Parking and Transportation Services will adjust their hours for Thanksgiving break. Mav Mover Shuttle Bus Nov. 25 to 27: Limited Extended Red Route services will be available on demand via the MavMover app. Nov. 28 to Dec. 1: There will be no shuttle services offered. Late Night Escort Vans Nov. 25 to 27: Operations will run 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Nov. 28 to 29: There will be no shuttle services offered. Green Route Shopping Shuttles Nov. 25 to 27: Operations will run 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Nov. 28 to Dec. 1: There will be no shuttle services offered. Dec. 16 to 23: Operations will run 5:30 p.m. to 9:20 p.m. RAPID Self-Driving Shuttles Nov. 25 to 27: Operations will run 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Nov. 28 to 29: There will be no shuttle services offered. Parking Adjustments Nov. 25 to 27: “After 5 p.m.” parking rules apply. Nov. 28 to 29: “Weekend” parking rules apply for extra flexibility. The MavMover and TripShot apps provide real-time updates with text alerts when signed up at MavPark. @mn.alansari news-editor.shororn@uta.edu

Some UTA facilities will have alternate hours Nov. 25 to Dec. 1 for the Thanksgiving holiday. University Center and The Commons Hours during the holiday weekend will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 25, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 26 and 7 a.m. to noon Nov. 27. Both the UC and The Commons will be closed Nov. 28 through 30 before returning to their regular 11 a.m. to midnight hours Dec. 1, according to their website. Maverick Activities Center The MAC will be open Nov. 27 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and will be closed Nov. 28 through 30. Regular hours will resume from noon to midnight Dec. 1st, according to its website. Central Library Alternate hours begin 7 a.m. to noon Nov. 27. The library will be closed Nov. 28 to 30. Regular hours will return Dec. 1, according to its website. Maverick Dining All dining locations will be closed Nov. 27 through 30 and will resume Dec. 2. The Market at University Center will be open 7 a.m. to noon Nov. 27. The Market at University Center will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 1, and the Connection Café will reopen 5 to 9 p.m. the same day, according to their website. @wall035203 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

UTA undergraduate students whose families make less than $100,000 annually will get free tuition and waived fees starting 2025. At its Thursday meeting, the UT System Board of Regents approved the initiative for all academic universities within the system, which includes UTA. The approval will help increase funding and establish a new baseline for UTA’s Blaze Forward initiative, which is also supported by university funds, and federal and state grants. The initiative, launched in 2022, covers tuition and mandatory fees over four years for UTA undergraduates and two years for transfer students who have completed their associate degree. To be eligible, students must be Texas residents, full-time undergraduate attendants and be able to receive federal and state grants. There is no required application for the program, but students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, FAFSA, or Texas Application for State Financial Aid, TASFA. With Blaze Forward as one of multiple resources offered to UTA students, the university committed to $400 million in financial support to students entering fall 2024. President Jennifer Cowley said in a press release Thursday that 49% of undergraduates had their tuition and fees fully covered this year. “We are thrilled to create the opportunity to help even more students achieve their dreams of a college degree,” Cowley said. The average cost of tuition and fees for a full-time undergraduate student paying an in-state rate at UTA is $12,208. “Blaze Forward provides meaningful financial assurances to thousands of Texas families. This program expansion reflects UTA’s enduring commitment to ensuring that the resources students need to succeed and thrive throughout their Maverick journey are available to them, regardless of financial background,” said Tamara Brown, Academic Affairs provost and senior vice president, in the press release. The UT System Board of Regents’ Academic Affairs Committee preliminarily approved the introduction of $35 million across all nine academic institutions during Wednesday’s meeting. The investment will derive from endowment distributions, the Available University Fund and other resources. “To be in a position to make sure our students can attend a UT institution without accruing more debt is very important to all of us, and as long as we are here, we will continue our work to provide an affordable, accessible education to all who choose to attend,” said Kevin Eltife, chairman of the Board of Regents, in the press release. The move follows Gov. Greg Abbott's recent announcement that he will prohibit public colleges or universities from increasing tuition in the next two years. "The State has made historic investments in higher education, including increased funding for universities and financial aid programs," Abbott wrote in a letter to public colleges and universities. News clerk Dang Le contributed to this report. @amandaLaldridge @trinhvchristine news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Arlington City Council approved several items, including road safety plans, veteran support initiatives and funding for new police vehicles at Tuesday’s meeting. The council unanimously approved the consent agenda, including a $400,000 general assistance grant from the Texas Veterans Commission to fund homeless veteran outreach services and events in the Arlington Entertainment District. The city's convention and event services requested the initiative aims to meet veterans where they are, outside of traditional shelter locations. The entertainment district, which includes landmarks like AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field and the Medal of Honor Museum, was chosen due to its high traffic to raise visibility for veterans’ needs, according to the city staff report. The initiative aims to draw community support, foster a sense of belonging and encourage local businesses and residents to contribute. The council also passed the Safe Streets Arlington Plan, which aims to eliminate deaths and serious injuries from Arlington roadways by 2050. The city used crash data from 2018 to 2022 to create a High Injury Network and to inform existing conditions analysis. The plan was prepared with specific actions, policies and other recommendations, including discussion with stakeholders and community input. Once the plan is adopted, the city will be eligible to apply for additional funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program to support implementation. The consent agenda also included the purchase of 29 new vehicles for the Arlington Police Department, with a budget not to exceed $1,679,935. The new vehicles will replace ones that have exceeded their useful service life, which can risk increased annual maintenance costs if not replaced. @fluffsjourney news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

UTA athletes’ performances are often judged by their statistics on the court. However, there’s a process behind that. There are families left behind. There are sacrifices made. There are moments of self-doubt that can only be figured out within themselves. “Unsaddled,” a docuseries deep diving into the personal lives of student-athletes and coaches produced by the Athletics department, aims to highlight those stories. The biweekly series began streaming on YouTube in September, with 20 episodes planned for the 2024-25 athletic year, said Duane Lewis, senior associate athletic director for external relations. UTA Athletics shuffled through different ideas for an engaging docuseries. After exploring concepts from coaches’ shows and other UTA properties, the team landed on “Unsaddled,” Lewis said. The creative team took elements from “Wright Your Story,” a series only focused on UTA women’s basketball, and expanded the concept across every sport for “Unsaddled.” “We wanted to tell the story of the season through the eyes and ears of our student-athletes and coaches, and here we are,” Lewis said. Luis Diaz, digital strategies and branding assistant athletic director, worked with Lewis to envision how to create the show with less narration to rely more on coaches and athletes for the storytelling. “Unsaddled” focuses on breaking down who the teams and players are as people, Diaz said, giving fans the chance to hear their personal stories during the season. As one of the series’ subjects, Brody Robinson, men’s basketball junior guard, said it’s cool to see into players’ lives, the sacrifices they’ve made and how they ended up at UTA. Before joining UTA, Robinson played Division One basketball with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga before transferring to Garden City Community College, where he continued playing at the junior collegiate level. “It was a culture shock, out in the middle of nowhere,” Robinson said in an episode. “I’ve always been in Houston my whole life. It was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Returning to Division One competition at UTA gave him a deeper understanding of the level of effort it required, what was at stake and what he needed to strive for to be the best version of himself. “Everybody sees the outcome, but you never see the work that’s put in,” Robinson said. “I think it’s really cool that people can experience the day-to-day, the hour-to-hour work that we do put in and how much treatment and workouts and extra workouts that we do.” Once the idea was formed, Lewis said he and Diaz presented it to the creative team to see if it could be consistently presented throughout the year. Blueprints from past coaches’ talk shows were reimagined to create the series. Around 12 to 15 directors, creative services and marketing members have a hand in it, Lewis said. The series relies on team contacts who know storylines down to details like who’s playing well and who’s emerging. “Everyone has a voice. Everyone’s opinion is heard, and we talk through and figure out what’s the best way to execute every segment of every episode,” Lewis said. Diaz’s favorite part of the series is having a creative vibe where everyone wants to differentiate the product from a typical docuseries, he said. The team is constantly capturing footage, questioning what shots tell the story or what captures the best emotion, also focusing on post-production aspects — something Diaz said he’s found beauty in. While the team has improved its production on a show-by-show basis, it’s ready to take it to the next step by moving the series to a larger platform, Lewis said. “That’s our driving mantra, if you will. To do what we can to showcase our student-athletes and our coaches for the betterment of our department, and ultimately, UTA as a university,” Lewis said. Each episode is reviewed by the creative team and he enjoys the conversations that strike up, Lewis said. Everybody is critical, wanting to put out the best product. “Everybody brings their perspective. I enjoy the different levels of thought in terms of trying to get to that core goal of the best presentation that we can every time,” Lewis said. Not only has the series strengthened the creative team’s relationship, but it has also brought the team closer to the athletes and coaches, Diaz said. “We’re storytellers, right?,” said Jordan Stepp, associate athletic director of strategic communications. “When it comes down to it, I enjoy that part of it more than probably any part of my job — to be able to tell stories.” Stepp said the show gives fans and viewers the ability to pull up the series and look back on the effort that was put in to highlight UTA’s program, student-athletes and coaches. “We get to showcase UTA Athletics and what we’re trying to be, which is winning program upon winning program,” he said. @heyyyitslando sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

For the first time in 22 years, the UTA volleyball team is a regular season conference champion. The Mavericks (24-2, 14-0) defeated Tarleton State University (7-20, 2-12) 3-1 to remain undefeated in the Western Athletic Conference — claiming the outright WAC title. The Mavericks have dominated the WAC all season long, and this latest accolade comes in the midst of a 15-game win streak. Thus far, the team has notched 16 season sweeps and clinched the number one seed in the WAC tournament Saturday in a win against Utah Valley University. Graduate outside hitter Brianna Ford led the team in Monday’s victory with her 13th double-double of the season, recording 19 kills and 12 digs. Freshman outside hitter Sjakkie Donkers chipped in with 11 kills. Head coach J.T. Wenger has repeatedly lamented how vital the role of his graduate players has been this season, with five of their key rotation players being graduate students. However, this team’s depth has been evident all season with younger players like Donkers. The WAC volleyball tournament will be held Nov. 21 to 23 at College Park Center with the Mavericks taking the court 7 p.m. The bracket has yet to be announced. The Mavericks will continue their final road trip of the season with a game 7:30 p.m. Thursday against Southern Utah University. @babyboimatt sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Jake Paul, YouTube creator turned professional boxer, made an appearance at Dog Haus Biergarten at the Arlington Highlands shopping center after announcing a partnership with the fast-casual chain. The business serves everything from wings to burgers to hot dogs and now: knockouts. At the event, Paul said the partnership started after he tried the restaurant’s cheeseburger with its signature Hawaiian bun. His team reached out to the chain’s CEO and the rest is history, he said. The Arlington spot is one of four locations opening in Texas. “It just works out perfectly. I have a huge fan base in Texas and it’s really one of the hearts of America,” Paul said. “What better way to serve the best American food to all of my fans here?” The event promised exclusive giveaways, drink specials and a chance to meet Paul in person. The first 200 guests in line at 2 p.m. received a free Jake Paul Meal. Arlington resident Mahogany Matthews was the first person waiting in line at 8 a.m. after hearing about the event on Facebook. Although running on little sleep after coming straight from an overnight shift, she said it was “definitely worth the wait.” Matthews was one of the few people to personally place her order with Paul, followed by photos and autographs. It was nerve-wracking, but she’s been a fan since she was in middle school watching his YouTube videos, she said. “It’s crazy to me that people come out and show support. And the Jake Paulers, it’s an awesome group and squad, and they're the best,” Paul said. “They’re the reason I’m standing here today, is because of their support, truly. They just continue to support me and I’m just super grateful for them.” Arlington resident Mike Meadows said he typically goes to Dallas Cowboys games on Sundays but he didn’t want to miss the restaurant’s grand opening and Paul’s appearance. Meadows arrived around 9:30 a.m. before the line wrapped around the building. Once inside, he couldn’t wait to try the wings. His interaction with Paul was short but sweet, and he said it was a moment he’ll remember. Allen, Texas, resident Kylie Paz, 13, attended with her father for the chance to meet Paul. She stood on a table shouting, “Jake, I love you.” Paz said Paul gifted her three tickets to Friday’s event after she declared her admiration and told him how long she’d watched his videos. “He gave me three free tickets, which is literally crazy,” Paz said. “He took a picture with me, and people were recording and sent me the videos. And now I get to say that I met and hugged Jake Paul. Like, that’s crazy.” Paul will face off against legendary boxer Mike Tyson in an eight-round, heavyweight bout Friday at AT&T Stadium. The event will stream on Netflix and is hosted by Most Valuable Promotions, a boxing promotion company Paul cofounded. Paul said it’s been difficult to sleep at night because of the nerves and adrenaline for Friday’s fight, which will be the biggest moment of his career. “I’m excited to see how hard Mike Tyson hits,” Paul said. “I want a war. I want the fans to be entertained and I want to show the world my boxing ability.” @heyyyitslando sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

UTA men’s and women’s basketball, cross country and volleyball will all be back in action this week. Volleyball claimed at least a share of the WAC regular season championship and could clinch the title with a win Monday night. This is the schedule for Nov. 12-18. Men's basketball The men’s team will hit the road to face off against the University of Southern California at 10 p.m. Wednesday. The game will be transmitted on the Big Ten Network. The team will return home to face Texas College at 7 p.m. Friday at College Park Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. Women’s basketball UTA women’s basketball will be on the road for two games starting off against Arkansas State University at Bud Walton Arena. The game will be held 6:30 p.m. Thursday and will be available on ESPN+. UTA will then travel to Commerce, Texas, to face off against East Texas A&M University at The Field House at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 18. Volleyball UTA volleyball will travel to Utah for two road games. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, the team will face off against Southern Utah University. Continuing in Utah, the team will battle against Utah Tech University at 11 a.m. Saturday. This game will be played at the Burns Arena in St. George, Utah. Cross country The men’s and women’s cross country teams will be participating in the NCAA South Central Regionals in College Station. No time has been set yet. @stephanie_q03 sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Residents have various entertainment options for the upcoming break including a Dallas Cowboys game, holiday brunches and local shopping deals. Entertainment Explore new pieces at the Holiday Art Walk from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Goldmark Cultural Center in Dallas. With free admission, the event will feature over 175 local artists, exhibitions, art activities, demonstrations and more. Residents can show off their skills for a chance to win prizes during Community Beer Co.’s Ping Pong Tournament from 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 30 at Commonwealth Drive in Dallas. Registration is available online for $10. Check-in begins at noon. Support local businesses during The Mosaic Market’s Small Business Saturday Sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 30 through Dec. 1. Shoppers can enjoy 10% off gift baskets and other discounts from local vendors. Food Gather with friends and head to Dallas for a Friendsgiving brunch 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Community Beer Co. Reservations are recommended and available online. Attendees can enjoy patio seating with “Friends” playing on the televisions, and an array of food and beverages. Sports Residents can enjoy the staple Thanksgiving combination of turkey and football as the Dallas Cowboys take on the New York Giants at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at AT&T Stadium. Tickets are available online and seats start from $36. The Dallas Stars will face the Colorado Avalanche at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at American Airlines Center. Tickets are available online and start at $61. The game will be available to stream on Max. news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The entrance to Taste of Europe features wooden, medieval-inspired double doors and warm, lantern-style lights on both sides of the doorway. Inside, cabinets on the walls display rows of colorful, painted nesting dolls — a mix of whimsical and cultural collections of Eastern European folk art. The decor was recently renovated with wood walls, terracotta tiles and new lighting to bring out the restaurant’s brown tone. The lights were dimmed and smooth jazz flowed through the dining room. This is the world of Alexandre Tsalko, a Belarusian who took over the restaurant in 2021 after his wife’s father, Mikhail Frumkin, retired. Frumkin didn’t want to close the restaurant because they had regular customers, so he told his son-in-law, “You can try. If you’re good, good. If you’re not good you can close,” Tsalko said. In 2002, Frumkin founded Taste of Europe on West Pioneer Parkway, about three miles from UTA. The restaurant was temporarily closed in August and reopened Nov. 1 following renovations. Outside of serving a variety of Eastern European dishes, the restaurant also has a small section in the corner selling European snacks, beverages and ingredients. When Tsalko took over the restaurant, he learned the business step by step from Frumkin. The family recipes, which haven’t changed, require all components of the dishes to be made from scratch. The restaurant’s signature dishes include golden brown potato cakes with a side of applesauce and sour cream, as well as beef stroganoff, served with a cream onion and mushroom sauce on top of egg noodles. Its flavors were once featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” in 2012. The jagerschnitzel, thinned tender pork fried in breadcrumbs and covered in a mushroom sauce with sautéed sauerkraut, has brought Grand Prairie residents Deborah Cypert and Holli Blackwell back to Taste of Europe for almost a decade. They bring each other to the restaurant on their birthdays, Cypert said. They don’t eat out much, but if they are going to, “We want to come somewhere special where the food is excellent,” Blackwell said. Although Taste of Europe only opens for dinner Wednesday and Thursday and all day during weekends, Tsalko drives an hour and a half from Rowlett, Texas, to arrive at the restaurant at 7:30 a.m. every day to either clean, order or pick up food and do the prep work. His two sons live in Arlington, so he sometimes stays with them over the weekend. In the morning, Tsalko prepares in the kitchen. In the evening, he greets guests and serves tables. “This is family restaurant,” he said. “We check in everything, and it’s hard work, but it’s good. For business, it’s good.” His first order of business every day, though? “Coffee,” he said, laughing. Tsalko didn’t have much experience running a restaurant other than a pizza franchise from 2001 to 2008. He was a heating, ventilation and air conditioning technician before running Taste of Europe and is the only one in his family to have run a restaurant. The Taste of Europe crew is small, with only a few full-time employees, but most of them have stayed for years. One of whom is Terry Petersen, a chef who started at the restaurant in the summer of 2019. Petersen typically comes in an hour before opening to check if all the sauces are heated up and all the proteins are prepared, he said. He used to work at breakfast places. Here, he learns a different way of cooking instead of prebagged, frozen foods. “It’s real nice to get into an actual kitchen and cook scratch,” Petersen said. In August, Tsalko briefly planned to close the restaurant and move elsewhere. News of the closure spread on local Facebook groups like Real Arlington Foodies and Reddit, where he saw hundreds of messages asking him to stay open. He changed his mind and began redecorating. “I love my customers, and I stay,” he said. Blackwell and Cypert said they missed the old decorations, where artifacts reminded them of a museum. Now, it looks more like a restaurant. “But, the food is still the same, excellent,” Cypert said. As conversations went on, Blackwell, Cypert and their friend continued to taste the flavors of East Europe. And before the waiter could take her plate and clean the table, Blackwell wanted one last bite of beef stroganoff. @DangHLe news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Ian Gillies, UTA alumni and artist, said UTA has been instrumental in getting him to where he is today as a musician. Students gathered for Gillies’ acoustic EP release party for The Practice Room Sessions, at Brazos Park from 7 to 9 p.m. The concert was held by UTA Student Records, UTA’s music label, and featured Gillian Jolie along with Abigail Hill, who opened for Gillies and performed their own songs. Amy Franco, music business and biology major, said that UTA Student Records is a class that brings music students together to produce music. In order to achieve this, she said their class has a regular lecture and has conversations about the music business industry. “It’s all student-run. It’s all student-motivated,” Franco said. “The professor assigns a CEO of a group, and we all basically collaborate together with our ideas,” Franco said. She said that so far, they’ve signed two artists. Jarod Silverio, UTA Student Records president and audio production major, said that in the class, students learn about what goes into managing a record label, like copyright law, marketing and publishing. “I’m overseeing the operations of our marketing, distribution, artist and repertoire and our contracts team, where we take in artists and consider them as projects for our semester,” Silverio said. In this position, he said he's had to learn new organizational skills and what it’s like to spend time in a studio with artists. “Having a taste of that really excites me for what I want to do after school,” he said. “Now, I see artists and label management as something I want to get into.” As someone who’s trying to make his way in the industry, Gillies said that UTA Student Records has helped him release his new EP. “They've been a massive help in terms of just advertising and producing and helping with so many different facets of, especially the show, putting it all together,” Gillies said. “I couldn’t have done any of this without them.” @mn.alansari news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Residents have various entertainment options this week including a Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans game, a yappy hour event and a chili cook-off, including seasonal events like Coca-Cola Classic Christmas and The Nutcracker ballet performance. Sports The Dallas Cowboys will take on the Houston Texans at 7:15 p.m. Nov. 18 at AT&T Stadium. Tickets, required for ages two and up, are available online and. Doors open 5:30 p.m. Holiday entertainment Coca-Cola Classic Christmas is an immersive holiday event held 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. daily from Nov. 22 to Dec. 29 at Choctaw Stadium. Guests can enjoy a Christmas light display, holiday market, ice skating, snow slide, live entertainment, themed nights and visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Tickets are available online. The United Performing Arts Guild presents The Nutcracker Ballet from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Arlington Independent School District’s Center for Visual and Performing Arts Robert C. Copeland Concert Hall. This ticketed holiday performance invites the audience to experience a journey to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Seating is reserved and prices range from $32 to $47. Local Dining Doggie Depot Yappy Hour will be 4 to 8 p.m. Nov. 21 at The Tipsy Oak. This event supports The Doggie Depot, a new off-leash dog park in downtown Arlington. The restaurant will donate a portion of sales to help fund the park. Attendees can enjoy food, live music and the company of fellow dog lovers. Leashed dogs are welcome on the patio. Residents can bring the heat to On Tap’s fifth annual Chili Cook-Off from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 17 Participants can enter their chili recipes for a chance to win the judge’s choice $100 prize or taste and vote for their favorite chili in the people’s choice competition for $5, with a $50 prize for the winner. Entries must check in and pay the $15 entry fee by 1:45 p.m. @fluffsjourney news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu