Category: Featured
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Student government eyes inclusion, transparency
As the new Student Government leadership prepares to take office, the outgoing administration reflected on its ongoing efforts to improve student engagement and represent student interests in a year that saw UTD in national and local headlines in the wake of several high-profile scandals. Outgoing President Eric Chen said that student involvement independent of SG…
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Students voice confusion over SG election results
This year’s race for Student Government president was initially the only race that resulted in a runoff election. SG bylaws suggest that at least two other close races — one for vice president and one for the sole EPPS Senate seat — should also have triggered runoffs. Briana Lemos, the director of Student Development, advised…
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Richardson traffic lights to undergo retiming
A recently completed traffic study found Richardson traffic volume at its highest in over a decade, prompting officials to update traffic light infrastructure. The study, conducted by engineering firm Big Red Dog, took three years and monitored traffic at signals throughout Richardson. The director of transportation engineering for Big Red Dog, Dan Hennessey, said the…
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Faculty works to be featured at downtown arts hub
Two North Texas philanthropists donated $250,000 in early March to bring UTD art to the Richardson community through the creation of the Eisemann Edge Endowment Fund. Ann and Charles Eisemann have directed their philanthropy towards many aspects of the art scene in Richardson over the years. ATEC Dean Anne Balsamo said the quarter million-dollar donation…
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Former Richardson mayor convicted for bribery
After a two-week trial, a former Richardson mayor was convicted for bribery charges connected to her affair with a land developer. Laura Maczka served as mayor of Richardson from 2013 until 2015, when details of her affair with a local real estate developer led citizens to demand she step down from a newly-elected term in…
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Cockroaches found in Student Union eatery
Richardson Health Department officials performed a surprise inspection at the Student Union’s Chick-fil-A after a receiving an anonymous complaint and video of cockroaches in the food pick-up area. The video’s metadata confirmed it was taken at UTD. In the video, a worker opens a cabinet to reveal a box with supplies for the Chick-fil-A location.…
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Former chemistry department officer indicted on theft charge
A former administrative officer in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is facing one charge of felony theft after being accused of embezzling $130,000 from the university. Former staff member Linda Heard, who started working at UTD in 1991, was indicted for theft of property, a second-degree felony, on Feb. 26. Her first court appearance…
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UTD celebrates legacy of founding faculty member
Holocaust survivor, retired physics professor who taught at university for 66 years passes away at age 94 Wolfgang Rindler, a professor emeritus of physics and one of the founding faculty members at UTD, passed away earlier this month on Feb. 8. He was 94. Rindler was born in Vienna, Austria in 1924 and fled to…
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ATEC dean addresses student petition
Concerns raised include large class sizes, lack of job market for graduates A group of ATEC students created a petition raising concerns and complaints about their school. The group, called Concerned Students of ATEC, created a website and circulated the petition, calling attention to what it calls the “overall instability and irrelevance” of their school,…
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Chartwells workers allege lack of food safety training
Management claims all associates receive ongoing training during employment Following student concerns about food safety, The Mercury obtained evidence that suggests many Chartwells workers did not receive state-mandated food safety training until earlier this month. In Texas, the certification is considered the responsibility of the employer and is typically administered through a third-party company and…