THE UTD MERCURY

Author: The UTD Mercury

  • ATEC awaits degree reorganization

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    The UTD Mercury
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    In a previous version of this article Todd Fechter’s name was misspelled, The Mercury regrets this error. The Edith O’Donnell School of Arts and Technology may undergo a restructuring of the school’s two degree programs. The proposed change would merge ATEC and EMAC and bring additional changes to the graduate program. Final approval from the…

  • New LLC to focus on women in STEAM

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    To advance female representation in the STEAM fields and help foster connections among those female students, University Housing is piloting a program in fall 2017 called Women in STEAM, which will be a new Living Learning Community on campus. From the LLC website, “Living Learning Communities are groups of freshman students who share academic goals…

  • Qurans found in SU bathroom

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    The UTD Mercury
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    A group of Student Government senators found copies of the Quran inside the toilets in the bathrooms adjacent to the Galaxy Rooms. The Quran is the holy text in Islam, and it is considered sacred by Muslims around the world. Jonathan Schuler, the head of the SG legislative affairs committee, discovered the Qurans in the…

  • The Art Barn’s uncertain future

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    Correction: In a previous version of this story, Greg Metz’s title was misattributed. The Mercury regrets this error. Art students may soon have to seek alternative spaces to create, as the Art Barn faces an uncertain future. The space was threatened with closure for years, but student activists postponed it, said Greg Metz, an Arts…

  • SG Report: March 27th

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    The UTD Mercury
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    Comets Remember President Akshitha Padigela’s proposal to engrave the rocks in the reflection pools with the names of Comets who’ve passed while attending or after being accepted to UTD was approved. The project will be complete in time for the Comets Remember event on April 6 at 10 a.m. The families of the remembered students…

  • Counseling Center explores online program

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    The Student Counseling Center may have shorter wait times and more personalized therapy in the coming year, thanks to a new Student Government initiative to implement an online therapy program. The center has seen rapid growth in the number of students requesting counseling services. According to the SCC, student intake increased 28 percent from the…

  • Hiring freeze impacts UTD

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    The UTD Mercury
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    A statewide hiring freeze is affecting UTD, where 55 percent of staff are paid using state funds. The freeze was announced in January by Gov. Greg Abbot and will last through August. At UTD, the impacted positions are mainly active in the summer term and at the Callier Center for Communication Disorders. The Department of…

  • A&M controversy indicative of larger issue with clickbait media

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    The UTD Mercury
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    The outrage over Rick Perry’s comments about the A&M University Student Government election is indicative of the problems in the way people are consuming media. A&M’s student government race made headlines last week when current U.S. Energy Secretary Perry published an op-ed in the Houston Chronicle questioning the legitimacy of the disqualification of the official…

  • Editorial Board: SG must improve transparency to boost voter turnout

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    The UTD Mercury
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    As 2017 Student Government elections ended with another low turnout, it is important to consider what can be done to increase student participation in choosing representatives. Only 6.5 percent of the student population made their voice heard. In an effort to improve student involvement in SG elections, The Mercury increased its coverage of the process…

  • Housing adds gender-inclusive application option

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    Beginning fall 2017, UTD will be the first school in the UT System to formally adopt a procedure for gender-inclusive housing and one of the first institutions in Texas to address the issue. Catherine Pickrel, director of residential life, and Matt Johns, assistant director for LGBT+ programs at the Galerstein Women’s Center both worked to…