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March 30, 2015
BREW BUSINESS
CLASSES CANCELLED
Former students found, manage small Fort Worth brewery
April Fools! The Mercury attempts humor in its annual satire issue.
WHAT'S BELOW? Student affairs VP to retire ESTEBAN BUSTILLOS Managing Editor
Vice President for Student Affairs Darrelene Rachavong announced on March 27 that she will retire from her position in June. Rachavong, who turned 69 in February, said she originally planned to retire in 2016 but decided to retire sooner after her latest birthday. “I thought, ‘You know, I really shouldn’t wait until 2016,’” she said. “Life is very fragile. You never know what’s going on in RACHAVONG your life, and I just thought, ‘I just need to do this now, while my health is fairly good.’” She said no formal decision has been made yet about who will replace her, but President David Daniel has already started to think about who will be her replacement. She said her staff will be able to function during the transition, but she would like to see President Daniel make a decision soon. “I hope a decision is made pretty quickly so people will feel comfortable and stable,” she said. “For the next couple of months, I’ll be doing the job I’ve always done on a daily basis as the VP, but certainly, once the president makes his decision, if there’s anything I can do with whomever he appoints that makes
SECTION B
PG 6
THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
BUTTERFLIES COMING SOON
PLUS + Springapalooza events galore // PHOTO, PG 12 Where do UTD's athletes hail from? // PG 10
STUDENT REGENT FINALIST CHOSEN
OUT OF THE GATE RUNNING Connecting student leaders, alumni relations among goals for newly appointed SG president NIDHI GOTGI Mercury Staff
The newly elected president of Student Government, along with her ticket, has plans to focus on connecting student leaders with SG, working with alumni relations and Safe Zone Ally training, among other initiatives. Having served on senate for one semester, international political economy sophomore Caitlynn Fortner was elected into office with a voter turnout of 1,825 votes. ATEC freshman Grant Branam was the vice president candidate on the Empowering Students ticket. They ran unopposed. “The thing that most heavily influenced my decision to run was meeting Grant,” Fortner said. “I realized we worked well together and he had begun to gather a ticket that would make a strong team.” Branam has just completed a full semester on senate, but he said
that the length of his term doesn’t equate to the amount of experience he’s gained. “Gathering student opinion and being able to bring issues to senate is what is important,” Branam said. “Exercising that transmutation between student issue and changing it to something administration will listen to and converting that to something students are able to measure in terms of change is what matters.” Fortner and Grant have a number of goals for their time in office. They said they would like to connect student organization leaders across campus and encourage them to be involved with SG’s activities. “Student government can’t necessarily be an outlet for event planning or funding for specific things that student organizations want to do,” Fortner said. “We can still build a network of student leaders, but we have to work more to figure out what that looks like.”
→ SEE SENATE, PAGE 14
→ SEE RETIREMENT, PAGE 14
Landscaping project to support dwindling butterfly population
Senator selected as finalist for student regent ESTEBAN BUSTILLOS Managing Editor
ARUN PRASATH | MERCURY STAFF
Craig Lewis, the greenhouse landscape coordinator for Facilities Management, worked to cultivate two variations of milkweed, a main larval food source for monarch butterflies. He hopes to attract more of the distinctive orange and black butterflies as they pass through North Texas during their migratory season. CARA SANTUCCI Mercury Staff
Thousands of monarch butterflies may soon come to campus as part of an ongoing project to cultivate the university’s open fields with their food and shelter supply. Craig Lewis, the greenhouse landscape coordinator for Facilities Management, has been working in the greenhouses planting more than 800 seeds of two different varieties of milkweed that he harvested around campus. Lewis took a special interest in the health of the species after noticing a distinct decline of them on campus. “The monarch is what the canary in the mine used
to be. They are a telltale sign of bigger events or bigger losses to come,” he said. “Seeing them decline at such a rapid rate put the eyes of several people on what’s the cause.” According to Lewis, the butterflies have declined largely due to a lack of native habitat. There has also been a relationship between butterfly extinction and non-organic chemicals used in the agricultural industry. Monarch Watch, a conservation program focused on the butterfly, has registered UTD as an official waystation for migrating monarchs thanks to the efforts of the Landscaping/Grounds department. Leaders of the project hope to see growth in the dwindling population of monarch butterflies after planting species-specific grasses and flowers all over
campus. Through the national Monarch Waystation Program, individuals or groups can host designated locations for butterfly migrations after agreeing to plant monarch-friendly flowers and grasses. UTD became an official hub following their promise to plant over 120 flats of milkweed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services reported earlier this year that since 1990, 970 million monarch butterflies have vanished, and the insect is currently under review for endangered species status. In response, a national movement has begun to plant milkweed — where monarchs lay their eggs — and other nectar-providing flowers.
→ SEE BUTTERFLIES, PAGE 14
Mathematics senior Charlie Hannigan was named one of five finalists for the student regent position on the UT System Board of Regents by Chancellor William McRaven according to The Daily Texan. The student regent holds a nonvoting position on the UT System Board of Regents for a year-long term. The finalists for the positions are named by McRaven, who sends his picks to Gov. Greg Abbott for selection. The other candidates are Justin Drake, a Ph.D. HANNIGAN student in biochemistry and microbiology at the UT Medical Branch in Galveston; Erika Long, an advertising and public relations senior at UT Arlington; Laura Santibanez, a Ph.D student in nursing at the UT Health Science Center-Houston; and Jefferson Schilder, a global affairs junior at UT San Antonio. Hannigan said Student Government collects candidates every year who are qualified to run for the position. He said he has three main goals in mind he wants to accomplish if he is named regent. The first is to implement an aggressive sexual assault policy. “Having an aggressive universal sexual assault policy to protect victims of sexual assault on all of our campuses is absolutely critical,” he said. “(UT Austin) has done some amazing work with its sexual (assault) policy and how it’s enforced, which I think is a very good standard for how the UT System should be run. I think those policies are something we should look into or make them even more stringent is something that we can consider. No one should ever feel unsafe on their campus.” He also said he wants to emphasize mental healthcare on campus. One of his goals is to make
→ SEE HANNIGAN, PAGE 14
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THE MERCURY UTDMERCURY.COM Volume XXXV No. 6 Editor-in-Chief Miguel Perez
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Senior Staff Nidhi Gotgi Emily Grams Priyanka Hardikar Linda Nguyen Arun Prasath Cara Santucci Tim Shirley Parthasarathy S.K. Yang Xi Contributors Jennifer Chi Cedric Davis II Dalia Faheid Duncan Gallagher Megan Jenkins Lina Moon Sid Patel Sunayna Rajput Justin Thompson Media Adviser Chad Thomas
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Mailing Address 800 West Campbell Road, SU 24 Richardson, TX 75080-0688 Newsroom Student Union, Student Media Suite SU 1.601 FIRST COPY FREE NEXT COPY 25 CENTS 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 Š 2014, 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.
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THE MERCURY | MARCH 30, 2015
NEWS
UTDMERCURY.COM
UTDPD Blotter March 8 t "O VOBĂŻMJBUFE NBMF XBT BSSFTUFE GPS other agency warrants and possession of marijuana on Campbell Road around 1 a.m. t " TUVEFOU SFQPSUFE BO VOLOPXO person stole a bicycle from a bike rack in Residence Hall North around 8 p.m. March 9 t "O VOBĂŻMJBUFE QFSTPO XBT BSSFTUFE for possession of marijuana, and a student was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia in Lot M at 11:42 p.m. March 12 t "U BSPVOE Q N BO VOLOPXO person activated a fire alarm in Phase 6. March 15 t "O VOBĂŻMJBUFE QFSTPO XBT BSSFTUFE for possession of controlled substances, driving with an invalid license and for a parole violation warrant on Floyd Road around 2 a.m. t "O VOBĂŻMJBUFE XPNBO XBT BSSFTUFE on Campbell Road at 4 a.m. for driving while intoxicated. March 18 t "O PĂŻDFS TFJ[FE B SFHJTUSBUJPO EFDBM for being on the wrong vehicle from an BĂŻMJBUFE XPNBO BSPVOE B N March 18 t " TUVEFOU SFQPSUFE IJT USVDL XBT CSPken into in Lot B and items were taken without his consent around 7:30 p.m.
