Day: January 16, 2024
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Schitco Draws Against Carlsen Again
Economics junior Ivan Schitco repeated history on Nov. 15 at the 2023 European Team Chess Championship in Montenegro when he drew against world champion Magnus Carlsen for the second time. This is Schitco’s second time drawing with Carlsen, the first being in August 2022 in the Chess Olympiad. According to Chess Results, 38 teams participated…
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Texas bills bring uncertainty for immigrant students
With the passing of SB 17, the Latino community at UTD will have to organize cultural celebrations and events with less support from their school, and with SB 4, law enforcement will be broadly empowered to take action against those they suspect of being undocumented, LULAC representatives said. SB 17 went into effect on Jan.…
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion replaced with OCRS
UTD’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is dismantled as of Dec. 31 and will now be replaced by the Office of Campus Resources and Support, or OCRS, in compliance with SB 17. Under SB 17, universities in Texas are now banned from enforcing diversity statements in hiring procedures or providing faculty and staff with…
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ODEI removed: trans students react
Texas SB 17 is officially in effect, bringing an end to the Galerstein Gender Center and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Trans students have been left with far fewer on campus resources; some now turn to student organizations like Pride for support. As part of UTD’s adherence to the state law, identity-based workshops…
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Eddie Bernice Johnson passes
Eddie Bernice Johnson died Dec. 31, 2023 at the age of 89 after 40 years of serving as a politician at both the state and federal levels. Because of Johnson’s efforts in the Texas Senate, UTD began admitting underclassmen in the ‘90s. Johnson began her political life as a civil rights activist in the 1960s,…
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New Year, New ‘Mean Girls’
“Mean Girls” (2024) hits theaters 20 years after the original, bringing a revamped and modern look at one of the biggest pop culture sensations of the 2000s. The new film is an adaptation of the Broadway musical, adapted from the 2004 original comedy of the same name. “Mean Girls” (2024) released on Jan. 12, starring…
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‘Godzilla Minus One’ roars back with emotional depth
Godzilla returns to the big screen in a massive display of raw power in “Godzilla Minus One.” But Godzilla’s newest film is not just about the destructive monster — it is a sentimental story about war, love and humanity’s ability to work together. “Godzilla Minus One” is an improvement on the action sci-fi genre, going…
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New Year’s resolutions: Do they work?
“New year, new me” usually comes along with the dozens of resolutions people set for themselves in January. But how many of these resolutions do they keep up with, and are they empty promises for change? The Mercury conducted a poll and found that 25 students out of the 31 respondents stated that they do…
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‘The Iron Claw’ rips hearts apart
Children and their families would plop down in front of their television in the ’80s to watch the Von Erich brothers wrestle in an extravagant display of rippling muscle and showmanship. Decades later, families can go to the theater to relive their childhoods while watching the tragedy of the Von Erich Curse unfold before them.…