facebook.com/theutdmercury | @utdmercury
January 22, 2018
→ SEE WOMEN’S MARCH, PAGE 6
THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
smoke-free campus? tobacco use remains prevalent despite policy
MICHAEL STOUT | MERCURY STAFF
Cigarettes gathered from UTD’s campus overflow an ashtray. The Mercury collected 542 cigarettes on Jan. 21 and 700 cigarettes on Nov. 11, 2017 from different locations on campus.
CINDY FOLEFACK News Editor
Editor’s Note: Joseph’s identity was kept anonymous so he could speak freely about colleagues who reguarly violate the tobacco ban. A UTD policy aimed at ending the use of tobacco products on campus was met with mixed reactions from students and faculty. Since “Breathe Easy” went into effect, tobacco use on campus remains prevalent, but hidden. The Mercury collected over 700 cigarette butts on Nov. 11, 2017 and 542 more on Jan.
21 from the areas around the Administration building, the Jonsson Academic Center, Parking Structure 3, Residence Hall Northwest and the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. UTD’s National Collegiate Health Assessment survey found that 15 percent, about 4,000 students, used tobacco products sparingly in fall 2017. Since the policy was put into place on June 1, a total of 15 students, faculty and staff members have sought out cessation services from university resources.
→ SEE SMOKING, PAGE 10
MICHAEL STOUT | MERCURY STAFF
Jason Heard, a student from UT Arlington, smokes outside the McDermott Library. Heard said he studies at the library every weekend and was unaware of the smoking ban.
More than just a video game Students find balance, mindful gaming during recovery from video game addiction
University Village switches to semesterly payment policy Change comes as UTD takes over management
EMAAN BANGASH Mercury Staff
Major Grant spent hours playing the popular multiplayer online video game Overwatch. He played daily during the summer and into the semester, sometimes neglecting his homework or assignments. “All I was doing was waking up, going to work, coming back from work, playing a bunch of Overwatch and going to sleep,” he said. As his love for Overwatch grew and he got better at the game, he saw his grades and midterms dropping from straight A’s to B’s and C’s. After taking a four-month hiatus from playing to concentrate on his studies, Grant learned he could balance his gameplay and still manage his academics and relationships. This month, the World Health Organization classified video game addiction as a mental health condition, with symptoms ranging from increased irritability and increased priority given to gaming. With millions of players on popular games such as League of Legends and Counter-Strike, video game addiction is causing a debate about the severity of the issue and whether it is qualified to classify as a disorder. At UTD, students are often actively engaged in gaming, whether in the SU playing different card and video games, to concentrating on game design in their major and taking courses on gaming. Grant, a biomedical engineering junior, would play Overwatch for hours daily, especially in the summer when he had more free time to balance work and gameplay.
CHRISTI LAZUTKIN | MERCURY STAFF
WILLIAM LEGRONE | PHOTO EDITOR
The new housing payment plan will require students to pay a lump sum per semester through the EZPay system starting fall 2018. AYOUNG JO ANTHONY MCNAIR | MERCURY STAFF
“I was hooked on that game. It’s the only game I ever played for longer than 20 hours,” he said. Grant is not alone in his past struggle with addiction to videogames. In a survey conducted by The Mercury, out of 128 respondents, 32 percent said they felt they couldn’t seem to stop playing games, and 60 percent played up to five hours on average daily. Alanna Carrasco, a psychologist who works at the UTD Counseling Center, said she’s hesitant to quickly diagnose
video game addiction because of the subjectivity of the matter. She said video game addiction may not be the primary concern, but rather underlying problems such as depression and social anxiety affecting their social life, schooling, work or other aspects of their life. Carrasco said now that the WHO has publicized this knowledge, people may turn away from the benefits video games can present, both socially and cognitively.
→ SEE VIDEOGAME, PAGE 10
Mercury Staff
Starting next semester, residential students living in all university housing facilities will be required to pay their housing expenses by semester instead of monthly. With the on-campus housing renewal and sign-up process for next semester beginning on Jan. 23, students can expect a change if they choose to live on campus. Instead of bringing a check to the leasing office or paying online through the American Campus Communities website every month, they will need to pay their on-campus housing expenses through the
Bursar’s Office as a part of their overall university bill. The change is the result of a shift in University Housing management. On Nov. 1, UTD’s current contract with American Campus Communities, a private management company, will expire, and the school will take on the management of all operations such as maintenance, daily operations and staffing. “We’ve had the American Campus Communities in place because we were a young university that was smaller and needed a housing program, but not set up
→ SEE PAYMENT, PAGE 10
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THE MERCURY UTDMERCURY.COM Volume XXXVIII No. 17
THE MERCURY | JAN. 22, 2018
NEWS
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 Noumika Balaji Emaan Bangash Sarah Besserer Neil Bhamoo Jenna Cherrey Ethan Christopher Travis Dickerson Anupam Gupta Christina Jia Ayoung Jo Maddie Keith Christi Lazutkin Xiang Li Sam Lopez Anthony McNair Chiamaka Mgboji Keaton Nations Nadine Omeis Anna Schaeffer Ian Seamans Yannis Shafi Sarah Streety Michael Stout Dev Thimmisetty 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 9 • At 1:00 p.m., a woman in Residence Hall North reported receiving unwanted letters from her ex-husband. January 11 • A UTD facilities vehicle struck a student’s car in parking lot H at 8:17 a.m.
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January 12 • Two students in Residence Hall Northwest were issued citations for possession and consumption of alcohol by a minor at 10:38 p.m.
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January 12 • At 3:22 p.m., a student reported losing $1500 through theft by deception after receiving a fraudulent phone call from someone claiming to be from the Department of Homeland Security.
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January 16 • A student in the Phase 9 apartments was arrested for possession of marijuana and possession of hallucinogenic substances at 11:33 a.m.
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D A LEGEND VEHICULAR INCIDENT
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DRUGS & ALCOHOL OTHER MAP: UTD | COURTESY
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NEWS
UTDMERCURY.COM
Students bet on blockchain
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THE MERCURY | JAN. 22, 2018
UTD club helps members find jobs in new industry
XIANG LI | MERCURY STAFF
Blockchain and Cryptographic Systems had their first official kickoff meeting on Jan. 19 at the Blackstone Launchpad. Advisor Alex Treece introduces himself and the goals of the organization.
