Faculty Senate postpones vote for speaker resolution until Nov. 8 PAGE 2
VOL. 111 No. 7
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017
UNT Title IX investigation shifting focus By Sarah Sarder Senior News Writer
A federal investigation into UNT’s procedures regarding sexual assault investigations shifted focus in July 2017 after the federal Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued an internal memorandum on the scope of complaints on June 8, 2017. In the memo, the OCR removed requirements for systemic approaches to investigating universities, instead allowing for such investigations when a complainant or the investigative team identifies systemic issues. According to documents obtained by the North Texas Daily, the OCR communicated the change in scope of their investigation to UNT on July 18, 2017. In a letter to the university, the OCR outlines the new scope as focusing on the specific case of the student who filed the complaint which spurred the investigation. The initial OCR investigation of UNT was geared to review overall standards of university
SEE INVESTIGATION ON PAGE 3
Denton attempts to bring Amazon’s new HQ2 to town By Julia Falcon Senior News Writer The City of Denton submitted an application last month to try and bring online retailer Amazon’s second headquarters (HQ2) to the city. Amazon announced it was searching for a second headquarters location on Sept. 9. On Friday, Sept. 29, Denton pitched idea locations to the company. The City of Denton pitched three possible locations, one at the northern part of town, one at the southern part of town and a small hub in Downtown Denton.
Denton is up against Plano, who also acquired the new North American headquarters for Toyota Motor Company this year. McKinney is also a contender, recently named the number one place to live in the country by Money Magazine. Allen is trying for the location as well. These North Texas cities are just a few of the 50 across the country who sent in proposals. Caroline Booth, director of economic development for the City of Denton, said Amazon’s announcement for finding a new location for their “HQ2”
SEE AMAZON ON PAGE 2
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Denton’s dog days aren’t over
Furry friends and their families are celebrated at annual event Heel the Heroes founder and veteran Lyndon Villone hugs Ice the Siberian Husky. Ice won “Spokesdog of the Year” and came in second in the “Dancing with your Dog” contest at the 24th annual Dog Days of Denton. Rachel Walters | Staff Photographer
By Amy Roh Senior Arts & Life Writer Visitors greeted each other excitedly across a sprawling green field. They met new and old friends, danced, sang and even sniffed each other’s butts. Welcome to the 24th annual Dog Days of Denton. On Saturday morning at the North Texas Fairgrounds, dogs and their owners gathered for the annual event to celebrate man’s best friend. The festivities began at 9 a.m. with a Canine Couture costume contest, a dog dance-off and an ongoing “Glam-fur” photo booth. “Our typical attendance is about 7,000 [people] for the day,” event organizer Kevin Lechler said. “Everybody looks forward to it every year because it’s planned completely around dogs.” Aside from the fun, the event also aimed to educate and provide resources for attendees. Presenters led talks throughout the event addressing issues surrounding dogs’ health. Several Denton organizations set up their booths to provide information on their outreach. The Dallas Fort-Worth chapter of Texas Great Pyrenees Rescue was led
SEE DOGS ON PAGE 5
UNT welcomes new system chancellor Lesa B. Roe By Devin Rardin Staff Writer UNT held a meet and greet for Lesa B. Roe, the new system chancellor, on Tuesday at the University Union. Roe started her job this week. Hundreds of people gathered in a UNT ballroom to meet the new chancellor. After a brief time of conversing, UNT President Neal Smatresk introduced Roe. He discussed her role at NASA and said she started the job at 22 years old as an electrical engineer and worked up the ranks. “NASA is all about missions, but now I get to have an even more incredible mission, and that’s transforming the lives of students,” Roe said during her speech at the event. NASA is a $19.6 billion annual federal agency with $31 billion in assets, according to the UNT system website. Roe was responsible for 17,000 NASA employees and worked across 10 different institutions.
Chancellor Lesa B. Roe and President Neal Smatresk talk to a group of people. This is Roe’s first year as UNT chancellor. Jacob Ostermann | Staff Photographer
SEE CHANCELLOR ON PAGE 3
Former interim head coach Mike Canales celebrates with the 2015-2016 football team after winning their only game of the season against UTSA. Colin Mitchell | Visuals Editor
Down syndrome is ‘snow’ problem for Dallas-Fort Worth entrepreneur By Alec Spicer Social Media Manager At 21 years old, Blake Pyron has accomplished everything from starting his own business to co-sponsoring a bill for legislation — all while being Texas’ first business owner with Down syndrome. In high school, Blake found
himself working at a local barbecue restaurant in his hometown of Sanger, Texas, located just north of Denton. After a year, the restaurant closed and Blake found limited employment opportunities as graduation was quickly approaching. “We had a problem when Blake started to see his older
brother Mitchell being able to work for his goals, but Blake was always asking, ‘What about me?’” Blake’s mother Mary Ann Pyron said. This became an issue Blake and his parents, Mary Ann and Billy Pyron, spent many nights discussing over dinner at their
SEE SNOW CONE ON PAGE 6
Short, bitter UTSA rivalry adds new chapter By Matthew Brune Senior Sports Writer The dictionary definition of a rival is simply “a person or thing competing with another for the same objective, or for superiority in the same field of activity.” That’s pretty boring and vague.
Sports rivalries historically need more. Think of Michigan vs. Michigan State, Minnesota vs. Wisconsin, and Texas vs. Oklahoma – those are a few of the grandest examples, as those teams have played each other more than 110 times in their history. But there is no written rule for how many times two teams have to
play for a series to turn into a rivalry. North Texas and the University of Texas at San Antonio played only four times, but the Mean Green view the Roadrunners as one of their most bitter rivals. “I would say this is probably our No. 1 rivalry game,” sophomore
SEE RIVALRY ON PAGE 7
Blake Pyron in one of his two snow cone trailers at Flower Mound Food Truck Festival on Sunday, Oct. 8th. Pyron is Texas’ first business owner with down syndrome. Courtesy | Blake’s Snow Shack
IN THIS ISSUE
NEWS
ARTS & LIFE
SPORTS
OPINION
National Coming Out Day at UNT pg 3 UNT celebrated the 29th annual National Coming Out Day with several events around campus, including a slam poetry reading at the Union and a celebration at the Library Mall.
Veteran guides former military members toward academic success pg 4 UNT’s director of Student Veteran Services, Jim Davenport, is helping to ease the transition from combat to classrooms.
Dominant defense has soccer rolling towards C-USA four-peat pg 9 The Mean Green have surrendered just nine goals through 13 games this season and are on track to win their fourth consecutive regular season Conference USA title.
Illness in college can cost you in more ways than one pg 10 Absence policies from professor to professor cause being sick during the school year to cost more than the price of a doctor visit.
NEWS Page 2
North Texas Daily Editorial Board
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017
UNT Faculty Senate meeting Denton bids for Amazon HQ2 gives parking updates AMAZON CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Editor-in-Chief Reece Waddell @ReeceWaddell15 ReeceWaddell@my.unt.edu News Editor James Norman @JamesTNorman_WL JamesNorman@my.unt.edu Arts & Life Editor Abby Jones @abbyfjones28 AbigailJones3@my.unt.edu Sports Editor Brady Keane @BradyKeane BradyKeane@my.unt.edu Visuals Editor Colin Mitchell @CJHMitchell ColinMitchell@myunt.edu Opinion Editor Alec Spicer @Spicer_Alec AlecSpicer@my.unt.edu
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Members of the Faculty Senate vote to approve the graduated council’s minutes at the oct. 4 meeting. Rachel Walters | Senior Staff Photographer
By Julia Falcon Senior News Writer The UNT Faculty Senate postponed the discussion for a resolution regarding speakers, discussed faculty policies and procedures and parking and transportation update, as well as continued the discussion of student retention rates. A vote to make a resolution concerning UNT speaker selections will be discussed at the next Faculty Senate meeting on Nov. 8. The senate was unable to proceed because President Neal Smatresk was not in attendance. Provost Jennifer Cowley carried on from the previous meeting about student retention rates. With Cowley acknowledging UNT retention rates are lower than they should be, she said a big question is why UNT is not retaining students at the same rate as other universities in Texas. Cowley said this starts with advising. “Our current student to advisor [ratio] is one to 400,” Cowley said. “We know we need to increase the size of advising staff to be on par with other institutions. Another factor is students finding their place in a university.” The student retention rate at UNT is high for first semester freshmen to second semester freshmen. When a student drops out after their freshman year, they are less likely to get a four-year college degree, Cowley said. Helping students find their place on campus is another key to retention. But another reason students will drop out of college is because they have run out of financial aid to pay for classes. UNT is currently working on a grant for transfer students in an effort to make dropout rates shrink. “We are working on improving advising sequencing for transfer students by working with community colleges,” Cowley said. Associate Vice President Allen Clark discussed an update within the parking and transportation
services. With the growth of the university and the City of Denton, Clark said it impacts the number of parking spaces available for students, faculty and administration. There were 1,000 parking spaces lost last year due to construction on campus, but there is hope the lot behind Apogee Stadium will be completed soon. “We are currently discussing what to do with the seventh floor of the [Highland Street] parking garage,” Clark said. “We also found that faculty parking is tight around 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” Recently, UNT began using the Park Mobile application, requiring students to pay for their parking spot by the hour through an app on their phone. This is an effort to save money for the one or two days a week they are on campus. Despite how large and successful Park Mobile became, citation rates went up. “Students paid, but didn’t pay enough money for the spot,” Clark said. “We are going to try a multimodal system, bike share program and need to encourage bikes and walking areas. It needs to be simple like parking.” In 2008, a student parking permit was $180. Since then, it has gone up to $250. The money made from parking permits goes to multiple departments involved with parking and transportation services. $3.9 million is sent to UNT police and $3 million is sent to DCTA, whose contract with UNT ends this year. The rest of the funds go to parking and refurbishing. “Financially, I feel good where we are at,” Clark said. When Clark was asked about the V Bike program, bikes that are activated by phone and left anywhere the rider leaves it, he said he is not in favor of the chaos from it.
was unusual and different, allowing for a wider response. “We check if we meet their basic site requirements, workforce requirements, all the things that would be their primary decision drivers,” Booth said. “We look at their preferences, if they want to be near universities, how close they want to be to an interstate or airport transportation. We were a great match for all their preferences so we thought we would be a great fit for them and needed to respond.” After making sure the project fits well with the city’s recruitment goals, which are set by the city council, the next step was to gather as much data as possible to create a good proposal. City council member Dalton Gregory said the policy is set to encourage growth and business and coming to Denton would be a major investment for Amazon. “Amazon would benefit because Denton is located centrally,” Gregory said. “Denton is already a distribution hub and is just up the road from the airport and has three highways that intersect.” If Amazon chooses Denton for its new home, Booth said it will offer much more for students and residents. “It will bring a huge amount of attention to the community and what we have to offer, what makes us attractive,” Booth said. “There will be great opportunities for partnerships, to produce new programs and collaborations. Many exciting things can happen from this.” This is just one more large corporation or business to call Denton its new home. In 2015, it was announced Buc-ee’s would make way to Denton and will open in 2019. There is also a convention center and the continuous growth of the Rayzor Ranch shopping center, as well as the construction of Highway 380 and Interstate 35. Michael Carroll, Director of the economics research group at UNT, said if Amazon were to come to Denton, it would be enormous and bring in a ton of jobs. “It would bring far more spending on events such as the ones that will be at the convention center,” Carroll said. “Denton is growing and would certainly grow faster if Amazon were here.” The economic development planning board coordinated the proposal with the chamber of commerce, UNT, Texas Women’s University, Denton Independent School District, North Central Texas College, Denton County Transportation Authority and private businesses to make sure the best proposal was produced and attractive to Amazon. “This has been a really fun proposal to work on,” Booth said. “Many parts of the community worked to pull this together. It is great to see cooperation from all parts of the community.” By Oct. 19, the Dallas Regional Chamber will be making a bid on behalf of the North Texas cities who pitched to them. A final decision by Amazon is expected to be made by early 2018.
