’You are welcome here’
UTD students, staff discuss LGBTQ+ workplace discrimination
Members of the UTD LGBTQ+ community weigh in on the continuing discrimination in the workplace, including gender-based dress codes, shortened parental leave and limited representation. On June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protected members of the LGBTQ+ community in the workplace....
‘To the moon’ with a Comet
Student invests in GameStop stock amidst internet frenzy
Bolstered by discussion within subreddit r/wallstreetbets, political science junior Eduardo Pasaret is one of a few UTD students who bought in early to the online insurgency against Wall Street. Pasaret sold the entirety of his $3000 stock market holdings in Tesla and other companies to invest in a declining GameStop...
Provost appoints new NSM dean
Increasing number of tenure track professors among priorities for David Hyndman
Following the departure of the former dean in January 2020, a new non-interim dean has been appointed to the school of Natural Sciences and Math. Appointed on Feb. 1, David Hyndman comes from Michigan State University, where he was a professor, academic advisor and hydrogeology researcher. Hyndman succeeds Associate Provost...
And the band plays on…virtually
UTD band, orchestra programs meet reduced enrollment requirements
The COVID-19 pandemic brought a variety of challenges to UTD’s art programs; however, the university’s band and orchestral ensembles – known collectively as the Comet Symfonique – have adapted and found a way to continue making music. The ensembles are among the few classes on campus continuing to regularly meet...
Campus land enhancement: how far it’s come, where it’s going
UTD advances Phase III of the CLE Project
The UTD campus has had ongoing construction for over the past decade, and the pandemic has allowed the current construction to move at an accelerated pace – soon to result in the completed Rutford promenade and more newly-planted trees. The Campus Land Enhancement Project started in 2007 and is currently...
UTD alum allegedly participated in Capitol riot
Class of 2012 Chris Grider has been in federal custody since Jan. 21
UTD alumnus and former military officer Chris Grider currently awaits his trial under federal custody after his alleged participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Chris Grider graduated from UTD in 2012 with a master’s degree in fine arts. In 2014, he and his wife opened their own winery –...
Testing Testing – for COVID-19
Breakdown of COVID testing results on campus at start of semester
As North Texas sees more than 2,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day in the DFW metroplex, the results of UTD’s proactive testing program are encouraging. Vice President and Chief of Staff Rafael Martín – head of the COVID-19 Task Force at UTD – said that while testing capabilities were...
Springing into in-person events
Plans for student clubs to host their own events this spring
UTD’s decision to relax restrictions on in-person gatherings this spring may influence some students’ choice to stay on campus. Vice President of Student Affairs Gene Fitch said that UTD is expecting more students on campus in the spring than there were in the fall. “We’re expecting 3,200,” Fitch said. “We’ve...
“We do not conduct campus celebrations of one of these state-mandated holidays: Confederate Heroes’ Day”
UTD Vice President Rafael Martín clarifies controversy surrounding holiday
Confederate Heroes’ Day – a state-mandated holiday that is incorporated into UTD’s winter break – is not celebrated by the university in any way. Questions were raised after the Presidential Town Hall last June when University President Richard Benson was asked why UTD students and staff aren’t given a holiday...
Comparing COVID vaccines
What storage, distribution look likes for Pfizer, Moderna vaccines
As the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines increase in distribution, possible side effects and storage obstacles raise potential concerns. On Dec. 11, 2020, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was approved and became the first vaccine administered to prevent COVID-19. Just seven days later, the U.S Food and Drug Administration approved the second vaccine,...