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DRUGS & ALCOHOL
In the March 9 edition of The Mercury, in the story titled “How Sweet it Is,� Iemah Wallace Perry was not the highest scorer on either team, Brittany King was.
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In the infographic titled “UTD Appearances in NCAA Tournament,� the men’s soccer team should have been listed as appearing in the tournament in 2014.
MAP: UTD COMMUNICATIONS | COURTESY
JUST THE FACTS
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The Mercury regrets these errors.
OPINION
Millenials must fight race issues CARA SANTUCCI COMMENTARY
The idea that we are a generation far removed from the confines of racially biased thinking is dangerous. Everyday microaggressions — daily verbal, behavioral or environmental indignities that communicate negative racial slights — on our own campuses shows us that racial insensitivity has a pervasive presence at universities. Occasionally, a major scandal erupts involving the current generation and racism, forcing us to open up a dialogue about an issue we’d like to think we’ve moved beyond. The University of Oklahoma’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon gained national attention after videos of the fraternity members singing a racist chant were posted on the Internet on March 8. The OU chapter of SAE has continued to be the subject of controversy after a second video showing the housemother repeatedly using the n-word was posted to Vine. The events at SAE speak to the way racial politics drastically express themselves in organizations where diversity is lacking. There is something inarguably alarming about a bus full of college-aged students that use hateful language and fail to see it as the frightening example of bigoted groupthink that it is. The two students who appeared to lead the chant in the video have been expelled. The president of the university, David Boren, removed the fraternity from the OU Greek system after the videos went viral. In response, the executive director of SAE, Blaine Ayers, announced plans for an initiative that seeks to eliminate racial insensitivity within the chapters. Since then, students have come forward with incidents of systemic and individual racism on college campuses across the country, proving that the event that just occurred at OU was not an isolated incident. An article in USA Today stated that, in December of 2014, the SAE chapter at Clemson University was suspended for hosting a party with the theme of “Merry Cripmas” where white students dressed as gang members. In that same article, it explains how the SAE chapter at the University of Washington was implicated in yelling racial slurs and directing derogatory gestures at members of the black student union this Feb-
ruary. The school’s chapter has denied involvement in the incident. Although instances of racial insensitivity are certainly not exclusive to Greek houses, it can be easy to see how many of the extreme cases that end up on the news come from fraternities. Matthew Hughey, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut, published a paper studying the demographics in American Greek life. Between 2003 and 2006, Hughey found that only about four percent of members in Greek organizations on the East Coast were non-white. In organizations where almost every member is white, the consequences of hate speech may seem more abstract when the group the words are directed toward is not represented within the organization. Reactions to the SAE video have varied by generation. The older the person, the more shocked the response seems to be. A study done by the Pew Research Center in 2009 found that a majority of the population thinks the Millennial generation is “more racially tolerant than their elders.” After seeing a video negating that, it follows that older people would be surprised at the racist actions of a supposedly more tolerant generation. Although society as a whole ranked this generation as the most tolerant, many students have not been surprised by the racist chants in the video in the way that the research dictates they should. Rather than showing shocked indignation, younger people have tended to respond with distress. “When I initially saw the video, I was extremely hurt,” Francesca Daigle, a biochemistry major and freshman, said. “Not because I thought racism was dead. I know racism still exists but somehow the optimistic part of me allowed me to believe that (racism) existed in solitude.” In a January 26 article, Al Jazeera America branded our generation as tolerant racists, saying that college-aged students have become more accepting of other cultures due to the inclusion of different races into the population, rather than because of an elimination of racial biases. In the same vein, a survey done by the Pew Research Center in 2014 showed that 42 percent of white 18-24 year olds said a lot was left to be done in order to achieve racial equality in the United States. Maybe this can account for the jaded response many students have shown to the events that occurred at OU. Students don’t have to look far
COMET COMMENTS
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MARCH 30, 2015 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
in order to see examples of racism within the Millennial generation. Emboldened by the anonymity of the website, students often post on UTD’s Yik Yak feed with microaggressive comments against specific ethnic groups. It is far easier to delude ourselves into thinking we exist in a post-race society. Because our generation is one of the most diverse to exist in the United States, it may seem on the surface to privileged youths that race is not an issue. After all, we have a black president. UTD alone has one of the top 25 most ethnically diverse student populations, according to the U.S. News and World Report. It would nonetheless be wrong to say that race does not play a role in our day-to-day lives. The issue of racial discrimination is rarely talked about or protested against until a specific example of blatant racism, especially those involving members of the current generation. When I attended Parish Episcopal School, a private high school in Dallas, the population was largely white. The class of 2014 graduated with one AfricanAmerican student. I often heard white, male students using the n-word in conversations, although never around the few black students at school. We frequently interacted with students at Jesuit, where Parker Rice, one of the SAE members in the video, went to high school. The apologies issued by the family of Levi Pettit, another member in the SAE video, state, “we know his heart, and he is not a racist.” Parker Rice’s apology said something similar. It could be true that these boys led the bus full of SAE members in this chant without malice. That in no way excuses their actions and, in fact, implies a whole other terrifying series of questions. Have the members of the almost entirely white fraternity become so removed from other ethnic groups that they can reference lynching African-American people without expecting to offend? Has the use of the n-word become so commonly used by young people that we can no longer speak up against the use of it when obviously inappropriate? This incident exemplifies the key bone of contention that our generation suffers from regarding race: an inability to address dayto-day racial issues. This leads to a population of young adults who can chant hateful songs and be oblivious to the societal implications that the words they use carry.
Passive elections, leaders contribute to indifference ANWESHA BHATTACHARJEE COMMENTARY
Student apathy toward campus issues is often a direct consequence of passive leadership. Student bodies across the nation have boasted of widespread activist endeavors in the past, which include fighting for civil rights and protesting against the Vietnam War. Yet, as arguably the most-informed generation to date slowly trickles into the work force, it leaves behind a legacy of apathy toward activism and awareness on college campuses. The story isn’t very different at UTD. In the five years I’ve been here, the best voter turnout in the Student Government elections was in 2014 at 13 percent of the student population in a tight race for the SG president and vice president. Part of the reason for low voter turnout happens to be the lack of interest among the student body toward any issue on campus that doesn’t concern them. Evidence of this apathy is visible from the small student turnout at SG meetings and events and even in campus-wide surveys that typically receive very few responses. Surveys conducted by SG typically have somewhere between 100 to 250 votes according to SG records, and only 100 student responses are required for a survey to be considered representative of the student body, even by the UT System. The recent survey concerning concealed carry on campus was a rare exception with 700 responses, which is still only about 3 percent of the student body. Another explanation for low voter turnout could be attributed to the university’s commuter culture that hasn’t quite gone away, despite a burgeoning freshman population each year. While the lack of interest among the current students might well be responsible for the poor turnout, it isn’t fair to lay all the blame on the student body alone. Candidates running for Senate are equally to blame for not getting out there and engaging with their constituents. All caandidates can potentially engage with students and campaign from the day they file their nominations until the Friday before elections begin, according to SG election bylaws. Technically, that means, if they filed the very first day nominations opened up, they would have three full weeks to campaign. This year, there were 67 names on the ballot for 39 positions on the Senate. Both SG president and vice president positions, as well as
the senior seats, were uncontested. However, when elections opened up online on March 9, more than a few names on the ballot were unfamiliar and there was no way to know what the candidates were promising the students. The onus of making an informed decision before casting a vote is on the student body, said four-time senator Katie Truesdale. Truesdale, who herself ran a heated campaign last year against current SG president Brooke Knudtson, said candidates running for senate should be proactive in reaching out to their constituents but aren’t necessarily obliged to do so in any way. If students want to know who they’re voting for, they should seek out the candidates to know what they stand for, she said. However, with no open houses, no SG debate and no webpage that identified the candidates and their platforms, how was the student body expected to seek out these candidates? Until the ballot opened up, students didn’t know who was running for the other senator positions. On the ballot, there were two sentences on what the two tickets stood for, but other than that, there was no extensive information on candidate platforms.. Truesdale and Briana Lemos, director for student development,
What our student body lacks is a true leadership that will channel demands of the different fragments of our campus demographic...
both said that uncontested races can sometimes have less excitement around them, but candidate campaigning levels vary each year. This year, most candidates on the ballot filed their paperwork at the last minute leaving them two days to campaign, Lemos said. The SG debate, typically between the candidates for president and vice president, was canceled because the race for both those positions was uncontested and candidates for other senate positions didn’t do much to reach out. SG did its best in advertising dates for filing nominations and election dates on media publications, digital signage and emails to students, but individual campaigns depend on the culture of the candidates, Truesdale said. The fact that candidates waited until the last minute was due to
incomplete paperwork in several cases and is in no way a reflection on their commitment toward the student body or the senate, Lemos said. It only means senators and SG president Caitlynn Fortner and vice president Grant Branam will have to hit the ground running when they take office in May to reach out to the students, she said. Perhaps, Lemos is right. Our incoming senate might yet be a very proactive one. But the fact that students who bothered to vote were either voting for their friends or shooting blindly in the dark only contributes to the general indifference the student body has toward government in any form. Our students are not indifferent or averse to activism. When the Art Barn was poised to shut down, students came together to mobilize the “Arms Around The Barn” movement to keep it open. UTD students are involved in workers’ unions outside of campus, they have campaigned for a 24/7 library and they have made their presence felt on several occasions. What our student body lacks is a true leadership that will channel demands of the different fragments of our campus demographic into fruitful endeavors. Our students need a constant reminder that there are representatives who weigh in on important decisions that impact all of us, not just within our campus but also before the UT System Board of Regents. They also need to make their opinions heard before these representatives in order to feel part of our campus community and more importantly, to not feel marginalized. For such an open, transparent, two-way interaction to work, SG has to open its doors to students and not just at senate meetings inside a room in the Student Union but outside, on The Plinth, in the JSOM atrium, in the Green Hall pit, on the chess plaza and the countless other places promoted as symbols of Comet spirit. As a student community, we cannot be complacent with a 3 percent turnout to a survey that could inform our state representatives of student opinions on concealed carry on campus or use a 1 percent population to decide the quality of Wi-Fi access on campus. Apathy can be fixed with a proactive and excited leadership as the campus has witnessed this past year, but it can also breed more indifference when leaders are perceived to be unmotivated. When candidates taking on the job to speak for students can’t be bothered to get their paperwork in on time or to reach out to those voting for them, why should students feel excited about their leaders?
“Are you for or against concealed carry on campus?”
Tell us what you think about concealed carry on campus and answer our poll at www.utdmercury.com.
“I am firmly against because not everyone that has a gun and a license should be allowed to bring it on premises where people are not equipped to handle a shooting.” Thi Nguyen Biology freshman
RESULTS FROM LAST ISSUE “I’m against because guns don’t keep you more safe. (They) instill a sense of fear in people around you.” Usama Awais Electrical engineering graduate
“I’m against because I wouldn’t feel safe on campus knowing that people around me had guns.”
Celeste Fernandez Psychology freshman
Which of these is the most important issue facing women today?
31%
16%
8%
4%
Wage equality
Women in STEM
Men face more discrimination
I don’t care
22%
14%
6%
Stereotyping
Representation in politics
Glass ceiling
The online poll was open from March 7 to March 29 and had 51 participants.
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THE MERCURY | MARCH 30, 2015
NEWS
UTDMERCURY.COM
Campus recovery Student receives honor for police volunteer work center sees growth New support groups established since center’s inception last fall DALIA FAHEID Mercury Staff
After a year since its inception, the Center for Students in Recovery has increased its operations to provide support for students recovering from addiction. The center also established a new student organization in January called Students for Recovery, which organizes social activities twice a month like bowling, camping and watch parties for students in recovery. Its purpose is to cultivate a supportive community of students that can benefit academically and socially while maintaining their recovery said Matison McCool, a student worker at the center and the president of Students for Recovery. McCool said the greatest challenge has been tailoring the program around students’ varying needs. “I’ve gained the ability to combine my education with my recovery,” McCool said. “Because it’s on campus, I don’t have to leave during the day to catch a (recovery) meeting.” Collegiate Recovery Manager Zachary Ramsey said people have become engaged in the activities at the center, which he attributes to a need for it on campus. Additional group sessions have recently began at the center, including a peer-led eating disorder support group held Tuesdays at 6:45 p.m. called “Nourish.” It is a process group, which means that group mem-
bers communicate openly and honestly with each other in a safe environment, Ramsey said. According to the National Eating Disorder Association, about 10-20 percent of female college students and 4-10 percent of male college students have eating disorders. They also have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder, and the longer they are left untreated, the more permanent and
During my day, I have a chance to just go in and decompress and be around people in recovery that are on the same path. — Eric van Leeuwen, graduate student serious the damage becomes, according to the Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. The center offers a variety of services including individual counseling with a professional, recovery meetings and groups. Students can participate in groups which provide social support while in recovery, but counseling can also be helpful for individuals with addictive behavior, Ramsey said. There are a total of eight different groups available at the center. They work mainly around
students’ schedules. The center is open and active from Tuesday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. It also celebrates recovery milestones the first Friday of every month. Eric van Leeuwen, a graduate student who has been in recovery for nine years, said that before the center opened, recovery used to be separate from life on campus and it used to be very private. “During my day, I have the chance to just go in and decompress and be around people in recovery that are on the same path.” van Leeuwen said. Ramsey said young adults in recovery have unique circumstances because drinking and recreational drug use are more common in this period of life than in any other. Graduate student Ashley Pinon said she’s felt like an outcast because of her abstinence from alcohol. “(The center) brings a sense of normalcy to being a college student,” she said. The center also began a meditation group once a week, since meditation is thought to relieve stress and anxiety, as well as reduce addictive cravings. The meetings are held at 2:30 pm on Tuesdays. There are groups open to students with any kind of addiction including Campus Open Recovery on Thursday nights and a process group on Fridays. “No matter what somebody is dealing with, we can help them in some way through educating them and providing support,” Ramsey said.
JOSHUA GONZALEZ | COURTESY
Joshua Gonzalez, a psychology and criminology sophomore, on duty at the Richardson Police Department. Gonzalez was named a Richardson Real Hero in 2014 for his outstanding leadership.
Criminology student receives Richardson Real Hero Award after amassing more than 2,200 hours with police department NIDHI GOTGI Mercury Staff
A committee dedicated to celebrating unsung heroes who serve without expecting recognition named a UTD student as the Richardson Real Hero Award recipient.
