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January 8, 2018
Tuition Increase Proposed Plan comes after a dramatic decrease in state funding STORY BY: CINDY FOLEFACK | NEWS EDITOR GRAPHICS BY: MATT STRACK | GRAPHICS EDITOR Incoming UTD students may have a higher tuition rate this fall if the school’s proposal is approved in February. The move comes after a sharp decrease in state funding. The budget for the Texas Research Incentive Program was cut from $138 million for 20162017 to $35 million for 2018-2019. TRIP is a program that began in 2009 and incentivizes people to make philanthropic contributions to research, which are then matched by the state. The school held forums on Dec. 1 and Dec. 4 to allow students and faculty to learn more about the plan. The decrease in TRIP funding means that UTD will receive $150,000, despite being eligible for $22.6 million. In addition, the school will receive $4.71 million less from the state for 2018-2019, despite a 9 percent enrollment increase from fall 2015 to fall 2016. “TRIP helped us receive grants and gifts that we otherwise wouldn’t have gotten, but it’s a firstin first-out system,” said President Richard Benson. “At some point, all of the existing funds were depleted, so the hope was the last state legislative session would replenish the fund. They didn’t fully replenish the fund, and a lot of UTD’s funding was at the back end, meaning we weren’t the first, we were a little bit later.” The proposal would provide two options: the traditional fixed tuition plan, with an 8 percent increase from the current price that would remain valid for 12 consecutive semesters, and a variable-tuition plan, which is already offered by other UT schools. The variable plan would have an immediate 4.5 percent increase from the current price, then increase by a variable rate annually. The Board previously approved a UTD
Counseling Center waitlist eliminated Revised procedure emphasizes group sessions, lowers number of individal appointments
tuition increase proposal which affected new students in 2016 and 2017. The previous proposal included a 2.9 percent increase for undergraduate students, a 4.5 percent increase for non-resident undergraduates and a 3.9 percent increase for resident undergraduates. Other UT schools, including UT Tyler and UT El Paso, are also using tuition increases to make up for a loss in state funding. The tuition increase is not finalized yet, because the Board of Regents will hold a vote on the tuition proposals in February. Benson said the increase is necessary because of numerous cuts to funding. “With every passing year, we want to make sure that we have at least as much funding per student as the year before,” Benson said. “The fact is, we’ve not been successful in that regard. In fact, it’s been trending down and this particular year, we took a very steep drop from state funding. Consequently, and reluctantly, we felt that we had to compensate by increasing tuition more than we otherwise would’ve wanted to.” Existing merit-based aid programs such as the Academic Excellence Scholarship will remain in place and the value of these programs will increase along with tuition. Comet Connection, a program allowing transfer students to adopt the tuition rate in place at the time of their transfer, will also be unaffected whether or not the Board approves the proposal, and new transfer students will be offered both plans. “We’re going to give each student the option to pick the plan that they want, so it will be up to the student to pick whichever plan they think works best for them,” Benson said. The new tuition plans won’t be available to current students, and incoming students will have
ANUPAM GUPTA | MERCURY STAFF
Computer science freshman Alexis Vu and business analytics graduate Prakhar Sharma wait for an appointment in the Student Counseling Center’s lobby. ANNA SCHAEFFER Mercury Staff
→ SEE TUITION, PAGE 10
ANTHONY MCNAIR | MERCURY STAFF
Student launches business by scaling down Dallas UTD junior, co-founder of Metro Blocks wants to help build city pride through 3-D printed skyline BHARGAV ARIMILLI Life & Arts Editor
A UTD student co-launched a 3-D printed landscape product in an effort to foster city pride. Gabe Villani, an information technology and systems junior, is one of two founders of Metro Block, which began operating in November. The Metro Block is a miniature skyline, designed to represent the essence of Dallas. “Dallas is a very business-oriented city,” Villani said. “We wanted to encapsulate that in the product. It’s also a great conversation piece.” Villani and his business partner, Demont Campbell, met at a photoshoot for one of Campbell’s other projects. “(We) were just talking and he was telling me about his other businesses,” Campbell said. “We kind of just clicked from there.” The concept for Metro Block came about when Villani and Campbell were discussing ideas for how to enter the 3-D printing market. “It’s kind of like a portfolio starter, essentially,” Villani said. “There are other business solutions that we can do through 3-D printing. It’s limitless. You can print almost anything as long as you
WILLIAM LEGRONE | PHOTO EDITOR
→ SEE METRO, PAGE 10
Gabe Villiani, information technology and systems junior and co-founder of Metro Blocks, studies a 3-D printed skyline of Dallas that his company created.
The Student Counseling Center’s new scheduling system has eliminated the need for a waitlist. The revised procedure was implemented during the fall 2017 semester and includes a variety of treatment options. Resources such as group counseling and community referrals allow the Counseling Center to treat patients in less time than in previous years. In fall 2016, there were 368 students on the waitlist, which is less than the 428-person waitlist of spring 2017. In fall 2017, after the schedule system changes, there were none. Jim Cannici, director and psychologist at the Student Counseling Center, said he considers the change to be highly positive. “Up until this fall, what we provided was primarily individual counseling to students,” Cannici said. “Although we had other resources, they were limited. What happened as a result of that system was long waits to get in.” In the past, waitlists could stretch to include hundreds of students who had to wait for weeks or months for appointments, according to Counseling Center records. Cannici said the Counseling Center realized this had to change. “It’s a system we weren’t happy with,” he said. “Of course, I would be frustrated if I was a student who couldn’t get in, if I had an issue or concern or problem. It takes a while to even get up the courage to come here.” Cannici said the Counseling Center is below the national average for the number of staff at a college counseling center, but more staff wouldn’t address the problem of a long waitlist. “The bottom line is that the downside of our system was a lot of students not being served,” he said. “Regardless of our resources, we felt we could make a better system to address the needs of more students.” The redesigned scheduling system begins with an initial evaluation, followed by a prescribed treatment plan for the student. A treatment plan may include group counseling, workshops, referral to the campus and community resources, psychiatric treatment at UTD or individual counseling. Although 12 individual sessions were available to students in years past, the new plan lowers the number to six per year. Cannici said the group program, including options for healthy relationships, women of color, international and graduate students, has skyrocketed.
→ SEE COUNSELING, PAGE 10
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THE MERCURY UTDMERCURY.COM Volume XXXVIII No. 16
THE MERCURY | JAN. 8, 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 Chandan Amonkar Emaan Bangash Srikar Baskara Neil Bhamoo Travis Dickerson Anupam Gupta Ayoung Jo Madeleine Keith Christi Lazutkin Xiang Li Sam Lopez Anthony McNair Anna Schaeffer Michael Stout Anjali Sundaram 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.
Dec. 6 • At 5:35 p.m., an unknown person stole an item from a student’s mailbox at Phase 3.
A
Dec. 7 • At 6:46 a.m. in the Engineering and Computer Science North building, an unknown person entered an office, damaged a picture frame and rearranged items inside the office.
B
Dec. 16 • A vehicle hit a pedestrian on University Parkway at 8:45 a.m.
C
Dec. 29 • An unknown person stole an extension cord from the Science Learning Center at 12:57 p.m.
D
Jan. 2 • A student left her $40 backpack and $700 laptop unattended in Founders, and an unknown person stole it at 8:21 p.m.
E
D
E
B
A
C D A LEGEND VEHICULAR INCIDENT
THEFT
DRUGS & ALCOHOL OTHER MAP: UTD | COURTESY
UTDMERCURY.COM
NEWS
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THE MERCURY | JAN. 8, 2018
Wife, staff mourn death of librarian Campus community remembers impact of employee killed by suspected drunk driver during bike ride
Team cuts down on pollution with drones Students advance to regional competition with idea to decrease fossil fuels
XIANG LI | MERCURY STAFF LINDSEY ZIMMERMAN-RANDLE | COURTESY
Cameron Zimmerman-Randle was a UTD library assistant and avid biker. In November, the 33-year-old former employee was struck by a car while riding his bike.
A team presents their idea in front of a panel of judges during the competition. ANJALI SUNDARAM
EMAAN BANGASH Mercury Staff
Family and friends of Cameron Zimmerman-Randle, a former library assistant supervisor at UTD, are mourning his passing after he was struck by a suspected drunk driver while riding his bike. At 2:37 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, 33-year-old Zimmerman-Randle was hit by a suspected drunken driver on the 700 block of North Murphy Road, where he died at the scene. Police have arrested the 26-year-old driver, Wilfred TJ Manatsa, who faces charges for intoxication manslaughter and failure to identify. Zimmerman-Randle was not just an overnight library assistant supervisor, but a great friend and a source of knowledge to many. As an avid cyclist, he would bike routinely to and from work, regardless of the distance. In the several months following his wife’s spinal surgery, Zimmerman-
Randle took his car to work instead of biking in case she needed him. The night he passed, he was cycling to build endurance for his commute from his home in Wylie to UTD. William Mikesell, an evening hours library assistant at the McDermott Library, worked closely with ZimmermanRandle, and they spent time together outside of work as well. Mikesell said Zimmerman-Randle’s love for biking was an integral part of his life. “He would ride 19 miles from Murphy to here, and then exercise and then go to work,” Mikesell said. “He loved biking in much the same way people liked breathing or consuming water.” Although Zimmerman-Randle shared a car with his wife, Lindsey Zimmerman-Randle, biking was his main mode of transportation. Mikesell said he was a cautious biker, and even wore clothing specifically designed for cyclists, such as reflective jackets.
Zimmerman-Randle also loved to read and share the knowledge he gained from his reading with others. He would read hundreds of books on different subjects and enjoyed talking to people about them, Fabiola Williams, an overnight library assistant, said. She said they would bring up historical topics when they were working nights. “There were a couple of nights where coffee wouldn’t do it and food wouldn’t do it, so I’d bring up a topic in history,” Williams said. “He would go on about the origin of it and the history behind it and I was like ‘How do you know all these things?’ and he said ‘I just pick up books and read.’” His love for books and knowledge extended into his love for working at the library, where he was able to answer students’ questions and help them find the resources they needed. His wife Lindsey said he enjoyed helping others in the library and being able to guide them in
the right direction. She said his personality was kind, and they both taught each other a lot throughout their lives. “He was definitely someone who was genuine, and he learned to be true to himself,” Lindsey said. “It took him a while, but he learned that he needed to be who he needed to be, that it was OK to be different from everyone else, to be what people call ‘weird,’ to have this crazy sense of humor.” After his passing, members of the UTD administration and staff worked to support Lindsey during the difficult time. She said they were gracious with the food and donations they gave her. “I just want to thank UTD, everything that they’ve done,” Lindsey said. “I’m hoping to one day be able to repay the favor. The school has been very, very supportive during all of this and I’m very appreciat(ive) and eternally grateful for what everyone has done for me during this time.”
Student device detects potholes, car crashes UTD becomes one of nine schools recognized internationally for team’s invention AYOUNG JO Mercury Staff
A team of computer science students were recognized in an international competition after developing a device detecting car crashes and alerts emergency services automatically. The achievement makes UTD one of three schools in the United States to win an award at the competition this year. Computer science juniors Tam Nguyen and Caleb Fung, freshman David Hong and Daniel Zhang and graduate Ashkan Yousefpour, who are all members of the Advanced Network Research Laboratory in the computer science department, entered the device into a contest hosted by the IEEE Communications Society. The competition recognizes student teams whose projects showed the possibility of improving the peoples’ lives through the applications of communications technology.
“It was pretty insightful trying to see how the things we were learning and how we can use all the technologies we have to help better the world,” Nguyen said. “And that was the goal of the competition.” The device can measure and record the car’s speed, location and G-force. Using the values, the device can detect car crashes and potholes on the road. If the values pass a certain threshold, the device classifies the movement as one caused by a car crash. If they fall under the threshold, it is recorded as a pothole. The device can also send all the collected data to a server that is used for analytics. Their project, “Instant Accident Reporting and Crowdsensed Road Condition Analytics for Smart Cities,” was awarded honorary mention and recognized as one of top the nine projects submitted in an international competition. For all of the undergraduate students, the first major team project they
ANUPAM GUPTA | MERCURY STAFF
From the left, Computer science freshman Daniel Zhang and seniors Tam Nguyen and Caleb Fung pose with their device, which uses motion data to detect car crashes.
contributed to was the competition. As members of the Advanced Network lab, they regularly conduct research and contribute their works to the IEEE science journals. “We stopped our focus with the papers for a bit just to clear our minds, and we thought it’d be fun to do a hands-on project,” Nguyen said. “I got to learn about technology and the world itself, and it was very eye-opening to see how much goes into just one little device.”
At the start of the summer, the team members decided to create the device after numerous brainstorming sessions. Yousefpour, the graduate student who served as a mentor for the undergraduate students, said the members had to take into account the project’s practicality and feasibility. “We came up with many ideas,” Yousefpour said. “One of them involved drones
→ SEE DEVICE, PAGE 6
Dallas marijuana policy change won’t affect UTD RUTH VARGHESE Copy Editor
Dallas’ newly implemented cite-and-release policy on marijuana will not affect UTD. At UTD, if someone is in possession of 3 grams or under of marijuana, UTDPD will issue a citation for paraphernalia with a notice to appear in court. Any amount over 3 grams results in an arrest, said Chief of Police Larry Zacharias. The cite-and release policy in Dallas was implemented on Dec. 1, allowing Dallas police to issue a citation for marijuana and a court summons to anyone found with 4 ounces or less of marijuana, as opposed to arresting them.
Possessing any amount over 4 ounces equals an arrest. The policy only affects the Dallas county section of the city of Dallas, according to the Dallas PD Beat website. UTDPD does not follow the Dallas policy, as the campus falls under two counties, Collin and Dallas, and Collin County does not have a cite-and-release policy. Before the fall 2017 semester, UTD’s policy was to arrest anyone in possession of any amount of marijuana. UTDPD had never run into situation where it found someone with any less than a “usable amount,” until officers arrested a student in possession of very little pot during the fall 2017 semester, Zacharias said. Afterwards, UTD police discovered that the city of Richardson had a policy that if there were 3 grams of marijuana or less, the Richardson
PD would issue a citation. UTDPD decided to adopt that policy. UTDPD only decided to implement the new policy after the case with the student and the small amount of pot, and have not had a case since then where they needed to use their new policy. If students are found with drugs on campus, they are referred to the Dean of Students office. If there is a violation of the Code of Conduct, the student can either have their case heard by an impartial panel or they can acknowledge the violation, and will receive punishments based on the violation. The policy on all other illegal drugs remains a strict policy, meaning an arrest will be made.
Mercury Staff
A UTD team took home first place in a competition for a business idea to reduce air pollution using drone technology. Alta Air, composed of finance and economics juniors Konan Mirza and Jason Tran, and electrical engineering junior Yosias Kassaye, took home the first-place title on Nov. 30. The three juniors will move on to regionals, hosted sometime between January 2018 to March 2018, as each team has a different competition date. “We were (surprised) because we always go in with the worst expectations,” Mirza said. “It was surprising, but we are just excited about this journey.” Utilizing modular drones with interchangeable lasers, Alta Air hopes to reduce or completely eradicate air pollution by adding their products onto airplanes. That way, the aircrafts will use the Alta Air technology rather than fossil fuels. Ten teams competed in the Social Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition, also known as HULT PRIZE. The teams were allotted five minutes to present in front of four judges and present their idea addressing the prompt, harnessing the power of energy to transform the lives of 10 million people by 2025, in hopes of ultimately winning $1 million to invest in their business. The competition offers students an opportunity to create or redesign an effective, environmentally-friendly business, and once students are given the prompt, their first step is competing in the campus-level competition. The event incorporates multiple stages, and during each stage, winning teams will be given mentors and advice, courtesy of HULT PRIZE. Alta Air heard about the competition while they were pitching at the Big Idea competition on Nov. 16, and decided to compete. “This competition is more about how are you going to help people, why are you passionate, how is this actually going to make an impact … I think that that is a better route to take,” Mirza said. “If you are passionate about something, rather than about how you are going to make money, (that) is more our way of thinking.” Junior electrical engineering student Bradley Ritschel was unable to compete last year because of students’ lack of interest, so this year he was determined to make the competition work and became UTD’s HULT PRIZE campus director. Ritschel said the main reason the competition hadn’t worked in the last two years was because of marketing issues. However, the competition’s opportunity was one of the reasons that Ritschel wanted it to return to UTD, and was happy to see the competition come together. “It was awesome,” Ritschel said. “It has been a long time recruiting teams and also mentoring the teams and getting judges. We haven’t had the competition here at UTD for a year or two, so I am happy to bring it back.” From now till the end of January, Alta Air will work with Ritschel and other mentors, striving to secure a winning spot in regionals, all in the hope of earning $1 million to invest in their project.
LIFE&ARTS Music HONORING HERITAGE group
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JAN. 8, 2018 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
Junior creates photobook to explore cultural identity, UTD community’s diverse background
wins contest UTD a cappella team on track to qualify for national competition
NOAH WHITEHEAD | MERCURY STAFF
Marketing junior Alaae Nasser wears the colors of the Lebanese national flag. Nasser came up with the idea for her photobook while reflecting on her multicultural background. MADELEINE KEITH Mercury Staff
A visual arts student used her class assignment to execute a long-desired artistic vision of showcasing UTD’s ethnic diversity and cultural backgrounds. Alaae Nasser, a marketing junior with a minor in visual arts, created a small photobook of students whose families originate from nations across the world. Each student was given the opportunity to paint the colors of their nation’s flag somewhere on their skin, and was asked to describe an aspect of their culture that they were proud of in an accompanying quote. The finished product, which took Nasser nearly three weeks to complete, involved students from 12 different countries spanning five continents. Nasser first had the idea for the project while contemplating her own unique journey as a Lebanese-American. She said she had once struggled to
strike a balance between the two distinct cultures, but the love and pride she now felt about her ethnic identity was something she sought to instill into the hearts of others. Nasser said she felt the photobook she was asked to create was the perfect opportunity. “I was just sitting and thinking about how I grew up and how I’ve grown to love myself and the person I am, and it came to my mind to carry that love into other people,” she said. “I wanted to give them a sense where, through the paint, you could feel your culture on your skin.” Nasser explained in her artist statement, “I felt like this project would be the ideal way to reveal strength in color and beauty in pride.” It was that pride that motivated arts and technology junior Gabrielle Ngo to participate in Nasser’s project. Ngo, who is half Vietnamese, a quarter Lao and a quarter Thai, said she was excited to participate
in a project that exemplified UTD’s di- with her, Nasser said. When she first began verse international community, and helped talking with her participants, she discovered that people had difficulty emphasize the benefits of thinking of positive attricoming from a varied ethI wanted to butes regarding their culnic background. tures. She explained that “It just kind of remindgive them a holding honest conversaed me that (my ethnicity) sense where, tions about negative aspects is what makes me as a through the of their homeland allowed person and that’s who I’m proud to be,” Ngo said. paint, you could her participants to see how their upbringing had “Being a part of so many feel your culture shaped them for the better. cultures allows me to have “I feel like sometimes so many different experion your skin. people are almost ashamed ences and allows me to relate to so many people, — Alaae Nasser, of the things that they’ve heard about their country, but it’s also just a sense of marketing junior but in the end, they realize recognizing your ethnicity that this is something that’s and being proud of who a part of (them) and that you are.” However, not everyone who volunteered has made them … have this open mindset to for the project expressed pride for their native country at the beginning of their interviews → SEE FLAG, PAGE 6
Students launch short film lounge New entertainment space in Plano offers student discounts, provide platform for creators to share content
WILLIAM LEGRONE | PHOTO EDITOR
Computer science freshman Oded Falik and software engineering freshman Ramin Nourbakhsh founded The Kickback to provide affordable entertainment for college students. DEV THIMMISETTY Mercury Staff
Two UTD students are attempting to create a new source of entertainment for the Plano and Richardson area in the form of a short film lounge called The Kickback. Currently, The Kickback is based in the AramArt World Music and Art Institute in Plano. It features a selection of short films chosen by the founders, including “Castello Cavalcanti,” “Betta Watch Out” and “Next Floor.” Computer science freshman Oded Falik said he came up with the idea when he was out with friends. “It really just came out of boredom,” he said. “I think everyone’s been in that position before
where you are trying to decide what to do as college students who don’t have a whole lot of money. I thought we could provide a place for especially students like us to just hang out, do something fun and meet new people without having to spend too much money.” At The Kickback, a projector displays a QR code that takes the customer to an online form where they can vote on which short film to watch. After three minutes, the poll ends, and the projector automatically starts playing the most selected film. The process is repeated every time a film ends. “I wrote the software for that myself, so in the future we may even license the software to other companies or something like that,” Falik
said. “It takes me a long time to write all the code, and it can be frustrating, but I think because it’s my passion and I’m working towards a real-life goal, I don’t mind as much.” Software engineering freshman Ramin Nourbakhsh helped find the location and also helps manage the organization. “Oded told me the idea and I thought it was very interesting,” he said. “I wanted to help because as college students who do not have a lot of money, doing something normal like going to the movies … is just not feasible every weekend.” Nourbakhsh said he and Falik had always enjoyed short films, and The Kickback is a way to present short films to the public and the
UTD community. “It’s a form of entertainment that hasn’t really been in the spotlight,” he said. “There hasn’t been a place to show just short films, and many of these creators are amazing at what they do. It’s another form of expression with a shorter amount of time and a much smaller budget compared to a big Hollywood movie, but they still turn out to be great and different.” Nourbakhsh contacted a former boss who used to stream documentaries at the Art Institute, and he was allowed to rent the space for the short film lounge. For now, The Kickback is more of a hobby than anything,
→ SEE LOUNGE, PAGE 6
ANUPAM GUPTA | MERCURY STAFF
UTD Dhunki members pose with the group’s prize of $1,000 from Anahat. NEIL BHAMOO Mercury Staff
After a semester of hard work and practices, a UTD a cappella group won a competition in early December. UTD Dhunki won Anahat, a competition that is one of seven “bitcomps,” where South Asian a cappella teams compete to earn points. These bit-comps lead up to a final competition held at the end of the school year, the All-American Avaaz, where the top-scoring teams from across the nation compete for the final prize. “We’re planning on going to another comp in January in Pittsburgh, and we’re hoping we can place there too,” said Namratha Niranjan, a psychology and child development sophomore and one of the two leaders of the group. After their win at Anahat, Dhunki is now in second place in the “race” to the final competition. To participate in the All-American Avaaz, Dhunki will need to maintain its performance and remain at the top of the country’s a cappella teams. The competition in January will also award points that will ultimately add up to determine if Dhunki will be able to qualify for the final. “Our set and our team, it’s very emotionally intact, we connect with each other a lot, so the only thing we told the team is to just have fun, pretend we’re just in the rehearsal room, because that’s the easiest way to calm down,” said Aashika Ashok, a biology sophomore and the other leader of the team. The group faced another obstacle — the overall inexperience of the team, as the team is composed of mostly first and second year students, with only one member that is older. “We had rehearsals every day during the weeks leading up to the comp, and at one point we had a member who wasn’t able to make it to three of those,” Niranjan said. “A lot of us lost our voices the week before the performance.” The group held regular practices throughout the semester, but to prepare for the upcoming competition, they rehearsed even more. Having practice every day proved to be a minor concern for Dhunki’s members after the group won at Anahat. “Every single person pulled through,” Ashok said. “That’s the thing about a cappella, every single voice matters. For us to pull through like that, it really meant a lot.” Anahat is not the end of the road for the group, as more competitions are coming up through the rest of the school year, leading towards the AllAmerican Avaaz. “Really, we just want to share our love for music because we’re very close this year and our (sound) is really good, and we wanted to share that with as many people as possible and expose Dhunki more,” Ashok said.
SPORTS
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JAN. 8, 2018 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
Pena capitalizes on extra minutes Activity Sophomore guard named ASC East player of the week for second time during the 2017-2018 season TRAVIS DICKERSON Mercury Staff
Every season, the women’s basketball program loses senior players and experienced players take on the role of leadership. Victoria Pena, a sophomore guard and second season veteran on the team, has taken up this role of leadership. Pena joined the team during the 2016-2017 season and had to adapt to the team dynamic. “I was new to Coach Polly’s system and I needed to figure out how my game was going to fit in with the team and the way my teammates played,” Pena said. She said she adjusted quickly enough to have one of the highest scoring averages that season, with a personal average of 8.3 points per game. The team won the ASC Tournament during the 2016-2017 season, and made it to the first round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament last season. This year, Pena had to step up in a leadership role after the loss of several senior team members. Head coach Polly Thomason attributed Pena’s leadership role to her experience with the team and the leadership skills she learned from the past season. “They taught her well, and she saw an opportunity to step up in terms of being a leader on the court,” Thomason said. Senior forward Madison Steele said Pena took on the leadership responsibility by learning the strengths and weaknesses of the team and by being able to communi-
cate on and off the court. “She definitely leads by example,” Steele said. “She has great fundamentals and knows the game of basketball very well. For what she lacks in size, she makes up for in her big play.” Pena, who is 5’5,” has improved both her personal scoring average by four points, and average time spent out on the court, about 31 minutes per game. She said she is still putting in a lot of time and hard work this season as she focuses on a more assertive playstyle. “Last year we had lots of amazing players that could get a bucket practically whenever they wanted, so there wasn’t a lot of pressure on me to score,” Pena said. “This year, I’m
Center Upgrades New gym floor, lighting coming in summer 2018
handling the ball a little more and trying to focus on being more aggressive, so I hope my performance will only improve as the year goes on.” So far this season, she has improved her scoring average to 15.6 points per game. During the Jan. 2 game against Southwestern University, Pena reached a game high of four assists in the team’s fifth straight victory.
WILLIAM LEGRONE | PHOTO EDITOR
The gym’s carpet, installed in 1998, will be replaced over the course of two weeks. It is projected to be completed before the fall term. CHANDAN AMONKAR Mercury Staff
With the new year, University Recreation plans to improve the gym workout area with renovations this summer. Tricia Losavio, director of UREC, said they plan to replace the two-decade-old floor and update the lighting in the workout area. “Right now, only the free-weight area has a (mat) … and the rest of space has carpet. That carpet’s been there since the building opened back in 1998, so it’s almost 20 years old,” Losavio said. She added that there have been regular updates to different parts of the Activity Center every year, such as with the check-in counter and equipment checkout locations, making the AC more accessible to students. The new floors will be put in over the course of two weeks. Losavio said in order for students to have a place to work out while the AC is closed for renovation, Recreation Center West will expand their normal summer hours to the traditional hours of 7 a.m. to midnight. Chenyang Hu is an accounting graduate student who uses the AC workout area regularly. Hu said the new floors would make it more comfortable for students to lie down on the floor for workout routines. “A clean and shiny floor would definitely make my workout more easier and more comfortable,” Hu said. Losavio said she expects the student community to welcome the upgrades when they walk into the AC in the fall semester. “The current students, when they walk in … they’ll be appreciative. I think it’ll look a lot sleeker,” Losavio said.
SRIKAR BASKARA | MERCURY STAFF
Victoria Pena led the Comets with 19 points in the 59-47 win over Howard-Simmons University on Dec. 18. Pena has averaged 14.8 points per game this season, the highest on the team, as the Comets got off to a 10-2 start.
How important are college sports? College athletics have benefits reaching beyond the athletes themselves EMAAN BANGASH COMMENTARY
Sports at UTD is radically different from that of other universities. It’s not that there aren’t enough sports, but more like a lack of attention given to them compared to other aspects of the campus culture. College athletics, while it may not be a priority for some, is important and should receive attention from students like any other club events and organizations. Not only do universities benefit from investing in sports, both from monetary contributions and exposure, but college athletics also serve as a good way to socialize and unify campus communities and promote fitness and health. It’s a lifestyle that should be recognized as a talent and skill, and receive just as much attention as students who develop apps and win chess championships. The hard work that student athletes put into training and practice — not to mention how they manage to balance their work with their academics — makes them deserving of more attention than what they get from games such as Homecoming. Universities invest in college athletics when they are worth investing in, such
as when it results in having a substantial audience. When sports are properly invested in, they can benefit schools by providing ample revenue and exposure. According to Department of Education statistics on the 2010-2011 school year, Penn State football expenses were around $19.5 million. However, according to onwardstate.com, an independent Penn State news website, the Penn State football team brought in a revenue of $70.2 million that season. While these programs are very expensive, they provide options to students who excel in athletics and bring a substantial amount of revenue to campuses. In addition, when colleges win games and championships, prospective applicants get more exposure to the colleges. According to a study done in 2009 by Devin G. Pope and Jaren C. Pope, “The Impact of College Sports Success on the Quantity and Quality of Student Applications,” they found that after a school achieves certain sport successes, their quantity of applications increases “from 2 percent to 8 percent for the top 20 football schools and the top 16 basketball schools each year.” To put it simply, students want to be associated with winning schools and therefore apply to them. This doesn’t mean students apply solely because a school’s teams are good, but it’s definitely something students can brag about to others, and increases their
loyalties to a school. Loyalty and unity is an important part of the college experience, and college athletics can help cultivate those qualities. College sports with talented teams especially generate crowds. Essentially, it’s one of the easiest ways to create a foundation for school spirit. It’s why you see thousands of people gathering in UT’s 100,119-capacity stadium when competitive games and championships begin. People pay to watch their own students play and support their campus team. People buy T-shirts that proudly display their school’s team. People brag to others about how good their team is, Snapchat games and post pictures and selfies on social media. Sports create a more social environment because it’s a common ground for people to gather and root for the same team, creating unity and spirit among students that is much less common in universities without a strong sports program. Despite the perks, there is always the argument that sports takes away from academics. There were the academic scandals at Syracuse University and University of North Carolina (among others recently) involving students receiving grades for classes they didn’t show up to or devaluing academics over sports in general. However, top colleges that have considerable sports programs remain in their positions simply because
ANTHONY MCNAIR | MERCURY STAFF
students learn to thrive under highpressure time management and scheduling when balancing between sports and academics. Increasing numbers of colleges are being exposed to the media for issuing inflated grades to students so they can concentrate more on sports, so the recent transparency could definitely contribute to a later scrutiny in regulations with college athletics. While students at UTD pretty much treat academics as a sport itself, it’s worth giving attention to the time and effort put into the athletics at UTD. College athletics is not something to leave forgotten, because it has more benefits than people think, both to the student body and to the university as a whole. Despite the cons that can arise from
investing in college athletics, it’s worth it to support what is there, no matter how small the teams are or how low the attendance rates are at games. Get to know who UTD’s best teams are. Find out when and where they’re playing. Go out with friends to a game or two and cheer on the team. Take selfies with Temoc at the games and post updates on Snapchat and Twitter. Even if you don’t know a thing about sports, it doesn’t hurt to spend time supporting your campus and having school pride. The unity, socialization and culture resulting from successful college athletics definitely surpasses the costs invested. In the end, what’s the use of a mascot with only a few people there to hype?
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look at things differently,” Nasser said. When Nasser completed her photobook on Dec. 5, she not only submitted her final project to her professor, but also chose to upload the finished product to Facebook. Both she and her participants were surprised by the magnitude of the response her photos received. Alexia Dos Santos, whose family is from Sao Paulo, Brazil, said that in addition to the overwhelmingly positive response the
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that would measure if parking spots are free. Then we figured out that the idea is nice, but implementing that may not be that easy.” The team members started the brainstorming sessions by noticing problems people encountered in everyday life. Nguyen said he thought of a pothole near his family home that remained unfilled for several months, even though it was causing problems for people in the neighborhood, including his father. “We thought, ‘Hey, what if
LIFE&ARTS
project received, it also alerted Dos Santos to a Brazilian community at UTD that she never knew existed. “When Alaae posted some of the photos on the Facebook page, there were some people that actually reached out to me that were Brazilian that I didn’t know before, and a lot of people that just commented on the project in general that thought it was really cool, so I didn’t realize that it would have as large of an impact as it did,” she said. Nasser said she is not done yet with the project. She plans
to do a video compilation of candid shots and voiceovers with her interviewees, to provide more in-depth stories involving their cultural heritage. She is also willing to replicate her project for anyone who would like to participate outside of her class assignment to continue illustrating the cultural diversity she witnesses throughout UTD. “It not only makes the volunteers remember their upbringing, but it also allows the viewers to notice the beauty in diversity through people we encounter every day.”
we can make something to report that on its own?’” Nguyen said. “And that idea branched out more and more.” Although the team members produced a working model in the end, they had difficulties during the process, such as the initial model’s inability to provide a Bluetooth connection. To solve the problem, the team put another hardware kit on top of the initial model, so that the final product has two layers. Another setback was that the team members could not simulate an actual car crash just to test the device, so the device was scaled
according to numerical values found by research. The members simulated crashes and potholes by physically shaking the device with their hands. Although the process of creating the technology presented obstacles, the members of the team overcame them as each member had a specific role to play in the project. “Having a team of diverse people with different backgrounds definitely helped because we had some people who worked on the hardware that others have much knowledge about, and some other people
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Nourbakhsh said. “Just imagine a lemonade stand a kid does in the summer,” he said. “We are just doing it to understand how a business works. It’s something we are doing for fun. If we can build it to a point where it is feasible and it is making enough money for us, then we can decide what to do next, but we aren’t near that point yet.” For now, the short films available at the lounge are decided based on what Nourbakhsh and Falik think are noteworthy creations, as well as what is available online. However, the two
are trying to contact creators so they can get licensing agreements to display more films. Nourbakhsh said the largest obstacle for him was advertising. “Both of us don’t know how to do advertising for this,” he said. “We’ve made posters and flyers and we tried doing social media advertising, but that’s not going too well. It’s really hard to get the word out there. It’s the most frustrating part about this.” Falik said possible solutions might be hosting an event at UTD or passing out coupons. “We could do something at the Plinth or somewhere on campus where we demonstrate how our soft-
ware works and students can watch a short film,” he said. “That might convince students to drive a few minutes to Plano.” Nourbakhsh said what makes him really happy is the positive feedback he receives. “We just want to show people short movies and to bring them together,” he said. “It’s a place to meet new people with maybe the same mindset or interests as you. It’s enjoyable to see that something that we have done is at a good point and can be successful.” The lounge is open every Friday and Saturday from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and tickets are $5.
worked on software while some people made the video,” Yousefpour said. Yousefpour also said the competition has been a good experience for him and other members to hone leadership skills and responsibilities. He also said the team’s accomplishment in the recent competition has helped with the team’s morale. “When the project was selected, all of us felt so accomplished,” he said. “So if there is another competition, all of us will go for it because now we have a positive feeling about this whole thing.”
In the future, Fung said he would want to propose their project to the city of Richardson or Dallas area traffic department, as the device’s ability to collect information about crashes and potholes and send them to a server real-time could be beneficial for city authorities. The server displays exactly which roads are backed up and which routes need to be avoided. In addition, the device can also help the drivers in accidents because it allows emergency services to be dispatched immediately. “There are multiple accidents that happen where no bystander
is there to call,” Nguyen said. “The good thing about this device is that it doesn’t require a bystander. If it registers a crash, it does everything on its own.” The technology of the device is not far from being implemented. Yousefpour said the team wanted to make a device that people with less expensive cars can buy and plug into their cars, and that cities could potentially provide the device to drivers for free. “This device could make a big difference in terms of making someone’s day better or potentially saving their lives,” Fung said.
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COMICS&GAMES
JAN. 8, 2018 | THE MERCURY
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CARLZ SAYS
CAROLINA ALVAREZ | MERCURY STAFF
BACK TO SCHOOL MAZE
NOAH WHITEHEAD | MERCURY STAFF
SAM LOPEZ | MERCURY STAFF
JAN. 8, 2018 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
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OPINION
Rape survivors need support, understanding from community Family, individuals in close friend network surrounding sexual assault victims have a greater impact than they realize SOPHIA OP-ED
Editor’s note: This op-ed author’s name has been changed to protect her identity. I thought my freshman year of college was supposed to be the most exciting year. I was in a new city, meeting amazing friends and taking classes I wanted to take. I couldn’t have been more wrong, however: about halfway through first semester, I was raped in my dorm. My roommate immediately came to my aid and also called my best friend. I’ll never forget how hard they hugged me that night. But the last thing I wanted to do was pity myself. Therefore, I got up and told myself if I’m going to lose my virginity, I want to choose with whom and when I do it. Toward the end of the semester and the following semester of spring 2017, I decided to hook up with anyone that I wanted. Granted, no one has the right to judge what a person does after going through an event like that. Let me repeat that — no one. I carried on with my life that spring semester. I had guys wanting to go on dates with me, but I rejected them all because I just want to have sex and go on my way. I did all this in hopes that I could forget the rape. The semester ended and I was extremely thrilled to start my new summer job. We
had been training during the semester for it, and I just knew it was going to be great. Everyone that has been raped knows the last thing you want to do is consistently bring it up in your life, because it crushes you and makes you feel helpless. Well, for my job, we had a retreat and played one of those games where you crossed the line if, for example, an assault had happened to you, if you were of a certain religion, etc. I was not able to cross the line for assault and returned to my cabin bed to cry, where I mistakenly told someone about the rape and without my permission they reported it to the police and Title IX. I was completely weak for about a month after that, but I loved my summer job. Within my job, I met the most terrific guy. It is important to mention that he was close to the person I had confided in and told about the rape. I had promised myself at the beginning of 2017 that I would never, ever date a guy in college unless he proved his value. I believed that he did, but there was always, but there was always something in the back of my mind telling me, “How am I going to tell him about the incident?” After a month, we had already said “I love you” and I was extremely happy. With him, I had forgotten all about my past, yet I still wanted to tell him about my rape. I told him about a month and a half into our relationship. He didn’t tell me until about our two-month anniversary that he already knew about it before I told him, because the person I originally told had told him. He said he puzzled it together, but
who are we kidding? I’m not writing this to complain about my relationship or blame my suffering on anyone else. We dated for almost five months before we broke up. I didn’t get to choose that incident. I know what it feels like to tell your closest friends and have them come up to you and say, “Why didn’t you report it?” or, “Don’t you want to prevent it from happening to other people?” The answer to the second question is yes, but I also didn’t ask for it. Even simple questions can trigger horrible emotions about your life; I even started having nightmares recently with my ex-boyfriend and would wake up crying. The rape would happen again and again and again, and I was helpless. UTD was extremely helpful, and although I did lose a sense of trust, the university aided in pushing me to refocus on myself rather than pity what had happened. UTD does an outstanding job at ensuring that every student had heard about sexual assault at least once. Hearing this assured me that although it had happened at UTD, the UTD community was 100 percent there for my healing. Rape is a difficult life challenge to overcome; it has a serious amount of negative effects and can damage not only college adrenaline and excitement, but the feeling of safety of your life in general. The most difficult challenge is to not let it define you or affect your intimate relationships. But I do encourage you to reach out to UTD if this has happened to you. A counselor or friend is always a good idea. The beautiful thing about UTD is that every faculty or
SAM LOPEZ | MERCURY STAFF
staff member wants to ensure that you have the best college experience. If you are a friend of someone that went through it, just be there for them. One of the reasons I was able to somewhat recover was because I had amazing friends that never allowed me to forget my worth. No matter how many times I brought it up in conversation, they would talk about it again with me. We don’t tell our families, so you’re all we got. If you are someone that is in a relationship with someone that went through it, don’t mess it up. Yes, talk about it
with them, but only when they bring it up. Understand that we’ve been through enough, and you may just be the one to fix it all, or you may be the one to crush us again. If you can’t be the first one, then don’t bother. Being raped is never something you ask for, yet it can have so much of an impact on your life. The things you think were sent your way to heal you may not be the case. And that is OK. Sometimes we meet someone or get something that will change things completely for us, but that may not always be the case.
Students turn blind eye to tragedy Campus organizations fail to take action regarding Libyan slave trade CINDY FOLEFACK COMMENTARY
CHRISTI LAZUTKIN | MERCURY STAFF
COMET COMMENTS
A recent viral video showing a Libyan slave market auctioning African refugees led to international outrage, but was met with silence at UTD. Student organizations have mobilized to help Syrian refugees in the past, so their inaction during this crisis is both unwarranted and unacceptable. Muslim Student Associations at several Texas schools, including UTD, made headlines last year when they collectively raised over $16,000 to help Syrian refugees. Alpha Lambda Mu also pitched in by hosting “America for Aleppo,” named for the city at the heart of the Syrian refugee crisis, to raise awareness about the crises caused by the Syrian war. Much like the rest of the world, the UTD community focused on Syria. This left African refugees in the shadows, despite the fact that according to a 2015 United Nations report, nearly 70 percent of refugee arrivals in Italy were African. While German Chancellor Angela Merkel was praised for her acceptance of Syrian refugees, African refugees remained stuck in overcrowded detention centers where,
according to a United Nations report published in November, they are beaten and raped to this day. African and European leaders held an Ivory Coast summit in response to the slave market video where they agreed to return the refugees to their home countries rather than grant asylum, despite the fact that, according to the Migration Policy Institute, 78.9 percent of Nigerian asylum applicants last year were rejected. The West African nation is currently fighting Boko Haram, the jihadist militant organization behind the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping that sparked the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. Refugees with stories similar to those of displaced Nigerians have flocked to Libya while attempting to get to Europe. This created a bottleneck effect in the country which, according to the International Organization for Migration, now holds up to 1 million refugees. These refugees come from various African countries including Ghana, Cameroon and Zambia. According to Newsweek, a poorly planned 2011 NATO intervention overthrew Moammar Gadhafi’s regime in Libya to save civilians from government-directed massacres, but left the country to unravel into a failed nation. This created the perfect conditions for a modern-day slave trade in which refugees
are sold for as little as $400 each. It’s time we stopped feigning ignorance when it comes to African struggles. Every time African countries gained international attention, it’s either gone in less than a week, or a more developed country tries to help, but leaves the job half-finished, much like what happened with Gadhafi. It’s time we realize that the overall refugee crisis is bigger than Syria. We can start by using on-campus organizations to take action. Students can contact UN Ambassador Nikki Haley to advocate for an investigation into the slave trade. Students can also take action by donating to the International Organization for Migration, which works to counter smuggling and reintegrate migrants in their countries of origin. Another organization, Free the Slaves, works to eradicate modern-day slavery while also accepting donations on their website. If nothing else, use social media to raise awareness, because if this conversation dies, so do countless refugees. As a community, we must care about everyone affected by the refugee crisis because our ignorance and hypocrisy has led to the resurgence of humanity’s darkest moments. By working with student organizations and refusing to stay silent, we can start a global conversation and be the voice for those we previously chose to ignore.
