the Mercury
www.utdmercury.com
The Student Newspaper of UTD
Vol. XXX, No. 13
What will Proposition 19 mean for UTD? Page 7
Student uses his skills to pursue his passions Page 8
October 18, 2010
UTD gains an international tennis star Page 11
Professor’s memoir Safety concerns reflects on Holocaust Student attacks reported, ISA calls for action Rebecca Gomez
Staff Writer becks@student.utdallas.edu
Graduate student Sharad Jaganathan was tasered, beaten, held at gunpoint and robbed on his walk home from Target to the McCallum Meadows apartments, said Indian Student
Association (ISA) president and MBA student Rohan Nilekani. Jaganathan was attacked at approximately 10.15p.m. Oct.6, two weeks after computer science graduate student Shridhar Pathak was beaten and robbed in a DART train station, Nilekani said. Nilekani, as president of the Indian Student Association (ISA), called an emergency ISA meeting at 10 p.m. Oct.8 in the Waterview Park Phase II clubhouse to discuss safety concerns. Rohan said the
see SAFETY page 4
Second hall on the way
Nada Alsami
Contributor news@utdmercury.com
Leah and Paul Lewis Chair of Holocaust Studies and Arts & Humanities Professor Zsuzsanna Ozsváth is featured in a Jewish-themed book fair which commemorates her new memoir “When the Danube Ran Red.” “When the Danube Ran Red” tells the story of Ozsváth’s childhood in Nazi occupied Hungary during World War II. At the beginning of the Nazi reign, Ozsváth and her family were safe from anti-Jewish violence. “Hungary was the ally of Germany,” Ozsváth said. “We only heard rumors and stories about the Germans killing Jews.” In 1944 Germany occupied Hungary and enforced antisemitic law. People of Jewish ancestry were forced to wear a yellow Star of David on the
photo by Brandon Higgins
Arts & Humanities professor Zsuzsanna Ozsváth holding her memoir “When the Danube Ran Red.” Which tells of her childhood in Nazi Hungary. outside of their outfits. “It did not even matter if you were born as a Catholic,” Ozsváth said. “If you had two grand-
parents who were Jews you were identified as a Jew. You had to wear a yellow star.” Despite deportations of
Culture shock Jargon jam invades public space Rebecca Gomez
Staff Writer becks@student.utdallas.edu
photo by Albert Ramirez
Construction workers at the site of the second residence hall, located in the northwest corner of campus.
New residence hall is currently ahead of schedule Danelle Adeniji
Staff Writer dxa102120@utdallas.edu
UTD continues its expansion with the addition of a second freshman residence hall. The demand for living space exceeded the first hall, and plans to add another residence hall were approved and set in motion. The second residence hall is slated for completion fall 2011. The ground breaking took place summer 2010 and three months later the second residence hall is ahead of schedule in comparison to the first. The first hall was a fifteenmonth project and the second has been allotted twelve
months, said Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Matt Grief. With construction of the second residence hall starting so quickly after the first, a few questions arose about whether the new hall will face the same issues as the first, and if there will be any internal or external changes to the building. UTD’s first freshman residence hall opened fall 2009. It was the first dormitory built on campus and was in high demand by first year students, Grief said. Once students moved in, they realized the building included a few things they didn’t sign up for. The water
see NEW HALL page 6
Literary studies junior Alexandria McLemore interrupted the frequency of radio talk-show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s audio book cover to create a platform for her important message, the American cultural affinity for the “n-word.” McLemore’s impetus to address cultural acceptance of the “n-word” was a Sept. 23 Culture
Jam assignment in her Contemporary Cultural Criticism (CCC) class. Scott Herndon, CCC professor, said the jam project required a publicly displayed element of pop culture reflective of change in message via any observable medium. Change, she said, was not a sufficient solution. The “n-word” was fully articulated 11 times by Dr. Laura to an African American listener who had called in for advice to deal with white peo-
Hungarian Jews to concentration camps, Ozsváth and her family remained
see OZSVATH page 9
One stop shop
ple’s casual use of the “n-word” in her presence. Mclemore said the philosophical point Dr. Laura later made, that African American people have a free pass to use the “n-word,” might have been valid had she not used it to defend her rant. “When I was 14, my mother and I were walking past a Hispanic man who was on the phone
Anwesha Bhattacharje
see SHOCK page 4
see STORE page 6
Contributor news@utdmercury.com
Student Government (SG) has developed a new project aimed at helping students without cars purchase necessities on campus. SG Student Affairs Committee chair and Economic Policy & Political Science junior Haroon Hashmi said his committee has received
Wellness center expands offerings Move to SSB increases space provided Danelle Adeniji
Staff Writer dxa102120@utdallas.edu
Health awareness is now more accessible with the expansion of Health Education, a component of the Wellness Center. In contrast to the Health Center’s treatment of illnesses, the Wellness Center is dedicated to the promotion of health and the prevention of illness. Assistant Director of Student Wellness Amanda Smith said she is excited about the expansion of the
photo by Brandon Higgins
Wellness Coordinator Kacey Luker in the Wellness Center, located within the Student Services Building, demonstrates how to operate the “Drinking Clock.” One of the many props the center uses to educate students. Wellness Center. Before the center was moved to the Student Services Building health education couldn’t be provided whenever Smith
stepped out of the office. With the expansion of the Wellness Center UTD has been able to add a wellness coordinator, Kacey Luker, and an administra-
tive assistant, allowing the center to stay open. Along with Smith, Luker wants students to engage
see WELLNESS page 6