ETHAN CHRISTOPHER | MERCURY STAFF
CINDY FOLEFACK News Editor
Bitcoin gained international attention in early December when it experienced a meteoric rise in value, quickly followed by a nearly 50 percent drop. While one UTD professor has written the currency off as a speculative bubble waiting to burst, a UTD organization is capitalizing off the cryptocurrency boom. Computer science senior Michael Lewellen is president of Blockchain and Cryptographic Systems, an organization formed in August 2017 that hosts workshops and events to help students learn more about the growing field of blockchain development, as well as trains them on how to use cryptocurrency and develop applications facilitating its use. “We had a Hackathon last semester where we got to bring people in, and six teams finished out, so it went really well,” Lewellen said. “Our plan is to keep up momentum this semester and get people jobs in this industry by summer.”
Students in the club also learn how to trade cryptocurrencies including bitcoin. According to IBM, blockchain technology was released along with bitcoin so transactions made with the cryptocurrency could be verified while fraudulent transactions would be removed. “It’s like a bank where everyone can see the accounts,” Lewellen said. “We just don’t know who owns the account because the addresses are anonymous.” Miners verify the transactions by using advanced computers to confirm that the transactions are valid. These miners are paid in transaction fees charged to bitcoin users in order to have their transactions confirmed. “There’s so many people trying to push transactions through bitcoin’s network that they kind of have to bribe miners,” he said. “Only so many transactions can go through every 10 minutes, so if your transaction’s going to be one of them, you have to pay a certain fee.” Miners verify transactions in groups known as blocks, and add non-fraudulent transactions to a chain of previously verified transactions. The process, called mining, results in the
release of new bitcoins, that the miners collect. “It’s getting to the point where there’s a massive lack of talent for people that understand this technology and anyone that’s involved in this space is trying to hire these people,” Lewellen said. Companies such as IBM and Maersk, who teamed up midJanuary to launch a blockchain-based supply chain company, are adapting to blockchain technology. Lewellen said that as large companies begin to adapt to blockchain, he hopes to get students involved in the new field through his club. “If we can bring in students and get them familiar with this in even a semester, by the end of that semester they can have projects such as making simple front-end applications interfaced with (blockchain), and could potentially get an internship or even a full-time job with a company,” he said. While blockchain technology has become increasingly popular, cryptocurrencies haven’t been able to become as popular, Lewellen said. Daniel Arce, the economics program
→ SEE CURRENCY, PAGE 7
Tax Bill may reduce campus donations Act limits funds that go toward buildings, projects
University Communication Project Student Government President JW Van der Schans is leading an initiative to conduct surveys in order to determine the ideal way for campus organizations and departments to keep students updated on events and information. The results of the survey would be shared with various groups such as dining or residential services to help with student outreach. The services would then use the results of the survey to change up the way they communicate, keeping students from having to follow multiple UTD social media accounts. New JSOM Art Piece
SG Vice President Alex Holcomb is working with technology resources graduate student Travis Fowler to build an acrylic structure spelling out “UTD” between the columns in the Jindal School of Management atrium. The structure, currently pending approval, is part of Fowler’s capstone project and the administration’s goal of showing appreciation for studentfocused public art. Student Art in the SU An SG art initiative is coming to the Student Union. SU Director Dan Goodwin is working with SG to display student-submitted artwork on the walls of the SU. Holcomb and Good-
win are currently forming a curating board consisting of faculty and staff who will select the pieces from student submissions so the selection process remains fair. The artwork will cycle throughout the SU, with the board choosing different pieces to be displayed in various cycles. Student Government Elections Students who would like to run for SG can file paperwork from Feb. 26 to March 26, giving candidates three academic weeks between filing and the election to campaign. SG is currently working on a marketing campaign to get students to vote in the election, held March 27-29.
Meet your SG Committee Chairs CHRISTINA JIA | MERCURY STAFF
IAN SEAMANS Mercury Staff
The rate of small donations to UTD is expected to decline this year because of the passage of federal tax cuts. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 doubled the standard tax deduction, and Kyle Edgington, UTD’s vice president of development and alumni relations, expects a decrease in the number of donations made to the university under $1,000. These do-
nations typically go towards new buildings, creating new endowments, graduate fellowships and other projects that are not fundamental to the university. According to the Boston Globe in 2017, the GOP led tax cut and the standard deduction was doubled from $12,000 to $24,000. This disincentivizes charitable giving, as it’s now more difficult to deduct more than the standard deduction through itemizing, according
→ SEE BILL, PAGE 7
Haris Pepermintwala Student Affairs Applied Cognition and Neuroscience Graduate
Joey Campain Treasurer Biochemistry Senior
Priya Agrawal Judicial Board Biology Freshman
Ashley Levy Legislative Affairas and Election Board Accounting Senior
Adam Richards Graduate and International Affairs Political Science Graduate
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JAN. 22, 2018 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
LIFE&ARTS
DIGITIZING HISTORY Engineering professor, students create custom technology to preserve analog audio records from 1960s space missions
ANUPAM GUPTA | MERCURY STAFF
John Hansen, an electrical engineering professor, displays an audio reel from the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. In 2012, Hansen and his group began to convert the analog tapes into digital files. ANNA SCHAEFFER Mercury Staff
Nearly 50 years after the Apollo space missions, UTD researchers are digitizing audio recording from the Apollo and Gemini missions. Professor John Hansen, along with 15 other students and research faculty, began a project in 2012 to observe group dynamics by studying the Apollo 11 mission. After NASA provided access to audio tapes, they found that the tens of thousands of hours of audio were still on analog tapes, and the team undertook an operation to preserve these records. “We’d expected NASA had already digitized this stuff and they’d give us
the data,” Hansen said. “Instead, they 11,000 hours of transcription from pointed us to the machine and said, Apollo 11, and 19,000 hours in total. They designed diariza‘There’s the machine tion algorithms, or and the tapes. Do The people who voice recognition opwhat you need to do.’” erations, that recogWith the capability are behind those nize when speech does to read only one tape astronauts...are and does not occur, at a time, the Soundthe heroes behind identify who’s speakScriber technoling and assess whether ogy NASA provided the heroes. the individual is unwould’ve taken over 170 years to digitize — John Hansen, der stress. the tapes. In response Electrical Engineering “Mission control to this obstacle, the Professor must work collaboratively to make sure the UTD team designed mission is a success, so and installed techwe’re looking at collabnology that can read orative interaction and how people work a few dozen tracks at once. Hansen and his team digitized together to solve problems,” Hansen said.
