North Texas Daily 10/06/2016

Celebrating 100 Years of Journalism Excellence VOL. 108 No.6

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

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North Texas athletics underperforming in nearly every area

Annual report shows little change in crime rates

By Sarah Sarder UNT published its Annual Security and Fire Safety report Friday, including statistics that show little significant change in crime rates.

According to the document prepared by the UNT Clery compliance team, reported rapes decreased from 12 in 2014. There were seven in 2015.

UNT Police Chief Ed Reynolds said numbers fluctuate based on mandatory reporting from UNT employees, a practice which has increased in recent years after the university expanded education on the topic.

“I don’t think the numbers are significant enough to make a statement of we have less [rape] occurring on campus,” Reynolds said. “Statistically, those small numbers are not really a trend.”

Other sexual offenses reported under the Clery Act include fondling, incest and statutory rape. The only change in statistics for these categories was for statutory rape, which increased from zero in 2014 to three in 2015. All three incidents involved the same two individuals on different occasions.

The report also includes the number of crimes which are unfounded, a new addition since 2014. One instance of fondling, one of robbery and one of burglary were determined to be unfounded in 2015.

Crimes are considered unfounded if the charges are found to be false or baseless, usually after an investigation

by UNT police or local law enforcement.

Intentionally filing a false report may lead to charges against the complainant.

The 2016 report shows little significant change in non-sexual offense related areas. There is, however, a notable difference in the number of drug violations resulting in non-arrest campus referrals, showing a more than 50 percent drop between 2014 and

New report shows how UNT operated during Rick Villarreal administration

By Reece Waddell A report issued by Dallas-Fort Worth consultants Trip Kuehne and Michael Sicuro revealed the North Texas athletics department is underperforming and lackluster in nearly every area of operation.

The evaluation was commissioned

by UNT President Neal Smatresk and identifies major flaws such as revenue generation, communication within the department and budget pitfalls.

Overall, the duo believes “the [athletic department] is under-performing at virtually every level resulting from a lack of leadership, inadequate funding, outdated and/or poorly maintained facilities and in many cases, nonexistent internal processes.”

“I am confident that [Athletic Director Wren Baker] and the athletics team will find [the report] useful as they spend the coming weeks and months constructing and implementing a plan to make UNT nationally competitive,” Smatresk said in a press release. “We appreciate the time and energy both Trip and Michael put into the collection of data and formulation of the final report submitted to me.”

In terms of revenue, UNT ranked 85th out of 231 collegiate athletic programs in 2014, good enough for fifth in Conference USA. The two main sports on campus — football and men’s basketball — are both floundering for revenue and rank sixth and 10th, respectively, in C-USA. One of the

SOCIAL JUSTICE: Activist Nicole Chisolm protests with the Next Generation Action Network in Dallas. The NGAN is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to lobby for social change and equality among all races. Taylor Ratcliff

SEE ATHLETICS ON PAGE 7

Following protest, UNT to update free speech zones

By Sarah Sarder UNT is taking steps to create a Free Speech Task Force and a permanent on-campus space for written expression after students took part in a silent protest on Willis Library walls last month.

Though UNT does currently have free speech areas on campus, the new space would differ by offering a place for students to express themselves in written form. Right now, campus free speech areas are more suitable for verbal demonstrations and areas such as the one near the Business Leadership Building allow for amplified sound as well.

The decision to create the new space came after UNT student Jazmine McGill began a silent protest in support of the Black Lives Matter movement on the Willis Library walls on Sept. 21.

Students’ posters initiated a campuswide discussion.

“People expect you to come back to school and pretend like there’s no cumulative effect of these experiences,” McGill said. “It is one way that we aid in our own dehumanization and I decided that I was done doing that.”

McGill said in a Facebook post on

Saturday, Sept. 24, that UNT authorities first contacted her Thursday about the unauthorized demonstration, emphasizing their support for the space, and attempting to find a way to coordinate so it would comply with UNT policy. McGill was open to hearing their proposals, and on Friday she and a friend who helped her organize the protest met with UNT administrators to discuss solutions.

The posters from the walls of Willis were removed before the rain that week, and organizers and administrators compromised — the posters could be moved on to three large boards, which may be displayed around campus this semester.

McGill commended the move on Facebook, calling the efforts from UNT “completely transparent and completely supportive.”

In McGill’s and most students’ cases, the general protocol to plan a protest would be to approach the Dean of Students office with an event idea.

The dean would then guide students in planning a protest compliant with UNT policy.

Mcgill, however, decided to begin the protest spontaneously, after an

SEE FREE SPEECH ON PAGE 3

SEE CRIME ON PAGE 3

Businesses from across Texas, other states visit Denton Vintage Market Days

By Victoria Monteros Over the weekend, Denton’s Vintage Market Days hosted dozens of small businesses from in and out of state for the first time.

The three-day shopping event took place in the New Diamond T Arena, on 6900 E. Sherman Dr., an area that closely resembles Southfork Ranch and is a semi-outdoor facility.

Vintage Market Days offered a wide range of shopping options. From antiques, to repurposed silverware, to signs made from old scrap, mustard and kosher salt, there was something for everyone who walked through the barn doors.

A Passion For Antiques One booth was Grace Chapel Market, a Dallas-based antique shop owned by Glenn Colley. Grace Chapel Market has been in business for about two years and offers antiques and vintage décor.

Colley has been interested in antiques all his life, saying he has a true passion for it. Because of this, he thought it would be a good idea to start a business on the side of his full-time job in the mortgage and banking industry.

“It’s a hobby, and there’s nothing like a hobby that pays,” Colley said.

Grace Chapel Market has been actively

marketing all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as well as East Texas.

Colley admires the nostalgia associated with collecting antiques. He said each antique tells a story.

“A lot of times, it reminds you of grandparents or great grandparents,” Colley said.

He also enjoys the enthusiasm radiating from shoppers.

“What I like about the customers [is] it

seems like everybody is happy to be there,” Colley said. “They love shopping and seeing things, and it just gives them remembrances of things gone by.”

Selection and curation of antiques is highly important to Colley. He attends markets like these all over the state, including in Tyler, Texas and Highland Park.

SEE MARKET ON PAGE 2

Rachel Corbin shops around the Forever Green Art vendor booth Saturday at Vintage Market Days of Denton. The event was over the weekend on E. Sherman Dr Hannah Breland

IN THIS ISSUE NEWS

A UNT Student Runs For Office pg 4 Connor Flanagan, 22, is running as a Democrat for a Texas House seat that has been occupied by Republicans for more than 20 years. See his story, and see UNT’s efforts to register voters.

ARTS & LIFE

Kandace Springs Comes to Dan’s pg 6 A renowned muscian kicked off her North American tour in Denton, at Dan’s Silver Leaf this week. See Kyle Martin’s review of her performance, just weeks after Oaktopia.

SPORTS

Buyers Is A Boss pg 7 As North Texas football battles its way through the 2016, a triumphant tale has emerged. Kenny Buyers, a former defensive end, switched to offense.

OPINION

What Does Your Vote Mean? pg 8 The Editorial Board explains how politics as usual will exist no matter who is elected this November. Tell us what you think on social media or by sending a letter to the editor.

NEWS Page 2

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD Feds ‘Secretly’ Arrest NSA Contractor over possible stolen information News broke Wednesday afternoon that an National Security Administration contractor was arrested for allegedly stealing classified materials from the U.S. government, multiple outlets reported. The contractor, 51-year-old Navy veteran Harold Thomas Martin III, was already being compared to Edward Snowden, the contractor who in 2013 obtained and leaked troves of classified information to the public. The government said Martin was arrested by the FBI on Aug. 27 and is still in custody, according to NBC News. The New York Times reported the authorities are still investigating whether the Martin stole computer code “to hack into the networks of foreign governments.”

Former Portuguese Prime Minister To Become UN Secretary-General

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UNT marketing class to rebrand Big Mike’s Coffee

By Tiffany Ditto About 96 UNT marketing students are helping Big Mike’s Coffee rebrand itself as their class project this semester after the new owner decided to change the look and feel of Fry Street’s coffee shop.

The class is responsible for the new logo design for Big Mike’s, including recommendations for the aesthetics of the coffee shop, menu design, social media, advertising, sponsorships. They’ll also help shop owner Kim McKibben rename the business.

“Kim at Big Mike’s has given us free reign with her company,” marketing professor Eric Kennedy

said in an email. “It is the student’s job to match her vision with what local coffee shop-goers are looking for.”

The marketing class has been doing projects like these around Denton for nine years under the direction of professor Francisco Guzman. Guzman is on leave this semester, which is why Kennedy is filling in. He is expected to return in the spring.

Under Guzman’s direction, the class has helped 25 businesses, including West Oak Coffee Bar, Johnson’s Backyard Garden and Pizza Snob.

The strategic brand management class has two sections with 48 students in each section. Each class

Antonio Guterres, the former prime minister of Portugal, is one step closer in becoming the secretary-general of the United Nations, according to CNN. He served as the head of the UN’s refugee efforts until last year.

He must first be confirmed by a vote by the six-nation Security Council.

Aleppo girl killed by cluster bomb mistaken for toy A four-year-old girl in Aleppo, Syria, died Tuesday from injuries she sustained when she picked up a cluster bomb. She thought it was a child’s toy, according to ITV via national media reports.

The child, Eman, is the latest child to become a symbol of the life-altering destruction that has caused so many to die in Syria.

There are an estimated 100,000 children living in the war-torn Aleppo, in northern Syria.

U.S. authorities bust international sex trafficking ring Seventeen people, 12 from Thailand and five from the United States., were charged with trafficking women from Thailand to the U.S., the BBC reported Wednesday.

Reports the BBC, “The women were driven into prostitution in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and other cities, to pay off ‘bondage debts’ of between $40,000 and $60,000 (£31,000 and £47,000).”

Central African Republic army head killed

Marcel Mombeka, the head of Central African Republic’s armed forces, was shot and killed in the nation’s capital, Bangui, according to The Guardian.

Since 2013, the nation has been caught up in violence as a Muslim rebel force ousted the president at the time, Francois Bozize.

Thousands have been killed in the conflict.

Obama administration slams Israel for settlement plan in West Bank President Obama’s White House threw sharp jabs at Israel for a decision to build hundreds of homes in the West Bank, saying the 300 housing units will be constructed “far closer to Jordan than Israel,” The Guardian reported.

This comes “days after Obama approved a $38 billion Israeli military aid package and attended former president Shimon Peres’s funeral in Jerusalem,” The Guardian wrote.

Students and professors study and drink coffee at Big Mike’s. The coffee shop is currently undergoing changes to its name and cosmetics. Jake King

is divided into six teams tasked with talking to consumers, conducting market research and developing a strategic plan that will introduce Denton to the new Big Mike’s.

McKibben hopes the class will be able to give her shop the boost it needs.

“Because we don’t really have a good brand or logo,” McKibben said.

“I’m hoping to understand what will bring in more business. Business has declined on Fry Street since the [University] Union opened.”

The coffee shop caught the eye of UNT students at the beginning of the semester. Students returned to campus to find Big Mike’s had been repainted and no longer had a name on the outside of the building.

About a week later, someone hung painted strips of fabric over the building that said, “Lil Kim’z Kawfee,” which set the Twittersphere abuzz and got students wondering what exactly was going on with the shop.

Communication science graduate Addison Mink, who has been coming to the coffee shop since 2013, said he thinks the changes to Big Mike’s are for the better.

“I’m nostalgic for the old shop, but I wouldn’t want it back,” he said.

“It’s lost the dark grungy vibe it used to have, but it’s nice that the lights work and the coffee is better. The low lighting made it hard to read or write things.”

Last semester, McKibben made

dramatic changes to the inside of the shop by painting over the mural that was inside, getting rid of the clutter in the windows and putting a trendy menu up on the wall. Although she has changed a lot, she said that she has kept some of the things the shop has always stood for, like trying to be more environmentally conscious.

Kennedy said that he has his own ideas for Big Mike’s, but cautions students by saying the students, nor himself, are coffee experts.

“We, as marketers, do not simply make suggestions to a client because it sounds good,” Kennedy said. “We go out and talk to our target consumers to get a better understanding of what they are looking for in a coffee shop.”

Kennedy said each class is broken into six teams that will do around 100 interviews before they pitch to McKibben. By doing this project, Kennedy said, a business owner puts the student’s work into action, which can then added to their resume as real world experience.

In an effort to maintain secrecy for her big reveal, McKibben was not ready to give up her ideas for the name. Until then the shop’s marquee will remain empty, she said.

“People keep calling to ask if we closed, they’re worried that Big Mike’s has gone away,” McKibben said. “I tell them we’re still here.”

@tiffanyditto

Vintage Market Days in Denton showcases wide variety of unique businesses MARKET CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 One thing Colley mentioned about the antiques market is that it is always in a state of flux, making it challenging to keep up with customers interests.

“As soon as you think you know what is hot, it changes,” Colley said. “Just because you sold 20 of something last month doesn’t mean that same thing is going to sell next month.”

The market also varies from city to city, making each venue challenging in its own ways.

“Some of the bigger pieces I had at Southfork, they have all went this time,” Colley said. “So it’s just getting into a new market, a new set of eyes, to see your stuff.”

Overall, Colley’s passion for antiques has truly driven him to keep this business alive.

Colley said. “It seems like lot of times, I’m working 50 hours a week [in the banking business], but sometimes I’ll work 30-40 hours a week with Grace Chapel Market because it does take time to collect,” Colley said. “It does take time to research. It takes time to repair, to clean, to paint or re-finish.”

Young and Ambitious The Silver Craftsman was also

present at Vintage Market Days.

Based in Joshua, Texas, the Silver Craftsman has been to events throughout North Texas and has ventured out into Austin and Glen Rose. The company specializes in repurposed silver, offering jewelry and other items, all handmade from old silverware by owner and founder, Sheldon Roy. Roy is 18 years old and started this business when he was 15. The uniqueness of repurposing silverware is what initially drew him in.

“I’d seen some ideas similar to it, but I had never seen the actual finished product,” Roy said. “So I had some tools laying around the house.

It turns out I had an old spoon laying out, so I tried that and it snowballed from there.”

In the beginning, repurposing silverware began as a hobby for Roy, as he would receive requests from people who’d see his work.

Soon, people who saw his projects suggested that he start to sell them.

“I’ve always been into working different stuff, so it was kind of a different, cool thing to try out,” Roy said. “At first, it was more of just a hobby, just to go out and have fun doing it, then it kind of turned into more of a business thing where I realized, ‘oh you know what, I can actually make some money doing

this.’”

Being so young, Roy does not have the element of seniority that other business owners have. Roy said because he has displayed a heightened sense of maturity and determination for his age, and has made positive impressions and relationships with other business owners, he has earned support throughout the community.

He has also been lucky enough to have the support from his family.

“They were all for it, for sure,” Roy said. “Actually, my mom had a lot to do with the business of designing some of the stuff. Most of the time, she’s the one who’s going to be playing a major role in setting up the booth. She has more of that touch than I do, and ends up making it look awesome.”

Bringing A Family Recipe to Life Vintage Market Days not only offered material items for sale, but also various food options. Joan’s Mustard was among these, offering mustard and kosher salt.

Joan’s Mustard is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and came out to Vintage Market Days to sell salt and mustard made by an old family recipe. It has been in business for about three years, and was started by Matthew Simpson and his mother.

“My grandmother died in ’98,

and about four years ago my mom was going through a bunch of her old stuff, found this recipe she used to cook for all her friends, and my mom started making it,” Simpson said.

Joann Lockwood was Simpson’s grandmother and the creator of the recipe. She and her husband, Bob, were known for throwing extravagant parties, where Lockwood would serve her mustard to guests.

After discovering the recipe, Simpson then went onto selling it in Tulsa. Eventually, they started to participate in shows around Texas and then around the country. Although they have mainly marketed around the Midwest, they have traveled from Castle Rock, Colorado, to Memphis, Tennessee.

Joan’s Mustard has also made its way into grocery stores, selling mustard and salt in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Simpson said that the company has found much success with the Vintage Market Days, and considers it to be a premier craft show.

“Some shows we go to, there’s not a cost to get in,” Simpson said. “With the Vintage Market days, where they pay to get in, they’re probably looking to buy.”

@ToriLaSuper

USA Today runs giant front-page Google advertisment The front page of the Wednesday edition of USA Today featured a big “G” in Alphabet Inc’s Google colors. Other than the nameplate and a tease to Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate, the front page didn’t feature any stories.

Google’s advertisement was rolling out its new phone, called “Phone,” which also ran ads on other news websites. Front-page ads are among the most expensive in print advertising.

The move to market on the front page of one of the most widelycirculated newspapers in the nation underscores high-stakes competition within the smartphone market.

“I wanna go to NTDaily.com!”

Top Left: People walk through booths that has numerous vendors Saturday, Oct. 1 at Vintage Market Days of Denton. The event was Sept. 30 - Oct. 2 on E. Sherman Dr. and is hosted in over 15 states. Top Right: Sophie Ryan, 6, waits for her ice cream at the Beth Marie’s booth Saturday, Oct. 1 at Vintage Market Days of Denton. The event was Sept. 30 - Oct. 2 on E. Sherman Dr. and is hosted in over 15 states. Bottom Left: Signs hang in a booth at Vintage Market Days of Denton Saturday, Oct. 1. The event was Sept. 30 - Oct. 2 on E. Sherman Dr. and is hosted in over 15 states. Photos by Hannah Breland

TRENDING @ntdaily @thedose_ntdaily @ntd_sports

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This storm is heading for the U.S. East cost. It’s a Category 5. The storm is expected to hit Florida soon.

#NationalTacoDay

Tuesday was National Taco Day. Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, among others, gave $1-tacos.

#KimKRobbed

Kim Kardashian, the famous model and husband of Kanye West, was robbed in Paris. She blames herself for flaunting her diamond ring.

#LadyGagaSuperBowl

Lady Gaga was announced as the Super Bowl 2017’s headliner at halftime. She cried when she found out. She lives for the applause.

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 3

Annual security and fire safety report shows little change in crime reports CRIME CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 than 50 percent drop between 2014 and 2015, falling from 66 to 31. On campus burglaries also dropped from 25 in 2014 to 15 in 2015.

Dean of students Maureen McGuinness attributed the drop to educational efforts by the police department, the dean of students office and the office of risk management.

“I think the continued education we do in the Substance Abuse Resource Center lets people know what could happen, both from the personal side of things and the health side of things, as well the criminal and the university side of things,” McGuinness said.

Clery statistics include data from the UNT Police

Department as well as from outside law enforcement agencies, encompassing the university campus and surrounding areas.

It is important to note that sexual offense numbers reported under Clery may not be fully comprehensive; It does not show statistics on sexual offenses that are not reported to authorities such as UNT or Denton Police.

Most UNT employees are required to report prohibited behavior if they are made aware of it. Such behavior may include sexual assault, sexual misconduct, stalking or relationship violence. These employees are known as campus security authorities or CSAs, and include UNT faculty and staff other than counselors and legal services.

Chief Reynolds said he does not believe all instances of sexual assault are captured in the data, but was optimistic about the education and resources on campus.

“We make reporting as easy as we can make it,” Reynolds said. “We’re in this area now where we’re probably catching as many as we’re going to in terms of voluntary reporting.”

Students who wish to view the original report can do so at http://bit.ly/2dwyszp.

UNT students standing outside of a London police department. Mary Clark

@sarderr

By Jackie Trujillo

UNT officials deny clown spotting on campus

By Julia Falcon The alleged clown sightings on UNT’s campus appear to be a hoax, university officials said, responding to a nation-wide uproar over clowns showing up to frighten people.

Early Tuesday morning, UNT students took to Twitter after someone said they saw a clown on campus. Someone circulated a photo purporting to be a warning message on UNT’s main website. The message read, “WARNING: DO NOT GO TO LIBRARY MALL –

Criminal justice students to travel in France

There has been a clown sighting just outside of Willis [Library].”

UNT’s spokeswoman Margarita Venegas said no such warning actually appeared on UNT’s website. Police Chief Ed Reynolds said there were no reported crime incidents involving clowns here.

A Snapchat story with a Denton geo-filter, however, showed a photo of a person dressed as a clown.

Clown sightings have been rising in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and across the nation since late August. Authorities have reported clown sightings in 23 states. School district officials at five North Texas schools said they were investigating potential social media threats of “creepy clowns” made toward the districts.

@falconjulia22

As a directed study course with an international field trip component, the UNT criminal justice department will have an eight-day study abroad trip to Rennes, France, in November.

The purpose is to immerse students in French culture and to teach them about the legal system and crime history within the country.

Students will spend mornings in a class of their choosing taught in English at the University of Rennes 2, followed by participating in crime walks led by criminal justice professor Peter Johnstone. The students will explore places where some historical crimes occurred and how the courts operated throughout the centuries.

“I believe one of the most valuable experiences you can have at university is exposure to other languages and cultures,” Johnstone said. “This trip takes it to another level. When you’re physically in another country surrounded by another language, other foods, your senses are bombarded.”

After the trip, students will

write an extensive research paper about a specific criminal they learned about in France. “[Say we] do something related to somebody who was a famous arsonist in the 17th century,” Johnstone said. “We would go to areas where they started fires and eventually when they were caught and executed.”

March 2017 will feature a study abroad opportunity to London. The trip will span 12 days and with a limit of 15 participants.

Students pay $650 for the fall trip or $1,000 for the spring trip to cover hotel, breakfast, local transportation and certain venues. Students provide their own airfare and spending money.

For senior criminal justice major Judah Mangrum, the trip is a chance to meet people, take classes and broaden his horizons by participating in the activities.

“We get so consumed with taking pictures and trying to learn all of these touristy facts that we lose the cultural experience,” Mangrum said.

“We become disembodied from it and I can’t be enveloped by an experience unless it’s all me and not my

phone.”

Students from any major are encouraged to participate if interested in the directive study.

“Although I’ve never participated in a study abroad trip, I think it’s something all students should consider,” applied arts senior and sciences major Jazmin Gutierrez said. “Students can find new interests while learning about different cultures and people all over the world.”

Johnstone said the trip can provide lasting impressions from immersing students in the crime history and different culture. “[I think] lots of students as a result have then decided they have got the confidence to go and spend a semester abroad,” Johnstone said.

“Even if you’re there for seven or eight days, you get enough sense of ‘oh, I’d be comfortable here. I’d feel secure here and I know I can do this.’ I think it’s a great segway for people finding themselves.”

@CptJackSparrohh

Following protest, UNT to update free speech zones FREE SPEECH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 idea that the protest would soon swell to cover most of the library’s east facing wall, and draw the attention of UNT officials.

“There were people who randomly joined here and stayed here for hours, just took it upon themselves to create dialogue with other people,” McGill said. “At times there were groups of 35 to 40 people out here just having serious conversations about race relations.”

While the university does not take a stance on the Black Lives Matter movement, Venegas said Dean of Students Maureen McGuinness immediately saw the silent protest as “another opportunity for free speech on campus.”

“It’s a tradition of valuing many viewpoints, and allowing our students, our faculty, our staff, community and campus to express themselves and their thoughts, and also for those same groups be able to engage in constructive dialogue,” UNT spokeswoman Margarita Venegas said.

The Free Speech Task Force is looking for members and aiming to convene at some point this month.

It will be led by McGuinness and will include Jazmine McGill as a member. The task force will identify potential places to create the written free-speech area, as well as plan what it would look like. The designated area may be indoors or outdoors, depending on what the Free Speech Task Force decides. The task force is currently looking for members

to volunteer from the UNT student body, faculty and staff.

Venegas emphasized that having designated free speech areas does not mean UNT students may not express their opinions elsewhere on campus; in fact, most of the campus is open for expressive activity.

Venegas added that the current spaces are quite “bare-bones” and that a space for written expression would need to consider including writing materials and potentially being located indoors.

Students who would like to volunteer for the Free Speech Task Force can contact the Dean of Students Office at 940-565-2648 or by email at DeanofStudents@unt. edu.

@sarderr

Expressive, hand-written posters line Willis Library wall. Psychology senior Jazmine McGill, with the help of a few friends, organized the event. She decided to ask students to write out their thoughts after several traumatic events happened two weeks ago in the black community. Hannah Breland

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 4

Odds against Connor Flanagan, UNT student running for Texas House

By Julia Falcon

A

Connor Flanagan, above, a democratic nominee for Texas House Representative District 64. Jennyfer Rodriguez Christie Wood, left, Lynn Stucky, and Paul Greco. Courtesy

s November quickly approaches, all eyes are on the presidential election. For one UNT student, November is much more significant.

The Democratic nominee for Texas House Representative District 64 is UNT political media arts senior Connor Flanagan, 22, who is going head-to-head against the Republican candidate, Sanger veterinarian Lynn Stucky, for the state seat.

The seat Flanagan is running for has been held by Republicans for more than 20 years. People within his campaign even doubted the possibility that he could win. That was until Stucky’s campaign was hit with reports that, in 2011, he was put on probation by the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners for improperly giving medication.

Denton County is a branded as Republican territory. Flanagan’s appeal to conservatives is that he isn’t as liberal as they might think.

“Talking to voters who don’t know who I am is hard because I have never done this before,” Flanagan said. “You either approach someone and they don’t know who you are or are hardcore Republican, and if they shut you down, they shut you down. But it’s important to be positive.”

Flanagan, who will graduate from UNT in December, said that based on his research from previous elections, there are no other candidates who have a uniquely student-oriented appeal.

Denton County, home to two large public universities and a community college, houses many student voters whom Flanagan feels he can represent.

Since the primary election, Flanagan and his team have raised slightly more money, a step ahead from the selffunding days. Reports from the

Texas Ethics Commission show Flanagan’s campaign is funded by a handful of small donations, totaling $600, and $2,000 of his own money, he said. More people are volunteering for the general election, too.

In March, Flanagan was up against Paul Greco in the primary election. The rivals became teammates. Shortly after Flanagan won the primary election, Greco approached him about becoming Flanagan’s campaign manager.

“He is very good at running for office, which I have no experience in,” Flanagan said.

“He knows the area well and aspects of campaigning, which I don’t know very well either.

He is helping me with the insand-outs of campaigning.”

As his campaign manager, Greco said he and Flanagan are learning from each other.

“We didn’t have too many differences,” Greco said. “He’s smart, I like him, younger people like him. I think I’m the older version of Connor.

He’s honest. Connor shows a lot more honest qualities than Stucky. I’m his confidence builder, especially since the Democratic party is rough on him.”

The Denton County Democratic Party House District 64 Club is an organization set up for Flanagan’s campaign and is made up of volunteers who help him run his campaign.

The club’s chairwoman, Christie Wood, coordinates block-walking and spreading the word about Flanagan’s campaign.

“It doesn’t matter what party you are a part of when we knock on your door, people are usually curious about Connor,” Wood said. “Now that [he] has won the primary election, his focus is on how he is different than the Republicans.”

Flanagan’s campaign has asked Stucky’s campaign to agree to a debate. A date might be confirmed for Tuesday, Oct. 18, campaign officials said.

Stucky’s camp could not be

reached for comment.

Greco, who like Flanagan never thought the victory would go to his opponent, thinks Flanagan knows what he’s talking about when it comes to politics and thinks he can get Republicans on his side.

“My friends who are voting for Connor don’t like Stucky’s non-separation of church and state,” Greco said. “I don’t think people who were voting for Rick Hagan will vote Connor because they are more a part of the Tea Party, but I think there will be a few Stucky voters voting for Connor. It’s incredible what he’s doing for his age, and he’s doing it great.”

In a debate, Flanagan said, he would focus largely on roles of public policy and the importance of separation of church and state, as well as look into the future for millennials.

Wood said she thinks Flanagan will bring much needed fresh ideas to the Texas House.

“I am happy there is a younger person running for this spot,” Wood. “There are a lot of old ideas. He wants local control and a better Denton, and I am excited for him.”

Come November, if he doesn’t win this election, Flanagan said it will only motivate him to run again and only sees himself in a future filled with politics.

“For a lot of people who want to run for office one day, you have to just do it,” Flanagan said. “If it’s something you want to do, you’ve gotta just go out and do it. If you fail, then people will know you more.

My dad for his entire life said he wanted to do this, but kept putting it off. I decided to do it now and just get out and do it.

If I lose, there is no chance in hell I won’t run for something again. I’ll definitely run again.”

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NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 5 Grant Hale, left, president of the Student Government Association, registers to vote in Willis Library with registration volunteer.

Alred Sanchez

UNT HOLDING ONE LAST EFFORT TO REGISTER VOTERS

By Tiffamy Ditto Bonnie S. Parris has been registering students to vote all semester, and for those scrambling to still register, she can help.

Parris, a political science senior, became a deputy voter registrar in August, and has been trying to register as many UNT students as she can to vote before the Oct. 11 deadline. A poll on the Daily’s Twitter showed a vast majority of students are registered, but there are still some that don’t know or have not registered yet.

Parris wants students to know that if they don’t register, they can’t vote.

Because of this, UNT made an effort throughout the year to set up register

stations and allow outside groups to register students on campus. Just before the election, UNT will set up the last signup tables throughout campus depending on the time of day.

From 7:30-9:30 a.m. signup tables for those who want to register to vote will be at the Pohl Recreation Center, Wooten Hall and Sycamore Hall. From 10 a.m.-2 p.m. students can register at Bruce Hall.

From 5-7 p.m. students can register at West Hall, and from 7-9 p.m. at Maple Hall.

The deadline for registering to vote is 5 p.m. Oct. 11. This year, students can also participate in early voting on campus at UNT’s Gateway Center. Early voting begins Oct. 24 and ends Nov. 4. On voting

day, students will have to vote at the location for their precinct.

“One big issue, is getting people to register to vote,” Parris said. “They may not see the importance and know who they want to vote for now, but if they’re not registered to vote come Election Day, and they have decided they want to participate it’s too late.”

Many students, who want to vote, are unaware that they can register with their school address, so long as they are not registered elsewhere.

Parris learned about becoming a deputy registrar through the Political Science Student Organization. She is an officer in the organization and became interested in being deputized when her

faculty advisor told them they could take a class and become deputized.

Wanting to make a difference, Parris took the class. Since being deputized, she has registered 17 students to vote across campus. Although that’s not a lot, Parris said she’s happy be making a difference, one voter at a time.

In order to register students to vote, Parris has students fill out a voter’s card, which she then sends in to the voting registrar officer on their behalf.

“I cannot tell them if they’re eligible or ineligible [to vote],” Parris said. “I can just tell them to fill out one through ten and sign at the bottom.”

When she is not busy registering voters Parris works 21 hours a week at C.H.

Robinson, goes to class, and participates in several political science clubs.

If students can’t track down Parris, or anyone else on campus who are deputized they can go to one of the tabling events UNT will be holding Thursday Oct. 6 as a last effort to register voters.

To find out which precinct you live in visit: https://www.votedenton.com/precinctlookup-by-address/#Search

@tiffanyditto

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ARTS & LIFE Page 6

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

Nashville artist kicks off U.S. tour at Dan’s Silver Leaf

By Kyle Martin Monday at Dan’s Silver Leaf was a different sight to see when the night’s act came on stage. A venue packed with rowdy festivalgoers for Oaktopia not too long ago transformed into a warm, cozy room.

Dan’s was ready for the performance of fusion and soul.

Kandace Springs, a Nashville jazz R&B singer and pianist, was on the ticket at Dan’s that night to kick off her U.S. tour. Springs just recently made it back to the states from her tour in Tokyo, Japan. She played with her band, backed by Dillon Treacy on drums and Jesse Bielenberg on bass, that night for a modest, intimate crowd of people looking for a great night of music.

“How many jazz fans in the house?” Springs asked.

The audience erupted, showing there were plenty of jazz fans in attendance.

The show for the night consisted of music from Springs’ latest record, “Soul Eyes.” They played songs like “The World Is A Ghetto,” “Talk To Me” and “Soul Eyes.” Springs’ fingers

moved fluid across the keys as her playing complemented her bold voice.

The jazz performer was poised and passionate.

From her expressive hair and fervent voice to her prodigious piano skills, the Tennessee artist had an allnatural aesthetic.

Springs started playing piano when she was 10 years old and began singing at 14. After receiving a piano that a family friend had given her family, Springs’ father, Ken “Scat” Springs, another notable jazz vocalist out of Nashville, heard her playing piano one day and got her to take music lessons.

Springs named artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Norah Jones as some of her inspirations. “[My dad] gave me a Norah Jones’s album when I was 13, and just seeing her as a young woman playing piano and singing inspired me,” Springs said.

After being taken under the wing of famous pop artist Prince, who died earlier this year, Springs took some advice from the noted musician and redeveloped her approach to music.

At one point, she and Prince

Kandace Springs and her band play on Monday evening at Dan’s Silverleaf. Springs is on a Fall 2016 U.S. tour and traveled from Nashville to play in Denton. Hannah Breland discussed how the music she was making wasn’t true to herself or her style. They called it “inorganic” music because someone else was writing it and she was singing over it. She said Prince told her to go back to “organic” music with live instruments to create something true and authentic.

“It’s real,” Springs said. “I’m not faking that up there.”

Having played on late night shows hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon and David Letterman, as well as for Prince’s Purple Rain 30th anniversary show, Springs is picking up momentum and digging into the music industry.

Treacy and Bielenberg, Springs’ bandmates, have been playing music together since they attended New

York University to study jazz. They became a part of Springs’ band “through a series of weird connections of networking.”

“Jesse and I have both toured America in separate bands, and now we’re getting into the international market and it’s just like, wow, shit’s crazy man,” Treacy said.

James and Pamela Matthis

drove from McKinney for Springs’ performance. They knew Treacy from when he grew up with them in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Although they weren’t as familiar with Springs’ work, they had a feeling they would enjoy the set.

“I’ve watched him in competitions,” James said. “I know what an exceptional drummer he was, even as a teen, so if he’s with her obviously to me, that says a whole lot for her.”

The three starting touring after they became a band in June. They will play more stops along the way in Texas, Alabama and Georgia before they go abroad in Europe. Their last show of the tour will be in Pawling, New York on New Year’s Eve. “I just want to make timeless music,” Springs said. “I feel like [in] the younger generations coming up behind me, there’s not many doing jazz and soul. It’s more programmed stuff, which is great too. There’s a place for both. But I feel like live instruments should always be played.”

@Kyle_Martin35

Finance major kicked out at 16, starts anew at UNT

By Jonanthan Lichtenwalter The day she was kicked out of her house she remembered feeling like her heart was broken.

Samantha Stephenson, a 20-year-old finance senior, grew up in a conservative Christian family. As she got older, her family started having issues. At

13, her parents divorced and two years later her dad remarried.

A year into his new marriage, Stephenson’s step-mom decided she reminded her too much of her husband’s previous wife.

“It was totally unknown to me,” Stephenson said. “I thought she liked me fine.”

At age 16, her dad told her she had to move out.

“He was really the first person

to break my heart,” she said. “I felt betrayed and bewildered.

It hit me like a whirlwind ya’ know. I was really alone.”

Stephenson, now 20, smiles as she talks about her life, even the hardships she’s gone through. She takes work, school and her faith very seriously.

After she was kicked out, Samantha tried to stay with her mom, but she was an alcoholic

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and had drugs coming in and out of the house. Her mother was also living with someone who was abusive on-and-off for years.

“They would get in really abusive fights,” Stephenson said. “He would threaten me and wanted to hurt me. That was just way too much to deal with. So I wasn’t safe there.”

The next few years after being kicked out were spent tirelessly working, moving around and staying with friends.

Samantha got a part-time job to support herself and started working more and more hours and eventually dropped out of school to continue working.

Thrust into the world, Stephenson tried to get help from her family.

Following her high school graduation, she moved to Austin where she lived rent-free at her aunt and uncle’s house while she went to a community college.

One day, they needed some work done on the house and Stephenson came home from class when a guy named David and his dad were working there as contractors.

Stephenson never talked to David, but her aunt mentioned to him that she was single without her knowing, and a few weeks later, he randomly showed up at their doorstep asking if he could talk to her.

“He was five years older than me. I was completely taken by him, completely mesmerized and my whole life started to revolve around him,” Stephenson said. “As our family fell apart so did our faith. I guess I kind of clung to that guy and he was my whole world.”

Her friends tried to warn her about the controlling nature of the relationship. When she moved to California with him, he got violent and abusive.

“I actually didn’t go to school for about a year because of him because it would have gotten in the way of things we were doing. I was actually supporting him because he,

for some reason, couldn’t hold down a job,” Stephenson said.

“And his family had a lot of issues and was very violent within themselves. I tried to leave twice. Each time I tried to leave he wouldn’t let me, and I would just kind of chicken out and say never mind, it’s okay. I was like a girl who cried wolf.”

When she would try to leave him, his mood would change from violent to kind-hearted and apologetic. Eventually she found the will to leave him.

Her brother Barron flew to California to pick her up and take her back to Dallas.

After having various issues with roommates, she was desperate.

Despite knowing her brother Perry, who lives in Denton with his fiancé and newborn son, he was unstable.

He had been arrested twice in the past couple years for sexual assault and attacks on women.

“That definitely caused some major issues,” Stephenson said.

“People taking sides. It’s hard to find a place where I can feel safe with my family.”

The next year was the most difficult time of her life. She continued to talk to her exboyfriend after the breakup and he started to harass her.

“An abusive relationship is a really confusing thing,” Stephenson said. “To love someone who’s that hurtful.

I was a wreck every day and night. I couldn’t sleep or eat I missed him so much. But then he would harass me and I would remember how much of a monster he was, but that only made it worse. I felt like the guy I loved had died and now I was alone and mourning his death.

No joke.”

She came back to Denton in August to return to school.

“My end goal right now is to be graduated,” she said. “To not have to struggle like this anymore. To be able to have time for my friends and family.

To be able to help out with my two nieces. I just wanna go where God takes me.”

Senior finance major Samantha Stevenson poses for a photo between classes.

Stevenson had to learn to make it on her own after being kicked out of her house.

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SPORTS Page 7

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

Former defensive back looks to make a difference on offense

UPCOMING GAMES Friday •Volleyball @ UAB starting at 11:30 a.m.

•Soccer @ UTEP starting at 8 p.m.

Senior Wide reciever Kenny Buyers (31) trys to beat MTSU linebacker Khalil Brooks (16) while he turns his route. Buyers finished with 27 yards. Colin Mitchell

By Clay Massey In 2014, Kenny Buyers enjoyed a career-defining year. He was a key on defense, and finished the season with 55 total tackles. As a sophomore in 2013, Buyers had the game-winning interception in North Texas’ Heart of Dallas bowl victory.

Buyers suffered a setback in what was supposed to be his senior year.

Before the 2015 season opener against Southern Methodist University, Buyers had back surgery that kept him out for the entire campaign.

He was then medically redshirted, which granted him one final year of eligibility.

When head coach Seth Littrell was hired, Buyers was told he would be moving to wide receiver. He accepted.

He was ready to get back on the field.

“I love this game,” Buyers said. “I didn’t care what it was. I just wanted to play.”

Buyers struggled in his first game at wide receiver and was unable to haul in any passes.

Despite the hiccup, he learned his new position by the time North Texas went to Rice University. The senior had a new career day on the other side of the ball against the Owls and caught four passes for 102-yards in the double-overtime win.

“It was big,” Buyers said. “It was good to feel like I was getting involved on the offense. I try to stay patient and optimistic about it. I just got to find a way to help the team win whether it is blocking or anything.”

But this is not the first time that Buyers has played wide receiver.

At L.D. Bell High School, Buyers was a two-way player, playing both

defensive back and wide receiver, and came to North Texas to be a part of the secondary.

After Buyers came back from his injury, he found himself on the outside looking in at a deep corps of defensive backs. Luckily, there was one position on Littrell’s revamped squad that did not have a lot of depth – wide receiver.

Once Buyers made the move to his new position, his skills from high school came flooding back to him.

“He always keeps a positive attitude,” freshman quarterback Mason Fine said. “He’s just an athlete.

Whatever he does he’s going to do it well because he’s willing to put in the work. With that kind of attitude, he can be good at whatever he does.”

Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell said Buyers’ transition has gone smoothly thanks to his

experience in high school.

“He came over knowing what he was doing,” Harrell said. “I think more than anything he’s just head to learn the scheme.”

To help him get adjusted, Buyers drew from his experience on the defensive side of the ball. Since he knew how to cover opposing receivers, he wanted to reverse engineer the process. Instead of getting burned, Buyers would now be the one burning the defenses covering him.

“I’m not going to say it’s a night and day of an advantage,” Buyers said. “It definitely helps. I understood what technique they were going to play, and what they wanted to do.”

The past three seasons he has played, except for 2015, Buyers has been named a team captain, primarily due to his team-first approach. His

attitude is doing whatever it takes to help the team win, a quality evident in his switch.

So when Buyers accepted his new role with open arms, it came as a little surprise.

“I was definitely excited,” Buyers said. “I still thought a little, ‘wow this is crazy.’ I’ve started at corner for the last two years, but I really liked the idea of a new challenge.”

Buyers credits sophomore receiver Daniel Khan with helping make his final season go as smoothly as possible.

“There were a couple of times where I would be in practice thinking ‘what do I do right here?’” Buyers said. “[Khan] would give me tips and pointers.”

Even though Buyers has found a rhythm the past two games, the sports management senior feels he still has

Saturday •Football vs. Marshall starting at 6 p.m.

Sunday •Soccer @ UTSA starting at 1 p.m.

room for improvement. With seven games remaining in a Mean Green uniform, Buyers is looking to make the most of his time in Denton.

“I’ve come a long way,” Buyers said. “I really look forward to coming to practice every day to try new things. I can tell you when the season’s over, I still won’t know how good I could have been at receiver because I have so much to improve on. I’m loving it, though.”

@Clay_FC

Mean Green soccer dominating opponents at home

By Matt Brune Nearly eight years ago, the Mean Green soccer team was throttled 3-0

by Denver University at home on senior night.

Since the loss, 95 months have passed and 36 home games have been

played. In that time, North Texas has gone 34-0-2. The team has gone from Sun Belt to Conference USA. Junior midfielder Katie Gernsbacher

North Texas senior forward Rachel Holden (16) sneaks the ball under a Marshall defender during a game on September 22.

Holden has started every game she’s played over the past four years for the Mean Green. Dylan Nadwodny

played for the University of Texas as a freshman and notices a different approach from head coach John Hedlund when they play in Denton.

“John really stresses winning at home a lot more than any coach I’ve played for,” Gernsbacher said. “He knows the streak. He knows if you win games at home it’s the easiest thing you can do in the long run for the team.”

Hedlund made adjustments to the field before the team’s fourth home game against Texas Southern University. He widened the field to almost 75 yards in hopes of giving his speed players more room to operate on the wings.

The field itself has played a role in the Mean Green’s success, as the midfielders have been given more space to make passes to their forwards while pressing outside backs.

“It helps us spread out the field,” senior midfielder Anna Flobeck said. “[It also] spreads the team out [and] we can play more of our style. Getting out wide and using our space is what we do best.”

The routines several players go

through on game day have gone a long way in helping them feel more comfortable at home. When North Texas plays in the familiar confines of the Mean Green Soccer Complex, the team’s intensity is different.

And visiting teams are usually unable to match their edge.

“In the locker room, we definitely talk more about how we want to do better on this field and get the crowd involved,” freshman defender Dominique James said. “Because when we’re away the crowd is not for us, so here we try to get them involved and get that first goal.”

Striking first is another intangible that can help set the tone for a match, especially at home. On two occasions this season the Mean Green have been forced to come from behind.

“I think preparing for games is always easier at home,” Gernsbacher said. “When you’re on the road you’re getting on a bus and you don’t have time to do those things you need to do and those rituals you need to do.”

Though the Mean Green Soccer Complex barely holds 400 people, the

spectators who show up are loud and expressive. They frequently encourage the team and individual players throughout the game, and help make the playing experience even more enjoyable for North Texas – but not the opposition. “[I enjoy] the fans,” James said. “I know my friends and family are out there watching me play and it’s fun playing with your team and having everyone cheering.”

Currently, the Mean Green boasts the longest home conference unbeaten streak in the country. In eight years, North Texas has not lost a game in Denton.

And they don’t intend on making it easier on visiting schools anytime soon.

“We want to make our friends and family really proud whenever we’re out here,” Flobeck said. “And with the atmosphere that we have, it makes it pretty easy to win games here.”

@mattbrune25

Report finds North Texas athletics underperforming in nearly every area ATHLETICS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 biggest problems cited in the report were customer service and communication, highlighted by an anecdote from a fan who “wanted to give money to the [athletic department], but nobody ever answered the phone.”

North Texas has the lowest recruiting budget in C-USA and is second to last in total

scholarship expenditures.

Across all sports “dysfunctional and not cohesive” scheduling methods were found, which has led to fan dissatisfaction and lower attendance.

Finally, there was the glaring problem of facilities. Aside from Apogee Stadium, the report indicates a majority of fields, the athletic village and locker rooms are “below standards and need improvement.” Within the report were several pictures of problems ranging from

water damage on the track to unsanitary drinking fountains in locker rooms.

“We have considerable room for growth and improvement,” Baker said in a press release.

“To accomplish our goals, we will need everyone who loves this university and this athletics program to be involved moving forward.”

Despite the main negatives of the report, Kuehne and Sicuro were encouraged by the hiring of Baker, and believe he

will be a strong leader capable of fixing the aforementioned issues. Baker was brought on in late July to replace former A.D. Rick Villarreal, who announced his resignation in May. To complete their investigation, the tandem toured nearly every athletic facility and the entire UNT campus.

The process took over 350 hours to complete and all coaches, staff and UNT personnel were cooperative according to the report. Kuehne and Sicuro said

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they found, for the most part, “an overwhelming desire for the [athletic department] to be successful and a strong passion and commitment from the department.”

“Our commitment is the relentless pursuit of excellence that provides a world-class experience for our studentathletes and a renewed sense of pride for all UNT alumni,” Baker said.

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OPINION Page 8

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

Barack Obama is one of our greatest presidents

By Preston Mitchell

No matter your vote, politics aren’t changing The Editorial Board If you’re the type of person who despises both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump enough to either not vote or waste your ballot on Gary Johnson, please consider that whether you get involved or not, the system as it has functioned for the last decade won’t change any time soon.

For starters, Republicans rule Congress with an iron fist. This current iteration, with 247 of them in the House and 54 seats in the Senate, has the largest Republican majority since 1930. Not only does this explain the innumerable amounts of gridlocking in Washington, it gives context to President Obama’s challenges with implementing change from the beginning of his tenure.

Last year, the president spoke about this situation at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee hosted

by Disney chairman Alan Horn.

“Their willingness to say ‘no’ to everything has actually led to an increase in cynicism and discouragement among the people who were counting on us to fight for them,” Obama said about Republicans. Since 2007, Obama said, the party’s congressional members have filibustered nearly 500 pieces of legislation that would have aided middle-class progress in America.

If Hillary Clinton becomes the next president, the problem is only going to continue. Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell currently lead the House and Senate, respectively, which will give their right wing agenda more legs to stand on for the next few years.

As a result, the new President Clinton would simply have to pick up Obama’s pieces and keep fighting for middle-class rights in the middle of a system that’s already against her ideologies.

If Donald Trump becomes our president, he would essentially face similar issues since many

Editorial Board Dalton LaFerney | Editor-In-Chief Adalberto Toledo | Managing Editor Kayleigh Bywater | Managing Editor Reece Waddell | Managing Editor Preston Mitchell | Editorial Page Editor Tomas Gonzalez | Visuals Editor Colin Mitchell | Deputy Visuals Editor

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Republicans have declined from supporting his idiotic ideas for the nation. Among the most vocal of this subculture includes Ted Cruz, who infamously declared for his own party to “vote [their] conscience” and not vote for Trump. It is worthy to note, however, Cruz eventually came kicking and screaming to “endorse” President Trump.

Politics.

Jeb Bush, who failed at his chance of being the party’s nominee, said Trump had not demonstrated an appropriate “strength of character,” “a respect for the Constitution” or “consistency” in his so-called conservatism.

The biggest mic drop against the Don-Don was when South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham made a tweet in May when Trump was chosen to be the Republican presidential candidate. Earlier that month, Graham tweeted: “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed and we will deserve it.”

On the Republican side, we

already know Cruz is plotting to be the 46th president. After unsuccessfully going for the chair in 2000 and 2016, it’s highly unlikely John Kasich would go again, even though several of us would love for his brand of conservatism to permeate Congress.

As far as Democrats are concerned, their recent national convention proves that they’re willing to orchestrate certain members and knock them out of the running (specifically Bernie Sanders) just to puppeteer a supreme leader of their liking.

As we’ve seen for the past eight years, this party knows how to get elected, and whoever new comes along to be the 46th president will likely come at odds with a more experienced Democrat.

There’s too much at stake, right now and in our future, to not face the obvious and realize how systemically stubborn our Congress really is. If anything, you should vote for the next Supreme Court justice nominee.

As it surreal as it seems, Barack Obama’s eight-year presidency is almost over and will mark the end of an era.

Easily one of the most polarizing figures in U.S. politics, Obama became our president in the aftermath of the worst financial crisis in decades and during a war on terror the nation shouldn’t have provoked in the first place. By emphasizing hope, peace and change for nearly a decade, the Illinois senator-turned-head of state became the figurehead for societal changes that historians will praise for centuries.

Even though he has faced challenges from Congress and federal courts, Obama is destined to join the ranks of Washington, Lincoln and the Roosevelts as one of America’s greatest presidents.

In fact, he’s already there.

Regardless of whether you have liberal or conservative viewpoints, Obama’s work on the U.S. health care system cannot be ignored. Even though Teddy Roosevelt first lobbied for health coverage in his 1912 Bull Moose platform, the next 20 years of presidents postponed the national conversation on social welfare altogether.

The process experienced more setbacks from 1935 to 1949, when Franklin Roosevelt declined to include health insurance in his Social Security plan, and Harry S. Truman’s Fair Deal failed to revolutionize the reform.

It wasn’t until July 30, 1965, when Lyndon B. Johnson passed Medicare and Medicaid after half a century of attempts from his predecessors. March 23, 2010, however, was the fateful day when Obama implemented the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — colloquially called “Obamacare.” Not only did it lay the groundwork for modern universal health care, the statute has lowered the U.S. unemployment rate to stellar results.

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Also worthy of note is how he appointed two of the only four women to ever serve in the Supreme Court: Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. While that may sound like feminist banter to some, it’s an important fact because both women played vital roles in last year’s historic legalization of same-sex marriage.

By remarking that the decision made America “a little more perfect,” Obama’s administration became the solution to a nationwide ban that hindered an entire group of people.

Lastly, several of his contributions to foreign policy were unprecedented. By participating in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the president brokered a nuclear deal with Iran, who pledged to “not seek, develop or acquire nuclear weapons” ever again in their international truce.

Additionally, Obama took the first step to mend the United States’ relations with Cuba for the first time since the Cold War, and he later became the first U.S. president to visit Cuba since 1928.

Plenty has already been written about him as our first black president. Back when he was inaugurated, the event strongly influenced my peers and me; a black

commander-in-chief seemed unfathomable until then. Thinking about it now, it’s only the icing on the cake for a man who redefined politics via social media, transformed various reforms and approved the operation to end Osama bin Laden’s reign.

Thanks, Obama. You have the rest of your life ahead of you. Many Americans, including myself, believe you’re leading a great one already.

@prestomitch

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