The Mercury 02/09

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February 9, 2015

ULBRICHT FOUND GUILTY ESTEBAN BUSTILLOS Managing Editor

THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM

Ross Ulbricht, a 2006 UTD graduate accused of running an online drug market, has been found guilty of seven crimes, including narcotics trafficking and money laundering.

FBI agents arrested Ulbricht in 2013 in San Francisco. He went on trial on Jan. 13 in New York facing allegations from the FBI and other federal agencies claiming he created and operated Silk Road, a website where users could buy and sell illegal products, using

the name Dread Pirate Roberts.

He faces a minimum of 30 years in federal prison.

The maximum punishment is a life sentence.

According to various media reports, Ulbricht’s attorneys will appeal the decision. Sentencing is set for May. During the trial, federal agents brought several pieces of incriminating evidence against Ulbricht, including a journal detailing how he planned, created and ran the website.

Former FBI special agent Ilhwan Yum testified that the FBI traced $13.4 million in bitcoins, an

→ SEE ULBRICHT, PAGE 14

CELEBRATING BLACK LEADERS AT UTD

WHAT'S BELOW? HEALTHY MINDS

ULBRICHT

BALLOT BOUND

Students jumpstart organization promoting mental health

PG 4

THE VACCINE DEBATE

Public affairs sophomore Brooke Lopez runs for Wylie City Council

Why opponents of vaccinations are a threat to public health

BY ANWESHA BHATTACHARJEE WEB EDITOR

OP // PG 3

CROSS WORDS! Take a crack at our '90s music-themed puzzle

PG 13

PLUS + Campus emails switch to Office 365 // PG 4 Seniors set to lead baseball, softball teams // PG 10

YANG XI | MERCURY STAFF

Eighteen-year-old Brooke Lopez, who is also an SG senator, first got involved in politics when her friend was murdered with a firearm in 2012. Since then, she has campaigned to pass a law that will make it more difficult for minors who commit a crime with a firearm to have their records expunged.

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he Sunday morning of April 1, 2012 dawned bright for Brooke Lopez and her family, as they prepared for their weekly fishing trip.

They were sitting in Mojo’s Pizza, a little parlor in Wylie, at around 11 a.m. when Lopez, now a public affairs sophomore, got a call that would change her life.

Her friend called to say that Nahum Martinez, Lopez’s close friend and cross-country teammate at Wylie East High School, had been murdered in a dispute over a girl earlier that morning. The two teenagers charged for the murder were also Wylie East students.

The grief and horror hit first. Then, the anger came.

“I tell the Martinez family every day — and I’m really close with them — that without Nahum, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” she said. “With tragedy comes grace, and the grace I received was knowing what I was going to do for the rest of my life.”

And just like that, Lopez decided she didn’t want to be a lawyer or a ballerina like she had wanted when she was younger but a politician who could make change.

On May 9, Wylie will elect its city council, and the 18-year-old, who is also a Student

Government senator, is one of the candidates for City Council Place 4.

The stepping stones On Nov. 8, 2012, six months after Martinez’s murder, a Collin County judge announced the teen accused of killing him would be tried in juvenile court.

Lopez and the Martinez family were upset and shocked to hear that these students, who had used a firearm to kill Martinez, could possibly resume

→ SEE LOPEZ, PAGE 14

Black History Month Black leaders on campus discuss community, success PABLO ARAUZ Life & Arts Editor

When the late historian Carter G. Woodson started the Association for The Study of Afro-American Life and History in 1915, his aim was to document the past and triumphs of African-Americans. He commemorated what he called Negro History Week in 1926.

In 1976, the U.S. government designated February as African-American History Month or Black History Month. This year marks the 100-year anniversary of Woodson’s aims to celebrate the feats of Black Americans.

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frican-American leaders have been an important part of UTD since the early years of the university.

Among many black leaders on campus, George Fair, dean of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and vice president of diversity and community engagement, may be one of the most prominent.

“History has a lot to do with where we are today and so I think it’s important that we help students to understand what the history of African-Americans has been in this country,” Fair said. “Just to give them a better understanding of where we are and how far we can go and how far we still need

→ SEE LEADERS, PAGE

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George Fair HUMZA KHAN | MERCURY STAFF

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UTDPD Blotter

Volume XXXV No. 3 Editor-in-Chief Miguel Perez

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Managing Editor Esteban Bustillos managingeditor @utdmercury.com (972) 883-2287

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Senior Staff Nidhi Gotgi Emily Grams Priyanka Hardikar Linda Nguyen Arun Prasath Tim Shirley Parthasarathy S.K. Yang Xi Contributors Jennifer Chi Michael Gordon Humza Khan Sejal Mali Lina Moon Sunayna Rajput Cara Santucci Ranjit Sreenivas Praveen Subramanian Justin Thompson Rebecca Tull

Jan. 26 t "O VOBGGJMJBUFE NBMF SFQPSUFE someone took his wallet in the English Learning Center at 11:23 a.m.

Jan. 27 t "O VOBïMJBUFE QFSTPO QVSDIBTFE items with a stolen credit card from the campus bookstore at 3:10 p.m.

Jan. 28 t " TUBê NFNCFS SFQPSUFE B NJOPS accident with a student at 8:02 a.m. in Lot A. Jan. 30 t "O VOBïMJBUFE NBMF XBT BSSFTUFE JO Lot I for possession of marijuana, posession of drug paraphernalia, and other USBïD XBSSBOUT GSPN UIF 'SJTDP 1PMJDF Department at 1:43 a.m.

Jan 31 t "O VOBïMJBUFE NBMF XBT BSSFTUFE on W. Campbell Road for driving while intoxicated at 12:31 a.m.

Feb. 1 t "O VOBïMJBUFE QFSTPO XBT DJUFE GPS possession of alcohol by a minor and possession of drug parphernalia in Lot H at 12:23 a.m.

Feb. 2 t "O VOBïMJBUFE GFNBMF XBT HJWFO B criminal trespass warning for the entire campus while in Green Hall at 11:37 a.m.

Feb. 2 t " TUVEFOU SFQPSUFE IJT MBQUPQ BOE iPod was stolen from the Student Union around 1 p.m.

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LEGEND

Corrections:

VEHICULAR INCIDENT

In the Jan. 26 edition of The Mercury, in the article titled “Native art showcased at CentralTrak exhibition,” Janeil Engelstad’s name was misspelled.

THEFT

In the article photo spread titled “Coming out of hibernation,” in the section titled “Candy Skulls Face Painting,” Meteor Theater and Intercultural Programs were the hosts of the event.

DRUGS & ALCOHOL OTHER

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Media Adviser Chad Thomas

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The Mercury regrets these errors.

OPINION

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FEB. 9, 2015 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM

VACCINES ARE NON-NEGOTIABLE By opting out of vaccinating children, parents are putting greater public at risk, opening door for preventable diseases to flourish ESTEBAN BUSTILLOS COMMENTARY

The recent outbreak of measles in the United States has rekindled the debate over immunization, a debate that should have been settled a long time ago.

From Jan. 1-30, 102 cases of measles were reported in 14 states. Most of these stem from an outbreak that started in Disneyland earlier this year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The sad thing is that all of this could have been avoided.

The vaccine for the disease has existed since the ’60s, and the CDC declared measles eliminated in 2000.

Since then, there have been numerous outbreaks of the disease. In 2014, there were 644 cases, the most since 1994 according to The New England Journal of Medicine. According to the CDC, most people who get measles are unvaccinated.

The reason that this outbreak is even happening is because there are still people in modern-day America who believe that vaccines are either wrong or hurtful.

Every state requires students to get vaccinated for diseases such as polio, but there are exemptions to these laws. Some are for medical reasons, but others are for much less substantial reasons.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, at least 20 states allow exemptions for vaccinations based on parents’ personal beliefs. These can be anything from to philosophical to religious justifications.

One of the main reasons people have taken a stance against vaccination is the spread of rumors about the side effects they cause. In 1998, Andrew Wakefield, who at the time was a licensed doctor, published a study in a British medical journal that linked autism with the measles vaccine.

The effect was almost immediate. In 2002, a survey

IAN LAMARSH | ASST. GRAPHICS EDITOR

done by the BBC reported that approximately 50 percent of British medical professionals said parents were less willing to allow their children to be vaccinated.

Even though this study was discredited in 2010 when it was discovered that Wakefield stood to gain money from his findings, the damage done by this “study” have been long lasting.

