The Mercury 7/5/2016

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July 5, 2016

PG 4

PG 4

STUDENT EARNS FULL SCORE ON MCAT

BREXIT AFTERMATH ANALYZED

Neuroscience senior accomplishes rare feat

Student source in U.K. weighs in about referendum’s impact

PG 8

VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS GAIN INT’L EXPERIENCE

Players spend off-season in Brazil, Italy

THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM

SG to fund green ideas next fall

FOOD FOR THOughT

On-campus food pantry helps users while combatting hunger

Eco campaign supports students’ proposals NYEMIKE OKONKWO Mercury Staff

A Student Government initiative to improve sustainability on campus that began in the spring is ready for a reboot heading into the fall semester.

On June 24, The Office of Student Affairs approved the launch of the Green Initiative website, which accepted proposals for green projects that could be undertaken on campus. The deadline for proposal submissions was June 30.

The current plan is CEASE financed exclusively from the SG Executive Committee budget and the Green Initiative committee members will meet to discuss funding specific projects from the pool of proposals that were received on the Green Initiative website.

A $5,000 allocation will subsidize accepted proposals. Projects may be funded in full, partially or not at all at the discretion of the committee. Preference will be given to projects that have significant student involvement and leadership roles.

SG Senator Brett Cease spearheaded the movement towards greater sustainability last semester through the construction of the Green Initiative based on a per-student funding stream, but the proposal was not presented to the UT System Board of Regents.

“We were encouraged that the timing

→ SEE GREEN, PAGE 10

ANDREW GALLEGOS | PHOTO EDITOR

Amber Brown (left), a coordinator at the Comet Cupboard, helps a volunteer restock the shelves of the on-campus food pantry with donated items.

NIDHI GOTGI

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Editor-in-Chief

hrenik Jain stepped through the threshold of a small space in the ground floor of the Eugene McDermott Library.

He scanned row after row of food items until one container caught his eye — it was a jar of peanut butter.

The mechanical engineering graduate student’s interest piqued because he’d never tried the spread before.

→ SEE CUPBOARD, PAGE 10

HAMID SHAH | GRAPHICS EDITOR

Trees tagged to monitor health Tracking devices streamline maintenance, help conserve greenery on campus CARA SANTUCCI Managing Editor

Over the past two months, Facilities Management has worked to tag and record data for about 5,000 trees on campus in the hopes of joining a national arboreal conservation program and to simplify grounds maintenance.

Using a company called Arbor Pro, Landscape Supervisor Jay Jascott hired experts to come to UTD and identify the species and health of each tree.

“Before we were doing this, (arborists) would go out and we’d do tree assessments,” he said. “This is just another means we can compile all this into a very useful tool. … First and foremost, it’s a maintenance tracking device for us.”

The project, which cost $7 per tree, tied each tree to both a specific GPS location and a number. With this system, Jascott said the hope was to streamline communication between called-in tips and Facilities about which tree on the property needs maintenance.

“We’ve spent a lot of money on

our trees,” said Thea Junt, the asso- one damaged or removed during conciate director of energy conserva- struction projects.

“I’m going to be … going back and tion and sustainability for Facilities Management. “This is how we’re going forth with (Junt),” said Frank Rodriguez, to ensure that we are maintaining them the campus arborist. “I’ll let (her) know the (trees) she’s fixing in a healthy state.” to lose.”

Junt said the next part The ultimate In line with Facilities’ of the project is to apply push to preserve trees to Tree Campus USA, goal is to never when possible, the new a division of the Arbor lose any trees alumni center being Day Foundation, which due to them just built was designed recognizes universities around the trees existing that meet their five set dying because in that area. standards of dedication of nature. There “The Alumni Center to campus environment. is special because it is a In order to join, is an inherent building being built in a UTD must develop a eco-value to garden,” Junt said. tree advisory committhese trees.

Rodriguez bolstered tee, a tree care plan, a the trees on the construcbudget for that plan, — Jay Jascott, tion site with organic fera dedicated Arbor Day observance and a ser- Landscape Supervisor tilizer, injected straight into the trunk and the vice learning composurrounding soil. Jascott nent. Junt said the university meets the five standards, and said this should help keep them healthy during the period of flux. will apply to the program by Sept. 1.

Part of UTD’s tree care plan states Facilities will plant two trees for every → SEE TAGS, PAGE 10

ANDREW GALLEGOS | PHOTO EDITOR

Frank Rodriguez, the campus arborist, climbs a tree to secure a tag on it that tracks its health. Facilities Management is using these tags for maintenance purposes to better care for the trees on campus.

HAMID SHAH | GRAPHICS EDITOR

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THE MERCURY UTDMERCURY.COM Volume XXXVII No. 21 Editor-in-Chief Nidhi Gotgi

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

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Graphics Editor Hamid Shah

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Assistant Graphics Editor Chad Austin

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Photo Editor Andrew Gallegos

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Life & Arts Editor Bhargav Arimilli life@utdmercury.com

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Contributors Saher Aqeel Bryar Bennett Jennifer Chi Emilio Chavez Yuri Choi Thomas Grice Anthony Inga Yash Musalgaonkar Nyemike Okonkwo Shannon Ramirez Matt Strack Kevin Vanhorn

NEWS

THE MERCURY | JULY 5, 2016

UTDPD Blotter June 5 • UTD PD officers reported criminal mischief to a car parked in PS3 at 2:16 a.m.

June 9 • At 12:25 a.m. an unaffiliated male was arrested for driving while intoxicated on Waterview Parkway.

June 12 • An altercation occurred on the soccer fields at 3:30 p.m. between two minors. They were released back to their legal guardians.

June 20 • At 12:46 p.m., a student reported that an unknown individual entered her unlocked car in Phase 9 and had taken $10 in coins.

June 26 • At 4:29 a.m., a student was found intoxicated in the Phase 3 parking lot.

June 27 • A student reported he gave a locksmith money up front at 7:09 p.m. but they never completed the service.

• An unaffiliated female was arrested on Campbell Road at 1:08 a.m. with two misdemeanor warrants June 29 • Personal property was stolen from a student in JSOM after leaving it unattended at 3:48 a.m.

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LEGEND VEHICULAR INCIDENT THEFT DRUGS & ALCOHOL OTHER

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OPINION

JULY 5, 2016 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM

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Communities must stand in solidarity

People at intersections in danger following shooting in Florida nightclub due to country’s Islamophobia, homophobia NOOR P. Op-Ed

-Editor’s NoteBecause the author belongs to two minority groups that have been at risk recently, the author’s name has been partially redacted for safety.

Three weeks ago, the largest documented massacre of LGBT people in U.S. history occurred, revealing an ongoing conflict for those living at the intersection of multiple communities.

The attack occurred on Latino pride night at Pulse, a gay night club in Orlando, Fla. Forty-nine people were murdered, with many injured. It set off vigils in all corners of the world, including one in Dallas. The hashtags #prayfororlando and #weareorlando also took off as gestures of support.

In the aftermath of the shooting, it’s natural to try to find something or someone to blame. In this case, primary attempts were made by certain news outlets, most notably FOX News, to blame the shooter’s religion rather than his homophobia, as the motivation behind the attack.

Accordingly, the Islamic community launched vilifications of the shooter, some decrying his homophobia, while most (e.g., the Council for American

Islamic Relations) neglected to mention the community at all. For LGBT Muslims, this is a reminder of their dayto-day reality. Namely, that the Islamic community has a homophobia and transphobia problem.

