This is a developing news story. The Mercury will update as more information from the University becomes available. A body recovered from Lago de Claire in Irving on April 29 has been confirmed to be…

While isolating on campus may not be the preferred option for Comets, UTD is attempting to make the process as seamless as possible for students who either cannot or chose not to spend their quarantine…

A UTD Ph.D. candidate is working on a project that helps doctors assess patients for sepsis, an immune system reaction to infections. According to the World Health Organization, sepsis affected around 49 million people and…

The COVID-19 pandemic has required the efforts of many healthcare professionals, often overworking nurses and physicians. In response, one UTDesign team found a way to reduce the number of nurses needed to conduct an ultrasound.…

UTD researchers have developed an application to help with hearing loss, allowing anyone with a smartphone to access hearing aids for only a few dollars. UTD electrical engineering professor Issa Panahi and his research team…

UTD alumnus Chris Grider recently attended a hearing to revoke detention charges due to his participation in the Capitol riots. As decided by U.S. Magistrate Susan Hightower, Grider is held under custody at Limestone Detention…

As graduate school decisions are released, appealing and reapplying for future cycles are the options available to students who are unsatisfied with denials. Dean of Graduate Education Juan Gonzálezsaid UTD has a decentralized graduate appeals…

The successor to the CARES Act – the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act – is available this semester for students financially impacted by COVID-19. Senior Director of Financial Aid Beth Tolan said that…

Since lockdowns began – and as of March 6, 2021 – there have been a total of 676 reported cases of COVID-19 and one virus-related death among UTD-affiliated individuals. Now, with on-campus cases currently in…

Members of the UTD LGBTQ+ community weigh in on the continuing discrimination in the workplace, including gender-based dress codes, shortened parental leave and limited representation.             On June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that…

Bolstered by discussion within subreddit r/wallstreetbets, political science junior Eduardo Pasaret is one of a few UTD students who bought in early to the online insurgency against Wall Street. Pasaret sold the entirety of his…

Following the departure of the former dean in January 2020, a new non-interim dean has been appointed to the school of Natural Sciences and Math. Appointed on Feb. 1, David Hyndman comes from Michigan State…

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a variety of challenges to UTD’s art programs; however, the university’s band and orchestral ensembles – known collectively as the Comet Symfonique – have adapted and found a way to continue…

The UTD campus has had ongoing construction for over the past decade, and the pandemic has allowed the current construction to move at an accelerated pace – soon to result in the completed Rutford promenade…

With fewer students living on campus than in a typical year, dining options have shifted. Approximately 5,000 students lived in on-campus housing last spring, said Director of Housing Operations and Associate Vice President of Student…

123 classes at UTD were offered in-person this semester, but next semester is promising a slightly decreased availability of 114 in-person classes. According to a survey conducted by The Mercury, 10 percent of students will…

Featuring a keynote speech from Mark Cuban on Nov. 19, this year’s Big Idea Competition was held virtually – with medical technology startup Glaucomedi winning first place in the student track. The Big Idea Competition…

Students called for an extended credit/no credit option similar to the one offered last spring; but despite Student Government’s push to make the option available, the measure didn’t pass. Under normal circumstances, students must indicate…

A new software engineering job search tool allows computer science students to quickly find and apply for internships. The tool’s creator, Alex Ruber, studied computer science and math as an undergraduate at UC San Diego…

In response to rapid student population growth and a shortage of on-campus housing, two new apartment complexes have been proposed for development just north of campus. According to the agenda for the Nov. 17 meeting…

The transition from high school to online college has UTD freshmen finding new ways to cope with new problems. In a survey conducted by The Mercury, out of 150 respondents, 77% of freshmen respondents said…

For the 2021-2022 academic year, the process for selecting McDermott Scholars has been discontinued. As a result, there will be no freshman class of scholars next year. The program made this choice due to COVID-19…

The Living Our Values task force has introduced three implementation plans for the upcoming semester. After the death of George Floyd in May, the Black Student Body group sent a letter to President Benson with…