Not only do the vaccinations not cause autism, but they also have been proven to prevent the diseases they are made to fight. No parents in their right minds would expose their children directly to something that would hurt them, but that is what they are inadvertently doing when they oppose vaccinations.

For years, people who have held personal choice over public safety have stood in the way of the simplest measures to ensure the well being of others. Because of this, the United States has fallen behind in its rate of vaccinations.

The World Health Organization recommends that chil-

dren be vaccinated for measles at least once before their first birthday.

According to WHO, Libya, Russia, China, Zimbabwe and Iran all have higher immunization rates for 1-year-olds than the United States. That’s just a short list. Nearly every country in Europe is more effective at immunizing their young. All told, 113 countries have higher immunization rates than the United States for 1-year-olds.

As the world continues to advance in medical technology and science, it sometimes seems society is taking one step forward and two steps back. For the first time in history, humans have the chance to wipe diseases that have caused so much pain and struggle off of the face of the planet.

By not using vaccines, people are choosing to allow those diseases to flourish. If choice continues to make more sense to people than logic and science, those choices will continue to cause unnecessary pain.

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? Students interested in writing opinions for The Mercury can email the editor-in-chief at editor@utdmercury.com.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must be 250 words or less. Students should include their full name, major and year. Faculty, staff and administrators should include their full name and title.

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The next issue of The Mercury will be published on Feb. 23. Contact us by Feb. 11, and submit your opinion by Feb. 16.

MIGUEL PEREZ | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

COMET COMMENTS

“Would someone your age running for political office incentivize you to vote?”

Tell us what you think about young people running for office and answer our poll at www.utdmercury.com.

“I totally would vote for somebody my age.

Without thinking about it, I think that I could relate more to that person.”

Saul Cabral EMAC junior

“If someone around my age would be (running), they’d be more in tune with what I would be thinking politically, so it would incentivize me to be more politically active.”

Pavneet Matharoo Electrical engineering sophomore

RESULTS FROM LAST ISSUE “Yes, because they would have the same mentality, to a certain degree.”

Laraib Ahmed Speech pathology junior

Do you think the federal government is doing enough to help students?

36%

25%

No, they don’t.

Yes, but not they could do more.

20% Funding community college isn’t the answer.

17% Yes, they do enough. We don’t want a welfare state.

2% I don’t think I care.

The online poll was open from Jan. 26 to Feb. 8 and had 64 participants.

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THE MERCURY | FEB. 9, 2015

Student emails move to Office 365 PRAVEEN SUBRAMANIAN Mercury Staff

University email accounts are being moved from Zmail to Microsoft Office 365 to give users better accessibility, security and user experience.

The Information Resource department is overseeing the transition.

The Office of Information Resources is transferring approximately 40,000 student and legacy accounts with an initial budget of $100,000.

Director of Technology Customer Services Don Davis said one of the reasons for the switch was because Office 365 offers better features in terms of connectivity and integration.

“Microsoft brings in a more robust user experience than Zmail,” Davis said. “Microsoft Outlook has a better feel and usability”.

David Nguyen, associate vice president of Information Resource Operations, said the need for an upgrade of the hardware hosting Zmail was another reason for the switch.

“Migrating to Office 365 was a more logical option given the university had a pre-existing agreement with Microsoft,” he said.

According to Information Resources’ website, the new email accounts will have 50GB of space per user, whereas Zmail provides 1000MB per user. In addition to the email service, students will also be licensed for the latest versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook Access and Publisher. The programs can be installed on up to five PCs, Macs and other mobile devices including Microsoft Windows tablets and iPads.

→ SEE EMAIL, PAGE 14

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Students start new club to promote mental health NIDHI GOTGI Mercury Staff

Mariam Allahrakha awoke suddenly to her phone ringing in the middle of the night. Her best friend was on the other line, frantic. She was having a panic attack.

Allahrakha discovered that her friend had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder the year before, and she was afraid that people would see her differently, so she didn’t reveal her condition. For her friend, whom she’d known since elementary school, to keep her in the dark out of fear made Allahrakha realize the extent of social stigma toward mental illness.

“I tried hard to help her, but I couldn’t,” she said. “I wanted to do more but I had to understand that the best thing I could do for her was just be a good friend.”

In light of this experience, Allahrakha, a finance and accounting freshman, founded a new organization on campus called Empowered Minds aiming to reduce the negative attitude toward mental illness and increase preparedness in helping peers in trouble.

Since receiving approval on Jan. 16, the officers of the organization hope to inform students about mental health as well as work toward reducing ignorant judgments associated with mental illnesses. It had its first meeting on Jan 26.

“When we hear about someone with a cast, we run towards them to sign it.

When we hear about someone with depression, we run the other direction,” Allahrakha said.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in four adults aged 18 to 24 have a diagnosable mental illness, and 40 percent of these students do not seek help. The primary concern among these students is fear of public opinion about their problem.

“When you transition to university, it’s a difficult time because you’re leaving family. You’re leaving home, and that’s when a lot of students tend to be in a vul-

PARTHASARATHY S K | MERCURY STAFF

Mariam Allahrakha, president of Empowered Minds, and vice president Ashley Levi (left) said they hope the new club helps reduce the stigma of mental illness. Student Government will coordinate with the group to launch a mental health awareness campaign.

nerable state,” Allahrakha said. “I wanted to have an organization that would be a safe space. If people came to us who were affected, we could lead them to someone who could help them.”

The organization is planning to host speaker events with professional staff such as assistant dean of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences Joanna Gentsch and Outreach Coordinator and staff psychologist for the Student Counseling Center Neetha Devdas.

Following speaker events, the officers want to have discussion panels that could be both informative as well as personal, depending on what members are interested in.

Recordings of these speaker events and motivational messages will be shared on the club’s social media pages to help raise awareness. Allahrakha said officers will focus on sharing information on depression, anxiety and suicide, as they affect the

SG REPORT JENNIFER CHI Mercury Staff

Student Government made the decision not to join the Texas Student Transportation Infrastructure Alliance, a nonpartisan coalition that supports the Texas Central Railway project at their meeting on Feb. 3.

Project leaders plan to build a high-speed railway system connecting the DFW metroplex to the Houston area.

The coalition wishes to gain student approval from universities in Texas. Drew Carson, a senator from Sam Houston State University, met with SG over video chat to propose that UTD should be the first school from the UT System to join this alliance.

“They already have three schools in the student alliance and they want UT Dallas to be the next one,” said SG Vice President Nancy Fairbank. “However, our Senate does not feel like we are tasked with having a firm position on projects that take place outside the scope of the university and outside the scope of our students. We prefer to focus on the direct needs of our students as they currently stand and we also don’t believe in supporting private companies specifically.”

Bob Fishbein, assistant vice president of Auxiliary Services, also discussed the expansion of new food venues on campus including an IHOP Express that will be open until 1 a.m. that is scheduled to open in April.

The school also plans to transform the dining hall next to the Student Union into a food court that will provide a larger Chick-fil-A, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Tomatoe and a Panda Express. A Ben & Jerry’s ice cream parlor will then replace the current Chick-fil-A in the Comet Cafe. Fishbein said the plan is to finish construction on these projects during the summer before students come back for classes.

Fairbank also brought up two proposals for discussion, one for the expansion on the drink limit in the

Pub and one about introducing “Bring Your Own Beer” tailgates. These proposals are still in their draft forms.

SG proposed that the Pub change their alcohol policy so that students that are of drinking age can purchase up to two alcoholic beverages between 5-8 p.m. and one drink each subsequent hour. Students are not allowed to purchase more than four alcoholic beverages in one evening, Fairbank said.

Fairbank said students could only get two drinks between 5 and 8 p.m. because administration was concerned about students drinking before evening classes.

Another proposal discussed was introducing BYOB tailgates. Currently, UTD only hosts one main tailgate where beer is provided by the Student Affairs department. For future tailgates, SG suggested that the athletic department, spirit programs and SG be allowed to sponsor BYOB tailgates in designated parking lots on campus.

If any student organizations wish to host their own tailgate, they would have to ask permission from these departments, fill out a form that would need be approved by the Office of the President, reserve a space in the parking lot, and inform the campus police at least one week in advance. t Technology Committee Chair Charlie Hannigan announced that his committee is updating the campus map for it to be more legible, adding foot openers to bathroom doors, and attaching table outlets to electrical power so they can be useful for students around campus. He also said that more blue phones and security cameras will be placed on campus to ensure the safety of the students. t $200 were allocated for the Senators Club reward card prizes and $50 were allocated for the promotion of SG events.

