Category: News
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UREC addresses dress code petition
Incident that led to outcry resulted from miscommunication, university officials say. Students launched an online petition last week criticizing an alleged decision by University Recreation to enforce a “fingertip length” shorts dress code in UREC facilities. UREC officials have since responded, stating the incident that sparked the petition resulted from a miscommunication. A Reddit post…
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Academic advising: Where do UTD students stand?
Survey suggests most students across different programs have positive experiences with academic advisors. A quick search of the UTD’s Reddit page will yield several anecdotes from students detailing their struggles in finding an academic advisor who is willing to help them. Posts such as these tend to quickly gain traction on the site, prompting other…
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Food service workers accuse Chartwells management of misconduct
Food service workers accuse Chartwells management of misconduct Editor’s Note: The Mercury’s publication of a Dec. 3 report, in which former and current Chartwells workers alleged verbal abuse, unfair labor practices and sexual harassment, came amid efforts by workers to form a union, with the support of a local chapter of the United Food and…
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Students to protest university’s handling of Anderson case
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include additional information about the protest planned for Dec. 14. UTD President Richard Benson announced Thursday afternoon that Jacob Walter Anderson, a transfer student who was expelled from Baylor University in 2016 after a sexual assault allegation, will still receive his degree if he completes the necessary…
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Petition launched to remove transfer student accused of sexual assault
Editor’s Note: President Richard Benson issued a statement at 4:49 p.m. CST on Dec. 12 through the university’s Facebook and Twitter channels about Jacob Anderson, the UTD senior at the center of a Baylor University sexual assault case. Benson said that Anderson was admitted to UTD two years ago without knowledge of his legal history.…
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McDermott Library adds smart rooms
The Eugene McDermott Library installed two new smartboards on the second and third floors earlier this semester, turning old whiteboards into interactive displays that offer more functionality to students and faculty. Gloria Jean Vik, associate library director for systems, said the new rooms feature a 70-inch television monitor which can detect audio and video. As…
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OIT director develops chess analysis supercomputer
The UTD chess team will soon take a step towards future competitions with the help of supercomputers that will reduce the time it takes to analyze players’ moves. An effort designed to advance the UTD chess team in national and international competitions, the newly designed supercomputer interface will serve as a tool to further develop…
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Starbucks opening at Northside
The Starbucks in the Student Union opened in November 2017, but students can expect the opening of a second location in the Northside retail space in the near future. Northside will see the construction of an additional 6,600 square feet of retail space on its eastern lot of land closest to the intersection of Floyd…
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Unused meal exchanges find new purpose
Student Government and Dining Services teamed up to create a meal swipe donation program to help combat food insecurity on campus. With close to 22 percent of college students facing very low levels of food security, according to the National Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, the initiative aims to allow students with unused meal swipes…
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Decoding the parking budget
The Office of Parking and Transportation, responsible for the sale and pricing of parking permits, has a budget that students and faculty members have tried and failed to obtain. In the absence of this data, students and faculty alike have voiced concern over increasing permit prices, a lack of lower-tier spots and accusations of artificially…