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UNT named one of the best schools for veterans by Military Times By Zaira Perez Staff Writer UNT was named on Military Times’ Best for Vets Colleges for 2017, ranking No. 50 out of 82. The school has also received the Gold Award from Military Friendly and is one of the top universities of 2017 by KMI Media Group’s Military Advanced Education & Transition program. UNT has received these recognitions because of the services available to student veterans. The Million Records Project by the Student Veterans of America said the graduation rate of student veterans nationwide is 51.7 percent. UNT is one of the universities that does not track student veteran graduation records. The semester average population of veterans at UNT is about 2,500, director of Student Veteran Services James Davenport said. About 700 of those students are dependent on student veteran benefits such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill. As the director, a veteran and UNT alumnus, Davenport said UNT is a very military-friendly school compared to other universities. Especially after knowing what Vietnam-era veterans experienced when they came back. “Veterans weren’t always treated so well, and right now we really have a good thing going,” Davenport said. “A lot of us bled for this education.” UNT offers services through Student Veterans Services (SVS), the Student Veterans Association
(SVA), SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society and the local Omega Delta Sigma chapter. SVS also schedules weekly counseling (group and single) with the Counseling and Testing Services and advising from the Student Money Management Center and Career Center. SVS’ purpose is to help incoming student veterans transition well. This begins with orientation. They create a community for student veterans and remove barriers to ensure academic success. This is especially important because student veterans experience college differently than traditional students, according to SVS. They also help student veterans transition back into civilian life after their service. Davenport is directly involved in student veteran affairs starting with his open door policy. If he is in his office, he is available to speak with whoever needs him. “My goal is when you enroll, you graduate with a degree and job,” Davenport said. One of the steps SVS takes is figuring out the best way to keep students enrolled. This could involve helping them get a part-time job, counseling or tutoring. Davenport urges student veterans to use the services provided to them when they arrive to ensure their success. He believes many student veterans would drop out if not for these services. “I know if I left college, I wouldn’t have come back,” Davenport said. The Student Veterans Association focuses on events for student veterans and their families to build a community. They hold a medal and cord ceremony for
graduation, tailgates and an Army football game. The association does not require a lot of commitment from members. Social science senior Alan Johnson, the SVA’s sergeant-at-arms and a peer mentor at SVS, said student veterans can come and go knowing they have an organization they can be a part of. “You can still be a part of something and get some of that college life,” Johnson said. Social work senior Andrew Champion said discussion in class about what goes on overseas can be frustrating and stressful for a veteran. “It takes a lot to bite your tongue,” Champion said. “The camaraderie of SVA really helps you out and relieves the stress. They know what you’re going through.” SVS at UNT also takes part in a Veteran’s Day ceremony with other Denton and Texas Woman’s University student veterans. Usually held at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, scheduling conflicts with the Mean Green Homecoming football game pushed the ceremony forward to Nov. 10 this year. While there is always room for improvement, Davenport said UNT has done a lot for student veterans already. They have everything they need at the moment. Sage Hall’s second floor is being completely remodeled for SVS to be “bigger and better.” “I honestly believe that this university does the veterans a great deal of justice,” Davenport said. “If I had something to do with that, I’m very proud.”
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NEWS AROUND CAMPUS UNT to hold a rally for mental health and substance use UNT will host the North Texas Rally for Recovery on Oct. 14, according to a press release from the university. This event is to raise awareness and understanding of substance use and mental health issues for college students. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive reports about 37 percent of college students have participated in binge drinking and about 1 million students nationally meet the criteria for addiction to substances.
UNT’s Logistics Scholarship Breakfast UNT is holding its annual Logistics Scholarship Breakfast on Oct., 20 at Southwest Airlines’ headquarters, according to a press release from the university. The breakfast will feature the director of freight and international trade for the Texas Department of Transportation and a key architect for TxDOT’s first Texas Freight Mobility Plan. Tickets are available for purchase until Oct. 18. The proceeds from the event will help fund student scholarships.
UNT professor to be named honorary member of international organization
Later this month a conference will be held in San Antonio honoring Robert L. Bland, professor of local government in at UNT’s Department of Public Administration, according to a press release from the university. He will be named a honorary member of the International City and County Management Association. Honorary membership is awarded to individuals who are not a professional in local government management, but who also achieve distinguished public service and contributions to the improvements in local government.
UNT to host a Family Business Breakfast On Oct, 27 UNT’s Department of Management’s Family Business Initiative is hosting a UNT Family Business Breakfast at the University Union Ballroom, according to a press release from the university.. This is a networking event designed to give local Denton businesses the chance to receive free help growing their enterprises and give students hands on experience. The event is free but requires registration online or an email to Michael Sexton.
By Jackie Guerrero
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017
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UNT hosts meet UNT celebrates anniversary of National Coming Out Day and greet for new chancellor from NASA CHANCELLOR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “Our university is used to breaking ground, so we are in good company with someone who is brave and shows no fear and is capable of taking a chance,” Smatresk said. Roe took the stage and discussed her experience at UNT so far. Before the event, Roe toured UNT and met the president’s cabinet. She gave Smatresk credit for building an “amazing” team. Roe continued by discussing how she plans to transform students lives. She hopes to continue the work that has already been done by advancing research and innovation, focusing on high-quality programs and giving faculty and employees the best place to work. Roe proceeded to read a daily affirmation that was shared with her that morning —“ believe in the magic of new beginnings.” She thinks the affirmation is relevant to her new position. The UNT System Board of Regents selected Roe as the sole finalist in August, and she officially took the position this month. As chancellor, Roe is the chief executive of the UNT system. She oversees over 10,000 employees across the three UNT campuses: UNT Denton, UNT Dallas and the Health Science Center in Fort Worth, according to the UNT system website. Smatresk mentioned Roe will flip the coin at the UNT football game. “I’m going to do my darnedest to flip it good,” Roe said. Roe is the third chancellor of the UNT System and the first women to take the position. She replaced Lee F. Jackson, who was the longestserving chancellor in the state. He held the job for 15 years. Roe has a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida. She has served on several advisory boards including Virginia Governor’s Aerospace Advisory Council, American Astronautical Society, Virginia FIRST Robotics and the Virginia Research and Technology Advisory Commission. “Today was wonderful,” Roe said. “I got to see the full breadth of what goes on here. I was super impressed with the students. I loved the approach of the leadership team here. I loved the facilities. Everything has been thought out so well and I’m proud to be a part of UNT.”
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Chancellor Lesa B. Roe gives a speech at her welcome event. Roe accepted the position over the summer and started at UNT this week. Jacob Ostermann | Staff Photographer
By Jackie Guerrero Staff Writer UNT hosted a number of events in support of National Coming Out Day on Wednesday. Students gathered to share messages of pride and to hear award-winning slam poetry throughout the course of the day. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., tables were stationed at the Library Mall. The Pride Alliance worked with GLAD Legal Advocates and Defenders, a nonprofit legal rights organization, to help get students involved. Students signed and shared messages of “hope and pride” on the National Coming Out Day door, Kathleen Bond-Hobson, director of Pride Alliance said. This event allowed students to be informed of resources students can communicate with for “in-depth support.” Bond-Hobson said coming out can be dangerous and often carries repercussions due to the unpredictability of the situation. “Unlike people of straight, heterosexual or cisgender identities, people of LGBT identities often must ‘come out’ or declare and explain to others their sexuality or gender identity,” Bond-Hobson said. “National Coming Out Day provides an opportunity for LGBT people to experience ‘coming out’ in a safe and positive environment. We hope that by creating space for students to live as their authentic selves on campus and off, students will be more successful personally and academically.” Education graduate student Maria Chavez said National Coming Out Day is a good day for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people to come out and express themselves. “I think UNT is doing a great job here with the signing of the [National Coming Out Day] door,” Chavez said. “We are giving it the attention it deserves.” During the evening at the University Union, UNT held awardwinning slam poet Porsha O for the spoken word event in collaboration with University Program Council. Porsha O is a member of the LGBTQ community and a poet who focuses on applying advanced political analysis to examine injustice while providing perspective on concrete solutions, according to Strength of Doves website. This year marks the 29th anniversary of National Coming Out day, dedicated to raising awareness of civil rights and support for the LGBTQ community, according to Human Rights Campaign. National Coming Out Day was founded by Robert Eichsberg and Jean O’Leary on Oct. 11, 1988, marking the anniversary of the second major National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987, according to American Psychological Association. The 1987 National March was nearly five times the size of the first march held in 1979, with estimates of half a million participants. Political science senior Morgan Christian recently came out to her parents about being gay and is celebrating with the LGBT community on National Coming Out Day for the first time. “It is nice to have this [National Coming Out Day] door, to see there are all these people here like me,” Christian said. “You don’t necessarily know someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity from their appearance. It is cool to see this as a symbol of people who are out and to know there is a community here.”