Northside Drafthouse offers speedy service, fresh food Latest establishment brings unique atmosphere, exceptional quality to campus
Although the benefits of the project affect both UTD and the world, Hansen said the two main goals are to advance speech technology and celebrate the people who support the astronauts. “Everyone always thinks about the astronauts, and they should have enormous amounts of respect for these individuals, but not everyone can be an astronaut; the people who are behind those astronauts — mathematicians, nutritionists, physicists, psychologists — are the heroes behind the heroes,” Hansen said. “This huge range of people has to work collaboratively to accomplish such a feat.” His team is not only studying NASA missions — Peer-Led Team Learning groups, or small study
groups composed of students, provide another source of group dynamics. Audio technology can assess student learning and gather feedback about what methods help students best understand concepts in their PLTL circles. Hansen said keyword-spotting software could potentially allow professors to see data on which topics are discussed most often by PLTL groups, therefore encouraging a professor to spend more time on particularly difficult ideas during class. The ripple effect of this project stretches beyond the UTD campus. In 2019, NASA celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moonwalk
→ SEE NASA, PAGE 6
A love for language UTD sophomore channels childhood passion for language into interest in international diplomacy
NOAH WHITEHEAD | MERCURY STAFF
Northside Drafthouse opened on Dec. 28 of last year and features classic American fare along with 50 beers on tap.
YANNIS SHAFI COMMENTARY
Northside Drafthouse and Eatery, the fifth food establishment at Northside, opened its doors to customers over winter break. This bar and restaurant is superior in the categories of its comfortable atmosphere, variety of appetizer, entree and drink options and attentive customer service. The first noticeable thing about the bar was its wide array of televisions. Whether they displayed food
and drinks or broadcasted ESPN, it created an ambiance similar to that of a sports bar. The bright lights inside the restaurant were a drastic contrast between the darkened windows on the exterior of the building. The biggest feature of the drafthouse was its 50 unique types of beers on tap. The bar even has sampler selections for patrons to try different types of beer for a smaller size and cheaper price. Even if you are not the biggest fan of beer, there are still plenty of cocktails that you can order off the menu, all for a relatively cheap price. Another distinctive characteristic was that all food and drink orders
were placed at the bar. In regards to food, this was unique in the sense that a waiter did not come to your table. Rather, you go to the bar and order the food at the same place you pick up your drinks. The bartender was very helpful in suggesting food options, and knew the menu items, including what each item was and what kind of meat was used in each dish. I ended up ordering an appetizer of Wisconsin cheese curds and and a coney dog, that essentially were mozzarella sticks served with a beef chili and a cheese hotdog. One of the biggest takeaways from
→ SEE DRAFTHOUSE, PAGE 6
VLADYSLAV WALLACE | COURTESY
Global business and international political economy senior Vladyslav Wallace visited the Soroca Fort in Moldova as a part of his gap year to study Russian. DEV THIMMISETTY Mercury Staff
A UTD student is currently on his third study abroad trip in three years, using his passion for languages to propel him towards a career in international diplomacy. Vladyslav Wallace, a global business and international political economy sophomore, entered UTD as a pre-med biology student, but changed his mind after he pursued a gap year in Moldova studying Russian with the National Security Language Initiative for Youth before his freshman year. “I’ve definitely been internationally focused, and I wanted to help others, whether
it was directly through medicine or indirectly through economics or economic policy,” he said. Wallace said his multilingual interest originated from his family’s visits to their home country of Ukraine. “After I took a personal trip to Ukraine, it really solidified my decision to study abroad and learn Russian specifically,” he said. “It’s really cool because the Soviet Union took up such a big part of the world, and now I can communicate with so many people and different cultures.” After studying Russian for four hours a
→ SEE ABROAD, PAGE 6
SPORTS
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JAN. 22, 2018 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
HISTORY IN THE MAKING Sophomore notches UTD’s second triple-double, sets ASC assist record
WILLIAM LEGRONE | PHOTO EDITOR
UTD defeated the University of the Ozarks 77-62 in a home game on Jan. 20, stopping a two-game skid after losses to Letourneau and UT Tyler. Sophomore guard Dimitrius Underwood led the team with 20 points, including making all three of his free-throw attempts. Underwood’s 16.5 points per game average and 86 defensive rebounds are the highest on the team this season. YANNIS SHAFI Mercury Staff
A sophomore on the men’s basketball team recorded the second tripledouble in school history. Sophomore guard Dimitrius Underwood had 14 points, 13 rebounds and 18 assists during UTD’s Dec. 29 117-105 victory over the Rhodes College Lynx. His 18 assists set a new ASC record, and Underwood was named the ASC East player of the week on Jan. 2. “Early in the game, it’s just about getting everybody involved,” Under-
wood said. “The pace of the game was really fast … so we could just get out and run.” Fellow teammates were surprised at Underwood’s record-breaking performance. Sophomore forward/center Hans Burwitz did not know that Underwood had enough assists to break the ASC record until after the game was over. “During the game, we didn’t really know he had so many assists or rebounds or anything because the game was up and down,” Burwitz said. “I helped him get those 18 assists because he just kept passing me and our other
Chess team falls short One of UTD’s five teams places sixth in competition
teammate Reagan (Keogh) the ball.” Underwood attributes most of the team’s success to its defensive play. He and his teammates consider themselves to be the best defensive team in the ASC, partially due to the leadership of head coach Terry Butterfield, Underwood said. In addition to this, Underwood believes that the team chemistry has developed over the course of the season. “Last year we struggled early, but this year we made it a priority to have our identity on defense,” he said. “Playing defense sparked our offense and it just got us out to a much bet-
ter start.” Ten of the 13 members on the team are either freshmen or sophomores, who have led the team to their best start in two years. The team got off to a 10-6 start over their first 16 games, compared to 3-13 at the same point in the 2016-2017 season. Experiencing the fast pace of college basketball has been critical in giving the freshmen and sophomores a better understand of the game, said freshman forward Michael Forster. “There is a learning curve of size, speed and strength,” Forster said. “I’m just trying to learn as much as I can to
benefit myself going forward.” With the regular season ending on Feb. 17, the Comets look to capture its first ASC Championship since 2014. Their emphasis on defense has allowed them to force over five steals, three blocks and 17 points off of turnovers per game. As a result of this, Butterfield’s discipline on defense and emphasis on doing the little things prevents other teams from outscoring them in the games. “We gameplan better than anyone I’ve ever been with,” Forster said. “We are a special group, so hopefully we can accomplish all of our goals by the end.”