The next SG meeting will be held on Feb. 17 at 5:15 p.m. in the Galaxy Rooms in the Student Union.

most people but will also include material on less common issues as well.

Student Government wants to coordinate with the organization to launch an awareness campaign by integrating students of different backgrounds and helping them overcome language and cultural barriers to understand that mental illness is a universal issue, said Grant Branam, freshman senator and head of the campaign. This campaign will take effect this spring semester, but he said it’s still in the preliminary stages of planning.

Senators discussed at a SG meeting what is not being addressed in terms of mental illness, and decided that the negative stigma and students being unfamiliar with mental health services on campus were some of the most pressing issues.

“There is a general consensus that mental health is viewed in a negative way and modes of recovery aren’t publicized,” Branam said. “Even though resources are

there physically, students face a lot of emotional barriers to receive help.”

Empowered Minds is planning a separate initiative tentatively called De-stress Week for April 27 through May 1, the week before finals.

The group is working with Random Acts of Kindness to bring therapy dogs on campus. It will also collaborate with TEDxUTD President Srikant Chari to present an informative video about depression and stress on April 29 from 7 to 8:30 P.M. The group’s long-term goals include spreading to other campuses if they don’t have an equivalent program and reaching out to middle school students in mentorship programs and speaker events.

“We want to have a strong start by collaborating with other organizations this first semester, and have our own impact

→ SEE MINDS, PAGE 14

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Author decodes gender myths Neuroscience professor at Rosalind Franklin University highlights misinterpreted differences in feminine, masculine roles in society PRIYANKA HARDIKAR Mercury Staff

As the little sister of three brothers, author Lise Eliot spent her childhood absorbed in Lincoln logs, Legos and cars – not necessarily the traditional girls’ pastime.

Eliot said she wonders if that made her more interested in math and science, which research shows is an effect of growing up with an older brother or if she was just hardwired this way like common scientific beliefs indicate.

This thought sparked her interest in gender difference and led her to write her latest book, “Pink Brain, Blue Brain,” where she debunks the worldwide view, saying it is misinterpreted and oversold.

Eliot, now a professor of neuroscience at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science and author of two books and over 60 published works, spoke at the Jonsson Performance Hall as part of the Center for Values in Medicine, Science and Technology’s lecture series on Jan. 29.

“Gender difference is always a sexy topic,” Eliot said. “I discovered that a lot of the stuff in these books was based on one study that was chosen because it confirms stereotypes not because it was representative of the field as a whole.”

Director Matthew Brown and associate director Magdalena Grohman of the Center for Values in Medicine, Science and Technology organized the event.

“Dr. Eliot isn’t denying the differences, but she’s pointing out that they’re different than we’d like to think,” Grohman said. “They’re blown out of proportion.”

From the first moments of birth, parents and even trained nurses talk differently about their sons and daughters, Eliot said. A video revealed a highly trained nurse giving the Apgar test, a test that measures how healthy a baby is one minute after birth.

Eliot noticed if the baby was a girl, the nurse would often comment on the one-minute-old baby’s beauty but if the baby was a boy, the comments revolved around his intelligence and size.

“We set up this status hierarchy at an age where there’s no physical difference in size between boys and girls,” Eliot said. “They really don’t change until after puberty.”

Gender identity solidifies at around three years of age, when children become active agents of their own gender divergence.

RANJIT SREENIVAS | MERCURY STAFF

Lise Eliot gave a lecture about the science of gender differences at the Jonsson Performance Hall on Jan. 29. She discussed how basic factors such as what toys are given to boys and girls play a large factor in gender perception. Eliot is a professor of neuroscience at the Rosalind Franklin University.

However, the scale of the differences isn’t as large as most may believe. There are the clear-cut differences such as men having larger brains than women and boys having larger brains than girls.

Boys are 10 percent larger than girls, both physically and in brain size throughout their life cycles.

Another proven difference is that girls mature more quickly than boys, as a result of hitting puberty one to two years earlier.

Similarly, the brain development finishes one to two years earlier as well. That explains school performance in the eighth grade where the gender gap is most evidently seen.

Aside from those two big differences, there is no clear research that links to the behavioral differences, despite what prior studies may lead one to assume, Eliot said.

Brown said it’s important for people going into these fields to have an awareness of the issues that arise and to think of themselves as decision makers in research and design that will have a social impact.

“That’s nothing special in technology and sci-

ence. That’s just ordinary ethics,” he said.

One of the other differences between girls and boys is in spatial skills; the difference arises at age four or five, and grows larger throughout the years because boys play more with blocks, video games and other targeted visual spatial games.

The classic test is a mental rotation, where a person is shown three-dimensional blocks and must decide which block is the same one rotated.

Men outperformed women in this task, Eliot said.

“Believe it or not, toys have stronger gender labels now than when they did in the ‘70s and ‘80s,” Eliot said. “When Legos were first developed, they had no gender to them at all. They were just primary colored blocks for boys and for girls.”

But as different themes began to associate with the Legos like Star Wars, 80 to 90 percent of Legos were purchased for boys.

“That’s a huge lost opportunity for girls especially when you have those two-dimensional construction sets you use to build a three-dimensional object,” Eliot said. “That’s exactly the spatial visualization that’s important for architecture,

engineering and lots of mechanical skills.”

However, Eliot admits that developing research on children is difficult. Eliot said her main challenge in writing “Pink Brain, Blue Brain” came when she decided to completely flip her thesis half way through. Originally, it was a book for parents about their sons and daughters and portraying how they are different in their behavior and in their brains.

“I didn’t realize how bad the evidence on sex differences were,” Eliot said. ”I remember the ahha moment when I realized that my book was going to be about debunking, not selling.”

As a mother of two sons and a daughter, Eliot is incorporating her values in her personal life.

“When kids become teenagers, they don’t like to listen to their parents much, so all my nagging about their brain development probably started to backfire,” Eliot said. “They understand that males and females have absolute equal potential in the world and what you do with your time is going to determine what your brain is good at. I like to think that their attitudes are more open-minded.”

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LIFE&ARTS

FEB. 9, 2015 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM

Arthur Gregg

Celebrating Black Leaders → LEADERS

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to go.”

Fair moved to Texas from Pennsylvania in 1975 after one of his former colleagues and head of the math department at the time asked him to work as an assistant professor here at UTD. Back then, the school was an upper division university meaning that it was only for juniors and seniors with most of the classes held in the evenings. Compared to the rich diversity of the campus today, he said things were quite different then.

“It was less diverse for sure at that time. Our diversity has increased over the years,” Fair said.

Throughout his forty-year tenure, Fair moved up in the ranks of the university finally getting to the position that he’s at today as dean of one of the university’s seven schools. As a Black leader, he said being where he is now gives him a feeling of accomplishment.

“It’s satisfying and gratifying that I came here, and I’ve been able to have some career success,” he said.

Fair’s contributions to the university also include extensive research and community outreach for homeless children. He’s the primary coordinator for Kid’s University, a program that provides children living in high-risk situations with the tools and knowledge to overcome their barriers. nother respectable leader on campus, vice president for student programs Yolandé Evans is responsible for various aspects of campus life that include student involvement opportunities and activities.

Originally from Lousiana, Evans moved to the Dallas area with her then-husband fifteen years ago. At the time, she was unemployed and found her way to UTD one day on a scenic drive through the area.

“I decided that the next day I would get dressed and go to HR,” Evans said. “They had a job opening for academic advisor and so I filled out an application and got an interview.”

Soon thereafter, she was given a better position as a program coordinator for the excellence scholarship program and over the years, worked her way up to position she holds now. As a Black woman in a leadership role, she said that she wants to exemplify how far Black America has come.

For Black History Month, Evans said that it’s more to her than just a month to celebrate the community’s accomplishments.

“I really try to do that on a daily basis,” she said.

“Especially with UT Dallas being so diverse, there are a lot of cultures who have never interacted with our culture so it’s about bringing knowledge to our cultures and experiences, debunking the stereotypes and the myths.”

As for future UTD leaders, Evans said that it’s important for students to know their worth.

“I believe to whom much is given, much is required,” she said. “These are students who are basically going to take over the world and prepare for persons coming behind them so it’s just for knowing your worth and knowing your value.”

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rthur Gregg is director of the Multicultural Center and the assistant vice president for Multicultural Affairs.

In his office, shelves are piled with awards, gifts from students, photos and UTD swag. Many of the photos are of his fraternity brothers from Alpha Phi Alpha, a black fraternity that he helped to charter here on campus. He’s also facilitated the start of countless other groups and organizations for students such as Delta Epsilon Psi, the South Asian social service fraternity and the Palestinian Arab American Club.

Gregg attributed a story by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to explain the livelihood and future of the university.

“We’re like his story about a family who will inherit a house and we all have to live in this house together,” Gregg said. “Are we going to make this a house that will succeed or are we going to make this a house that will fail? I think that UTD is growing into a house that will be a great place to be.”

Gregg first came to UTD in 1998 with the mindset that his job would be a stepping-stone in his career. At first, he applied for two other jobs to no avail. On his third attempt, he got a job at the Multi-Cultural Center as coordinator working with students of all backgrounds. Then, he knew it was his dream job.

“I am a Comet at heart because I believe in what UTD provides and the type of students that we have here,” he said.

For Gregg, being a leader on campus is all about the passion inside. Sometimes, he said he feels like a father, not just to African-American students but to all students on campus who seek his help. ruce August Jr. is assistant director of programming and marketing at the Multi-Cultural Center. He’s been working on campus for five years and was promoted to his current leadership position last fall.

As one of the organizers at the center, August oversees the center’s role in creating a variety of cultural programs for UTD. August said that for this month, the center has planned movie screenings, interactive events with other student organizations such as the Black Student Alliance and African Student Union. The center will round off the month with The Big Dinner that will consist of a movie screening, live performances and soul food. eshia Neal, neuroscience senior and vice president of the BSA works closely with the center as a volunteer. Her work extends to helping organize this month’s events.

“We’re small but we’re big,” Neal said of the African-American community on campus.

Neal also said groups like the BSA and the Multi-Cultural Center helped her get through the struggles of college life and living far from home.

“This school can be quite difficult as far as the expectations go, but it’s nice to know that you do have an organization that is like your extended family. They’re going to help you,” she said. “It’s about uplifting the community.”

B

ARUN PRASATH | MERCURY STAFF

“IT’S ABOUT UPLIFTING THE COMMUNITY.” Keshia Neal, VP of the Black Student Alliance

K

Bruce August ARUN PRASATH | MERCURY STAFF

Billboard art spurs discussion on racial equity Dallas-based art organization collaborates with artists to create signboard projects with a focus on activism, positive change REBECCA TULL Mercury Staff

MAKE ART WITH PURPOSE | COURTESY

CentralTrak resident artist Chris Blay and local artist Gerardo Robles created a billboard to promote Dialogues on Race for Make Art With Purpose. The angular figures are meant to represent racial unity.

A billboard-based art initiative about racial equity is going to the national stage with the help of CentralTrak artists.

Titled “Dialogues on Race,” the project is directed by Make Art with Purpose (MAP), a Dallas-based organization that collaborates with artists to create projects that positively affect communities all over the world.

Janeil Engelstad, the founder of MAP, partnered with New York design firm World Studio to help spread the project.

Engelstad said the idea behind addressing current racial strife stems from the fact that since the Civil Rights era, interest in movements for racial equity has slowly declined. “’Dialogues on Race’ is part of a new movement in the United States because really we all thought that things had changed with legislation like the Voting Rights Act,” Engelstad said. “I think people kind

of laid down their activism and now we see we can’t do that.”

The initiative includes four billboards, two local school murals and a community conversation at UTD’s CentralTrak artist residency. Engelstad selected the artists based on their unique cultural heritage and artistic emphasis on social issues The four billboards are located throughout the city. Two artists worked on each billboard.

CentralTrak resident artist Chris Blay worked with local artist Gerardo Robles on one billboard. Its black background features five amber, peach, dark brown, and olive brown angular, segmented stick figures.

The figures have their hands raised in the familiar “Hands up, don’t shoot” pose popularized by protestors of Michael Brown’s shooting in Ferguson, MO. To one side of the canvas is a stylized red fist supported by the words “Fruitvale, Florida, Ferguson” in reference to the shootings of Oscar Grant

in California, Michael Brown in Missouri and Trayvon Martin in Florida.

Artists Jin-ya Huang and Thania Dominguez McElroy created another billboard inspired by Michelangelo’s Sistine-Chapel fresco “The Creation of Adam.”

On the board two arms are outstretched, one black and one white and heavily tattooed; their hands almost touch. The white hand holds a human heart. Captioned above the picture is the statement “We’re all the same color at heart,” in reference to the fact that race is not an issue during organ donation.

Artists Rebecca Carter and Daryll Ratcliff made a billboard that emphasized the human genome. Behind the phrase “We are all Black,” a grey-cast, magnified picture of genes curves on the dark façade.

Engelstad partnered with

→ SEE MAP, PAGE 9

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THE MERCURY | FEB. 9, 2015

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LIFE&ARTS

THE MERCURY | FEB. 9, 2015

UTDMERCURY.COM

Beardface Dogman spotted at The Compound PHOTOS BY ANDREW GALLEGOS | ASST. PHOTO EDITOR

(Above and right) UTD alumnus Evan Gordon Weaver performs under the alias Beardface Dogman as part of Bare Mountain, his noise-art project. Weaver organizes concerts for local bands to play at his house that’s been dubbed The Compound. (Top right) Punk rock band Konklin plays at the venue.

PIN POSSIBLE

Every issue, The Mercury’s craft connoisseurs will scour Pinterest and craft blogs in search of the best and worst DIY projects. Show us your results on social media using #pinpossible.

@utdmercury LINDA NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF

LINDA NGUYEN COMMENTARY

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I’ve been scouring Pinterest in search of the perfect Valentine’s DIY project. I thought I’d bring back an old friend, and a fairly popular project: melted crayon art. There are also other variations of this project, so even after Valentine’s Day, it’s still something you can do with some of your friends.

This is a really simple project and it’s perfect for an afternoon activity.

+PMÄ J\S[`

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DIY Melted Crayon Art 1.

2.

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Organize the crayons in the color scheme and shape you want Hot glue the crayons in place Using the hair dryer, melt the crayons

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED Crayons Canvas board Hot glue gun Hair dryer

Overall, this project is incredibly simple, but it really makes something that could fit into any color scheme, depending on the crayons you use.

One thing I did learn was that you definitely have to rotate the canvas around to get the crayon wax radiating out, and if you don’t put something in the middle to prevent the wax from going into the center of the heart, you’ll have some imperfections. Honestly, I

liked that about my heart, but I can see why some people wouldn’t.

The other alternative is to allow the wax to harden in between each section you melt.

Another thing to keep in mind is that since you’re using hot glue to adhere the crayons, the hair dryer could cause the crayons to fall off entirely, but that’s a simple fix since you can just re-glue the crayons on.

CONNIE CHENG | PHOTO EDITOR

UPCOMING EVENTS TEA TUESDAYS

LOVE LINE

TROPES VS. WOMEN IN VIDEO GAMES

The Galerstein Women’s Center will be serving tea for the rest of the semester.

The Student Wellness Center hosts a panel of experts on sex, relationships and dating. Free dessert and educational items will be handed out.

Media critic and blogger Anita Sarkeesian visits to discuss portrayals of women in the video game industry.

Feb. 10,10 AM - 4 PM, Galerstein Women’s Center

Feb. 11, 7 PM, The Pub

Feb. 11, 7:30 PM, ATEC Lecture Hall

WHO’S AFRAID OF CHUCK AND GEORGE?

VARIETY COMEDY SHOW FEAT. GODFREY

&LQHPDWKHTXH VFUHHQV WKLV VDWLULFDO LQGLH À OP IROORZHG E\ D VKRUW 4 $ with director Justin Simien.

CentralTrak presents a visual arts roast of Dallas artist duo Brian Jones and Brian Scott.

SUAAB hosts a night of laughs with comedian and actor Godfrey.

Feb. 12 , 7:30 PM, Clark Center

Feb. 13, 8-10 PM, CentralTrak

Feb. 18, 8 PM, Clark Center

“DEAR WHITE PEOPLE” SCREENING

UTDMERCURY.COM

LIFE&ARTS

THE MERCURY | FEB. 9, 2015

9

Student Patrol keeps vigil on campus SEJAL MALI Mercury Staff

At night, the campus can get very quiet. Dimly lit parking lots with only a few people can turn into an unsafe situation.

To help people get across campus safely after hours, UTD Police employs students in a program known as Student Patrol. Equipped with orange flashing batons, jackets and vests, these students escort people to their destination, patrol campus for stolen items and observe the campus for any suspicious activity.

They can be seen walking around the university Monday through Saturday, from 6 to 11 p.m. Moreover, from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. the escorts are assigned to certain parts of campus to provide heightened security and to help students and faculty get to their cars safely.

During this one hour time frame, the escorts are assigned to A and B bridge, C and D bridge, parking structure 1 and sometimes the JSOM crosswalk.

In 2009, Chief of Police Larry Zacharias started the campus escort program to provide students and faculty with a safe and reliable service to use whenever necessary.

“We are the eyes and ears of the police department,” said Shaw Nawaz, a computer science graduate student and campus escort.

Edwin Hampton, a psychology and child learning development senior has been with the

→ MAP

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Moreshin Allahyari to create an online, electric billboard. It features a search box with the static question “Are people from the Middle East?” and common completed search options “Different Colors,” “All in war” and “All Muslim.”

Engelstad said she chose billboards as a medium because of their accessibility to every member of a community. Even those without access to common electronics like computers, televisions and cell phones can easily view a billboard.

The large size of billboards is another useful feature, Engelstad said. It not only makes artwork highly visible, but also creates media buzz. Subsequent reports and interviews about the billboards prompt community discussions about race issues. “(Billboards) get media attention and that’s really important because so much of what we do as society is impacted and shaped by the media,”

ANDREW GALLEGOS | ASST. PHOTO EDITOR

Information technology and management master’s student Kishore Kumar (left) makes the rounds around campus as a member of the Student Patrol alongside Edwin Hampton, a psychology senior.

program for about three and a half years.

Back in 2012, when 2 construction workers fell to their death from a crane, Hampton was

present at the site keeping students at bay and preventing them from taking pictures of the incident or going too close to the site.

Engelstad said. “So if we can, as artists and activists, take hold of that media and start to shape the conversation, then we are starting to contribute to the conversation.”

“Dialogues on Race,” on Jan. 22.

From this discussion, Engelstad said many of the individuals who attended gained new insight into the experiences of others in their community.

(Billboards) get media attention and that’s really important because so much of what we do as society is impacted and shaped by the media...

— Janeil Engelstad, founder of Make Art with Purpose

The scale and visual interest provided by the billboards make them into conversation pieces that create a prime environment for what Engelstad calls “the next step,” or sit-down community dialogues.

CentralTrak hosted a community discussion for

“The biggest response I heard was, ‘Wow, I never knew,’ Engelstad said. “The fact that education is happening increases the possibility of knowledge and understanding and makes for more possibility in terms of social justice and racial equity.”

Not everyday has something as provoking as the crane incident, however, “It can be kind of boring, because you’re going in circles for hours,” Hampton said.

At times, the areas they patrol are devoid of people to escort. Hampton said this is only one of the downsides of the program. Student Patrol Officers are required to work in the cold of winter, the heat of the summer and are paid $8.00 an hour, working up to forty hours a week.

Moreover, campus escorts aren’t in charge of monitoring around the residence halls or apartments, an area where a lot of students are coming and going throughout the day and at night.

“The department has in their budget to have 12 to 15 campus escorts in total, [but] for a population of 20,000 (students) is that really enough to cover a campus?,” Hampton said.

Hampton is one of the more senior members of the campus escort group having been with the program for three and a half years, but he feels that his work isn’t appreciated as much.

Despite these drawbacks, Senior Public Safety Officer David Spigelmyer said the Student Patrol is a good service to have so that students can have someone to walk with.

“We have people that walk around at a lot of different hours, going to labs, classes, and libraries. It’s just a good thing to have out there. Why invite trouble when we can keep our people safe?” Spigelmyer said.

Engelstad’s work in Dallas serves as inspiration for the movement of “Dialogues on Race” to new cities throughout the United States.

Rather than personally choosing the cities for future billboards, Engelstad finds great importance in the grassroot aspect of community involvement. As such, interest from artists in other cities will propel the project.

There is already interest for billboards in different cities. Artists in St. Louis have contacted Engelstad, and New York City is a clear choice for “Dialogues on Race” because of MAP’s partnership with World Studio.

Engelstad hopes that these conversations will lead to greater empathy between community members and stronger efforts to actively mend relationships within the community.

“The billboard is the activator of the conversation,” Engelstad said. “Hopefully from that there is increased understanding and increased willpower.”

7 10

FEB. 9, 2015 | THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM

SPORTS

NEW FACES, NEW PLACES

YANG XI | MERCURY STAFF

Freshmen Reagan Keogh (45) and Caleb Banks (5), along with sophomore Kyle Coulter (44) and senior Rafael Farley (34) have all taken starting positions in their first year playing for the Comets.

Four brand new players start for the men’s basketball team, face challenges of adjusting to new environment ESTEBAN BUSTILLOS Managing Editor

The 2013-14 season was one of the most successful in the history of the men’s basketball program.

Led by five seniors, the team went 27-4, including a 20-2 conference record, en route to a trip to the Sweet Sixteen.

This year, the Comets have had to face the loss of that talent. Four brand new players have taken starting positions on the roster despite having no previous playing time at UTD. The freshmen Freshmen Caleb Banks and Reagan Keogh have

taken starting spots straight out of high school.

Keogh, who earned first team All-State honors as a senior at Antonian Prep in San Antonio, has been starting all season for the Comets.

The 6-foot-6-inch, 220-pound forward committed to the team in October of his senior year of high school.

During that year, he tore his ACL, leaving him at a disadvantage heading into his college career. Along with that, Keogh had to adjust to the speed and intensity of the game at the next level.

“The college game is a lot faster. It’s a lot more physical,” he said. “It’s no longer you’re the best person on the court. Everybody is coming from being the best player on their high school (team).”

Still, Keogh knew early on that he had a chance to

play. An offseason injury to sophomore center Ryan Horton meant that there was an open spot for a big man in the frontcourt.

Along with that, the drop off in talent from the previous year made it necessary for young players to step up. Keogh said head coach Terry Butterfield told him the team needed help in the post.

“When (Butterfield) first started recruiting me, he said, ‘Hey, look, we’re graduating five guys. Three of them are post men,’” he said. “He never guaranteed me anything. He didn’t say, ‘You’re getting any playing time.’ I kind of set a goal for myself early on that I wanted to start. Once I realized that was a possibility, it just pushed me even harder to go and get that done.”

Keogh is currently averaging 6.1 points a game,

along with 5.7 rebounds, the third highest on the team. He said his role on the team is to play defense and get boards.

Banks’ path to a starting position was much different. Unlike Keogh, he came in at a late point in the recruiting process.

“Caleb was a very last minute addition,” Butterfield said. “I didn’t even meet with him, I was out of town but Caleb came over on a whirlwind visit and decided to come at the last minute.”

Banks, who led North Crowley High School in Forth Worth to a district title his senior year, spent much of the year filling in for senior guard Nolan Harvey. He came in when Harvey needed time to rest on the bench.

→ SEE NEW PLAYERS, PAGE 11

Baseball team strong Culture, seniors key in depth, experience to softball success

RANJIT SREENIVAS | MERCURY STAFF

RANJIT SREENIVAS | MERCURY STAFF

The baseball team finished last year with a 27-17 record and was one game shy of advancing to the conference championship. The team has been predicted to finish second in this years ASC race.

Unlike last year, when the team had no seniors, there will be six seniors on this years roster. The softball team, which hasn’t won a playoff game in 10 years, has been predicted fin finsh sixth in the ASC.

Fifteen seniors, 9 juniors look to lead team through ASC scrum

Head coach Brad Posner vying for first win in conference tourney

MICHAEL GORDON Mercury Staff

The baseball team enters the 2015 season boasting a deep and veteran pitching rotation interjected with a cast of strong batters.

The teams 2014 campaign ended in the semifinals of the ASC Tournament after it earned its 13th straight 20-plus win season, finishing 27-17.

The league’s preseason poll has UTD finishing second in the ASC this season. The team had four first-place votes, ranking only behind Concordia, which had 19.

Senior Tyler Dauer and junior Brandon George were listed as ASC Players to Watch.

George, an infielder, has been making headway since transferring into the program last spring, hitting a team-high .356 with four home runs.

He led the Comets with 36 RBIs and eight doubles last year.

After leading the Comets in nearly every vital pitching statistic last season, pitcher Dauer posted a 7-1 record with a 3.12 ERA in 86.2 innings pitched.

Dauer led the league with 93 strikeouts, earning second team All-ASC honors last season.