While it is a kind gesture to state an objection to a loss of human life in general, refusal to acknowledge why the victims were targeted is ignorant, at best, and disrespectful at worst.

Even among those in the Islamic community who mention the targeted victims’ identities, a great number of them have consistently failed to make basic strides towards being inclusive of LGBT people.

One example of this is CAIR’s Arizona chapter, which claimed solidarity with the victims of the shooting, but dropped an anti-discrimination case the previous year upon finding out its client was transgender.

Another example of this is the Temple Islamic Center, which banned a trans woman from praying with the mosque unless she could “prove” she was “really a woman.”

Even among those who signed onto the collective Islamic statement against the shooting, the fourth signatory, Siraj Wahhaj, stated that he would “burn down the gay mosque” just last year in his speech “Go Not Near Zina.”

This results in LGBT Muslims being asked to mourn our dead while defending a religious community that is still struggling to welcome them.

By that same token, LGBT Muslims are facing elevated Islamophobia that is already present in the community as a result of the attack. A myriad of members of the community, both in online comments and at vigils, have taken to stating Islam is inherently homophobic and, as a result, LGBT Muslims shouldn’t expect proper treatment to begin with.

One example is an LGBT-oriented Greenwich Village vigil, wherein a handful of audience members started shouting, “Muslims are the problem!”. This toxic mix of past trauma regarding religion — an unfortunately common reality among LGBT folks — and racism leads to LGBT Muslims simply separating themselves further from each community. In the wake of this shooting, this divide has the fuel it needs to keep growing stronger.

This has been a difficult week to exist at intersections, for people that are any combination of LGBT, latinx and/or Muslim.

However, there are signs of hope. Many of the vigils held globally (and locally, in Dallas) have included a variety of faith leaders, including Muslims, to condemn the attacks.

JENNIFER CHI | MERCURY STAFF

Students paint the Spirit Rocks on June 15 at a vigil honoring the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla. The event was co-hosted by Pride at UTD and Rainbow Guard and featured Jewish, Muslim and Christian prayers.

This is a only small gesture of solidarity, given how many of the vigils are organized by LGBT community members, however, it is incredibly meaningful.

Speaking as a community member, LGBT Muslims have flocked together quietly, online and occasionally at small retreats, for most of the last century. This new exposure is unprecedented, and it leaves the potential for the larger communities to work towards inclusivity, and to stand with one another in solidarity

against racism, homophobia, transphobia and Islamaphobia.

Anyone who dares to try and incite riot between communities knows this new exposure is unprecedented, and it leaves the potential for the larger communities to work towards inclusivity. It asks all communities to stand with one another in solidarity against any prejudices so that anyone who tries to turn us against one another cannot and will never be successful.

Adding art to STEM still worth prioritizing Creative skills valuable for teaching communication, pushing mathematical minds to expand traditional ways of thinking THOMAS GRICE COMMENTARY

The STEM to STEAM movement, a push towards an integrated environment where science, technology, engineering and math are taught with the arts as a method of instilling a well-rounded education, is an educational dynamic that should be pursued more aggressively by individuals and institutions. The quality of the 21st century products that will guide our lives, and the number of individuals inspired to pursue STEM careers, will improve as a result.

STEAM originator Georgette Yakman, a public educator and academic based in Virginia, describes it on her website as “Science and Technology, interpreted through Engineering and the Arts, all based in elements of Mathematics.”

Traditional resistance to the arts generally takes the form of the idea that art — and design is almost always lumped in with art — is a luxury ephemera that you enjoy when you watch Game of Thrones, not a worthwhile investment.

Views informed by these stereotypes fail to recognize the importance of creative skillsets in communicating information and questioning ideas. Despite drastic cuts in arts-related educational budgets towards the turn of the decade, it has become increasingly easy to link art and design thinking to successful product development and useful mindsets for professionals of all stripes.

The foremost example of design thinking in most of our daily lives is the presence of user interfaces in digital, computer-based products. Although the servers that host and process our data and the programs that execute the application code are science and technology based, the presentation, aesthetic and experiential design of these products are synthesized by creative skillsets.

Ryan McMahan, an assistant professor of ATEC and computer science and director of the Future Immersive Virtual Environments (FIVE) Lab at UTD, teaches several courses in the field of Human-Computer

Interaction, and conducts research utilizing virtual reality-based systems.

Although he comes from a highly technical background in computer science, McMahan’s research benefits from access to young minds that are equally engaged by art and traditional STEM subjects.

“I have several ATEC students in my lab, they’re great students, they’re mathoriented. One of the reasons they’re really good at the art is because they know the math. (Virtual Reality) is a great STEAM opportunity,” McMahan said. “Without the artists all of our environments would look terrible, and without the programmers all you would be able to do is look at the environments.”

Commercial virtual reality games, as with other modern video games and CGI productions, are multimillion-dollar budget collaborative projects created by designers, engineers and artists of all flavors, optimal examples of the importance of artistic human assets for successful technical products.

In VR and other high-growth tech industries, there appear to be opportunities to leverage creativity and designthinking to improve product quality.

Through automation, most processes we depend on — banking, insurance, healthcare, etc. — will continue to be implemented as deliberately designed interfaces. The quality of user experience design will be tied to having STEM majors with a level of design language fluency.

But product quality isn’t the only reason to invest in teaching the lateral thinking boosted by STEAM education. Art and design also act as imagination fuel, revealing to potential learners what technology is capable of and in effect sparking passions to pursue the sciences.

Paul Fishwick, a distinguished ATEC chair and a professor with a computer science and mathematics background, said he was always inspired to learn through the lens of art. One of his recent application prototypes, which can be described as an encyclopedia for real-life objects and landmarks, is a clear product of box-external thinking that reminds me of science fiction.

“I think most of us that go into science, a lot of us were driven by reading science fiction. I certainly was,“ Fishwick said.

How many countless geeks were inspired by the popularity of “Star Wars” and “Star Trek”? Who had their interest in science magnified by Carl Sagan’s Cosmos?

The connection between art and STEM is directly seen in the inspiration to pursue scientific careers and the imagination to consider future implications of impossibly powerful technology.

Engineers should be able to skillfully consider the implications of voicebased interfaces, artificial intelligence and self-driving cars, and implement them appropriately. That skill isn’t only developed in studying algorithms or calculus; it requires multidimensional thought that spans outside of traditional STEM curricula.

Luckily, STEAM does appear to be gaining steam. In Dallas and across the nation, STEAM elementary, middle and high schools are options for talented students who can gain admittance to their often small student bodies. At the collegiate level, programs like ATEC offer hybrid alternatives to pure computer science or art focuses that some might feel forced to pursue.

Art and design are often segmented away from STEM when curricula are being designed and students’ talents are being narrowed by institutions meant to empower them.

Current state-of-the-art technology markets suggest that we need more mathematical minds. This is correct.

STEAM is about taking that challenge further: asking our engineers to be more adaptable and our artists to more readily integrate with bleedingedge technology.

John Maeda, preeminent designer and technologist who spoke about STEAM at UTD in Fall 2015, is quoted in The Guardian as saying: “Our economy is built upon convergent thinkers, people that execute things, get them done. But artists and designers are divergent thinkers: they expand the horizon of possibilities.”

We stand to benefit from this expansion if we choose to invest in it.

