NICO TORRES Graduate student, MS Marketing/ MBA candidate

There are so many things about UT Dallas that make us unique. Our phenomenal social life, stinky allegations, negative aura and incredibly nerdy culture are just a few. For the two years I have been here it’s been kind of funny to poke fun at those things, but I know this is not a lasting legacy we want to keep around forever.

UT Dallas is still a relatively new university and is one of the fastest growing in the nation. When we think of Texas universities, we think of American football, BBQ, cowboys and the slightest hint of intolerance for international brown people.

As someone who grew up in Texas my whole life, there is a lot to appreciate about Texas, but UT Dallas has been a unique experience where many different cultures, ideologies and communities come together. This “nerdy” reputation is what leverages our school to be the No. 1 school for Internships and champions at chess.

As an event chair for the Student Union Activities Advisory Board, or SUAAB, I have had the opportunity to contribute to the campus culture through many different kinds of events. As a team, we host one event a week every week for the entire semester.

On Feb. 25, Wednesday 12pm-4pm SUAAB & UTD Esports hosted LAN of the Comets: Gaming Festival. I had the privilege of planning, buying and ideating the majority of this event with my beloved “suaabies” behind me for the execution date.

We had 445 attendees with an overall 4.7-star rating, making this the second most popular event on campus for spring with SUAAB holding top 4 of the spots. With this experience, I have had the honor of not only being a part of this campus culture but to shift and mold it.

I am so appreciative of the faculty and students at UTD who have shaped my time here. I am especially grateful for Ms. Jenkins, Ms. Snitzer, J-Dawg, PriPri, Yanka Jahari, Varshmallow, Wethan, Om (nephew), Madame President, Mooski, & Mimi! Living for the communities at UTD has taught me that I am willing to die to preserve the magic this school brought into my life.

When it comes to American football, we are not competing with many of the other schools who have spent decades of funding and planning to develop their programs without drastically changing the campus culture, funding system and public perception.

A lot of students do not realize that we have the third best esports program and the No. 1 Ranked collegiate esports facility in the entire nation. Although a lot of people feel that UT Dallas is a little weird and antisocial, I do not think we would benefit by changing our culture to be more “American football-focused” as our demographic is diverse and enriching from all parts of the world. While the fundamental ideals of American ideology have been challenged in recent years due to political hypocrisy and corruption, I don’t think advocating for an American sport to plague our campus in place of one that is more in tune with our generation is a positive.

Esports has been growing rapidly in Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, China, Russia and Brazil, bridging cultures through video games. We need to think about the kind of cultures we want to protect and cultivate at UTD. American culture, while has few honorable attributes, there is much reform that needs to be done to better represent the voice of the American people.

Keep UT Dallas nerdy.