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Top: UNT celebrates National Coming Out Day in the Library Mall on Oct. 11. Kelsey Shoemaker | Staff Photographer Bottom: A student signs a door labeled “coming out” in the Library Mall. Kelsey Shoemaker | Staff Photographer
Dept. of Education rolls back on Obama-era Title IX guidelines INVESTIGATION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 procedures to receive and investigate sexual assault complaints. Such an investigation required three years of past complaint data from UNT, data the OCR no longer intends to review. “Three years of data versus just one case is a big difference,” public health freshman Katie Crippen said. “If a university has a history of pushing things under the rug, that would be more evident over three years than a case which might be over just a couple of months.” Previous guidelines for OCR investigations were established under the Obama administration and had broad requirements for investigations. These investigations took 1.7 years on average, a figure the Department of Education hopes to cut down with the new guidelines. “If the OCR can hone in on one thing, it’s better than not being through on a multitude of things,” undeclared freshman Kernelius Isaac said. “When you get focused on one thing, that one thing is more likely to help the system.” Rollback of Obama-era guidelines for institutions On Sept. 22, Betsy DeVos rolled back Obama-era rules on how universities should deal with complaints of sexual misconduct. This involved rescinding two key pieces of guidance from officials under the Obama administration: the Dear Colleague letter of 2011, a landmark document in the previous administration’s efforts to curb sexual assault on campuses and the 2014 Q&A on Title IX and Sexual Violence on how to implement it. Anya Baiye, UNT’s director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX coordinator, said it’s not unusual for each new administration to issue its own set of guidelines regarding Title IX. The Obama administration did so and outlined specific rules for institutions to follow. The Trump administration’s changes remove many of these explicit requirements, giving institutions more flexibility in deciding their procedures. Baiye said the university is reviewing its procedures regarding Title IX and sexual violence, and no decisions have been made on whether to initiate any changes. She said the changes “are not affirmative,” meaning they don’t require institutions to make any changes or additions, but rather remove some mandates. Universities are left with the choice of whether to institute any of the changes possible. “College is a scary place for many students, and if you don’t regulate something like sexual assault I think it’s a mistake,” Isaac said. “Raising the bar of evidence or extending the timeline for investigations would be rude and disrespectful to the community built here at UNT.” The current Department of Education rules are interim guidelines, meant to be replaced after a period of rulemaking during which the Department of Education will solicit comments from the public and
stakeholders. “Having the OCR say there’s a little more flexibility in the choice of evidentiary standard that you’re using or the timeline is just another opportunity to have a university look at their process again,” Baiye said. “You want to be at an institution where at the end of the day they’re always evaluating to see how the investigation process is working.” One major criticism of the 2011 Dear Colleague letter alleged it took away the due process rights of students accused of sexual assault. Devos said these rights will be restored and her changes will make the process more fair for both parties. Changes schools could make to processes The new guidelines will affect multiple parts of university sexual misconduct procedures, including the following: Time constraints for investigations: While the Obamaera Department of Education mandated all investigations of sexual misconduct be completed in 60 days, the new rules remove this requirement and instead institutions to conclude them promptly. Appeals Process: The previous guidelines on investigating sexual misconduct insisted schools have an appeals process for both parties involved. The new rules do not encourage an appeals process at all and leave whether both or only one party can appeal up to institutional discretion. Standard of Evidence: Obama-era rules decreased the standard of
evidence for complainants, allowing the “preponderance of the evidence” standard for proof. This standard is based on whether it seems more likely the misconduct occurred than not. This standard is no longer required, but institutions may choose to adhere to it rather than a higher standard of proof. Reliance on law enforcement: Institutions may now pass complaints of sexual misconduct on to legal officials as they have no requirement to have an internal process to investigate. The new rules do not ask institutions to do pass on cases but say nothing on the subject, as opposed to old guidelines which expressly stopped schools from doing so. “It would be interesting to see if passing cases on was possible,” Baiye said, emphasizing it was not a conversation which she’d had or heard happen yet. “I think that where we are now is we have invested a lot of time, a lot of brainpower, a lot of energy and a lot of student feedback into the process we currently have.” Students can make their voices heard in the process of reviewing and potentially changing Title IX procedures by taking part in UNT’s Committee on Prevention & Education on Sexual Assault & Intimate Partner Violence. Email Survivor Advocate Renee McNamara at SurvivorAdvocate@unt.edu to get involved.
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017
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North Texas Comedy Festival curates charity through comedy and cheer By Slade Meadows Staff Writer Denton’s most recent comedy festival began Oct. 5 on the small stage of a crowded little white house named Killer’s Tacos. The audience for the North Texas Comedy Fest was adorned with different colored wristbands, signifying how many of the festival events they would be attending. Local comedian Joe Coffee took the stage and opened the charity event with a joke about the irony of performing comedy for charity. “I was doing some shows out in Colorado and a homeless man stopped me outside the venue,” Coffee said. “He said, ‘Sir, can you spare some change?’ I said, ‘Man, I have no money. I’m a stand-up comedian.’ He looked me up and down to assess the situation and goes, ‘My bad, fam — you right,’ and then he gave me $5.” The North Texas Comedy Festival stretched over a threeday period at five different venues: Killer’s Tacos, BackYard on Bell, The Abbey Underground, The Bearded Monk and the Black Box Theatre. “This was an endeavor,” said Nick Fields, a local comedian and host of the event at BackYard on Bell. “There was marketing involved. We had to go to multiple venues and make sure they all had the same days open, and then you go to sponsors and vendors. This was something we talked about doing for quite some time — long time.” Out of all festival proceeds, 35 percent were donated to Language of Laughter, a charity that aims to assist children who are struggling with literacy. “Essentially, we use the comedy show as a vehicle to raise money to buy books for kids,” said Stu Hollowell, coordinator of the North
Texas Comedy Festival and COO of Language of Laughter. “We focus on bilingual students. That’s our target. We want to make sure those books get to the kids who need them most, who might not have books at home.” Hollowell is now a UNT alumnus, but he began Language of Laughter while he was a student. “I started the charity when I was [at] UNT, which was a mistake for my grades,” Hollowell said. “But I somehow managed to graduate and run a charity at the same time. We’ve been trying to marry comedy and charity in Denton, and it seems to be working.” The festival featured over 35 comics, mostly from the Denton and Dallas-Fort Worth area. The planning committee decided to hire organizers from Dallas to help select which comics would be performing in the festival because they knew many of the applicants personally. “It was difficult to choose,” Hollowell said. “We had about a hundred submissions. And that’s cool for an inaugural fest to have over a hundred submissions is awesome. It’s a success in and of itself.” Hollowell said the Denton comedy scene has only developed to its current state in the last five years. “It’s a fairly new thing,” Hollowell said. “There’s always been people telling jokes at music mics, but now you see more comics at these mics than you do musicians. We love our musical counterparts, but it’s cool that we are starting to get recognized as a comedy town as well as a music town.” The festival was unique in the fact that it united so many different venues and so many different comics under one banner for a three-day event. “All those people together that
throw shows out here doing one big thing,” Coffee said. “You know, kind of reaching out to all the corners of the scene. That makes a difference, that makes it fun, to know we can all work together and put on one thing for one town, as opposed to our own thing. It’s always been one scene. We all get along great, but to do something like this, and work year in and year out with each other is pretty cool.” Many of the comics in Denton know each other well and describe themselves as a community. They often perform together at the same venues and frequently attend each other’s shows. The festival brought them together for one large collaborative show. “We all pretty much know each other,” said Latrice Allen, a stand-up comedian and headliner of the event at BackYard on Bell. “Everybody’s real cool and very welcoming and supportive.” While many comedy shows or festivals are organized by venues or bars that do not specialize in comedy, the North Texas Comedy Festival was created differently. “The difference for this one is it was created by comedians,” Fields said. “Usually, when you run a fest, you have like a big sponsor or an organizer come in and put it all together and the comedians are more like consultants on it. But this one was by comedians. The people who are running it are comics. I think it puts together a better show. This is comedy fans making stuff for comedy fans.” The festival was thoroughly organized and planned out in advance, but still stayed true to Denton’s “DIY” arts scene. “It’s funny that a lot of people think festivals are this amazing industry-run thing,” said Jay Whitecotton, a comedian and headliner of the event at The Abbey
Comedian Mark Nash was the first performer at the North Texas Comedy Festival on Oct. 7. Brigitte Zumaya | Staff Photographer Underground. “Cities like this have an artistic community that doesn’t really fit the clubs. So they come together and put on a festival to celebrate the local scene.” While the event’s main goal was to raise money for Language of Laughter, the event was also organized as a way to celebrate the local comedians of Denton. “The scene has been going for such a long time,” Hollowell said. “We really wanted a way to celebrate the scene, celebrate the comics and bring people out to experience what everybody’s been working so hard for. Most of the people who come to our shows have never seen a comedy show before. It’s cool to be bringing comedy to a lot of people
for the first time. That’s part of why we love doing it.” The festival sought to raise awareness for the comic scene to the point where it was its own kind of charity. “We need attention,” Whitecotton said. “We are very lonely. Just validate us. Give us a quarter, we need it for parking.” Even people who do not live in the Denton area recognize the town’s thriving comedy scene. “[The comedy scene is] really jumping, and I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody moved a full-time comedy club to Denton,” said Slade Ham, a comedian who performs for troops overseas, participated in the documentary
“I Am Battle” and headliner of the event at The Black Box Theatre. “You have a college town [where] people are starting to get in comedy. It’s kind of got this resurgence again with the young kids.” The popularity and rise in comedians across Denton will have an affect in the long run. “Even if you don’t see a club, you’ll start to see a lot of the satellite stuff pop up,” Ham said. “The little one-nighter, you know, a Thursday night mic and this and that. As long as there are black boxes like this, people are going to find ways to do shows.”
@SladeSe7ens
Veteran helps guide former military members toward academic success Surrounded by glistening military medals and framed photos of success, Charles Hall sank down in the office futon ready to drop out of school. To the student veteran, the reason was obvious. After serving 26 years in the U.S. Navy, Hall returned to a college he didn’t recognize. Class discussions and projects were online now. Students were a generation younger than him. Everything was familiar, yet drastically different. “It was a culture shock,” Hall said. “In the military, you work directly with people. College has changed so much from when I originally tried to do it, and that was the reason I was considering dropping out.” Enter UNT’s director of Student Veteran Services — Jim Davenport. Davenport, who served for 21 years in the U.S. Army, has led the student veterans department for three years. Davenport has made it a point to give student veterans the support they need, something he said he never fully got when he left the military. “When I got out of military for the first time in my life, I was 39,” Davenport said. “I didn’t have to answer to anyone. And that’s a strange feeling.” Davenport graduated from UNT in 2011. While he was a student, he hoped to change the veteran affairs section one day. At the time, UNT’s student veteran office was nonexistent. Once Davenport was hired, he worked with higher-ups to create a place for incoming students where his door would always be open. “It’s hard transition to go from military to academia because it’s two different worlds,” Davenport said. “It’s going to be stressful.” Hall is just one of numerous student veterans who have walked through his open door. “He got me set up with a tutor with the math lab and was consistently running people
towards me to ensure that I was successful,” Hall said. “So it’s been instrumental in the reason why I’m still around.” Once he became director, Davenport began making significant changes. He expanded the Student Veterans Association to more than 110 students and revived Omega Delta Sigma, the veteran fraternity.
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The SVA was on life support every semester.
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By Amy Roh Senior Staff Writer
“The Student Veterans Association was on life support every semester,” Davenport said. “We’ve gotten it where every semester we’ve got a better group of people taking over.” He ushered in a well-functioning computer lab and equally functioning peer mentors. “When someone walks into this office and I’m [not there], the answer shouldn’t be ‘I don’t know’ or ‘come back later,’” Davenport said. “I should have people who can work.” Davenport also gives personalized campus tours to student veterans in order to guide them through the difficult transition. On a typical four-hour tour, he takes students to the library and stops by the Special Collections exhibit. They tour the Union and check out the memorial plaques on the third floor. He said he even tries to convince them to go back to the military if that is the best possible option for them. “If I did 98 tours and five people enrolled, I would quit,” Davenport said. “But when you’ve got people coming back and saying, ‘I’m here because this guy gave me a tour and made me feel important,’ that’s different.” Once his service was over,
Davenport said there was no one who would help him find a job or simply adjust back to civilian life. Implementing these programs is his way of offering options he wishes he had been offered in the past. “When you have people come in here at their lowest point and you’re able to help them and they walk out feeling better, that’s rewarding,” Davenport said. Jimmy Marquez, the president of SVA, said he first met Davenport when he attended orientation in August 2015. “His orientation brief was thorough and concise,” Marquez said. “You could easily tell he cared for veteran students and would do anything for them.” But when Marquez started school in 2015, he wanted nothing to do with veteran programs or groups. “I did everything in my power to not be a part of the UNT veteran community,” Marquez said. “I wanted to transition into civilian life on my own.” Roughly a year later, Marquez came into the office and was instantly approached by Davenport. “He shook my hand and was enthusiastic with his conversation towards me — just like he did a year prior at orientation,” Marquez said. “It was then that I thought, ‘I should probably get to know this man.’” Now, Marquez leads the SVA — thanks to Davenport. “I went from wanting nothing to do with the military or veterans to running the only student veteran organization on campus,” Marquez said. “I attribute a good portion of my 180 [degree change] to Mr. Davenport.” Perhaps the biggest attribution has been Davenport’s ability to create a solidified community where student veterans can meet and support each other. “Veteran Student Affairs sections are critical,” Hall said. “They keep people motivated, [and] they help you conquer your concerns. I still wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for this office right here.”
@rohmyboat
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017
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Denton arcade bar is changes the game with fun, tournaments and treats By Austin Wagner Staff Writer Darts fly through the air as cheers and laughter fill the crowded Game Changers Sports Bar and Arcade Grill. The hustle and bustle of the bar is quick, but the atmosphere is relaxed and easygoing. Game Changers, which opened in July 2016, has a slightly different flair than most other drinking spots in Denton. Tournaments and competitions are held throughout the week, including dart tournaments, open mic nights, card nights, trivia nights and bingo. One local couple, Alex Beitinger and Jason Delarosa, come out to play every Monday and sometimes play in tournaments on Fridays. “Friends just asked us to play, and so we got started with the D-league,” Beitinger said. The pair, as well as their son, play in the C-league of the Denton Area Darts Association. “There are four leagues — A to D,” Delarosa said. “[There are] around 12 players to a team and about 10 teams per division, so that’s a lot of players.” Delarosa said there are different skill and competition levels between the leagues. As you get closer to the
A-league, the games get tougher. “It’s always a good time in the C-league,” Delarosa said. “We just like to have a good time, so we come out, have a few drinks and just enjoy it.” Darts aren’t the only activity the couple enjoys at the bar. “The food is awesome, and at the end of every game night the bar gives every player a shot,” Beitinger said. The family plays year-round for their team, Dartaholics, through the different seasons the dart league plays. Even though their opposing team, Broken Darts, might have walked away with the win during their game, it is not about the competition. “If you look around, you see a lot of different people who just go play darts,” Broken Darts player Paul Walton said. “It’s easy to get along with our [team] and the other teams because we all just want to have fun and play.” Walton used to play in the A-league, but he prefers to play casually and have fun. He now plays in the C-league. UNT alumnus Ross Pewterbaugh also plays for the Broken Darts. “It’s free to play, and the bars pay
the fees towards the Denton Area Dart League,” Pewterbaugh said. Each team has a home bar. The Dartaholics home bar is Game Changers, while Broken Darts were visiting from RT’s Neighborhood Bar in Denton. Darts dominate Mondays and Fridays and are arguably the bar’s most popular activity. However, there are other events throughout the week to keep customers and frequent attendees satisfied. Nathan Giles, a cook at Game Changers, has been working on organizing a tournament for casual players of Magic: The Gathering, a trading card game that is popular with UNT students. “If you’re really not that competitive, but still a fan of the game, this is the best place to be,” Giles said. Giles took over the tournament from another employee when he started working at the bar. “I used to work at a card shop in Oregon, so it just kind of made sense that I get involved in this,” Giles said. The tournament is held every other Thursday and is open to all players. Events happen all week long to draw people in to Game Changers.
After the question is announced, Trivia Night players discuss their answers to other members of their team on Sept. 27. Dana McCurdy | Staff Photographer This can be very beneficial for the staff by giving them regular customers, but it also keeps them on their toes and lets them meet fresh faces. “Tuesdays are open mic night for comedians, bingo is for the football games and then you have the popular dart nights on Mondays and Fridays,” bartender Nick Cohn
said. “Fridays and Saturdays are our busiest nights overall, though. It’s a weekend in a college town, man. You know how it goes.” Game Changers is decked out with enough activities to last the entire night. Arcade games, machines and five pool tables fill the space in between customers and activities. The bar is also made up
of three different rooms for varying dining and seating atmospheres. These aspects of the bar draw in an inclusive, ever-changing crowd. “We’re so new, and Denton is a college town, so we see new people every day,” Cohn said.
@wagskeez
Dogs bring happiness and support at festival for man’s best friend DOGS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Petrusky, an administrative assistant at UNT. Petrusky currently houses eight adoptable dogs in her home, prepping them for a lifelong family. “We take Great Pyrenees that are in need of rescuing, whether it be from the shelter, surrenders [or] on the street,” Petrusky said. “We bring them in, give them time, love and care, and then we hone them back out to approved adopters.” Many people swarmed Petrusky’s booth, but she said there is a lot of responsibility that goes with taking care of a dog like a Great Pyrenees. “They’re cute [and] wonderful, but there’s a lot of hair, and they bark,” Petrusky said. The main event was the 2017 Spokesdog pageant, where pooches of all shapes and sizes flaunted their best costumes and tricks to take home the title.
Participants enter a picture and at least one paragraph about their dog and why they’d be eligible for the honor. “We choose a representative to not only represent Dog Days of Denton but [also] the city of Denton throughout the coming year,” Lechler said. There were 15 entries this year, which is a new record. With the help of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, Lechler said the Spokesdog has risen in popularity. “Social media has taken it to a completely new level because there’s all these social media outlets that the Spokesdog has,” Lechler said. “So the Spokesdog has gotten even more popular these past few years.” For a full year, the chosen Spokesdog will participate in community events and fundraisers around Denton. Ice, a 6-year-old Siberian Husky, won the title this year.
“My friends pushed me to [enter] because they convinced me that it wasn’t about me, it was about having a well-trained dog be an upstanding member of the community,” Ice’s owner Lyndon Villone said. Villone, who is a veteran, named Ice in honor of Sgt. Wesley J. Rice, his best friend who died during a military training accident. Villone and Ice volunteered therapy dog services for children and at-risk youth. Later on, Ice trained to become Villone’s personal service dog. “He became my service dog in 2014 when I got vertigo spells, so he traveled down from New York to Texas,” Villone said. “Now he’s like a mentor trainer for other dogs that come [into Heel the Heroes].” Heel the Heroes is Villone’s veteran-centered nonprofit that aims to provide animal-assisted therapy for veterans adjusting to civilian life. The organization offers activities like yoga and art as a part
of their program. Villone said he hopes to incorporate horse therapy in the future. “We started in 2015 [as] a very young and small nonprofit organization,” Villone said. “Our mission right now is to help veterans recover, reclaim and reconnect to society and families.” Last year’s Spokesdog, a terrier named Cody, also made an appearance in his signature plaid shirt and bow tie. Now that is his reign is over, owner Lauri Sulewski said she will miss all the festivities that they
attended together. “We’re very sad, but we had a lot of fun doing it,” Sulewski said. “We had a lot of community events, and Denton is a part of us now since we did so much as a Spokesdog for the community.” Although the other participants varied, each had their own unique story. Longtime attendee Angela St. John entered her dog, knowing how much it helped her through a rough patch. “She came to me two weeks after I was hit by a drunk driver and saved me because she got me up and
walking again,” St. John said. “We needed each other, and she came into my life at the right time.” Now, she said she spoils her dog rotten. Coming to events like this has been one of the ways she and her dog have been able to have a fun time together. “We love Denton, and we love supporting our community in any way we can,” St. John said. “We’ve come to [Dog Days of Denton] every year, and we’d love to support our community more in any way.”
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Denton Event Radar October 12, 2017 UPC Fine Arts Series: A Conversation with Nathan Fielder Where: Lyceum When: 8 p.m. Free
October 16, 2017 Paul Cauthen Where: Andy’s Bar When: 8 p.m. $10
October 14, 2017
Neighborhood Empowerment Summit Where: MLK Jr. Rec Center When: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free
October 16, 2017
Dark Matter & the Paradox of Fear! Where: Lyceum When: 7-8:30 p.m. Free
October 14, 2017
Monk’s Monthly Market Where: The Bearded Monk When: 1-6 p.m. Free
October 17, 2017 Festival of Lights Where: Library Mall When: 6-8 p.m. Free
Freja the beagle-dachshund mix is lifted into the air by owner Kimberly. Freja participated in the Dog Days of Denton Spokesdog Pageant. Rachel Walters | Staff Photographer
International biology student crosses hemispheres in pursuit of success By Anna Orr Staff Writer The chilly weather took him by surprise on May 6, 2013. His friends back home told him it would be warm. However, he didn’t mind it — all he could focus his attention on was the new opportunity around him in the U.S. Biology senior Yannick Gambembo took the 18-hour plane ride from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa to the United States almost four years ago, but he recalls his trip from Congo to the United States like it was yesterday. “I know the exact day because it was a beautiful experience,” Gambembo said. “It was emotional.” Gambembo started his education at UNT in spring 2016, coming in as a junior. In his mind, the main reasons why he chose UNT were simple. “To me, it was a situation where you don’t really have much choice in where you’re going,” Gambembo said. He was first introduced to UNT when he heard about the
older brother of a friend who received a Ph.D. in business from UNT. Gambembo felt that the opportunities he had heard about in the U.S. were infinitely more promising than what was available to him in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Coming from a family who prioritizes education, Gambembo decided the best decision was to apply to UNT and live with his friend’s brother until he gained enough solid ground under his feet to live by himself. “As an international student, you must look at many things before you make any decisions,” Gambembo said. “You can really only go places where there are people to guide you.” Prior to UNT, Gambembo took English classes and earned his associate’s degree in science at Richland Community College, but education systems are very different in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He had already completed six years of medical school at Protestant University in the Democratic Republic of Congo after years of Catholic boarding
school. Gambembo said the outlets of entertainment are limited during boarding school, but he enjoyed the structure of it and the relationships he built there. He said that the friends he made during those years are the same people he keeps in contact with today. “The teaching system from the United States and the Congo is very different,” Gambembo said. “In Congo they keep you busy the entire day. Class may start at 8 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m. or 6 p.m. You have breaks from 12-1 p.m. and for longer classes, they have breaks inbetween.” Gambembo hasn’t traveled back home in four years, but he does get to see his family when they travel to visit him every two years. A plane ticket for Gambembo to travel home and back alone would cost around $2,800. As an international student, he pays $13,000 per semester, and Gambembo takes all of this into consideration and knows he must spend his money wisely. “Even here, doing something fun is expensive,” Gambembo said.
