Feb. 21, 2022
Can you survive the new chainsaw killer?
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Is Communion Coffee worth the price?
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UTD Rooms returns for student use SMRITHI UPADHYAYULA Mercury Staff
As students return to in-person classes once again, so does the UTD Rooms app. The app was developed by Mithil Viradia, who graduated from UTD in spring 2020 with a degree in computer engineering. It uses data from Coursebook to determine which rooms on campus do not have classes scheduled in them at a given time and are thus open for public use. It also adapts to user feedback, allowing students to mark empty rooms as “open” in real time. Viradia shut down the app during the COVID-19 lockdown, but brought it back alongside UTD’s return to in-person instruction due to popular demand. Students use open classrooms for everything from group study sessions, to socializing, to club meetings and some feel that this is an integral part of what was missing while classes were virtual. The UTD Rooms app streamlines the process of finding an empty room for any of these purposes. Alison Spadaro, a sophomore mathematics and physics double-major, is involved in a variety of student organizations, holding leadership roles in Student Government and on CV Council. Being able to use classroom spaces has helped her make the most of being back on campus. “Being back in person has given me the chance to visit buildings I’ve never been to before,” Spadaro said. “Since I’m so busy with classes, a lot of times I don’t have time to attend events or study during the day. The ability to use classroom spaces after hours is definitely a plus in that regard.” Empty classrooms can be a platform for great times. One of Spadaro’s most memorable experiences at UTD was a crafting and movie night held in a class-
UTD one step closer to banning single-use plastics Sustainability initiative poised to become the first gradual single-use plastic ban in the UT System FATIMAH AZEEM Opinion Editor
The Sustainability Committee’s Single-Use Plastic Ban Proposal passed the Academic Senate and Staff Council, making UTD one step closer to being the first Texas university to ban non-essential plastics. The proposal passed on Jan. 19 with support from the Sustainability Committee, Student Government, the Graduate Student Assembly and over 1,137 students who signed a plastic ban petition. It’s now en route to Auxiliary Services and then President Benson,
and, if approved, would be the first of its kind in the UT System and across Texas. “This Ban goes with the current process of UTD becoming more and more of a sustainability-centered university,” Sustainability Committee Head Dorothee Honhon said. “While we’re currently ranked Gold by [the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education], we still have one level above us – we can still do better. This is that next step.”
SEE PLASTICS, PAGE 8
DANIELLE BELL | MERCURY STAFF
HOMECOMING 2022
SEE ROOMS, PAGE 8
Men's basketball team defends homecourt on homecoming DART update The Comets' improved defense alongside clutch free throws grasps victory from Hardin-Simmons Cowboys ZAID HAQ
Mercury Staff
The Comets, fresh off a Monday win against Concordia, continued their home stand in the homecoming game on Thursday, Feb. 10, facing off against HardinSimmons squad. The Cowboys came into the match having won four of their last five games and averaging 83 points per game in the process. Entering the game, the Comets were fourth in the ASC standings and 1.5 games behind the third-place Hardin-Simmons, but seeking to make up ground as they march forward into a tournament run. Upon tipoff came a very back-and-forth first half with turnovers occurring on both sides of the ball. Hardin-Simmons began to lose some ground with early foul trouble as the Comets were able to gain momentum with effective ball movement and many second chance points obtained within in the paint. The Comet’s defense shone, forcing
ADAMARIS DOMINGUEZ | MERCURY STAFF
Freshman gaurd Luke Kiser goes for a layup in the Feb. 10 victory over Hardin-Simmons.
MARGARET MOORE Copy Editor
24 total turnovers in the game and allowing only 23 points in the first half. In addition, freshman forward Kameron Pruitt’s offensive play, with 12 points, five rebounds, and three steals in the first half sparked a sevenpoint lead going into the break. The momentum from the Comet’s defense continued early on in the second half, with the team leading by as many as 12 points with 15 minutes to go in regulation. The Cowboys would not go down without a fight, however, scoring from outside the arc and forcing the Comets into difficult shots. Hardin-Simmons went on to score 14 unanswered points, including three consecutive threes from Chase Cobb, to take a 44-42 lead with 11 minutes left. Having four players in double figures enabled their late push as the Cowboys ultimately shot 51% as a team in the second half. But the real story of the game was the final five minutes, which were filled
After years of running the same paths, DART has redesigned its public transit offerings to improve access throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth region. UTD students stand to benefit… if they can learn to use it. Jan. 24 marked the official launch of DARTzoom, a system-wide redesign to reduce travel times and increase direct access to destinations across Dallas and its surrounding cities. According to the initiative’s website, this involves cutting some bus stops to maximize efficiency and ramping up service overall, with bus and rail lines projected to arrive every 15 to 20 minutes on highfrequency routes. Calvin D. Jamison, vice president of Facilities and Economic Development, said that the increase in DART services near campus will benefit students. “The DART expansion does not directly affect the 883 Comet Cruisers… however,
SEE BASKETBALL, PAGE 8
SEE DART, PAGE 3
University holds forum on gaming lounge Following student feedback, Student Affairs and SmithGroup begin forming Pub renovation proposal BEN NGUYEN
Managing Editor
The University has announced plans to convert the Pub into an esports/gaming lounge, hosting an open forum to collect student feedback. The project remains in its infancy, but UTD has tapped SmithGroup to do a feasibility study over the next few months on the potential scope of the renovation. February’s two open forum sessions were the beginning of SmithGroup’s exploratory process for changing the Pub into a gaming
lounge similar to a scaled-up PC Café. VP of Student Affairs Gene Fitch said that the project started when they noticed students’ interest in the current esports team room on Reddit. “I’m a lurker on Reddit, and somewhere around last fall I noticed students talking about getting into the esports room,” Fitch said. “So the project really started there with us looking at what students wanted.” The presentation at the forum presented concepts for a few different key areas for the potential renovation. Aside from a re-
ception area and the already-existing team room, SmithGroup presented concepts for a “gaming lounge” space with open seating and TVs set up to create a more casual environment, as well as a “gaming station” space containing multiple PC setups available for rent at an hourly rate. On top of this, SmithGroup principal designer Douglas Barraza said that there was space to consider an “arena” for live matches and spectating. “I like to use the term ‘theater’, because I think of it more like a black box theater,” Barraza said. “The more we can maximize
uses of those large, flexible spaces the better.” The lounge isn’t meant to fully replace the Pub and leave no room for other clubs or non-gaming users to hang out or eat at. Fitch said that the idea was to have two main spaces: one where the general student population could hang out and eat, and one where the main PCs would be set up for hourly play. Director of the Student Union Dan Good-
SEE RENOVATION, PAGE 3
ALEXANDRA IBARRA | MERCURY STAFF