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February 5, 2018
THE MERCURY
UTDMERCURY.COM
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
Recent student deaths are our wake up call to provide support, recognize the warning signs
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y now you’ve probably heard: Two of our fellow students died this past week. Within that time, there has been a spike in student activity on social media and Reddit and students have even come to The Mercury in person for answers and what was going on after we discovered the first death was a suicide. We also noticed increased searches on our website with key terms related to student death, indicating that there was a real concern on our campus whether the second death was intentional as well. While the police later confirmed that the second death was not a suicide, it still started a conversation about what was happening and what we could do to prevent it. The Mercury chose not to report on the suicide because of journalism ethics and our own concern for the campus community dictated that we not report the details associated with them. However, we felt it imperative to address the death because of the campus concern and to raise awareness about the issues it presents. Following these tragedies, it is important to consider what we as a community can do, and the answer is this: We need to not only provide support for our friends and peers as we try to move forward, but we need to be better bystanders in times of crisis when those peers need our help most. In a study conducted by the Suicide Prevention Research Center, 7.7 percent of college students seriously considered suicide, and 1.2 percent attempted suicide in 2012 alone. While the number of attempts seems deceptively low, the fact that even 1.2 percent of students have attempted suicide is a cause of concern and shows us that we need to do more. So how do we start and where do we go? We must understand that, as bystanders, it is crucial we pay more attention to friends and peers who begin to exhibit signs of suicidal thoughts and tendencies. According to the American Association of Suicidology, people exhibit warning signs such as
increased substance abuse, feeling trapped, withdrawal from social situations and dramatic mood changes. We should seek help for a friend when noticing sudden changes in behavior, such as when a person who normally has good hygiene stops showering and continues wearing ripped or dirty clothes, or when a person who normally attends classes and regularly studies begins to miss class consistently and fails. A person may even exhibit less obvious signs such as decreased attentiveness or becoming emotionally distant. These more subtle warnings are extremely visible in hindsight, but being aware in the present is always better than mourning a loss in the future. As a generation, we joke around with each other, we sarcastically comment about how we want “to die” when we can’t balance all our assignments. But for any one of us, that could be reality. It’s not a joke. When someone expresses disdain for living and a lack of purposefulness, we need to take a moment and listen. Just brushing it off is not acceptable. It is also crucial we empathize with each other rather than sympathize, though that’s easier said than done. Simply listening to someone and relaying that you appreciate the fact that they spoke to you can make a world of difference. When we’re struggling, we tend not to seek help. We justify that our situation is not as bad as it is. It is so easy to convince ourselves that, “Other people have it way worse.” But what needs to be understood is that, first, when you are overwhelmed or in pain, you are not alone — many of us have had similar experiences, and there are so many people here to help in any way they can. Second, we all must go above and beyond to show that our friends matter and their feelings are justified. UTD offers a variety of resources to students struggling with mental illnesses and depression, such as appointments at the Counseling Center, crisis appointments and the 24-hour campus suicide hotline UTD Talk. It is critical
our peers feel safe in a closer sense as well, which is why support from multiple offices around campus that we feel comfortable in, such as the Gender Center, the Center for Students in Recovery, the Military and Veterans Center, the Multicultural Center and the International Center, are so important. But what happens when someone we want to help believes they don’t need it, despite exhibiting obvious warning signs? The Counseling Center also offers consultation visits in which students can seek advice on how to encourage finding help and giving support to those students in need. If you are genuinely concerned for your friend and they don’t want help, you can always do more. If behavior persists and concern for your friend’s well-being is obvious, you can even go to the dean of students to express this concern. Don’t go against your better judgment if they say, “I’m fine.” It is always better to take that risk and tell a person you suspect of suicidal thoughts or tendencies that you care about them and are concerned rather than to not say anything for fear of making them angry. If you are overstepping boundaries, they will let you know, but keep in mind that that push just might be what your friend needs to hear, and when they are ready to receive that support, it can have a major positive impact. The ultimate takeaway is that in this time of grief, we should be there for one another and be better bystanders in regard to the events occurring around us. We need to be aware that over time, we should continue to offer support for each other despite how much time has passed, as everyone grieves differently. We cannot put a time limit on the support we give, and we need to be as present and observant for these signs as possible, because it just might save your friend’s life. — Miriam Percival, Ariana Hadden, Cindy Folefack, Bhargav Arimilli, Summer LeBel, Matt Strack, William Legrone, Ruth Varghese, Bharat Arimilli, Carolina Alvarez
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THE MERCURY UTDMERCURY.COM Volume XXXVIII No. 18
NEWS
THE MERCURY | FEB. 5, 2018
UTDMERCURY.COM
UTDPD Blotter
Editor-in-Chief Miriam Percival
editor@utdmercury.com (972) 883-2294
Managing Editor Ariana Hadden managingeditor @utdmercury.com (972) 883-2287
Copy Editor Ruth Varghese
rev150030@utdallas.edu
Graphics Editor Matt Strack
graphics@utdmercury.com
Photo Editor William Legrone
photo@utdmercury.com
News Editor Cindy Folefack
news@utdmercury.com
Sports Editor Summer LeBel
sports@utdmercury.com
Life & Arts Editor Bhargav Arimilli life@utdmercury.com
Web Editor Bharat Arimilli
web@utdmercury.com
Contributors Carolina Alvarez Madeline Ambrose Saher Aqeel Emaan Bangash Sarah Besserer Neil Bhamoo Donia Bosak-Barani Ben Cannon Jenna Cherrey Ethan Christopher Travis Dickerson Anupam Gupta Christina Jia Ayoung Jo Maddie Keith Xiang Li Anthony McNair Chiamaka Mgboji Keaton Nations Bianca Del Rio Anna Schaeffer Ian Seamans Yannis Shafi Sarah Streety Michael Stout Noah Whitehead
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.
The Mercury is a proud member of both the Associated Collegiate Press and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.
January 23 • A student reported being a victim of theft by deception to the police department at 1:11 p.m
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January 24 • At 1:18 a.m., two students in Res Hall Southwest were issued citations for possession and consumption of alcohol by a minor.
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B
C
January 25 • A vehicle struck a staff member on Loop Road at 11:55 a.m. The driver was issued a citation for failure to yield right of way to a pedestrian.
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January 25 • A student’s laptop was stolen from the Student Union at 9:36 p.m.
D
January 26 • At 11:24 p.m., a student in Res Hall North received a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia.
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E
B D
E
D A LEGEND VEHICULAR INCIDENT
THEFT
DRUGS & ALCOHOL OTHER MAP: UTD | COURTESY
Correction: In the 1/22 issue of The Mercury, the “Amazon lockers coming to campus” article incorrectly stated Amazon would become the official textbook vendor for the university with the program. In reality, only the Amazon lockers are coming to campus. Correction: In the 1/22 issue of The Mercury, a graphic in the “Smoke-free campus?” article incorrectly stated the percentage of students who smoke on campus was higher than the national average. In reality, UTD is below the national average by 9 percent. The Mercury regrets these errors.
UTDMERCURY.COM
NEWS
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THE MERCURY | FEB. 5, 2018
Alumni create device to assist emergency C-sections Little Caesareans developed inflatable fingertip technology to help remove baby’s head from pelvis without damage NEIL BHAMOO Mercury Staff
UTD alumni created a device to help improve the speed and safety of emergency cesarean sections as their senior capstone project through UTDesign. Biomedical engineering graduates Vinay Naik, Matthew Galles, Michael Bucag and Vineet Aziz worked together as the Little Caesareans, a name they chose in jest, to solve a prominent issue in medicine — the danger to both the mother and child during emergency Csections. Their solution was to create a machine that can be quickly and easily used, and has a surface soft enough to avoid any damage to the baby. The team based their design on an inflatable device used when medical professionals predict they will need to perform an emergency childbirth, however, the device can only be used preemptively. So, the group made a similar product that can be used without as much prior planning and that had more durability so it wouldn’t break during the operation, Naik said. The inflatable tip of the device provides a soft surface so the infant’s head can be unstuck from the mother’s pelvis without causing any damage. “We did a really long brainstorming process over the summer,” Naik said. “Eventually, at the end of that process, we came up with the idea of inflatable fingertips.” The reason the group chose to mount the device on the fingertips was to provide the professionals with tactile feed-
ANUPAM GUPTA | MERCURY STAFF
Alumni Vinay Naik (left) and Matthew Galles helped develop the C-section technology along with other members of the UTDesign group, Little Caesareans. The device will help medical professionals perform C-sections without injuring the baby’s head during the operation.
back, as this will allow them to feel where the device is inflating and ensure it is working as needed. Being able to feel the baby and the pelvis will help to properly position the device and ensure it won’t cause any harm to the baby or mother because of incorrect positioning. “Sometimes a baby’s head can be too big for the mother’s pelvis, so an emergency C-section would need to be con-
ducted,” Galles said. “Even after this, however, the baby’s head must still be removed from the pelvis, which, using current methods, can lead to damage to the baby’s skull.” In addition to the risk of head injury to the baby, emergency C-sections can take too long, enough to risk fatal blood loss from the mother, Galles said. The team created a piece of hard-
ware that can reduce the risks associated with C-sections. “The student team goes through all the steps of the engineering process, so it’s like a real-world engineering project,” Naik said. The fingertip mounted device is ready to be used in clinical settings, and the company the device was created for has the possibility of pursuing a patent, in which case the UTD alumni
will be named as its inventors. “I think my favorite part of the project was when I had the realization that we had actually created something functional that could save lives and make a difference in the world,” Aziz said. “It was fun to win the school competition, but I really hope some version of our device gets used in hospitals as soon as possible.”
Testing Center relocated to SP/N2 UTD eliminates automatic New location accomodates twice as many reservations, features new technology
admission based on test scores New policy focuses on holistic review, academic rigor
ETHAN CHRISTOPHER | MERCURY STAFF
EMAAN BANGASH Mercury Staff
As of December, the UTD Testing Center was relocated to Synergy Park North 2 on Synergy Park Boulevard, and has added changes to the current policies for exam registration. The Center’s first day in operation at the new location is Feb. 5. Darren Crone, assistant provost for Educational Technology Services, said the move was done particularly for expansion purposes and to accommodate more students. The Center now has twice the
number of seats as the previous one, new furniture installed and upgraded technology such as laptops and electronic lockers. He said the Testing Center relocation had been a developing project before he’d become involved with the planning in midDecember. He said although he hasn’t received student feedback yet, the faculty are much happier that the facility is considerably bigger than the previous center. “It was always hard scheduling time in the old Testing Center because there weren’t enough seats,” Crone said. “Things would fill up pretty quick for the prime spots, (faculty)
JSOM Mural Environmental Committee Created A new mural with the letters UTD will be constructed on the south wall of the JSOM building. The project will begin as soon as the mounting hardware necessary to complete the 8-foot-tall letters are delivered. Landscaping will also be developing the surrounding area to further highlight the mural. Residence Hall Counseling Pamphlets An initiative to place pamphlets from the Counseling Center throughout the residence halls has been approved, with $763.68 allocated and a $600 subsidy from the Counseling Center. Haris Pepermintwala, the Student Affairs committee chair, said the pamphlets were designed to help students be aware of the large variety of resources available, from relationship advice to mental health counseling.
Secretary of the Treasury Joey Campain announced in the budget report that there was still $20,000 left in the 2018 budget to spend with the $8,000 allocated to sustainability initiatives on campus. Student Government senators voted that a new Green Ad Hoc Committee, headed by Campain, would be created to properly delegate those funds to sustainability projects throughout campus. An idea currently being discussed is the addition of blue recycling bins to University Village that students would be able to rent. Potential Change to Comet Cards The Comet Card office is currently deliberating the possibility of placing expiration dates onto student Com-
would have to move them around a bit, sometimes they would just put up their exams on eLearning or in class. It gives them a bit more flexibility now having a bigger center.” Ne’Shaun Jones, director of the Student Success Center, said there were concerns about the safety of students walking the crosswalk on the busy intersection. She said students may feel the need to rush because of how far the Center is from the main campus. Jones received feedback from a student who timed herself walk-
→ SEE TESTING, PAGE 7
ets Cards. Pepermintwala explained the lack of expiration dates had been problematic to UTD students studying abroad, who had trouble proving the validity of their student ID without a marker of its legitimacy. Extended Bus Services The Graduate and International Affairs committee will soon be dispensing surveys to students regarding the necessity of an additional bus route to the Patel Brothers restaurant and the extension of bus hours on Sunday evening after 6:00 p.m. The program is particularly geared towards international students, who committee chair Adam Richards said are more likely to use the extended services. Richards and the committee will attempt to send out the electronic survey as early as the week of Feb. 5.
CHRISTINA JIA | MERCURY STAFF
DONIA BOSAK-BARANI Mercury Staff
UTD admissions policies for automatic and transfer admissions are set to change in the 2018-2019 academic year. The university previously admitted students automatically based on their test scores or if they ranked in the top 10 percent of their graduating class. However, students will no longer be automatically admitted from test scores alone. Incoming freshmen will be admitted based on a new holistic review of their performance before enrollment. This process would entail looking at the applicant’s overall qualifications instead of focusing on any particular strength. Ingrid London, the director of the Office of Admission and Enrollment, said this evaluation will better identify the best indicators of success at UTD. “As the university has grown throughout the years, admissions criteria has changed and been modified to best accommodate, so that we can assess student’s preparation to be successful here at UT Dallas,” London said. “Moving from the past admissions criteria, just looking at one component, moving to a more holistic framework outside of those admitted automatically for top 10 percent rank, allows us to look at a number of different components.” Factors considered during the revised all-inclusive review include a student’s academic record, high school rank or GPA, academic rigor, SAT or ACT scores and major preparatory indicators, such as related coursework or
experience. Another deciding factor is the optional essay, including a choice of three topics. The essay acts as a supplement to a prospective student’s application, weighed during a review process that incorporates all elements. “Dynamic-wise, it allows us to be able to gauge preparation for students attending UTD, and we are still utilizing the SAT and ACT in our review process, as well as a number of different components, so … we’re admitting students who have done those metrics to help prepare them for the curriculum they’ll face when they attend UTD,” London said. Transfer admissions will also undergo changes. The GPA cutoff to be admitted as a transfer student has increased from 2.7 to 3.0 for an applicant with 42 to 90 transferable credit hours. There is a specific emphasis on major-related coursework preparation for transfer students because it can highlight success at the university, London said. Despite these changes, she said the hope is that the university continues to experience a steady growth of its freshman cohort. “One of the benefits of holistic review is that it’s not one particular component that is at the forefront, so it allows for a more well-rounded review of an application file,” London said. “It allows, also, for students to be assessed regarding their overall preparation, not just preparation for one specific marker like a test.”
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FEB. 5, 2018 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
LIFE&ARTS
MICROSCOPIC MASTERPIECES Professor bridges gap between art, science
MICHAEL STOUT | MERCURY STAFF
Moon Kim, a material science engineering professor, stands beside a piece of art in his exhibit on Jan. 24 at the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center. The exhibition featured art composed of nanolevel imagery. CINDY FOLEFACK News Editor
With a resume full of accomplishments in nanotechnology, a UTD professor who spends his time researching elements on an atomic scale has managed to see the art within the atoms. Material science engineering professor Moon Kim started taking images of his work in 1985 using electron microscopes. Since then, he amassed a collection of NanoArt featuring works as small as 0.8 nanometers. In contrast, the average width of a human hair is 75,000 nanometers. NanoArt is a new field involving the use of electron microscopes to capture interesting elements and reactions on the atomic level. On Jan. 24, the Davidson-Gundy
Alumni Center displayed Kim’s collection, featuring bright colors emitted during molecular bonding and neatly arranged atoms forming familiar pictures, such as the American flag. “While doing research, you may find some features that are interesting and may not have scientific value, but are aesthetically pleasing, so then you need to take them and you need to add them to your collections,” Kim said. “I’ve been doing that for a long period of time, so now I decided to put it out for the people in this exhibition.” Kim added the novelty of the field gives him freedom in capturing images because he doesn’t have to conform to any artistic precedent. The images are captured using transmission elec-
tron microscopy that passes electrons through a specimen to form an image. Electron microscopes create grainy black and white images that can be colored and printed. “This is a new genre because a lot of microscopists, or scientists, from time to time came across interesting images, and they were displayed,” Kim said. “But starting a collection with different materials and imaging modes is kind of new.” When Kim began capturing images, he said he didn’t intend to have them on display, and took pictures during ongoing research because he found it interesting. As the popularity of the art form grew, garnering enough attention for an exhibit in the Museum of
Modern Art, Kim discovered imaging competitions for NanoArt. Kim entered various competitions and found success in the JEOL Transmission Electron Microscopy Image Contest, an annual competition hosted by the manufacturer of the laboratory instrument, where he recently won the 2017 Grand Prize. Kim added the trouble is curating the art and choosing which images need to have color added. Even though Kim has gone on to win awards, he said the goal of his art has always been to get everyday people to understand and appreciate science. “It’s not easy to connect ordinary people to science and engineering because there’s a perception that science
and engineering are not easy subjects,” Kim said. “But then everybody’s familiar with art, so one way to connect art and science together is this art form that everybody can enjoy.” In addition to his art, Kim has published two books, including “Hello, Nano,” a children’s book meant to teach younger generations about nanotechnology, and “Art and Technology,” focusing on the historical ties between art and science. Kim’s exhibit also included a virtual reality nano-world, allowing users to explore atoms and learn more about nanotechnology, as well as an app that displays holograms of atoms and molecules
→ SEE NANOART, PAGE 10
Following Faulkner’s footsteps UTD professor leads group to create digital map of author’s fictional world ANNA SCHAEFFER Mercury Staff
ANUPAM GUPTA | MERCURY STAFF
Theresa Towner, a literary studies professor specializing in the work of William Faulkner, leads a project to digitize a fictional county the author created.
A UTD professor helped lead a team of 24 professors from across the globe to digitize the fictional county author William Faulkner created. Literary studies professor Theresa Towner serves as an associate director on the project to develop a website for “Digital Yoknapatawpha.” The team of scholars, who teach everywhere from Glasgow to Taipei to Berlin and beyond, collaborate to build the interactive map piece by piece. The site, available for public use, fea-
tures data from nearly 44 short stories and 10 novels. Hundreds of characters populate the virtual landscape, where users can experience a Faulkner work along with its unique visual component. “Faulkner said he once had a moment envisioning the whole town of Yoknapatawpha with its various buildings and streets, a geographic model,” Towner said. “He saw his country whole. That’s the incredible thing we’re recreating, along with the additional layers of characters and human emotion and plot.” During his lifetime, Faulkner produced more than 50 works, over half of which take place in the fictitious town of
Yoknapatawpha. Classics such as “As I Lay Dying” and “The Sound and the Fury” take place in the imaginary county he based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where he lived most of his life. Website visitors, after choosing one of the Faulkner novels or short stories, are presented with a virtual map of the story’s physical geography. A heat map indicates the paths of both major and secondary characters between natural, man-made, and especially relevant locations. “Rendering Yoknapatawpha to a digital map requires more than simple data en-
→ SEE FAULKNER, PAGE 10
Alumni launch indie video game Team uses Kickstarter campaign to fund development EMAAN BANGASH Mercury Staff
A group of UTD alumni created a startup company and a Kickstarter campaign to launch an indie video game, “Innerspace.” What began as a team of friends in an ATEC game production lab class creating simple, short games grew to become what is now PolyKnight Games, an indie game company. The original creators include alumni Tyler Tomaseski, Nick Adams, Eric Brodie, Steve Zapata, Chris Miller and a small team of collaborators outside of UTD. While the team has created a range of free, small-scale video games during Game Jams and in game lab such as “Castor and Pollux,” “Innerspace” is their first full-fledged game available on platforms such as PC, Xbox One, Play-
station 4 and the Nintendo Switch. “Innerspace” is a game in which physics is inverted, allowing the player to experience reverse gravity while traversing different worlds. In the game, the player controls a cartographer as he explores different planets and collects relics and items while flying on an agile craft. The game uses simple geometric shapes and pastel colors to create a fantasy-like universe to explore. Steve Zapata, 3-D and environment artist, said he preferred rendering games without using techniques such as adding high levels of detail to create a unique aesthetic in the game. He said he liked the unrealism that video games traditionally had, and wanted to work with the medium rather than change the graphics in favor of realism. “A big constraint we have is our team
NOAH WHITEHEAD | MERCURY STAFF
Alumni Tyler Tomaseski (left), Chris Miller and Eric Brodie were involved in the creation of ‘Innerspace.’
size. We have a small team and what we make has to be relatively easy, quick or fast to make,” Zapata said. “So instead of trying to fight the medium, we’re trying to use what’s unique to video games and
to geometry to bolster and build aesthetics around it.” Chris Miller, who works sound design and music composition, said the team first started working together in an en-
vironment where students could create games and learn about the process without extensive faculty involvement.
→ SEE INNERSPACE, PAGE 10
SPORTS
FEB. 5, 2018 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
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Baseball Hoping for a repeat performance looks to improve
UTD softball team aims to win another ASC championship following the best season in school history
Comets picked to finish second in preseason poll
WILLIAM LEGRONE | PHOTO EDITOR BEN CANNON | MERCURY STAFF
Senior pitcher Cole Hanson practices with the baseball team on Jan. 22.
Freshman pitcher Blaire Evans pitches a fastball during a scrimmage held on Feb. 2. The Comets will play their first game of the season on Feb. 10 at home against the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders. YANNIS SHAFI Mercury Staff
TRAVIS DICKERSON Mercury Staff
With the UTD baseball team placing second in the American Southwest Conference and two athletes on the Players to Watch list, the team has begun preparing for its first series of games in Arizona. This past year, the team finished the season in second place in the ASC with a 33-11 record, including 19-5 in conference, and made it to the semifinals of the ASC tournament. Head coach Shane Shewmake said this marked one of the most successful seasons the teams had in recent years, meaning they now have a target on their backs. “There are higher expectations after what we accomplished last year,” Shewmake said. “We ranked seventh in the nation in one poll and ranked second in our conference this year. So there’s no surprises, everyone knows we’re good and it’s just being able to handle those expectations.” The team will start the 2017-2018 season on the road, playing their first games on the weekend of Feb. 9 against four teams, including California Lutheran — the 2017 NCAA Division III National Champions — in Tucson, Arizona. After the games in Tucson, they will play in Fort Worth against Texas Wesleyan, then travel to Arkansas for three games. The team’s first home games will be Feb. 23-24 as they host Belhaven for a threegame series against the Blazers. Senior pitcher Jamie Andriot said they are not worried about the long trip. “We want to get the season started and we want to show what the team’s been working for,” Andriot said. “We’re confident we have just as much talent and just as much work ethic as any team out there. It’ll be a good opportunity to show what we got.” The coming season also marks the return of 13 seniors, including Andriot and senior first baseman Barry Casey. Last year, Andriot set the UTD record for most wins in a season, going 10-0 on the mound, with a 2.70 run average. Casey was nominated third team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association last season and set the team high with 54 batted runs. Casey said the team is eager to prove themselves, especially with so many seniors on the team. “We were hungry coming into the new year and we’re excited for more,” Casey said. “We’re ready to tackle on any challenges that come our way.”
After their most successful season in school history, the softball team looks to continue its dominance and repeat its record-breaking performance. Last season, the Comets finished with a 3610 record and captured their first ASC championship with a 7-5 win against the UT Tyler Patriots. Their successes in the regular season and ASC tournaments led them to their first ever NCAA Division III tournament appear-
ance. Ravin Wilson, a junior infielder, reflected on the team’s new experiences and the lessons they learned at the tournament. “I think the different atmosphere threw us off and no one really knew what to expect,” Wilson said. “I definitely think that once we get back there this year that we’ll be better.” Despite their early elimination in the NCAA tournament, the Comets broke various season records, racking up 297 runs, 264 RBI, 35 home runs and 16 consecutive wins from March 31 through April 19. In a year when the team was picked to finish near the
bottom of the standings, the Comets silenced critics over the course of the season. Jessica Vlasek, a sophomore utility player who was the designated hitter last year, knew that the players believed in each other from the first day of practice. “As a freshman coming in, I knew immediately that our one goal was to win,” Vlasek said. “It was just exactly from day one, we knew what we wanted and we knew how to get it.” One of the biggest changes this off-season was the departure of head coach Rich Wieligman, who left in November to become the
associate head coach at the University of Kansas. A month after Wieligman assumed his new position, Athletic Director Bill Petitt announced that Corrie Hill would be the interim head coach. Hill was previously the assistant head coach at the University of Central Florida and served as the head hitting coach for the University of Texas. Junior pitcher Allie Stephens said there was a period uncertainty of the team while the team did not have a head coach. “I think it’s been tough at times, but I think
→ SEE SOFTBALL, PAGE 10
Men’s volleyball returns to UTD Club team reinstated on probation after improvements in participation, attendance AYOUNG JO Mercury Staff
Two seniors helped reinstate the men’s club volleyball team during the fall semester. Even with probation and a lack of funding, the team practices every week and has attended a competitive open tournament. Although the men’s volleyball club has existed for several years, it was not until recently that it was recognized again as an official club by University Recreation. Because of the lack of attendance and participation, the club was put on probation in fall 2016, and was dissolved in the summer of 2017. However, after about a dozen students showed interested in recreating the team, psychology senior Garrett Matthew-Virgin and healthcare studies senior Austin Hoang took on the positions of co-captains to give the men’s club volleyball team a fresh start at the beginning of the fall semester. “It just came to mind that we should try to get (the team) going before we graduated,” Matthew-Virgin said. “I know that this year, volleyball is more important to a lot of people, especially the incoming freshmen.” In order for the team to be recognized as an official club sport again, the members and the co-captains met with Christopher Gormley, URec’s assistant director of competitive sports, to reinstate a new plan about how the team would operate as a club, a new budget and a club constitution. Gormley said like all new clubs, the men’s volleyball team is still in its probationary period, when it will be looked at with extra scrutiny. “The volleyball team has had a problem with people participating and staying committed to the team, and I think that it’s going to change with this group,” Gormley said. “It’s a whole new leader-
MICHAEL STOUT | MERCURY STAFF
Members of the UTD men’s vollyball club participate in a reaction drill at practice on Jan. 31 inside the Activity Center gym. The newly reinstated club meets for practices on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
ship team.” The club competed in its only tournament on Nov. 11 at the University of North Texas. Out of six teams present, UTD placed fifth. Matthew-Virgin said they remained competitive, even against more established programs, such as those from UNT and Angelo State University. “I don’t think it’s our place in the tournament that explains the hard work we put in,” Matthew-Virgin said. “We were hitting and getting kills, and I think they just looked past us more than they should have. And that’s going to happen (with the team’s) being so young.” Matthew-Virgin said there were difficulties because the co-captains had such little time to organize the club and make it sustainable for the members who need to take over the responsibility in less than a semester. However, the teammates have made the most of their limited time. “There’s a lot of freshmen, so there’s a lot of trust put on the older guys that we’re doing things right, and hopefully we
are,” Matthew-Virgin said. “There’s a lot of open minds, and I think that’s the biggest thing — people understand the situation and are willing to help and improve themselves not only for a better experience for themselves, but for the team.” Matthew-Virgin said this semester is serving as a “rebuilding time” for all the players to learn to function as a team before the team can earn the school’s trust, helping to lift the probation. The rebuilding stage is also the time for the veteran players to teach new skills to the beginner players. “If they develop as an athlete, that’s really good for them and that’s good for the team because we’ve earned a new player,” Matthew-Virgin said. “There are several players who have improved so much, it’s really cool to just watch what they’re doing.” The volleyball community outside of the club has helped the team in recruiting players and finding people to play with, he said.
→ SEE VOLLEYBALL, PAGE 10
ETHAN CHRISTOPHER | MERCURY STAFF
ETHAN CHRISTOPHER | MERCURY STAFF
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THE MERCURY | FEB. 5, 2018
LIFE&ARTS
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Transmission Reentry Through Feb. 17
one side of the face Through feb. 12
Foehrenwald Children Through feb. 12 June Owens gives a tour of her exhibit to holocaust studies students from the University of Dallas. Owens’ exhibit compares the Foehrenwald Jewish Displaced Person installation to the conditions of refugees currently living where the camp once stood in 1957.
The SP/N Gallery showcases art created by UTD alumni. The gallery is currently showing three exhibitis: “Transmission Reentry,” “one side of the face” and “Foehrenwald Children.”
PAGE DESIGN BY: WILLIAM LEGRONE | PHOTO EDITOR
STORY & PHOTOS BY: SAHER AQEEL | MERCURY STAFF
From Los Angeles and New York to Germany and France, June Owens’ filmography journey brings her back to UTD’s SP/N gallery with her exhibit, giving the children of the Holocaust a voice. Owens’ exhibit “revisit, remember, reconnect Fohrenwald children” features interviews and stories from children held at Jewish displaced person camps, specifically from the camp Fohrenwald. Owens, an arts and humanities graduate student, is comparing camps under American allied control from 1957 to the current situation of refugees living in the same place presently. Her purpose included giving the survivors a voice and an interactive experience where they can share their stories. She includes photographs, interviews and documentaries from the people who were children of Fohrenwald, as well as a preview to the Carlos Don Juan’s “Untitled (Orange)” is one of three identical interactive website she designed to visit the camp virtually and tell masks the exhibit has on display. their stories, emphasizing time and place. “The Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies did a lot for me, and I grew in an amazing way,” Owens said. “In 2015, (the Ackerman concerned to do her studies very well,” Oszvath said. “Her work as a Center for Holocaust Studies) funded a travel trip to Germany for student was very good, outstanding, she was very much interested in 30 days, then also in 2017, they funded the travel trip to the !F Lab, the topics I had taught. I value her very much and expect her to do which is the Interactive Factual Lab in France, so both of those experi- very good work.” ences were just crucial to this project.” Nils Roemer is also a history professor and director of the Ackerman The exhibit is Owens’ first experience creating an interactive docuCenter for Holocaust Studies, and was there from the beginning of mentary, a production merging traditional forms of multimedia tools Owens’ journey to her exhibit. such as video, audio and photography into information the viewer “Not all of our students make it a point to create an exhibit, and can interact with directly. She has created 120 films and videos profes- very few of them will figure out that they have to fly to Germany and sionally as a producer, director and writer. Her list of experiences is meet people, and so she just brought a lot of initiative to the end to expansive, starting from her small town in Oklahoma to working with this and a lot of motivation to this topic and just did initially a good Meryl Streep in L.A. and accepting a Gracie award for her short film part of it all by herself,” Roemer said. “We were able to help in New York City. her a little bit and give her a little bit of guidance along the Owens utilizes StoryCorps, a free mobile app used for interviewway. She is a fine example of someone who has an awful lot of ing and uploading interviews to the Library of Congress, and Four determination and commitment.” Corners, a platform photographers can use to contextualize their Owens said putting an exhibit together is not as easy images and work to create an interactive documentary, a relaas she thought, and finishing it was her proudest Carlos Don Juan’s “Untitled (Blanco)” is made with synthetic fur, tively new medium of documentation. moment with the exhibit. tomato cage, wood and paper. “I made this (exhibit) in France and we were say“I’ve been doing this for 20 ing … how are we going to make this interacyears,” Owens said. “What tive documentary … because there’s only 43 I like is starting from interactive documentaries,” Owens said. nothing and then “We’re trying to create this from nothing at the end, you — it’s never been done.” have something This is the first phase of her project, and to have with plans to expand the documensomething tary to all of the displaced persons this powercamps involving American Allied ful, which I Forces. Owens said the soundscape think it is, aspect of her project will enable is why I the viewer to hear the stories at do this.” the location. Sabine, one of the Fohrenwald children Owens interviewed for the exhibit, recounts her never-before-told story about her experience during WWII. “Privately, I am connecting (survivors in a) way where they could communicate with Analize Minjarez’s “Cresote” is made with porcelain, wire and shapecrete. each other because they’re childhood friends, they were born there,” Owens said. “They lived there until they were 12, some of them. Like Sabine said, she didn’t have a bed until she was 12, she had a military cot, she had two sticks and a blanket. So they’re connected to that place.” Owens credits her motivation to feature the Holocaust for the exhibit to her proDaniela Cavozos Madrigal’s “The Things They Carried.” fessors at UTD, including The piece is made with denim, thread and wire hanger. Zsuzsanna Oszvath. “After reading her book and being in every class I can until they said you can’t be in anymore classes from her, she is just an inspiration, she motivates me in particular,” Owens said. “She inspires me because she’s all about getting the stories told and discovered and rediscovered.” Oszvath is a Holocaust survivor, professor of history and literature and the director of the Holocaust Studies program at the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies. “Owens was a very good student and very intelligent and very much Rachel Muldez’s “Event HorizonFloor” is an installation made with natural materials.
An exhibit-goer looks at images from Lillian Love Kennedy’s “one side of the face.” Kennedy’s exhibit utilizes digital images to explore identity in dual cultures and the media’s representation of White and Native American females.
Fabiola Valenzuela’s “Things We Learned From My Mom” is a mixed media installation.
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Q&A
THE MERCURY | FEB. 5, 2018
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The Evasons: Mentalist Duo
On Jan. 24, The Evasons, a renowned mentalist duo, performed at UTD. The Mercury sat down with Jeff and Tessa Evason and asked them about their experience in psychic entertainment and their journey so far. ANUPAM GUPTA | MERCURY STAFF
How did you two meet? Jeff: I was a radio announcer in Toronto and Tessa was working part-time as a model. I was hosting a fashion show and she was modeling. We had a mutual friend who was a fashion designer, and when she asked me if I would host the fashion show, because I worked at the radio station, and Tess was one of the models and that’s how we met. Tessa: We just clicked, the moment we met. We started talking as though we had known each other all our lives.
When did you begin performing? Jeff: In 1983, Tessa had moved from the Caribbean to Canada. Tessa: Back to Canada. I used to live there when I was younger. Jeff: She always had a background believing in intuition. Tessa: Mostly intuition but you know, the culture. Jeff: And I had a background doing a little bit of magic. So, we met. We took our two interests together. Fast forward another couple of years, we met a couple out of Boston. We became good friends. Look where we ended up. Tessa: We were best friends. We were having a
super time together. Jeff: We met an older couple and they taught us over the years, before the internet, before even the fax machines. We had to write letters and make phone calls. They taught us a lot of their knowledge and that’s how we began. Tessa: But I think if we weren’t the people that we were and with the abilities that we had, I don’t know if we would have had this success. When I say special, I don’t mean that other people aren’t special. You have to fit into a specific box for it to work for you.