GONZALEZ Psychology and criminology sophomore Joshua Gonzalez was a finalist in the youth category of the Richardson Real Heroes Program for his extensive service of over 2,200 hours with the Richardson Police Department. Gonzalez joined the Richardson Explorers Post, an organization that allows people between the ages of 14 and 21 to learn about policing, in September 2011. Participants learn how to operate with crime prevention and to serve in their local communities through scenarios. “I’ve always wanted to be a police officer since I can remember,” Gonzalez said. “It’s kind of like one of those phases kids go through but mine never went away. I observed an Explorers meeting one day and was hooked.” Explorers are required to complete eight hours of community service or service to the police department per month and attend weekly meetings on Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. Gonzalez surpassed the minimum requirement by averaging 16 to 25 hours of service per month over the past three years. Volunteers have the option of serving in areas such as communications, crime scene investigation workshops or on-scene observation and records. They
also provide extra security in community events such as the Wildflower Festival, the FaithBased Crime Prevention Conference, the Christmas Parade and Santa’s Village at Richardson City Hall and help with the Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association’s recycling events. This is all in preparation for his goal to become a part of law enforcement. He interacts with police officers in briefings before these events, rides along with them on duty twice a month and observes officers on call. “You get a foot in the door and the police department wants to hire someone that they trust,” Gonzalez said. “There’s no other career that I can even imagine that I would enjoy more than being a police officer.” Gonzalez said he wasn’t very social or talkative before joining the program, but he has become more outgoing and enjoys public speaking now. He quickly rose to leadership positions within the program, becoming a sergeant in December 2011, a lieutenant a year later and captain, the highest rank within the program, in December 2013. He oversees 20 members. “Josh’s leadership skills are phenomenal,” said Bill Ziegler, Richardson Real Heroes Award committee chair. “I’ve watched him with his peers, and their relationship is based on respect. It’s because they respect the leadership that they come back.” As captain, Gonzalez runs the whole program. He completes the necessary paperwork, starts weekly meetings, keeps track of attendance, gathers volunteers for events and makes sure everyone has rides. He is also involved with recruitment, attending events like career fairs at Richardson City Hall to promote the program. He participates in an annual presentation given by the Richardson Police Department about the program for interested candidates and sits in with police officers when they interview these applicants. “I have pretty good eyes for
recognizing who’s got skills, talent, drive and motivation,” said Captain Coby Pewitt from the special operations division. “Josh has been an all-star.” The police department sponsors the Explorers Post and police employees serve as advisers to the scouts, but Pewitt said he attributed the success of the program to Josh’s leadership. “We’ve been very happy with his performance, and we nominated him for the Real Heroes Award,” Pewitt said. “We were excited when the committee acknowledged him, so it was a great day for us. All our police advisors and Explorers got dressed up and packed the house for him.” Ziegler has also volunteered with the Richardson Police Department and is familiar with the program. He said that the committee doesn’t just consider the number of hours worked but also the level of commitment of nominated individuals. Gonzalez dedicated numerous hours while still juggling the responsibilities of a high school student, which emphasized his commitment to the program. Gonzalez is getting ready to graduate from the Explorers Post next May, so he and Pewitt are working on organizing a six-week long leadership academy to create future leaders. “I’m planning for Josh’s succession,” Pewitt said. “It’s for people interested in taking that next step of leadership. We’ll see if we can make another Josh Gonzalez.” Gonzalez must go through certification, attend the police academy and complete field training in order to become an officer. The Explorer program has allowed him to familiarize himself with the requirements and nuances of professionalism, bravery and customer service in the law enforcement industry, Pewitt said. “This program is by far a stepping stone in understanding the roles and personnel that are part of the job,” Pewitt said. “Josh will be a rockstar at the Police Academy and I have high expectations that he’ll come work for us.”
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LIFE&ARTS
MARCH 30, 2013 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
BREWERY BROTHERS
A game of thrones A definitive history of UTD’s greatest sport, how it got there DUNCAN GALLAGHER
first beer Martin created was the Imperial Texan – a strong, hoppy ale. “I decided this was a viable business opportunity, so I said ‘Let’s get together and make this thing a reality.’ So, it kind of went from there,” said Wedemeier. When they first started out, they had only three employees and eight customers, but since then, they’ve grown to 10 workers and have about 400 customers statewide. Wedemeier is now the sales and marketing director for the company, while Martin is the head brewer, creating the recipes and making the beer. For the past two years, the two friends and the company had to learn how to do a variety of things that were a bit out of their area, from filling kegs to deliver the next day to running a full fledged sales organization. Then there was making the beer itself, which Martin had no trouble doing with his past experience in environmental engineering. In the process of making, he operates the giant conal-shaped machinery that funnels the four main ingredients – barley, water, hops and yeast – to make the beer.
If prospective students were to take a tour of campus but had no guide to tell them about the culture of the school as they walked, there is at least one thing they would be able to pick up on. Perhaps, they’d see some students playing giant chess in the plaza or notice the chess boards built into the surface of the tables in the residence halls. They might even hear something about the chess team heading to the Final Four last week for the 14th time. For almost as long as UTD has admitted undergraduate freshmen and sophomores, chess has been present in the culture of the university. It began in 1995 when the Chess Club was created by then-students Helen Kheyfets and Sam Craft with Tim Redman, a professor of literary studies and former president of the U.S. Chess Federation, as their sponsor. Redman went on to establish the UT Dallas Chess Program in 1996. The program was created with the intent to attract students who would meet the university’s rigorous standards. “Chess players in general are usually good students, so I said that the program would help us recruit intelligent, serious students,” Redman said. “I said that it would be a good symbol for the University of Texas at Dallas... football was already taken, and football is known to produce brain damage and chess actually promotes brain growth. So as a brand or a symbol for this university, it’s perfect.” In 1996, the official chess team was created and competed in its first Pan American Intercollegiate Chess Team Championship in Baltimore, coming in ninth place. A year later, UTD began using chess scholarships as a way to recruit what the program’s leaders and administration believed would be intellectual and hard-working students. The scholarships were offered internationally with the goal of gaining publicity and recognition for the university. “There was some complaint,” Redman said. “Some people would ask ‘Well, why don’t you just take Texas students?’ I said, ‘Well, when UTD wants a mathematician, we don’t want the best mathematician in Texas, we want the best mathematician in the world.’ We’re doing the same approach here.” Jim Stallings, the current director of the chess program, made extensive efforts in finding the most skilled players to recruit for the school’s team. “I had an agreement with the European Chess Union and made trips over there to give
→ SEE BREWERY, PAGE 7
→ SEE CHESS PAGE 8
ANDREW GALLEGOS | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
Former student Cody Martin (left) and alumnus David Wedemeier became friends at UTD and founded the Fort Worth-based Martin House Brewery in 2012. The brewery started with just three employees and eight customers and has since expanded to 10 employees with 400 customers.
