The Retrograde is an independent, entirely student-run news publication that serves campus and local news the student body at the University of Texas at Dallas, replacing The Mercury as UTD’s eminent student newspaper. Unlike The Mercury, which was organized under UTD’s Student Affairs department and directly overseen by administration, The Retrograde is legally independent of UTD and will instead answer to a supervisory committee staffed by students, faculty and industry professionals. As of November 2025, The Retrograde is a 501(c)3 non-profit newsroom.
All donations to The Retrograde’s GoFundMe will be used for annual operating costs as outlined below. All extra money raised may be put toward providing staff compensation/reimbursement; purchasing journalistic equipment like cameras; expanding print or digital outreach; paying for public records; saving or investing for future use; or another relevant use as approved by The Retrograde’s executive team.
The Retrograde’s current fundraising goals are:
$550 annually for The Retrograde’s website and email accounts
$1,000 reserved for annual franchise fees and taxes
$400, one-time, for membership in the College Media Association, Associated College Press and Texas Intercollegiate Press Association student media associations
The Retrograde is currently an online-only publication. To publish a print newspaper as often as The Mercury did — 19 times per academic year on full-color broadsheet with 12 pages and 2,000 copies per issue — The Retrograde needs to secure $27,300 annually. Print will be financed through ad revenue and any money that remains after meeting all other fundraising goals.
The Retrograde’s current executive team includes:
Gregorio Olivares Gutierrez as Editor-in-Chief
Maria Shaikh as Managing Editor
Aimee Morgan as News Editor
Nandini Singh as Life & Arts Editor
Grace Cowger as Graphics Editor
Katya Zakar as Photo Editor
Rainier Pederson as Web Editor
Fiyin Olajide as Copy Editor
Carlotta Amalia Fernandez as Social Media Manager
The Retrograde’s inaugural online issue released Sept. 30, 2024. The Retrograde has since published over 200 articles and won dozens of awards for our team's stellar work.
Read more about The Retrograde's history and our current coverage at retrogradenews.com or on Instagram. Keep up with The Retrograde’s content and activities on our website and on Instagram at @retrograde_news.