Category: News

With the onset of COVID-19, the necessity to avoid large gatherings and keep safe social distancing resulted in amendments to summer 2020 incoming student orientation. For the first time, freshmen are experiencing orientation virtually, with online pre-orientation modules through eLearning and small group video chats through Microsoft Teams, rather than physical informational sessions and tours.…

Students training to be teachers through the UTeach Dallas program face increased uncertainty in their prospective career after the pandemic hit. UTeach Dallas certifies students pursuing STEM degrees to be secondary mathematics and science teachers in Texas. Yeeun Jeon graduated in May 2020 with a major in mathematics and is one of the 26 spring…

Tuition for summer classes has not decreased during the move to completely online classes. A petition was started in early May that called for reduced summer tuition, asserting that students will not have access to facilities like the gym, library or computer labs so they shouldn’t be paying full tuition. It currently has 1,210 signatures.…

UTD is developing a plan to address future COVID-19 cases as students return to on-campus housing. On June 16, UTD confirmed that a student living in a University Village apartment contracted COVID-19. Three days later, the student’s two roommates tested positive. They all self-isolated in UV afterwards, said associate vice president of student housing Matthew…

Research labs opened under limited circumstances since campus closed this spring are now steadily increasing capacity, with COVID-19 safety measures. During the April 22 presidential town hall meeting, Joe Pancrazio, vice president of research, said the Office of Research has been fully operational — albeit remotely — after campus closed down in March. In a…

In the fall, professors will have the option to choose whether they teach face-to-face or online. The Faculty Retention and Morale Subgroup recommended that UTD “allow instructors to have the option to teach in a fully online/remote fashion without UTD administration requiring that the instructor disclose personal details that might include health, caregiving responsibilities or…

UTD’S chapter of the political organization Deeds Not Words is petitioning against the Department of Education’s changes to how Title IX is enforced on college campuses. In 2017, the Department of Education withdrew Obama-era sexual harassment policies under Title IX. One year later, Secretary of Education Betsy Devos released a new proposal, featuring specific changes.…

Spring 2020 provided a glimpse at online instruction and how students and teachers adapted to changes in learning conditions; now, instructors are facing another semester of partially — or fully — virtual classes, along with the advantages and disadvantages that come with it. At the June 24 presidential town hall, UTD provost Inga Musselman said…

For various students, changes and uncertainty about fall 2020 campus functionality brings up many unforeseen issues including financial problems and difficulty performing well in studies. In a survey conducted by The Mercury, 9% of respondents said they would not be willing to stay enrolled at UTD if the upcoming semester was online, primarily citing reasons…

When classes transitioned online, psychology junior Labiba Zarin Halim said she was not adequately accommodated and is concerned about how the OSA will function in the fall. Halim is deaf, and the OSA typically provides her with accommodations including a Signed Exact English interpreter, extra time on her exams, preferential seating to view her interpreter…