Gambembo now lives in his own apartment and shares it with roommates from Austin, Iran and Saudi Arabia. “The beautiful thing about people from different backgrounds is you learn from them,” Gambembo said. “You have another perspective of life and you learn how they think and how they see the world.” Computer science junior Bobby Hill is one of Gambembo’s roommates who has been living with him since August 2016. “He’s awesome,” Hill said. “He’s on the phone all the time with family and friends. You can tell because he is speaking French.” Along with English and French, Gambembo speaks Lingala, Swahili and Kikongo, which are just a few of the many native languages of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Gambembo said back at his home school, the more fluently you speak French, the more you will succeed. Although both his parents speak over five languages, Gambembo said this is why his parents only spoke to him in
French. Hill said that Gambembo is studying constantly, and that the roommates usually meet up when they’re in the kitchen and joke around with each other. But other than that, Hill said Gambembo will only ask questions of other people, rather than talk about himself. “The first time I ever met him, he said we were going to share everything,” Hill said. “He’s talkative and caring about other people.” Gambembo keeps pictures of his friends and family close with him. He holds a photo of himself and his classmates the day they finished their final exams — they have their arms linked around each other with wide smiles. Gambembo said he was a “specialist” for organizing surprises for birthdays and that if people were trying to plan parties, picnics or other gatherings, they would seek him out. “Back home I was the guy everybody knew — I guess I was a cool guy,” Gambembo said, “When I left it was surprising for a lot of people. I didn’t tell everybody I
was leaving.” Gambembo is now employed and juggles work along with school. Media arts sophomore Alejandro Rios is one of Gambembos’ coworkers in retail dining for the Union. Rios and Gambembo spend a lot of time together during the week while they’re working. “Yannick is a great guy and is pretty fun to joke around with when I see him,” Rios said. “Working with him is quite honestly one of the highlights of my week.” Even after working together week after week, Gambembo has continued to impress Rios with endless knowledge of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Gambembo said he will eventually return home when he is a doctor, and he even considers running for political office in the future. “Yannick’s ability to grasp political issues greatly impress me, and it’s something I rarely see in my own peers from here,” Rios said.
@AnnaMOrr97
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017
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Blake’s Snow Shack brings sweet opportunities to unique entrepreneur SNOW CONE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “I still wanted to be able to make my own money,” Blake said. Though the Pyron family acknowledged this was discouraging for them in the beginning, this is no unfamiliar hurdle for people with Down syndrome. The National Down Syndrome Society reports
that one in 700 people in the United States is born with Down syndrome — approximately 6,000 people per year. With the help of his parents, Blake did not let a situation he could not change deter him from pursuing his dream. This determination, combined with extensive research into fields that Blake felt comfortable taking charge of, led to
the creation of Blake’s Snow Shack on Oct. 12, 2015. “We have always operated under the idea of not allowing society’s expectations and limits to become our reality,” Mary Ann said. “We didn’t want that for our son, and he didn’t want that for himself.” Before long, the Pyrons learned these societal limitations were only the beginning of their obstacles to
Blake Pyron stands with his mother, Mary Ann in front of their second snow cone trailer. Blake’s Snow Shack has been in business since October 2015. Alec Spicer | Social Media Manager
overcome. In the early stages, the family did not struggle with Blake’s extra chromosome, but they instead struggled with being taken seriously as a business. Much like many small business owners, Blake was met with the difficulties of creating a business with low startup funds and next to no advertising — with the exception of social media. “Social media definitely helped get our story and business out there, but we just couldn’t do everything,” Mary Ann said. Concerns of financial, emotional and even physical stress were soon laid to rest after an unexpected call from WFAA’s Lauren Zakalik in January 2016. After just three months in business, news and entertainment outlets from all over the country caught wind of Blake’s story. As a snowball of contact from USA TODAY to Good Morning America and even NASCAR made its way to a small North Texas town, the Pyrons realized they tapped into something sweeter than just a cool summertime treat — they showed a story of inspiration. “What we thought would just be a chance for Blake to make a little bit of money turned into a platform of hope for others,” Mary Ann said. But the phone calls didn’t stop there. Local organizations and agencies reached out to Blake’s Snow Shack
to help in any way they could, including Dallas advertising agency Nametag and Flower Mound-based The Boardroom, an organization designed to help business owners further their company’s business model through investments and experience working with fellow entrepreneurs. “Blake and his family were extremely well-received in the Boardroom and are now winners through our organization,” said John Brown, chairman of CEO CLUBS, which hosts The Boardroom. Just as the Pyrons were riding a new-found wave of success, they were just as quickly on the cusp of nation-wide attention. They were hit with another roadblock: the United States Government. Currently, laws are in place that limit the amount of money someone with a disability can have in their savings account. Many do not realize these laws are not exclusive to people with Down syndrome, as anyone with a disability — including victims of accidents and disabled veterans — can benefit through the proposed ABLE to Work Act (ABLE). “We could have let it discourage us,” Mary Ann said. “But instead we chose to pack up and head to D.C. to find our congressman to change this.” The Pyrons did not just find their representatives. They sat down and spoke with U.S. Rep. Michael C.
Burgess of Lewisville to discuss ABLE in hopes of gaining support and raising awareness. Blake and family are optimistic that they will be able to help the bill be passed by the end of this year. As the colder months are coming back around and October kicks off Down syndrome awareness month, the Pyrons look forward to the new opportunities they’ve been afforded through Blake’s story. This winter, though Mary Ann still works her day job at a credit union, Blake and newly-retired Billy hope to be able to travel the country and share his story through public awareness speaking. Make no mistake, however — Blake’s story is not one to feel sorry for. “Some people have stopped us before and told us how bad they feel for us,” Billy said. “But there is nothing to feel bad about. We are proud to be parents of a child with a disability, and Blake is not a burden.” Regardless of the countless complications that only those with disabilities and their loved ones can truly understand, Blake doesn’t seem to question his future. “I want to do this forever,” Blake said. And if there’s one question Blake certainly isn’t asking anymore, it’s “What about me?”
@Spicer_Alec
Latin street food comes to life at Denton restaurant Boca 31 By Sadia Saeed Staff Writer A sunflower yellow and sky blue fence lines the quaint restaurant on a sunny afternoon as customers laugh among the Latin music. At Boca 31, the breeze attracts customers outside as they sit on the patio enjoying the array of empanadas and tostones, a favorite of the locals. Inside, Boca 31 is bustling as the open kitchen invites everyone to take a peek of how Latin food is prepped and cooked. Adrianna Santiago, a server and food preparer, brushes the empanadas with a layer of butter. “This is our famous empanada,” Santiago said. “We make them four times a day because they are so popular.” Santiago, a public health student, recently moved here from McKinney, Texas, and she has worked at Boca 31 for a month and a half. As her first job in Denton, Santiago finds the environment great to work in. “[It’s] really nice [to work at] a place [and] know what’s on the menu,” Santiago said. “I’m Puerto Rican. Tostones are really big in Puerto Rico, and it’s more personal because you get to share what the food is really like. I think people like that.” Santiago likes how the restaurant brings in many familiar faces since locals keep making their way back for more. “Sometimes it gets busy, but I love it,” Santiago said. “You’re always doing something — it never stops.” The family environment is on display as the customers and kitchen staff greet each other with ease. The atmosphere is guided by the delectable aromas of savory food. Owner and chef Andres Meraz puts a unique spin on Latin-American cuisine that gets customers talking. Meraz opened Boca 31 a little over a year ago, and he said the reception has been overwhelming. “It’s going great,” Meraz said. “Really good actually — we’ve been getting busier
and busier.” Deemed “Latin street food,” Boca 31 has expanded their food style into something that melds different food concepts from around Latin America. “It gives me a bigger range of cooking style,” Meraz said. “It’s not one cuisine, like only Peruvian cuisine. So I can get away with doing plantains from the Caribbeans and using Mexican ingredients in Peruvian dishes. We [also] have the empanadas which would be [a] Puerto Rican recipe. My wife is Peruvian, so I use some of their ingredients.” Being both the owner and chef has its perks. Meraz has the authority to switch things up whenever the current system is not working. Some of the items on the menu were originally not up to par, but the combination of ingredients worked well together. Meraz even dared to change the menu right before opening the restaurant — a testament to his dedication to satisfying customers. “I’ve been cooking for a long time, but running it is hard because everything is my job,” Meraz said. “It’s my job to oversee everything, and it’s hard to be consistent.” Challenges aside, Meraz said there are many benefits to owning and operating his own eatery. “Having a chef run it is easier [too] because someone who’s going to open up a restaurant will want to cook their own food,” Meraz said. “I can change something based on what ingredient we have or erase something off the board because we don’t have the ingredient.” Although Meraz calls the shots, his wife has a big influence on the food. Being of Peruvian descent, she was the one that took him to Peruvian restaurants and further introduced him into the food that would become part of Boca 31. Her mother always cooked Peruvian food, which made Meraz more curious. “[My wife] being picky helps me read other people in the area,” Meraz said. “My original plan was an upscale restaurant,
but she told me I’d have to tone it down in an area like this. You have to understand that area.” Raised in the San Fransisco bay area, Meraz got his start at a young age, being exposed to cooking by age 11. “My mom raised three boys, and I always had to cook at home,” Meraz said. Along with that, he worked at his grandfather’s restaurant, Carnitas. Since it was only open three days a week, the restaurant would have lines snaking down the street. “Fifty years and still running,” Meraz said. When it came time to figure out what to do after high school, he tried out various fields, from computer classes to construction. “I looked into construction and hated it — maybe because there was no food around,” Meraz said. Through connections, Meraz landed himself in Spain at a three Michelinstarred restaurant, Akelarre, in San Sebastián, which is the highest honor a restaurant can receive. Although he was already at the top, Meraz chose to divert and open his own restaurant that was run just by him. Using his vast experience from Carnitas to Akelarre, Boca 31 came to life. “I looked in a lot of different places, and this was a good town,” Meraz said. “It had a full kitchen ready to go, so I wouldn’t have to build anything. They have everything set here, and I listen to what the people say. We didn’t have a veggie taco before, but everyone was asking for it, so we added it on. You have to give what the people want.” The song slows down, but the kitchen continues on as Meraz joins. After cooking pork pulled chicken for the tacos, he then garnishes it with spices to add flavor. The staff continues its fast pace as line cook Caleb Yoder cuts vegetables for preparation. “I like the environment and the food,”
Top: Chef Andres Meraz holds two of his entrees at Boca 31. Bottom: Meraz prepares food in the kitchen of his restaurant, Boca 31. He opened the restaurant in July 2016. Jacob Ostermann | Staff Photographer Yoder said. Santiago greets another customer that walks in, taking her order before heading back to the kitchen. The customer, UT Arlington student Monica Canizares, heard of Boca 31 when she booked it for her father’s birthday. “It was really good when I tried it,” Canizares said. “I really like the sweet potatoes and the guava-cheese
empanadas.” Looking into the future, Meraz has plans for more restaurants, possibly revisiting his original seafood concept. But for now, Meraz’s focus is to be the Latin street food of Denton.
