Category: Campus News
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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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Center for BrainHealth Conducts National Study
Research aims to unlock human brain’s potential by including over 120,000 participants in coming decade The BrainHealth Project, a research study headed by UTD’s Center for BrainHealth, is confronting the challenge of enhancing the brain’s potential through a national study involving 120,000 people throughout the next 10 years. BrainHealth Project Leader Sandra Chapman said she…
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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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Text to 911 available in Plano
New platform to allow access to emergency services without placing phone calls By the summer of 2019, residents of Plano will be able to text their 911 call center. The software upgrade will cost the city upwards of $350,000. The funding was first approved by the city council on Feb. 11, said Susan Rodriguez, a…
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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…
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OIT, OSA to provide free assistive technology
The Office of Information Technology and the Office of Student AccessAbility are partnering to provide visual- and learning-impaired students, faculty and staff with screen reading and magnifying software called Fusion Assistive Technology. Fusion is a combination of Job Access with Speech, a screen reader, and ZoomText, a screen magnifier. Melinda Colby, the senior director of…
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UTD featured in ‘State of the City’ speech
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct J.J. Koch’s stance on Richardson’s proposed tax cap. He does not oppose the tax cap but opposes the mayor’s stance on it. Richardson Mayor Paul Voelker addressed local businesses, government and community members on Jan. 30 at the annual State of the City Address. Voelker highlighted…
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Anderson controversy prompts review of admissions
UTD was thrust into the national spotlight in December 2018 after a student petition to remove Jacob Anderson, a UTD student accused of sexual assault, went viral. Anderson transferred to the university in 2016 after expulsion from Baylor University. University President Richard Benson said in a statement that the university had “admitted a student while…
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Chartwells officials deny worker allegations
Chartwells officials denied allegations of workplace harassment and unfair labor practices at their UT Dallas operation. The allegations, published in the Dec. 3 issue of The Mercury, came from numerous current and former Chartwells workers and included sexual harassment and other acts of intimidation, pay withholding and breach of contract. “We launched an investigation for…