Do you believe STEM students would benefit from an increased role of art and design education in their curricula?

HAMID SHAH | GRAPHICS EDITOR

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THE MERCURY | JULY 5, 2016

NEWS

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On June 23, the U.K. held a referendum to decide whether or not to leave the European Union Leaving won 52 to 48 percent, leaving the EU potentially

Student-run app eases job search Sophomore’s ‘Condecca’ to launch in fall despite obstacles BHARGAV ARIMILLI Life and Arts Editor

MIRIAM PERCIVAL News Editor

£

ate last month, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in a historic referendum. This British exit, commonly known as “Brexit,” marks the first time any nation has left the EU since its creation in 1993.

Overnight, the pound dropped 9 percent in value, the lowest it’s fallen in over 30 years. British Prime Minister David Cameron also announced his resignation after polling results supported Brexit on June 24.

At UTD, and at universities across the country, there is concern over how Brexit will affect students interested in studying in the U.K. Lisabeth Lassiter, the director of the education abroad program, said the International Center held a meeting shortly after the referendum to discuss the possible effects it could have on the program.

“We don’t see as much of an impact with our students going there,” she said. “The concern is that we have exchange programs that rely on them sending us an equal amount of students.”

She explained the rapid decrease in the value of the pound could possibly discourage students in the U.K. from coming to America because it has become more expensive. However, the full impact of the referendum is yet to be seen.

Under Article 50, defined in the Lisbon Treaty, the U.K. has two years to negotiate the terms of its departure. While Brexit won’t affect students studying abroad anytime soon, the ones currently there were impacted just witnessing the monumental event.

Finance junior Rebecca Tjahja arrived in London

days before the referendum vote. Already a bustling city, the streets were filled with activists passing out balloons and flyers urging citizens to vote to remain, she said.

“This is one of the coolest times to be studying abroad with everything happening,” Tjahja said.

“It’s one thing to be in America watching it on TV or reading it through media, its another thing to be literally here as it’s happening.”

She said most students at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she’s studying, didn’t seem concerned about the referendum and were confident the U.K. would vote to remain with the EU. “The next day I went around London and people were just in shock,” she said. “(There was) a serious air of uncertainty because we don’t really know what is going on.”

Clint Peinhardt, associate professor of political science, said there are a lot of theories about what should happen next after Brexit, but very few certainties.

“Financial markets are trying to come to terms with what this will mean,” he said. “I think (the pound) could be permanently disadvantaged, so we might find that Britain is cheaper not just now, but in the future.”

Peinhardt also said the U.K. isn’t alone in its dissatisfaction with the EU. Other countries’ right wing groups have expressed hesitance in the past at the increasing power of the EU and dislike the regulations the organization imposes on their national governments.

Following Brexit, Peinhardt predicted that there is

REBECCA TJAHJA | COURTESY

Rebecca Tjahja holds a sign supporting the U.K. staying in the European Union. The finance junior was studying abroad at the London School of Economics during the June 23 referendum.

a possibility of the U.K. splitting up, with Scotland talking of holding another referendum to leave and Northern Ireland possibly following suit.

Peinhardt also expressed concern about the U.K. continuing to be a popular location for American students to travel.

“If you’re thinking about studying abroad, the U.K. just got cheaper,” he said. “I think it also got less attractive as a study abroad destination.”

SOURCE | CNN CARA SANTUCCI | MANAGING EDITOR

Neuroscience senior earns perfect score on MCAT exam Hopeful future surgeon joins 0.5 percent of test takers who also achieved full marks on test MIRIAM PERCIVAL News Editor

With the sound of his heartbeat thumping in his ears, neuroscience senior Siddhartha Srivastava sat in front of his laptop anticipating a moment that would define the next years of his life.

He was checking to see how he performed on the Medical College Admission Test.

What he saw left him in total disbelief. He’d managed to do what only 0.5 percent of students who take the MCAT do every year — achieve a perfect score.

January was the first time Srivastava took the MCAT, and he said it didn’t feel like it would be his last.

“I was floored that I got it on the first try, I wasn’t expecting it by any means,” he said. “No one walks out of the MCAT feeling like they destroyed it.”

On the day results came out, Srivastava was anxious about receiving the score. However, when the time came to check, he couldn’t log into the website because it was down for maintenance.

When the website was fixed an hour later, Srivastava logged on.

“When I was looking at it, I didn’t know what the NIDHI GOTGI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF numbers meant, all I saw was the percentile,” he said.

Looking at the results, each section showed he Neuroscience senior Siddhartha “Sidd” Srivastava aced the MCAT last January. He decided he wanted scored in the 100th percentile, which confused Sriv- to be a surgeon after a childhood camping injury landed him in the hospital. astava even more.

“When I saw the total at the bottom — a full score “It was really cool to know that so many people become a surgeon.

He was inspired to become a surgeon by an in— I thought that it was a sample,” he said. were excited about that accomplishment,” he said.

After another minute, the realization finally hit For other students taking the MCAT, Srivas- cident when he was younger, where he was flying that he’d achieved a perfect score on the MCAT on tava recommends they focus on the critical read- a kite at a campsite. Srivastava was walking backhis first attempt. ing section because it can help them in other sec- wards, staring up at the kite, when he suddenly tripped and his head hit a metal grill. tions.

“At that point I was He doesn’t remember much about the incident “You can apply stuff screaming,” he said. “(My except for waking up in the hospital and the suryou already know to roommates), they walked I’m looking forward to the opstuff you’ve never seen geon telling him he would be fine. That reassurance in and (when) I told them portunities that it opens in terms of before,” he said. “Prac- comforted Srivastava and inspired him to pursue a they started screaming.” helping people and volunteering. tice is more important career in the medical field.

In the following Months after receiving his score, Srivastava rethan content review.” days, his friends and fl ects back onto his achievement.

As Srivastava is apfamily celebrated with — Siddhartha Srivastava, “It shows me that I have the dedication and the plying for medical him and even threw Neuroscience Senior schools, he said he is passion for the subject,” he said. “But ultimately it’s him a surprise party. keeping his options an academic achievement and I’m looking forward The news about his score also spread around campus quickly, and people open by considering both in-state and out-of- to the opportunities that it opens in terms of helpstate schools. However, he is certain he wants to ing people and volunteering.” he had never seen before began recognizing him.

Students struggling to find summer work will now have better access to jobs and internships, thanks to a new app co-created by a UTD sophomore.

Tyler Hargreaves, a computer science major, co-founded Condecca, a web and mobile platform designed to connect students to job opportunities at partnering companies. The idea for the company originally came to Hargreaves’ business partner, Hakan Telsiz, who had struggled to find jobs in Austin after graduating from high school.

“A lot of the companies wouldn’t take me even though I had done some independent development,” said Telsiz, a business sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin. “It seemed like the problem was ... (landing) entry-level jobs.”

Condecca’s team of four developers — who are all sophomores in college — aims to solve this problem by providing employers with a centralized location for finding qualified students, lowering hiring costs.

Students, in turn, can gain valuable experience in the workforce and recommendations from employers.

The team also plans to develop a review system in which employers can share feedback on a particular student’s performance.

“You need experience to get experience,” Hargreaves said. “It’s kind of a paradox. The way we’re changing that is we’re giving a more explicit value to the transfer of experience from employer to student.”