@sadiasaeed97
Who Made My Clothes educates about the effects of shopping fast fashion By Grace Cottingham Staff Writer The routine of picking an item of clothing off a rack and purchasing it from a major retail store is second nature to many shoppers. However, a large portion of this clientele is unaware of where these clothes came from — much less the process by which they were made. Who Made My Clothes (WMMC) is a club at UNT that focuses on bringing awareness of the worldwide sweatshop issue that lies beyond the fast fashion industry. Consumers often do not know the impact of their purchases from major clothing corporations. “We spread awareness on the unethical conditions labor workers face abroad specifically for the garment and textile industry,” WMMC president Hannah Asis said. Asis was inspired to start WMMC after watching the documentary “The True Cost,” a film that gives viewers insight into the places that produce the
clothing many people wear daily. Many well-known stores use developing nations as their source of production for the millions of clothing items sold yearly. “Truthfully, most stores within malls are unethical,” said Lauralee Penefuerte, vice president and media manager of WMMC. “H&M and Forever 21 are culprits of this.” Because of the cheap prices, overseas sweatshops have become the No. 1 source for major stores to produce clothing. The laborers in these sweatshops often work under extremely unsafe conditions for little pay. “U.S. companies tend to take advantage of the very relaxed policies of minimum wage in developing nations,” Asis said. Many sweatshop workers make only $10 a month for all their labor. When they try to form unions in response to their terrible working conditions, they often are beaten and broken down in return. According to “The True Cost,” garment workers are some of the lowest-paid employees in the
world, and roughly 85 percent of them are women. Usually, these facts never even cross consumers’ minds when buying a $4 top from the mall. Due to the massive global presence of the fashion industry, there is an equally massive presence of sweatshops in developing countries with conditions that can be unimaginably dangerous. Through the last decade, there have been cases in which these labor warehouses have collapsed and resulted in high death tolls of workers inside, such as the 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh. WMMC’s prime goal is to bring awareness to the community — specifically in Denton — of the issues that come with fast fashion and how consumers can change their habits in order to help. The club meets every other Wednesday, usually in Willis Library. “Our meetings are always different,” Asis said. “Sometimes we will talk about current events.
Other times we will all go to the Square and go get coffee to support the local businesses in Denton.” The club works to teach members, as well as the community, ways to do their part in helping the issues that arise from production processes of major corporations. Local business like West Oak Coffee, Jupiter House and other small chain food places are a great way to support ethical businesses. Those who choose to purchase fast fashion from major retailers almost certainly do not intend to support sweatshops. In fact, many shoppers are not even aware of the extent to which their dollar goes while shopping. That’s why WWMC wants to keep their club friendly and not controversial. “We focus on bringing awareness rather than making things super political,” WMMC event coordinator Brian Franklin said. “We want people to change their own decisions and influence how the economy is working rather than trying to push massive change
and get everyone to vote because that can be very hard to do.” Rather than attempting to effect change in international government policies, WWMC takes baby steps by reaching out to individuals solely to educate and hopefully instill even the smallest progress. While the club would love to see a worldwide revolution in the sweatshop epidemic, they believe their message will be most effective by starting at home. “It is extremely difficult for policy change to happen without a great awareness, so that is why we start by just [bringing] awareness,” Franklin said. Because ethically produced clothing is often more expensive and often out of consumer’s price range, secondhand stores are typically the easiest and most accessible way for consumers to minimize the negative effects of the fast fashion industry. WWMC recently spent a Saturday volunteering at Goodwill as a group for an example of what some events are like for those
considering joining. “Secondhand stores are the best source for ethical shopping,” secretary Aaron Baker said. “Places like Plato’s Closet, Thrift Giant and Goodwill are all local secondhand stores to shop at.” Joining a club like WMMC is a simple way to raise awareness and learn more about the process behind your favorite pair of jeans or the go-to t-shirt you always wear. For those hoping to make a positive environmental and social effect — or just curious for a little backstory on their favorite pair of jeans or t-shirt — WMMC makes it a friendly learning experience. Follow the club on Instagram, @whomademyclothesunt, or on Facebook at “Who Made My Clothes UNT” to stay updated on meetings and events.
@GraceCottingham
SPORTS Page 7
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017
NTDAILY.COM UPCOMING GAMES Friday • Soccer: vs. UAB – 7 p.m. •Volleyball: @ UTEP – 7 p.m. Saturday • Football: vs. UTSA – 6 p.m. • Swimming and Diving: @ Little Rock, AR – 11 a.m. • Cross Country: @ Pre-Nationals (Louisville, KY) – All Day
Left: North Texas vs. University of Texas at San Antonio at the Alamodome Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. Courtesy | Mean Green Athletics
Right: North Texas won its only game of the 2015-2016 season against UTSA. Colin Mitchell | Visuals Editor
North Texas vs. UTSA
Sunday • Volleyball: @ FAU – 7 p.m. • Soccer: vs. UTSA – 1 p.m.
CONFERENCE USA STANDINGS
Conference USA West Team Conf. Overall
38.8 ppg 34.0 ppg RB Jeffery Wilson
Scoring Offense 35.3 ppg Scoring Defense 18.0 ppg Player to Watch LB Josiah Tauaefa
Rising programs battle for supremacy sophomore quarterback Mason Fine said. “The buzz on campus is the [students] are excited.” Fine’s partner in the backfield, senior running back Jeffery Wilson, heard about the 2013 loss to UTSA – one that knocked North Texas out of the race for a Conference USA championship – when he was graduating from Elkhart High School. He relayed a message that several players have concurred with. “UTSA is somebody that we don’t like,” Wilson said. “On the field, they’re the enemy and that goes for anybody. But I’ve been hearing about UTSA since before I got here from that 2013 team. Ever since I heard that, it was like, alright we have to beat these guys.”
Players admitted to knowing players from UTSA, which strengthens the rivalry on a personal level. Senior Kishawn McClain has been involved in three of the four games between the schools and has been a starter in the last two. He is aiming to move to 2-1 as a starter against the Roadrunners and knows what’s at stake this time around. “It’s a pretty big rivalry,” McClain said. “I beat them once, they beat me once, so I’m trying to go out with a win against them. It’ll be a fun and exciting game so I’m ready for it.” Head coach Seth Littrell sees the rivalry from a different perspective than his players, for obvious reasons. This is his second season at the helm, which is also true of UTSA head coach Frank
Wilson. Both are shaping their programs with every game, and Littrell knows this is a game that can shift things for both programs going forward. While his players insist the rivalry is full-fledged, Littrell takes a more cautious approach – but still understands its significance. “I think it’s growing into [a rivalry],” Littrell said. “With the history we’ve had and [they] are an in-state school. We recruit against each other. We compete against each other. Anytime you have a school like that, there’s some type of rivalry to it.” The history Littrell mentions is four games of rather close competition between the two schools. UTSA has the 3-1 advantage, but their lone loss was to a 1-11 North Texas team in 2015. That was seemingly revenge for
the UTSA win in 2013 that threw a wrench in the Mean Green’s hopes to win the conference.
“Totheirwhoop ass,
“
RIVALRY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
simply put.
Last season, both teams were solid, but North Texas was coming off back-to-back wins while the Roadrunners had just lost to UTEP in 5OT. UTSA derailed North Texas’ streak and won comfortably
in the Alamodome. “They came into our home, Apogee [in 2013] and upset us,” Littrell said. “There’s definitely that history, and they’ve done a great job in this series of coming out on top so far. So we understand that and it’s a big game for us.” The winner of Saturday’s game will be in prime position to compete for the C-USA title going forward. With that being thrown on top of the rivalry, sophomore wide receiver Jalen Guyton knows what the team’s mindset is as they prepare for Saturday. “To whoop their ass, simply put,” Guyton said. “If we work hard, handle our business and we’re disciplined, then we can play with whoever.”
@mattbrune25
UNT 2-0 3-2 S. Miss
1-1
3-2
UAB 1-1 3-2 La. Tech
1-1
3-3
Rice 1-1 1-5 UTSA 0-1 3-1 UTEP 0-2 0-6
Conference USA East Team Conf. Overall FAU 2-0 3-3 Marshall 1-0
4-1
FIU 2-1 3-2 WKU 1-1 3-2 MTSU 1-1 3-3 ODU 0-1 2-3 Charlotte 0-2
0-6
Rivalry History 2013
UTSA 21, North Texas 13
2014
UTSA 34, North Texas 27
2015
North Texas 30, UTSA 23
2016
UTSA 31, North Texas 17
Volleyball extends win streak to five By Joshua Paveglio Staff Writer The University of Alabama Birmingham (9-11, 3-2) fought long and hard through each set, but the Mean Green (17-2, 4-1) proved to be too much. North Texas swept the Blazers Friday night to extend its winning streak to five games. In the first set, UAB showed signs of life before the Mean Green shook off the rust and continued their recent dominance by taking the set 25-16. North Texas used the momentum from that win to completely control set two in a dominant 25-12 finish. The Mean Green got off to another slow start in the third before bouncing back to put the finishing touches on things with a 25-19 effort. Senior Holly Milam led the team with 12 kills while Amanda Chamberlain added 10. “We knew we had a special group here and we can really do something special,” Holly Milam said. “We did feel a little flat in the third set, and we could have finished more efficiently.” After the back and forth first set, North Texas had a lot of power in the second set to couple with lots of team chemistry and passion. The Blazers pushed back in every possession, but the passion of the Mean Green outlasted them.
“We just really locked in, and talked about discipline,” Chamberlain said. “We just locked in and handled our side of the net and just executed on our side.” This marks the fifth straight win for North Texas, adding on to the best start in team history at 17-2 and 3-1 in C-USA. “Our work ethic is pretty good right now,” head coach Andrew Palileo said. “We’re just trying to be focused for each match”
Senior middle blocker Amanda Chamberlain goes in for a spike against the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Rachel Walters | Staff Photographer
accelerateyourmba.unt.edu
Next Up: The Mean Green take on the University of Texas at El Paso on the road Friday, as they look to extend the current win streak to six games.
@joshpaveglio
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017
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Preview: Rival UTSA to invade Apogee Mean Green aim to turn the tables on budding rivalry
Jeffery Wilson
By Matthew Brune Senior Sports Writer The young and budding rivalry between North Texas and the University of Texas at San Antonio has already seen some great games in the previous four meetings. UTSA leads the series 3-1, but the Mean Green will look to redeem themselves at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Apogee Stadium. What to watch for Jeffery Wilson vs. UTSA run defense The Roadrunners defense as a whole is quite daunting on paper. UTSA ranks in the top nine in the FBS in seven statistical categories, including yards allowed per game, third-down conversions percentage and passing yards allowed per game. They have also only allowed three rushing touchdowns through four games this year. Senior running back Jeffery Wilson and the offensive line will certainly have their hands full with the UTSA front seven – but Wilson does not rank No. 7 in the country in rushing yards per game for nothing. UTSA has not seen a running back like Wilson, while North Texas has seen at least two formidable defensive fronts in Iowa and SMU. “They really trust that front seven, and they’re really strong in that front seven,” sophomore quarterback Mason Fine said. “I think that’s the strong point of their defense, and we’re going to try to do what we do – stay balanced. We [also] have to execute on third downs and stay on the field.”
Dalton Sturm. Courtesy | Jeff Huehn
North Texas’ improved secondary After a slow start to
the season, the secondary looked much more cohesive and disciplined in a 43-28 win against the University of Southern Mississippi. Chalk it up to Eric Jenkins starting or the unit simply buckling down and figuring things out, but either way, they will have to be solid again against UTSA quarterback Dalton Sturm. Sturm has a quarterback efficiency of 174.4 and is completing over 70 percent of his passes. He has thrown nine touchdowns and just one interception. “They do a good job with play action pass getting your eyes out of whack,” sophomore linebacker Brandon Garner said. “We just have to play disciplined all game.” Conference USA’s No. 1 passing offense vs. the No. 1 passing defense It’s no secret that Mason Fine has excelled in the passing game this season, and he’s done so with a group of wide receivers that had a lot of question marks entering the season. Led by the dominant play of Fine and Jalen Guyton, the Mean Green lead C-USA with an average of 295.2 yards passing per game. To be fair, North Texas is leading the conference in most offensive categories. But the Mean Green are going up against a UTSA secondary that has allowed just 143.8 yards through the air on average, pitting two strengths against each other. Opponents are completing less than 45 percent of their passes against the Roadrunners, so it will be important for Fine to get going early and build some momentum to continue taking pressure off Wilson in the run game. A new rivalry Certain members of the two fanbases seem determined to discredit this game as a growing rivalry. As weird as it sounds to call two teams who have played just four times “rivals,” it’s safe to say that’s where this matchup is heading. There is no shying away from the importance of Saturday’s game. The players and coaches almost all admitted to it being a huge game, and that is reflected in the attempts by the administration to fill Apogee through an increased marketing surge. Whether the fans are fully embracing the idea of a rivalry or not, the emotions are there for the players. It’s something Fine noticed in his first experience against UTSA in the Alamodome last
season. “I felt it last year,” Fine said. “This is probably our No. 1 rivalry game. Being in the same conference puts a lot more on this game, and there is a lot of buzz on campus. I think we’re going to have a lot of students come out and support us this Saturday.” Weird football This is not a cliche from a coach, this is the truth. Throw out the records and everything we know about these teams. In 2013, the Mean Green looked unstoppable and were 5-0 at home heading into the game while UTSA was 3-2 on the road. UTSA beat the Mean Green 21-13. The 2014 game was a toss-up because both were struggling, but UTSA won again. Then, the Mean Green secured their only win of the 2015 season over the Roadrunners in front of a minuscule crowd at Apogee. Last year, North Texas was coming off back-to-back wins and UTSA had just lost to the University of Texas at El Paso in 5OT.
The Roadrunners handled the Mean Green in a 31-17 win. This rivalry series has been weird so far, and it’s probably safe to assume the crowd will be baffled a few times on Saturday. “There’s definitely a history there,” head coach Seth Littrell said. “Our players understand that and it’ll be a great challenge. Throw everything out the door from the past, it’s about who’s going to show up and play the best.” Score prediction: North Texas 52, UTSA 48
@mattbrune25
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017
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NTDAILY.COM
Dominant defense has soccer rolling to C-USA four-peat By Matthew Berger Staff Writer Defense wins championships. Sure, it is a cliche. But like most cliches, there is some truth behind it. If this cliche in particular is true, the North Texas soccer team might be on well on its way to winning its fourth straight regular-season Conference USA title. The Mean Green are 9-2-2 this season, thanks in large part to their defense. The unit has surrendered just nine goals on 165 shots through 13 games this season, and the .669 goals against average currently rank No. 33 in the country. North Texas has seven shutouts, ranking No. 34 with a .538 shutout percentage. The quartet of junior Carissa Sanders and sophomores Madeline Guderian, Dominique Jones and Brittnye Lawson played their first game together on the backline this season against Indiana University and allowed three goals in a tie. But the group has allowed only two goals in the six games since and has progressed because their ability to communicate has gotten better. “We are communicating a lot with each other,” Guderian said. “When we mess up, we have each other’s back, and we do not get mad at each other. We just say, ‘Pick them up next time.’” The four girls who now regularly man the backline were not originally paired to together at the start of the season. The adjustments made by coach Hedlund and his staff for the Indiana game culminated into one of the top defenses in the country. “Coming into camp, I had no idea what to expect,” Lawson said. “We got put together during a game, Dom [James], went center back and Maddie [Guderian] went outside and it has been like that ever since.” Guderian, Lawson and Jones started their friendship in the dorms as freshmen, building a connection through living
together while also growing as a trio on the field. The now-sophomores met with Sanders through practices and team dinners, and the rest is history. Sanders is the veteran of the group and has been a part of the last two C-USA championships. She was also with the team during its last NCAA tournament appearance in 2015. Sanders has played with other great defenses in her career, but sees potential through what the current team has shown. “We’re playing pretty well,” Sanders said. “We’re slowly starting to build a chemistry and figuring each other out. We definitely have a lot of speed.” Having that speed is crucial for a defender in soccer. An opposing team’s forward could sneak through the defense, but possessing speed provides a safety net to keep them from scoring. It’s one of the things coach John Hedlund loves about his defense and why they are so difficult to score against. “It’s the chemistry between the four and the speed,” Hedlund said. “Every player back there has great speed. They are hard to beat and they are hard to get behind. To be honest, they have been our most consistent unit all year, and they have been our backbone of our team.” The Mean Green are clicking on all cylinders, and the constant communication between the four defenders and junior goalkeeper Brooke Bradley is helping the team dominate during games. Beyond the solid communication, one of the ways this defense is stopping its opponents is through tough, physical play. The Mean Green have 110 fouls through 13 games, demonstrating a brand of toughness and physicality North Texas wants to be known for. “Yeah, we are [a physical team],” James said. “We’re kind of mean. Sometimes we have to be more careful than other times
Top: Sophomore defender Madeline Guderian changes direction during a game against the University of Texas at San Antonio. The Mean Green held the Roadrunners scoreless at 4-0. Rachel Walters | Staff Photographer Bottom: Sophomore defender Dominique James attempts to block freshman defender Brooke Lampe’s shot on goal during a practice. Junior goalkeeper Brooke Bradley reacts to the oncoming shot from close range. Rachel Walters | Staff Photographer when we are in the box, but if we are in the midfield we are going to push you away from the goal.” The accolades and stats are impressive for this current defense lineup, but the
goal remains the same. There is only one thing on their minds as a unit – winning a fourth straight regular-season C-USA title. “We’re just going to be remembered as
the team that was a part of the four-peat,” Lawson said. “We’re going to keep trying to take this streak as far as we can.”