What sort of training or learning did you have to go through to get to this stage? Jeff: The first was called mnemonics. Mnemonics is memory. It’s association. You could associate an idea, something you could visualize, and you link it to something else that you already know. We did this show, all about memory. It was just demonstrations, where people in the audience would be thinking of things, and maybe 50 people should remember their names and things that they would think of, that they would call out, and (Tessa) would give it back to them later in the show, but that was just a part. That was the first thing that we did.
So, mnemonics for us was a starting point. People wouldn’t normally use it for our purposes, but we did. And then we met this couple. The two things that we had already learned and what they taught us were very similar. Theirs were secrets, which we already knew as practical knowledge. As I said, (Tessa) always had an interest in the metaphysical, the mystical side of things – whether it was tarot or astrology, that was her interest. My interest was similar, but yet, using tricks. But, the mnemonics seemed to bring it together as a starting point, to turn something that was a trick, but yet, it was real.
Tessa: I was supposed to be a doctor. But Jeff came in my life and I just went up this other direction because I always loved entertainment. I did some of it as a child and I really felt that that’s where I wanted to be on the stage. I thought that that would be the place I could give the most love, the most healing by anything I said or did. So when he came along and I started doing that, I found my parents weren’t very happy. But they realized, after a short space of time, that I was actually going to be very successful. It’s what all parents want, isn’t it?
What are some of your favorite acts or tricks to perform?
What made you decide to go into psychic entertainment?
Tessa: My favorite one is the one that we almost didn’t do tonight – the squares with the numbers. I love doing things that demonstrate the power of the mind. And then, of course, when I’m doing the set with the blindfold. I love when somebody holds up an item that connects them with family or a loved one. And the energy that’s there, the way we connect, is really wonderful and powerful.
Tessa: I think part of it is some of things that you see onstage, I was doing off-stage and not on a daily basis, but I had a great interest in psychic phenomena and I certainly had this goal that I wanted to be able to prove these things to be true scientifically. And I’m hoping, in centuries to come, that will be the case. And I know there’s remarkable improvements on it. But, I just think people love to be mystified. It takes them away from their real world and allows them to be in this fantasy world for a while. It’s a great feeling.
If you weren’t mentalists, what other profession would you have possibly pursued?
Plinth stage undergoing repairs Wooden panels, planks to be replaced following student reports of damage MADELEINE KEITH Mercury Staff
MADELINE AMBROSE | MERCURY STAFF
University officials cordoned the Plinth in mid-November. The repairs are expected to be complete by the first week of February, according to UTD Facilities Management.
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ing from the Center of campus to SP/N 2, and it took her about 20 minutes total. “I would tell students please do not rush, give yourself ample time to get there,” Jones said. “When there’s that walkway and it’s green for students to cross, don’t be on your phone and watch.” Since the move, there have been changes to the Testing Center policies. Jones was involved with the policy changes, overseeing and managing the relocation during mid-September. One of the policy updates
is that students are now required to bring their Comet Card for identification as part of the new system and without it, are forced to reschedule their exam. The policy began Jan. 1. The new system also allows for professors and faculty to reserve spaces easily and monitor their students signing up in real time. To maintain efficiency and prevent last-minute walk in’s, the new policies include students having to reserve a seat at least 48 hours prior to their test. “If everyone is asking for a seat at a Friday at 5 p.m., we might not be able to accommodate or have the staff for it,” Jones said. “The 48hour policy has a lot to do with us
After almost three months of being closed off, the stage at the center of the Plinth is undergoing repairs. Both the substrate and wooden panels are being replaced and an electrical component is being added. The damage was originally reported to Facilities Management in mid-November, when a student reported the the planks of the stage were moving and might be unsafe. Facilities Management Director Kelly Kinnard explained the primary problem was with the degradation of the substrate, the underlying material of the wood. “We were told that the planks were moving so we went over there, we tried to screw them down again, tried to find good wood to screw them down into, and it was just stripping right out, there was nothing
being able to manage how many students come in and how many seats are available.” Student Government President JW Van Der Schans said he thought the move was a good choice because of the additional space. He said he noticed professors pushing exams back because they couldn’t find a time slot that accommodated their classes, or would end up reserving computer labs and making students bring laptops in addition to having seats reserved at the Testing Center. “I think the distance is one of those cost-benefit situations where there’s a cost of it being farther from certain students now compared to having
left that the nail could grab hold of,” Kinnard said. Once it was clear the substrate would have to be restored, Facilities Management decided the wooden panels would also be replaced, similar in style to the Plinth bleachers that were remodeled three years ago. Ipe wood, commonly referred to as iron wood, is utilized, and is known for its durability. Kinnard said Facilities Management hopes to make a stage that will last much longer than the original’s seven-year life span. “Ipe is an incredibly hard wood,” Kinnard said. “With a normal 2-by-4, you could could nail or hammer through that without a problem. If you tried that with a normal nail on Ipe, you would just bend the nail.” In addition to its prospective longevity, the stage will now have six electrical outlets with two plugs on three sides of the stage so
students will no longer be obliged to string wires from the Student Union to the stage. Vandana Garg, a senior biochemistry student, heads the Lemon Club, a charity for pediatric cancer victims, and said she was excited that they will no longer have to deal with potential tripping hazards for their upcoming fundraiser in March. “Having outlets would be much easier for student orgs who reserve the Plinth,” Garg said. “It gets pretty annoying when the wires cross the space between the stage and the staircase. Although the wires are covered with a carpet, students still trip.” Kinnard said although the Plinth stage has been corded off since last year, the delay was due to a combination of winter break and the finalization of building materials. Now that construction is complete, Kinnard expects the project to be done by the first week of February, allowing events to take place on the stage once again.
more space,” Van Der Schans said. “I think the cost is worth the benefit because more people will end up being able to take the tests compared to it being pushed back and (the Center being) closer to students.” Jones said the administration is working on developing a shuttle system to go to and from the Testing Center to address safety and travel efficiency concerns, all of which is very tentative. “Because it is a new Testing Center, we always want to serve the students and faculty,” Crone said. “We XIANG LI | MERCURY STAFF always welcome feedback, if there’s The new location for the Testing Center is across Synergy Park something we could do better, we Boulevard and has twice the capacity of the previous location. absolutely want to hear about it.”
78 FAKE PEOPLE
FEB. 5, 2018 | THE MERCURY
COMICS&GAMES AND NOW THE WEATHER
KEATON NATIONS | MERCURY STAFF
iSHOWER
KEATON NATIONS | MERCURY STAFF SARAH BESSERER | MERCURY STAFF
CLASSIC RANDY
BUFFERING...