On a winning streak Women’s basketball team notches ninth consecutive victory of the season TRAVIS DICKERSON Mercury Staff
MADELINE AMBROSE | MERCURY STAFF
Finance and economics sophomore Titas Stremavicius (left) and computer science freshman Razvan Preotu practice on Jan. 19 for an upcoming match. NEIL BHAMOO Mercury Staff
After performing well at the past few competitions, the UTD chess team failed to qualify for the finals at the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship. The annual competition occurred from Dec. 27 to Dec. 30, and this year, 58 teams from 38 schools competed in the national tournament. Of the five teams from UTD, one of the UTD teams placed sixth, but did not gain the amount of points needed to reach the Final Four by a small margin. “It was a good result because, by rating, we were the number (six) team,” chess coach Rade Milovanovic said. The UTD chess team has won the event 10 times, tied for the most wins in the history of the championship. However, the competition became more difficult, making it harder to secure a position in the Final Four. Actuarial science sophomore Eylon Nakar is a member of the team that reached sixth place in the national competition. “UTD has a very long history of winning the Pan-American, but I think other schools have improved,” Nakar said. “UTD still has strong players, but they’re not as dominant
as they used to be.” In the team’s last match, the four members fought from behind to secure a draw against the team that eventually won. Nakar said they hoped they could still qualify for the Final Four, but the draw did not give UTD enough points to reach the finals. “Personally, I think I played well, but more importantly the team played well, but unfortunately it was not enough,” Nakar said. The chess team held practice at least two times a week, both individual and group, for the members to prepare for the tournament. The members had to study chess theory in addition to playing chess in order to get used to the rhythm of the sport. “A big goal is to qualify for the Final Four and maybe even win the championship, and it was very disappointing that it didn’t happen this year, but I have two more years here and two more opportunities, so I am optimistic and I think it is something we can definitely do,” Nakar said. The next team tournament UTD will participate in is the Southwest Collegiate, held at UTD on Feb. 24. Before the tournament, individual players have the opportunity to compete for their own ranks at the Southwest Open, held on Feb. 16-19.
The women’s basketball team has gone undefeated since Dec. 18, leading to a 14-2 record this season. The Comets started their winning streak with a 59-47 win over HardinSimmons at home. The streak came as a surprise to coach Polly Thomason, especially after the loss of several senior players from last season. “This one is more exciting and enjoyable just because it’s unexpected,” Thomason said. “Last year we were just talented, and this year we feel were going to have to work hard to get the win.” During the 2016-2017 season, the team had two extended winning streaks, one with 11 games and one with 12, ending the year with a 25-4 record. Last year’s 12 consecutive victories are the current school record. Senior forward Madison Steele attributed the team’s overconfidence to last season’s success. “In the past, complacency has been a big reason for a winning streak to fall,” she said. “We force teams into making plays that they are not comfortable with and we trust our teammates to have our backs in help-side when needed. We have also learned how to be patient in our offense and find the best option on the floor to take the shot.” The tactic has proven successful this season, with the team defeating schools including ASC East first-place East Texas Baptist University and school rival UT Tyler. Senior guard McKenzie Petty came off the bench to help the team and grab seven points in the 59-55 road win against ETBU, handing them their only ASC loss this sea-
WILLIAM LEGRONE | PHOTO EDITOR
Junior guard Tyra Banks had 3 points in her 16 minutes of play against University of the Ozarks at home on Jan. 20. The Comets took a 5-4 lead with 6:26 to play in the first quarter and held onto it through the end of the game, a 76-41 win.
son. Despite the new players, the team came together in the end, Petty said. “I feel like we have a lot more … freshmen that had to step up this year,” Petty said. “It’s been a learning experience for them, not a lot of experience compared to the past, but
they’ve really stepped up and showed a lot of talent.” The team secured its ninth win with a 76-41 rout of University of the Ozarks on Jan. 20. The team continues ASC play in Austin against Concordia Texas on Jan. 22.
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LIFE&ARTS
THE MERCURY | JAN. 22, 2018
→ NASA
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
and the mission’s audio was transcribed just in time for a documentary. “Inside mission control, there was a person with a handheld camera designated to take video without audio,” Hansen said. “The movie company creating a CNN documentary reached out to NASA, so NASA pointed them to UTD for our audio transcripts. We sent it all to them and the studio no longer has to read lips
→ ABROAD
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
day in Moldova for a full year, Wallace interned in Estonia the summer of his freshman year, partially because he had made friends in the region from his time in Moldova. “I was not required to learn Estonian, but I wanted to anyway because I thought I was well equipped to try it and tackle it,” he said. “My professors in Moldova taught me how to approach and learn languages in general, so that also kindled my interest. Every aspect of the (Moldova) program really had a profound effect on me.” In his sophomore year, Wallace
from the video, they can just match the speaker with our audio and recreate scenes.” The future of this project still involves more preservation of audio. Hansen said next year could result in another 100,000 hours of audio from the tapes still waiting to be transcribed. He said working with enthusiastic graduate and undergraduate students in order to create tangible results was the most valuable part of the project. “The credit goes to about 15 research faculty, Ph.D. students, master’s students, and undergraduate students who’ve worked
with me over the past few years,” Hansen said. Students on the research team designed a website combining timestamped video from Apollo missions with the uncovered audio so the general public can appreciate NASA space travel in a new way. On this site, people can see the historic visuals from the legendary Apollo 11 mission paired with Neil Armstrong’s voice, digitized and memorialized forever by UTD researchers — “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
received the Gilman International Scholarship, a State Departmentfunded program that allows students of limited financial means to study abroad. He is currently in France at the EMLYON Business School in Saint-Etienne, taking courses towards his double major. He said adjusting to a new country was much easier the third time around. “The most difficult part of going abroad is trying to find your groove,” he said. “Finding your new set of friends, finding your new hobbies or places to do your old hobbies. It’s always difficult to readjust to a completely new lifestyle. In my experience in France, it only took about three days to get situated with everything.”
