Student Senate members appointed a new Supreme Court justice, introduced four new resolutions and voted on one resolution during their Tuesday meeting. The body confirmed Kayla Gillespie, nominated by Student Body President Effua Jordan, as the fifth Supreme Court justice. Jordan said Gillespie has consistently shown herself to be a leader grounded in service, integrity and community, and has made it clear that she will approach her role with balance and impartiality. Gillespie said she brings the perspective of someone who wants the community to grow. “College is about making memories and building a community when you’re away from home, and I just want to make sure that everyone gets that chance because they deserve it,” she said. During the meeting, student senators passed Resolution 25-13, “Move Out of the Way,” after deliberation. The resolution aims to create designated parking spots for campus delivery and supply trucks that do not interfere with the routes of the MavMovers. Samuel Duncan, College of Liberal Arts senator, raised concerns over student parking, noting it is already limited and that some lots that would be utilized are full. Others said that the delivery drivers would be moving after a set period of time and that the proposed maps are temporary until there is a more fleshed out parking map after renovations are completed. “Parking is already a problem,” said Hephzibah Akinmade, College of Nursing and Health Innovation senator. “But it’s not like we’re taking all this space with the student; they’re just there for a set amount of time, so the order of everyday life is going to move on.” Resolutions 25-18, “Cultivating Campus Civic Culture”; 25-19, “Title IX, Don’t Take Mine”; 25-20, “TextBook Sell-Back Drive”; and 25-21, “Analog Manual,” were introduced to the senate. During the open forum, Andres Morales, Student Body vice president, addressed the senate about the upcoming senatorial reelection, as today was the campaign kickoff. In his speech, Morales said 17 student senators were up for reelection, noting they cannot flow through the election cycle comfortably. He questioned the senators, asking, “What have you done for your constituents? Have you used this responsibility? Have you shown up and voted when it really mattered?” “To be a senator is to carry influence and with it accountability; your votes, your presence and your voice do more than just fill these seats right here,” he said. Resolutions 25-14, “Shh-tudy Rooms,” and 25-15, “Minimum Wage, Maximum Impact,” were killed. Academic Affairs Chair Emman Khan said Resolution 25-14, “Shh-tudy Rooms,” was killed because the library is already working on initiatives that the bill asks for, which is making library study rooms more soundproof. Student Affairs Chair Roberto Sok said Resolution 25-15, “Minimum Wage, Maximum Impact was killed due to the minimum wage being set to $10 by the UT System. Updates on the research process were given on Resolution 25-17, “Gimme My Greens,” and Resolution 25-16, “Condom Convenience.” The next Student Senate meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Sept. 30 in the Student Government Chambers. @tay._.sansom news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Gov. Greg Abbott recently signed an executive order banning hemp and hemp-derived product consumption for minors and regulating its sale, though critics question its impact. On Sept. 10, Abbott directed the Department of State Health Services and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to prohibit the sale of hemp-derived products to minors and require age verification upon purchasing for all customers; retailers who violate the order will have their permits revoked. “Safety for kids, freedom for adults,” Abbott said in a post on X. Texas’ growing hemp industry was left largely in the fate of consumers after Abbott vetoed Senate Bill 3 earlier this year. Since the 2018 federal Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp nationwide, Texas has seen rapid expansion in the market. The product remains legal under current interpretations of the federal and state law, as long as they contain no more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC by dry weight. As the executive order does not ban the product itself, some lawmakers, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and state Sen. Charles Perry, remain dissatisfied. In a statement issued Friday, Patrick argued that the order gives the current THC market a seal of approval. “These are the same people who have been selling dangerous THC products to kids and teens for the last four years in thousands of locations across Texas,” he said. “They will continue to do so under this executive order without a ban.” Chase Whitworth, Artisan Vapor and CBD Collins district manager, said the governor’s order represents a fair compromise. “I personally think that it’s a good thing that that’s happening, cutting regulation on the use for minors to be attacked by the THC industry,” Whitworth said. According to a report from Whitney Economics, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, delta-8 THC, delta-9 THC, delta-10 THC, CBD and cannabigerol are some of the most common hemp-derived products sold in Texas. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cannabis affects brain development and functions, specifically the parts of the brain responsible for memory, learning, attention, decision-making, coordination, emotions and reaction time. The center said usage before 18 may affect how the brain builds connections for functions like attention, memory and learning, and the effects could be permanent. Patrick said the legislature never voted to legalize recreational marijuana or the THC products sold now, but due to the loophole in hemp laws, highly potent THC products are being sold, which is why Senate Bill 3 was passed in the Texas House and Senate during the regular session. Since the veto in late June, Abbott put the item on the agenda for two special sessions over the summer. In a proclamation issued June 22, Abbott said SB 3, as written, would create legal uncertainty for Texas farmers, as the bill criminalizes the manufacturing, distribution and sale of all consumable hemp products, regardless of whether they comply with federal law’s THC limits. The governor’s latest order requires the Department of State Health Services and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to immediately create an age limit, but does not prescribe when the restriction must take effect and calls for both agencies to work with the Department of Public Safety to increase enforcement on existing rules. The Department of State Health Services is also required to begin reviewing the current rules within 10 business days to possibly add stricter labeling and testing, improve recordkeeping to facilitate oversight and increase fees to support enforcement. Sid Miller, Texas Department of Agriculture commissioner, said Abbott deserves praise for protecting minors from THC products while respecting the rights of adults. “Protecting our kids and defending our freedoms do not need to be at odds,” Miller said. Although Whitworth supports increased protections for youth, he said he worries that ongoing debates and potential bans could hurt small businesses. “Lots of these small mom and pop shops won’t survive as well based off of that,” he said. “They won’t be able to recover.” Perry said in a post on X that the age restriction does not fix the problem, and it gives the industry what it wants by leaving the product on shelves and ensuring the legislature will not close the loophole. “This debate isn’t over, and I will not stop fighting until we secure real protections for our communities and prevent Texas from repeating the mistakes of other states,” Perry said. @tay._.sansom news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Preparedness in the Park will be hosted by UTA’s Office of Emergency Management, the Arlington Fire Department and Levitt Pavilion at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Levitt Pavilion as part of National Preparedness Month. The event will feature educational booths and a screening of the film “Twisters,” as well as giveaways of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radios. One radio will be given away per household through the giveaway, while supplies last. Kwa heri Harris, the director of emergency management at UTA, said the biggest thing attendees can look forward to is the opportunity to learn and gather as a community. “We believe that preparedness saves lives,” Harris said. “It's also better to be proactive in making sure you have a preparedness plan and a preparedness kit, versus being reactive.” Some booths at the event will be dedicated to building a 72-hour emergency kit, making emergency family plans and educating about outdoor warning sirens. Harris said they worked to make sure the event would be an interactive and fun environment where attendees could learn. “We thought that it would be a good idea to bring the community together to talk to them about the importance of having a plan and being equipped,” she said. Parking for the event will be free, with open seating available on the lawn. Attendees can bring lawn chairs and blankets to watch “Twisters” during the screening. @hud4qureshi news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The Office of Admissions is hosting the Graduate School Expo event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday in the Palo Duro Lounge in the University Center. Representatives from UTA colleges and other universities will be available to share information about their offered graduate programs. Ashley Jackson, lead graduate and international academic recruiter, said the event will provide current students with an opportunity to interact with institutions and learn about master’s and doctoral programs. “The Graduate School Expo is a great place to explore and see what might be a good next step for you after you graduate,” Jackson said. The event will have limited door prizes for the first 100 participants and there will also be UTA-branded cookies at the event. Jackson said individual universities and colleges from UTA will have their own giveaways as well. “This is another great way to network with universities, potential graduate schools and recruiters,” she said. “You never know what doors may be opened, and pathways may unfold that you weren’t even considering.” @wall035203 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

UTA volleyball will co-host the UNT-UTA Invitational, the team’s first and only home invitational, starting Friday. After the first match at the University of North Texas, the team will return home to play two more matches. The first is against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for the first home game of the season at 5 p.m. Saturday at College Park Center. The Mavericks look to continue defending their home court at this week’s competition, as they’ve tallied 681 days since their last loss at the arena. Coming off a three-set sweep against Alcorn State University in the Cowgirl Classic, UTA will have the opportunity to keep its undefeated six-game win streak alive in Denton, Texas, where the team is slated to face Northwestern State University to open the tournament. The last time the teams faced off was in 2021, when the Mavericks secured a 3-2 win in a five-set match. An almost completely revamped roster fuels the Mavericks as they prepare for their only home invitational. The team will bring back only seven players from last year’s NCAA tournament run. The team will close out the tournament with a second home game against invitational co-host UNT at 5 p.m. Sunday. The Mavericks will compete in one more preseason tournament, the Roadrunner Classic, starting Sept. 19. Western Athletic Conference play will begin for volleyball with a home game against Southern Utah University at 1 p.m. Sept. 27 at College Park Center. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+. @player_z0 sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The UTA men’s golf team opened its 2025 fall season with a ninth-place finish in the Whirlwind Invitational at the Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Arizona, on Sept. 8 and 9. In the season-opening invitational, UTA was one out of 12 teams competing, with 71 participants total. The Mavericks shot a combined 285-281-286 in the three-round meet, finishing 12-under-par. Freshman Arth Sinha led the way, as he shot 70-69-65 for a 12-under-par total, clinching a fifth-place finish. Sinha went 7-under-par in the final round and tied host University of Southern California’s Jaden Dumdumaya for the second-best single-round score of the tournament, which let him jump up 12 spots. The only other Maverick with an under-par score was freshman Ajay Morris, who shot 5-under for 24th place. Morris, an Arizona native, played his first collegiate tournament less than 40 miles southeast of his hometown of Avondale, Arizona. Freshman Nicholas Lyman also made his collegiate debut in his home state, as the Whirlwind Golf Club is about a 50-mile drive southeast from his hometown of Surprise, Arizona. He shot 2-over-par over the course of the tournament and placed 44th. Sophomore Jerry Huang and junior Matthew Broder rounded out the team performance for UTA, as the two shot a respective 4-over and 11-over-par. Huang placed 52nd, and Broder placed 69th. Junior Michael Chevalier competed as an individual but shot the fourth-best of the six Mavericks in Chandler, with a 3-over-par total due to a 5-over final round. This performance notched him in 47th place. The Mavericks will have the next week off before heading to the Gene Miranda Air Force Falcon Invitational in Air Force Academy, Colorado, just north of Colorado Springs, starting Sept. 20. @TyRoland06 sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

UTA intramural volleyball spikes into its second week of the season with students having fun and bringing a competitive spirit. The fall semester includes sand and indoor volleyball at the Maverick Activities Center. Sand volleyball teams are allowed three to eight players on the roster and indoor volleyball allows four to 12 players. Kinesiology junior Kaitlyn Bener said she is enthusiastic about the connections and learning opportunities through the intramural volleyball team and encouraged her peers to give it a try. She said that it’s as easy as going to open gym at the Maverick Activities Center and asking if there are any open spots. “I’ve been able to build connections with some of my fellow coworkers and also learn how to referee