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Nov. 1, 2021

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Comets mosh at 'Emo Nite' Concert

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"I have been listening to this music since middle school, and I think the reason I like it is because the lyrics and music really resonate with me. So, hearing it live and hearing everyone else in the crowd sing it and dance to it was definetly an experience." — Karla Budic, international political economy freshman

Strings Attached perform live, rotating-set concert for Comets at the Plinth MANYA BONDADA Mercury Staff

Strings Attached, a student-run music club that started in December 2019 as a place for UTD’s hobbyist musicians to connect, has rapidly grown into a community that unites students from all sides of the music industry. Their largest performance of the semester to date, “Emo Nite,” is the product of several months of planning and is a testament to the club’s harmony.

Emo Nite—which took place on Oct. 28 at the Plinth—showcased a variety of emo and hardcore punk rock songs, chosen by the club members who performed.

The event was meant to recreate the atmosphere of a rock concert, and the interactions between the Strings Attached members and the audience created an open and lively concert environment. Overall, the performance was extremely dynamic, and the familial relationship between the club

members helped bring the music to life.

Karla Budic, an international political economy freshman, said of Emo Nite, “I have been listening to this genre of music since middle school, and I think the reason I like it is because the lyrics and music really resonate with me. So, hearing it live and hearing everyone else in the crowd sing it and dance to it was definitely an experience.”

Starting as a club that was created only for stringed instrumentalists, Strings Attached has evolved into an organization that includes drummers, vocalists and even students who are interested in audio mixing and production. Although the members are of different ages, cultures and majors, they unite under their love for music and performance.

Through their weekly practices, the club has fostered a sense of community and belonging for several UTD students.

It was from these practices that the idea

came for Emo Nite, which was created to help club members practice and perform their favorite songs live for other Comets.

Club vice president Cy Feagin, a business administration sophomore, said, “I think that our synergy is what makes us different. That’s something that is very hard for bands to develop, and I’m not saying that we are perfect with our chemistry.

But for people to come out here, and one minute play with three instrumentalists in one song and then two songs later play with a completely different set [of people], I think that is really cool.”

Strings Attached is structured in a unique way—it revolves around giving each band member a choice in which songs to play. Usually, whoever wants to play a certain song can play it then rotate out for the next piece, in contrast to a typical band or orchestra where all the members play

→ SEE STRINGS, PAGE 8

UTD Esports holds largest UTD Tailgate ever Over 1,000 students attended the celebration of a Smash tournament victory BEN NGUYEN

'DUNE' REVIEW PAGE 5

'WHY FISH DON'T EXIST' PAGE 5

Managing Editor

ANNA PHENGSAKMUEANG | PHOTO EDITOR

Sponsors Coca-Cola and McDonald's supplied free food and drink to participants.

CURIOUS COMETS

The first-ever UTD Esports Tailgate was held Thursday, Oct. 21 in the SU Green, bringing in over a thousand participants to the sponsored outdoor event, one of the largest tailgate events ever held at UTD. The tailgate celebrated Zach “grafetti” Rendulic’s victory in a summer Smash Ultimate tournament hosted by Brag House and sponsored by McDonald’s and CocaCola, who provided the free food and drinks. Head Student Director and marketing senior Eric Aaberg said that it took over a month of coordination and planning with Athletics and Brag House to

→ SEE TAILGATE, PAGE 8

PSEUDO STEREO PAGE 6

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Vol. 2: Why are there t-shirts in the Green Center atrium?

Artistic display improves acoustics, lends character to campus TYLER BURKHARDT Editor-in-Chief

Green Center houses UTD’s Hobson Wildenthal Honors College—but to most Comets, it’s probably best known for the couple dozen t-shirts suspended above the building’s atrium.

These curiosity-inducing shirts hang unapologetically from a web of wire clotheslines. It’s a striking visual, if a bit mystifying: the exhibit fulfills no discernable purpose, nor would the array of fading cotton reasonably be considered

beautiful by any but the most charitable observer. A curious Comet might find the small plaque acknowledging that the shirts were donated by former Dean of Undergraduate Education Michael Coleman, but even that does little to explain their continued presence more than a decade after his retirement.

According to Dean of the Honors College Edward Harpham—who served as Associate Dean under Coleman—the ex-

→ SEE SHIRTS, PAGE 8

ADAMARIS DOMINGUEZ| MERCURY STAFF

"I jokingly refer to it when students or parents come through, ‘Think of this as Westminster Abbey with the battle flags of the British army in the sky and they're gradually deteriorating. It's our remembering of the past." — Dean Edward Harhpam

Nov. 1, 2021 | The Mercury

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October 19 • Computer components were stolen from the McDermott Library building at 12:20 p.m.

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October 20 • An unaffiliated individual near Phase 8 was arrested for evading and resisting after refusing to identify himself.

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October 22 • A UTD student in the Science Building Market at 3:14 p.m. encountered a male employee with an exposed penis.

October 24 • Officers responded to a call at 1:38 p.m. regarding a disturbance on the soccer fields between non-affiliated parties.

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Contributors Andre Averion Danielle Bell Manya Bondada Charlie Chang Adamaris Dominguez Alexandra Ibarra Juhi Karnalkar Leah Joseph Angela Li Margaret Moore Elizabeth Nguyen Mia Nguyen Sihanya Rocha Quinn Sherer Jamie Shunwei Matthew White

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From The Mercury Archives: Oct. 23, 1995

Discrimination: one teacher’s tale CHRISTA MONTAGUE Mercury Staff

Racist! The word brands with a searing hiss. Despite the number of unapologetic bigots allowed to practice their hate, sometimes public branding is a painful enough experience to force the perpetrator of racial discrimination into the limelight.