Having the right mindset is crucial to having a positive experience interning or studying abroad, Wallace said. “(People abroad) are not trying to tell you are bad or that you suck,” he said. “They are trying to help you, so I would say don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s okay to laugh at yourself and learn from your mistakes.” Wallace said he hopes for more UTD students to get involved with programs abroad. “I’m actually doing a blog, adding videos, photos and even a forum to show people what opportunities are out there,” he said. “With the resources and funding that UTD has, we can definitely make it so more students go abroad.”
UTDMERCURY.COM
→ DRAFTHOUSE
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the restaurant was how quickly the food came out. Within 10 minutes of ordering, the server came from the kitchen with all of the food. It seemed freshly prepared and was exactly as ordered. In addition, the coney dog came with soft potato crisps — a unique interpretation of french fries — as well as ketchup. The cheese curds also came with a marinara dipping sauce and parmesan cheese. Even though the food came out quickly, it was absolutely delicious.
The cheese curds tasted fresh, with a hint of a spicy seasoning after dipping it in the marinara sauce. The portions are quite substantial, and you get what you pay for. The coney dog was significantly better than that of a Sonic or Dairy Queen. Even the potato crisps were a great compliment to the coney dog meal. Although the total tab came to an expensive $17, the food comes in sizeable portions and it was well worth it to try. The numerous different pizzas were the most notable items listed on the menu. While there are many different meat, cheese, veg-
gie and even appetizer choices of pizza, you can only order the pizza as a whole, rather than by the slice. The pizzas are 14 inches and can be easily split among multiple people. Overall, the quality of Northside Drafthouse was exceptional. The diversity of food and beverages allow people to find something that they can eat and drink. Whether you’re there for a weekend brunch or having drinks over dinner, Northside Drafthouse is a convenient place to stop by for freshly prepared food in a comfortable atmosphere.
UPCOMING EVENTS TEA TUESDAYS Join the Women’s Center for a refreshing cup of tea.
Jan. 23, 10 am - 4 pm, SSB 4.300
Members of the Dallas community — nearly 7,000 individuals, according to law enforcement — participated in the second annual Women’s March on Jan. 20. The event began at St. Paul United Methodist Church and ended in the Uptown neighborhood of Dallas.
PHOTOS BY: WILLIAM LEGRONE | PHOTO EDITOR
LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION Herald in the lunar new year with performances and refreshments.
Jan. 24, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, VC Atrium
PAINTING POSITIVE VIBES Send inspirational messages to your peers.
Jan. 29, 11 am - 1 pm, Spirit Rocks SAM LOPEZ | MERCURY STAFF
NEWS
UTDMERCURY.COM
Emergency poles in service Blue phones return for use after 10-month outage causes concern around campus IAN SEAMANS Mercury Staff
Seven of the blue emergency telephones that are situated around campus were brought back into service in December and January after roughly a 10-month outage. The other 56 poles were already functioning. During the previous two semesters, a number of blue phones were covered with notices from UTDPD stating that they were out of order. These direct lines to the university’s police department required new batteries and SIM cards, as the phones used 2-G wireless technology that was phased out of service. Chief of Police Larry Zacharias said the upgrade to 3-G, combined with the cost of new batteries, exceeded the police’s security technology budget, used for blue phone maintenance. Despite maintenance being a very small part of UTD’s overall budget, the poles went without repair for nearly a year. “This is not a high-fund account, and when we got the bill to upgrade the cellular phones from 2-G to 3-G, there was insufficient balance with no other available funds at the time,” Zacharias said. According to UTDPD’s numbers, the backup battery replacements cost the university between $3,000 and $4,000. Terry Pankratz, vice president of the Office of Budget and Finance, said perhaps the matter should’ve been brought to the university’s attention due to the amount of time the phones were out of order. “The one thing we could’ve done in hindsight, we probably could’ve escalated that (to the Office of Budget and Finance), and probably should have if they were out for that amount of time,” Pankratz said. In addition to the cost of phone repairs, UTDPD may also be paying to install new emergency telephones and security cameras in two locations, al-
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THE MERCURY | JAN. 22, 2018
Amazon lockers coming to campus Self-service kiosks enable students to pick up, return packages on campus NOUMIKA BALAJI Mercury Staff
SAM LOPEZ | MERCURY STAFF
though it is not finalized. The preliminary plan is to install new blue phones in both Synergy Park North and Lot U. In addition to the blue phones, UTDPD may also install new security cameras in Lot U, but both the phones and cameras
depend on new electrical infrastructure and lighting the university has to install at those locations. Zacharias said the new installations would probably not be funded through the security technology budget.
Student Government is working with Amazon and UTD Administration to initiate the Amazon Lockers program at UTD. Amazon Locker facilitates pickup and package returns by providing self-service kiosks. Instead of having a package delivered to a home or business address, students can have them delivered to the locker location. The program would also make Amazon the official textbook vendor for UTD. Amazon partners with universities through the Amazon Campus program to offer discounts on one-day deliveries, textbooks and other services. Computer engineering senior and Technology Committee chair Dhiren Kisani, worked on the initiative to bring the Amazon Locker program to UTD last semester. Initially, the committee planned to release a survey to gain student input on the project, but the survey was shelved while the administration was being convinced of the usefulness of the program, Kisani said. Selecting the ideal location for the lockers is currently underway. Potential choices include the vending machine areas in the Student Services Addition building and the basement of the McDermott library. The program would make Amazon the official textbook vendor for that university. Originally, the Technology Committee planned and worked on bringing the Amazon Campus program to UTD. The program was implemented at 14 universities and is now at 25. The Amazon Campus program is currently on hold and is likely to resume January 2018. The Technology Committee is looking toward a compromise with the Amazon Locker program, which works similar to the Amazon Campus program. Kisani said the program is expected to begin construction over the summer and the lockers would be available fall 2018.