new sports,” Bener said. “I was excited to get to learn how to understand how those work.” Intramurals boast a wide range of talent, which include people playing for fun to more experienced players who have played the sport for years. Some of the games often get intense, no matter the sport, especially when playoff season closes in. Accounting junior Daryon Jackson is no stranger to the intramural volleyball scene, as he said he played during his freshman and sophomore years. Jackson said the club has a competitive nature and he said he plans on continuing his involvement in the volleyball program. “They all have a competitive nature,” Jackson said. “Even if you're new, they won’t yell at you or anything — they’ll push you to get better, they're always nice people.” With intramurals being such a popular attraction, students have offered feedback on ways that it can be improved upon and be more rewarding for the winners. Caleb Ventura, marketing and finance senior said adding better incentives or consistent prizes for each sport would bring out more students and raise the competitiveness of the programs. “They’ve fluctuated in the past years between rings and shirts,” Ventura said. “If they could just make some sort of prizes that I think students would actually want to fight for more, it can definitely increase the competitiveness; it’ll also be something we could cherish more.” Students can buy semester-long intramural passes on UTA’s website for $10, so students don’t have to buy multiple passes for other sports. Students can download the Fusion Play app to join or create an intramural team after they have purchased an intramural pass. The app contains all of the registration deadlines, teams, schedules and times of games. The regular volleyball season runs from Sept. 2-18, with practices running every Tuesday through Thursday. Even though registration for teams has ended, interested students can still sign up for a team, up until playoffs start. @tdreevess sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The Texas Rangers (74-70) beat the American League West-leading Houston Astros (78-66) 4-2 to take the series, bouncing back from an 11-0 loss Saturday. The Rangers took two of three from the Astros, on the back of great pitching performances and an offensive explosion with a three-run sixth inning. The first run of the game came in the bottom of the second inning after a dropped third strike and a throwing error by Astros catcher Yanier Diaz allowed Rangers second baseman Dylan Moore to come around and score. Pitcher Patrick Corbin racked up five strikeouts in 5.2 innings, allowing only one run on three hits, leaving the game tied 1-1 before getting relieved by Phil Maton, who got the final out of the inning. The Rangers have been struggling with injuries, losing key players like shortstop Corey Seager, second baseman Marcus Semien and starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. Corbin said injuries are a part of the game and he tries his best to perform regardless. “I just try to be out there [every day], be accountable, try to pitch as deep as I can in every game and try to give us a chance to win,” Corbin said. Head coach Bruce Bochy said Corbin's effort and pitch command were what they needed from him as they bounced back from the loss they suffered the previous game. Heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, it looked like a close call for the Rangers until third baseman Josh Jung lined an RBI double to center field, giving the Rangers a 2-1 lead. What followed was the eventual nail in the coffin when Jake Burger blasted his second homerun of the series, a two-run bomb to right field that gave the Rangers a three-run lead. From that point on, the Rangers never lost the lead, but the Astros had some fight left, scoring a run in the top of the seventh inning off a Rangers’ subpar bullpen. They rank 17th in ERA and have blown 27 saves, according to Fox Sports. However, after giving up the run, Maton was perfect from there on out, earning the win behind shutdown pitching from Robert Garcia and Shawn Armstrong, who allowed only one hit in two innings of work combined. With this win, the Rangers handed two losses to the team leading their division but gained no ground in the Wild Card race as the Seattle Mariners bulldozed the Atlanta Braves 18-2. The Rangers remain 1.5 games back of the final playoff spot with only 18 games left in the season. While they gained no ground in the standings, Bochy said it was good to take a big series as the team keeps fighting for a playoff spot. “It's good for those guys. I'm proud of how they’re playing, they're getting after it and bouncing back,” Bochy said. The Rangers will finish out this home stretch with a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the team with the most wins this season. Game one of the series starts at 7:05 p.m. Monday at Globe Life. @diegocllazo sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

As the sun set and the air cooled in Arlington, Jose “G-Bear” Gomez Jr. pedaled his glossy black cruiser along the city’s streets. Gomez and more than 60 cyclists motored through the UTA campus, and around the downtown area to the Entertainment District once a week — in a good-natured pack of whirling wheels. Zoom. “You get to see a lot of things that you never saw while you’re in the car,” said Gomez, a 43-year-old Dallas resident working in sales. Gomez is a member of the DFW BMX Cruisers group, established in 2018 to bike across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The group meets in Arlington on most Wednesdays. For many cyclists, riding with DFW BMX Cruisers provides mental and physical exercise along with a sense of community. Members from all walks of life say they’re looking out for each other — during and after the rides. Many are small business owners who trade services through the group, from plumbers and technicians to car dealers. “You can see anybody on our page, they’re all saying BMX family,” Midlothian resident Peter James said. “We all try to help each other out.” Grand Prairie resident Kriss Parra nodded, chiming in. “Someone gets a flat tire on the ride, everybody stops and helps out,” Parra said. At around 8 p.m. on a recent Wednesday, the group met at the Fuzzy’s Taco Shop on East Abram Street where members readied themselves for the ride. For Dallas resident Joana Cornejo, the rides relieve stress from her job in the food industry. “I take it as therapy,” Cornejo said. “It helps me out to destress from everything going on in the world or at home and just go out and have a good time with all the guys, all the girls that come. Now it’s more of us girls, which is fun.” Calves tightened, helmets were balanced, wheels inched forward. Then they were off. Whoosh. On campus, a tide of riders poured across the University Center’s wide pavement. Neon bike rims flickered, casting a party glow as bass-heavy EDM music pulsed through portable speakers. Some performed wheelies, leaning back with a bent leg and balancing on the rear wheel. They made a steep ascent around UTA before heading out to the bright lights of Arlington. A 7-Eleven came into sight. Skrrrt. Members rested, grabbed a drink at the store and caught up with one another. Then they pedaled around the Globe Life Field area before circling back to Fuzzy’s — sometimes reaching about 10 miles per hour. On average, the group rides at least 10 to 12 miles every time they meet. Members keep the same route for peace of mind, Gomez said. Despite the familiar path, they are still learning new things. “We discover a lot of restaurants and a lot of new places,” Gomez said. Then they get back to their daily lives. “Ultimately, you know, that’s what we all have to do, get back to our everyday,” said Arlington resident Eddie Pineda, who leads the Wednesday rides. “But this is our escape from everyday.” @DangHLe news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Margaret Monostory Crowley leaned back in her chair and set the scene. The year was 1969, and the 4-year-old had just lost her blue stuffed elephant made by her grandmother at a party for her father’s new colleague in UTA’s foreign language department. She later spotted it in the arms of that colleague’s daughter, a little girl named Lolín Martins-Crane, who fell asleep clutching it. “I was ready to walk over there and shake her and say, ‘Yo, little new girl, give me my elephant back,” said Monostory Crowley, assistant professor of practice in theater arts and dance. Martins-Crane, director at the Career Development Center, laughed as she recalled that moment. “I loved it,” she said. “I wasn’t going to give it back.” For the next 56 years, they grew into each other’s worlds. They had sleepovers. They went to school together, sometimes spent holidays together and took vacations together. Then they stepped back for a time to grow on their own. Yet through every milestone — weddings, babies, or, more painfully, the deaths of their parents — they showed up for one another. No one else could fully understand. Except the other. “She's the only one that has my history memories from a sisterhood perspective. I have no one else. It was just her in those moments,” Martins-Crane said before bursting into tears. Their friendship has gone through multiple facets — in sickness and in health. Their childhood was filled with days exploring the creek behind Monostory Crowley’s house, riding bikes and inventing adventures. They also had to deal with Martins-Crane’s asthma, when Monostory Crowley was the only person allowed to come over and hang out with her friend. In college, Monostory Crowley discovered theater. Martins-Crane, who studied psychology, remembered a sudden feeling that she wasn’t sure she had ever shared aloud. “I