But what if the accuser is lying? The nightmarish events that haunted a UTD teaching assistant show how our university system works (or does not work) in racial discrimination suits.

Pat* was a UTD student teacher who suspected one of her students of plagiarizing his final project. After several unsuccessful attempts to contact the student, Pat, who was leaving town to visit her seriously ill father, transferred the matter to her college master.

Upon her return, she learned that the student, who neither admitted nor denied cheating, had made a grave charge: That Pat, a Caucasian, was persecuting the student, an African American student, because of

racial discrimination. “I was incredibly upset by [the allegations], especially because I try to deal with issues of racism, sexism, and homophobia in my classes,” said Pat. Pat was told by UTD administration that, since she had no hard proof of plagiarism, she must give the student a grade, which would be an “A” if the project was assumed to be authentic. Pat believes that the student’s charges of racism influenced the decision to not pursue the plagiarism investigation. Pat said, “It’s not that the administration didn’t care about wrong or right, but it seemed to be a secondary concern to appearances. Of course, they don’t want their students to plagiarize, but they don’t want discrimination suits either.”

An angry Pat marched to the McDermott Library and within thirty minutes located the smoking gun – the original work that the student had copied and submitted as his own. The administration then decided to set up a disciplinary hearing against the student.

During the hearing, the student was allowed to berate Pat with questions irrelevant to the plagiarism charges, such as accusing her of not caring about her students since she left on a “vacation” while one of her students was having trouble.

The UTD administration failed to keep Pat informed of the status of the charges against her, never calling or writing to tell her that the student was found guilty of plagiarism and would not graduate. But the saga was not yet over: The student then filed a racial discrimination suit against the university.

Although a civil rights investigator determined that Pat had not acted in a racist manner by uncovering a student who had cheated, the toll on Pat’s life was immense. “I lost confidence in myself as a teacher and as a person,” she said. She was often angrier at the UTD administration than at the student. Besides failing to keep her informed, “they made me feel like I was on trial and not the student who had cheated,” she said.

Pat believes that the administration should try to work with the faculty and teaching assistants to provide guidance for these situations. She now makes it a point to discuss plagiarism with her classes, give all assignments in writing, and keep copies of the work of students who appear to be potential problems. Her relationship with her students has deteriorated since this incident. The student in question had already taken a previous course taught by her, and he frequently visited her during office hours before the charges occurred. Now Pat is leery of all of her students, not knowing if she will get burned again.

False allegations only serve to belittle the actual instances of racism that are a real threat in our universities. The UTD administrators should not fear bad publicity or possible repercussions so much that the cry of “Racist!” leads them to appease a deceitful student. *Names have been altered to protect those involved.

SPORTS

Nov. 1, 2021 | The Mercury

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BEN NGUYEN Managing Editor

The best and worst of esports today Worlds comes to a close, Rocket League carries on and a massive tailgate is held in our backyard. Let's take a look at this cycle's best of five!

Esports runs the largest tailgate at UTD Going off the front page, the team ran a massive tailgate event in the SU green, attracting at least 400 checked in Comets to get half a McDonald's sandwich and a Coke Zero to celebrate Zach "grafetti" Rendulic's victory at the summer Brag House tournament. Digs at free food aside, the event was greatly helped by its location, being located at arguably the most trafficked building on campus. It was interesting to see the large variety of people in attendance, and while the event was fully funded by a third party, I'd like to see more large events like this in the future from the esports team, as it really helps to bring fans onboard.

The West fall once again at Worlds Leading up to the World finals this weekend, the West (that is, NA and EU) were once again knocked out of the tournament at the quarterfinals. In close 0-3 defeats, Cloud9 and Mad Lions fell to recently knocked out Gen.G and probably soon to be world champions Damwon KIA. For some NA fans, it was honestly good enough that we got a team through the group stage, but I have the slight tinge of sadness from seeing the western teams fall yet again, in what always feels like is a closely disappointing way. I'll still huff the copium into next year, and with the roster shakeup rumours I'll hold my faith in NA next year.

UTD Runs Collegiate Smash UTD is poised once again to win the Collegiate Smash Brother's crew battle league, as it should be. At the time of writing, the team is in the semis of the upper bracket of the tournament, ready to stomp through New Jersey City University and the winner of the loser's bracket to win the event yet again. The team looks as dominant as ever, and with the power of DLC 2 and the wifi warrirors by their side, they can't lose. If the final matches are streamed, you can catch them this weekend and next weekend on the 6th and 13th.

Rocket League team ties up the record With a close win vs. Texas Tech and a close loss to San Diego State, the Comets stand at a 3-3 record in the CRL standings for the fall. In the coming weeks, they'll need to start picking up some wins to start pulling ahead of other x-3 teams to have a chance at making it into the top four and qualifying for playoffs. There's still plenty of season left to go, so here's hoping that the team can boost their way to the top of the standings before it's too late.

Overwatch team continues undefeated run through Collegiate Homecoming Following 2-0's against the Miami Redhawks and Boise State in the the OW Homecoming, it remains to be seen where the challenge will be for the Comets in this league.