JENNA CHERREY | MERCURY STAFF
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
CHIAMAKA MGBOJI | MERCURY STAFF BIANCA DEL RIO | MERCURY STAFF
SNACKING IN CLASS
OLIVER & BLUE
EMAAN BANGASH | MERCURY STAFF
CARLZ SAYS
CAROLINA ALVAREZ | MERCURY STAFF
SARAH STREETY | MERCURY STAFF
OPINION
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FEB. 5, 2018 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
Students should read books more often Teenagers stop reading for pleasure as they get older despite long-term social skills, stress relief bookworms gain from hobby EMAAN BANGASH COMMENTARY
Reading is one of the most important skills to have and develop in life. However, people don’t seem to be reading for fun as much as they could be and this needs to be changed. Along with the obvious benefits that come with reading for pleasure, such as increased intelligence and openmindedness, it can also improve stress levels, curb anxiety and depression. In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, around 25 percent of adults said they hadn’t read a whole book, whether electronic, audio or print within 12 months. With multiple assignments due and the amounts of pages to read for class, it’s hard to think about ever reading a book for fun. During high school, required reading becomes much more common, and therefore becomes a chore to many students, turning them away from reading books in their free time. This shouldn’t be the case because of how important reading becomes in adult life. For UTD students, reading becomes especially important. Think about those journal articles, textbook pages and lab reports you read for your classes. Then, think about having to analyze them to be able to write 10-page essays and dissertations. While reading more books seems like the last thing on your mind, it can be a fun way to train yourself to read faster and comprehend difficult texts more efficiently. One of the most often mentioned benefits of reading is its effect on the brain itself. In Anne E. Cunningham’s
article, “What Reading Does for the Mind,” it cites that those who read frequently form enhanced vocabulary and verbal skills. Even if a person reads slowly or cannot easily read complex literature, the effort to read often at all contributes to increased intelligence. Additionally, avid readers develop advanced writing skills by observing other writing styles through their readings and applying those to their own works. It’s obvious that reading in one’s free time, no matter the genre, develops higher intelligence. Reading books teaches life lessons and put readers in situations they may not ever get to experience. Most of the Harry Potter series stands in Amazon’s Top 20 best-selling kids and teen books of all time, among other books such as “The Fault in Our Stars” and “The Book Thief.” Although these vastly differ in genre, they teach readers life lessons and how to deal with difficult situations such as death, disease and depression. A research article published by the Public Library of Science titled “How Does Fiction Reading Influence Empathy? An Experimental Investigation on the Role of Emotional Transportation,” suggests that when a reader feels sympathy for a book character, they turn to their own self-concept of who they want to be and take the perspective of others, which in turn develops empathy in real life. When reading about the death of a parent or a loved one, a person can either relate to their own experiences or those of a friend, and that is how empathy develops. The same concept applies to how reading improves relationships and opens the mind to different cultures and backgrounds. The book “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio provides readers with a first-person perspective of a child with
EMAAN BANGASH | MERCURY STAFF
a facial deformity, and readers then learn how to treat people who look differently. While these situations may be uncomfortable to a reader, it forces them to consider outlooks different from their own and how to apply them to real life. Thus, reading improves empathy and social relationships by applying situations in books to reality. Books also help with anxiety, stress relief and can be used as a form of therapy. In a study conducted at the University of Sussex, researchers increased test subject’s heart rates and stress levels through a variety of tests and exercises, and then were run through various traditional relaxation methods, and reading for six minutes reduced up to 68 percent of stress
levels. Losing yourself in a book takes away stress because of the concentration required to read. Bibliotherapy, an increasingly common way to treat anxiety and depression, incorporates evaluation of one’s own problems and life through reading. The School of Life in London includes bibliotherapy as a treatment method, where patients are prescribed a list of books meant to inspire and comfort. Reading books in one’s free time can contribute to lower stress levels and an overall improved state of mind. Despite the benefits to one’s mind, character and health, people still don’t read as much as they could. One of the most common excuses to not read is usually “I just don’t have time
to read.” Making time to read is the same as making time to scroll through your Instagram feed or read Buzzfeed articles. Reading doesn’t have to be a chore, and you can even read for as little as 10 minutes a day. You can read when you’re eating breakfast, when you’re waiting for the bus, when you’re waiting for class to start or even when you’re standing in line for lunch. In those times, when we’re mindlessly scrolling through our Snapchat stories out of boredom, there are easy opportunities to be reading. In the end, if you’re stressed, tired, bored, overwhelmed, want to escape your responsibilities or all of the above, your solution is right there in the pages of a book.
Student voices not heard in Testing Center decision Lack of transparency from administrative officials causes unnecessary confusion
IAN SEAMANS COMMENTARY
The Testing Center moved from its location in the library to Synergy Park North 2 in a unilateral move by administration without student comment. Located next to Northside, SP/N2 is a 20-minute walk from the library. Because of a lack of communication from the administration, students don’t know how much the move, renovation and new equipment will cost, if Comet cabs will run between the library and new location or exactly
why the new Center is needed. The administration may have a good reason for the relocation, but they hadn’t expressed it to the student body. Only after inquiring did I find that the new location will have more seating and better equipment than the previous Center. Neither of these reasons require the Testing Center moving as far away as SP/N2, and both of them could’ve been explained ahead of time. In my personal experience, the Testing Center has never been full and the line hasn’t been longer than a few people. All of the tests are online, so I’m unsure why the university would need new computers if the current ones are able to load webpages relatively quickly.
COMET COMMENTS
It is wasteful to renovate space at SP/N2 when there is already a functional testing center directly across from the Student Union. Considering the cost of moving and the length of time the Testing Center will remain there, it doesn’t seem prudent to put the new place so far from the rest of campus. It hampers campus walkability and makes accessibility harder. The relocation seems ridiculous when framed by the fact that golf carts are needed to ferry students to the new location for the indefinite future. A testing center far from the center of campus and without provided transportation would pose a problem for individuals with disability and anyone in a Texas summer.
ANTHONY MCNAIR | MERCURY STAFF
In the last several years, UTD has done a good job with centralizing campus around the mall, but the Testing Center relocation seems a move backwards in that effort. A condensed, centralized location promotes accessibility and walkability, while a sprawling campus will only encourage more Comet Cabs and more students
using cars to get around the university. I wouldn’t be writing this opinion piece if the university had explained their decision prior to the move. As it is, there doesn’t seem to be a reason for the change of location. The administration should have had a dialogue with students before moving a key part of campus a mile away.
What do you think about the Testing Center moving? HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? Students interested in writing opinions can email editor@utdmercury.com.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
“I think it’ll be better for people who commute, because rather than parking in a parking garage and having to walk all the way to the library and back, they can go to the new Testing Center and leave right after their exam.”
“I feel like it’ll be a bit more problematic because right now the Testing Center is in the middle of campus, so it’ll be an issue for students because it’s farther from where they usually go.”
“I have a feeling that it’ll be a lot more difficult for students to get there on time, and I’m not entirely sure that everyone knows about the new Testing Center.”
Arej Syed Neuroscience Freshman
Ajay Karthikeyan Biology Freshman
Sarah Makhamreh Healthcare Studies Sophomore
Letters must be 250 words or less. Students should include their full name, major and year. Faculty, staff and administrators should include their full name and title. Email letters to editor@utdmercury. com. Although electronic copies are preferred, a hard copy can be dropped off at the reception desk of the Student Media suite (SU 1.601). Please include a headshot. Authors may only have one letter printed per edition of The Mercury.
OP-EDS
Apart from your name and photo, personal info will not be published. We reserve the right to reject submissions, and we cannot be responsible for their return. We reserve the right to edit for clarity, brevity, good taste, accuracy and to prevent libel.