The Office of Facilities and Economic Development has repurposed its student staff to serve as Student Safety Ambassadors while on campus. The OFED has re-trained its pre-existing student workers in proper pandemic protocols, including how…

University Housing is facing extensive procedural changes to the housing process as more students decide to move back on campus for the spring semester. The housing application for the official move-in process usually opens only…

The number of academic dishonesty cases is higher this semester than previous semesters, raising concerns on whether academic misconduct has increased due to the virtual format. Office of Community Standards and Conduct Director Brooke Everette…

According to Pew Research Center, a third of adults have student loan debt. While this typically ends after graduating college, some students find an even bigger challenge afterwards: financing graduate school. Beyond paying for application…

One of the outcomes from the Living our Values Task Force is the initial development of multiple new minors. Both ATEC and A&H are creating new minors, with the former being in Ethnic Studies, and…

UTD will serve as a polling station for both Dallas and Collin County in the upcoming general election. In preparation, volunteer deputy registrar and political science junior Ryan Short has been delivering voter registration forms…

Amidst a pressing nationwide need for a vaccine, a UTD student took it upon himself to participate in a two-year COVID-19 vaccine trial. After seeing ads for vaccine trials on social media in September, accounting…

Who are the candidates and what are they known for? (Democrat) Joe Biden: Former VP under the Obama administration Served as the Senate representative of Delaware from 1973 to 2009 (Green Party) Howie Hawkins: Former…

Known for his contributions to theoretical physics and pure mathematics – as well as his interactions and collaborations with UTD professors – Roger Penrose was recently announced as one of this year’s Nobel prize winners.…

Texas’ coronavirus response has evolved over the past few months on account of the rapidly changing situation, and the state’s universities have adopted different approaches to combatting the pandemic. The state has seen over 800,000…

The 2020 Biden campaign is making an unprecedented move in Texas. Projected to spend over $6 million on advertising in the state, 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden is spending more than any other Democratic Presidential…

UTD administration reported that groups of students on campus are failing to follow COVID-19 protocols. Responding to a somewhat routine medical call in the University Village Apartments on Oct. 3, multiple UTD campus police officers…

UTD’s mandatory Comets to the Core group project for freshmen and juniors is undergoing a status change: the semester-long class will now be graded. On Sept. 24, the Academic Senate authorized a permanent transition of…

Computer science students Sunny Guan and Eric Zhang created an easy-to-navigate alternative to Blackboard’s small text and design. Their project, which they say is a more user-friendly platform for students to manage their courses, is…

Under a new administration, Student Government is implementing new initiatives and policies to diversify campus, rebrand themselves and adapt positively in the wake of the pandemic. Newly inducted president and finance and economics junior Sara…

Student Government senators have voted to amend Article V of the SG bylaws and establish a new ad-hoc committee focused on diversity and equity. The amendment passed by one vote. Voting took place at the…

Ten UTD students and alumni were named to the 2020 NTX Inno 25 Under 25 List, which features young entrepreneurs who are driving innovation and making a difference in the North Texas region and beyond.…

Northside residents have reported large social gatherings and a lack of mask use in common areas, raising concerns about management’s COVID-19 safety protocol enforcement. According to information posted on Northside’s website regarding their Partner2Prevent initiative,…

Because the UTD Testing Center closed, a limited number of proctored computers are available for student use in Founders’ Brazos computer lab. Assistant Provost Darren Crone said that there are eight socially distanced workstations in…

Some UTD professors have adapted versions of the flipped classroom to maintain student engagement in a virtual learning environment. The Texas Computer Education Association defines flipped learning as “when students are introduced to the learning…

UTD is now providing an option for students to take the Daily Health Check through text message. On September 14, students received an email asking them to indicate their Daily Health Check communication preference. They…

A participant in the University Emergency Medical Response program tested positive for COVID-19 after attending an EMT training at Blackstone LaunchPad.  Emergency Medical Services and UEMR Director Sheila Elliott said that the participant is not…

French international student Gaetan Dore was excited to move to Texas. After being accepted into UTD’s criminology doctorate program in February, he had also received a scholarship and completed all of his paperwork except for…

To help keep passengers safe, UTD parking and transportation services has installed sanitary features in its new Comet Cruisers and is now operating under updated guidelines and reduced hours. Numerous campus services have had to…

UTD’s Residential Life office has allocated 100 suites at Canyon Creek Heights North to use as quarantine isolation units. Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Matthew Grief – who oversees all of University Housing –…

The Student Government election board has voted unanimously to disqualify vice president candidate Stephanie Royer from her recently elected position as VP. The global business and biology senior ran on the ConnectUTD ticket alongside presidential…

UTD has implemented online exam proctoring through Honorlock, but the software’s collection of data has led to widespread concerns about student privacy. Available through a browser extension, Honorlock requires a functioning webcam and microphone to…

International travel ground to a halt last semester, but the Center for Global Business has developed solutions to allow students to gain international experience virtually. Global business and human resource management junior Grace Richmond was…

A warm welcome from their sorority sisters used to feel close and personal. Now, new recruits are welcomed to the sisterhood ten feet apart from one another. Greek organizations have now had to adjust to…

A pharmaceutical company used a research study from UTD for affirming its potential treatment for COVID-19 recovery. COVID-19 causes inflammation in the lungs. Co-author of the research study in question — BBS professor Theodore Price…

On-campus housing for the fall semester will experience a new series of safety restrictions meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Already in effect, these restrictions began with a spaced-out series of move-in days. Compared…

A UTD student started an online petition criticizing the university for charging distance learning fees for certain courses in JSOM. Business analytics graduate student Shreyas Chaturvedi created a petition on July 22 titled, “Refund students…

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, 59.9% of students in 2015 reported taking a gap year before starting medical school. Students opting for a gap year typically spend that time on personal development,…

Q: What are the ways I can help a friend who is having an anxiety/panic attack? -B Given that nearly 18% of Americans are affected by anxiety disorders, chances are you know someone who is…

Shadowing is an important part of the pre-med experience, but the ongoing pandemic has brought with it an alternative: virtual shadowing. Shadowing opportunities have been becoming increasingly limited as hospitals try to decrease unnecessary visitors.…

While many classes have switched to an online format this fall, some professors have chosen in-person modalities — such as hybrid and HyFlex — for the benefit of their students. In a survey conducted by…

Several UTD students have created projects throughout quarantine aimed at improving daily life during COVID-19. SaniScanner — developed by mechanical engineering junior Keyu Cao and physics senior Parker Watts — is one such project: a…

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UTD has given students the option of choosing between in-person, online and hybrid classes for the upcoming fall semester. Students registering for classes will be able to select the…

Members of the student organization VENUS dissolved their group at the conclusion of the spring 2020 semester, reforming as the newest chapter of the alpha Kappa Delta Phi sorority. Originally founded with the goal of…

Dubbed by the UN as the ‘world’s largest humanitarian crisis,’ the current situation in Yemen has spurred on-campus groups to fundraise for relief efforts. During the Arab Spring in 2010, a wave of protests and…

The onset of the novel coronavirus caused many summer internships to be truncated, cancelled altogether or shifted online. In response, students and faculty have focused on learning digital skills. As COVID-19 cases rise this summer,…

On July 6, ICE posted a statement on their website that international students not enrolled in in-person fall 2020 classes would have to leave the country. The directive has since been reversed. The original ruling…

With the onset of COVID-19, the necessity to avoid large gatherings and keep safe social distancing resulted in amendments to summer 2020 incoming student orientation. For the first time, freshmen are experiencing orientation virtually, with…

Students training to be teachers through the UTeach Dallas program face increased uncertainty in their prospective career after the pandemic hit. UTeach Dallas certifies students pursuing STEM degrees to be secondary mathematics and science teachers…

Tuition for summer classes has not decreased during the move to completely online classes. A petition was started in early May that called for reduced summer tuition, asserting that students will not have access to…

UTD is developing a plan to address future COVID-19 cases as students return to on-campus housing. On June 16, UTD confirmed that a student living in a University Village apartment contracted COVID-19. Three days later,…

Research labs opened under limited circumstances since campus closed this spring are now steadily increasing capacity, with COVID-19 safety measures. During the April 22 presidential town hall meeting, Joe Pancrazio, vice president of research, said…

In the fall, professors will have the option to choose whether they teach face-to-face or online. The Faculty Retention and Morale Subgroup recommended that UTD “allow instructors to have the option to teach in a…

Spring 2020 provided a glimpse at online instruction and how students and teachers adapted to changes in learning conditions; now, instructors are facing another semester of partially — or fully — virtual classes, along with…

For various students, changes and uncertainty about fall 2020 campus functionality brings up many unforeseen issues including financial problems and difficulty performing well in studies. In a survey conducted by The Mercury, 9% of respondents…

When classes transitioned online, psychology junior Labiba Zarin Halim said she was not adequately accommodated and is concerned about how the OSA will function in the fall. Halim is deaf, and the OSA typically provides…

International students who graduated in May 2020 face questions about their employment and residency status amidst a shifting market. After completion of UTD’s graduate program, many international students choose to stay in the United States…

After the events surrounding George Floyd’s death and the subsequent protests that erupted in nearly all states across the nation, the Black Lives Matter movement has taken the world by storm. People have gathered to…

As online classes continue into the summer semester, professors are learning to make adjustments to online schooling. Based on feedback from students and faculty about online classes, associate provost Paul Diehl said issues tended to…

The CARES Act and two student emergency funds are major sources of financial aid to UTD students struggling financially during this time. The CARES Act — the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act —…

Akshat Bhati, an international supply chain management graduate student, said it was a dream to come to the United States. After coronavirus forced classes to an online format in March, however, his dream became a…

As coronavirus shifts students’ academic plans, the 24-in-30 rule remains relevant to ensure graduation. This rule says that students have to complete 24 of their final 30 hours at UTD. Most students have not struggled…

Beginning early May, Texas Governor Greg Abbott began the process of the gradual reopening of Texas. By now, the state has moved on to Phase III of reopening, and COVID-19 cases are still on the…

Camp leadership navigates software to shift workshops to remote format Despite being miles apart, students discuss strategy in separate virtual rooms for one round of a debate competition. This is how students will practice debate…

Social entrepreneurship class moves online, alternatives offered on case-by-case basis JSOM has a community service requirement that requires students to either complete 100 hours of service or take a social entrepreneurship class; but because of…

Balancing school, military service during a global pandemic In response to the domestic spread of COVID-19, UTD students serving in the National Guard have been called to active duty. With their units spread across the…

ACME Creation Lab recruits volunteers to distribute personal protective equipment After personal protective equipment shortages were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the UTD community joined a Dallas-based effort to produce and distribute PPE…

30-year UTD employee Bron Clayton continues custodial efforts during shutdown UTD building services supervisor and member of the facilities management leadership team Bron Clayton has been nominated for a national custodian award. Clayton helped develop…

Students unable to complete math test due to volume of test takers, make-up exam offered Students faced an eLearning crash, the first of its kind, when they logged into a math exam simultaneously on April…

Students discuss changes to their religious celebrations as a result of quarantine Students across campus are celebrating Passover, Easter and Ramadan without some of the traditions central to their faith as the spread of coronavirus…

Survey conducted, student discusses her experience with coronavirus After UTD’s campus closed and students left to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, a Mercury survey found that some members of the UTD community went…

OSV provides list of remote volunteer opportunities Though in-person volunteer opportunities have been dwindling with the rise of COVID-19, the number of remote volunteer opportunities have expanded. Even before COVID-19, there existed remote volunteering opportunities…

Virtual simulations, data analysis help instructors with web-based teaching Laboratory coordinators are using various methods to transition traditionally in-person lab courses to an online format. A bioengineering major takes about four to six lab courses…

At about 11 a.m. today, a gunman boarded a DART bus in Richardson, opened fire and led police on a multi-city chase. Three officers were wounded and the gunman was killed. The driver of the…