North Texas Daily 4-14-16

THE DOSE: ACTION, THRILLER LOVERS DELIGHT IN ‘HARDCORE HENRY’

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

VOL. 106 No. 12

PAGE 5

NTDAILY.COM

ZIKA

First Zika case in Denton confirmed

By Alejandro Medellin Staff Writer @skinny_fats

County health officials said this week that a Denton County woman has the Zika virus, the first confirmed case of the virus

in the area since international outcry began last year.

The woman, whose name and age were not released to the public, traveled to St. Martin in the Caribbean in late January, where officials believe

she contracted the virus. This news comes just days after the CDC said there is now no doubt Zika is linked to microcephaly – a birth defect in which a newborn’s head is much smaller than expected.

“There is little to no risk,” chief epidemiologist for Denton County Health Department Juan Rodriguez said of the virus spreading. “But it’s hard to predict what would happen, and it could come here like any other

county.”

Rodriguez added that people, especially pregnant women, should avoid areas with dense mosquito populations.

Expecting mothers who contract the virus may infect their child,

Senator considers resignation from unfair student government

Former offensive lineman Walker forced to choose between football and career path

By Lisa Dreher Staff Writer @lisa_dreher97 Tiffany Miller was recently re-elected as the SGA senator for the College of Arts and Sciences, but in the days leading up to the contest, she and a few of her colleagues considered leaving because of internal conflicts they say are degrading SGA’s integrity.

About 11 percent of the undergraduate population are witnessing a run-off election for the SGA president, but beneath the campaign flyers and YouTube posts lies problems these senators say need to be fixed.

“I have tried to the best of my abilities since I was appointed in the fall to embody the spirit of what a senator represents,” Miller said. “I am not entirely convinced that everyone who is in SGA is in SGA for the benefit of the students.”

By Scott Sidway Sports Editor @ScottyWK a sports broadcaster, or quit football and pursue his passion.

He chose the latter.

“Football is something I’ve grown up with that’s helped develop my character and who I am as a person,” Walker said. “But I also know being a journalist is something I want to do for the rest of my life.”

The problem Walker was forced to make his decision because of a rare

combination of conflicts between football practice schedules and required coursework for a broadcast journalism degree.

Football practices typically take place in the afternoon Tuesday through Friday during the fall semester, with the spring posing a similar problem.

But a handful of upper level classes required to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism exclusively meet during football practices in both the fall and

SEE BROADCAST ON PAGE 8

Broadcast journalism junior Dominick Walter had to give up football because of conflicting schedules with class and practice. Colin Mitchell | Senior Staff Photographer WEATHER

Today H: 76°F L: 54°F 7-Day Forecast Friday H: 78°F L: 60°F Saturday Sunday

H: 73°F L: 60°F H: 72°F L: 60°F

Monday H: 77°F L: 59°F Tuesday H: 80°F L: 57°F Wednesday H: 80°F L: 59°F TRENDING

Denton artist brings his love of tattooing to a new medium

By Kayleigh Bywater Senior Staff Writer @kayleighbywater Carefully holding his equipment in hand, tattoo artist Ernie Moreno delicately adds color within the outlines of an owl design he is working on.

The gold coloring fills the owl’s wings as Moreno blends a lighter shade of brown, creating a depth to the design and tone to the wings.

Moreno has been working on the piece for a couple of hours, but has several details to add before the image itself is a complete, cohesive tattoo.

This piece, however, isn’t being permanently placed on a human canvas. Instead, Moreno tattoos on something else: shoes.

“I started tattooing around 2000,”

Moreno said. “When I realized the possibilities that designing shoes provided, though, I knew it was time for a change. So, I hung up my tattoo machine and picked up markers instead.”

Moreno, who is also a computer technician, now runs Tattoo My Shoes out of his Denton home, where he creates custom footwear for customers. His designs have included everything from Day-of-the-Deadinspired pieces to Japanese imagery.

Although he jumped into the business in 2014, Moreno has been interested in art and tattooing since he was young. He would spend his nights looking at tattoo magazines and in his free time he’d draw tattoo designs for friends and family.

Slowly, he began to realize while he enjoyed looking at tattoos, he

#DrStrange

ARREST

Former tattoo artist and owner of online shop “Tattoo My Shoes” Ernie Moreno says he started drawing tattoo-style designs in the early 90s.

Paulina De Alva | Staff Photographer wanted to create them. Inspired by tattoo artists such as Filip Leu and Kari Barba, Moreno wanted to create something that would make a lasting

impression on people.

“A lot of the times, you would look in those magazines and they would

SEE CREATIVITY ON PAGE 5

Marvel released the first trailer for the new film, Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Releasing in November, the film will tell the story of how a famed surgeon became the Sorceror Supreme after a terrible accident.

#MambaDay

Kobe Bryant hung up his sneakers wednesday April 13, after playing his last basketball game. The Lakers lost 96-101 against Utah Jazz.

#C3P0

A new one-shot Marvel Comic released today reveals how C-3PO received his red arm. Spoiler: It’s pretty dark.

EDITORIAL ON PAGE 10

ETHAN COUCH COMES DOWN

Familial values propel UNT equestrian team

By Matt Payne Features Editor @MattePaper

Saddling onto the backs of one of five horses has become a weekly ritual for interdisciplinary studies sophomore Hannah Collins – a member of the UNT equestrian team -- just like a full-body impact onto cold, pointed gravel affords no second thought from the athlete.

It’s a classic pastime in the South that’s conditioned her body and way of life, especially in overcoming a back injury sustained from exercising this past semester.

“Once you fall, you’re immediately faced with trying to figure out what’s going on around you,” Collins said. “Then you just have to force yourself to get back up.”

Collins has been horseback riding for as long as she can recall.

The countless falls in trodden thickets of grass and against the

hard wood of barn fences from toppling off the saddle have gone hand-in-hand having been raised

For themselves Miller said some members use SGA as a résumé builder.

Currently UNT’s fencing club president, a Learning Center tutor and nonprofit organization employee, Miller said she does not need participation in SGA to be employable.

“That’s not why I am doing this,” Miller said. “I work very hard, or at least I try to. The fact that some senators in there are not as active and are not there for the same reasons is very frustrating

SEE CAMPUS GOVERNMENT ON PAGE 2

EQUESTRIAN

@ntdaily @thedose_ntdaily @ntd_sports

SEE ZIKA ON PAGE 2 CAMPUS GOVERNMENT

FORGETTING FOOTBALL

Donning a black North Texas Football sweatshirt, broadcast journalism junior Dominick Walker walked into his sports journalism class, towering over everyone with his 6-foot-5 frame. With an immense weight lifted off his shoulders, his heart remained heavy.

Just weeks before, Walker was faced with what he called the most difficult decision of his life: Maintain his football scholarship but abandon his dream of being

resulting in microcephaly.

“It’s kind of scary because it’s here in Denton, but I really don’t know much about it,” applied science freshman Hailey

by a family of horse owners.

She’s been recovering from a back sprain, but her progress has

not been impeded by restraint.

SEE EQUESTRIAN ON PAGE 4

Hannah Collins, a rider on the team, volunteers before each practice helping clean stalls and wash horses.

Hannah Ridings | Senior Staff Photographer

Linebacker Calvin Minor arrested for marijuana possession

By Reece Waddell Senior Staff Writer @ReeceWaddell15 North Texas junior linebacker Calvin Minor was arrested Wednesday for possession of marijuana less than 2 oz., Calvin Minor according to the Denton County jail records.

According to the arrest affidavit, Minor was pulled over by UNT Police Department Cpl. Terrance Harris on North Texas Boulevard for running a stop sign. Upon approaching Minor’s vehicle, Harris noticed the vehicle smelled heavily of cologne, which he noted is sometimes used to mask the smell of illegal narcotics.

Minor then told Harris the vehicle possibly contained marijuana and denied it belonged to him, according to the affidavit.

Harris did a probable cause search of Minor’s vehicle and found 1.2 grams of marijuana, a metal grinder and a multi-colored glass pipe with burnt marijuana. The pipe was also warm to the touch, according to the affidavit.

“We have never tolerated behavior by any student-athlete

SEE ARREST ON PAGE 8

NEWS Page 2

First Zika case in Denton confirmed ZIKA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Wolfington said. “I feel bad for pregnant women and children because they could possibly be affected by it.”

The virus can be contracted if bitten by an infected Aedes species mosquito, and can spread when a mosquito bites a person with the virus, spreading it further. Health officials advise people with the virus to avoid mosquitos at all costs.

“I was outside the other day playing with my dog and the mosquitoes were eating me alive and I was like, ‘I need to go inside,’ because I didn’t have any repellent,” Wolfington said.

“People should probably carry repellent around everywhere, like in their cars.”

The virus can also be contracted through sexual contact. Only men can spread the virus through sexual contact.

“I’m scared for the women and the children and I think it’s worth raising money for, but it’s not something that scares me personally,” psychology sophomore Shane Ivey said.

The Zika virus was discovered in 1947, named after the Zika Forest in Uganda where the discovery was made.

The first human case of the virus was detected in 1952 and since then has been reported in various parts of the world.

Before last year’s outbreak there were very few reported cases of the virus because it shares similar symptoms with other diseases and is not inherently fatal. There is proof that being infected with the virus once may stave it off the

next time around.

On Feb. 1, the World Health Organization declared the virus a public health emergency of international concern. This came after a May 2015 notice of the first case reported in Brazil by the Pan American Health Organization.

When travelling to affected areas, the CDC recommends sleeping in a bed with mosquito netting, wearing pants and long-sleeve shirts and staying in areas with air conditioning and screened windows to keep mosquitos out.

“It’s going to be hard to do as a preventative when it is so hot in Texas,” Ivey said.

There is currently no known cure for the disease and symptoms include rash, fever, joint pain or conjunctivitis, but most people do not have symptoms. The virus may last in the blood system for a week, or longer in some patients.

Those who have the virus are recommended to rest and drink lots of fluids.

When travelling to a foreign country it is advised to check on the list of countries with active cases on the Center for Disease Control’s website. If thought to have the virus, avoid being bitten by other mosquitos that may further spread the disease to other people.

“We want Denton County residents to take precautions when traveling abroad to avoid mosquito bites, and for pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant to delay their travel to countries with current Zika transmission,” Denton County Health Director Dr. Matt Richardson said.

CRIME

After shooting at Forum, residents want better security

By Jynn Schubert Staff Writer @JynnWasHere Residents of the Forum at Denton Station apartments were startled Tuesday night as four gunshots were fired into the window of apartment 4112.

Nobody was injured, and there are no suspects or victims according to Denton police.

For weeks, some residents in the neighboring building, No. 5, reported aggressive behavior from nearby apartment 5303, but staff at the Forum did not respond, residents Emery Moody and Fernada Velasco said.

Moody said she heard what sounded like somebody falling down the stairs from the apartment Tuesday night.

“I couldn’t see anybody going down the stairs, so they must have hugged the side,” Moody, who can see the stairs from her door, said. “After it happened, I got up and you could hear the stairs rattling.”

No one from the Forum would comment for this article, and the media relations staff could not be reached in time for publication.

Several residents have reported their trash being smashed, broken glass being left behind and having people knock on their doors looking for apartment 5303.

“That’s never been passed on to me,” courtesy officer Marcus Coulter said.

The Forum, aside from hiring Coulter, has a security guard service hired to walk around and patrol the area.

“They do the building checks, and their main function is to observe and report,” Coulter said. “They’re a contracted security service.

They’re not peace officers in any way.”

Their efforts have not been enough to stop the aggressive

behavior in the building, Moody and Velasco said.

“We told them last week that we demanded more security here, we called the management, and they never did anything,” Moody said.

“They never got back to us.”

According to Moody, there had also been a break-in at the apartment below hers, and several complaints made to management about marijuana use causing the building to smell like weed.

“The Forum has not contacted anybody to tell us about [the break-in],” Moody said. “We only learned about it when the people below us told us about it. The Forum never contacted any of us, and they never told [Coulter].”

Moody is not the only resident to complain about the lack of response from the Forum’s management.

“I’ve called several times, late at night,” Velasco said.

“I tell them this is happening, and it’s creepy, and they never called back.”

The Forum sent out a statement Wednesday regarding the shooting, encouraging residents to take extra safety precautions such as not walking alone and getting to know their neighbors. The email also encouraged residents to reach out if they see any suspicious behavior.

“This is an unfortunate reminder that crime can happen anywhere and at any time,” Samantha Noel, community manager of the Forum, said in the email.

“Furthermore, we would like to take this opportunity to remind you, your family, occupants and visitors to be as cautious as possible with respect to your property and your surroundings.”

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

Senator considers resignation from unfair student government CAMPUS GOVERNMENT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 to me.”

The senator said there are instances when her fellow members act r udely. Miller said some are on their phones, laugh or roll their eyes when someone talks about impor tant matters like legislation during SGA sessions.

“They sit behind you and laugh and scoff at other senators,” Miller said.

College of Education senator Mercedes Mercado said executives disrespected Miller during meetings.

“That was something that she pointed out and she confronted with the exec members but it also bothered me to see that,” Mercado said.

“I think more and more as the semester goes on, you see a lot more unprofessionalism during the meetings from the exec members.”

The election Miller said executive members publicly suppor ting cer tain candidates are using their popularity to promote people. Executives should have their opinions on the candidates because they are voting as students, but should not favor any one specific candidate altogether, Miller said.

“If the entire exec branch would campaign on behalf of one person, if that person is ability-wise less qualified

than someone else, it’s kind of giving an unfair advantage,” Miller said.

For example, Grant Hale and Bar rett Cole, the pair locked in the r un-off election, suggested who to vote for in a f lyer. They named specific candidates in the senatorial races who voters should pick. Not all candidates who ran were included in their endorsement.

The SGA Election Board heard a case about possible campaigning violations by Hale and Cole. SGA Director of Student Affairs Dawaelyne Jones told College of A r ts and Sciences senator Mia Muric in the SGA office that he will endorse Hale and Cole. The office is off-limits for campaigning, according to SGA’s Election Code.

The Election Board unanimously voted 3- 0, with Election Commissioner Aaron Davis abstaining, no unethical campaigning occur red. The board said Jones claimed Hale and Cole never asked for his or anyone else’s suppor t. It also said Hale and Cole were unaware Jones was campaigning on their behalf so he was not punished.

“How do you deter mine whether or not a campaign knows someone is suppor ting them?” Miller asked.

Greek hold on SGA

Miller said Greek life members have too much inf luence in SGA. Three out of the eight executives in this administration are in frater nities or sororities.

“If anyone denies that it’s happening, they’re not being honest with themselves,” Miller said.

Both candidates in the r unoff are frater nity members.

The cur rent president, Adam Alattr y, and vice president, Christopher Lee, are also frater nity members. Before that, SGA president Troy Elliott and vice president Kam Willard, who stepped in for Elliott when he had to withdraw from school, were frater nity members.

Alattr y is in the Pi Kappa Phi frater nity and Lee in Pi Kappa Alpha. Miller said she does not believe there is a push to fill SGA with Greek members, and the senator said students from smaller or unpopular organizations should join student gover nment.

“In some ways, it’s a lack of diversity,” Miller said.

Mercado, Muric and College of Public Affairs and Community Ser vice senator Easton Lachlann considered leaving SGA because of the frater nity and sorority hold, they said.

“I think SGA would be happier if students who aren’t from Greek life just go

ahead and leave,” Muric said.

“That’s not what I want to do, I want to help my students as best as I can.”

Miller said the fact that Greek members invite their brothers and sisters to SGA is not the problem. The problem, however, is that Greeks have a wider network, and Miller said this cuts out students from other backgrounds and on-campus clubs.

“That’s opening the door for big frater nities and sororities to be able to get more people in office, because the other 95 percent of the campus is not showing interest,” Miller said.

Miller said when Alattr y and Lee won last year’s election uncontested with less than four percent of the student body vote, it showed students’ apathy toward their university.

“That leaves 95.6 percent,” Miller said. “That’s a lot of students that aren’t showing interest.”

Miller said SGA needs students like those in the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, a program where high school students take college credit and live at UNT. “We need more people getting involved,” Miller said. “We need more people to care about what goes on at the university.”

WINGSPAN WEEK

Events planned for WingSpan Week

By Brittany Lloyd Staff Writer “WingSpan Week” is underway, and faculty, students, alumni and donors will celebrate UNT’s 125th anniversary with events devoted to the university community.

Events began Monday and will run through Sunday.

“The reason Wingspan week is so important is because it’s a cultivation of events celebrating UNT’s 125th anniversary and a time to really bring those who are a part of the university together in celebrating all things UNT, and the excellence of UNT,” director of special events Laura Irving said.

Thursday is UNT’s Union Fest, events will take place all day at the University Union, from 8:00 a.m. until midnight.

Many other celebratory events will be commencing Thursday, including: Meet and Greet Breakfast hosted by the Student Government Council and Graduate Student Council, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in Union 344; several jazz lab band performances starting at noon in the Syndicate; and a historical Scrappy exhibit displayed in the Union Art Gallery from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

There will also be Mayborn Media Mania, an opportunity to see the ins and outs of North Texas Daily and other university media facilities.

Participants will hear firsthand, from the students, the story behind the Mayborn School of Journalism.

Members of the North Texas Sweethearts pose with UNT president Neal Smatresk during I Heart UNT events in the Library Mall.

Courtesy| North Texas Sweethearts Participants will be given a special pre-published front page takeaway, with photos taken exclusively during their Mayborn experience.

“The week is just all these nuances that help celebrate who we are,” Irving said. “Not only now, but looking to the future and celebrating all we will become.”

Friday will be devoted to celebrating when UNT changed its name from North Texas State College in 1961.

“University Day” will begin at 11:00 am with a f lag parade at the Library Mall, followed

Students pose next to the class of 2016 signed wall during the I Heart UNT event that kicked off Wingspan Week. Courtesy| UNT Student Alumni Association

by a program including the mayor’s proclamation, time capsule presentation, food and live music.

Friday will include the dedication of UNT’s new University Union, with a ceremony and ribbon cutting event at 1:30 p.m.

“The ribbon cutting event is going to be really cool too, especially now with the new University Union,” Irving said. “The SGA is going to reveal the contents of the time capsule, which will then be installed into the South wall of the Union. It will remain there for the next 25 years, before being unveiled at UNT’s 150th Anniversary, where future students will see the items in the capsule, indicative of UNT today.”

The ceremony is followed by many events, including an open house, campus tours, Nobel Prize Speaker Robert Grubbs presentation at 3:30 p.m., and finally the WingSpan Festival from 5 p.m. to 7, where live music, food and cupcakes will be served.

The WingSpan Gala will be held Saturday April 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Union.

“One that’s very important to us is the donor recognition

event, where we take time to celebrate and recognize recent donors, some who’ve contributed to the National Merit Finalists,” Irving said.

The green tie formal event is in honor of excellence in teaching, student success, notable alumni and generous donors.

The event will include an orchestral debut, performed by UNT’s own Concert Orchestra, of Richard DeRosa’s 125th anniversary composition for UNT. Other special performances and presentations will follow.

“The event is going to be really, really special,” Irving said. “The donors in attendance will be sitting at the student’s table, who’s education they’ve contributed to. The students will meet the donors who are funding their education, which is pretty awesome.”

For any and all who want to be a part such a grand celebration or find out more on UNT’s WingSpan Week, go to the university’s 125th anniversary website.

“It has just been such a joy seeing people come together for this celebration, and show so much pride in UNT,” Irving said. “It’s a very special thing to be a part of.”

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 3 CITY COUNCIL

Johnson talks council, blessings and upcoming election

By Dalton LaFerney News Editor @daltonlaferney

Greg Johnson can only win this election. Whether he has enough votes is beside the point.

At Johnson’s headquarters, the Verus Real Estate Advisors building, he has a private office with the kind of bank vault door that invites and intimidates.

When you walk inside, the spacious lobby is decorated with gray, alligator-looking chairs and some literature. On the right side of the room there is a grand entrance to a conference room, where at about noon on a recent Friday, Johnson was inside speaking with local Glenn Farris and a woman who told him “not to play the victim” after Johnson asked what kind of an impact an unflattering newspaper article could have on his campaign.

His campaign that week was spat on with reports from blogs, Facebook groups and the city paper with news that his company was named in a property dispute lawsuit.

“I think the timing of somebody bringing that up is a smear tactic,” Johnson said during an interview.

Nonetheless, he took the challenge of defending his reputation head-on, which a faction of people in Denton – according to their posts on social media, comments at council sessions and general campaign rhetoric – perceive as out-of-touch or even greedy.

“Every time you vote on something, you’re going to make somebody mad,” Johnson said.

Call it mad, call it passion, call it activism. Whatever you call it, there is a pit of voters in Denton who see Johnson as a rich guy who is in it for himself and the local business owners and chamber members who recently named Verus small business of the year — for the second year in a row.

A chorus of blogs and Facebook groups slam Johnson.

One commenter on “Denton Matters,” for example, snarked he should head a proposed ethics committee. Another commenter, Jennifer Lane, said, “Greg Johnson’s behavior has pushed things” to a new ethical low.

If people in town hold that Johnson is an insider guy, they would not have been convinced otherwise on a recent afternoon when a secretary walked into his office to let him know Joey Hawkins was there to see him.

“Here, give this to him,” Johnson told her, handing over an envelope.

But inside was not a check or the blueprints to a political scheme.

Inside was a necklace Johnson’s wife, Leah, made for Hawkins’ wife.

A little while later, Johnson was comfortably answering questions about his credentials and record of service. Farris, who runs the We Denton Do It blog and is vice president of marketing at Verus,

popped in to invite Johnson to lunch.

Farris and the other guys were off to get Thai, but Johnson wasn’t feeling it.

“We’ll stop by Boardwalk then,” Farris said. “Philly cheese?”

“Chicken.”

“You the man.”

Sarah Bagheri, the challenger for the place 6 spot on city council, said Johnson has a questionable moral compass. She said the councilman runs with a small group of local business owners who support his campaign. She did not, however, name anybody or any business in this small caucus of businessmen she said empowers Johnson.

