Comets smash competition at NACE league | November 23, 2020
The UTD Comets “Super Smash Brothers Ultimate” team took 1st and 2nd place at the end of the NACE seasonal league in an undefeated run through playoffs. The Comets took over NACE with two rosters formed from the main team: the Temocs and the Comets. The Temocs were made up of players Balance, Xillion, Akito, […]
Spring enrollment for in-person classes remains same as fall | November 23, 2020
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 be attending in-person classes, while the other 90 percent either did not have the choice or opted for a different […]
Big Idea Competition goes virtual, Glaucomedi takes first prize | November 23, 2020
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 is a startup pitch competition that began 14 years ago at UTD. Students, faculty or alumni pitch innovative startup ideas […]
Four’s a crowd: new guidelines for students attending spring 2020 sporting events | November 23, 2020
Starting in January, Comets will be able to attend UTD sporting events with distanced arrangements and reduced capacity. Alongside other university efforts to relax restrictions on in-person campus gatherings in the spring, Vice President of Student Affairs Gene Fitch said that UTD will be opening up athletic events to student attendance. However, these events will […]
NCAA implements eligibility waiver for D-III athletes | November 23, 2020
The NCAA recently approved a blanket waiver, temporarily modifying stringent pandemic protocols for Division-III student-athletes. Typically, every athlete has four seasons of eligibility and ten consecutive semesters to play those seasons. Associate Athletic Director Angela Marin said that this new waiver gives students more semesters of eligibility or seasons of participation to make up for […]
Tuning in to student artists | November 23, 2020
After dropping his first song on Spotify in September, computer science sophomore and beatmaker Pranav Komandur – professionally known as PK All the Way – is planning on releasing more songs. The track, called ‘The New Ape,’ was released on Sept. 26 and was a collaboration with Jean Dior, a Montreal-based rapper who Komandur met […]
DIY pomp and circumstance | November 23, 2020
With December graduation ceremonies cancelled and traditional celebrations put on hold for another semester, you may be wondering how to commemorate your academic accomplishments. Here are a few safe, socially distanced ways to celebrate your hard work and remember your time at UTD. Take some photos at the Campus Mall Dressing up in your graduation […]
Silent performance for an empty campus | November 23, 2020
Psychology senior Eva Rahman stood silently at the Plinth with two X’s across her chest and a sign reading “Not Yours,” while biomedical engineering senior Laura Vargas Ortiz sat across the circular pool signing about her loneliness in American Sign Language. Both performances were a part of an art project in instructor Colette Copeland’s Contemporary […]
CRT is critical for effective diversity training | November 23, 2020
America considers itself a “melting pot”, yet minority groups continue to face systemic discrimination and prejudice. While diversity trainings can breed possible positive effects through active communication, the current administration’s restrictions upon trainings that recognize inherent bias can negatively impact this opportunity. The recent executive order on “Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping” released by the […]
More (super)power to You | February 23, 2020
Why ‘Birds of Prey’ revolutionizes the female superhero “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” received an audience and critic rating of almost 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and was deemed “the funniest comic book film since the first ‘Deadpool’ from 2016” by New York Post film critic Johnny Oleksinski. The new […]
Ready Player One | February 23, 2020
Single-player games are becoming an endangered species The last decade has arguably been marked by the explosion of online gaming among gamers. With streaming, esports, content creation and plenty of multiplayer video games, it can seem like the single-player games of yore have fallen by the wayside despite various triple A and indie successes. But […]
Big Comet is Watching You | February 23, 2020
Why surveillance technology on college campuses is counterproductive Imagine if UTD administrators tracked your every move while on campus. From collecting your location data when attending class or logging how long you are in your room, how would you feel if university officials could access this data to conduct risk assessments on your behavior? Clearly, […]
Exercise HIITS the Spot | February 23, 2020
Short workouts are key to a healthy college lifestyle Between going to class, completing assignments and participating in clubs, college students have a lot on their plates. With so little time, spending hours at the gym to keep tabs on our health simply isn’t possible. But before you decide to quit exercising altogether to save […]
Defending Champions | February 23, 2020
Women’s tennis to play against ASC East competitors Ozarks in March The UTD women’s tennis team season is only a small part into their season and has many games ahead of them, but with the prospect of being repeat conference champs, the end of the season couldn’t come sooner enough. The team played against Southeastern […]
Stepping Up | February 23, 2020
Softball team sets sights on championship, welcomes new players The UTD softball season is in full swing after the team’s first conference match against Hardin-Simmons. With three conference games under their belt and six more in the near future, the players have their sights set on the ASC Championship Tournament. The Comets trained for three […]
Unafraid to Speak Out | February 23, 2020
International political economy senior often stands up during lecture to share opinions College lectures usually involve sitting and listening, taking notes and maybe scrolling through your Twitter feed. Other than an occasional question or comment, the class experience is relatively the same routine every time. Ronald Chan, an international political economy senior seldom takes notes […]
Game Review: ‘Legends of Runeterra’ | February 23, 2020
Digital card game set in same universe as ‘League of Legends’ Riot Games is finally evolving from Riot Game and creating a game besides “League of Legends.” They announced two new projects, one of which is the recently released “Legends of Runeterra.” Riot Games representatives said that they want to make a card game that […]
From Cricket to Comet | February 23, 2020
Former player for Singapore’s national cricket team continues to play leisurely at UTD Computer science freshman Karthik Mohan is just like any other student, except for one major difference. At the age of 14, he represented Singapore as a cricket player on the national stage. Mohan played for the team’s under-19 division and said he […]
What is Literature Research Like? | February 23, 2020
Leather-bound books and dusty archives are classic images of what research in the humanities may look like. However, what are examples of research in subjects such as literature and poetry? Jessica Murphy, dean of undergraduate education and associate professor of literary studies, researches English literature from the mid-sixteenth to late-seventeenth century. Her first book, “Virtuous […]
Putting Pen to Paper: Note-taking Habits | February 23, 2020
Students discuss different strategies to take notes during lecture including color coding, paraphrasing There is a myriad of ways to take notes during a lecture, some of which students carry over from their high school experiences and some that they learn while attending college. Survey results reveal that, despite recent studies showing otherwise, UTD students […]
Exhibit Honors Holocaust Liberators | February 23, 2020
Ackerman Center display features accounts from Texan WWII soldiers In a hallway just outside the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies lies an array of banners featuring 21 individuals: the Texas servicemen who liberated concentration camps in the aftermath of World War II. This is “The Texas Liberator: Witness to the Holocaust,” an exhibition curated by […]
Professor Offers Free Pantry in Office to Combat Food Insecurity | February 23, 2020
After finding out that over 40% of college students face food insecurity, one professor took matters into her own hands, building a makeshift pantry in her office for students. Senior lecturer of Brain and Behavioral Sciences Gayle Schwark gained attention for her food pantry on Feb. 10 when she sent an email to her students […]
The pregnant scholar | February 23, 2020
An inside look at parenting students Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Jacqueline Prince’s title. The Mercury regrets this error. The daily pressures of college can often feel like too much to handle, and for some students, college life coincides with the stress of parenting. Zoey Hoggatt, a second year graduate […]