Author: The UTD Mercury
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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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Congress comes to the Comets
UTD Democrats is hosting a congressional debate for Texas District 32 on Jan. 18, 2024, in the SSA Auditorium from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Four candidates competing for the Democratic party’s primary nomination will attend this student organized event. Texas District 32 is the congressional district for the House of Representatives, which encompasses the…
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Students, alumni detained at Love Field Airport while protesting Biden’s arrival in Dallas
UTD students and alumni were among a dozen protesters detained Monday night demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and shutting down a main entrance to Love Field Airport as President Joe Biden landed in Dallas. According to a press release from the Palestinian Youth Movement, Dallas police detained 13 protesters during a sit-in demonstration that blocked…