Here are the hours of operation for various UTA facilities during the fall semester. University Center and The Commons During the fall semester, the University Center and The Commons will be open from 7 a.m. to midnight Mondays through Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays. Maverick Activities Center The MAC will begin fall hours Monday. The building will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight Mondays through Fridays and from noon to midnight Saturdays and Sundays. Central Library Fall hours for the Central Library begin Monday. The space will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 9 a.m. to midnight Saturdays and Sundays. Transportation services Once the fall semester starts, the MavMover shuttle buses begin their school year operation schedule. The express, Orange, Blue, Black, Pink and Yellow routes operate from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The Red Route will operate from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and the Green Route will operate from 6 to 10:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The Late Night Security Escort Service will run 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. through the fall semester. The vans are available every night through the UTA Mav Mover app. Maverick Dining Some dining locations will open with limited hours on Thursday and Friday, with fall hours beginning Monday. A full list of dining hours and locations is available on the Maverick Dining website. @wall035203 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

With Mavericks gearing up for a new semester, UTA is offering the annual Maverick Stampede to welcome new and returning students to campus Aug. 14-29. Maverick Stampede is the official welcome to the university, with over 40 events planned. It serves as a way to acclimate Mavericks to campus culture, Student Activities coordinator Chrysta Porter said. “I think this matters because it shows that, truly, we are a community that cares about our students, and we want to see them thrive,” Porter said. “Yes, in the classroom, but we also want to see them thrive just simply as individuals.” The festivities, which previously stretched from August to September, have been shortened to two weeks this year, but the department has maintained the same number of events. Porter said this change was so students could feel the “stampede effect.” “We wanted the name stampede to really mean something,” she said. To help students determine which events to attend, Maverick Stampede pillars are being introduced. Each has a specific sector, such as tradition, involvement, community or success. The pillars serve as a way for students to easily identify the events hosted. “I think this Maverick Stampede was handled with a lot of love and care from so many campus partners,” she said. “I think our students are going to truly see that.” Kinfolk Kickoff Kinfolk Kickoff runs from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday at the Lonestar Auditorium in the Maverick Activities Center. The event offers free Maverick merch, food and a DJ. Welcome Back Movie Join EXCEL Campus Activities from 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday in Brazos Park for a showing of the movie “Pitch Perfect” under the stars. MavsMeet Kickoff Students can participate in the annual MavsMeet Kickoff from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Monday at College Park Center. The celebration includes guest speakers, school traditions and live spirit performances from various groups on campus. This year's event will feature “Overtime Hustle” host Speedy Morman as the emcee and Jessica Rector, a UTA alumna, as the guest speaker. MavsMeet After Party Following the kickoff event, Mavericks can party the night away from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday at College Park Center with the MavsMeet After Party. Global Maverick Welcome International students have the opportunity to meet current UTA students, student organizations, resource offices and departments from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Rio Grande Ballroom in the University Center at the Global Maverick Welcome, with free food and activities provided. Rec Fest Come and see what Campus Recreation has to offer at Rec Fest from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Maverick Activities Center. Group exercise class demos, sport club information tables, outdoor games and tie-dyeing stations will be available. Waffleopolis Students can experience a night of Belgian waffles piled high with an abundance of toppings at the long-standing Maverick Stampede tradition Waffleopolis from 8 to 10 p.m. Wednesday at Brazos Park and the UC mall. @tay._.sansom news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Fort Worth resident Marie Beas drinks a daily Red Bull during the work week. Beas doesn’t crack open the silver and blue can. Instead, around midday, she and her co-workers opt for a literal bucket of the energy drink. The plastic vessels, typically used for plants or toys at the beach, are becoming to-go cups for iced coffees and beverages for those who have decided that a 16-ounce drink no longer suffices. The trend is drawing a crowd and racking up TikTok attention. Beas remembered the first time she heard about it. “A bucket of what? Where did you guys get this? I was like, ‘Oh, I want one,’” she said. Stores in Texas and nationwide are leaning into the oddity, serving iced coffees and beverages in buckets with handles and plastic straws. EspressoSelf Cafe, a coffee trailer at Tanger Outlets in Fort Worth, started offering its beverage in the 34-ounce bucket in June after seeing the trend go viral on TikTok. “Everyone kept saying, ‘We just love your coffee, and we want a bigger size for it,’” the shop’s barista Macie Crawford said. “And so as a joke, we did a bucket, and people just loved it.” EspressoSelf Cafe offers all of its beverages in the bucket. An iced latte, in particular, features six shots of espresso and costs $13. On weekends, they sell about 20 buckets a day. Fort Worth resident Ana Ramirez said her watermelon mint Red Bull bucket helps her stay energized during her retail job’s busy back-to-school season. Ramirez said she hasn’t tried a full vessel of coffee, but she may give it a chance in the fall if someone offers a pumpkin spice latte bucket. “That is the only coffee that I can foresee myself drinking to the end of the bucket because a bucket is a lot,” she said. “And so just normal coffee, or normal latte, I don't foresee myself finishing the bucket.” Crawford recalled a woman from Oklahoma who often comes to the trailer for the coffee buckets. “She drives that far just to come see us, so that makes us happy,” she said. Saginaw resident Michael Johnson, who described himself as a coffee enthusiast, said he goes through a bucket of salted caramel frappe or cold brew each day, a downsizing of his usual intake of two or three 24-oz cups. Johnson works in sales, so he relies on the beverage to help him be quick on his feet and alert, and “stay [as] upbeat as possible,” he said. A bucket lasts him anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours. Oftentimes, he made an exception for a second bucket. “Sometimes I stay up late playing games,” he said. “So one of them days where I'm coming off of three or four hours of sleep, a second bucket might be charged.” Stacie Ellis, registered dietitian and nutritionist at UTA’s Campus Recreation, said people can consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine daily, which is equal to four eight-ounce cups of black coffee. But the amount of caffeine varies, depending on the type of coffee, how the beans were roasted or the type of energy drink. Ellis has been concerned about people’s gradual increase in coffee consumption over the years, she said. “There's a reason why they market fast food because if they didn't, people wouldn't come and eat it,” she said. “Because deep down they know they shouldn't eat it, but then they see all these pictures on the television and magazines and all of that. It really is powerful.” “And unless you decide that you're going to think for yourself, it's very easy to get swayed to do that.” For Beas, it’s not the marketing that draws her to the bucket, as she didn’t know about the TikTok trend. It’s also not because she really needs it to do her job. “It’s just a drink, to be honest,” Beas said. “I enjoy the flavor of a Red Bull, so I can drink it five days a week, even if I didn’t work.” Within three hours of purchasing, she had already drunk the whole Red Bull tub. @DangHLe news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Whether Mavericks are filling time between classes, planning weekend outings or looking to explore beyond the classroom, Dallas-Fort Worth offers plenty of options. The areas around UTA provide a variety of student-friendly activities, from parks and theaters to indoor adventures and hidden local gems. Here are some affordable things to do nearby: Alley Cats, 2008 W. Pleasant Ridge Road From bowling to rock climbing, Alley Cats has many activities to enjoy. Prices vary by activity, with bowling costing $30 per hour on weekdays and arcade game cards starting at $5. The cards can be used for all activities except bowling. Coyote Drive-In, 223 NE Fourth St., Fort Worth Coyote Drive-In offers a movie night under the stars. Tickets start at $8 for children ages 5 to 12 and $11 for adults; children 4 and under get in free. Arlington Skatium, 5515 S. Cooper St. Residents can lace up and skate at one of the largest roller skating facilities in Texas. Admission is $14 during regular public skating hours, with half-price tickets available Wednesdays. Arlington Skatium hosts theme nights, parties and open skate sessions throughout the week. Bolder Adventure Park, 2324 W. Warrior Trail, Grand Prairie With over 66,000 square feet of indoor adventure, including archery, a jump pad, tubing slides and a free fall experience, Bolder Adventure Park at EpicCentral offers many activities. Full day tickets start at $10 per person. International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, 621 Six Flags Drive The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame provides the history of some of the greatest bowling legends and of the game itself, which dates back 5,000 years. Admission starts at $7.50 for children 4 to 18 and $9.50 for adults. Top O’ Hill Terrace, 3001 W. Division St. Residents can go to Arlington Baptist University and tour Top O’ Hill, a former casino turned Baptist seminary. Once a hidden gambling hot spot disguised as a tea room, it was opposed by a gospel preacher who later helped transform it into a university. Tours are $10 per person by appointment. The Cozy Catfe, 740 SW Green Oaks Blvd. At The Cozy Catfe, residents can spend time with adoptable cats for $13 per person. Two membership levels are available at $40 and $60 a month. Both include complimentary beverages and unlimited visits. Cidercade, 500 E. Division St. Cidercade offers over 275 arcade games, from retro classics to modern hits and dance-offs. Patrons pay a onetime admission of $12, no coins or game cards required. The Parks Mall at Arlington, 3811 S. Cooper St. Residents can ice skate, explore a variety of shops and enjoy an IMAX movie experience at the AMC Theatres at The Parks Mall at Arlington. Crystal Canyon Natural Area, 1000 Brown Blvd. Crystal Canyon Natural Area is free to explore and features a diverse geological landscape, offering evidence of a onetime nearshore marine environment. Residents can enjoy hiking and biking trails surrounded by natural history in North Arlington. @tay._.sansom news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu