Category: Opinion
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Ed Board: Presidential, vice presidential candidates well-suited for uncontested positions
Because this year’s Student Government presidential and vice presidential candidates are running unopposed, the Editorial Board of The Mercury has decided to publish an evaluation of the candidates in place of an endorsement. The content of the evaluation is based on an interview The Mercury conducted with the candidates. Running on the Comet Unity ticket,…
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Letter To the Editor: UTD Dining Services misrepresented in previous issue of The Mercury
The Mercury’s reporter Mithra Kaushik reached out to us for a news story and requested to meet with UT Dallas Dining Services staff to conduct a “behind the scenes type of interview, finding out where the ingredients come from, how it’s made and so forth.” What appeared instead in the last issue of The Mercury…
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Letter from the Editor: The Mercury is obligated to publish campus news despite potential consequences
When members of a white nationalist organization plastered posters around campus carrying messages that condemned an inclusive society and boosted the regressive idea of a “white America,” the UTD community was taken aback by the exclusionary nature of the rhetoric. The group responsible for the fliers, known as the American Vanguard, told The Mercury the…
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Dining hall needs better food, sanitation
This story has been corrected since its original publication. Eating at Dining Hall West has not been a positive experience for every student, especially for freshmen such as myself living in University Commons. A common fear of college freshmen, aside from failing classes or going broke, is gaining the “Freshman 15.” Unfortunately, the stereotype of…
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Campus tobacco ban will not solve health problems
The campus tobacco ban, which will go into effect on June 1, is not a good idea. It will only cause stress to smokers, and the current smoking situation on campus does not warrant a ban. According to the American Cancer Society, tobacco causes several health issues and prolonged use is harmful, but users are…
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‘Alt-right’ movement too ill-defined for use
The term “alt-right” came to the forefront during the 2016 election as Hillary Clinton and various media outlets connected the movement to the rise of Donald Trump. But what exactly is the “alt-right?” The phrase encompasses neo-Nazis, some users of the message board 4chan, anti-establishment conservatives and white nationalists. The problem with the term “alt-right”…
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Anti-Trump protesters safeguard First Amendment right
The First Amendment is one of our most important rights as Americans. Its protection of our right to protest also safeguards democracy itself, and yet many are criticizing anti-Trump protesters. Since the election, Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Ted Cruz, Kellyanne Conway and others have criticized and characterized anti-Trump supporters as whiners, crybabies and sore losers.…
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Campus deserves more credit for building school spirit
With homecoming fresh on our minds, now is a great time to think about how we don’t give UTD enough credit for all that it offers us. During homecoming, larger universities have football games and tailgates, and thousands of students and families participate in them. It’s easy to think about what we’re missing at UTD…