Category: Editor’s Picks
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Cheeky street signs help students navigate campus
In an effort to curb the uniform nature of street and directional signs, one UTD graduate has been posting a series of humorous and sarcastic signs all over UTD’s buildings and roads. The alumnus, a Facilities Management staff member only identified as “Brett,” declined an interview request from The Mercury. Jay Silber, the sign and…
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Recovering opioid addict shares journey
Editor’s Note: The name of Brian was changed to protect his identity. Brian remembered waking up with the side of his head pulsing. He sat up and touched his eyebrow and felt blood between his fingertips. Brian had just overdosed after smoking fentanyl, a highly addictive opioid medication that, when consumed in large quantities, can…
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Student Union Starbucks: Why does it take so long?
A study conducted by The Mercury revealed that the Starbucks franchise in the Student Union has longer average wait times compared to off-campus Starbucks stores. In a separate survey of 84 SU Starbucks patrons, 88 percent of respondents said they felt the franchise was somewhat or not properly staffed for rush hours at UTD. Steven…
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The dream team
Implementing a football program at UTD will improve the social scene on campus. With the college football season fast approaching, it’s more glaring than ever that UTD doesn’t have a football team. While the school’s brand-new tier one status is evidence that we are heading in the right direction academically, in aspects such as traditional…
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Durian: The world’s smelliest fruit
The durian has been on my bucket list to try for years. Call me overdramatic for putting a fruit on my bucket list, but this extremely intimidating spiky fruit with a legendary ghastly smell sounded worth trying from the start. Often referred to as the “King of Fruits” throughout Southeast Asia, the durian is a…
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Full-time coach joins cross country teams
The men and women’s cross-country teams entered the fall 2018 season with their first full-time coach, who will oversee both teams this semester. Though the announcement of Danielle Kcholi’s full-time status was made on July 5, she has worked with both teams since last year. Senior runner and political science major Alireza Nourani, who competes…
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EMT program moves to 24-hour operation
Starting this semester, the University Emergency Medical Response team will operate on a 24-hour basis on weekdays and will be authorized to carry and administer the drugs Narcan and epinephrine. UEMR, which provides basic medical support to UTD students through a network of certified volunteers, previously operated between 2:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. from Monday…
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PLTL adopts lottery-based early registration system
The Student Success Center recently introduced a new registration system for a popular academic enrichment program after experiencing technical difficulties in prior years. The change has since received mixed results. In late April, an email was sent out to students detailing a new pre-registration lottery for the Peer Led Team Learning Program at the Student…
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Alumnus, student start self-funded gaming company
A UTD student and UTD alumnus founded a startup company creating games using virtual and augmented reality technology. Software engineering senior Brian Hoang and alumnus Marwan Kodeih co-founded their company, Immosis, in December 2016. Hoang and Kodeih created the VR horror game “Amelia’s Curse” in their time running UTD’s Virtual Reality Society and Artificial Intelligent…
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Students, police learn to use life-saving drug
The Center for Students in Recovery at UTD has recently been promoting overdose awareness by providing a new training program. Since the start of the summer, the CSR has begun an initiative to train campus police, students, staff and other community members on what to do in case of an overdose. The Collegiate Recovery Manager…