was so jealous, because I had not found my tribe yet. I had not found my community,” she said. The pair still traded letters and phone calls, but they became “two siblings trying to find their own identity and falling apart from each other,” Martins-Crane said. Monostory Crowley said the separation didn’t matter. It didn’t make any difference whether they talked to each other once a week or once a year. They knew the relationship was always there. Looking back, Martins-Crane called that process necessary. “We weren't the team discovering together anymore. We were apart discovering,” she said. “I think it was healthy thing. I think it was a good thing. It's made us who we are obviously today, and I just think it's the beauty of the separation.” Soon after, she found her own community at the Dry Gulch — the campus bar once tucked in the University Center basement where The Shorthorn's offices now stand — where her future husband, alumnus Martin Crane, was DJing. Somewhere between Martins-Crane meeting Crane and marrying him, she and Monostory Crowley went through one of their first tough tests. ‘I always felt like I didn't do enough’ Martins-Crane felt “schizophrenic” when her mother died in 1990, she said. One minute, she was crying. The next, she was planning table tents for her wedding the following year. Monostory Crowley also remembered that period for a different reason. “I always felt like I didn't do enough,” she said. At that moment, she was juggling graduate school and living in Austin. “I didn't feel like I was keeping this ball in the air, you know, while I was trying to keep all the other ones in the air,” she said. “I love you,” Martins-Crane responded back, almost immediately. In the years following, Monostory Crowley lost her father in 2003, and Martins-Crane lost hers in 2007. A decade later, in 2017, Monostory Crowley’s mother died. Each loss felt doubled. They mourned their own parent while watching the other grieve. When they were physically there for each other, one would sit at the hospital to give the other a break. And when distance kept them apart, they leaned on many five-hour calls. “I feel like I lost a second set of parents, you know, with yours,” Martins-Crane said. Crane said that with each loss, his wife and Monostory Crowley leaned on each other. Their different personalities made for a deep friendship. “It’s just a long-term friendship,” he said. “So few people get to keep friends that they had when they were 5 years, 6 years old.” ‘She loves me no matter what happens’ Their bonds have grown deeper in recent years. After 25 years of trying, in 2018, Monostory Crowley joined Martins-Crane in working at UTA, their alma mater. She chased the opportunity for decades and credited Martins-Crane for her getting the position. It was Martins-Crane who approached the chairman of the theater arts and dance department, asking him to consider her friend. Even then, Martins-Crane was the one more anxious about the interview. She had a long list of questions when Monostory Crowley called her after: What happened? What did her friend answer? Was she comfortable? Did she have good examples? Is there something Martins-Crane herself could do? Her friend was more brief in her reply, “I think they’re going to hire me.” Kim LaFontaine, retired theater arts and dance professor and chair emeritus, said in a text that Monostory Crowley was a great hire for the department because of her expertise in costume design and set construction. “Kudos to all the people who convinced her to take the position as the department was in desperate need of her talent at the time,” LaFontaine said. Pete Smith, professor of modern languages and UTA’s chief analytics and data officer, said the pair’s friendship reflects the legacy of their fathers, who were once his colleagues. “It's the perfect example of tradition, right?” Smith said. These days, they get together around every week or two, with many texts in between, Martins-Crane said. The family traditions they grew up with continue through their children. Both said they believe they would have been different people without the other — they’re now not just better friends but also better mothers. “I just know that she loves me no matter what happens,” Martins-Crane said. “I can share anything and every single thing with her. There's no judgment, there’s nothing. I feel so at home and so at ease, and it's such a comfort.” As the conversation stretched past an hour, they sat across from one another, eyes brimming as they went through past, present and future. More than once, they finished each other’s sentences. “I have so many things,” Martins-Crane responded when asked about what else they appreciated about the other. “How much longer do you want?” Monostory Crowley asked. Monostory Crowley still keeps the original blue elephant at her bedside. Martins-Crane’s red twin, also stitched by her