening,” Levy said.

PHOTOS BY: SARAH WHIPPLE, FRESHMAN | COURTESY DANNI YANG, FRESHMAN | COURTESY

Dallas’s downtown rally was one of many around the country held in the wake of President Trump’s swearing-in ceremony. The march started at Dallas City Hall on Akard Street and worked its way downtown.