Alumni make non-traditional beers in Fort Worth business PABLO ARAUZ Life & Arts Editor
It was just about six o’clock and dozens of people had lined up at the gate of Martin House Brewery among the backdrop of downtown Fort Worth. They were waiting to try the variety of beers that the brewery makes. There’s the Pretzel Stout, a rich stout made of pretzels; Day Break, a light, refreshing breakfast beer that tastes kind of like coconut and Riverhouse, a light, crisp, summery style saison. Located in a plain warehouse on the east side of the city, the brewery was founded in 2012 by alumnus David Wedemeier and former student Cody Martin. Each Thursday, they open up the brewery to the public and guests sample the beers. “All the people that come out are just people that love beer and love being around it,” Martin said. The small but thriving brewery has its origins here at UTD in the friendship between Wedemeier and Martin. The two would often hang out and drink together during their undergrad. After Martin transferred to UT Arlington to finish his degree in environmental engineering, they still kept in touch. Wedemeier graduated from UTD in 2002 and fin-
ished his MBA in 2005. Eventually, Martin moved out of the country with his wife, traveling the world and coming back to settle in Florida for a while. There, he worked on large-scale remediation systems, which remove pollution from groundwater. “I really kind of went on a search trying to figure out what I wanted to do and came across civil engineering, which was perfect for me,” said Martin. All the while, he experimented with home brewing and applied this knowledge to making beer. Then, in 2011, Martin decided to quit his job and to start a brewery. He said he knew it had to be in Texas when he got the idea and called Wedemeier about his plan. “I was like ‘Oh yeah, sure you are Cody, that sounds like a pretty cool plan,’” Wedemeier said. “At first, not really believing him, I said, ‘You know, why don’t you move in with me and my wife while you guys are looking for a house.’” It was at that house — occupied by six people, two dogs and a one-legged parrot — that Martin was experimenting with new recipes and testing out pilot beers while Wedemeier tasted them for another perspective and learned about the beer business. The
Mediterranean eatery upgrades Alumni teams up with restaurant owner to revamp struggling business with new look but same menu PRIYANKA HARDIKAR Mercury Staff
It was a dimly lit restaurant, encircled with heavy curtains and an aloof air, but for former city council member and alumni Amir Omar, Dean’s Restaurant showed great promise. Omar said the food at Dean’s, a Persian locale in Richardson owned by chef Dean Budri, was phenomenal, consistent and even slightly nostalgic as it brought back delightful memories of his mother’s cooking. Slowly, yet inevitably, the restaurant became second to his home. However, around last December, Omar started noticing something was missing. “I thought what I could bring to the table was the ability to help market the place to where it was more inviting,” Omar said. “And with Dean’s food and recipes, I felt confident that the more people tried the food, the more they would like it.” Using his business perspective, Omar started to discuss ways to enhance the overall look and feel of the restaurant with Budri. Budri agreed, and with that, the two entered a partnership. Over a period of about four weeks, Dean’s Restaurant transformed into Kabobi Fresh Mediterranean. Because it was an existing restaurant, Omar dedicated his time to renovating the space into a more social atmosphere every Monday night, when Dean’s Restaurant was closed. “Every Monday night, we’d take a step towards the new concept,” Omar said.
By the end of the renovation, the dark walls were replaced with vibrant shades of green and white. The curtains made way to open sunlight streaming through the wide, rectangular windows, and a restaurant that was once masked from the outside world became pleasantly approachable. Omar said an important factor in remodeling was receiving customer input. “It was a combination of sitting down with existing clients and asking them ‘what do you think about this place? If you were to change anything what would you change?’ and then understanding the reason why they wanted to change something,” Omar said. Often, he found that because regular customers were so pleased with the food, they didn’t have a suggestion to change anything at first. He also invited his friends to lunch for additional input. They were people with completely fresh eyes who had never set foot in the restaurant. Omar said their lack of history with the place allowed them to have the biggest amounts of input. Getting a general consensus was how he had always completed his duties in politics, Omar said. “In politics, I’d never suggest an idea unless I had really gotten a lot of people who I trusted to give me their two cents,” Omar said. “I knew I could make better decisions if I got other people’s viewpoints as well.” Another aspect that Omar brought from his city council days was adding philanthropy in the business by reaching out to nonprofits to offer them nonprofit nights at the restaurant.
ARUN PRASATH | MERCURY STAFF
Chef Dean Budri of Kabobi Fresh Mediterranean cooks beef, chicken and vegetables on a shish kabob for a lunch party. His food is inspired by a variety of world cuisines like Afhgan, Arabic and Mediterranean foods, among others.
“I want to use the restaurant as an instrument to continue that legacy of giving back,” Omar said. “My parents, who were both immigrants, instilled in us that there was this huge responsibility to leave something better than when you got there.” Omar applied this with the idea of conscious capitalism, wherein businesses aim to do good for society while doing well businesswise — something he learned while receiving his MBA at UTD. The restaurant has worked with several non-profits, including Take Me Home Pet Rescue, which focuses on reducing the overpopulation of homeless pets.
Kabobi Fresh Mediterranean has dedicated the first Monday night of every month to a Backgammon tournament and the second Monday night to a UTD chess tournament. Omar said the goal is to offer 12 nonprofit nights at the restaurant per month. “I knew that local government and other elected officials could make an impact on other people’s lives, but it was nice to see that even in a small way, a business could do the same thing,” Omar said. Although the food remains the same, Budri said the former restaurant has transitioned into more of a Mediterranean
fusion restaurant, as the new restaurant name indicates. There are cards displaying the food name, ingredients and country of origin. The food origins include Arab, Afghan, Greek and Persian. Generally in Mediterranean restaurants, Omar said the food tends to focus on specific flavors from Greek Mediterranean or Arabic-Lebanese and less on the idea of taking a taste tour of food originating from different countries. Currently, the food is buffet-style for both lunch and dinner, but Omar said
→ SEE KABOBI, PAGE 8
LIFE&ARTS
UTDMERCURY.COM
PIN POSSIBLE
THE MERCURY | MARCH 30, 2015
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Every issue, The Mercury’s craft connoisseur will scour Pinterest and craft blogs in search of the best and worst DIY projects. Show us your results on social media using #pinpossible.
@utdmercury
LINDA NGUYEN
Again, this was probably one of the hardest projects I’ve done. Add that to the stress of midterm exams and I could probably call it my most frustrating, but after I finished an exam on Thursday, cutting up the washi tape and wrapping the eggs in twine was probably one of the most therapeutic ways to recover from exam stress. It doesn’t have to be super expensive because people can use pieces of ribbon and accents they have laying around their craft boxes or buy washi tape and ribbon specifically to decorate. It’s also a great and seasonal project to work on in preparation for Easter. Tag us in your Pin Possible attempt @utdmercury on Twitter or Instagram.
COMMENTARY
Growing up in a Catholic family, Easter was always a big deal. However, my childhood did not include visits from the Easter bunny or very many Easter egg hunts. In fact, my one memory of an Easter egg hunt consists of staring down an alligator on a lake before being thrown into a crowd of eager neighborhood kids to fight over these colorful eggs that didn’t even contain candy. That being said, Easter egg decorating was not something I had much experience with. To this day, I still don’t know how to properly dye an egg, but I figured most people do, so it wouldn’t make a very interesting project. Instead I took a very artsy and crafty approach to decorating for my hardest and most expensive Pin Possible project to date. These are good projects for people who don’t want to deal with the messiness of egg dye — which is exactly how I like my crafts. I can deal with all the ribbon, glue, paint and glitter, but add in something potentially staining and I’m probably going to run 100 miles in the opposite direction.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED -
Plastic eggs Ribbon Twine White Paint (with a matte or chalky finish) Washi Tape Newspapers (old Mercury issues work) Mod Podge
→ BREWERY
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The company website said it considers its products “Adventure Beer”, which is reflected in a passion for outdoor activities. Wedemeier said that he and other employees bike, run and sometimes kayak to work every once in a while. “Staying away from traditional styles is one of our
CONNIE CHENG | PHOTO EDITOR
Craft Eggs 1. Paint the eggs with white paint (about two to three layers). 2. Take small pieces of ripped up newspaper and use the mod podge to essentially paper mache the egg. 3. You can also use twine and wrap it around the egg to cover it. Use ribon and burlap pieces to accent the eggs. 4. Use washi tape but into different triangular shapes and stick them onto the egg.
unique attributes, and we’re also heavily tied into our brand values,” Wedemeier said. “Part of that too is our lifestyle. Our brewery is located directly on the river in Fort Worth, and so we’re on the Trinity Trails, so being outside and adventurous is a big part of our brand.” Overall, the company has a laid-back culture, so friends of the company come to help volunteer. An-
other important aspect for the business is community involvement. They hold tours and rent their brewery out for events. “It’s definitely a very community-based business,” said Martin. “A large part of our clientele are people specifically from not only Fort Worth but our own neighborhood. Some of our volunteers live right down the street.”
Moving forward, Wedemeier said the company plans to expand to all of Texas within the next couple of years, and perhaps, eventually expanding to become a national brand. “It’s mostly about just doing a good job in DallasFort Worth and then Austin and San Antonio as well, and then dipping our toes before we look elsewhere,” he said
UPCOMING EVENTS PASSPORT TO THE WORLD
TO LIGHT A CANDLE
TABLE TENNIS AND BADMINTON GAMES
Experience the tastes, sights and sounds of the world at International Week’s trademark event.
The UTD Baha’i is having a showing of the “To Light a Candle” documentary for the #EducationisNotACrime campaign, followed by a panel.
Compete or cheer with fellow students at this year’s table tennis and badminton tournaments.
March 30,1 PM - 3 PM, Visitor Center Atrium
March 31, 12 PM, Galaxy Room C
March 31, 7 PM - Midnight, Activity Center Gym
CELEBRITY CHEF VISIT
INTERNATIONAL TEA HOUSE
HENNA
UTD Dining will host Celebrity Chef Bal Arneson for a meal and book signing and her meal will be served at the salad bar and stir fry section.
Learn about the rituals and history of teas and taste teas from around the globe.
Enjoy your temporary, personalized Henna adornment which is a free, relaxing and creative way to experience Indian culture.
March 31 , 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM, Dining Hall West
April 1, 1 - 3 PM, Galaxy Rooms
April 2, 1 - 3 PM, Galerstein Women’s Center
INTERNATIONAL TALENT SHOW
WORLD BEATS DANCE PARTY
COMER COLLECTION: OF NATURE
Each year the Talent Show presents the diversity of UT Dallas through song, dance and more.
Celebrate the closing of International Week with a broad range of global dance music and pizza.
Of Nature presents an overview of photographers who take inspiration from the natural world curated by Twyla Bloxham.
April 3 , 7 - 9:30 PM, Activity Center Gym
April 3, 10 - 11:30 PM, Galaxy Rooms
March 27 - April 24, Edith O’Donnell Gallery
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LIFE&ARTS
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CONNIE CHENG | PHOTO EDITOR
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out scholarships,” Stallings said. “I went to the dean and said ‘Look, here are the ratings of these players, here are the people we would like to recruit from.’ You know, you have to go to where the ratings are. So that’s part of what drives us, we need that international exposure.” Using scholarships to recruit skilled players worked, as UTD was one of the few universities in the United States to offer international chess scholarships. The team continued to participate in tournaments and grew stronger over the next several years with their new recruits. In 2000, the chess team tied for first in the Pan-American with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, one of the top universities for chess in the world. That same year, the team came in first for the Final Four of Collegiate Chess, defeating Stanford University, the University of California Berkeley and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The
chess team was mentioned in The New York Times, which was the first time the paper ever discussed the university. “The idea caught on, and the team started winning and winning,” Redman said. Rade Milovanovic, a graduate from Belgrade University’s law school and an International Chess Master, joined the UTD Chess Program in 1999 after immigrating to the United States to seek refuge for his family from war-torn Serbia. After arriving in Dallas, Milovanovic began giving chess lessons and discovered UTD through a local tournament. He was hired as the team’s coach about a year after. “In chess, you have to work,” Milovanovic said. “To reach Master’s level — at least our team members’ level — you need to play at least eight, six, or seven years, and you need to train every day.” The chess team uses various online databases and resources, such as ChessDom and ChessBomb, to study their opponents’ strategies and prepare for competitions. Despite the huge time investment it takes to be on the team, the leaders of the
chess program heavily emphasize the need for players to put their studies first. “We have always said, from the outset of the program, that school comes first,” Redman said. Alexy Root, winner of the 1989 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, also joined the program in 1999 along with Milovanovic. Root specializes in teaching chess for educational purposes and is the author of “Children and Chess: A Guide for Educators.” Along with teaching chess at elementary and middle schools, she teaches two online classes at UTD: Using Chess in Elementary Schools and Institutional and Cultural Contexts of Chess. In December of 2001, UTD hosted the first-ever George Koltanowski Memorial Conference on Chess and Education. It focused strongly on the intellectual benefits of chess and its integration into education. The conference was part of a larger push from the university into research on the cognitive benefits of the game in education. “Chess can be seen as a social good,” Redman said. “In other words, chess for very young
people, chess in education, it helps students develop, of all things, reading skills. Chess for older people keeps brains active.” By 2006, UTD had earned a reputation as one of the most successful chess schools in the nation and had even inspired similar chess programs at Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Brownsville, Redman said. In the same year, Redman stepped down as director of the program to spend more of his time in research, and Jim Stallings took his place. Stallings had been an associate with the program for almost ten years and was chosen for his ideas on where to take the program. “My background is not that of an academic, it’s more that of a businessman, so I tend to be very pragmatic on how I approach things,” Stallings said. “But it’s very useful to understand how the university functions and how the academic community functions, so we can meld our efforts into that.” Stallings sought to expand the program even wider in order to imitate the university’s
approach to preparing its students to function in a global community. UTD began hosting an annual match with the University of Belgrade, Serbia over the Internet, which has continued as a tradition between the two schools for the last decade. The chess team has since competed on an international level, traveling to Beijing, China in 2008 to play against the University of Nankai after inviting the Chinese players to a tournament in the United States. They took five players to play two rounds. Later in 2009, the team would become the first American college team to play chess in Havana, Cuba, with the help of Magaly Spector, vice president for diversity and community engagement. Now in 2015, Stallings believes the chess program will continue to improve and expand along with the university. “Chess is sort of like a microcosm for the type of students that we have here,” Stallings said. “That is, we have people who are very smart, they’re motivated, they’re intelligent and they want to achieve.”
they hope to create menus for dinner in the future. “With buffets, the customers who do not have an idea about the food can still enjoy all the items without having any doubts,” Budri said. The long-term goal remains to create a sustainable and successful business for both Budri and Omar. So far in the month of March alone, there has been a 15 to 20 percent increase in the number of customers. “For a while, we really started losing our business,” Budri said. “As Amir decided to join us and started marketing, we saw the difference in business and in the variety of customers coming to the restaurant.” For both co-owners, the quality of the food stands as the top priority, followed by philanthropy. Omar said they are still working on getting a grand opening scheduled for the restaurant. In addition to co-owning the restaurant, Omar has a day job working for HydroPoint 360º Smart Water Management, which aims to ultimately conserve water. He is also raising three kids. There aren’t many wasted moments, he said. “The one common thing you’ll find with people who preach the idea of doing something you love is that it doesn’t ever feel like work as long as you are doing something that feeds that inner passion,” Omar said.
ARUN PRASATH | STAFF
SPORTS New facilities needed to attract talent
MARCH 30, 2014 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
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Cricket team wins nat’l tourney, plans to expand
Team plans to upgrade playing field, cultivate interest in sport among American students
ESTEBAN BUSTILLOS COMMENTARY
This past year has been tremendous for the athletics department. The school has gotten two ASC tournament championships, advanced three teams to the NCAA tournament and hosted the first round of the national tournament three times. With that said, it may need to invest in an arena that can better host these events in the future. The recent streak of success started with the men’s basketball team last spring. After winning the ASC regular season crown, the team hosted and won the ASC championship and went on to host the first round of the national men’s basketball tournament. The team advanced to the Sweet Sixteen after playing in front of the largest crowd in school history during its secondround game against Whitworth, where they eventually defeated the University of WisconsinWhitewater, that year’s national champion. This past fall, the men’s soccer team hosted the NCAA tournament after claiming the ASC regular season title. The team went on to win its first ever game in the national playoff in front of one of the largest crowds of the year. The torch was then passed on to the women’s basketball team, who shocked the conference by beating UT Tyler in the ASC tournament to get the chance to host the first round of the NCAA tournament. After beating Rhodes College for the team’s first ever win in the big dance, it took on and beat UT Tyler once again in an emotional victory that secured the team a ticket to the Sweet Sixteen and the best finish in program history. This success has come despite the challenges UTD faces playing as a public Division III school. At this level of collegiate sports, many schools are private, which gives programs the opportunity to give their athletes the benefits of having campuses that are enriched by money from often wealthy donors and sometimes lax academic standards. UTD has never had that luxury. A public school embedded in the heart of Richardson, the school has always struggled to get athletes to come here and convince them to stay within the confines of its small community. What has kept athletes coming here is the ability to offer high academic standards while still giving them the opportunity to compete. This is one thing that has allowed UTD to stand out from the rest of the crowd. There’s not many
→ SEE FACILITIES, PAGE 11 A
SHARATH RAAM | COURTESY
Members of the cricket team pose with the American College Cricket national championship trophy. The team won the competition despite only playing as an organized squad for a little over three months. Once the team becomes an official club, they plan to teach the game to novice players. ESTEBAN BUSTILLOS Managing Editor
The cricket club was crowned as national champions at the national collegiate cricket championship held in Miami, on March 11-15. After being formed earlier in the year, the cricket club has had a surprisingly strong start to its career. Over spring break, the team competed in a field of 32 other colleges from the United States and Canada and beat Drexel University in the final match to take home the title. Sharath Raam, team founder and information technology and management graduate student, said the team members couldn’t believe it when they won. “I don’t think any team on their debut has
won a championship before,” he said. “This is the first team formed three months back that won the championship. Nobody expected UT Dallas to win it.” The team first formed after Raam heard about the tournament from an alumnus who also played cricket. He wanted the school to participate, but a squad had to first be formed by a current student. Raam stepped in to recruit players to create a team. Raam had only two weeks to get the team together before its first tournament in Houston. Due to the short notice, American College Cricket and Recreational Sports allowed them to play even though the school didn’t officially recognize the team. Once he had the permission to play, Raam started to look at players from UTD who played in
A RUN FOR THE AGES
local cricket leagues like the North Texas Cricket Association and the Dallas Cricket League to fill out the roster. Team member Praharsh Anisetty, an information technology and management graduate student, said many Indian students play the game because it’s so popular in their home country. “Cricket’s pretty popular back in India,” he said. “Growing up we’ve always been playing cricket. Cricket is one of the major sports back there. Coming here it feels very good to see that there is an American College Cricket League.” Both players said that cricket is huge in India, with viewership of major games, like when the national team plays Pakistan, get even more viewers than the Super Bowl.
→ SEE CRICKET, PAGE 11 DESIGN: ESTEBAN BUSTILLOS | MANAGING EDITOR PHOTOS: YANG XI | MERCURY STAFF
Women’s basketball plays in Sweet Sixteen, completes best season ever (A) Transfer senior guard Iemah Wallace-Perry came up big for the Comets during their tournament run. She had 13 points in the final game. (B) The team celebrates on the bench after a big play. (C) Head coach Polly Thomason discusses the game plan with the team during a time-out. UTD lost 77-73 to George Fox. (D) Senior guard Madi Hess goes up for a layup against the Bruins. Hess finished the game with 6 points and 2 assists. (E) Sophomore forward Madison Steele embraces her mother after the loss. Steele led UTD in scoring, picking up 14 points.
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E
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Still, despite the large number of Indian students, the team was only able to get 12 players to join the club – åonly one more than the number of players on the field. This meant the players often had to play several matches, which can last up to four hours, with little time to rest. “It was really bad,” Raam said. “The one player who was rested was injured. We had small injuries and stuff like that, but we still had to go on with eleven (players). We couldn’t let anyone sit.” They first faced this challenge in the regional tournament in Houston, which featured four games in two days, where they only played with eleven players. Raam said he attributed their success to the familiarity they had with each other. “We’ve been in touch with cricket
ever since we came here,” he said. “We’ve been playing. We’ve been in touch. So we’ve been in great form.” After winning the regional tournament, the club qualified to make it into the national championship. They played their way through teams ranging from Penn State to Georgia Tech. After clearing their way through these challengers, they faced off against the Drexel Dragons. Even though Drexel had a larger, more experienced team, the Comets were able to get through them to win a national title in its first year as a team. Now that the team has won the national tournament, Raam hopes to expand the team and get it to be an official club. He also wants to build a pitch so the team can hosts other schools. “People are interested in playing us: The University of Texas at Arlington, Texas A&M, Texas Tech,” he said. “They want to
SPORTS play us, but we need a field set up here. The multipurpose field has a cement pitch there, but there needs to be a mat on it. You cannot play it on a cement pitch.” He said there will be a request for a mat once the club becomes official. Now that the team has experienced this success, Raam said the next step is to spread the word about the sport to those who may not know much about it. “I would not only like for people who already play cricket to come forward and prove your potential and join the UTD cricket team and go for the tournaments and play other universities, but we also want people who want to learn cricket,” he said. “We have really experienced and first-class cricketers here. So they are ready to start off coaching sessions and training camps for people who don’t know what cricket is and would like to learn cricket from the basics.”
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other schools that have the academic standards and facilities that are here that compete at the Division III level. What also makes UTD stand out is its size. With over 20,000 students, it is one of the largest schools to compete at this level. The problem that still plagues UTD when it comes to competing nationally is the way collegiate sports are organized in other parts of the country. In Texas, the best athletes typically have the opportunity to go to a number of Division I schools, while athletes at lower levels go to lower divisions. In states like Wisconsin, however, there are only one or two Division I institutions and almost no Division II universities. This means that athletes who don’t make it in one of the few Division I institutions who want to stay in-state choose to go to a Division III school. What results is Division I talent at a Division III level. For UTD to keep up, it will have to
SPORTS QUICK HITS
start attracting athletes who can keep up with this talent. This means the programs here will have to offer more than what the school currently has. Looking at athletic facilities like the ones at UT Tyler and Louisiana College, it can be argued that UTD is already behind. When the women’s basketball team played in the Sweet Sixteen this month, it traveled to Calvin College, which has one of the largest and most advanced basketball facilities at the Division III level. The court was complete with a video board, arena seating and a press box. Something like this will allow UTD to not only attract better athletes, but it will also serve a more practical purpose in hosting events like graduations and concerts. As the school continues to grow, athletics will grow along with it. A strong athletics program has always been an indicator of where the rest of the school is in its progress. If UTD wants to one day claim a national title in a NCAA sport, it will need to find a way to get past natural advantages other schools have in recruiting.
By Esteban Bustillos
BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL STRUGGLE MID-WAY THROUGH SEASON The baseball and softball teams have had some trouble getting in to the swing of things after showing some promise early in their respective seasons. Even though both teams have had to deal with several cancelled games due to inclement weather, that has not kept them from being sub-500 squads. The baseball team currently stands at 11-13, while the softball team is 10-13. As the season begins to wind down, the teams will have to regroup quickly if they want to have a good position in the ASC playoffs.
TENNIS TEAMS FINDING FORM The women’s tennis team has had a run of success so far in the season. The squad is currently 3-1 despite having missed several matches due to weather and beat conference foe UMHB 6-3 on March 28. The men’s side, on the other hand, is still trying to get its legs under it. The team currently stands at 3-4. With less than a month until the conference tournament, its vital that both teams find a way to improve now so they can draw a good seed in the conference tournament.
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SPRINGAPALOOZA
THE MERCURY | MARCH 30, 2015
UTDMERCURY.COM
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JENNIFER CHI | MERCURY STAFF
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ANDREW GALLEGOS | ASST. PHOTO EDITOR
LINDA NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF
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ANDREW GALLEGOS | ASST. PHOTO EDITOR
Holi Students gather in the intramural fields to celebrate the festival of colors on March 28.
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Super Happy Fun Fun Good Time Variety Show Taiwanese Student Association member Paul Lai shoots boba toward his partner during UTD TV’s live variety show for Springapalooza on March 25.
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Night Moves Students enjoy the Night Moves concert hosted by Radio UTD March 26.
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Splatter Dance Students take a break from dancing during the Splatter Dance hosted by SUAAB and Residental Life on March 23.
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Race 2BeAware 5K Students run a 5K for seatbelt awareness on March 28.
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VSA By Night VSA members Lucy Vo, a finance and marketing senior, and Andy Ung, a biology sophomore, dance in UTD’s cultural dance at VSA By Night on March 27.
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28th Annual Casino Night: High Roller Edition Students win big at the Springapalooza casino night on March 26.
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Comet Con Students dress up for Comet Con on March 27.
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LINDA NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF
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PARTHASARATHY S.K. | MERCURY STAFF
SID PATEL | MERCURY STAFF
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MEGAN JENKINS | MERCURY STAFF
COMICS&GAMES
MARCH 30, 2015 | THE MERCURY
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The Jumpers 4: Backtracker Bad Joke
by Tim Shirley
Meowsterpieces
by Emily Grams
by Miguel Perez
CLASSIFIEDS To place a classified advertisement for the next issue, ad copy accompanied by payment must be received the Wednesday before publication, rates start at $10. Call, fax or come by SU 1.601 or mail ad and check to The Mercury, 800 W. Campbell Rd., SU24, Richardson, Texas 75080. For more information, Call 972-883-2210 — Email ads@utdmercury.com
ROOMS FOR RENT Two rooms available for rent in 2 story north Dallas home. Includes walk in closets, full bath, free WIFI, kitchenette, swimming pool and separate entrance. One bedroom rents for $350 and the other for $400. Owner is a UTD Physics alumna. For more information contact Debi at (214)-493-8778.
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THE MERCURY | MARCH 30, 2015
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They plan on attending as many student organization meetings as possible throughout the year, getting to know the officers and letting them know that SG is a resource to them when dealing with issues they care about, Fortner said. They would also like to learn more about the alumni relations office to find a way to connect alumni with upperclassmen and graduate students who are looking for professional development opportunities. “The alumni relations office has existed for a while but has been recently repurposed to include different people in different departments,” Fortner said. “A lot of students have approached us about having access to alumni and UTD has such an extensive network that students should be able to tap into.” They are planning to commemorate ATEC’s separation from the School of Arts and Humanities through an event co-sponsored by SG at the end of this summer, but the details haven’t been sorted yet. LGBTQIA and mental disorder issues will also be highlighted through efforts on Fortner and Branam’s part. They will both partake in Safe Zone Ally training, offered at the Galerstein Women’s Center by a faculty committee called LGBTQIA Education, Advocacy & Programming. It will condition them to respond appropriately to concerns affecting the LGBTQIA community. They hope to make it available to the senators as well, Fortner said. “The biggest challenge is creating something tailored for as many students as possible while being efficient and incorporating everyone’s consideration,” Branam said. “It’s a challenge our ticket in its entirety is willing to rise up to.” Fortner became a senator through the appointment system last spring. After she applied and was selected to go before the senate for deliberation, she submitted her paperwork the day of the senate de-
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the transition easier, I will do that as well.” Rachavong started her career at UTD in 1983 and served as the assistant to the Executive Director of Student Services, Director of Student Life, Dean of Students and Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs before being named to her current position. Rachavong’s tenure at UTD was marked with many changes on campus. She said during her time, one of the focuses of the university was to become a more traditional campus. She said the university wanted to become the type of campus that underclassmen wanted. This included building the Activity Center, adding Greek life and expanding student media. She said these, as a whole, are her biggest accomplishments at UTD.
NEWS
bate. This caused her to start a week later than all the other appointees. A full term on senate is considered May 1 to April 31, which is required to be fulfilled if a candidate wants to run for office, but in Fortner’s case, being appointed during the spring semester only left her the option of finishing the current term. “She was appointed in the spring so she served what she could serve,” SG advisor Briana Lemos said. “As soon as she was given an opportunity by the current administration, she was able to serve out her full term.” While Fortner has served on senate for only one semester, she has made a conscious effort to remain involved with SG in her time away from senate. By participating in faculty committees such as the food committee, which includes the dining hall staff and Chartwells representatives, the sustainability committee and the homecoming planning committee, she’s been in touch with issues concerning students. Students are able to sit in on these meetings if they provide advance notice and the committees are generally receptive to student guests and their opinions, Fortner said. She is now a voting member of the sustainability committee. Topics, such as the general perception of restaurant service on campus, discussed in these committee meetings later go to SG for consideration, so in helping these committees improve their performance Fortner was able to work closely with current president and vice president Brooke Knudtson and Nancy Fairbank. Fortner said that her lack of experience on senate will not affect her performance as president. “A lot of what you learn in senate is logistical like the proper procedure for meetings and Robert’s Rules of Order,” Fortner said. “Being able to communicate and interfacing with the student population is something anyone can be well-versed in without having experience in senate, and that will help me in my role as president.”
“I guess I’m not picking one specific thing, it’s just all those things that we have worked on over the years to make UTD a more traditional campus,” she said. “And that includes building the residence halls and so forth.” She said another one of the additions that has stood out to her is the Student Services Building. Now that she is retiring, Rachavong said she plans to spend time relaxing and traveling. She said the biggest thing she will miss is the time she spends with students. “What I will miss most is the interaction and the connecting and the friendships that I’ve had with the students at UTD and then, my student affairs staff,” she said. “I’ve got the best staff ever, and I know that people say that all the time, but these folks really are. So, I will miss all my colleagues and my staff at student affairs also.”
UTDMERCURY.COM
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Inspired to take action, Lewis came to Jay Jascott, the landscape supervisor and Dorothea Junt, the assistant director of energy conservation and sustainability. Together, they created a plan for obtaining milkweed and planting it on campus to attract monarchs during their yearly migration from Mexico to Canada. “I just had a flash in my brain,” Lewis said. “It’s time for us to recapture some of the ground that we’re not going to be building on for a while and replant milkweed.” Jascott was on board with the idea from the start, giving Lewis free rein in the greenhouse to acquire and grow milkweed and helping with communication between departments. “We’re always looking for something new and something different,” Jascott said. “We throw ideas off each other all the time and this was something that made sense.” The team created a plan for obtaining milkweed and planting it on campus to attract the butterflies, making UTD one of many sites taking part in the
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sure that access to care is available to students at all UT System schools. Another one of his major initiatives is to emulate the way the International Student Center works with international students at UTD across the UT System. “It would be wonderful for international students in the entire UT System to be treated similarly,” he said. Hannigan also said helping to stimulate communication between the different schools in the UT system and reviewing financial aid are some of his other major goals. “It’s bad that our student governments don’t
national movement to rebuild the butterfly population. A majority of the milkweed will be planted on the frisbee golf course located on University Parkway. “There’s a holistic, sustainable approach to the way we maintain grounds,” Junt said. “We’ve had several no mow zones the past few years. We’ve planted in a few places, so this is a natural extension of some of those (projects).” The team plans to plant a majority of the milkweed during a special Earth Day event in late April. The Office of Volunteerism is encouraging students to help with the hand sowing of the plants. Katie Truesdale, an EMAC junior and Student Government’s student affairs chair, has encountered Lewis’ project through her work on the university sustainability committee. “The student perspective has been almost a childlike awe,” Truesdale said. Along with Student Government, she plans to volunteer, helping plant the milkweed on campus. “As different buildings are built… we’re taking away from the land we are benefitting from,” Truesdale said. “Finding different ways to give back is something that students are really excited about.”
talk to each other all that much,” he said. Abbott has until June 1 to decide on who will take the regent position. Hannigan said there may or may not be an interview process that goes along with the application depending on whether Abbott wants to talk with the finalists individually or not. He said he feels he is qualified due to the experience he has with SG and with officials in the UT System. “I’ve worked with the UT System before and they’re great people, I think we really have the opportunity now, especially with Chancellor McRaven being this fresh new voice who’s really excited, to make the UT System a better place,” he said. “We could really make sweeping policy changes that really save students’ lives (and) well-being. They’re pretty simple to put in place and don’t cost very much money.”