“Offseason preparation helped me break out last season, but this season I’m focused on winning for

the team and striking out as many batters as I can,” Dauer said.

Head coach Shane Shewmake will flaunt one of the most experienced squads of his 14-year tenure with 15 seniors and 9 juniors on the Comets’ roster.

One key addition for the team will be new pitching coach Jonathon Armold.

“He’s had a chance to be where the players want to go,” Shewmake said. “He has the experience and does a great job talking to the guys and pushing them to be the best.”

Dauer said his two years of experience in the Major League Baseball farm system, playing for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and his ability to relate to the players is helping them improve their games.

“Coach Armold relates to us, he has been working us hard and it’s apparent in our performance,” Dauer said.

Players say they are especially enthusiastic about freshman pitcher Andrew Leilich.

Leilich, the 6-foot-3 inch, 172 pound pitching prospect from The Woodlands will be looking to make an immediate impact.

“I’m excited to see what he can do, he has a powerful arm and the coaches are happy to be able to

→ SEE BASEBALL, PAGE 11

ESTEBAN BUSTILLOS Managing Editor

The softball team is looking to expand upon its recent streak of playoff appearances as it heads into the 2015 campaign.

This will be the fourth year the Comets are with head coach Brad Posner. When he first started in 2012, the team had been under two coaches in two years and had gone through six straight losing seasons.

Since Posner has taken the role, the team has had three straight 20-win seasons as well as back-toback ASC tournament appearances.

“When I came here three years ago, I think I was charged with turning the program around,” Posner said. “I believe the last couple of years, especially last year, was the culmination of really getting the program on the right track.”

The team went 23-19 last year, including a 16-17 mark against conference opponents. The Comets went toe to toe with several of the nationally ranked teams in the conference last year but couldn’t manage to overcome them. As the team heads into the future, the goal is no longer to simply hang with the stronger teams but to beat them, Posner said.

A key weakness for the Comets last season was not having any seniors on the roster. This year, however, the team is led by six seniors heading into the season.

This will be the first class that has been under Posner for its entire four years.

Senior pitcher Megan Aragones said having those seniors will be a big advantage for the team, and shows how much the program has been able to grow.

“Even when the seniors were freshmen, (the team) had a really bad losing streak and hadn’t really had a winning season at all,” she said. “Finally having seniors that are sticking through all four years throughout the program is huge. We’re leaving our legacy here.”

Aragones, who had a 3.21 ERA and was 3-1 as the starting pitcher last year, is the only senior member of the pitching staff this year. This means she has to set the tone for the rest of the players on the mound, she said.

One of the benefits of having players with experience is the amount of depth the team now boosts.

Last year, the team finished with 19 players, compared to this year where it will start with 24.

This means players will not have to switch roles to fill in positions because there will be someone to

→ SEE SOFTBALL, PAGE 11

SPORTS

UTDMERCURY.COM → NEW PLAYERS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

That all changed when Harvey went down with a broken hand that brought his season to an early close.

Banks, who is the smallest member of the team at 5 feet, 7 inches and 145 pounds, had to step up to take the role of the sidelined team captain.

“When I found out (Harvey) was out for the whole season, I had to change my whole mindset,” he said. “I had to take over the reins of the starting point guard. Now, I have to make sure that we get done what we need to get done.”

Banks is currently averaging 4.1 points a game and dishes out 2.8 assists per game.

When it became obvious that Harvey was done for the season, Butterfield said Banks knew the responsibility placed upon him.

“Obviously that changed the whole dynamic of our team,” Butterfield said. “We went from a seasoned, senior veteran to a freshman that was still feeling his way. And I must say, to his credit, he’s handling it very well, considering his newness to the program.”

The Transfers For the other new starters on the team, a longer route was taken to get to UTD. Sophomore forward Kyle Coulter played basketball, baseball and football while at Travis High School in Richmond. He was named a first team all-district quarterback and had several offers from Division I teams to play on the gridiron.

His father, who was an offensive lineman at Rice University, encouraged him to continue playing football, but Coulter had always enjoyed playing basketball more. As a senior, he was named second-

→ BASEBALL

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

throw in there,” Dauer said.

While the majority of the 2014 team is back, the Comets experienced some turnover on the mound.

“We feel like these freshmen have a great chance to step in and have a big impact,” Shewmake said.

Led by Dauer, this year’s bullpen will benefit from the injection of new talent and returning players coming into their roles.

“We have a lot of depth this season.” Dauer said.

“It doesn’t matter who is in. We will do well with the guys we brought in this season.”

This team is returning a pair of key performers on the mound in seniors Nick Cummings and Micah Easterling.

Easterling made a massive leap in his second year with the program in 2014. He was named honorable mention All-ASC East as a sophomore, posting a 6-3 record with a 3.75 ERA. Cummings led the team with three pickoffs, finishing with a 3.03 ERA last season.

While the pitching is stocked with returning talent, the offense enters the 2015 season with the most uncertainty.

Most of the questions center around who will bring home the runners’ consistency.

“We have added a couple freshmen and transfers we really like with strong bats, but we need guys to

SPORTS QUICK HITS SCORING UPDATES

team all-district and was a Houston Area Basketball Coaches Association All-Star.

That love for the game, along with several concussions he suffered playing football, encouraged him to attend Concordia University his freshman year of college to play basketball.

After his first year there, however, he transferred to West Texas A&M to take another crack at football.

The team’s propensity to throw the ball and how it developed passers attracted Coulter. However, once he started to play, he realized how much he missed the basketball court.

“In college, you have to love the sport to play it,” Coulter said. “I didn’t feel that passion about football as I do basketball.”

Once he knew football wouldn’t work out, he decided to start to look for schools that he could transfer to play basketball at. Butterfield’s system and recent streak of success, along with the school’s close proximity to members of his family, convinced him to apply and attempt to join the basketball team as a walk-on.

After having a year off from basketball, Coulter had a lot of ground to cover to make it on the squad.

Even though he had a resume of college playing time, there was no guarantee Coulter would even be given a roster spot.

“Our message to him was, ‘Kyle, if you want to come and give it a go, we’re more than glad to have you come do that,’” Butterfield said. “‘But we want you to be aware that if we don’t think you’re going to meet our standard, if you’re not good enough, we’re not guaranteeing you anything.’”

Coulter’s first day to prove himself was the first day of practice for the team, leaving him with little time to catch up, but it didn’t take long for him to earn his spot.

He has started every game of the season for the Comets. The forward is the third highest scorer on

step up,” Shewmake said.

George, who led the team in hits, batting average and runs last year, has the most returning experience as a starter.

Senior Brandon Clounch and junior Jimmy Norris, who combined for 88 hits and 35 RBIs will also play a big role.

The team is returning a loaded group of infielders and outfielders, including seniors Tanner Gandy and Clounch.

The Comets will also have transfer junior outfielder Haden Johnson, who spent two seasons at Northern Oklahoma College helping that team reach conference and regional championships.

The baseball team hasn’t won fewer than 20 games since it began in 2002. With key contributors returning and insertion of fresh prospects, the team is ready for the season to get started.

“This is one of the deepest teams we have ever had, they are capable of getting to nationals,” Shewmake said.

The team hasn’t made it to the NCAA Tournament since the 2007 season.

To get there, they will have to do well at the conference level. The Comets want to enter the ASC Tournament hitting the ground running.

“With the new guys coming in and the leadership we have throughout the team, we can be a real contender this season,” Dauer said.

THE MERCURY | FEB. 9, 2015

the team, averaging 10.6 points per game. He also has the third most three-pointers on the team with 35 buckets from beyond the arc this season.

Senior guard Rafael Farley also had stints at two colleges before stopping in Richardson. Recruited by UTD out of Klein Forest High School in Houston, he opted instead to play his first two years at Ranger College, where he averaged 17 points a game as a sophomore.

After his days at Ranger were over, Farley transferred to Abilene Christian University, a Division I school. While he was able to play against some of the best competition in the country, he also saw the more serious side of the game.

“I lost a lot of the love for (basketball) because it became more of a job than just a game I loved to play,” he said.

While at ACU, Farley averaged 4.6 points a game.

After the season was over, Brian Burton, a former UTD player who was an assistant coach for the Wildcats, encouraged Farley to take advantage of his last year of eligibility and transfer to UTD. Since his transfer, Farley has had one of the most prolific scoring seasons in program history. He currently leads the conference in points scored and tied the school’s record of the most points in a single game when he dropped 40 against The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor on Jan. 17.

He averages 22 points a game, the second most in the conference, and leads the team and the conference in three-pointers made.

Having a transfer senior, especially one who scores like Farley, is something that is not commonplace for Butterfield. “(Farley) is the first Division I transfer that I can recollect, and he’s the first one-year player we’ve ever had,” he said. “There are some schools that make a living on one- and two-year players, but we’re not one of them, so it’s a highly unusual situation.”

→ SOFTBALL

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

back them up on the depth chart. This increase in numbers also means an increase in competition for playing time.

“Every single position on the field has multiple people challenging for playing time,” Posner said.

“That kind of works itself out through the course of the year, but to have that early on, to have people pushing each other. I think it helps every one of our players to raise their level if they feel as if their position is being challenged for.”

One of the players who will be competing for a spot this year is sophomore infielder Kendall Moore.

Moore had 21 starts at third base last year and had a hitting average of .231, scoring eight runs and getting seven RBIs in her first year.

Moore, who is competing with junior infielder Sara Navarro for the third base spot, said the competition has helped both players to improve.

“We both have a very competitive edge to us,” Moore said. “But we’re not mean to each other or anything. If she messes up, I’m like, ‘Hey, make sure you do this.’ We’re competitive, but I think that it makes us better, and that’s a positive because we have two third basemen who are going to get the job done.”

Posner said the level of play shown by the players in the preseason has made it hard for the coaching staff to begin to choose who is going to be playing.

11

Butterfield said Farley has been able to adapt to the system because of the high level of skill he has.

His ability to create his own shot has been one of his biggest strengths.

Even though the competition at the Division I level is more athletic, Farley said the skill level is still high in Division III. The experiences he had at different schools and facing such a wide array of competition helped him hone his game.

“I feel like experiencing all those different aspects, all those different schools and different players, I think it kind of trained me for my last year,” he said.

Growing Pains The most difficult part of having so many new players is getting every player on the same page, Butterfield said.

“Adapting to a new coach with a new style, I think that that’s a huge issue,” he said. “I think adapting to a new team with a new culture, new personalities, new friendships, new relationships; I think it can be very challenging for a new player.”

Even though the team has had struggles with the learning curve, losing back-to-back games for the first time since 2012, it is still in a position to make a run in the conference tournament.

Butterfield said this time of the year is one of the most critical moments as the team jockeys for position in the league.

Even though the team lacks the veteran leadership it had in the past and has yet to find a consistent groove, there is still a sense from the players that when everyone is communicating effectively, the team is hard to beat.

“We struggled with some teams that are .500, but we can beat the best teams,” Farley said. “We don’t have a great chemistry, but when we are clicking, we can be one of the best.”

“Our players are doing such an unbelievable job of making this decision for the coaches so difficult at every position,” he said.

Changing the culture was one of the biggest goals Posner had when he came in four years ago. The norms and standards he wanted to establish when he started have now become common for the team.

He said that this current senior class had been put in a difficult position when he came in. They could either continue to play here for someone who had not recruited them, or they could go on to somewhere else and start from scratch.

Now, with their final year of play coming up, Posner said he has a tremendous amount of gratitude for their perseverance.

“This year’s seniors have the potential to leave here as the winningest four-year group in history,” he said. “They could (have) four-straight above .500 years. Four straight winning seasons. They’re on a pace. I’d love to see them not only go to a third straight conference tournament, but to go deep into the conference tournament.”

The team has yet to win a tournament game under Posner, something he said is unfinished business for the team to resolve.

This year will be very important for the future of the team and the program as a whole, he said.

“We’re not still trying to turn a program around.

We’ve accomplished that,” he said. “And now we’re trying to look toward what is the next step for us.”

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER RECEIVES ACADEMIC HONOR Madi Hess, a senior guard on the women’s basketball team, was named a Capital One Academic All-District honoree by the College Sports Information Directors of America on Feb. 2. To be eligible for the award, players must maintain a 3.30 GPA, have played 50 percent of the games in the season and be at least a sophomore. Hess, who has a 3.82 GPA, currently leads the team in points, steals, rebounds and assists per game, and is the only basketball player in the conference, male or female, to earn the award this season.

— Esteban Bustillos

BASEBALL

FEB. 6: UTD 0-Linfield 6 FEB. 7: UTD 8-Pacific Lutheran 11 UTD 3-Pacific Lutheran 8 (DH)

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

FEB. 2: UTD 57-Hardin-Simmons 64

MEN’S BASKETBALL

FEB. 2: UTD 68-Hardin-Simmons 62

FEB. 5: UTD 67-Louisiana College 53 FEB. 5: UTD 92-Louisiana College 88 (OT)

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FEB. 9, 2015 | THE MERCURY

COMICS&GAMES

291 (Ep. 2) Flat and Bulgy

by Emily Grams

Formatting

by Tim Shirley Outside

by Tim Shirley

by Emily Grams Thursday

by Justin Thompson

COMICS&GAMES

UTDMERCURY.COM

THE MERCURY | FEB. 9, 2015

FINISH THE MAZE!

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Created By: Lina Moon and Sunayna Rajput (top), Ian LaMarsh and Justin Thompson (middle), Emily Grams and Tim Shirley (bottom)

Do you think you have what it takes to make it through this three-part maze? Our illustrators think not!

Crossword

7. Desert haven

15. ointment or lotion 17. She’s been a bad, bad girl 20. Oops...

Down 1. A king’s son 2. Oh, just forget it

9. The boy is definitely hers, not yours 11. Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang 12. New York State of Mind 16. Ice Ice —

8. Impartial dairy

3. Plane crash death

18. Infamous and large

10. Roswell theme song

4. Whistle register

19. Grunge band’s debut

13. Step 1: get with my friends

6. If you want to destroy my sweater...

14. Former Sugarcube

’90s Music 2.

1.

3.

4.

Puzzle by Miguel Perez Across 1. Suspicious robots

5.

5. Chilli, T-Boz and —

6.

7.

8.

10.

9.

11.

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THE MERCURY | FEB. 9, 2015

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their normal lives once they turned 18, while Nahum had been taken from this world forever.

In December 2012, Lopez sat down with her father, David Lopez, a retired army sergeant, and tried to figure out how else to charge the boy who had murdered Martinez.

David, who has a federal firearms license and sells weapons, pointed out that the teenagers responsible for Martinez’s death would be allowed to carry firearms legally once they get out of juvenile detention.

She decided she wanted to start working on drafting a new law that could address the situation. With the help of local judges, Rockwall District Attorney Kendra Culpepper, the Collin County Teen Court coordinator Julie Monge and her high school teachers Dianne Boone and Amy May, Lopez was able to draft a law.

If passed, Nahum’s Law, as it will be called, will ensure that “a person charged as a minor with a felony involving a fire arm loses the privilege to have their records expunged.”

After several failed attempts to get a Congressperson to back Nahum’s law in the Texas legislature, Rep. Jodie Laubenberg finally agreed to push the law, and it is up for discussion in the spring 2015 legislative session.

Lopez’s mother, Jenny, said that it was hard at first to convince people to back the law, because they perceive the law to be a form of gun control. But, it’s not gun control; it’s simply a punishment, Jenny said.

“We are in support of being able to carry firearms, but we believe as a family, as the law states that you have to be mentally sound to be able to carry that firearm,” she said. “If you proceed, at any age, with an action that causes the death or the harm of someone via a firearm, you should no longer be able to legally own a firearm.”

If passed, the law would also deliver justice to another Wylie East teenager who was murdered in 2014, for the same reasons as Martinez — a dispute over a girl. Ivan Mejia was murdered behind their high school and the accused were also Wylie East students.

The two murders, so close to each other, rattled something within Lopez.

“I just don’t understand why all of a sudden this has happened,” she said. “I mean, we had only one murder in the 130 years of being the City of Wylie, and it was an axe murder over a cheating husband.”

Neither of the murders made sense since both students were kind, straight-A students, she said.

Part of the problem in Wylie is the lack of a support network that a teenager can reach out to during

NEWS

troubled times, Lopez said.

“I think, in our city, there’s really no one you can go to and tell them ‘I’m feeling this anger,’” she said.

“People get made fun of for having disorders. It’s a much different environment, and I really wish I could change it in some way, somehow let the teachers see and help in some way, improve communication.”

City Council platform Lopez’s desire to bring change to her community has spurred her into action, and she filed her papers for the elections last month.

In order to do so, she had to gather 25 signatures on her petition from local community members.

UTD baseball player and mechanical engineering freshman Will Peters, who helped her get signatures, said the reaction from people they approached was mixed.

While some people were very supportive, others wondered why someone so young wanted to run for city council and what she could do for them, he said.

When she went around getting these signatures, many thought she was getting them for one of her parents, Lopez said.

“It made me realize how uneducated people are about politics in a local area,” Lopez said. “They don’t know how much local politics affects their local area. They don’t know how much the city council actually controls.”

Lopez realized how easy it was to run for office and how simple the requirements were, so much so that criminal background checks are not required for candidates. As a result, there are council members on the current council who have arrest records to their name, she said.

Lopez is campaigning for two issues that affect Wylie: water conservation in Lake Lavon, Wylie’s primary water source, and restoration of the Blackland Prairie.

Wylie used to be a small city, and as it grows, fishing roads are getting paved and crop land is being eaten up by uncontrolled real estate development.

While Lopez isn’t opposed to growth, she misses the land and the Wylie she knew.

In the past 15 years, Wylie’s population has grown exponentially; there are 12 elementary schools as opposed to the one before, and as each new school filled up, the city added a new one. Ten thousand new students have been added to the school district in that time.

With the growth, there’s been an increase in waste water from pressurized wood treatment facilities going into Lake Lavon, which provides all of Wylie’s water, causing longer filtration times and a strain on

→ ULBRICHT

→ MINDS

online currency, from Silk Road servers in Iceland and Pennsylvania to Ulbricht’s laptop.

Along with the government's testimony, Richard Bates, another UTD graduate and former acquaintance of Ulbricht, testified that Ulbricht confessed to him that he created Silk Road.

Ulbricht’s attorneys said that while he created Silk Road as an economic experiment, he gave up control to others who then transformed the website into an illegal drug hub. They said that Mark Karpelès, the former CEO of Mt. Gox, a now bankrupt bitcoin exchange, was possibly the true identity of Dread Pirate Roberts.

The defense argued that Ulbricht’s laptop had been hacked and files that were incriminating against him were placed there.

Joshua Dratel, the lead attorney for Ulbricht, called for a mistrial several times. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest overturned each request.

Dratel could not be reached for comment.

Ulbricht is also facing a murder solicitation charge in Baltimore for allegedly hiring a hit man to kill a Silk Road user who was attempting to extort Ulbricht for $500,000.

Defenders of Ulbricht have called the trial unfair and one-sided.

In an interview with CNNMoney, Lyn Ulbricht maintained her son’s innocence.

“The most frustrating thing is that evidence that is favorable to Ross is being suppressed,” she told CNNMoney.

next fall during Mental Health Awareness Week in October, “ said Aaminah Farooq, social media head for Empowered Minds.

One of the challenges of establishing the orga-

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Office 365 also offers 1 terabyte of cloud storage space on OneDrive, which can be used to store files and photos that can be accessed from anywhere using the Internet. Users will have access to Office Online, where they can use lighter versions of Office applications accessible using any web browser and can be used to create, edit and save documents.

Student already owning university accounts with Microsoft will have their mailing system integrated to the already existing ones. The accounts will now

UTDMERCURY.COM

the city’s resources.

If elected, Lopez hopes to strategize and plan Wylie’s growth and bring in more regulations on water and land use that might slow down growth initially but will result in steady revenues for the city in the long term, she said.

Lopez’s sophomore year English teacher Dianne Boone said it was important for the people of Wylie to realize the significance of such a strategic plan.

“I think that she has a pulse on the future of Wylie, of where her challenges might be for the city in the future, especially with water conservation — and it’s not just Wylie, of course. To run with that on her platform is really important,” Boone said.

The biggest challenge for Lopez is to get people to come out and vote. Last year, only 442 of the registered 29,000 voters, or 1.97 percent, voted for city council. Lopez wants to make voter education accessible to the youth to encourage them to cast their ballot.

“Those 442 people are deciding for all of us and I think, to be honest, if I wasn’t so involved in politics, I would have no idea where I’m supposed to register, what I’m supposed to do, where I vote. It’s all stuff that I’ve researched,” she said. “But, people who don’t have the time to research, who don’t care as much, are not going to do it.”

Her parents and her siblings have backed her on the decision to run, Lopez said. Most of her day goes in planning her campaign and putting together her campaign website. Peters has been helping Lopez with building the website, and often, when she needs a second opinion on her platform and work, she calls him up to use him as a sounding board.

For Lopez’s mother, Jenny, pride and fear come hand in hand, particularly as her daughter enters politics.

“I’m wary and I’m scared and I believe that in this day and age, media tends to twist things as soon as you put yourself in front of the public,” Jenny said. “I do get concerned; I imagine there will be some negativity at some time and how will we handle that as a family, but other than that, I couldn’t be more proud of her and I look forward to seeing what she does.”

Lopez draws her communication skills and her community spirit from her mother, she said. “(My mom) may not have graduated high school, but she’ll damn well run a campaign no matter what you put in front of her,” Lopez said. “She will sell you any item that you could have never wanted before.”

Lopez’s father has also been a source of inspiration for her, and his willingness to lay his life on the line for his country inspired a sense of patriotism in her and the desire to always do the right thing.

For Lopez, it’s more important that she not let her family down, and she feels she’s living out her

nization was trying to make it clear that the officers and members are not and will not be substitutes for professional mental health counselors, Allahrakha said.

However, they will be available to serve as a liaison between students seeking help and the Student Wellness Center. Although the officers haven’t met

show an icon for Microsoft Outlook, which was unavailable for earlier accounts.

Students must use their full NetID for logging in, personalized email addresses will not work. But the PEA will be active, meaning mails can be received using the ID. There will be no change in email addresses, Davis said. The emails currently stored on Zmail will be copied to Office 365. However, address books, calendar items and anything over 25 megabytes will not be carried over.

Students will need to set up email forwarding in Outlook as forwarding settings will not automatically carried over. If students have Zmail synched to

parents’ legacy before they had children.

“No one in my family has graduated high school yet. My parents haven’t. My older brother hasn’t, and they just want to see me succeed,” Lopez said.

Meanwhile, Lopez has been selected as one of the top 10 national semifinalists for a young women’s political program, Run for Running Start. Lopez will have to collect enough votes to move on as one of top three finalists.

If she qualifies for the next round, she will be able to go to Washington D.C. for a week to learn more about politics and to donate $5,000 to a charity of her choice.

She has designated that money in advance toward the Wylie Education Foundation under the Nahum Martinez scholarship.

Connecting with her roots Even as she embarks on her campaign for city council, Lopez hasn’t forgotten Martinez.

With some help from Jenny and Boone, Lopez almost single-handedly organizes Nahum’s Run, a 5K in his memory every year.

Through the process of getting the run together, Boone worked with Lopez as the teacher liaison to be able to provide her access to district utilities and witnessed Lopez’s resourcefulness, as she found a way to overcome challenges no matter what.

“I just like being around her when she does that.

It is so amazing to watch,” Boone said. “I like to see her eyes light up when she talks about what she’s passionate about, and she’s passionate about doing the right thing.”

Lopez, who was hurt after a concussion in a soccer match her freshman year in high school, still has panic attacks when she’s in stressful situations. Yet, she is working 20-hour days trying to put together her campaign, juggle school and a part-time job.

As Nahum’s Law comes closer to passing after all the work she has put in, Lopez knows that winning or losing the election doesn’t matter to her. There will be ways for her to get where she wants to be, serving her country through politics, making the lives of others better.

Lopez might be the catalyst for change in youth politics, as she shows other students in Wylie what true leadership is like and that students also have a voice, Boone said. It was impressive to see how Lopez, with her determination and passion, managed to channel her grief into something proactive and positive, she said.

“UTD is lucky to have her, for the leadership that she can bestow on her campus, her community and someday on our world,” Boone said. “She is something special.”

with a representative from the SWC to discuss their goals yet, Allahrakha said she hopes the SWC will agree to sponsor talks at Empowered Minds meetings.

“I think more people will be willing to seek the help they need if they’re not so afraid of what other people will think,” she said.

their phones, they will need to reconfigure them to continue recieving emails.

Technology Services will email students 14 days, seven days and one day before the change. Final notification will be sent two weeks after completion of the transition, after which the Zmail account will be deleted.

Five hundred email accounts will be moved in each phase of the process. Migration is planned to occur each night. Buffer days have been put in to ensure no complications occur for the first couple of weeks. As there is no fixed deadline by which the process is to be finished, Information Resources hopes to be on track and finish the process as soon as possible.