Students will be matched to prospective projects using an algorithmic approach that relies on a student’s qualifications and CONDECCA | COURTESY interests. Because of the short-term nature of these jobs We have an and internships, the opportunity student’s major will to help a lot be factored in to provide a more focused of students if set of opportunities. we’re successCondecca’s development has not ful. ... We’re come without oblearning so stacles. For Hargmuch. reaves and Telsiz, the process of filing paperwork with the — Tyler Hargreaves.

Condecca Co-Founder IRS was a challenging task.

“In the past, (we had) our parents do tax returns for us,” Telsiz said.

“Now, it’s a different ballgame.”

In addition to paperwork, Telsiz noted the challenge of balancing a college courseload along with running a startup.

“During the semester, we have to focus on school and at the same time we have to focus on Condecca,” he said. “It’s like having two full-time jobs at the same time.”

The platform has received a strong response from students across the nation. A majority of students are interested in working in engineering, computer science and business. In anticipation of its fall launch, Condecca is in the process of securing partnerships with startups in Austin to provide opportunities for students.

Though Condecca is still in development, Hargreaves said the startup will eventually offer a full web and mobile platform for students and employers.

After launching in Texas and growing a strong user base, Hargreaves said he hopes to move Condecca to the Silicon Valley area.

“We have an opportunity to help a lot of students if we’re successful,” he said. “We’re learning so much — not only about starting a business, but about technology and the kind of people involved in startups. It’s immensely valuable.”

CONDECCA | COURTESY

Tyler Hargreaves, a computer science sophomore, created Condecca with a team of three other student developers.Condecca matches students to work opportunities using an algorithm that relies on the qualifications of the user.

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NEWS

THE MERCURY | JULY 5, 2016

UPCOMING EVENTS STUDENT VOLUNTEERISM: SCOTTISH RITE HOSPITAL Join OSV for an off-campus volunteering opportunity to converse and make arts and crafts with young patients.

July 6, 1 - 4:15 PM, SSB Lobby FEED THE PIG: SAVING AND INVESTING RESOURCES Head to the McDermott Library to learn about personal finance and enter to win a piggy bank.

July 11, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM, MC 2.524 CONDUCTING AN EFFECTIVE JOB SEARCH Attend the Career Center’s seminar to learn about identifying potential employers and preparing an approach.

July 14, 11 AM - 12 PM, SSB 3.107 ACCESS THE WORLD @ YOUR LIBRARY Attend a workshop to learn about TexShare and Interlibrary programs. Register online to attend.

July 20, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM, MC 2.524 STUDENT VOLUNTEERISM: BUTTERFLY FLUTTERBY Help maintain the monarch waystation on campus by weeding, planting and sowing seeds.

July 21, 9 - 11 AM, SSB Lobby

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JULY 5, 2016 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM

LIFE&ARTS

COURSE OF NATURE Geoscience students head out into mountains to learn real-life applications of schoolwork

Q&A:

Comedians Paul Varghese &Chris Castles

YASH MUSALGAONKAR | MERCURY STAFF JOHN GEISSMAN | COURTESY

Jonathan Stine (front center), a geoscience teaching assistant, stands on a mountain near San Ysidro, N.M. Stine, along with geoscience seniors Morgan Juhl (center right) and Lochlan Vaughn (far right), are among those who attended the introductory field geology course this summer.

CARA SANTUCCI Managing Editor

It’s the principle he applies and teaches every summer, when he goes out into the mountains to conduct an introductory field geology course for geoscience students at UTD.

John Geissman awoke in his tent at 3:05 a.m. to the excited snarls of an animal near his campsite in “You Can’t Do It In a Laboratory” the Beartooth Mountains.

A human scream turned his blood cold.

John Geissman, the program head of geosciences, He grabbed his headlamp before exiting the tent, forcing down an instinctive fear telling him to stay has an experience with field geology that long predates his time on campus. silent, to stay hidden.

Geissman has taught field camp since the summer In the night, the geoscience professor could make out an immense, brown form, hunching over a stu- of 1974. Since coming to work at UTD six years ago, he’s traveled into the mountains with students dent, tearing into his hands.

Geissman and another instructor chased the ani- every summer.

“The field experience has always been a critical mal away using their headlamps, waving their arms to element in the unappear much larger dergraduate instructhan they were. tion of geoscience The enormous It’s not just opening up a textbook majors,” he said. grizzly bear, blood and reading about something. It’s “I’m talking about on his jaws, lumreally immersing the bered away, slipping about exploring — figuring out things students in working into the shadows of on your own. out in the field.” the night.

The student, of — John Geissman, Without the field he said, most another university, Program Head of Geoscience camp, students wouldn’t lived thanks to the understand much rapid response of about geoscience. the medevac crew.

“You can’t do it in a laboratory for the geosciences,” Geissman walked away from the experience reafGeissman said. “We can’t duplicate (the geologic profirmed in his outdoors philosophy.

“The bottom line is, you try to think about cesses) in a laboratory.”

He said the best part of the experience is seeing stuwhat could go wrong and always be thinking about what could go wrong,” he said. “And in dents finally understand what they’ve been learning in doing so, you’re always cognizant of making cer- classrooms all year by observing the geology first-hand. “(My favorite is) watching students become far tain to the best of your ability that what could go more cognizant of how geologic processes work once wrong doesn’t go wrong.”

they see relations in the field,” Geissman said. “It’s not just opening up a textbook and reading about something. It’s about exploring — figuring out things on your own.”

“In the Field It’s Not Always Clear-Cut” Geoscience junior Siloa Willis took part in introductory field geology this summer, driving from Dallas to New Mexico and then to Colorado. She was one of 13 people in the class.

She said going to field camp was an important part of the geoscience curriculum because it afforded her a greater understanding of what geology looks like out in the real world.

“A textbook can only teach you so much, and a textbook is all perfect situations,” Willis said.

“There were so many times when there were faults … because in the field it’s not always clear-cut.”

Once in the field, students are assigned several mapping projects, said Geissman. They are sent out into the mountains — usually in pairs — to record what they see in the area. Later, the students write up an interpretive report of their observations and finalize their map.

“We provide the students with a lot of feedback during the course, while they’re out in the field conducting their mapping,” he said. “The instructors are always out there interacting with the students.”

In addition to the rigorous course material, Willis said the physical expectations of the camp were exceptionally demanding. “(You have) a heavy backpack and on top of that you’re hiking vertically up a mountain,” she said. “It’s a long day. … That was the hardest thing, for sure.”

→ SEE FIELD CAMP, PAGE 7

“Swiss Army Man,” written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, shines shamelessly in the bizarre and awkward and delivers a truly unique take on how mankind should approach life. The film is deeply philosophical, with Daniel Radcliffe (from the “Harry Potter” film series) and Paul Dano (from “There Will Be Blood”) adding landmark performances to their already impressive bodies of work.

The film opens with Hank, played by Dano, stranded on an island preparing to hang himself. As he positions the noose around his neck and looks out to sea one last time, he spots a man floating near the

shore. Hank rushes to save Manny, played by Radcliffe, and the two embark on a journey that helps them redefine the meaning of life.

Without saying too much, it is very difficult to know whether or not the events taking place throughout the majority of the film are actually happening.