MLK Celebration Breakfast Students gathered on Thursday Jan. 18 in the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with food and a presentation entitled “Service Matters.” The event was co-sponsored by the Multicultural Center, the Student Union Activities and Advisory Board and the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement.
XIANG LI | MERCURY STAFF
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head, said online currency may not be as common because of bitcoin’s volatility. “There’s not much, if any, consumer interest in bitcoin, and that has something to do with the surging prices of bitcoin,” Arce said. “But it also has to do with the transaction fees, which have really jumped, and the whole reason for a peer-to-peer network was for it to be an alternative form of banking.” Lewellen, who freelances as a blockchain developer and cryptocurrency consultant, explained that these fees, which usually average between $20$30, are driving the currency’s popularity down. “Bitcoin is getting cumbersome to use because it was originally supposed to be almost free to transact, so bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are current-
ly trying to solve that problem, but it’s very slow to update,” Lewellen said. According to an article by The Verge, bitcoin’s unpredictability can be seen in instances of market manipulation which led to the currency’s crash in mid-January. Because of this, Arce warns students against investing. “You’ve got to be prepared to lose much more money than you would think about investing, because the market is so volatile,” Arce said. “You’ve got to be prepared to lose big.” For now, the Blockchain and Cryptographic Systems club is focusing on blockchain and its applications in various industries. “More companies are doing blockchain initiatives where they’re looking into this and how they can adapt it to their business,” Lewellen said. “We’d like our students to be the people that fill those positions.”
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to the Tax Policy Center. The standard deduction is an optional deduction in federally-taxable income. Any citizen has the ability to choose between standard and itemized deductions. An itemized deduction adds up a large number of items, such as child care and charitable donations, that may be larger than the standard deduction. In fiscal year 2017, 6,881 gifts were made to the university, totaling 43 million dollars. Of those donations, 5,628 donations were under $500, and those donations contributed $407,000 to the total. Edgington expects between a 1 percent to 5 percent drop in the amount of money donated that’s under $500, starting in this year. “If you were to look back over time, you’d see the state allocation to public higher education decreasing, so of course
that puts pressure on other kinds of revenue,” Edgington said. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities in 2017, Texas’ funding for public universities is 17.7 percent lower than they were prior to the recession in 2008. Although donations do not go toward expenses such as faculty salaries, the police department budget or maintenance, a decrease could affect the creation of new endowments, graduate fellowships, and research budgets. Both Edgington and Terry Pankratz, vice president of Budget and Finance, agree that the impacts of the tax bill won’t be seen until two years from now. “It’s a little soon to know how (the standard deduction) will impact us … many of those who are making those routine donations to us, they have a strong affinity to the university, so I don’t think they’re making those donations necessarily for tax purposes, although that certainly could be the reason,” he said.
In an effort to study the effect sooner, the Office of Development and Alumni Relations is considering gauging people who donate annual amounts under $500. “I would like to survey our donors … A sampling of donors who have consistently given to UTD at an annual gift level of say, $500 a year for the past 10 years, and ask them, ‘How might this influence your decisions?’ and if it’s an overwhelming response, we will need to adjust how we communicate the importance of their giving,” Edgington said. Edgington and Pankratz want at least two years of data before ruling on the effects of the bill, but Edgington said in the meantime, the university must be proactive in its efforts to recruit new donors and keep existing ones. “Philanthropy is a bedrock of our society and the desire for others to support causes that they believe in, I believe is stronger than incremental changes to a tax code,” Edgington said.
78 WOO-STACHE
JAN. 22, 2018 | THE MERCURY
COMICS&GAMES BOBA POPS
KEATON NATIONS | MERCURY STAFF
LOST KEYS
CHIAMAKA MGBOJI | MERCURY STAFF SARAH BESSERER | MERCURY STAFF
CARLZ SAYS
DOGGY DOOR
KEATON NATIONS | MERCURY STAFF
SICK KICKFLIP
CAROLINA ALVAREZ| MERCURY STAFF JENNA CHERREY| MERCURY STAFF
WORD BUBBLES
DOUBLE STANDARD
BIANCA DEL RIO | MERCURY STAFF
ACTIVITY
NOAH WHITEHEAD | MERCURY STAFF
SARAH STREETY | MERCURY STAFF
OPINION
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JAN. 22, 2018 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
Trump is America’s wake-up call Current administration reinvigorated democracy, challenged ideology
MADDIE KEITH COMMENTARY
As the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration recently passed, media platforms from Fox News to TIME magazine have reviewed Trump’s time in office and debated what, if anything, he has done to benefit the nation in the last year. While considering this question, I am confronted, almost immediately, with an answer: Donald Trump woke us up. Prior to the presidential election of 2016, the national government reached what can only be called peak establishmentarianism, an unchanging institution that firmly shut out any politician who might dare challenge the status quo. Each new candidate stepping into the race seemed only to be a variation of the candidate before them, and the American people lost interest. According to the U.S. Elections Project, 2014 midterm elections produced the worst voter turnout in more than seven decades. Texas had one of the lowest turnouts in the nation, with only 28 percent of the eligible population rousing themselves enough to grace a voting booth, according to The New York Times. It seemed that the American people had grown dangerously disenchanted with democracy. The election of President Trump roused
us from our stupor. His election made us all, Republicans and Democrats alike, hyperaware of the fact that we can no longer sit on the sidelines and expect others to vote for the policies we desire or the candidate we want. And now we must turn this awareness into action. Political organizations at UTD, such as the nonpartisan groups No Labels and Texas Rising have already begun the process. In the last year, Texas Rising participated in political protests and opened voter registration booths for students, while No Labels brought congressmen Beto O’Rourke and Pete Sessions on campus to hold open dialogues with students about the state of our nation. The day following Trump’s inauguration, roughly 3.5 million women gathered around the nation in a Women’s March aimed to express frustration over the election of a candidate, whose remarks involved inappropriately grabbing women without their consent, many considered to be inherently sexist. Over 5,000 gathered in the city of Dallas alone, and roughly half a million people gathered in Washington D.C., making the march the largest one-day protest in American history. And that was just the beginning. From #NoDAPL, a protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline, to #MeToo, thousands of protests, marches, strikes and demonstrations have taken place across the nation as the physical embodiment of millions of voices striving to be heard. It is important to note, however, that it is
