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September 4, 2018
ENSEMBLES GRAPPLE WITH SPACE SHORTAGE Director ‘concerned’ about safety of students, faculty in university-sponsored music groups ANNA SCHAEFFER Mercury Staff
THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
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everal music ensembles continue to outgrow their already-constrained practice space located in classroom building AH1. The room now has to accommodate more than 60 students, plus instruments, into a room built for 42. Brass Ensemble Director Linda Salisbury said she worries about the health of her students far more than music quality or comfort. “My greatest concern now is hearing loss,” Salisbury said. “The quality of music they’re producing is continually improving but we’re reaching the point where I’m concerned about their health and safety.” During practice, students hold large instruments such as cellos and basses. Salisbury said the sound level in the room alone is overwhelming, in addition to the lack of space. “We need square footage, but we also need higher seating and non-parallel walls and appropriate soundproofing to protect the hearing of the faculty and students,” she said.
→ SEE SHORTAGE, PAGE 10
MICHAEL STOUT | MERCURY STAFF
The string orchestra ensemble, led by UTD professor Adron Ming, rehearses in a classroom in the AH1 building.
ACHINT KHANIJO | MERCURY STAFF
Software to assist with navigating UTD buildings
The women's volleyball team won 3-0 against Heidelberg on Aug. 31.
ASC poll predicts team success
Algorithm developed in part by freshmen researchers nixes GPS, utilizes Wi-Fi hotspots for guided wayfinding MADISON YORK Mercury Staff
Teams prepare for coming season with positive outlook TRAVIS DICKERSON Mercury Staff
NOAH WHITEHEAD | PHOTO EDITOR
Brent Dell, a Ph.D. student, developed a 3D network of Green Hall, which was later incorporated into the software for an app that will help users navigate UTD buildings.
A research team of 12 freshmen, headed by computer science professor Ravi Prakash and assisted by the Office of Information Technology, has developed new software for an app, called Constellation, that will allow users to navigate UTD buildings. For the uninitiated eye — and sometimes even for the well-acquainted eye — journeying through UTD’s hallways can be a challenge. Prakash
said he is committed to helping people solve the maze. “Using Google Maps, for example, you can do outdoor navigation — drive from point A to point B,” Prakash said. “They all rely on GPS. The problem is, the satellite signal does not penetrate inside a building. We cannot rely on GPS to navigate inside. I’ve been here for more than 20 years, I still get lost inside UTD buildings because we have a very interesting
→ SEE NAVIGATION, PAGE 10
Early preseason polls released by the American Southwest Conference put three Comet teams in high ranks as the teams prepare for the start of the season. The ASC released the preseason polls for the volleyball and the two soccer teams on Aug. 13 and 16 respectively, two weeks before the season begins for all three teams. Before the announcement, the three teams were preparing for the start of the season, which began with a series of games on the weekend of Aug. 31. Placed third in its preseason poll, women’s soccer finished third in the ASC championship last year after pulling off a 16-4 record overall. Head coach Kanute Drugan will lead the team again, marking his fifth season with the team, along with newly-hired assistant coach Shasta Fisher, who joined with the team on July 2. The team this year is composed of more seniors than in the past, which
→ SEE POLL, PAGE 10
PLTL adopts lottery-based early registration system New sign-up procedure designed to reduce frequency of technical failures CINDY FOLEFACK Managing Editor
RYAN MAGEE | MERCURY STAFF
The Student Success Center recently introduced a new registration system for a popular academic enrichment program after experiencing technical difficulties in prior years. The change has since received mixed results. In late April, an email was sent out to students detailing a new pre-registration lottery for the Peer Led Team Learning Program at the Student Success Center. PLTL sessions allow students to regularly meet with a leader in groups of eight to review course material and complete practice problems for more challenging classes. The lottery, which was open from April 30 to Aug. 20, allowed students to enter by putting in their UTD emails and selecting their desired subjects. Winners were then able to sign up for PLTL sessions two days prior to general registration. Peer Education Director Ne’Shaun Jones said the change was meant to curb
technical difficulties involved with the registration process. “For years, (registration) was a mess, specifically in the fall,” Jones said. “Coursebook would crash, and that upset a lot of faculty, staff and students. We would have students that would get on four different computers to try and register for sessions...so we thought that this would be the best approach so things would run more efficiently and give everybody a fair chance to be considered for registration.” The lottery, developed by the Provost’s Office, used a double-blind method, so staff had no control over who was selected, and the process remained completely random. PLTL manager Marie Schier said over 3,000 students signed up for the pre-registration lottery and nearly all went on to be selected for early registration. Those who weren’t selected and didn’t get their preferred sessions during general registration on Aug. 24 were
given the option of going on a waitlist, which currently has 200 students in line for sessions across 13 subjects. “I try to keep a list of those people who contact me to make sure that we have a list of people who are interested and then finding a place for them,” Schier said. Schier said she responded to 500 emails during general registration from students who were interested in the waitlist, experiencing technical difficulties or had questions about the registration process. Biology freshman Dylan Lu, who was selected for early registration, said he had difficulty registering due to a lack of instructions in the email he received from the SSC. “The email, truthfully, didn’t have any information on registration,” Lu said. “It just said ‘Congratulations, you’re selected,’ so I had some trouble signing up and called the (SSC). They gave me the option of signing up manually by sending them an email, but I looked up some
→ SEE PLTL, PAGE 10