After all, Hank is stranded on an island without food and water. “Swiss Army Man” could very well be a 95-minute hallucination. As films go, subjective interpretations of theme and meaning are commonplace and this is where “Swiss Army Man” begins to captivate. Manny is apparently dead, but he blasts

A24 | COURTESY

→ SEE SWISS ARMY MAN, PAGE 7

“Swiss Army Man” was released on June 24. It stars Daniel Radcliffe (front) as Manny, a talking corpse.

Debut novel reinvents genre ‘The Girls’ updates coming-of-age stories with provocative prose NYEMIKE OKONKWO Mercury Staff

EMMA CLINE | COURTESY

Emma Cline’s debut novel, The Girls, came out on June 14 and centers on themes of womanhood and belonging. The book was partially inspired by stories about the Manson family spread in the 1960s.

Emma Cline’s thoughtful and penetrating debut novel, The Girls, is partially inspired by the Manson family exploits of the 1960s, but the majority of Cline’s writing is built on themes that revolve around many adolescent females — judgment, acceptance and belonging. Even though the novel is Cline’s inaugural major literary work, her finely tuned prose is evident from the start and she promptly asserts the central themes of this novel and carries them through the majority of the pages.

The main protagonist, Evie Boyd, is a 14-year-old girl living in Petaluma, Calif. Life seems rather ordinary; Evie goes to neighborhood barbeques, spends

What prompted you to get into stand-up comedy?

Varghese: I graduated college with a film degree, but then I took a stand-up writing workshop. From there, I started doing open mic. I never really had a plan to do it as a career. I just started getting work and within a few months I kept pursuing it but it was never a lifelong goal. I kept getting asked over and over again to come back and perform.

Castles: I was performing as a musician and I was in four different bands and there were all these problems with people’s equipment or just people’s schedules and I started to realize I just really wanted to perform. So then I started storytelling and then that evolved into standup.

What were some challenges you faced when breaking into the comedy scene?

Varghese: The biggest one was disappointing your parents because they had no idea where the future was in it. I think the big thing is getting comfortable on stage. That’s probably the biggest thing and I still struggle with it at times. Trying to find ways to relate to random groups of people — whether it be through age differences or racial differences or generational differences — that’s always been the biggest hurdle.

Castles: I think the biggest challenge is just being funny. There are all sorts of other challenges and I think it’s a challenge to stay in a positive mindset and not become embittered. It’s challenging to keep yourself busy and keep working hard at it.

Varghese: In ’04, I was on the second season of “Last Comic Standing.” I was around for a couple of episodes. That is basically what gave me enough exposure for clubs to book me as a headliner.

Castles: I don’t know that that’s happened yet, but I definitely am involved in some exciting projects. I’m producing a tragicomic documentary with director Paul Provenza and we confronted another comedian’s childhood sex abuser and got a 5-minute interview. Now we’re using my friend’s story in the footage that we have. In telling that story, we’re hoping to open up the conversation about childhood sex abuse amongst comedians and other performers.

‘Swiss Army Man’ lets audiences decide fate of its characters Mercury Staff

On June 30, comedians Paul Varghese and Chris Castles performed in SUAAB’s Double Trouble Comedy Show. The Mercury sat down with the two to discuss their origins, influences and future plans.

When would you say you got your big break?

Film enthralls with bizarre plot NYEMIKE OKONKWO

Austin-native Chris Castles (pictured) returned to the Pub stage and was joined by local Paul Varghese.

the majority of her time with her best friend Connie and has a budding interest in boys.

Evie’s ordinary life takes a turn in the midst of her parents’ divorce and the discovery of three powerfully magnetic girls who are members of a quasicommune on the outskirts of the Bay Area.

To be noticed and admired like the girls of the commune is what young Evie wants most, and early in the novel, the enthralling presence of the girls collides with the harsh reality of her own self-appraised existence, and she is immediately transfixed.

"I studied the girls with a shameless, blatant gape," adult Evie narrates, looking back at this

→ SEE THE GIRLS, PAGE 7

How has your heritage or upbringing impacted your stand-up routines?

Varghese: It’s a big part of it. It’s something I never really knew if other people could relate to it until I started talking about it onstage. Through performing I found out that everyone shares similar upbringings, it’s just my parents have a different way of saying it than other people’s parents. I don’t have to sit there and explain that I’m Indian onstage. As recently as a decade ago, I had to announce it onstage because people weren’t exposed to it enough. Another way my heritage influenced me is I don’t want to embarrass them or feel like I’m ridiculing them. I am talking about them, it’s just where I’m the butt of the joke and they’re the ones winning in the conversation or they’re the ones who look better than I do.

How has your comedic voice changed over the years?

Varghese: I’m more of myself on stage. The material was always funny, but I was never comfortable up there. Back in the day, it felt like I was doing a presentation as opposed to just being in the moment. My writing’s a lot sharper.

→ SEE COMEDIANS, PAGE 7

UTDMERCURY.COM → FIELD CAMP

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

All the same, Willis said she had a great time camping out in nature and spending time with her cohort.

“You can see the stars at night,” she said. “When you’re a city kid, you can’t even imagine how many stars are out there.”

For geoscience senior Jillian Kelley, the social aspect of the course was the most rewarding.

“It’s a bonding experience, because you go through a lot together,” she said.

Paying Your Way The UTD field camp requirement consists of two three-credit hour classes, taken over the course of two summers. Each class runs between $3,350 and $3,550 per student. The cost of each class includes a set tuition — about $2,050, as dictated by the university — and a course fee — between $1,300 and $1,500, as dictated by the geology department to cover food and transportation.

Kelley said she felt frustrated by the cost of the course because a former geoscience advisor told her that her Academic Excellence Scholarship would defray the cost of tuition.

“I’m not blaming him — it’s my fault for not being on top of that too,” she said. “It was … unorganized on his part.”

She said she was upset field camp and its cost was not addressed earlier in her college experience. Kelley found out about the requirement junior year.

In addition, because the class is only three credit hours long, and the duration of the class prevents students from taking most other summer classes, it is nearly impossible for students to obtain federal student aid — which is distributed starting at six credit hours.

Once she found out she’d need to pay for field camp out of pocket, Kelley worked more hours at her part-time job and began saving scrupulously.

“It was stressful, but it had to be done,” she said.

→ COMEDIANS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Castles: I’ve become better at the craft, so I’m telling jokes differently. I like to think that in the next few years I’ll start to open up as a performer and talk more about what’s really on my mind once I’ve figured out the craft to where it’s more second-nature and where I can be more conversational. I’ve really dedicated a lot of my time to understanding joke structure and timing.

Who would you say are your influences?

Varghese: My biggest influences stand-up-wise are all guys on the local scene. I’ve performed in the same rooms that they have. In front of 300 people in a theater, it’s pretty easy to look like a genius. I love seeing comics struggle — I learn by struggling. On a base level, any Indian comic has to say Russell Peters because he validated what you do. He basically showed that there was a market for it. It doesn’t have to be all Indian people;

LIFE&ARTS

Every year, through alumni support, the department is able to give out about $18,000 in scholarships for undergraduates going to field camp. The scholarships generally range from $750 to $1,500, Geissman said.

“If a student doesn’t apply for these scholarships — and they’re well advertised … they don’t get any money,” he said. “But everyone who does apply, does get financial aid from the department.”

Although every applicant is guaranteed financial assistance, he said only about 50 percent of the students attending field camp apply.

“If I have 20 students in the field course, that’s … $26,000. We barely break even in terms of transportation costs and food costs,” Geissman said. “The big thing is, our department bends over backwards to try to provide financial support for our students.”

Although the department offers those scholarships, both Willis and Kelley said they did not find out about them in time to apply. They plan to look into them for next summer’s field requirement.

“You can’t even imagine how many stars are out there” It was long past midnight. Willis was pulling an all-nighter with a classmate to finish a mapping project in her tent in Colorado, the Rocky Mountains looming above the campsite in the moonlight.

Frustrated, she left the tent to take a walk and clear her head.

She looked up. Spanning above her, in gold and white and purple swirls, the Milky Way cut across the wide expanse of the sky. Awestruck, she ran back to the tent and dragged her homework partner outside.

Their legs ached from the hiking. Their clothes were dirty from days of wear. In the distance, a lantern lit up their tent, where maps and geology books and pencils, worn down to nubs, waited for them to return.

“We stood there for ten minutes looking at the Milky Way,” Willis said. “And we were like, ‘Ah, life is not that bad.’”

it can be universal. On that level, he’s somebody I admire.

What are your future plans? Are there any upcoming projects you can tell us about?

Varghese: I’m recording my next album later this year. I’m working with this production company that wants to do specific video content around my material. At my core, I just love performing. As basic as it sounds, as long as I can keep getting paid to be on tour and tell jokes, that’s really what I’m good at.

What advice would you give to people wanting to enter this industry?

Castles: If you want to do stand up comedy, go do it. You just have to do it. Now, it’s about diversity. There are so many different places to go for your media. Write your own sketches, make short films, build websites. Express yourself creatively.

You might be doing it forever before you make your big break. But if you work hard, you will find your way in the industry one way or another.

& On Friday, July 1, SUAAB and Intercultural Programs hosted an event in the SU foyer to celebrate the 4th of July. Hot dogs and burgers were served as faculty and students played games to win prizes.

PHOTOS BY SAHER AQEEL | MERCURY STAFF

THE MERCURY | JULY 5, 2016

→ SWISS ARMY MAN

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Hank away from the island thanks to his super powered flatulence, and as the film unfolds, Manny reveals a wide array of abilities that help Hank overcome isolation.

Perhaps Manny’s most influential skill is his inquisitive nature. Manny asks Hank various questions about life and Hank guides him in the ways of the living, explaining everything from defecation to masturbation to love.

It is difficult to ignore the self-reflective nature of “Swiss Army Man.” Since the revival of a dead man is so far-fetched, the film may illustrate Manny as a mirror image of Hank residing in his conscience. Manny could be a representation of how Hank views himself.

Through the discussions they have, Hank’s inauspicious take on life is revealed to be quite synonymous to that of a dead man. Like a corpse in a coffin, Hank’s existence is confined, stationary and completely void of zeal.

Furthermore, Hank is physically separated from society by being stranded on the island, an event of mere chance, but it becomes increasingly clear that he was just as isolated in the real world, an event

→ THE GIRLS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

turning point in her young life. “These longhaired girls seemed to glide above all that was happening around them, tragic and separate.

Like royalty in exile.”

Evie is especially drawn to one girl in particular, Suzanne, the dark-haired, nihilistic voyeur at the head of the pack. They make brief eye contact, which draws Evie deeper into her desire to be seen and wanted. Evie cannot completely define the gravity of Suzanne, but she asks herself, “And what had the girl seen when she looked at me?”

Evie eventually performs a favor for Suzanne to gain her confidence, and is soon introduced to the commune. She is spellbound by the life on the ranch. Her desire to transform her life easily trumps the unsupervised toddlers running around with full diapers, the skinny dogs, the lurking bikers, the rancid pool water containing dead frogs and the servile relationships the other women have with Russell, the commune’s charismatic leader. Thankfully, most readers cannot relate to the debaucheries of a commune, but many, in hindsight, can relate to certain sentiments of young Evie.

“I waited to be told what was good about me,”

7

made possible almost entirely by choice.

“Swiss Army Man” also presents a sense of sadness hovering over society. Hank frequently explains to Manny the cultural norms designed to keep everyone in line, but in actuality these customs may prevent people from being truly honest to the self and genuinely open with others.

Radcliffe is superb as Manny. Playing a dead person in a full-length film with only two main characters must be difficult, yet he pulls it off beautifully.

Radcliffe progresses from completely immobile and mute to increasingly useful and talkative. Dano’s performance is quirky and original. As a stand alone rendering of a castaway, Dano’s performance may not work, but Radcliffe’s execution of Manny definitely elevates Dano’s acting.

The film starts slowly, but the middle is full of fantastic dialogue and humorous scenes. Those scenes are some of the film’s most beautiful, bursting with color and emotion.

The end of the film is the most unrefined piece. A movie of this nature seems difficult to wrap up neatly, so the conclusion fell a bit flat. Overall, “Swiss Army Man” is cerebral and entertaining. The actors’ performances are definitely noteworthy and one will be hard pressed to find a film that matches the creativity.

an adult Evie recollects. “I wondered later if this was why there were so many more women than men at the ranch. All that time I had spent readying myself, the articles that taught me life was really just a waiting room until someone noticed you — the boys had spent that time becoming themselves.”

This is where Cline’s writing is most powerful. She forcefully delivers a terrifyingly precise reality of being a young girl. To so many, their lives are defined by the input of others, often complete strangers, instead of being home-grown and nurtured by the self, thus becoming the output that helps define the world.

The Girls illustrates a grimy blend of naiveté and neediness. Cline’s writing has an undeniable air of brilliance and a sharply honed psychological insight to the minds of the novel’s subjects. Cline serves the reader well by keeping the activities of the commune as the backdrop to something much more sinister –— adolescent aspirations and the length at which some will go to attain them. The novel is paced well and can be completed within a day, and although tenses move from past to present and back again, this doesn’t occur often enough to confuse the reader. Cline’s narrative is chilling and provocative, and the non-physical conflicts seem much more harmful than the physical ones. The Girls is definitely worth the time invested.

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JULY 5, 2016 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM

SPORTS

setting OFf

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Two UTD volleyball players traveled to different countries to represent Team USA in series of exhibition games

ANDREW GALLEGOS | PHOTO EDITOR COMET SPORTS | COURTESY

Mechanical engineering senior Michelle Toro (right) and biomedical engineering senior Holyn Handley traveled to Brazil and Italy, respectively, to play volleyball for Team USA against local teams.

PABLO JUAREZ Sports Editor

Despite being on two different continents and separated by more than 5,260 miles, middle blocker Michelle Toro and outside hitter Holyn Handley have shared similar off-seasons — gaining valuable international volleyball experience while representing Team USA. Toro and Handley traveled to Brazil and Italy, respectively, to play a series of exhibition games against native clubs and professional teams. Toro, a mechanical engineering senior whose tour took place from June 6 to 15, was one of 10 Division III players from across the country selected to represent the United States.

“The (selection) process was based on how your season went individually,” she said. “(U.S. Sports Tour and Events) contacted me through an email asking if I wanted to go to Brazil and play.”

Prior to flying to Brazil, Toro spent two days

training in Orlando to get acquainted with her new teammates. The team flew to Houston, and then on to São Paulo overnight. To document her trip, Toro decided to do something she had never done before — vlogging.

“The head of the Comet Sports website, Dave Wester, wanted me to document my trip to Brazil,” she explained. “They asked me originally if I wanted to blog the trip, but I told them I wasn’t a very good writer so I videoed it instead.”

Toro and the rest of Team USA split the two matches they played in São Paulo. Afterwards, the team made its way to Rio de Janeiro for three more matches, including one against a professional team, where they lost two out of the three games. Having done a similar tour in Costa Rica and Aruba last summer, Toro said she noticed the considerable differences in the talent pool of her two trips.

“The teams in Brazil were much better than the teams we faced in Costa Rica and Aruba,” she said.

“That’s part of their culture, too. Brazil has always been really good at volleyball. Volleyball and soccer are their top two sports there, so I expected some good competition.”

Handley, a biomedical engineering senior, traveled to Italy from May 24 to June 3 on behalf of the American International Sports Team, an organization that extends players international invitations based on in-season conference accolades.

During the trip, Handley went on walkthroughs with Team USA in the various cities they visited, and she was then free to explore on her own.

The team played matches in the cities of Rome, San Marino, Tuscany and Bellagio. Handley said the Italian teams had a distinct playing style. It was one she wasn’t accustomed to seeing in the ASC. “The big thing I noticed was that they were much more aggressive with their serves than most of the teams in our conference,” she said. “They weren’t as complicated with their offense. They didn’t run a lot of crossing patterns or do a lot of fast sets, but they

could hit really hard, whereas at UTD, we’re most strategic about where we put the ball.”

Culturally, Handley said Italy and the United States were quite different, including how each of the countries treats their sports.

“From a sports standpoint, sports for them is not part of schooling,” she said. “For us, all of recruitment is through the school but for them it’s all through a club. For their club sports, they set out wider age ranges than we do here. So the team we were playing had girls as young as 15 and 16, or as old as 25 and 26.”

One of Handley’s biggest takeaways from the tour was the concept of playing multiple positions and forming a cohesive team within a short time frame with players she had never met before.

“It definitely tested our coachability and how well we’re able to mesh with other players,” Handley said. “It tested our ability to adjust and adapt, which are important things going forward into this next season.”

Tracking volleyball’s rise to prominence at UTD Tracing sport’s evolution on campus from humble beginnings to strong showings in NCAA, ASC tournament play PABLO JUAREZ Sports Editor

HAMID SHAH | GRAPHICS EDITOR

The innermost layer of a volleyball is comprised of a rubber bladder, the second is made out of cloth and the third shell consists of 18 rectangular leather panels arranged in six identical sections. Just as a volleyball has evolved into a multi-layered invention, so too has the sport, with each layer ushering in a new era.

Consequently, a team’s historic timeline endures various ebbs and flows, and the volleyball program at UTD is no exception to that rule.

The volleyball program at UTD was founded in 2004 — the youngest established program alongside women’s golf. Head volleyball coach Marci Sanders was hired shortly thereafter. Sanders said there were obvious growing pains in being a rookie head coach of a brand new program.

“One of the reasons I accepted the job was because UTD pretty much already had everything in place as far as facilities, for the most part, so that was pretty easy,” she said. “Just as it is now, the hardest part to our job is recruiting. So starting to recruit kids to a program that didn’t really have any history was definitely the hardest part.”

The program had back-to-back losing records in its first two seasons, going 14-17 and 16-17 in 2004 and 2005, respectively. As it stands now, those are the only two losing seasons in the program’s 12-year history.

Amid the early struggles, Sanders said she didn’t necessarily feel any pressure to provide immediate favorable win-loss records as long as there were visible improvements year to year.

In 2006, those visible improvements led to a favorable ASC East championship record of 24-7 — an eight-win improvement from the prior season. The success was in large part due to the talent pool from that year’s recruiting class.

“If you look statistically, we kept getting better. …

It took us a few years to get a good recruiting class in there,” Sanders said. “(The success) came down to building a track record and getting our name out there.”

The program reached its peak in the 2008 and 2009, posting a combined overall 49-9 record and a 31-3 conference record. The Comets won their first ever ASC title in 2008 and successfully defended it in 2009 in convincing fashion by going undefeated in conference play. They are only the third team in ASC volleyball his-

tory to win back-to-back championships, and the lone UTD athletic program to accomplish such a feat.

“We lost in the conference championship in 2006 and I had quite a few freshmen in that class,” Sanders said. “Obviously they grew up a lot during their time at UT Dallas. So they were learning and we were learning and we just ended up working together (to make) everything fell into place in 2008 and 2009.”

Due to the competitive nature of sports, defeat is inevitable. Despite establishing themselves as a premier team in the ASC, the Comets, unable to recreate their 2008 and 2009 magic, fell short of the conference championship in each of the next five post-seasons.

During that five year span, the Comets had five 20plus win seasons, including a program high 31 wins in 2013, and never registered more than four conference losses in a single year.

The volleyball program was having relatively successful seasons, but at that same time, Hardin-Simmons was developing into an ASC powerhouse, defeating or eliminating the Comets en route to their four consecutive titles.

“In those years, it wasn’t like we were having bad seasons,” Sanders said. “We just couldn’t really get over the hump. I felt like the other programs in our conference were just getting better.”

For the Comets, success doesn’t begin and end with their ASC accolades. The ultimate goal is still to win a national championship. For the second time ever, last year’s squad advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Sanders explained this year’s ASC championship squad is the best to ever step foot inside UTD’s gym because of the way they gave meaning to the word ‘team.’

“There isn’t one person on this team by the end of the season that wasn’t all in,” she said.

Sanders said she feels the program is taking the proper steps towards winning a national title.

“We obviously know it’s not going to be an easy task but the years that we did lose (in the NCAA tournament), we lost to Cal Lutheran,” she said.

“This year they went on to win the national championship and the last time we lost to them they were runner-up. I think it’s nice that the current players that we have are able to see what Cal Lutheran does, which points out weaknesses not only to our players but also to us as a staff on what we have to get better at.”

COMICS&GAMES

JULY 5, 2016 | THE MERCURY

SUMMER DRAMA

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FANIMALS

SHANNON RAMIREZ | MERCURY STAFF

WHAT TO DO...

KEVIN VANHORN | MERCURY STAFF

WHERE'D THE MONEY GO?

YURI CHOI | MERCURY STAFF

HOUSE SPIDER

EMILIO CHAVEZ | MERCURY STAFF

ANTHONY INGA | MERCURY STAFF

UTD TLC

BRYAR BENNET| MERCURY STAFF

EASY

HARD

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MATT STRACK | MERCURY STAFF

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THE MERCURY | JULY 5, 2016

UTDMERCURY.COM

→ CUPBOARD

home because they’re supporting a family, so they would try to spend less here and in that case they used the pantry,” Kulkarni said.

For some students, like Jain, the Cupboard is a place where they can try new foods and figure out what American options they have a taste for.

“The kind of snacks we have in India, we can’t find anything like that (in America), so at that time I definitely needed to find something I can eat as a snack,” Jain said. “There are a lot of new things here, which I don’t even know, so I’m not sure whether I like it or not. I grab it (at the Cupboard), try it and if I like it, I can buy it from somewhere else.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“I (had) heard about it a lot in (TV shows) and movies and everywhere,” Jain said. “I was just curious about why it’s so famous here in America. Peanut butter is not (available) in India at all.”

The creamy texture and slightly sweet taste of the spread clicked with Jain and he’s been hooked ever since.

“I really liked it. … I just grabbed a bottle of it over there and I tried it. It was really awesome.”

Jain’s experience illustrates just one of the many unique ways the Comet Cupboard, a food pantry on campus, serves the student population at UTD.

***

*** The Comet Cupboard opened in fall 2013, when the undergraduate education faculty started noticing a trend of students struggling to feed themselves when other expenses took priority.

“In the course of day-to-day interactions with students … (the faculty) would get details about an individual student’s situation,” said Hillary Campbell, the assistant director for undergraduate student engagement programs. “(There were) enough of these stories to say ‘Wow, you know, it’d be easy to look at all these beautiful trees and think everything’s just green, everyone is happy and fully settled,’ but in reality, we were hearing other stories to the contrary.”

In 2015, a study was conducted by the Wisconsin HOPE Lab that revealed just over 50 percent of the students surveyed in 10 community colleges across the nation suffered from food insecurity. These students went hungry and some even gave up housing to cover the cost of tuition.

Although there is no data extrapolating what food insecurity looks like among all college students, Feeding America, a national network of food banks, estimates about half of its college-aged users compromise on food to cover educational expenses.

Amber Brown, a public affairs graduate student and a coordinator at the Cupboard, said these national trends are reflected at UTD and have increased the Cupboard’s impact on campus.

“We looked at just research data on what food insecurity looked like. Then, (we) looked directly at our campus,” she said. “Everything has just grown, which just shows the need and obviously when you start off you have to prove that there’s a need to do anything and it catches on.”

Brown explained that there is regularity among users and they’re familiar with how the pantry is stocked.

“You can tell that the people who use it actually need it because they come back,” she said. “When they do use it, you can tell our numbers go up and down. If we don’t have much food, then people don’t

→ TAGS

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“We’re juicing them up to get ready, because they’re going to be in a construction site and they’re going to get stressed,” he said.

Jascott said because the university started out

ANDREW GALLEGOS | PHOTO EDITOR

Apurva Kulkarni, a regular user of the Comet Cupboard and an electrical engineering graduate student, explains how international students, like herself, benefit from having a food pantry on campus.

CUPBOARD’S SUMMER HOURS: MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, FRIDAYS 12 P.M. TO 3 P.M. cupboard’s fall/spring hours: MONDAY - FRIDAY 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

HAMID SHAH | GRAPHICS EDITOR SOURCE | WISCONSIN HOPE LAB

use it as much because there’s not much they can take. So, they’re aware of how the shelf is going in the Cupboard. They’re not like, ‘Oh I had no idea there was no food in here.’ No, they know because they’ve been coming consistently.”

Apurva Kulkarni, an electrical engineering graduate student and a regular user of the Cupboard, echoed Brown’s observations.

“Initially, I didn’t know what was there, so I would just come with an empty mind and see whatever I get but now I always know what is stocked and how things are moving so now I know if I want anything it will be there 90 percent of the time,” she said. “It’s always reliable, I never come back empty.” *** Kulkarni said as an international student who’s recently moved to the United States, she doesn’t have

with an existing urban forest, the added 7,000 trees over the course of campus landscape projects means it’s more difficult for Facilities to keep up.

“The ultimate goal is to never lose any trees due to them just dying because of nature,” he said.

“There is an inherent eco-value to these trees.”

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The tree tags, costing $7 each, assign each tree a specific GPS location and number. This way, Facilities Management can easily track which trees need maintenance. Marking the trees was the first part of a multi-step process to gain entry into Tree Campus USA, an organization that recognizes green campuses.

a driver’s license or a vehicle yet, which requires her to put more thought into her grocery shopping trips.

“I (can’t) commute to wherever I want to everyday,” she said. “So, in case something (runs out) at home, it takes time to go somewhere to buy groceries.”

Towards the end of the spring semester, she relied heavily on the Cupboard to supply healthy options when she was burdened by a rigorous courseload.

“I didn’t have time to go anywhere to buy groceries. I would go home at 2 o’clock and get up early in the morning and come back here to the lab, so then I would just go to the pantry. … It’s much, much better as compared to the junk food. The canned beans (and) canned soups really helped me at that time.”

Kulkarni said she has friends who had to cut down on their expenses, so the pantry was an indispensable resource in helping them do so.

“They work on campus (and) send money back

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Since it opened, the Cupboard’s distribution count has risen to 20,991 items in the 20142015 academic year. In that same year, the pantry received $10,000 in external donations and 1,392 students used its resources.

If there are instances where the pantry runs low on stock, the staff encourages specific donations from campus-wide departments.

“We’ve started something called shelf stars, (which is) an item specific food drive,” Brown said. “So, usually when we go low, we’re just low in a specific item that people want. It’s hard for them to want to come because we don’t have what they need.”

If these drives aren’t effective, the staff uses donation money to restock the shelves.

The Cupboard also takes advice from other pantries within the College and University Food Bank Alliance, an organization in which UTD’s pantry is a charter member. “(We sought) guidance from university food pantries that (have) gone before us,” Campbell said. “Since we’re young, the veteran food pantries could stand to give us some guidance when it came to trouble shooting potential issues and just the experience, making decisions about how to vet users or not.”

As of June 23, there are 325 active members in CUFBA, which is almost nine times larger than the membership when UTD’s Comet Cupboard joined in 2013.

Happy with the increasing numbers, Campbell said it means more students are learning the valuable lessons the Cupboard can teach.

“We all live in this world together (and) we share this real estate and we want to become engaged, civil people and so understanding that the people sitting next to you in class may have all sorts of things going on, you have no idea, and serving each other is a great way to learn how to serve the greater world post-graduation,” Campbell said.

and Facilities Management, focuses on recycling, composting and greater energy alternatives. The Sustainability Club’s President, wasn’t right with university officials, and were Sherry Yang is excited about the potential encouraged to find a middle ground for this improvements on campus. year with assurances that we would work togeth“I think it would be really great to have er towards implementing our original vision,” a composting station in Dining Hall West…

Cease said. something that can be self-managed that we The originally proposed plan was to apply a don’t need volunteers overseeing,” Yang said. “I $5 fee increase to all incoming students in the think it would be cool if we could have solarfall, not to students that powered charging stations for were currently enrolled, cell phones. It would definitely which would then fund show that we are trying to be It's very important the initiative. According more sustainable.” to Census Day figures, SG Vice President Joey that (SG reaches) out new student enrollment Campain advocates for a wide to these organizations last fall, which includes range of community involvethat are really pasfirst-time freshmen and ment, but said he wants the transfers, was 7,346. student body and organizations sionate and give them The university is expectsuch as the Sustainability Club the resources they ed to continue to grow, and to be the prime arbiter over with the original proposal, what receives funding. need to make a bigger the Green Fund would pool “It’s very important that (SG change. several thousand dollars to reaches) out to these organizafurther fund a wide variety tions that are really passionate of initiatives.

— Joey Campain, and give them the resources they There are many susSG Vice President need to make a bigger change,” he said. tainability efforts curNot only would the Green rently in place on campus. The Student Services Building has been Fund elevate initiatives currently in place on campus, certified by the United States Green Building it would provide students with unique opportunities Council as a LEED Platinum Building for its to work with university administrators on budget environmentally conservative design and con- allocations and policy implementation, thus increasing marketability post-graduation. struction features.

“If we are really focused on this, its another way The Sustainability Club, working in partnership with the Office of Student Volunteerism students can get engaged,” Cease said.

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