not just Democrats and Independents who have experienced a sudden reinvigoration. A study conducted by Pew Research Center concluded that “the Republican coalition is deeply divided on such major issues such as immigration, America’s role in the world and the fundamental fairness of the U.S. economic system.” With a president whose political rhetoric and ideology has consistently strayed from that of the traditional GOP, conservatives have been forced to reevaluate their own values and how they compare to those adopted by Trump. What are the policies which one can acquiesce to and which policies would one argue fundamentally misrepresents conservative beliefs? This is something that all Republicans must answer, or risk having the foundation of their ideology washed away in a flood of cryptic tweets. It can hardly be denied that, under Trump’s presidency, the American political system has been transformed. But if we want to truly and permanently change our nation for the better, we cannot simply stop with protests and tweets of solidarity. We can no longer support, with decided indifference, whichever politician happens to fit within our party lines, press a sticker onto our shirts and proudly conclude our duties in the democratic process. In a world of 24-hour news and a myriad of social media, we have no excuse for being uninformed about the issues that matter most. For too long we have taken our representative government for granted, but now we must stand up. As the mid-
ETHAN CHRISTOPHER | MERCURY STAFF
term elections approach, we cannot allow ourselves to slip into complacency once more. Instead, we must continue the spirit of activism that has so permeated this
country since last year. If there is one way in which Trump has benefitted this nation, by making us realize that we can no longer afford to be silent.
Comets and Craters Internet outage A campus-wide internet outage happened on Jan. 20. School websites including eLearning went down as a result, and the network was restored after 17 hours. An email from OIT explained it was the result of a hardware issue.
Latinx art The SP/N gallery at UTD is open from Jan. 19 to Feb. 17. The exhibit featues works from local artists of various cultural backgrounds exploring their cultural identity.
Anti-police sign
ANTHONY MCNAIR | MERCURY STAFF
COMET COMMENTS
A student found a poster stating “Kops and Klan go Hand in Hand” with a sketch of a Klan hood and handcuffs on one of the columns in the Plinth on Jan. 14. Another flyer was found near Founders stating “Migration is not a crime” with a cartoon bear standing in front of a concentration camp.
What do you think about the new housing payment policy? HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? Students interested in writing opinions can email editor@utdmercury.com.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
“I think it’s insensitive to the population who might be living paycheck-to-paycheck, but personally, I don’t see it as that big of an issue.”
“It could be kind of inconvenient, especially for those who rely on financial aid and maybe a side job. It may be kind of difficult for them to get all that money together at once.”
“I think it’ll be difficult for some students. I had to take out a loan for my housing, and I didn’t have enough to pay for my first semester all at once, so paying by month was the only option I had.”
Zach Ruffolo Biochemistry Freshman
Crystal Juarez Biochemistry Senior
Kimberly Brennan Speech Pathology Freshman
Letters must be 250 words or less. Students should include their full name, major and year. Faculty, staff and administrators should include their full name and title. Email letters to editor@utdmercury. com. Although electronic copies are preferred, a hard copy can be dropped off at the reception desk of the Student Media suite (SU 1.601). Please include a headshot. Authors may only have one letter printed per edition of The Mercury.
OP-EDS
Apart from your name and photo, personal info will not be published. We reserve the right to reject submissions, and we cannot be responsible for their return. We reserve the right to edit for clarity, brevity, good taste, accuracy and to prevent libel.
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THE MERCURY | JAN. 22, 2018
NEWS → PAYMENT
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with the staff to support it,” said Ryan White, assistant vice president of Residential Life. With the on-campus housing program that has grown from 2,500 residential students in 2006 to over 5,500 in 2017, UTD’s change is similar with other large colleges across the nation. “As we’ve grown as a university, we added more residential buildings and more staff to sup-port that,” White said. “So it’s a natural transition that we would operate our own housing sys-tem.” This new housing payment plan will not affect Canyon Creek Heights residents, as these new buildings are already operated and managed by UTD, and the residents have
UTDMERCURY.COM been paying their housing expenses at the start of the semester through the Bursar’s Office. Because the lump-sum payment process is new, there will be a population of students who will be more affected than others, White said. In the email about the payment change, University Housing included information about an installment plan option the Bursar’s office provides. “It will be a shift for students who are used to paying monthly to look at the semesterly cost of housing,” White said. “But I do know that the Bursar’s Office and the financial aid are really good at working with students to help meet their financial needs.” Because the information regarding the payment change was sent out via email, students might have a hard time catching
up, said Alexander Holcomb, vice president of Student Government. “If they didn’t catch these emails sent out by the ResLife, I can imagine where the confusion may start, but all in all, I think this is going to be a better system,” Holcomb said. “I’m definitely eager to (see) if the change goes through as smoothly as we expect that it will.” Ultimately, paying the Bursar’s office using the EZPay system is going to make things easier for students, White said. Students will be able to pay for their housing fee at the same time they pay for their classes, which is when their financial aid will be available. “This is an exciting time for the university,” White said. “I know it’s definitely a shift in culture, it’s one that’s done to serve the students.”