friend’s grandmother, went to her daughter. Martins-Crane gave a loving look toward her best friend of 56 years, their eyes red from crying. “She’s my elephant in my life,” Martins-Crane said. @DangHLe news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Behind the curtains at College Park Center during the 2025 MavsMeet Kickoff, the furry character that represents UTA’s Maverick identity couldn’t help but break out into a spontaneous dance, hyping himself up before stepping into the spotlight. The bass of the music thumps through the floor as he waits, a burst of energy waiting to erupt. Then — he’s off. It’s all in a day’s work for Blaze, UTA’s mascot. But Blaze wasn’t always the face of UTA. UTA has had many mascots over the years, according to a UTA Magazine article, including the short-lived Grubbers from 1917-21, the Junior Aggies from 1923-49, the controversial Rebels from 1951-71, Sam Maverick and finally, Blaze. Blaze, the energetic white horse with a bold blue mohawk, galloped onto the scene in 2007, born from a student vote to reimagine the university’s logo and mascot, according to previous Shorthorn reporting. The horse can be spotted at various outings throughout the school year, such as basketball and volleyball games, and at campus and community events. Each event during the first week of classes revealed a different layer of the mascot's personality. A handler said Blaze represents the inclusivity and diversity at the university. “I think everybody can relate to him in variety of ways regardless on what major you are,” the handler said. He can flip tires, drift go-karts and act out skits with different organizations. “Blaze isn’t afraid to try new things,” the handler said. Not every moment is loud and over-the-top. At this year's Rec Fest, Blaze calmly approached a student and her service dog, crouching down after taking a photo to give the dog a quick pet. He also has less graceful moments. At another event, psychology sophomore Aerial McCaskill said she saw the horse fall down a few stairs while dancing. “Everyone loved it, though,” McCaskill said. “Everyone was laughing with him, tried to help him up. It wasn’t very many stairs, he was okay.” Wondering what the mascot does when he’s out of the public eye, some students have developed their own theories about Blaze, like what classes he would take if he attended college. Public health junior Vanessa Solis, a member of the UTA Wranglers spirit group, said she thinks Blaze would major in kinesiology or sports management. “He’s around the sports all the time. He’s always there,” she said. “So maybe he has an interest in it.” Blaze's impact goes beyond entertainment. When Blaze isn’t there, Solis said it’s noticed. “When people think of UTA, they automatically think of Blaze,” she said. “So when Blaze comes out, there’s a lot more energy than when Blaze isn’t there.” Architecture senior Benjamin Bernardino said he feels a sense of pride knowing Blaze is UTA’s mascot. “He’s the embodiment of school spirit. He represents who we are, us Mavericks,” he said. “They don’t call us Mavericks for no reason.” And maybe that’s why, at the end of the MavsMeet Kickoff, when students had begun filling out, Blaze was still under the lights dancing. Because for this Maverick, the show never truly ends. @tay._.sansom news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

From painting to musicals, Dallas-Fort Worth residents have several events to choose from this week. Entertainment Painting with a Twist’s Arlington location is hosting a painting experience Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. The 16-plus event is designed for relaxed socialization. Tickets range from $37 to $48. Participants are encouraged to arrive 15-20 minutes early to set up. Catch comedian Kam Patterson during his improv shows Friday through Sunday at Arlington Improv. The shows are 18-plus and will run at various times. Tickets start around $38. See the Tony Award-winning musical “The Wiz” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas. Tickets start around $58. Music Rock out attending a Freddie Mercury 79th birthday show with Queen Legacy at 8 p.m. Friday at Legacy Hall in Plano, Texas. The Texas-based tribute band delivers the vocal power and energy of Freddie Mercury and the original Queen, taking audiences back to the ’70s. Tickets start around $15 and doors open at 6 p.m. Celebrate Depeche Mode with a free Strangelove tribute at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Levitt Pavilion Arlington. Opening is local alternative rock/pop band Almost Jaded. The venue encourages guests to bring blankets or lawn chairs for open seating. Sports The Texas Rangers are playing the Milwaukee Brewers at 7:05 p.m. Monday at Globe Life Field. Tickets start at around $14 and doors open at 5:05 p.m. @taylormakynzee news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu