Tag: Fatimah Azeem
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UTD community honors life of lost Comet with philanthropy
Abdul-Hadi Diwan, an interdisciplinary studies senior and beloved member of the campus community, died tragically in the late afternoon of Feb. 9 after a motorcycle crash off Coit Road. Following his death, UTD’s Muslim Student Association launched a humanitarian fundraiser to honor Hadi’s commitment to charitable action, with funds designated for emergency relief and aid…
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Students, alumni detained at Love Field Airport while protesting Biden’s arrival in Dallas
UTD students and alumni were among a dozen protesters detained Monday night demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and shutting down a main entrance to Love Field Airport as President Joe Biden landed in Dallas. According to a press release from the Palestinian Youth Movement, Dallas police detained 13 protesters during a sit-in demonstration that blocked…
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Bring our rocks back!
“Censorship.” “Cowardly.” “Bring our rocks back.” These were the sentiments expressed by students the morning of Nov. 20, when UTD administration removed the Spirit Rocks from campus. Admin claimed the rocks were never intended for “extended political discourse,” like the month long back-and-forth between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine groups before their removal. But this argument is…
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Student Affairs removes Spirit Rocks for platforming ‘extended political discourse’
The Spirit Rocks, UTD’s preeminent platform for student expression, were removed from campus Nov. 20 after “extended political discourse” about the conflict in Israel and Palestine, raising concerns of censorship. According to an early morning email from Student Affairs, recent messages on the rocks “have been inconsistent with their original purpose and guidelines,” and “extended…
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Student Affairs removes Spirit Rocks for platforming “extended political discourse”
The Spirit Rocks, a popular public platform for student expression, were removed from campus Nov. 20 after “extended political discourse” about conflict in Israel and Palestine, raising concerns of censorship. Students have been spray painting the Spirit Rocks with drawings and slogans to express themselves since Student Affairs placed the boulders on campus in 2008.…
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Red Light: UTD Sexual Harassment Policies Threaten Comets’ Liberties
UTD should amend its Student Grievances policy to match the definition of sexual harassment in its Sexual Misconduct Policy. While firm anti-harassment policies are important and necessary, inconsistent and extrajudicial definitions of sexual harassment threaten students’ constitutional right to free speech. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting free speech…
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‘Benson you can’t hide’: Hundreds of protestors denounce violence in Gaza, call out Benson
Hundreds of students marched from TI Plaza to SSA at 2 p.m. Oct. 25 in response to UTD President Richard Benson’s statement expressing sympathy for Israeli casualties without acknowledging Palestinian casualties in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At least ten groups helped organize the march, including Students for Justice in Palestine and the Muslim Student Association. The…
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‘Disappointed to be a UTD student’: Benson’s Israel-Hamas statement disrespects grieving Comets
Not only does UTD president Richard Benson’s latest message about the Israel-Hamas war disrespect grieving students, it successfully alienates students with ties to Palestine at a time where Palestinian civilians are suffering one of the worst humanitarian crises in the Middle East, tensions between local groups are heightening and violent hate crimes are on the…
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Comets react to war in Middle East, graffiti spirit rocks for Palestine, Israel
Amid upheaval in the Middle East, UTD students spray painted the Spirit Rocks at least eleven times over three days, alternating between the flags of Palestine and Israel. Between Wednesday, Oct. 11 and Friday, Oct. 13., days after Hamas launched an attack on Israel and Israel launched a counter attack on Gaza, several slogans were…
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UTD student sentenced to six years in prison for animal cruelty
UTD graduate student Shubhankar Kawle was sentenced to six and a half years in prison on Aug. 31 for torturing two house cats, one of whom had to be euthanized due to severe injuries; the other had a limb amputated and made a full recovery. Kawle was charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals, which is…