CHRISTI LAZUTKIN | MERCURY STAFF
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Joseph, an arts and humanities graduate, lives with asthma and said the policy hasn’t been very effective. “When President Benson announced the smoking ban on campus, I was so happy,” Joseph said. “But I noticed that things didn’t really change. There are a bunch of smokers who like to use Jonsson as a place to smoke outside, and really all they did was go from being right in front of the doors to around the corner.” Joseph said he often sees at least one smoker per day in the campus parking lots, and has had asthma attacks as a result of both cigarette smoke and steam from vape pens. “If I’m around smoking and I start breathing it in, I have a reaction. I have asthma, so it becomes harder to breathe,” Joseph said. “When they used to have smoking on campus … I would have to hold my breath and go through that crowd of people into the building.” The tobacco-free policy relies on community enforcement, so if any students or faculty members see someone smoking or vaping on campus, it becomes their responsibility to stop the individual. Policy violations can be reported to the Office of Administration, with repeat violations resulting in disciplinary action. Administration reported that students and faculty made 10 complaints about violations of the tobacco policy since it was put in place. Five of those complaints were about students, while the other half were about faculty. “There might be people that I come into contact with in my daily routine at UTD, either studentto-employee or employee-to-employee, and I have concerns about retribution if I complain that you’re doing something wrong, or shouldn’t be smoking,” Joseph
said. “There are concerns about that when you share a building with other people.” In contrast, finance senior Jeremiah Smith said he preferred the school’s old policy, prohibiting the use of tobacco products within 33 feet of buildings, and the tobaccofree policy disrupts his schedule by forcing him to leave campus property in order to smoke. In response to the new policy, Smith filed a petition with Student Government proposing a more gradual transition to a tobacco-free campus through the use of designated smoking areas. UT Austin used this approach during its transition to being tobacco-free. “As I proposed in the petition, what I would do is have designated areas with posted signs encouraging people there to seek medical help and kick the habit,” Smith said. His petition hasn’t gained enough traction to be addressed by SG, but he isn’t alone in his sentiment. Information and technology systems senior Austin Albright began vaping as a way to quit smoking, and said while the new policy has decreased smoking on campus, he continues to see smokers and vapers on a daily basis. “I don’t think it’s going to reduce people’s usage, I think they’re just going to do it in low-key places,” Albright said. “In the future, I see more people trying to evade the policy than adhere to it.” UT Arlington is also tobacco free, and its campus police department conducts “Smoke Patrols” in areas with a high number of complaints about smokers. The UTA police can issue referrals to students and faculty caught smoking, requiring the offenders to go through campus administration. Joseph said he would like to see more enforcement of the tobaccofree policy at UTD. “I think the university, when they made the ban, had some
good ideas,” Joseph said. “But if you’re going to have a policy, if you’re going to put up signs, is it just for show?” The school currently offers cessation services through the Center for Students in Recovery, while the Student Wellness Center offers tobacco education programming and resources to students. UTD also offers the UT SELECT health plan to employees. The plan costs $30 per tobacco user per month and includes counseling, pharmaceutical therapy and nicotine replacement therapy. In an email statement to The Mercury, Vice President for Administration Calvin Jamison said the policy is meant to improve the health of the UTD community. “Our goal is to create a healthier campus community,” Jamison said. “We are focused on changing behaviors by educating the campus about the benefits of being tobacco-free and providing supportive avenues toward cessation as an option.” Assistant Director of Communications Chase York said in an email to The Mercury that in the eight months since the policy took effect, there has been a significant decrease in smoking on campus. A survey has yet to be conducted to determine the efficacy of the ban, and no concrete data has been collected. “At present, there are no plans to amend the policy,” York said. “There are some growing pains associated with this type of transition, but it seems to be going well.” Joseph said he appreciates not having to walk through a cloud of smoke, and the campus is better overall thanks to the policy. He added that while these improvements have helped, the policy is still insufficient. “I think what bothers me is the disconnect between what UTD as a school is showing me … versus the reality,” he said.
NADINE OMEIS | MERCURY STAFF
Assistant Vice President for Residential Life Ryan White speaks about the payment policy change coming to University Village next semester, which requires students to pay for housing on a semester basis.
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“I think the key benefit is that if there are people truly addicted … they can get reimbursed with their insurance, so maybe now people are going to more able to afford treatment now that there’s a diagnosis,” Carrasco said. “On the other hand, I have some concerns with the stigmatization that could come in the future … Are we going to label someone who stays in and plays video games for a while an addiction?” Grant said there were times where he would deliberately stay away from his apartment during the day because he knew he would play games if he went. He said this was a way for him to concentrate on his homework and get things done, which he’s seen with his improving grades and performance. “It took me a long time to kind of break out of that, ‘Overwatch is great’ to ‘Overwatch is a great way for me to relieve stress’ and to start putting my relationship and my life first,” he said. Senior arts and technology student Grant Branam played video games all throughout his life. In middle school, he
would play video games for 12 hours a day. He mostly played role-playing games such as World of Warcraft and Runescape to online team games such as League of Legends. He said classifying gaming as an addiction can be helpful now to those who are suffering from gaming taking control in their life, but it’s still difficult to label it as an addiction, and there should be a discussion between game developers and the medical community on the power of video games on behavior. “Going through this discovery of depression in my life I learned that (depression) got in the way of my goals,” Branam said. “So if people have these things they want to accomplish and video games are the only things standing in their way, then think about why. Is it because games are more satisfying than those goals? Maybe those goals aren’t what you want to do? Maybe games are what people want to do?” Carrasco said one of the first ways to prevent becoming addicted to gaming is being aware of your usage and how much time you’re spending playing games. It’s important to be mindful and to be social with video games rather than isola-
tive, and joining a club or connecting with people on games can help people be more accountable with their gaming. “It may be frustrating, but it could be a way to self-reflect on ‘How does gaming look in my life and what impact do I want it to have in my life?’” Carrasco said. Grant continues to play Overwatch in his free time while balancing other aspects of his life and maintaining his grades. He said he wasn’t alone in his struggle to finding this balance, as he’d seen people failing classes, dropping out of school or facing expulsions. He said looking for other hobbies or other games that don’t take up as much time or resources is beneficial to helping find that balance in the end. “If you find you’re addicted to something very toxic that costs a lot, or takes a lot of time from you, and you have other commitments, you should try looking into something else,” Grant said. “If you know you’re addicted to games and you can’t go cold turkey, just look for something that fits that style more, where you don’t have to pay to play or it’s short. Like play something that is similar but not pay to win.”