What do you think about the proposed tuition increase? HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? Students interested in writing opinions can email editor@utdmercury.com.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
“I mean, if it helps fuel more school events that’s acceptable because it lets you interact with people that you otherwise wouldn’t really run into.”
“I already feel that UTD is expensive compared to other colleges. I don’t know the reason behind why tuition is going up, but obviously it’s not good.”
Chase Ribordy Biology Freshman
Lohith Padmaraju Information Technology and Management Senior
“No one likes to see it go up because its more expensive and college is already expensive enough.”
Chris Hoffman Neuroscience Junior
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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to remain on the same plan during their time at UTD, so they won’t be allowed to switch between the plans offered. “All the undergraduates that are here right now came in on a four-year fixed model, so you were promised that your tuition would not go up for four years,” Benson said. “The reason why you wouldn’t choose to switch is that the new tuition will be higher, so it will be applied to new students this fall.” UTD’s tuition rate became the highest of all UT System schools after it introduced the fixed tuition plan in 2007. This has remained true since the fixed plan was introduced.
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can design it.” Campbell, who graduated from Texas Tech University in 2015 with a degree in architecture, designs the models by using Google Maps and an architecture software program. After he selects important buildings to include in the model, he uses the square footage of each building to organize it into miniature cityscape. The Metro Block, which retails for $50, is then 3-D printed using PLA, a hard plastic similar to the material found in Legos. The printing process takes 12 hours to complete, as the model is constructed layer by layer. Villani said the most challenging aspect of managing the business was juggling multiple responsibilities. “I’m doing a lot of other projects as well,” he said. “It was just a challenge to keep it in place and make sure I devoted enough time to it.” The reception to the product has
NEWS
In fact, UTD’s fall 2016 tuition was $5,903 compared to the statewide average of $4,374 at the time. However, Student Government President JW Van der Schans said that UTD would implement the currently proposed tuition change only for incoming students, whereas other UT schools would apply the increase to all students. “(UTD) is asking for the variable rate option for students because it’s slightly cheaper, but inflation is a factor that could make it more expensive,” he said. “The school is also asking so that it’s easier to compare the tuition rates between schools.” The increase in tuition will encompass fees as well, covering various aspects of student life such as UTDPD, the Student
Counseling Center and the Student Health Center. “We understand as students that tuition encompasses student fees, but they’re two separate things,” Van der Schans said. “As an outsider looking in, you don’t know that there’s a portion that goes to student fees and a portion that goes to tuition.” Benson said the amount of students in STEM disciplines, which are dynamic and expensive programs, resulted in the need for another increase. “To hire the faculty that we need and have the laboratories that we need, I hate to say it, but it all takes money,” Benson said. “This will determine the degree to which we can populate those departments and those programs.”
been positive thus far, Villani said. “I’ve walked around (Dallas) with just the model in my hand,” he said. “I’ve had the owner of a store come up to me and say, ‘Hey, what is that?’ They were really interested in it. Everyone thinks it’s a really cool product.” Campbell and Villani divide responsibilities and oversee different areas of the brand’s growth. Villani said he plans to expand Metro Block’s reach from a physical product to a concept called Metro Block Adventures. “We go and we explore a block, we explore different cool places in Dallas,” Villani said. “Cool places to study, cool places to eat, places just to get to know your city a little bit more. We see this becoming a lifestyle brand built around cities and what the city encapsulates.” Campbell said he sees Metro Block as a platform to discuss social issues affecting individual cities. To accomplish this, Campbell and
Villani launched a blog to accompany the brand’s storefront website. Campbell’s most recent blog post tackled the homelessness issue in downtown Dallas. “The idea is that people who don’t hear about that stuff just reading on Facebook or Twitter would be able to get the awareness about those issues going on in individual cities,” he said. “Later on, when we launch other Metro Blocks, we’ll also bring on the issues and things that are going on in those cities.” Although the Metro Block has only been designed for Dallas at the moment, Villani and Campbell said they are considering expanding to include cities such as Chicago and Houston, based on customer feedback. “There are certain places that have a very nationalistic tendency towards their city,” Villani said. “(Metro Block) gives people a way to put that in a product — having pride in where you come from.”
UTDMERCURY.COM
MICHAEL STOUT | MERCURY STAFF
Chief of Police Larry Zacharias asks a question at a forum held on Dec. 4 about the proposed tuition increase. The proposal comes in response to a decrease in funding for the UT System from the state. The Board of Regents will vote on the proposal in February.
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“I think for a lot of students group counseling is actually the preferred modality because they get a lot out of hearing from their peers,” he said. “They realize they’re not the only one who struggles with this issue and can get support and problem-solving help.” Software engineering senior Helen McKay said she used the Counseling Center’s services once in the fall semester and had a positive experience. “The counselor was able to address my current concerns,” McKay said. “She was familiar with my condition, though not many people are, and she was able to answer my questions and provide guidance on ways to cope with and manage my condition by forming new daily routines of self-care. She provided me with lots of resources
and information about psychiatrists in the area and various workshops the Center for Students in Recovery hosts.” McKay said she considers trying the available workshops in the future and still benefits from her single session. “Since the appointment, I continue to use the advice and tools that (the counselor) gave me,” she said. Criminology and mathematics sophomore Alvi Ali said she was pleasantly surprised by the Counseling Center when she visited earlier in the fall. “I had to wait less than two weeks for my appointment, even though I had to find a time slot that worked well with my class schedule and such,” she said. “Overall it was a positive experience because I felt like I wasn’t being judged for anything, and I was provided with many resources. I did make use of a referral to
a local counseling provider.” According to the Counseling Center’s records, over half of the clients have made use of off-campus counseling after receiving a referral. If students are willing to use insurance for community resources, the Center may encourage them to receive more long-term counseling and improve UTD’s ability to provide for more students. Cannici said he considers the new system to be an effective change, with hundreds of students using available resources such as community counselors, group counseling and workshops. “This is a new system and we’re still fine tuning it,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll need to make some changes as we analyze the data from this fall. More students feel they’re getting the help they need. Of course, the greatest success is that we no longer have a waitlist.”