Author: The UTD Mercury
-
UTD’s secret weapon: Rahul Peddi
Finance and economics junior Rahul Peddi has bided his time, slowly climbing the charts in independent tournaments to become the chess team’s unexpected ace in the upcoming season. Although his performance last year wasn’t acknowledged through accolades, Peddi played in significant tournaments on his own throughout the year, increasing his rating to prepare for…
-
‘Small Talk’ highlights graduate storytelling
Wood, wires, rope and projectors, and an array of art materials litter the floor of the SP/N gallery. The disorder in this space sheds insight into the creative process of graduate students’ art projects, part of the “Small Talk” exhibit. “Small Talk” is a multimedia installation project created as part of a class — VPAS…
-
Comet Con Get ready with me: Cosplay Edition
Bountiful blonde curls, iconic pouty pink lips, an elaborate multi-tiered gown and a golden crown are what make the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom so highly recognized in the world of video games. One UTD cosplayer unveils her take on Princess Peach for Comet Con attendees accepting the challenge of embodying this famous bubbly character. …
-
Actors might wear ceasefire pins, but they aren’t your heroes
Despite modern Hollywood films often featuring provocative political messaging, especially at the 2024 Oscar Awards, major Hollywood actors fail to speak on political issues explicitly and don’t deserve to be credited for social progress. When looking for an actual cultural hero, look among yourselves, especially fellow students, as they call for political action more effectively…
-
Gov. Abbott orders Texas universities to revise free speech policies to combat antisemitism
Gov. Greg Abbott issued Executive Order GA44 on March 27, obligating higher education institutions in Texas — including UTD — to punish what he described as increasing antisemitism on college campuses linked to the Israel-Hamas war. To comply with the order, UTD must revise its free speech policies to address “the sharp rise in antisemitic…
-
Gov. Greg Abbott visits UTD, announces Texas semiconductor committee
Gov. Greg Abbott announced new appointments to the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium’s Executive Committee on March 19 at UTD, which will include UTD Material Science and Engineering department head and professor Manuel Quevedo-Lopez and UTD President Emeritus David Daniel. Abbott was joined by Rep. Greg Bonnen of district 24, House Speaker Dade Phelan and Daniel…
-
Conservative news media watchdog attacks SB 17 compliance
Accuracy in Media — a conservative media watchdog — secretly filmed UTD employees in a Feb. 15 video, asking leading questions about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices, which were made illegal by Texas SB 17. Despite controversy around the video, university officials maintain that UTD is SB 17 compliant. Accuracy in Media’s website says that…