Category: Opinion
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UTD Housing? More like UTD Homeless
UTD creates unnecessary housing dilemmas for students through inefficient communication and by determining and revealing their campus move-in dates way too late. My experience is a prime example of how these excessively delayed move-in dates can result in dire consequences, including a roller coaster of housing stress that nearly resulted in temporary homelessness and couch…
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Band-Aid fixes won’t make game development a safe space
The pending lawsuits concerning Activision Blizzard illuminate longstanding issues within the game development community and remind gamers and game developers that we have to do more than just condemn the studio’s actions; we must create safer and more welcoming spaces for women developers at all levels of game development and game culture. The AAA studio…
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True neutral: The college civics professor
The burden of having to give the most coherent, objective and unbiased information in the vast works of American government is put on the shoulders of today’s civics professors. Their job at the basic level is to educate, but they must also moderate discussion. In the age of trigger warnings, safe spaces and microaggressions, it’s…
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The SCC needs to do better
Due to visible understaffing issues, the UTD Student Counseling Center (SCC) is unequipped to address mental health in a personalized manner that acknowledges individual identities and situations. While stress has been a prevailing problem on many college campuses for years, the pandemic has made it more important now than ever for students struggling with anxiety…
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Too many esports not enough vods
Following collegiate esports is often much more difficult than it should be due to a lack of video footage and coinciding broadcast times with esports leagues around the world. For nearly all of UTD’s esports, from Overwatch to League of Legends, games are broadcast on a platform, sometimes on UTD esports’ Twitch, and they’re normally…
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GOP legislative priority analysis
Texas GOP lawmakers passed most of the carryover priorities from the 2019 legislative session. However, it is disappointing that they could not finish passing the new priorities they set for this year and must save those leftovers for a special session. In 2020, the Republican Party of Texas passed eight legislative priorities for the 2021…
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Heartbeat bill: heartless and fruitless
“Our Creator endowed us with the right to life, and yet millions of children lose their right to life every year because of abortion,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott says as he signs Senate Bill 8 (the Heartbeat Bill) into Texas law. In doing so, he maintains his stay on the list of politicians who have used God…
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Tiktoxic by design
On the surface, TikTok seems like a harmless way to pass time and learn convenient life hacks, but there’s actually much more to the app than just lip-syncing and DIY videos. Many users are oblivious to the platform’s complex algorithm and the negative impacts it can have on the app’s vast audience. Over the past…
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Esports experience can’t be defined by a single exam
The Esports Certification Institute (ECI) tried to make a $400 certification for esports, and it died within three days. While it could come back in the future, those hoping to gain entry into esports should focus their efforts on actually getting industry experience for now. The exam assembled by ECI was designed to test a…
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Conservatives aren’t being canceled
With the “free speech” alternative social media app Parler returning to the App Store after being banned for involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, it’s time to revisit the idea of whether Conservatives are really being canceled as much as they claim. The Conservative political platform is by no means being silenced or canceled,…