Until the team is faced with a real challenge again (like at the Will English Invitational) they're likely to keep on performing strong. UTD's coordination and play is only improving as time goes on.

QUINN SHERER | MERCURY STAFF DAVE WESTER | COURTESY ALESANDRA BELL | GRAPHICS EDITOR

Women's Volleyball serves up wins to end the season Team confident heading into Conference tournament, having won 8 of their last 9 games.

TYLER BURKHARDT Editor-in-Chief

TYLER BURKHARDT | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

UTD's volleyball team runs practice drills on Friday, Oct. 29, preparing for the ASC Conference tournamnet next weekend.

UTD Volleyball clinched the No. 2 seed in the American Southwest Conference postseason tournament with a three-match sweep of ETBU on Tuesday, Oct. 26. The team will use the remainder of their schedule to prepare for the postseason – beginning Thursday, Nov. 4 – where they hope to take on No. 1 seed Mary-Hardin Baylor for the conference title.

Head Coach Marci Allison said, “We’re pretty happy with the way things ended up. Of course, everyone wants to be first, but we’ve been dealing with a lot of injuries this season, so for us to even get second – and to be able to beat Mary-Hardin Baylor on our own floor last week – we feel we’ve had a pretty successful go at it.”

Allison noted that injuries are a recurring theme of the season, especially coming off of the highly irregular 2020 season. The abbreviated recovery cycle caused by playing in May, coupled with the reduced training over the summer, led to a string of injuries out of the gate. “[This week] is really about resting some of our players, healing and getting our younger players some extra time in case we do need them for the conference,” Allison said. “Yeah, we’re always trying to get better, but at this point it’s really about getting healthier and trying to play smarter heading into conference weekend … last spring, we had to play down quite a few starters, so we’re hoping to be healthy this

time.”

Yet, both Allison and the players said that playing through that adversity has made the team stronger – exhibited by their strong end-of-season performance. The team hopes to take that momentum into the postseason.

BMEN senior Brynne Blackmar: “Coming into the conference tournament, we’re feeling pretty confident. At the beginning of the season, it was a bit rocky – we played some really good teams early on and went, ‘Oh wow, we’re not where we need to be at all.’ But since, we’ve been working really hard – not just skill wise, but also doing a lot of mental training, working on holding everyone accountable – and it’s shown in our performance.”

The team has no doubts about their ambitions for this weekend. As marketing senior Sydney Fitt said, “Expectations are pretty high – we set our standard pretty high. Personally, and as a team, we want to win, go to regionals and have a shot to go to nationals too. Getting second, I think we’re in a really good place to prove ourselves because the one seed is pretty comfortable – but we’re excited to go out there and compete.”

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COMICS&CROSSWORD

Nov. 1, 2021 | The Mercury

SEASONAL THOUGHTS WITH PAT

HALLOWEEN HANGOVER

QUINN SHERER | MERCURY STAFF

OUT OF SYNC

ELIZABETH NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF

ALEXANDRA IBARRA | MERCURY STAFF

HALLOWMAS

LONELY

CHARLIE CHANG | MERCURY STAFF

JUHI KARNALKAR | MERCURY STAFF

ANGELA LI | CONTRIBUTOR TYLER BURKHARDT | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LIFE&ARTS

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Nov. 1, 2021 | The Mercury

'DUNE' showcases chalamet but doesn't explain the spice

Lulu Miller's expansive tale is a worthwhale read 'Why Fish Don't Exist' transcends genres and engrosses readers for a fascinating nonfic read MARGARET MOORE Mercury Staff

WARNER BROS. | COURTESY

WARNER BROS. | COURTESY

David Starr Jordan discovered a fifth of the creatures we call “fish.” A full fifth.

That’s thousands of specimens, years of painstaking work, all to better categorize the disorganized world we live in.

Author Lulu Miller was, understandably, intrigued by one man’s determination to sort out nature's chaos, and it’s that intrigue that makes this book such an arresting read. Miller’s combination of clear writing and artful, emotional description creates one of those novels that, once read, you compulsively recommend to everyone you know.

After all, how could Jordan recover after losing all physical record of his life’s work? How did Miller find the strength in Jordan’s story to beat suicidal ideation?

And — whoops! — was Jordan actually a murderer, in addition to the father of American eugenics?

It is incredibly difficult to put this book in a single category. It spurns genre’s borders even more than it does taxonomy’s.

“Why Fish Don’t Exist” is part biography, part memoir, part nature guidebook and part philosophical crisis. The best definition I have is “nonfiction,” as it oscillates between investigating Jordan and the deadly impact of his ideology to exploring the author’s personal struggle with suicidal ideation and the existential question of whether any of us truly matter in a chaotic world. This may not be the book for readers who need a clear objective out of their novels — or for those sensitive to whiplash. Where else can you get sentences like, “…what do you do after letting go of hope? Where do you go?” and “Your mom? Absolutely. A fish,” in the same story? But regardless of category, it is exceptionally well-written. Miller’s comedic and dramatic timing is impeccable, with a narrative voice so clear you would think you’re listening to her at her other job — science reporting for NPR — while reading. Here’s a taste: “If fish don’t exist, what else don’t we know about our world? What other truths are waiting behind the lines we draw over nature? What other categories are about

Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) are the only characters who get any development.

"Dune" begins with the House Atreides taking over rule of the planet Arrakis from the former emperor.

SEE FISH, PAGE 8

JACKY CHAO | OUTREACH EDITOR

MIA NGUYEN Mercury Staff

Even though Frank Herbert’s novel “Dune” is an iconic trailblazer in the sci-fi genre, the 2021 film adaptation featuring Timothée Chalamet struggled with proper world-building while focusing on the protagonist and cinematography.

Despite being one of the first novels to popularize sci-fi, many people have struggled to comprehend the scope of the planet Arrakis, which is the setting of “Dune.” The combination of power systems and various species and civilizations is a lot to take in at first glance, so I was excited to see how this film would approach such a vast fictional world.

As most sci-fi and fantasy novels consist of a heavy exposition, I expected this film to have slow pacing. Instead, I was overwhelmed by how quickly information was thrown at the audience. In this first installment – “Dune: Part 2” is slated for release in 2023 – we learn about the houses of nobility

and their fight for coveted sand dunes that hold valuable spices. These spices have immense health benefits and play a significant role in stimulating the economy. However, the conditions of the sandy environment, the brutal natives of the land and the beasts that hide below make harvesting a dangerous feat.

Despite the importance of this context and the different houses, there was little elaboration on them beyond the announcement of their existence. I had a lot of questions toward the end and wished the director had dived deeper into the origins of this world.

The movie begins with the emperor handing governing rights of Arrakis over to House Atreides, which deeply angers House Harkonnen, the evil predecessors that treated the natives Fremen with cruelty. House Atreides consists of Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac), his son and heir Paul (Chalamet) and royal concubine Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). The chemistry between this unusual family was so natural, and each actor brought a warmth that made the characters feel real. I just

wished the dialogue explained more about Paul’s family rather than only letting the actors’ body language express their relations.

The fact that the entire film revolves around the setting can be strange for an audience used to fast-paced action and plot development, and I craved more emphasis on the characters. Chalamet did an excellent job portraying a three-dimensional prince, and I couldn’t help but feel enthralled by all of his scenes. His portrayal of Paul was sweetly boyish while still carrying deep-rooted emotional turmoil that drove his character development. As Paul is the protagonist, the focus is naturally oriented on him, but Lady Jessica was definitely a scene-stealer.

Lady Jessica’s primary purpose as a mother and a user of “the voice” (an audioneuro control mechanism) is to improve Paul’s strength and abilities. Her emotional range was intense, covering everything from a sobbing mother to a vicious fighter. Unfortunately, Paul and Lady Jessica are really the only characters with any development,

which seems like a huge waste considering the cast also includes Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin and Zendaya. Since this is only the first installment, I assume that we will learn more about the rest of the ensemble in “Dune: Part 2,” but it was hard to truly care about some characters during this movie.

The filmmakers relied heavily on the ambiance and scenic shots of both the Fremen’s homeland and the Atreides’ home to immerse viewers, but I still didn’t feel 100% engaged. The soundtrack from iconic composer Hans Zimmer and unique costume designs were nice additions, but I needed more to fully understand Arrakis.

This was a good attempt at recreating a novel that has a reputation for being impossible to turn into a film, but I craved more than just two hours of pretty landscapes and Chalamet looking even prettier in fun outfits. Hopefully, “Dune: Part 2” will allow other characters to share Paul’s spotlight and introduce more conflict because this film was basically a glorified trailer for the next movie.

The rise of Korean culture around the globe Korean pop culture and entertainment has slowly penetrated global pop culture with the popularization of K-pop and K-dramas MANYA BONDADA Mercury Staff

Although top Korean dramas like Squid Game are suddenly generating a lot of international attention for Korean entertainment, Korean culture and entertainment have permeated global media for several years, and top-charting Korean musicians in particular have been making an incredible impression on American media.

The relationship between Korean entertainment fans and the quick spread of Korean media is extremely important to note when observing how the Korean wave has made an impact on American pop culture.

For example, because of the language barrier between Korean media, which rarely ever uses English, and international fans, political, social and cultural misunderstandings and conflicts can arise. However, that hasn’t stopped Korean entertainment from becoming popular among an extremely diverse audience.

Korean pop music first made an imprint in American media through artists like Park Jin Young (JYP), BoA, Girls Generation and Wonder Girls, who not only debuted in America but also produced songs for already well-established American talent and worked with famous American producers.

However, K-pop really took off in the U.S. around 2012 with Psy’s “Gangnam Style.”

Currently, groups such as BTS and Black-

DANIELLE BELL | MERCURY STAFF

pink and their collaborations with Western artists have made them household names in American pop culture. For example, BTS holds the record for the greatest number of YouTube views in 24 hours, generating almost 110 million views in this short amount of time. This band and many others break record after record for the number of YouTube views and albums sold, and several Korean music artists regularly chart on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Hannah Lee, an accounting junior and a teaching assistant for UTD’s Korean Language Club (KLC), said that though people have been interacting with Korean culture for a while, stan culture has definitely amplified the new K-pop wave.

Stan culture can be defined as a group of people coming together to share and discuss a topic that they are passionate about.

Usually, these communities are found on social media sites such as Twitter and are made up of different people from all over the world. The Korean wave, which appears to be a sudden topic of interest but has actually been gradually gaining an international following, has been exemplified by stan culture and the creation of “fandoms” for different Korean idols, actors and actresses. Yet, an unintended consequence of stan culture being such a driving force in popularizing Korean entertainment in America is that misunderstandings about Korean culture can arise.

“Misconceptions and miscommunications about what our culture is like can be really frustrating because it can cause a lot of disagreements when there shouldn’t be any,” Lee said. “There is a lot of sexism and toxic beauty standards in Korean culture

that need to be dismantled, and I think international fans are helping with that aspect … but then there are some things that people call out that is just basic Korean culture.”

One of the examples that Lee mentioned involved an idol named Young Jae who is from a popular boy band called Got7.

International fans criticized him for wearing an earring and rings that resembled the Swastika in relation to Nazi Germany.

However, the jewelry that he was wearing was actually a symbol representative of his religion, Buddhism, and since there is a large number of Buddhists in Korea, Korean fans knew that his jewelry symbolized his religion. In cases such as this, ignorance surrounding certain aspects of Korean culture can lead to false portrayals of Korean artists, and issues like this are exacerbated

by stan culture and Korean entertainment’s wide international following.

Nonetheless, the Korean wave has attracted millions of fans, and regardless of whether fans can speak or understand Korean, they support their favorite Korean artists and enjoy Korean media to a great extent.

Blanca Diaz, a global business junior and a member of KLC, said, “When you compare [K-dramas] to the shows we have here, there really isn’t anything like K-dramas. I could say the same thing about Spanish TV shows like Telenovelas. If I compare Telenovelas to K-dramas, they aren’t the same thing; they both have their own way of expressing themselves. I think the interest surrounding [K-dramas] also involves the

SEE KPOP, PAGE 8

Nov. 1, 2021 | The Mercury

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LIFE&ARTS After a Night of Unsettling Dreams

BEN NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF

BEN NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF

ATHENA SHEN | STUDENT CONTRIBUTOR

Pseudo Stereo Presents: BEN NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF

BEN NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF

BEN NGUYEN

Managing Editor

SKIRTS

There were many musical acts throughout the Halloween weekend, but one of the most notable was the rescheduled Radio UTD Pseudo Stereo Showcase featuring "After a Night of Unsettling Dreams" as the opening act and "Skirts" as the main act. A very relaxed concert, the two acts brought a mix of chill lo-fi and indie rock sounds. Normally a solo act, "After a Night of Unsettling Dreams" brought on a drummer that perrformed admirably for the occasion, and "Skirts" had an interesting mix of instrumentation for their tracklist off their album "Great Big Wild Oak." The concert heralded the first Pseudo Stereo showcase run by Radio UTD since 2018 and brought a medium-sized crowd to enjoy the cool evening weather at the Plinth.

BEN NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF

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OPINION

Nov. 1, 2021 | The Mercury

'Ava's Demon' is a standout webcomic SIHANYA ROCHA Mercury Staff

If you are looking for a comic that blends striking visuals and good storytelling with a uniquely digital format, you should read the webcomic “Ava's Demon”

by Michelle Czajkowski. It's a particularly good pick-up for lovers of fantasy and sci-fi due to its interesting spin on the concepts of reincarnation and galactic warfare.

At first, the webcomic centers around a teenager named Ava Ire and her demon Wrathia, who we quickly learn has a knack for tormenting Ava and getting her in trouble. We are introduced to the pair when Wrathia gets Ava sent to the principal's office and expelled. While Ava is being scolded, we are introduced to two other key characters, Maggie and Odin. Then, the comic suddenly shifts into high gear and takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride of events where all three are trying to escape their planet as it is randomly being attacked and destroyed. But during the escape, Ava has

to make a pact with her demon in order to not die, with two conditional requirements.

First, Ava is bound to Wrathia, and second, she will help Wrathia seek revenge by defeating the galactic overlord named Titan who destroyed her empire. To achieve this goal, Ava must find other people like herself that have an associated demon: Wrathia's empire’s strongest warriors. This pact teaches the reader a bit more about Ava’s demon, who she is, where she came from and the reason why she, Maggie and Odin were brought together—which perhaps isn’t so random, after all.

Then, the series follows Ava’s journey in trying to find the rest of Wrathia’s warriors.

Sometimes, Ava is the main focus, and we are granted access to her thoughts or her demon’s dynamic and backstory as the comic unfolds. Other times, the narrative follows the rest of the characters’ backstories, perspectives and dynamics with their own demons. This switch in perspectives is imperative to the story, as with each character shift we slowly piece together not only the mass influence and power of

SEE DEMON, PAGE 8

SIHANYA ROCHA | MERCURY STAFF

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Lights, Camera, Play!

The upcoming Uncharted film announcement comes with controversial casting choices and may serve to tread uncharted territory as a prequel ANDRE AVERION Mercury Staff

The first trailer of the Uncharted film, released recently by Sony Entertainment, was met with controversy surrounding its casting, timeline and possible competition that needs to be addressed to alleviate fan concerns.

However, based on early promotions, the film appears to be an attempt at an original story closely mirroring many iconic moments in the franchise, so fans should place their doubts as to whether the film will be a faithful adaptation on hold.

For context, the Uncharted series follows treasure hunter Nathan Drake as he navigates various treasure hunts, with praise often coming from cinemalike gameplay, extreme stunts taken by the protagonist and a strong plot that focuses on relationships between characters. The film will be a prequel to the original video games of the same name, serving to introduce fans to Drake— played by Tom Holland—in his youth and his mentor Victor “Sully” Sullivan, portrayed by Mark Walberg. By the looks of the trailer, focusing on the strengths of the franchise—acknowledged to be the most important aspects by game writer Neil Drunckmann—seems to be the plan, but that discussion has been overshadowed by the concerns fans raised.

