Author: The UTD Mercury
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Comets gather for partial eclipse of the heart
• On Oct. 14, 2023, an annular eclipse was visible from Dallas, Texas, beginning at 10:25 a.m. and peaking at 11:55 a.m • At the eclipse’s peak, 80% of the Sun was covered by the Moon. • Leaves from trees on campus created a pinhole camera effect, casting small crescent shaped shadows in the pattern…
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SUAABtober brings autumnal delight with art, treats
UTD kicked off fall with the SUAABtober festival on Oct. 19, an event that allows students to partake in seasonal activities like tote bag painting, a scavenger hunt, face painting and an artist alley with a range of different mediums available to purchase. The Student Union & Activities Advisory Board, better known as SUAAB, also…
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Subreddit drama endangers students
At the end of the spring 2023 semester, UTD subreddit moderators clashed, causing the removal of one of its most helpful moderators, u/WillieCubed. With r/utdallas now unsafe to use, students should pay attention to the unresolved subreddit moderation issue. r/utdallas is the largest unofficial community for UTD, boasting over 25,000 members and being in the…
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Drag wins are LGBTQ+ wins
All LGBTQ+ Texans, especially college-age students, should celebrate the Sept. 26 overturning of Texas’s “drag show ban.” A victory for the drag community sets a precedent for gender and sexual minorities everywhere and should encourage us to keep fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in the state. According to Reuters, on Sept. 26, U.S. District Judge David…
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Climate Corps won’t save us
President Joe Biden’s new American Climate Corps program, announced Sept. 20, plans to put thousands of young Americans to work in the “clean energy economy” to combat climate change. But despite all the celebratory press, us college students shouldn’t get our hopes up, because this program won’t solve our problems — from job security to…
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Attention, students: unionize
The 2022–2023 HarperCollins strike, the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike and the ongoing 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike are shaking the foundations of industries, proving that united voices can move mountains. But these movements aren’t just about workers in established careers — they hold a vital lesson for the working college students of today: it’s time…
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‘TEXAS IS READY FOR SOMEONE YOUNG’
Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” fills the room; people dance to the beat as a former Miss Texas performs the song with gusto. This 27-year-old is running for Texas legislator, and her name is Averie Bishop. Bishop is a first-generation lawyer who has long balanced school events, show auditions and furthering her political…
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Student veterans settle down on campus
Veterans make up 3% of UTD, and while administration and the student body alike help with the transition into college, their experience in university may still be unconventional. Resources like the Veteran’s Center, the Student Counseling Center and the Veteran Relief fund as well as student organizations like Meals for UTD Vets connect veteran Comets…
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SG, Mayor Dubey sign up over 200 Comets to vote
On Sept. 19, Student Government held their annual National Voter Registration Day event on campus to educate college students about the democratic process, registering 210 Comets to vote with visits from local representatives. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 1 in 4 eligible citizens are not registered to vote. With a decline in youth participation…