Category: News
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Counseling Center starts online therapy program
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include additional information from the SCC and to clarify that the SCC’s waitlist for services was eliminated last year. In anticipation of the release of its fiscal year report, the Student Counseling Center is looking for solutions to challenges such as a shortage of personnel and a…
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Survey shows dissatisfaction with mandatory freshman group project
A survey conducted by The Mercury revealed that Comets to the Core — a six-week group project required for all freshmen to complete their UNIV1010 graduation requirement — has sparked controversy in its second year of operation, with 100 of 109 respondents saying they would not want to see the program as it is now…
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Water in Richardson: What’s behind its taste?
Kathryn Vos said she finds herself not drinking as much water as she should be. Instead of filling her water bottle in the morning as she would usually do, she waits to find a working water fountain throughout the day. “I just don’t (drink from the tap) because of the taste,” Vos, an undecided freshman,…
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Wagashi: Japanese sweets
The Japanese truly know how to make incredible desserts. I had the opportunity to try traditional Japanese desserts known as wagashi. Wagashi were originially made with simple fruits and nuts, known as “kashi,” in Japan between 300 B.C. and 300 A.D. during the Yayoi period. Because sugar was rare and expensive, it wasn’t until Portuguese…
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Professor develops AI essay grading program
For professors struggling to cope with stacks of papers to grade, new software — developed by a UTD researcher and powered by artificial intelligence — may offer a long-term solution. Vincent Ng, a computer science professor who works with UTD’s Human Language Technology Research Institute, is developing an automated grading system for longform essays. Ng…
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West Nile virus cases reported in local area
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the city of Richardson uses agent orange in mosquito adulticide sprays. The Mercury regrets this error. After a Richardson resident contracted an aggressive form of West Nile virus last month, the city’s health department officials ordered mosquito adulticide spraying in nearby neighborhoods. However, there…
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Mandatory sexual assault modules: are they effective?
UTD requires every new student to complete a series of web-based sexual assault prevention modules. A survey of 94 students conducted by The Mercury revealed 86 percent of participants do not believe the modules are effective in educating students about sexual misconduct. UT System implemented the sexual assault prevention course to inform and educate incoming…
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Startup suspended from internship fairs
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include the date of a Facebook post and to correct the name and title of a Tech EdVentures employee. Her name is Brittany Nicole Jones, not Brittney Nicole, and she is listed as a curriculum development associate. The Mercury regrets this error. A startup that once employed…
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Students trapped in study room for 3 hours
Three students in Residence Hall Northwest were trapped in a study room for nearly three hours after the doorknob malfunctioned, forcing maintenance staff to break through a wall in order to safely extract them. Computer engineering freshman Colton Mikeska and two of his friends were studying during the evening of Sept. 18. The doorknob to…