“What I have seen while campaigning is a desire [from the voters] to have greater transparency and more citizen involvement,” she said. “Council needs to follow the letter and the spirit of the law.”

Those kinds of statements are why Johnson said he doesn’t like campaigning, but enjoys the satisfaction from it. So in his dayto-day, he strives to take personality squabbles out of the process.

Ethics reform has become a buzzword lately for people following Denton government, and Johnson is partially to blame. Johnson said those people are mad at him because they didn’t get their way in council, not that he has some kind of moral ineptitude.

“I don’t think I should vote on something in order to please a person who is in front of me at a council session,” Johnson said.

Blessed When Johnson left Nicholls State University, he carried no student loan debt.

He talks a lot about being blessed, and one notices more when the conversation is about money and being able to afford things, like being his college-aged daughter’s bank.

Johnson’s business vernacular lends itself to a meaning of “blessed” Big Sean might rap about. Though that’s not to say he isn’t humble, because there was a time when there were fewer blessings.

Johnson married his wife, Leah, in 1991 after Johnson finished college and Leah had just finished her sophomore year. He was driving “a crappy car,” a Ford Taurus, living in a Farmer’s Branch apartment, and Leah didn’t want to have student loan debt. So they pinched pennies until they got ahead.

Johnson said they were both blessed with parents who taught financial discipline for a life of stability.

Today, Johnson drives the black Yukon with “VERUS” license plates you might see around town. And he’s not just renting an apartment, he’s making real estate deals and garnering favor with the Denton Chamber of Commerce.

Greg Johnson poses in his office at the Verus Real Estate Advisors building. Hannah Ridings | Senior Staff Photographer He was recently blessed with an endorsement from the Denton Firefighter’s Association, something he said shines a bright light on his character, because the firemen, he said, are good people with good hearts who desire to serve.

And Johnson has tried to bless others. When asked if he was out of touch or too rich, he opened the books to point to a chapter written in his first term.

For homeless individuals, especially military veterans, Johnson has a lot of sympathy. He reminded people of his involvement in transforming a city animal shelter to a shelter for the homeless.

There are many other projects and deals he’s been a part of. One in particular, the Buc-ee’s deal, brought people to the council floor to fight against big business invasion. Johnson has in no way tried to conceal that he helped recruit Buc-ee’s to Denton.

“A Buc-ee’s is a slot machine for a city,” Johnson said.

The energy people On the same Facebook groups that routinely slam Johnson, one faction of residents focus on the city’s energy shortcomings.

They are the energy people, the people who helped put Denton on the map as an activist community of antifrackers and eco-fanatics. This year, their relationship has grown more contentious with the Denton City Council.

“I don’t mind activism, but sometimes it gets too personal,” Johnson said.

The strenuous relationship began to teeter when the council voted to withdraw the city’s ban on urban hydraulic fracturing. Because of House Bill 40 and two lawsuits, the city was pushed into a corner, thus the vote to kill the fracking ban.

This led to outrage and an upcoming recall election for councilman Hawkins. During the voters’ protest to have Hawkins removed, tempers flared, and Johnson unapologetically let his true colors fly high. Long story short, he wished on a Facebook post that the people who wanted to recall Hawkins (and Kevin Roden) would get so upset with the council that they’d leave town.

Since then, flak on Johnson has piled up like snow, and the questions on his morals have fueled Bagheri’s campaign.

When asked about this coalition’s rise against him, Johnson didn’t answer with a bickering comment, but pointed to his working relationship with Adam Briggle, the philosophy professor who has become a figure head for Denton’s urban drilling saga and a lieutenant in the battle against the industry.

“You have to be willing to work with all sorts of people,” Johnson said.

In “A Field Philosopher’s Guide to Fracking: How One Texas Town Stood Up to Big Oil and Gas,” Briggle writes about the underpinnings of technology politics and how advancements (like fracking) affect more than what’s usually intended by engineers. He also writes that people who support fracking do not have

HEALTH

There is now a smartphone app to help students and faculty find resources to prevent suicide.

UNT’s mental health taskforce worked with a company to bring the app, called Just In Case, to the university community. Officials said it offers information about mental health resources to students who are at risk for suicide or a mental health crisis. The app connects users to emergency response agencies and provides information and intervention tools.

“With the app and the mental

Courtesy | Just In Case

A cold beer on election night

The May 7 election is right around the corner. There are forums, luncheons and meet-and-greets left to go to — not to mention Johnson’s workload at Verus and his council duties.

There are scheduling conflicts he must overcome. Recently, he was criticized for not attending a candidate forum hosted at UNT, but he said he had a prior engagement to speak at an event. And he insists he’s engaged with the student body at UNT and TWU. He addressed the Student Government Association this semester to rally students to the voting booth.

“The students need to know city council is providing them with safe campuses, jobs, entertainment, houses and apartments,” he said. “So it’s important you get involved.”

What he doesn’t get to do a lot of is spend time with his family, Johnson said. So on a recent weekend when Leah was away on business, he rejoiced in taking time away from work to take care of his kids. He’s got four: one UNT student, another in high school and 7-year-old twins.

If he wins the election, good. If not, he says he’ll be fine, too. He has Verus and his family to look after.

“Spending more time with them won’t be so bad,” Johnson said.

And on election night, Johnson said he won’t host a big party to celebrate the win. He’ll be at home on his couch with this family.

“I think I’ll just have a cold beer,” Johnson said. “That sounds nice right now.”

ROADWORK

Mental health app adds to UNT health services

By Evan McAlister Staff Writer @evan_McAlister

to manipulate facts to win support.

Rather, they must frame it correctly, with promises of lower rates and economic prosperity.

Today, Johnson is in the middle of a similar framing campaign with the Renewable Denton Plan, which aims to increase the city’s usage of renewable energy, wind and solar, to 70 percent. But a provision to include two natural gas-burning plants has spoiled it for the energy people.

Just as Briggle describes in his book, Johnson reminds people that just because there are two natural gas plants, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad option. Citing the lower rates and energy security, Johnson said the energy people cannot have it both ways, with low rates and no natural gas plants.

Whereas the energy people want a natural gas-free energy plan, local business owners don’t want their rates to go up, Johnson said. This is a prime example of why people cast him as out of touch — “because they are being unrealistic,” he said.

He said a councilman must look out for all people in the community and seek compromise at every possible turn. Johnson often uses Peterbilt as an example, because the brand relocated its headquarters to Denton. And if rates go up for that company, “they’re out of here,” Johnson said.

“For the people who opposed the plan, a loss of jobs is not on their radar,” he said. “If you’re on City Council, that has to be on your radar.”

health taskforce, we want to reduce the stigma and normalize help seeking behaviors and care,” taskforce chairwoman Teresa McKinney said. “So many people think they’re the only ones suffering from this but they’re not.”

The app offers direct links to police or counseling phone numbers, and lists prompts for students to follow based on how they’re feeling.

According to the National Research Consortium of Counseling Centers in Higher Education, more than 50 percent of students have suicidal thoughts at some point during their time in college.

State Senate Bill 1624 requires that universities and colleges

provide information about mental health and suicide prevention services. This makes it necessary for the university to inform all new students of the resources available to students and the university community.

“We want to normalize it so that anyone who suffers from a mental health crisis, they can feel comfortable seeking help from peers or counseling,” McKinney said. “If we normalize it, we make it okay and we take away that stigma.”

McKinney said students were unaware of the resources at their disposal, so the taskforce had to find a better way to market the university’s mental health services.

Assistant journalism professor Sarah Champlin and advertising senior Christina Rodriguez developed the marketing plan for the mental health taskforce to help alleviate the counseling center’s high volume of patients.

“We did a lot of research, we needed to find out what college students needed to hear the most,” Rodriguez said. “The problem seemed to be that they were allowing themselves to get too stressed to the point where they needed to see someone professionally.”

They found freshman and sophomores experience the highest levels of stress and most students are not aware of non-professional sessions available to help distressed students, like play therapy and the relaxation rooms in the University Union.

“I think this is definitely something I’d have just in case a friend was having a crisis,” biology and chemistry junior Michelle Fresnedo said. “I can see this app being really useful in an emergency and would be way better than just Googling your symptoms.”

Research found that UNT’s mental health is similar to other four-year universities, and each university handles it differently but mainly try to help through marketing campaigns.

“We found that our marketing could be better so we stepped it up,” Rodriguez said. “Everything else that we offer needed to be publicized better.”

The taskforce is currently evaluating the app and additional language options.

City lays groundwork for road work

By Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe Denton Record-Chronicle Plans to widen South Fort Worth Drive and Teasley Lane are putting the squeeze on the city to finish its own work to move utility lines along those two southern thoroughfares.

Property owners can expect a call from the city’s real estate division soon. Denton must get the easements it needs along Fort Worth Drive from Interstate 35E to Country Club Road by December. Along Teasley, from Lillian Miller Parkway to the city limits, the city staff has just a little longer to negotiate with property owners — until May 2017.

Because both roads are state highways, the Texas Department of Transportation is leading both widening projects. The city has a little wiggle room in the deadlines, but not much, according to John Davis, Denton’s director of engineering services.

“If the schedule is not met, the project funding might be in jeopardy,” Davis wrote in a memo to the City Council.

During a brief work session Tuesday, city real estate manager Paul Williamson told the council that the city couldn’t begin work until the state’s engineers had substantially finished their plans.

Both Fort Worth Drive (U.S.

Highway 377) and Teasley Lane (FM2181) will be widened from two lanes to divided, six-lane roads. Construction has not be scheduled, but construction contracts are expected to be issued early next year.

Now that the state’s drawings for the wider roads are nearly done, the city must talk to many of the same property owners who have granted easements for the road.

The city will need a bit more to move the utility lines, Williamson said.

The council can expect to see easements on those two projects at a quicker pace than previous projects. That work has been assigned as a new real estate department employee’s sole project, Williamson said.

The same compressed scheduled will likely be at work when the city begins widening East McKinney Street, he said.

State law dictates the steps that protect property owners in the negotiations, and that won’t change, Williamson said. But the city staff will be keeping an eye on the deadlines. The council may be asked to approve both a final offer and the start of eminent domain if the legally required time frame has been reached, he said.

“We are very hopeful we’re going to be able to negotiate and settle with every property owner,” Williamson said.

ARTS & LIFE Page 4

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

THE BUCKLING BUNCH

Grace Otten, an experienced rider for the UNT Equestrian Team, lets her horse loosen his legs before practice. Hannah Ridings | Senior Staff Photographer stallions and mares.

It’s this disciplinarian approach that’s guided her past the injury that forced her to take a semester off, and UNT equestrian coach Courtney Burggren places it upon anybody who approaches the team.

“No experience is required to join the team; you could’ve never even seen a horse,” Burggren said.

“As long as you have some means to acquire boots, spurs and are ready to improve.”

Volunteering to coach the equestrian team, Burggren has encountered riders both experienced and new to the trade.

And there have been several times when riders have fallen off of horses, not because of their lack of experience, but because of their mood.

Burggren calls the five horses on the team - Smoke, Honey, Pippa,

EQUESTRIAN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Instead, the battle lies within her mind.

“The hardest part is getting past the intimidation,” Collins said.

“After you get out of that constant cycle of fear, you start to feed off of each other’s energy.”

A family affair It was a seamless transition joining the equestrian team during Collins’ first year at UNT. Practices are held once a week at Hunter Hills Equestrian Center in Argyle, but further discipline is required of the riders. This includes knowledge of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association for spontaneous quizzes, logging at least an hour of weekly exercise outside of horseback riding and volunteering to clean the stables, home to the

Joey and Willy - friends who all have their own distinct personalities and are affected by the moods of riders. Smoke is known to be “supersensitive,” Honey as easygoing and Joey as extremely fidgety.

“These giant creatures are living, breathing beings that can tell when you’re tense and the pace of your breath,” Burggren said. “I can remember several times riders came in for the day and ended up not being able to ride because of their attitudes.”

For Collins, she has likened all the horses she’s ridden to giant dogs, and even recognizes the individual personality of Smoke, her horse she’s had for more than five years.

“She’s a troubled teen, being 16-years-old,” Collins said as she kissed her mare’s snout.

Pushing boundaries Being a newcomer is no exemption

MUSIC

Banker invests in country music passion

By Victoria Monteros Staff Writer @ToriLaSuper

He works in the bank during the day, but when he’s not at his nine-tofive, you can find him strumming his guitar and serenading the crowd

with his vocals.

Philip Campbell is a Denton native who plays guitar, sings country music and works at a local

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for exceeding personal limits at Hunter Hills Equestrian Center.

Charging at full speed without any stirrups for mechanical engineer freshman Daisy Hems had to come naturally.

Hems had no experience horseriding prior to joining the team at the start of the spring semester.

She described the overwhelming sensation of being frozen upon her first time falling off the saddle and wanting to avoid immediately remounting.

“It’s mostly just a challenge of finding your confidence,” Hems said. “Like driving a car, you never want to go beyond 20 m.p.h. when you first start driving.”

Hems was told to get back onto her horse and lope - or ride at a speedy pace - without thinking after falling off for the first time and feeling hesitation. The only

caveat would be that she wasn’t allowed to ride with her stirrups, where the boots of the rider slip in for extra grip onto their horse.

“I got on and wasn’t sure what I was doing,” Rio said. “The only thing to do was to not freak out and just trust in myself and my horse. And then it just sort of came naturally.”

Rio was then able to ride without toppling over and without the extra security.

She described coach Burggren as stunned after having no expectation that she’d actually manage to lope fresh out of a fall. Hems has even been able to place in IHSA shows and earn ribbons after incorporating a hands-off, detached approach to bonding with her horses.

An open-minded, peaceable demeanor has served her well because shows involve riding horses

after drawing a name from a hat.

“You never know what type of horse you’re going to draw,” Hems said. “And having role models who’ve been here and who’ve known how to ride have really encouraged me.”

For Hems, seeing riders like Collins overcome a minor setback only to hop back onto horseback with the same enthusiasm and sympathy toward any horse she encounters has been a wealth of knowledge. And the habit of waking up at 5 a.m. and offhandedly knowing how to relate to horses like humans has helped her surmount even injury.

“You want to strive for that mutual connection between you, your horse and your fellow riders,” Collins said. “It makes you a better person all-around.”

bank. Aside from banking, he has decided to devote some time to his passion for music, and has begun to enter the Texas music scene.

He’s auditioned twice for “America’s Got Talent,” and although he did not advance to the round where he would appear on television, he believes it was a worthwhile experience. From there, he’s booked various gigs at popular hangouts such as Sweet Water Grill & Tavern and Henry’s Tavern, and has performed at Taste of North Texas benefitting the Denton Kiwanis Clinic for children.

“My passion was in it, and it sort of just took off from there,” Campbell said.

Campbell learned how to play the guitar when he was 16-yearsold. In addition to that, he took vocal lessons during his high school years and performed in recitals. Music has always been an undeniable passion for Campbell, and it’s been evident to those who know him, including his twin brother Scott Campbell, who also happens to be a UNT alumnus.

“We have our own passions and our own hobbies, and as we get older, we really try to find what’s going to be something that’s of joy for us to participate in. Something that really connects us with others,” Scott said when speaking of his brother’s love of music. “Phillip has found music to be that avenue

for him.”

When the Texas music scene started to become more prominent in the mid ‘90s, with the emergence of musical acts like Pat Green, Campbell’s interest into breaking onto the scene became stronger. He then started to put his talent to use by performing karaoke.

The fact that karaoke machines did not always offer the kind of songs Campbell wanted to perform fueled his desire to improve his guitar-playing skills. He has since become so accustomed to performing with his guitar he actually finds himself struggling when singing solely with a karaoke machine.

“People say ‘let’s do karaoke.’

It’s hard for me to do karaoke without playing the guitar,” Campbell said. “It’s kind of weird like that.”

In 1995, Campbell and his friend started to be more active in the Texas music scene. However, in the early 2000s, he went through a period when he stopped playing music until 2011, when somebody at a mortgage business approached him about his music.

“A mutual friend came in and he was asking if I was still playing or something, and I was like ‘No, I haven’t really played at all,’ and then he said ‘Well, someone was talking about you the other day and said you’re pretty good,’” Campbell said. “And then I questioned

myself: ‘Why did I get out of it?’”

He then started to polish his vocal and guitar skills, performing at open mics and booking gigs at restaurants. His first open-mic performance was in January 2014 at The Abbey Underground. His first gig with fellow musicians was at Jack’s Tavern, in February 2015, with Dusty Swirl and Kody West.

He also happens to be long-term friends with Jack’s Tavern owner, Chris Lutz.

“When we were first opening up, I was relatively new to booking local acts and artists in Denton,” Lutz said. “I know Philip and I invited him to play at his first performance at Jack’s.”

More recently, he expanded his efforts to charity, having been invited to perform at the Taste of North Texas, which benefitted the Denton Kiwanis Children’s Clinic.

This was also the first year Taste of North Texas featured live music at the event.

Along with becoming more prominent on the Texas music scene, Campbell hopes to release a five-track EP and have it played on radio. No matter what sort of challenges have come his way, Campbell has fought through them, and suggests that other aspiring artists do the same.

“Go after it. Just do it. It’s like anything in life,” Campbell said.

“You’re going to have good and you’re going to have bad.”

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 5

Denton artist brings his love of tattooing to a new medium CREATIVITY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 look in those magazines and they would have tattoos that just looked scratchy and terrible,” Moreno said. “But some of this stuff, it was unreal. It was like nothing

I had ever seen before. People were actually putting this art on someone’s skin.”

As Moreno began to build up his tattooing career, he also built a family. He said it steadily began to become more difficult to juggle his

constant tattooing schedule with another full-time job and being with his family. That’s when he discovered he could create his art without being restricted to a tattoo gun and a shop.

“I’d seen others do similar

Former tattoo ar tist Ernie Moreno is the owner of online shop, “Tattoo My Shoes,” where people pay him to make tattoo-style designs on canvas shoes. Paulina De Alva | Staff Photographer REVIEW

things, but I wanted to know how I could stand out,” Moreno said. “I stopped tattooing completely so I could focus on this new venture.”

Moreno sold almost all of his equipment to tattoo artist and friend Anthony Briganti, who had previously hired Moreno at Young Guns tattoo shop.

Even though Briganti was upset that Moreno was swapping the tattoo gun for shoes, he said he knew that Moreno would give everything he had into the business.

“It’s difficult for people to build up genuine feelings in tattooing because there’s a sense of masculinity,” Briganti said. “But Ernie has this genuine love for art.

He’s just expressing it on another level.”

Moreno tries to make each pair of shoes unique to the owner. For a Navy Seal, he created a pair that included nautical themes, such as anchors and the sea, as well as the name of the customer’s ship.

In addition, Moreno can recreate someone’s preexisting tattoo onto a pair of shoes.

But that doesn’t stop him from including his own aesthetic into each pair. Fellow tattoo artist David Nieto, who worked alongside

Moreno at Spinning Needle in Fort Worth, said just like a tattoo artist spends time and energy on giving their clients tattoos, Moreno makes sure each pair of shoes will last.

“There are other people who can say they draw designs on shoes,” Nieto said. “But Ernie takes it to another level. With Ernie’s designs, it’s all him. He takes pride in every little detail on those shoes.”

Depending on what the design is, a single pair of custom shoes can take six to 10 hours or a whole week to complete. In addition, prices can range from $50 to $150 or more.

From giving himself his first tattoo with a needle when he was 18 years old to creating a brand with his tattoo designs, Moreno wants to make sure every product he produces leaves his customers happy, even if it means working other jobs in the process.

“I work from home, so sometimes I’ll be on the phone listening in on these corporate meetings while working on a pair of shoes,” Moreno said. “Eventually I hope to make this a viable full-time job.”

Moreno has created over 100 pairs of shoes since his business

began in 2014, and he’s only had one person return a pair of shoes.

Although the issues were not on his part, he keeps the pair around to keep him motivated.

“Honestly, it pissed me off when I had the shoes returned, so I keep them around to push me,” Moreno said. “I honestly love having that instant gratification because it inspires me to keep going. I could go with these cheesy designs that you’ve seen everywhere, but I don’t want to be complacent. I want to be unique.”

For now, Moreno wants to keep his sights set on making Tattoo My Shoes his full-time job. Although he said he would always have a special place in his heart for tattooing, what he is doing now is not too different.

“So many times, people will love tattoo designs, but they don’t get them because they’re afraid of the commitment,” Moreno said.

“What I’m doing presents them with the option for me to give them a tattoo design they may want, but if they want to get rid of it or they get tired of it, they can easily just take it off. It’s just a different way to look at tattooing, and I’m glad to share it.”

REVIEW

The Dose: Chakras, auras and indigo The Dose: The Dose: ‘Hardcore Henry’ is a must-see for action fans children in new Vice documentary

By Preston Mitchell Staff Writer @presto_mitch Imagine, if you will, a hero with the same savage precision of John Wick. Imagine a world directed

by Quentin Tarantino at his most crass and violent. Merge that with the breakneck pace and insanity of “Crank” but re-imagined as a firstperson shooter.

“Hardcore Henry” is exactly that for 90 minutes straight and never lets up. Heavily influenced by classic shooters like “Doom” and “GoldenEye 007,” it’s everything great about gaming brought into the realm of action cinema.

In short, it’s pretty awesome.

This groundbreaking venture makes us the hero, Henry, and begins from his point-of-view of waking up to his beautiful wife (Haley Bennett) not remembering how he ended up in a lab. After replacing his missing limbs with cybernetic enhancements, Henry thirsts for vengeance after mercenaries kidnap his wife and leave him for dead.

With the help of Jimmy (Sharlto Copley), an ally who’s always at the right place at the right time, Henry and the audience slaughter bad guys in bloody, creative ways.

What works about “Hardcore

Henry” is that director Ilya Naishuller boiled down everything we love about action movies to their bare essentials: blood, guns and fast cars. Here, he mashed those ideals with the first-person mystique of his music video work. Both videos touted unprecedented hyper-violence and were shot entirely on GoPro cameras.

Made for only $10 million, “Hardcore Henry” is the first time Naishuller uses his brilliance for feature-length purposes, making for a nonstop ride unlike any other. It also has much more impressive effects than “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” managed with $250 million.

While not as smart as “The Witch” or “Zootopia,” it never uses its lack of common sense to suck either. Rather, it’s a delightful romp that adapts several gaming scenarios (quests, sniper segments and escort missions) onto a grand cinematic canvas.

And the setting of “Hardcore Henry” exhilarates, since all American blockbusters seem to reside in New York or Los Angeles.

Here, Naishuller took advantage of his Russian playground and crafted gunfights, car chases and fisticuffs out of refreshingly foreign locales.

While many people will complain about the thin story, “Hardcore Henry” has as much plot as a revenge movie needs. This is an intense, darkly comical film that knows what

it is and its audience, delivering its promise with zero pretense. Rivaling Paul Greengrass’ works, like “The Bourne Supremacy,” this inventive indie runs a fast pace but keeps the action easy to follow.

Although you’re not watching this for the acting the standout on that front is Sharlto Copley of “District 9” fame. For the longest time, he’s participated in films far below his talent like “Elysium,” “The A-Team” and “Oldboy.” This time around, he wonderfully stretches his range and embodies a wealth of personas in one character. While hilarious as the comic relief, Copley nails his pathos and eventually becomes the heart of the film. It’s the final bit of panache that catapults “Hardcore Henry” into greatness.

My hope is that this film doesn’t start a wave of rip-offs similar to how “The Blair Witch Project” ignited found-footage movies. This is still a revolutionary effort meant to be seen with your best friends in all of its big, loud glory.

Despite the slim narrative, it’s an innovative actioner that will soon become a staple of drunken guys’ nights.

By Kyle Martin Staff Writer @Kyle_Martin35 Vice is home to the uncanny, unorthodox and some of the weirdest of the weird. This new series where Gavin Haynes visits with parents and their children to see what being an Indigo child is like is not far removed from those categories.

Indigo children are thought to have ethereal psychic powers. They posses visions and powers that allow them to see God, read minds, heal and tell of the future.

“Are Indigos sent to guide us all to a higher plane? Or [are they] hyper children running around with untreated ADD?” Haynes said.

Throughout the documentary, the journalist is tested for powers, diagnosed as an Indigo child himself and given readings on his aura, chakras and other strange, seemingly worthless things to the same effect. Believe it or not, there are hundreds of these divine beings scattered throughout the world.

Leader of the New York City Indigo meet-up group, Edward Tarashchansky, said “There is no label to it. It’s not ADD or ADHD. It’s just a different vibrational, energetical type of a person. The

whole notion of Indigo, the whole idea, is pretty much to change the way of the world--in every aspect.”

He is here to change people’s way of thinking and show them the way of Indigo, but when given the task to read the past-life Haynes, he fell short of his true potential.

Not only was he unable to read the past life of Haynes, he was only able to offer small guidance to the journalist, who he now diagnosed as an Indigo himself. For someone who has potential, Tarashchansky did not cut muster to intrigued watchers. However, Haynes’s search for answers continues.

Idelle Brand and her daughter, Diandra, run a dentistry office where Haynes visited for insight into their Indigo practice. Their practice in dentistry includes using special tuning forks, empowered earthen mineral rocks and necklaces, and the lack of use of things like mercury fillings, which are thought to be neurotoxins and cause harm to patients. Haynes sits through their tests and their diagnostics and finds himself relaxed, cleansed, calm and no closer to being convinced of their powers than before.

Throughout the rest of the documentary, Haynes goes to a psychic meet-up, interviews an

Indigo teen and her family and more. However, the whole time it doesn’t seem as though Haynes is even slightly convinced of the legitimacy of the Indigo practice.

One of the medicines a mother of an Indigo child included “sugared iced tea” which is “iced tea with sugar.”

And, if put into perspective, caffeine is known to have reverse effects on kids with ADD and ADHD, often calming those taking it. The argument could be made that the Indigo child is actually an ADD child who is calmed by “sugared iced tea” because of the caffeine in the tea and the brain chemistry of humans.

All in all, the documentary is genuinely strange and weird. Those who are in the realm of the powers of the Indigo seem to be out of touch with reality and general scientific standards, but they are interesting people, nonetheless.

If you’re looking to be convinced of the authenticity of Indigo children and the powers of the psychic, this is the wrong documentary for you.

However, if you’re looking for a good way to waste half an hour that you could have spent doing productive things like the laundry sitting on the floor of your room, definitely give this one a shot.

PARK

New dog park offers fun for pups and people

By Sadia Saeed Staff Writer Wiggly Park is a dog park whose open ground and breezy air brings hundreds of owners and dogs together. Past Argyle High School and parallel with Interstate 35 lies the park, situated among another park and a country club.

From daily drop-ins to weekend specials, Wiggly Park provides the opportunity for all dog-lovers to come together and give their pups a place to mingle. Only 13 minutes from UNT, many students bring their dogs while others enjoy a leisurely stroll through the area.

“I went there about a week ago for an early morning run,” computer science freshman Triston Blessing said. “I don’t have a dog but I went there with a friend that has one.”

The park prides itself on being dog-friendly to all and takes

precautions for its smaller visitors.

As such, the park offers separate fenced areas to keep the peace.

Education senior Mindy Dobson takes her dog there every weekend.

“I do not have to worry about [my dog] being loud with her barking or talking,” Dobson said. “She gets very talkative and loud sometimes.”

The park’s purpose is to provide a place where dog-lovers can come together, which may sometimes get hectic. This is why certain Wiggly rules exist to address safety concerns.

The park offers a “time-out zone” for when the dogs get too wild and kiddy pools for them to splash around in.

“Another really good thing [at Wiggly] is a pond that the dogs can go swimming at,” Dobson said.

Overall, the park has clean surroundings and a nature that offers furry friends the freedom to enjoy life. Whether it’s the friendly atmosphere, the comfort or the

weather, the park attracts the most energetic dogs, making them more social as they get ready to leave. For many Wiggly Park is a ground for all new residents and old ones who have a leash, poop scooper, doggie bag and a sense of adventure.

“It’s such a pain in the butt and my doggie doesn’t do well in the car,” said aviation logistics sophomore Leslie Taylor. “But I find that it’s worth the trip.”

At the end of the day, Wiggly Park is a small, cozy niche that the residents of Denton have made a part of their lives. The increasing popularity and reception towards the park has the city of Denton planning on constructing a new play area soon.

“She loves it there,” Dobson said.

“I first went to the park when my dog, Bailie, a border collie, was almost a year old. She has never met any dog, cat, frog or human that she did not immediately fall in love with.”

Bryan Foster, right, and Labrador Norm, 3, play catch as they chat with friends Lynn Mikkelsen and dog pal Charlie, 3. Kemi Feyisetan | Staff Photographer

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SPORTS Page 6

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

GAMING

UNT eSports club gains members of all kinds as video games gain popularity

By Nealie Sanchez Staff Writer @NealieSanchez Being a gamer once meant spending hours in front of your computer or television with friends on the other end of a headset. Today, being a gamer can mean live-streaming on Twitch to followers, competing in nationally televised competitions or joining your collegiate eSports club.

For business junior and UNT eSports club president Justin Yoo, the evolution is almost unbelievable.

“I’m actually in awe,” Yoo said. “I don’t believe it every single day, because gaming was a thing in the early 90’s [and] 2000’s where you were by yourself in a room. Now it’s nationally recognized. It’s on ESPN, it’s on Yahoo, and Mark Cuban is looking into it.”

The UNT eSports club is run through the university in coordination with the Texas e-Sports Association, a collegiate North American eSports association started at the University of Texas at

Austin. TeSPA is comprised of 150 chapters with four divisions, and the UNT eSports club is a part of the Southern division.

The UNT eSports club offers a paid membership with a $30 yearly fee as well as a regular membership with no fees. $10 of the fee goes to TeSPA headquarters, and the other $20 helps fund events where paid members can enter drawings to win high value gaming items, like headsets and POP! Figures.

“When you’re a paid member, you also get a lot of benefits from TeSPA like free things sent out and free t-shirts,” painting and drawing senior and UNT eSports club vice president Yuria Matsushita said.

There are approximately 100 paid members out of the 200plus active members of the club.

But because you do not have to be an actively enrolled student to be a member, alumni still come out to events, meaning anywhere from 300 to 500 people will show up, depending on the game being hosted.

Psychology junior Terence Ward enters for a raffle at the Union Syndicate. Colin Mitchell | Senior Staff Photographer The eSports club at UNT was originally dedicated to competitive gamers playing League of Legends and in a few short years has expanded into an eSports club for competitive and leisure gamers across all genres.

Even with the addition of

The eSpor ts club watches the Heros of the Dorm NCAA tournament in the Union Syndicate.

Colin Mitchell | Senior Staff Photographer

casual gamers, the club is known for its competitive team.

“Individual Texas schools like UTA, UTD, UNT, and UT, people know they are strong schools,” business management junior and competitive director Zane Castillo said. “And I think in almost every game we played this year, we haven’t missed the playoffs for any individual game. I like to think when other schools hear UNT, it means something to them.”

The club has competitive teams for five games and competes nationwide. The games include League of Legends, Dota 2, Heroes of the Storm, Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. For each game, there are different divisions, with LoL consisting of four different divisions: D1, two of D2 and a D3.

Integrated studies junior Josh Intondi played on this year’s D2 team and said the club is more for community than just gaming.

“I used to have an average

of 10 people online to game with, and now I have from 30 to 40 at all times,” Intondi said. “Honestly, it really helps with social development and getting along with people you don’t necessarily know very well. You can’t really trashtalk a person you’ll see every day in person. It makes you hold back and take a teaching perspective.”

The club has also expanded from PC-only games to the inclusion of console games like Halo. The club wants to create an inclusive environment that members can add to at will.

“If we have enough people that want to make a team for a game, we’re fully supportive of that,” computer science junior and event director Ethan Vinante said. “They just bring it to us, and we set it up so that they can make a system of playing the game and making a team and entering the tournaments. And then they come to me with event ideas and things like that.”

The club isn’t just about

screen time though. It holds weekly meetings, events and coaching opportunities from skilled gamers, which gets members together face-to-face to enjoy the gaming community outside of their favorite games.

“We understand a lot of the gamers are introverts naturally. That’s why we try to reach out to any of the new members and get people going out,” Matsushita said.

“We had a house system for a while where we would break apart the introverts try to bring them out to events. It’s mostly the community because the competitive element is always fun, but not everyone is in it for that.”

In the end, the real victory for these gamers is the recognition they are finally receiving for the past-time they love.

“I’m living the dream right now because my passion is getting recognized,” Yoo said.

“And I would like nothing more than that.”

ATHLETICS

UNT increasing student athletic fee and institutional support despite below-average athletic performance

By Reece Waddell Senior Staff Writer @ReeceWaddell15 Student athletic fees at UNT have more than doubled in the last seven years, according to the NCAA Membership Financial Reporting System. In 2015, student fees and institutional support combined to equal $20,043,786.

If this amount was subtracted from the athletic department’s expenses, UNT would have been just over $20 million in debt last year.

Since 2008, the North Texas football team has had one winning season and has been under the direction of three different head coaches. Men’s basketball has failed to finish above .500 since hiring head coach Tony Benford in 2012 and had the third-lowest average home attendance in Conference USA in 2015.

As a result of the subpar performances in the higher revenue sports, UNT has steadily raised student fees and institutional

support to fund athletics.

“I don’t look at [student fees] as a loss,” athletic director Rick Villarreal said. “I look at that as an investment in the university. I don’t try to justify anything. For me, it’s a program the university feels is valuable, so that’s why it has an athletics department. It’s why they have an athletic director.”

The NCAA report showed UNT collected $4,641,911 in student fees in 2008 compared to $10,723,272 in 2015. In 2008, UNT received $14,081 in institutional support.

That figure grew nearly 662 percent in 2015 to total $9,319,514.

When tallied together, UNT’s student athletic fees and institutional support make up roughly two thirds of the athletic department’s revenue.

At a Board of Regents meeting in September 2015, Villarreal asked for permission to increase the student athletic fee by $1 per semester credit hour - a motion that was approved. Villarreal said despite the recent rise, North Texas still has the lowest fees both in C-USA and across the state.

“There’s a certain group that wants to take North Texas and make us somebody else,” Villarreal said.

“Our own people want to make us different than everybody else. I’ve never really in my entire career been around this kind of situation where we always want to look at the negative. If the university decided tomorrow that it didn’t want an athletic program, then that would be their decision.”

This issue is not only plaguing UNT, though.

In a report by the Texas Tribune, it was documented that all but two public universities in Texas lost money on their athletic programs in 2015. According to the report, the only two public schools to make a profit were Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin.

However, this was not exactly the case. Texas Tribune staff writer and lead reporter on the aforementioned report Matthew Watkins said his publication chose to intentionally subtract student fees and institutional support from

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each school’s bottom line in order to paint a clearer picture of the money universities generated from things like ticket and merchandise sales.

“It would be inaccurate to say the athletic department is in debt or failing to cover their expenses, because they do have that money,” Watkins said. “It’s just we felt that money […] there’s a difference between what we would call earned revenue and what we could call a subsidy, which is being used to basically keep the athletic department financially solvent.”

In actuality, UNT made a $43,557 profit in 2015 when student fees and institutional support were accounted for. Watkins did not feel he skewed or misrepresented the data, though.

Instead, he said that by introducing the figures without student fees and institutional support, he provided transparency as to what was going on within athletic programs in Texas.

“I would be surprised if schools stopped doing this,” Watkins said.

“People care so much in Texas about [athletics] that it’s hard to imagine this ending anytime soon.”

After learning of the increases to finance the athletic department, some UNT students and alumni are questioning whether the hike in student fees is justifiable.

Vlad Otvos graduated from UNT last December and was an avid supporter of North Texas athletics. He said he has attended between three and five football games per year, as well as various swimming and diving events.

Additionally, he said the rate at which UNT funds athletics compared to other things on campus seems unbalanced.

“You have a school of 40,000, and maybe 500 are on a sports team. That’s not a high

Erica Wieting | Staff Graphic Artist percentage,” Otvos said. “We’re pouring all this money into 500 students. What about all these graduate students who are TAs in biology labs who aren’t getting paid enough because our money goes to sports?”

Other students did not take as much of an issue with the increase in fees.

Finance senior Robert Watson said he did not think UNT receiving roughly $20 million from the university in student fees and institutional support was too much money. Rather, he saw it as a necessary investment in the athletic department.

“You want to be able to take pride in saying ‘I went there,’” Watson said. “We may see it now that they drove the student fees pretty high in the past five, six, seven years,

but five years from now we may look back and say ‘UNT is now a University of Houston, or whatever.’

And it started because we decided we cared about being good at sports.”

For Villarreal, the goal remains to improve UNT’s infrastructure and put winning teams on the court and field. But unlike others, he does not necessarily see winning as an immediate fix to the revenue problem.

“When we were winning 20 games a year six years in a row in basketball, our season ticket numbers didn’t triple or quadruple or whatever,” Villarreal said. “A lot of places it would. Why does it not here? I’m not sure. It’s not because we’re not out there pursuing it or trying to make it happen.”

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 7 COLUMN

Mean Green soccer has the talent to reload and compete in C-USA

By Clay Massey Staff Writer @Clay_FC

Clay Massey When the final buzzer sounded on the Mean Green’s season at the NCAA tournament in November, the clock also expired on the careers of seven talented seniors.

The class won four regular season conference championships, two conference tournaments and set multiple school records. But now, the entire starting midfield from 2015 is gone, the team lost the greatest goalkeeper in school history in Jackie Kerestine, and gone are Tess Graham and Molly Grisham, the anchors of the statically best defense in the country.

On the surface, it seems like it would be hard to move on from that much production. But as the spring soccer season kicks into second gear this month, it’s important to remember the words of Kendrick Lamar.

“We gon’ be alright.”

John Hedlund knows what he’s doing, and he has brought in the pieces to keep this thing

going. With 21 seasons at the helm, Hedlund has never posted a losing record, thanks in large part to his ability to recruit.

Arguably the most impressive part of last year’s team was how talented the bench was. If Hedlund needed to give one of his forwards a rest, he brought in sophomore Taylor Torres, who scored three goals and four assists last season and also trained with Mexico’s U-17 team in high school.

The team also returns Rachel Holden, who was showered with Conference-USA awards for a 12 goal, three assist season, so the team will have scoring options up front. The biggest concern comes on who will be getting the ball to Holden, especially because all three starters in the midfield have graduated out of Hedlund’s 4-3-3 system.

The three senior midfielders accounted for nearly half of North Texas’ 30 season assists, and when you lose half of your ball distribution that led to goals, that is a big problem.

The biggest loss in the midfield has to be Pineda, who accounted for seven goals and nine assists. She did it all, including delivering set-piece balls that would make the great Andrea Pirlo swoon, and was one of the more underrated players in C-USA. But Hedlund has knack for recruiting midfielders, as seen with the talented midfield class he just graduated and a bench that was talented enough to start. New freshman Stefanie Grba has trained with the Serbian U-17 National Team and is a true speed demon. Hedlund also added Logan Layn, who is a true defensive wrecking

ball that was lost with Molly Grisham.

Losing two center backs is tough, especially when they anchored the statistically best defense in the country. But Hedlund teaches a defensefirst system, which will make it easier for newcomers to come in and be successful in Denton.

The defensive players on the bench did not get many looks in 2015, so it will be interesting to see how they shape-up. But there’s no reason to worry, as Hedlund teaches defense. He

was a defender at the national team level in the United States himself.

Part of the reason North Texas was the best defensive team in the nation was Kerestine.

North Texas never allowed more than two goals in a game last season, and that seems to be an achievable goal next season as well. Sophomore Brooke Bradley trained under Kerestine for a season and only allowed one goal in 97 minutes. She also made 10 saves against Texas Tech in the NCAA tournament

when she was thrust into the starting XI after Kerestine was injured in warm-ups.

There’s also incoming freshman Miranda Schoening, who started on her high school team when she was in 7th grade.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Her 6’1 frame also reminds Hedlund of Kerestine, and she looks to be the talent you need to replace a hall of fame goalkeeper.

If history is any indication, North Texas will be just fine.

Hedlund has been at the helm

Senior forward Rachel Holden (16) returns to the team after being showered with Conference-USA awards for a 12-goal, three assist season.

Colin Mitchell | Senior Staff Photographer

RELIEF

Tennis coach LLama continuing earthquake relief efforts with Project Nepal

By Alex Lessard Associate Sports Editor @alexjlessard Piles of rocks and rubble coated the streets. A sense of panic and desperation colored the faces of thousands of victims as they searched for lost loved ones.

This was the aftermath of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal on April 25, 2015, leaving the country in dire need of food, water, clothes, shelter and medicine. A less severe earthquake struck less than a month later, and a current dispute with India over Nepal’s newly approved constitution is putting a halt to the recovery process.

Enter Mean Green head tennis coach Sujay Lama, who was born and raised in Nepal.

“It was very difficult, and it’s still a very difficult state for Nepal,” Lama said. “Every day it affects all of us, especially for me personally. There’s always this sadness. How can this change, how can we do something to get better.”

Lama is a co-director of Project Nepal, a non-profit organization created to educate orphaned children in his homeland. Since the earthquake, Project Nepal has raised more than $12,000, with nearly all of the money going directly to Radha Paudel, the founder of Action Works Nepal. Paudel has spent nearly all of it on acquiring the basic necessities for the most affected families in the rural western areas of Nepal.

Before meeting in person, Lama was in communication with Paudel for three years,

learning as much as he could about her mission and finding inspiration along the way.

After visiting Nepal with her on multiple occasions, most recently in 2013, Lama gained confidence that all of Project Nepal’s donations are being utilized as much as possible.

Although being with Mean Green tennis has prevented him from being involved as much as he’d like, Lama said his motivation is still strong.

“You have to always be in tune with how you can make a difference, but you have to live your life,” Lama said. “I have a family to raise and I have a job to do, but that’s not going to deter me from doing what I’m doing.”

This summer, Lama will be sending his 16-year-old daughter Priya to some of the hardest hit portions of Western Nepal to aid in relief efforts. Priya has been in contact with her teachers and classmates at Liberty Christian High School about fundraising for Project Nepal, but this will be the first time she has ever been to Nepal’s remote areas.

“I think this is really going to open my eyes to see an actual third world country and how the people are living compared to here,” Priya said.

Priya will become just one more helping hand at Project Nepal’s core, headed by Lama and fellow co-director Ed Kellerman.

Kellerman has raised more than $10,000 for the project in the past decade and nearly $2,000 from a recent GoFundMe campaign and a 5k run in February.

But he said Priya’s work is what’s most important.

“Every good charity,

Radha Paudel, founder of Action Works Nepal, speaks about her work to reduce violence against women at the University of Florida in 2014.

Courtesy | Ed Kellerman

since day one and has built this program from scratch. The pieces of the puzzle are there, and they should fall into place just like they have in the past.

So, to the 2015 seniors of Mean Green Soccer, thanks for the memories. Your legacy will be carried by the power you have given this program on a national stage and the highly talented recruits who came here because of your legacy.

As Kendrick Lamar so eloquently told us - “We gon’ be alright.”

UPCOMING GAMES Thursday •Track & Field: Bryan Clay Invitational (Azusa, CA) – All Day •Track & Field: Mt. SAC Relays (Norwalk, CA) – All Day Friday •Track & Field: Bryan Clay Invitational (Azusa, CA) – All Day •Track & Field: Mt. SAC Relays (Norwalk, CA) – All Day Saturday •Tennis: vs. UT Arlington (Denton, TX) – 11 a.m.

•Softball: @ Southern Miss (Hattiesburg, MS) – 1 p.m.

•Softball: @ Southern Miss (Hattiesburg, MS) – 3 p.m.

•Track & Field: Bryan Clay Invitational (Azusa, CA) – All Day •Track & Field: Mt. SAC Relays (Norwalk, CA) – All Day •Track & Field: K.T. Woodman Classic (Wichita, KS) – All Day Sunday •Softball: @ Southern Miss (Hattiesburg, MS) – 1 p.m.

Radha Paudel, left, and Sujay Lama point to Lama’s oldest brother Vijay, a film and recording star and pilot with Nepal Airlines. Courtesy | Ed Kellerman especially international charities, should have people going there,” Kellerman said.

“We trust Radha, but this is an opportunity for Priya to be our eyes and ears.”

Kellerman and Lama both said they hope the opportunity inspires Priya to become even more active with Project Nepal in the future, but Priya already has big ideas.

“I just hope I can continue it like my dad has,” Priya said.

“When he’s older, I want to be able to continue it and make it grow just for him.”

As an adjunct professor of nonprofit leadership and management at the University of Florida, Kellerman’s expertise has been vital to the project’s growth. After sitting down with Lama, the duo came up with the idea for an annual tennis tournament at the Waranch Tennis Complex in Denton, which will take place for the fifth time in November. The camp has brought in over 100 participants each year and has become Project Nepal’s signature event.

“At some point during the year, you have to commit to one yearly event,” Kellerman said.

“You have to make time for it if you believe in your cause.”

With the Conference USA Championships looming and an upcoming trek on the recruiting trail this summer, finding time

to commit to service has been a challenge for Lama. The same is true for Kellerman, who intends to apply for the Fulbright Faculty Service Scholarship to stay in Nepal for six months.

Nevertheless, no matter what is happening in their lives, each

of them said giving back will always be at the forefront of their minds.

“I have a job, and I love what I do,” Lama said. “This is my passion, but Project Nepal is my mission.”

Monday •W Golf: Conference USA Championship (Ft. Myers, FL) – All Day Tuesday •W Golf: Conference USA Championship (Ft. Myers, FL) – All Day Wednesday •W Golf: Conference USA Championship (Ft. Myers, FL) – All Day

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 8

Former offensive lineman Walker forced to choose between football and career path

Broadcast journalism junior Dominick Walker hopes to become a sports broadcaster. Colin Mitchell | Senior Staff Photographer BROADCAST CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 and spring, with no summer options, nor the ability to substitute other courses – something other degree plans offer.

According to Mayborn director of advising Stephanie Garza, the courses in question would have Walker missing full practices multiple days a week, going beyond the reasonable level of flexibility that coaches often have.

“It’s a challenge because a lot of our classes have labs with them,” Garza said. “If you have football practice four days a week right smack-dab in the middle of the afternoon and you’re going to be totally wiped and exhausted, it’s hard to balance everything to where you’ve got that perfect

MEAN GREEN QUICK HITS

Men’s basketball nabs transfer forward Forward Shane Temara has signed a national letter of intent to transfer to the Mean Green men’s basketball team.

The 6-foot-9 Syracuse native averaged 11.5 points and 7.5 rebounds on 60.3 percent shooting in his first and only season at Angelina College.

He will be the four th newcomer to the team next season, joining guards A.J. Lawson, Ryan Woolridge and Keith Frazier.

177 student athletes receive academic honors Conference USA announced the members of its annual Commissioner’s Honor Roll on Wednesday, which includes 177 Nor th Texas studentathletes with GPAs of 3.0 or higher. Football led all Mean Green spor ts with 35 honorees, and 49 student-athletes received academic medals for GPAs of 3.75 or higher. The honoree and academic medalist totals for Nor th Texas are both greater than last year.

Volleyball adds new member to coaching staff Mean Green volleyball has added former TCU graduate assistant Kaylee Fifer to its coaching staff to prepare for the upcoming season. Fifer previously was a setter for Colgate University and Denton Guyer High School. Nor th Texas head coach Andrew Palileo said he anticipates Fifer helping most with budgeting, scheduling and team travel arrangements.

Swimming senior receives Winter Spirit of Service Award Senior swimmer Ashley Payne was honored last week by CUSA as one of 14 Spirit of Service Award winners this winter.

Awarded student-athletes are required to achieve significant public service, maintain good grades and par ticipate fully in their respective spor t. In addition to her accomplishments in the pool, Payne volunteered with over 20 events projects in the past year.

scenario.”

The biggest course in question for Walker is one involving production of a newscast for North Texas Daily Television. According to Garza, the Mayborn School of Journalism only has two professors qualified to teach the course, limiting the number of sections the school can offer.

Walker said he was told he could change his major to print journalism and graduate with no conflict, but with a print degree Walker would lose the opportunity to create a Mayborn-influenced demo reel – a tool many deem necessary to break into the competitive broadcast job market. “[The class] would give me a feel in front of a camera and how to set up getting interviews, so I’d be better prepared to get a job,” Walker said. “If I’m able to present myself, I feel like it’d be a lot easier to obtain a job rather than just saying, ‘Here, I have a degree.’”

Walker was pragmatic from the moment he knew he would have to drop one of the two things he loved the most. But the emotional rollercoaster remained in full swing.

“I was thinking either I would graduate and have a degree with no purpose, or I’d have to quit football to pursue education, not have a way to finance it and end up losing both,” Walker said. “I didn’t know how to react to it at first. I was angry for a little bit about the whole situation, I was sad because I didn’t know how things were going to turn out and then confused with what I was going to do next.”

Bad timing Garza said she and Walker have been discussing how the pursuit of a broadcast journalism major with a full football schedule could cause a collision course since last spring. Before then, Walker had spoken with different advisors, who he said never warned him.

“That’s whenever I first had issues setting up classes for the fall,” Walker said. “I had to switch classes around, which ultimately pushed my graduation back.”

And the timing for Walker couldn’t have been worse.

He had been a left guard for Mean Green football since coming to UNT as a freshman the summer of 2013. He arrived as a highly-recruited prospect out of the Houston area, ranked as a Top-100 recruit by the Houston Chronicle in 2012 and one of only three players to be named a unanimous pick to the 23-5A first team.

This early success led Walker to

believe he had a chance in pursuing something few athletes have been able to do – a professional football career.

“When you have your name in the Houston Chronicle, you feel like, ‘Ok, I have a shot after college,’” Walker said. “But when you get to college, everybody’s on that same level. It’s not just like you’re the best where you’re at anymore. You’re in a group of people that are just as good as you are.”

Walker redshirted his freshman year, and never played a single snap in either of the following two seasons. But there was a moment during the 2015 season when Walker believed he had a chance to resurrect his career – Oct. 10, 2015.

Walker was one of many football players who was shell-shocked by the 66-7 Homecoming loss to Portland State University, which resulted in the firing of former head coach Dan McCarney. The team was floundering, but Walker knew a change at the top meant a golden opportunity to reinvigorate himself on the gridiron.

But the stars did not align in Walker’s favor.

“I felt like it was a chance for me to present myself again and make myself a new person and show the coaches that I should move up on the depth chart,” Walker said.

“But at the same time the new coaches were coming in, it was the exact same time the whole class schedule thing started happening.”

Walker never experienced a full spring practice under new head coach Seth Littrell and only participated in off-season workouts before making his decision.

But even if he had gotten the chance to turn his football career around, Walker knew he had to prioritize.

“The thing that helped me make the decision was, under any circumstance, NFL or not, football is going to be temporary,” Walker said. “Either I could have gotten hurt in practice during the spring, or I could have not gone to the NFL after college, then I’ll have only played two years.”

Financial concerns Losing the privilege to play was only half of Walker’s struggle. At the end of the spring semester, Walker’s football scholarship will be voided, leaving him to fend for himself on tuition costs.

“Football was the only real way I had to come to college, financially,” Walker said. “I wasn’t going to be able to come to a fouryear university right out of high school if I didn’t have football.”

Finances also created a temporary rift between Walker and his immediate family. Being a first-generation college student, Walker said he comes from a family that has experienced a lot of debt in the past.

“At first, the only thing they saw was, ‘If you quit football, how are you going to pay for it?’” Walker said. “So a lot of the responses I

got were, ‘You should stay in football anyway and just graduate, then come back afterward and get a degree that you actually want.’”

And they weren’t the only ones laying options on the table.

David Bekker, assistant director of student-athlete services, said the option of getting a different journalism degree wouldn’t have suited Walker.

“He could just do the regular journalism and I don’t think there would be any conflict. But it’s not the pinnacle, and I sense Dom has talent,” Bekker said. “I think he needs to have a reel and hands-on experience if he wants to go into reporting.”

Bekker’s job is to understand student-athletes and their intense workloads – something Walker said his parents couldn’t quite grasp. While Walker said he’s had cousins who were former collegiate football players in similar situations, he’s the only student-athlete in his immediate family.

“It was hard for them to understand,” Walker said. “But for them, the biggest thing they saw was that I was going to have to start paying for college, and that wasn’t a decision that they wanted to have to make.”

Walker said his family supports him, but he is on his own financially. He said he’s applied for nearly 30 scholarships and has already received one from the Mayborn.

He is also applying for multiple jobs, but that comes with its own set of hurdles. He doesn’t own a car, meaning many places Walker has applied to are gas stations and restaurants within walking distance of the UNT campus. And then there are student loans.

“If I had stayed in football, finishing school, I would have been debt-free,” Walker said.

“But I’m putting myself now in a situation where I’m going to have that type of responsibility.”

Looking forward It’s been just over a month since Walker made his decision, and he said he is now at peace with it all.

He’s still enrolled in 15 hours of classes, like he has been every fall and spring he’s been at UNT, and is on track to graduate next spring with his B.A in broadcast journalism with minors in Spanish and social science.

That’s not to say it hasn’t been a tough pill to swallow. The last month for the former offensive lineman is something he said he doesn’t want any future studentathlete to ever experience.

Unfortunately, there’s not much to suggest change is imminent, according to Bekker.

“If it’s a whole college and just one or two students, they’re probably not going to do much about it,” Bekker said. “And it’s not that they’re mean – it’s funding and resources. They don’t have enough justification to make a big change.“ Garza said Walker is only one of two student athletes to ever have this conflict. The other is also a football player – a freshman still too early in his coursework to understand Walker’s situation.

Senior associate athletic director of student services Cinnamon Sheffield said what bothers her the most about this is how unpredictable coursework can be. According to Garza, the amount of sections in upper-level broadcast journalism classes fluctuates from semester to semester.

“It’s a bigger issue across the board, but I don’t know if you can make one big swoop across campus and fix it,” Sheffield said.

“Because next year or two years from now, maybe the courses he can’t take now will be available.”

Still, Sheffield said she thinks one student being put in this predicament is one too many.

“When you come here to major in journalism and then play football, your whole world is disrupted because of the options changing,” Sheffield said. “It’s frustrating to see that a student has to make that choice. And that’s a tough choice.”

Walker said he wants to send a message to future student-athletes to do their own research, regardless of what they’re being told.

“Coaches will tell you everything will be alright because that’s what they know,” Walker said. “A bunch of people didn’t know this would happen to me when I came here. From a coaching standpoint, they thought everything was going to be fine, until this situation came up.

Doing research on your own will be something that helps [future] students out.”

As challenging as it’s been, Walker has continued to mount support for his decision, from both the Mayborn and the athletics department. Above all, Walker is embracing the challenge with open arms and has confidence he will come out wearing a green cap and gown, in prime position to make his mark.

“I feel like finishing won’t be a problem,” Walker said. “I just know that making this choice, and it was a hard choice to make, that I’m going to start off in a situation that I wouldn’t have been in if I had stayed in football.”

Broadcast journalism junior Dominick Walker grew up working cameras at Lakewood Baptist Church in Houston, the home of evangelist Joel Osteen.

Colin Mitchell | Senior Staff Photographer

Linebacker Calvin Minor arrested for marijuana possession ARREST CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

that is improper and not part of the culture we teach here at the University of North Texas,” athletic director Rick Villarreal said. “Each case has in the past, and will in the future, be handled in the proper manner with all of the proper authorities being involved.”

Minor was detained and transported to the Denton County jail, where he then posted $500 bond. Mean Green head coach Seth Littrell issued the following statement on Minor’s arrest.

“I am aware of the arrest of one of our football players, Calvin Minor, earlier today,” Littrell said. “I have

not had the opportunity to talk with Calvin yet and I’m still in the process of collecting information. I take these matters very serious and will handle the situation appropriately when all the details become available.”

UNT spokeswoman Margarita Venegas said Minor’s incident will likely be investigated by UNT for a violation of the student code of conduct.

“There is a code of conduct students have to follow,” Venegas said. “When they have violations of the code of conduct, those are investigated through the Dean of Students office.”

Possession of 2 oz. or less of marijuana in Texas is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by a maximum fine of $2,000 or 180 days in jail. According to the UNT student code of conduct, Minor violated section F, No. 4 under the subhead “categories of misconduct,” which reads “illegal use, possession, sale, manufacture, distribution or effective control of chemical precursors, controlled substance analogues or dangerous or illegal drugs.”

Minor is from Lewisville and had 23 tackles in 2014 for North Texas, but was

limited to mainly special teams work last season.

He’s the fourth Mean Green football player to be arrested in 2016. Junior wide receiver Darvin Kidsy and senior defensive back Jamal Marshall were arrested in January in connection with a hit and run that occurred in December and left one person in critical condition.

Walk-on fullback Cannon Maki was arrested in February for outstanding warrants in Flower Mound for disregarding a traffic control device and violating a written promise to appear in court.

Men’s basketball guard Keith Frazier was also arrested last month for failure to maintain financial responsibility for outstanding warrants in Irving.

“I can assure you [these arrests] are not reflective on what is being told and what is being taught by the new staff that has come in,” Villarreal said.

“We monitor our student athletes as any other college does. In very unique circumstances, we may not be aware of an incident based on the nature of the violation. But, I can assure you once we become aware we will address and handle it in the proper manner.”

OPINION Page 9

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

‘90S BABIES

Please, stop talking about the ‘90s already

By Preston Mitchell Staff Writer @Presto_Mitch

In the words of Edna Mode, the scene-stealing, costume-designing millionaire from Pixar’s “The

Incredibles”: “Never look back, darling. It distracts from the now.”

This sentiment rings truer than ever as our generation inexplicably feigns affection for the non-stop brood of the decade known as the 1990’s.

To be fair, the ‘90s had its fair share of wins and losses. It was the golden age of rap and grunge, as well as a renaissance of daytime television à la “Boy Meets World” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”

However, the way Millennials seem to mourn for Kurt Cobain and his ilk just comes off as whiny. We were way too young to process their impact, and many of the offenders sharing all of these bogus Twitter

Courtesy | fiuxy.net

accounts on our timelines weren’t even alive for the better half of those 10 years.

As if Twitter wasn’t enough, any willing devotee to ‘90s fashion and television can find an enclave of shrines across various platforms: Tumblr, Instagram — even Reddit.

Despite how cringe-inducing it is to look back on most of that, prepubescent nostalgia appears to be the cool thing to do at the moment.

Frankly, I don’t want to return to an era where tattoo chokers were actual necklaces or every guy wore rat-tails. No one should relive controversies about Cabbage Patch Kids, who were recalled after eating plastic snacks and baby scalps.

Undoubtedly, nobody our age wants their sitcoms to revert back to laugh tracks. I mean, “The Big Bang Theory” is bad enough. This pining for days past comes off as disingenuous.

At the same time, honest ‘90s nostalgia is understandable.

Our childhoods ended while technological advancements made simple living archaic.

1991 saw the creation of Linux, the operating system that sought to offer an alternative to Apple and Microsoft. The original PlayStations

of 1994 single-handedly popularized the gaming console market. In 1998, South Korea introduced the first MP3 player, which practically made Nirvana’s “Nevermind” a pocket accessory.

Nevertheless, we need to get our heads out of the clouds if we don’t think our generation has crosses to bear. We’re inherently responsible for bad pop music, especially since Gen-X grunge was murdered by our N*SYNC and Britney Spears phases.

It’s difficult to collect VHS tapes since we grew up breaking 90 percent of them. Likewise, those Disney Channel reruns reveal how terrible “Halloweentown” and “Zenon” actually were.

Don’t get me wrong —it’s okay to be sentimental. There’s times when I’ll blast Rage Against the Machine through the speakers or put on “Animaniacs” before class.

I’ll occasionally wish that my only responsibility was to “catch up” on Corey and Topanga’s adventures, and I don’t mean on “Girl Meets World.”

In spite of this, I also understand that I was a child during their primes.

You should, too. So please, take Edna’s advice, embrace your mid-00’s childhood and shut up about the ‘90s.

Please.

POLITICS

Conservatives just as likely as liberals to play the victim

By Morgan Sullivan Staff Writer @sadsquadch

Most conservatives believe liberals to be whiny individuals always looking to play the victim. Left-wingers incubate themselves into “social justice warriors” hidden behind their laptops, finding reasons to be upset over every little thing possible.

However, conservatives are just as quick to get up in arms regarding their gun rights — no pun intended — as well as their religious beliefs. In short, everyone seems to be a crybaby these days.

Liberals – especially young liberals – are typically

perceived as those who don’t understand politics. Quick to blame authority, they lose their minds the minute something goes wrong. They expect the worst out of law enforcement, the government and any other kind of institution seen as imposing.

On the other hand, conservatives just as easily find themselves out-ofsorts. Uttering the words “regulation” and “guns” in the same sentence warrants a reaction much the same as if one dropkicked a newborn baby into a vat of acid.

Seriously, if you want to get a bunch of people more riled up than the fans at a CowboysEagles game, ask an open-

North Texas Daily Editorial Board

Editor-In-Chief...................Nicholas Friedman nicholas.friedman1@gmail.com....@NMFreed

ended question about gun control. Or abortion. Or the federal government.

Both tend to stand steadfast for their beliefs and find themselves unable to comprehend why anyone could or would ever disagree. This limits intelligent discourse and starts political conversations off with such a bad taste in everyone’s mouth that they never get much further than “How could you be so blind?” before ending with “What an idiot!”

In reality, though liberals bear the brunt of the blame when it comes to being incessant victims and propagating a culture of people downtrodden by society,

Why we have presidential term limits

laferneyd@gmail.com.............@daltonlaferney

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conservatives are just as likely to cry foul without just cause.

This is hindering our ability to find reasonable solutions and furthering the divide of an already gridlocked country.

While this is obviously not representative of every individual in the United States, it rings wholly true for those who represent them.

At the end of the day, we should all learn to be a little less sensitive to those who disagree with us, and realize that this outcry is not exclusive to one political party, ideology, or group of people. We live in an age of unremitting selfvictimization, and it’s time to let it go.

By Sidney Johnson Staff Writer @sidjohn87 Our founding fathers knew presidential term limits would be an issue. When our nation broke away from Mother England it looked to create a system of checks and balances on the power of those in charge. We gained presidents whose authority was restrained by

congress in lieu of kings who reign until they die, step down or are overthrown. Some feel our present presidential term limits should be extended — an assertion I find counterproductive to our nation’s essence.

The 22nd amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1951, states: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term shall be elected to the office of President more than once.”

George Washington, the United States’ first president, died in 1799 only two years after the end of his second term. He could’ve continued into a third term with ease — he’s known as the “father” of our country for a reason — but

Washington, a believer of selfrestraint and discipline, responsibly stepped down after serving eight years in office. This precedent remained unbroken for 143 years.

It wasn’t until Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose tenure as President of the United States spanned from 1933 to 1945, that the nation’s position on term limits was revisited. Roosevelt roused hope and optimism during one of the most desolate stints in American history, justifying his extended administration, at least in the voters’ eyes. He was truly what the people wanted, and upon examining his trademark New Deal policies, was arguably what they needed in order to survive the Great Depression.

But beyond this, it can be objectively stated term limits ensure no party is in power for too

long. Even if a president – such as Washington remains the choice of the majority of citizens after their presidency, it shouldn’t negate the dissent others deserve their chance as well. Roosevelt might’ve been the savior of our country in a time devoid of opportunity, but things not being as dire as they once were, the need for such an extended stay is decidedly absent.

Allowing a party’s rule to continue longer than presently allowed can uproot our political process. If you are enthusiastic at the thought of Bernie Sanders in office for 12 years, yet scoff at the idea of Donald Trump doing the same, I advise you to check your bias. Washington was right and his foresight was almost psychic — keeping terms short and sweet allows for the flourishing of a more perfect union. Vote wisely.

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 10 ETHAN COUCH

‘Affluenza’ teen Ethan Couch gets a timeout

By The Editorial Board North Texas Daily

Four consecutive 180-day sentences, one for each person killed by then-16-year-old Ethan Couch, was the sentence levied against the infamous rich kid Wednesday.

Having turned 19 on Monday, Couch will spend a tentative two years behind bars at Tarrant County Jail after having violated the terms of his original sentence —10 years of probation — and then fleeing to Mexico. He and his mother dodged authorities for several weeks before being extradited to the United States.

Interestingly enough, Couch will be 21-years-old upon his release, which is the legal drinking age in the U.S. Though this is five years older than when he got behind the wheel of his parent’s car —a full three times above the legal drinking limit for of-age

adults, mind you — and needlessly ended the lives of four people, those of us at North Texas Daily are skeptical regarding the scope of his remorse or redemption.

Although jail is meant to rehabilitate those who check-in for an extended stay, it can’t be forgotten this is the same individual who had the audacity to plead ‘affluenza’ — privilege so great it cripples the individual and their personal development — when charged with manslaughter. The same person, who after an unbelievably generous sentence of probation, fled to Mexico when pictures surfaced of him at a party drinking alcohol and playing beer pong.

Are we truly expected to believe two years time behind bars is going to change anything about this kid? Whatever happens to his parents, he will quite likely still be rich when he gets out of jail, and there is no way to gauge what his first move beyond the clink will be.

Notwithstanding is the fact that, according to the the National Institute for Justice, within five years about three-quarters of released prisoners are rearrested. Of those, more than half were arrested by the end of their first year after release. So, before even considering the

individual case of Couch, statistics themselves suggest he is likely to commit another crime beyond his sentence.

This two-year stint in jail is comparative to what most drug peddlers get for their first offense via mandatory minimums. Who

would you rather have back on the street — an arguably remorseless young man, likely to get behind the wheel of a car again after drinking to uncertain results, or a weedslinger pushing his product a gram at a time?

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