facebook.com/theutdmercury | @utdmercury
November 13, 2017
STARBUCKS COMING TO CAMPUS New coffee shop location in SU will stay open past midnight most days, scheduled to open on Nov. 20 WILLIAM LEGRONE Mercury Staff
THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
Clogged toilet disrupts classes
A fully-licensed Starbucks cafe will open on the second floor of the Student Union before the end of the semester. The store will open on Nov. 20 and occupies the roughly 3,200 square foot space that was formerly a study area on the second floor of the Student Union. The Starbucks will operate from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. on most days, and will be open seven days a week. This will make the new Starbucks the food service on campus that stays open the latest, as the IHOP closes at midnight every day. The UTD’s launch of the new venue marks the campus’ first move away from
“We Proudly Serve Starbucks,” a Starbucks-branded solution allowing colleges and universities to serve a limited selection of Starbucks’ offerings. With this change, students will be able to choose from the full range of offerings found in licensed stores off-campus. Carrie Chutes, director of Auxiliary Services, is part of the process behind bringing the Starbucks to campus. During her eight years at UTD, Chutes received requests from students for a fullylicensed Starbucks every year. The new Starbucks is opening this fall in response to the volume of feedback. “Because it is fully licensed, it has the
→ SEE STARBUCKS, PAGE 14
MADELINE AMBROSE | MERCURY STAFF
Construction workers put finishing touches on the new Starbucks on Nov, 10. It will be located on the second floor of the Student Union.
New carpet, paint needed after sewage flood
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SAHER AQEEL | PHOTO EDITOR
After the toilet overflowed, workers place fans in the hallway to dry the area outside of the bathroom. SARAH CHAN Mercury Staff
A sewage overflow in a Hoblitzelle Hall bathroom disrupted classes and forced several faculty and staff to temporarily relocate offices. On Oct. 28, the Facilities Management office received a call alerting them to what was described as standing water in the women’s restrooms at Hoblitzelle Hall. When they arrived at HH, they discovered that the flooding was much more serious. The sewage overflow was caused by a blocked toilet, which clogged the pipes. The water damage affected hallways and offices in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, and one classroom was temporarily closed until Nov. 6. Several administrators, including Academic Support Coordinator Becky Wiser, were relocated because their offices were flooded with sewage water. “I came in Tuesday and it was pretty nasty,” she said. “They had fans drying everything up, and some kind of machine sucking the air out and trying to clean everything up.” Wiser was able to move into an available office within Hoblitzelle, however, other professors had to relocate off campus. This will continue until new carpet and paint is installed, which should take about one to two weeks. Kelly Kinnard, director of Physical Plant Services, said the issue was a toilet clog, not a problem with the pipes or plumbing. The blockage prevented the water pipes from functioning properly. On-call plumbers ran jets inside the pipes, and the water pressure eventually caused the substance to break up, allowing water to continue flowing through the pipes as usual. No actual damage was
→ SEE HOBLITZELLE, PAGE 14
ASC tournament wins & losses NOAH WHITEHEAD | MERCURY STAFF
UTD defeated Concordia Texas on Nov. 2, 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-20) in their first game of the American Southwest Conference tournament. The Comets had a bye during the first round and went on to win the ASC title, earning a bid for the NCAA Division III tournament.
Comets win homecoming game 56 - 32 against Rams UTD women's basketball defeats Huston-Tillotson in exhibition game to start 2017 - 2018 season TRAVIS DICKERSON Mercury Staff
SRIKAR SUDARASAN BASKARA | MERCURY STAFF
The women’s basketball team entered the season strong with their first win, 56 - 32 over the Huston–Tillotson Rams in the homecoming game. Afternoon festivities attracted a crowd of 690 people for the 5 p.m. game against the Rams. By the end of the first period, the Comets gained a large lead of 10 points. This marks a strong opening for the Comets. Head coach Polly Thomason, who led the team for 12 seasons, was excited to see the game turn out so well. “This was our first step on our journey as a team this season,” Thomason said. “I think they really took that to heart.” The Comets managed to keep a constant lead, and the Rams were unable to keep up. The opposing team attempted to gain the advantage, but was kept below five points each period
Senior guard McKenzie Petty made 3 field goals in 9 attempts during her 31 minutes on the court. Petty was named one of the ASC Players to Watch in the league's pre-season poll.
→ SEE HOMECOMING, PAGE 14
Conservative comedian asked to leave campus by UTD Officials Police: Crowder violated UTD policy by not attaining permission beforehand BHARGAV ARIMILLI Life & Arts Editor
YOUTUBE | STEVENCROWDER
Steven Crowder (left) speaks with Sami Shaik a computer engineering freshman, about the second amendment on Oct. 20. This was part of Crowder's YouTube series “Real Conversations” in which he talks with people about political issues.
Steven Crowder, a conservative political commentator, was asked to leave campus after he conducted a series of interviews with UTD students without permission from the university. The YouTube video of the interviews has since garnered over 1 million views. The video, “I’m Pro-Gun: Change My Mind,” features Crowder talking with two students about the Second Amendment and gun control efforts. During the second interview, UTD officials are seen asking him to leave, prompting a discussion about the circumstances of his removal.
A 22-minute long clip of the Oct. 20 event, uploaded to Crowder’s YouTube channel on Oct. 21, is part of his series titled “Real Conversations,” in which he challenges members of the public to change his stance on a variety of political issues. In the last 30 seconds of the video, UTD police officers, called by SU staff, can be seen approaching Crowder and asking whether he’s a UTD student. Meanwhile, students attempt to block the cameras, and the footage ends when the police officers ask Crowder for identification. UTD PD said because the incident was not a crime, there was no report filed. However, they confirmed
Crowder violated university policy by not seeking permission from the university in advance. After the video was posted on YouTube, users on the UTD sub-Reddit reacted to Crowder’s removal, concerned that it may have been tied to his conservative ideology. “Who the actual hell were the people calling the cops and blocking the cameras?” Alec Winter, a computer science freshman and self-described fan of Crowder, wrote on the Reddit thread. “Were they that offended by a different opinion?” Andrew Helgeson, an assistant
→ SEE CROWDER, PAGE 14