There are three concerns for the Uncharted film that seem to stray from the praised series. The first concern is the cast. How is Holland, known for playing awkward teenage roles such as the MCU Peter Parker, supposed to grow into the renegade Drake? Why is

ELIZABETH NGUYEN | MERCURY STAFF

Walberg missing Sully’s iconic chevron-styled mustache in the trailer? In truth, it makes sense that both characters are being portrayed as younger: this is a prequel. Drake is already an experienced treasure hunter before the first game, but the explanations as to why he’s so experienced are never fully addressed outside his mentorship under Sully, both of which will finally be shown in this film. In terms of appearance, Holland doesn’t look like Drake—there’s at least a decade between this film and the first game, but maybe by the end of the film, Sully

will get his iconic mustache to appease fans. However, the fact that this is a prequel is where the second concern comes into play.

For instance, there are iconic scenes recreated directly from the games themselves shown in the trailer, such as a near-identical cargo plane scene taken from “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception” that occurs four years after the original game. Many are worried that there’s no coherent timeline, or Drake is somehow reliving cycles in his life;

SEE UNCHARTED, PAGE 8

ALESANDRA BELL | GRAPHICS EDITOR

Recordings should be common in the modern classroom, regardless of modality Recorded lectuers are easier to provide than ever, shown to improve student learning outcomes without dramatically impacting attendence rates BEN NGUYEN

Managing Editor

Wherever possible, recorded lectures should be made available as the latest tool that students can add to their study arsenals, not the latest excuse to miss lecture.

Since UTD returned to in-person operations, some professors no longer record their lectures. While some professors see this as a return to normalcy, it only deprives students of a resource that is purely beneficial. Recorded lectures only benefit active students, and while they may be of some use to students that frequently miss class, affording students flexibility shouldn’t be a difficult choice given the ease of taping lecture.

Recorded lectures were implemented during the beginning of the response to

the COVID-19 pandemic, as students were all forced online and primarily, in UTD’s case, to the platform of choice: Microsoft Teams. An additional boon was that Teams allows easy recording of any meeting or lecture alongside an automatic transcription service for recordings. All a lecturer has to do is click the record button, and the video will be easy to share. And even as courses return to classroom instruction, most professors use PowerPoint presentations to guide their lectures, which is a format that can easily be recorded for students’ reference. Recorded lectures allow students to bolster their notes and review and listen to the material in a clearer way than what is often described in textbooks.

But not all lectures are recordable, and this isn’t compatible with all course

formats. If a class is discussion-based or requires active engagement with the professor or with some technology, recorded lectures don’t capture the essence of what is being taught. However, for lecture-based classes in which this isn’t the case, recorded class sessions can be a great study resource.

The fear that recorded lectures lead to less attendance is unfounded. According to a study from the Curtin University of Technology, the availability of recorded lectures does not impact class attendance. In fact, students with high live lecture attendance actually use recordings more than students that infrequently attend class. Another study published in the Journal of Learning Design concluded nearly the same thing: students who already attend live lecture, and theoretically would need it

the least, are more likely to use recorded lectures as a study resource.

And this makes sense. A student who isn’t motivated to attend class isn’t likely to watch a recorded lecture instead, as that would require the same time commitment. If a student isn’t willing to spend time attending the original class, why would they watch it later? In comparison, a dedicated student might actually use a recording to supplement the notes they already have, catch up on a missed lecture or try out a different method of learning.

If professors want to enforce attendance, there are better ways of doing so than depriving students of a valuable learning tool. Some professors offer credit, normal or extra, for attending class in person, and others provide in-person activities that bolster learning

that aren’t available in a virtual environment. Additionally, the benefits of attending class in person are well-documented, with the Journal of Learning Design study also stating that students who consistently attend live lectures have higher grades than those that rarely attend in person.

Professors should record lectures that are easily recordable. Everyone on campus has access to Teams, which records meetings and classes with simplicity.

Recorded lectures aren’t the sole reason why students don’t attend class; they’ve simply become the latest excuse along with oversleeping and the dog eating the homework. In a time of necessity, this resource should be available with all other resources to students going forward, not discarded in a misguided attempt to “return to normal.”

Nov. 1, 2021 | The Mercury

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every piece together. In Strings Attached, the club members must play closely with different musicians for each song but can freely choose which songs to perform in.

Business administration senior Carlos Jong, the president and founder of Strings Attached, highlighted the importance of networking and openly communicating to create such a large and uniquely connected community. Pre-pandemic, Strings Attached performed some gigs at The Pub; now, coming out of quarantine, the club is

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put the event together, and they lit upon the SU Green as a large and visible venue.

“Myself and Athletics have been really working in planning with Brag House for their first tailgate too,” Aaberg said. “We had tons of free food, tons of free drinks. We had a live DJ from Radio UTD out there, and then we had tons of games and things like that.”

While they initially used the UTD App event check-in system, as the day wore on and more people than expected filed into the event, it wasn’t feasible to enforce the check-in with the app. Both Aaberg and Social Media Coordinator and CS senior Hector Mavrakis estimate that over 1,000 people attended the event over the course of four hours.

“We obviously established the location, being the SU Green, which I feel like got a lot of traction,” Mavrakis said. “In comparison to even other traditional athletics tailgates we’ve had previously this year, we’ve far surpassed any expectations – as well as just generally outreach on the event was fantastic.”

One of the big draws of the event was a ticket raffle, where prizes ranged from branded Bluetooth speakers to a large monitor or gaming keyboard. Mavrakis said that the prizes were evenly sourced

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hibit was initially created as a temporary tribute to Coleman’s significance to the honors program during his time as Dean of Undergraduate Education.

“Coleman was getting ready to retire, and he had all these t-shirts,” Harpham said. “He'd been collecting all these t-shirts over the years, particularly in the 1990s after we got freshmen because as you know, freshmen accumulate t-shirts. So, he made an effort to collect them as well. Okay – what do you do

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to cave in? Could clouds be animate? Who knows. On Neptune,

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way it portrays Koreans in their culture … that’s the root of it.”

The attraction to Korean entertainment will continue to expand, especially if Netflix continues churning out top K-

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Titan but the relationships and dynamics these demons had with each other before the fall of their empire. Along the way, we see how these histories and past relationships intertwine with their reincarnated selves, as each demon either represents or possesses something that their reincarnated self lacks.

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however, it’s been explained that these scenes are homages to the franchise rather than literal recreations necessitating time travel.

Fans will feel excited and nostalgic to see these scenes finally come to life and potentially even be used to explain how Drake is so quick to

NEWS hoping to host more concerts and perhaps expand further. Emo Nite was the product of several months of planning, networking, practicing and advertising, and Jong hopes that Strings Attached will be able to create similar events in the future.

“You have to relate to people, and it’s a good time to grow now,” Jong said. “Originally, [Strings Attached] was like a circle where people could play, but we attracted people because they wanted to join in and have fun.”

Computer science junior and Strings Attached band member Norris Plaisance said that music has been a defining part of all the

band members’ lives, and the ability to share that passion with others makes the club such an important community to them. Plaisance also emphasized how much the club loves playing together. “[Strings Attached] lets everybody in and you can play whatever you want. The cool part is that the songs people listen to are not based on how good they are [at music].

Playing Green Day, for example, is just a few power chords, but people at the highest level can play it and people at the lowest level can learn it. The fact that they both like the song lets them play together.”

from both Brag House and the Esports team, with the Coca-Cola speakers coming from Brag House and the keyboard and antiquated jerseys donated by the team.

“That was the agreement we had [with Brag House] going into it, but we were just trying to see how much we could give back to the community. So, the keyboard wasn’t even originally a part of it, but we just wanted to add it as a bonus,” Mavrakis said.

While the event was a huge success, it would not have been possible without the funding of Brag House. So, it would take some planning and convincing to hold another event on the same scale.

Both Aaberg and Mavrakis said that there are plans to bring another tailgate to campus – potentially as an annual event – and hopefully establish future events held by the Esports team that would be partially funded by other businesses in what Aaberg says are future strategic partnerships.

“We are going to have a campaign for Esports to start reaching out, but hopefully have sponsors actually reach out to us … we’ll hopefully be able to get some naming rights. When it comes to partnerships there’s so many things that you can definitely sell to a company.

Think about it. The Student Union is one of the most, if not the most popular building on campus,” Aaberg said. “There’s so many things

that you could do. You could sell the naming rights, you could sell who has the PC rights, who’s the official peripheral, the official drink and things like that.”

This is a common practice for both student organizations and esports teams trying to raise funds and obtain equipment for their organizations: a cursory glance at teams such as Team Liquid will reveal partnerships with brands such as Alienware. UTD Esports is already partnered with Sector 7, Glorious Gaming for keyboards and Logitech for headsets. In the future, team expansion and larger-scale events are likely to be funded in part by these types of strategic partnerships.

All told, the event was a major success in terms of outreach, and the team won’t stop there. Mavrakis said that there will be several more events throughout the year, including an Aim Labs sponsored challenge. Aaberg said that the goal of the tailgate, and of the other events that the team runs throughout the year, is to build a community around the Esports team and make that community accessible to a general campus audience.

“Whether you’re a gamer that hardcore games and you have a gaming PC and things like that or whether you just play on your switch or play some mobile games with some friends, that’s where we want to come into place and really build a sense of community.”

with all these t-shirts? You don’t take them with you; you’re not going to wear them. So, he came up with a neat idea: we were going to do an artistic display for maybe a month or two months before he left.”

Fast-forward more than a decade later, however, and those t-shirts remain hanging from the wall. But Harpham wasn’t struck with a bout of sentimentality – in fact, it was an accidental discovery that prompted him to keep the t-shirts hanging.

“Why did we leave the shirts up? … The reason,” Harpham said, “was because this was a terribly-designed

building. The University redesigned the downstairs when they moved [the Honors College] out of the administration building, and it won all of these awards. But if you were actually down there, it was a terrible place to have a conversation with anyone: the echo was too much, and the acoustics were horrible. But we discovered this little display was the perfect ballast: it deadened the sound and actually made the lobby the perfect place to have a reception!”

So, while the t-shirts may seem like just another quirk of campus, they actually serve a useful function.

Harpham said that the plan is for the display to remain until Green Center is demolished.

“I jokingly refer to it when students come through or parents come through, ‘Think of this as Westminster Abbey with the battle flags of the British army in the sky and they're gradually deteriorating,’” Harpham said. “It's our remembering of the past. It's a great display. You kind of look at that and everybody goes, what the hell is that? Or people say, ‘Well, go to the Green Center. You can't tell what the Green Center is, but look for the t-shirts.’”