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THE MERCURY | FEB. 5, 2018
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“It’s your first opening into building a pipeline yourself and you’re able to pick out and learn who else is also just as equally motivated just because of how much it has to be done through your own ambition,” Brodie said. “It was through working together and talking later on that we built a really good friendship and working relationship.” Eric Brodie, producer and community manager, said game lab was useful because it gave the team a chance to work in specialized roles in creating games together and later recognizing their motivations with game design. “I think (Game Lab) is really a very important thing for ATEC to
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on smartphones. According to Education Week, the debate between STEM and STEAM, which incorporates the arts into STEM fields, has been going on for the
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“The girls’ club team has been really amazing with us,” MatthewVirgin said. “A lot of their captains and leaders would come to our practice and help us run practice.
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we’re all kind of on the same page,” Stephens said. “I think it’s just another testament towards our team that we stick through everything together and we’re going to get through it regardless.” UTD was chosen to finish second
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maintain because … it teaches a paign for “Innerspace.” After it lot of really good lessons in actu- was approved, they spent around three and a half ally seeing a game years developing through to the It’s about who the game. end,” Brodie said. you know and “There’s a lot “You get to recof support beognize everything who you impress that’s going to tween the various with your work go wrong in the creators and you development and really do forge because people how to solve those relationships with won’t just vouch challenges and backers,” Brodie for you because how to work in said. “Again, just a team and work like how reputathey know you. collaboratively.” tion goes around, Within three moves — Chris Miller, word months, the team around in the UTD alumnus Kickstarter comcreated a “proof of concept” demmunity, so a lot of our early support onstration to prove they could make the game and initial outreach we got to have to Kickstarter as part of their cam- started through Kickstarter.”
Brodie, Zapata and Miller said they saw the gaming industry as much more unpredictable compared to what they learned at UTD. Miller said he didn’t realize how quickly a person’s reputation and work spread throughout the industry, and that it was important to build relationships with people to get connections and opportunities. “It really is true that everybody at all the studios around here knows each other,” Miller said. “It’s about who you know and who you impress with your work because people won’t just vouch for you because they know you.” Zapata, Brodie and Miller also spoke about how not all of the team members pursued work directly related to game development right after getting their de-
grees, and how that was still helpful for their future in game design. After graduating, each alumnus pursued a different path such as completing internships and doing side jobs before later coming together to form PolyKnight Games and start developing and releasing games. Zapata interned at the UTD Brain Performance Institute doing virtual reality research in the medical field, despite it not being explicitly related to game creation and design. “I had a couple of different mentors who worked there and they … gave me access to resources and information I wouldn’t have had access to with the university because of time constraints for classes and the core curriculum beyond your normal ATEC degree plan,” Za-
pata said. “Those are opportunities you can make the most of.” After the game’s release, the team continues to receive feedback from reviewers and other players, and will continue to add updates and expansions to the game. The alumni and their coworkers are currently looking into prototyping new ideas and working to create games similar to “Innerspace.” “As a team, when we set out to make games, I don’t think any of us thought we would be making a flying game,” Zapata said. “Judging by how unique ‘Innerspace’ is as a flying game, I think we can safely say regardless of what genre we pick or what type of game we make next, it’s going to be equally as unique even if it’s a different kind of game.”
past decade. Kim said he supports STEAM education and that it can help STEM majors. “When trying to figure out how to take and disseminate images in the best way possible, having artistic insight helps you, it’s not going to distract you,” Kim said. “It’s a good thing, rather
than being a hindrance.” As for the future, Kim said he’s satisfied with his NanoArt, and doesn’t plan on branching out to other fields anytime soon. “NanoArt has allowed me to communicate with the general public in a way,” Kim said. “And so far, as it is, it makes me busy enough.”
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We collaborate quite a bit, actually.” Matthew-Virgin said the board of the team’s leaders agreed on planning to attend four or five tournaments for the next semester. Without funding from the university, the team will rely on fundraisers, team members
and sponsorships. “I have a lot of hopes for the future,” he said. “The way this semester has gone, under probation and without funding and without a lot of the resources most club teams have, we’ve done really well for ourselves.”
in the ASC preseason poll behind UT Tyler, receiving one first place vote. The Comets defeated the Patriots in last season’s championship game. “(UT Tyler) is the one that we want to beat for sure, just because they’re good and we know that we’re good,” Stephens said. “But they definitely carry themselves a little differently.”
The Comets begin the season on Feb. 10 at home against the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders, who finished in fourth just behind UTD last season. “We gained a ton of knowledge and we have the experience under our belt now,” Stephens said. “I think that makes a huge difference and I wouldn’t count us out.”
“(Faulkner) writes over a dozen characters in just 12 pages of short fiction, and it can be a lot to keep up with,” Heath said. “Seeing a visual representation allowed me to visualize in my mind who is present in the story and where they are. I’m definitely going to click through his stories when I read them.” Towner said she also loves the way virtualizing literature binds together the sciences and humanities. “This project is a microcosm of the relationship between the humanities and the sciences,” Towner said. “Each enhances the other — the arts cannot reach their full potential without a scientific platform. Digitized data highlights the humanities in a brilliant way.” Towner became one of two associate directors on the extensive project in 2013, not long after a past professor reached out as a colleague to request her help. Five years later, the project is nearly complete. “All credit goes to Stephen Railton, who first conceived of this whole idea,” Towner said. “He was my professor during graduate school at the University of Virginia, so when he reached out to see if I’d collaborate on such a major proj-
ect, it was a big surprise and quite an honor for me. Fast forward to present day and we have only one final novel to incorporate into the ‘Digital Yoknapatawpha.’” Towner said although this work is simultaneously a celebration of Faulkner’s works and a well-respected project in the literary world, the best part of this whole process is working with her colleagues. “Without a doubt, the most valuable thing is collaborating with our team of scholars,” Towner said. “Because of my supervisory role, I’m often working with teams of the 25 or so professors to develop this resource. Even if convincing liberal arts professionals to meet deadlines can be a little like herding cats, all of us are working on something we love, and it is my favorite part of the process.” On the other hand, Towner said the toughest element is the monotony of entering seemingly endless data points to the virtual map. However, the end justify the means, she said. “We don’t think of the world as a collection of drop-down menus,” Towner said. “But we endure the tedium and drop-down menus because they compose something that is so much more.”
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try,” Towner said. “It’s necessary for these scholars to have a background in Faulkner’s works because we are not just graphing numbers, but instead the dimensions of places and people and events.” A filtering mechanism allows website guests to screen for certain characters or plot points, and a timeline below the map offers the options of either viewing the story chronologically or in the order Faulkner wrote the book. The commentaries tab features a selection of maps drawn by Faulkner himself, from which Towner’s team assembled portions of their digitized Yoknapatawpha. Audio files from the author, rescued from crumbling tapes, provide background information on the novels and short stories. Towner teaches a course on Faulkner’s works, and during one class, she demonstrated the author’s fictional landscape for her students. Sophomore mechanical engineering student Natalie Heath said the best part of “Digital Yoknapatawpha” is the way it puts the stories’ settings in context.