August 24, 2015
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LOST AND MISSING BY THE NUMBERS Page 7
THE SEARCH TEAM Page 6 THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
On Aug. 30, 2014, UTD graduate Christina Morris went missing in Plano. One year later her family is still
NOT GIVING UP HOPE STORY BY CARA SANTUCCI | MERCURY STAFF
ANDREW GALLEGOS | PHOTO EDITOR
The Morris Family (from left to right: Patrick Estes, Sarah Estes, Anna Morris, Jake Morris and Mark Morris) one year after Christina went missing from the Shops at Legacy in Plano.
I
t was late on a Tuesday night. Sarah Estes picked up the ringing phone and heard her mother’s panicked voice on
Celica. The next morning, the Morrises were told that Christina’s car
the other end of the line. She said no one had heard from Sarah’s was still in the parking garage at the Shops at Legacy. younger sister, Christina Morris, in days.
“That was really scary once we figured out she hadn’t even
Unable to sit around and wait for updates, Sarah and her made it to her car,” Sarah said. “That whole next week (or) husband got in their car and began to search for Morris. They
month—I don’t even know—was just a complete blur. It
drove to the Shops at Legacy in Plano where she was last seen. seemed like just the longest day ever.” The couple went all the way to Fort Worth, all the while scan-
These first frantic days would set in motion the beginning of
ning highways for accidents, hoping to see Morris’ Toyota the family’s ongoing fight to find Morris and bring her home.
→ SEE CHRISTINA, PAGE 6 TIMELINE OF MORRIS' DISAPPEARANCE Spring 2013 Morris graduates from UTD
Aug. 30, 2014 Day Morris is last seen
Sept. 2, 2014 Morris is reported missing
Dec. 9, 2014 Forensic reports test positive for Morris' DNA in Enqrique Arochi's car
Dec. 13, 2014 Arochi arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping
UTD struggles to meet demand for housing Students deal with delayed signals, steep prices, strict regulations in attempt to find a place to live both on, off campus ANWESHA BHATTACHARJEE Mercury Staff
There are more than 4,500 spaces to live on campus. Yet, every year, the race to be an on-campus resident seems to get a little bit harder. UTD’s Residential Life is charged with the task of accommodating as many students as possible in a floor-plan of their choice and keeping the student body happy about this process at the same time. Of the 4,700 spaces on campus, 2,200 are in the residence halls. Almost 80 percent of students in these rooms are freshmen, although currently Residence Hall North currently houses upperclassmen. Still, there’s a good majority of freshmen that want to move into the apartments in their sophomore year. “More freshmen tend to (apply for) apartment applications a year or two later and our continuing growth with transfer and graduate students increases our demand for housing as well,” said
Kevin Kwiatkowski, director of housing operations at UTD. Then there are students like Alexander Kujak, a healthcare studies junior, who has wanted to move on campus for two years but hasn’t been offered a lease. When Kujak, a transgender student, applied as a freshman, he was assigned to room with girls. He didn’t want that, so he decided to live off campus. In order to get a legal name change, he wanted to move to the Dallas county side of campus this summer. He applied for a lease in December 2014, but found out later that he needed to apply in February for summer 2015. After applying again, Kujak asked for updates and repeatedly got the same answer. “All they said was that they would roll out applications whenever they are available, which is really inconvenient for me or somebody who lives off
→ SEE HOUSING, PAGE 8
ANDREW GALLEGOS | PHOTO EDITOR
The demand for housing has grown substantially over the past few years with the increase of students who have enrolled and looked to live on campus.