From quirky student-themed art display to acoustic baffling to eccentric bit of campus lore, Coleman’s tshirts have come full circle. Harpham analogized it to the bust of Cecil Green or the spirit rocks – another one of Coleman’s initiatives – one of a handful of traditions that make UTD distinct.

“It’s a neat story about UT Dallas.

And we have so few traditions – so that one’s kind of silly, but I really like it. And boy is it fun to tell the parents, too. When we give the students tours, we go through and show them the t-shirts, tell them to rub Mr.

Green’s head, and it helps personify this University. And until I’m told to take it down, I won’t, because I think it’s kind of cool.”

it rains diamonds; it really does.”

The moral of this story? Undefined; perhaps it is that chaos and disorder are inevitable, that

black-and-white divisions can only get you so far before the earthquake comes. What I can tell you for sure is that you will

take something new away from this book. It may be hope, it may be a sense of loss, or at the very least, it may be just some

fun facts about fish and their nonexistence.

What, you thought I would spoil why fish don’t exist? No way;

I’m still grieving. Do you understand how hard it is to describe NSERL without calling it “the fish-scale building”? All is lost.

dramas like Squid Game. In the span of almost two months, this show has become so popular that Netflix announced it is the most viewed show in 90 countries and is on its way to becoming the company’s most popular series.

K-dramas almost always highlight a specific aspect of Korean

traditional or social culture, and many dramas aim to expose inequalities found in Korean society, giving audiences insight into the political climate and historical context of the country.

According to an article by NPR, one reason that Squid Game is so popular internationally is be-

cause of its commentary on the nature of capitalism, social hierarchy and treatment of culturally different people. While all these issues can be seen in Korea’s social culture, they reflect present issues in America as well. Yet, more nuanced cultural details such as the intelligently chosen

names for two of the drama’s characters – Sae Byeok and Ji Yeong – reflect aspects of Korea’s culture that not many international fans may grasp. The names connect to the characters’ backstories in the drama.

“Korean entertainment brought more diversity into

American culture,” Lee said. “I feel like people are willing to talk about the lack of diversity in Hollywood a lot more after they’ve seen the K-pop wave coming in … so we have been getting more Asian representation in media recently, which I think is great.”

This correlates to the fact that each demon’s name is an anagram for one of the seven deadly sins.

For example, Ava is meek and insecure, so Wrathia gives her confidence and power in dire moments. Maggie is brash and confrontational, but her demon Tuls is gloomy and calm; what binds them together is their infatuation with love and affection, as Tuls is the anagram for lust. Odin is

prideful and dutiful but insecure, so his demon Pedri, the anagram for pride, is strategic and cunning.

So, he will occasionally feed off of Odin's insecurities in order to manipulate, mentally weaken or briefly possess him.

Story aside, you should read “Ava's Demon” to engage with the colorists’ painted art style and the author’s unique use of animations.

The first thing you’ll notice when

you start to read this series is how the use of light and color makes the characters and background look soft and glowing. This interesting use of shading adds to the fantastical setting of the comic, enhances the story's tonal shifts and allows readers to understand and almost feel a character's emotions and inner turmoil. For example, during a near-death experience Ava has in the middle of the series, the

shades shift to blue and white and depict an atmosphere of order and efficiency. Then, Wrathia lends her power again, and everything turns orange and red, quickly changing the calm and orderly atmosphere to chaotic and vengeful.

Additionally, unlike the usual comic page where there are panels or the usual webcomic format of scrolling down, “Ava's Demon” utilizes the next button. What's cool

about this is that the author intentionally presents the panels one by one for readers to view them like storyboards of a movie. The added motion of the animated sequences at the end of each arc truly demonstrates the magnetism of this story's surreal-like visuals. So, if you want to experience how print media can be taken to the next level when placed on a digital platform, read “Ava’s Demon” at avasdemon.com.

survive similar events in the games.

Such massive centerpieces of action perfect for theater screens are what separate “Uncharted” from other action-adventure games like “The Tomb Raider” – the third topic of concern.

“The Tomb Raider” introduced Lara Croft to the video game world 11 years before Drake made

his debut and to the film world 21 years before the “Uncharted” scheduled release. However, as both characters are pioneers in cinematic action-adventure roleplay games that feature treasure hunters fighting mercenaries, solving puzzles and overcoming impossible odds, they were bound for comparisons. Now that the

film is official, many are curious how “Uncharted” will compare to the acclaimed Tomb Raider reboot series (recently confirmed for a sequel), which could prompt a competing “Uncharted” sequel if the first is successful. Nevertheless, the comparisons between these franchises are unlikely to impact each other directly, as both have

made enough room to be unique to themselves. If anything, similarities between franchises should be seen as complements, as both can draw from the other’s successes in order to enhance their game design film development.

So, while the trailer raised initial concerns among familiar audiences, many should look past this

for the exciting new adventure that will explain how Drake and Sully met. “Uncharted” will be a film for fans and newcomers alike, opening the road for the franchise to possibly create more stories, and, with enough fan support, perhaps break the mold on video game movie stereotypes as possibly one of next year’s blockbusters.

--------------------------------------------If you want to tee up a question for a future Curious Comets investigation, send an email to life@utdmercury.com with your idea, and it just might be featured in a later issue of The Mercury.

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