@Bergersthoughts
Eric Jenkins returns to starting lineup as key peice of secondary unit By Matthew Brune Senior Sports Writer Eric Jenkins was never bored growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana with his four sisters and three brothers. Whether it was playing sports or just having someone to talk to all the time, he always had family there for him. With 16 years separating the oldest sibling from the youngest, Jenkins was close to the middle, forcing him to be patient with such a large family growing up. He also endured experiences that taught him to be smart and focused. Being raised in New Orleans, Jenkins always had to be aware of his surroundings. “I basically grew up in the projects,” Jenkins said. “It was so hectic. A lot of guys don’t make it out, and a lot of guys don’t go to college at all. It’s a very rough and dangerous city.” Once he committed to Louisiana Valley College to play football, Jenkins became the first of his mother’s children to attend college. But he would not settle for staying in Louisiana and going to a small or local school at the junior college level. In his two seasons at Louisiana Valley, Jenkins accumulated 54 tackles and nine interceptions and finished his tenure ranked as the No. 9 JuCo cornerback in the country. That put him in position to depart for UNT. His mother and some of his siblings moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area around two years ago when Jenkins came to Denton for school. They are still a prominent piece in his life and have been since he was a kid. “I talk to them everyday,” Jenkins said. “They help me with everything, talking to me and keeping me level headed on the field, in the classroom and in life in general.” In his first season donning the green and white in 2016, Jenkins quickly earned an All-Conference USA
honorable mention distinction for his breakout junior year with the Mean Green. He began the season on the bench, but eventually started five games and appeared in six more. Jenkins picked off three passes, two of which he took back for touchdowns while also leading the team in pass breakups (10). His accomplishments led most to believe he would be a surefire starter opposite junior Nate Brooks heading into the 2017 season. But that wasn’t the case as he again found himself coming off the bench to open the year. The adversity was nothing new for a kid who grew up in one of the toughest cities in the country. “I went through the same adversity last year,” Jenkins said. “Once I got in the situation again I knew how to overcome it. I just stay focused and continue to excel in practice and receive the instructions the coaches give me.” Jenkins’ focus has been one of his strongest traits. His experiences in life have built that up and have translated from the streets of New Orleans to the grass at the Darrell R. Dickey practice field next to Apogee Stadium. “You could get caught up in trouble really easily,” Jenkins said of his home neighborhood. “You have to stay on a narrow path so you won’t get mixed up with those type of people. Growing up in an environment like that, it’s easy for me [now] to avoid trouble.” So far, he’s stayed on that path without wavering in his time at North Texas – regardless of his playing time or the situation. Five games into the season, it has resulted in another return to the starting lineup. After initially losing his spot to newcomer Kemon Hall, Jenkins leaped Brooks on the depth chart after the junior struggled out of the gate. “When it’s your turn you have to be ready to go in there and make plays, and he’s done that,” head coach Seth Littrell said. “He’s kept his head in it. He’s been a great teammate. He’s continued to work hard and his
work has paid off.” In practice, sophomore wide receiver Jalen Guyton occasionally finds Jenkins and tells him to come cover him in their drills. The repetitions between one of the most explosive receivers on the team and the senior cornerback make for great competition and benefit both in game situations. The competition is part of what’s made Jenkins better throughout the year as he prepares for his second consecutive start Saturday night. “I look him in the eye, he looks me in the eye and we know it’s going down,” Guyton said. “One-on-ones or anything because I want that work and he wants that work too. It’s that iron sharpens iron type mindset, that’s when you start elevating as a team.” Jenkins play has certainly elevated the effectiveness of the North Texas secondary, as he came up big late in a 46-43 win over the University of Alabama at Birmingham before getting a starting nod in the 43-28 win over the University of Southern Mississippi. For senior safety Kishawn McClain, Jenkins’ instincts and his ability to find, adjust and make a play on the ball are what contribute to him being an effective player for the defense once again. “He’s a great talent,” McClain said. “He can move his feet and I feel like he has the best ball skills in the secondary. He plays the ball well when it’s in the air. He’s a very aggressive corner.” While the NFL is the dream for most players at the Division 1 level, Jenkins is aware of his opportunities now that he is prepared to graduate in two months. But first, his mind is on shutting down opposing receivers from UTSA and any team left on North Texas’ schedule. He didn’t get here by skipping steps. “[Right now,] my goal is just to help my team win,” Jenkins said. “[Once I graduate] I’m going to take my degree and put it to work if I don’t get a shot at the pros. So I have something to fall back on.”
@mattbrune25
North Texas cornerback Eric Jenkins (2) gets ready for the snap against University of Southern Mississippi. Courtesy | Mean Green Athletics
Garrett’s faith, energy serves as motivation for North Texas athletes By Matthew Brune Senior Sports Writer W.C. Garrett is reclined back in his chair, relaxing on a Wednesday night in early September. He sports dark gray sweats with a soft silver sweater, capped with all-white Nikes as his kicks. The final piece of his attire, something he’s worn his entire life, is a contagious energetic personality. The only sounds are his words, laughs at his occasional jokes and the intermittent vacuum passing by in the hallway of the North Texas Athletic Center. In a room filled with more than
50 athletes who are all used to leading and being vocal on the field, Garrett, who is informally known as “Dub C,” quickly snatched the room’s attention using just his words — words about the Lord, Christianity and spreading God’s message. “I just think it’s a gift from the Lord,” Garrett said. “I think the Lord knitted me to have a personality that would be captivating and a spirit that could capture an audience. Not everyone has that gift, and I recognize that, and I want to use that gift to try to impact as many people as possible.”
W.C. Garrett, the chaplain of the North Texas football team, graduated from the university in 2011. He’s been a part of Campus Outreach Ministry since 2012. Mallory Cammarata | Staff Photographer
For the past two years, Garrett has led a meeting called Athletes in Training (AIT) in an attempt to grow their spirit and connection with God. As Garrett leisurely paced back and forth in front of the room with a slideshow clicker in his hand on that September night, he asked the crowd for answers to a question on the screen. Someone answered, but Garrett struggled to locate her in the densely populated crowd. Once he found her, everyone laughed – and he loved it. “It’s great that I can’t figure out who’s talking,” Garrett said once the laughter died down. “I remember when there were only enough people here to fill the front row.” Most sports on campus have at least two or three athletes in attendance at the AIT meetings every Wednesday night, filling the football team meeting room with ease. As the night goes on, it’s easy to see the impact Garret has on his audience as a person and spiritual leader. “He’s a blessing, an absolute blessing,” senior running back Jeffery Wilson said. “He’s energetic. He gives the word to us, keeps our head on straight. For me, he keeps me humble. He’s a very
spiritual man and a very good guy.” Garrett, who graduated from UNT in 2011, has officially been part of the Campus Outreach ministry since 2012. While AIT reaches several athletes, he also fills the role of chaplain to the football team. In the last two years, he has been a spiritual leader for the Mean Green and has been someone head coach Seth Littrell loves having in the locker room. “W.C. is unbelievable,” Littrell said. “We’re blessed to have him. Sometimes players aren’t going to tell their coaches everything, so he’s another voice where they can go bounce ideas off. I know the players love and respect him, and he’s a great asset to our program.” After the football team’s win against UAB, Littrell, as usual, talked to his players in the locker room after the game. Once he finished, he asked, “Where’s W.C.?” before asking Garrett “How was the response to adversity today?” “It was great,” Garrett replied. Players look to him for guidance when in doubt and a verse or word from the Lord when times get hard. He’s the type of influence that has helped North Texas through the tough parts of the year both on and off the field.
“W.C. is going to tell you what you need to hear right when you need to hear it,” sophomore safety Khairi Muhammad said. “He brings the energy, brings the passion and whenever you’re down he’ll pick you up. He’s never in a bad mood. [He’s] always smiling, and we love him for that.” While a good amount of players on the team have a strong interest in religion, others do not. As is true anywhere, it is rare that everyone in a given room believes in the same thing. Garrett understands that when speaking to athletes at North Texas. Every player doesn’t take what he is saying in the exact same way – but he is still able to be an effective communicator by connecting his message to the game of football and life in general. “In my chapel talks before each game, I do want to make them Christ-centered with a focus on Jesus because I believe he’s the reason we exist,” Garrett said. “But some people may not believe that. So in order to get them ready for a game, I may pull out one truth about one topic and hone in on that and show how it points to Jesus but also how it also points to the game they’re going into in the next hour.” Having been at North Texas
since 2007, first as a student and now as a leader on campus, Garrett has been in Denton for several ups and downs at the university. As the chaplain of the football team and leader of AIT, his voice has grown louder with every passing day, reaching more and more people throughout the year. He became a Christian his sophomore year of college and has had a deep desire to know God and grow closer to him ever since. He greets everyone as though he’s known them for years with a handshake and a hug, and he makes everyone in attendance feel comfortable – whether it’s in an AIT gathering or an hour before a football game. While he continues to build his relationship with God, he has already made his impact felt on the football team and on the entirety of North Texas athletics as well. “I would love to continue to be the chaplain for as long as they would allow me to be,” Garrett said. “I’m a volunteer. I don’t get paid for what I do, I just do it because I enjoy it and it [allows] me to be with athletes and help them grow.”
@mattbrune25
OPINION THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017
Page 10
Stress can heavily impact one’s physical health By Garron Weeks Staff Writer College truly is the ultimate test of one’s ability to manage responsibilities and priorities. As we journey through college and pursue a degree, we are challenged with living a balanced life. Some of the pressures of attending college include university courses, student organizations, work, social connections and sleep. Pursuing the balance of university life can lead one to physically feel the stress of the looming work. Stress is much more than just a mental emotion. Stress is a physical response that travels throughout the entire body. The American Psychological Association reported that stress is “an automatic response developed in our ancient ancestors as a way to protect them from predators and other threats. Faced with danger, the body kicks into gear, flooding the body with hormones that elevate your heart rate, increase your blood pressure, boost your energy and prepare you to deal with the problem.”
Illustration by Samual Williams
While stress can help one face a dangerous or tough situation, the National Institute of Mental Health disclosed that “with chronic stress, those same lifesaving responses in your body can suppress immune, digestive, sleep, and reproductive systems, which may cause them to stop working normally.” Stress can physically make someone sick and “routine stress may be the hardest type of stress to notice at first. Because the source of stress tends to be more constant than in cases of acute or traumatic stress, the body gets no clear signal to return to normal functioning. Over time, continued strain on your body from routine stress may contribute to serious health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other illnesses, as well as mental disorders like depression or anxiety.” Stress comes with being a human and having to deal with modern society’s responsibilities. But chronic stress is the effect of having stress being built up over time. It’s important that one takes on their responsibilities and stresses head on, rather than leaving them to be anxious about. Procrastination will only lead to wasted time, stress and anxiety. Having a calendar and a to-do list will put the mind at ease from unknown responsibilities. Achieving a peaceful mind is an important aspect of being able to succeed in a stressful college life. We all have times where we feel overwhelmed by life. If you feel yourself getting physically sick from stress and anxiety, take a deep breath. Living
through meditation is essential to mental health. You don’t have to be sitting down with your eyes closed to be in a meditative state. Meditation is a way of life where one is in the present moment and achieves peace by knowing that yesterday is gone, tomorrow never comes and it’s always now. Through this peaceful state, one can manage their priorities and responsibilities and not be bogged down by stress. When talking with Kerry Stanhope, M.Ed. and assistant airector of outreach for the Student Health and Wellness Center, he reported that “we’re finding that there’s not a lot of coping skills for new college students. We offer educational programming around stress management... It’s very important that students learn to find healthy ways to cope with stress or they will settle for overeating, binge-watching, or substance abuse.” UNT also has a Counseling Center and a Student Health and Wellness Center that “offer counseling, suicide prevention training, psychiatric health and well-being care, and consultation services with our dieticians in confidential settings. Located on campus in Chestnut Hall, the centers also assist students through innovative programs that include animal assisted therapy, massage therapy and a newly created MindSpa.” College can be difficult and stressful. But managing stress and responsibilities will ultimately lead one to a more successful, happy and peaceful life.
@GarronWeeks
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Saturday marks the biggest night in short history of Apogee Stadium By Brade Keane for The Editorial Board Saturday’s game between North Texas and the University of Texas at San Antonio isn’t just the fifth matchup between the two schools in their short history on the field. It’s not just any Conference USA game, either. No – Saturday’s game is more than that. It’s the biggest in the seven-year history of Apogee Stadium. Those who were around the football program in 2013 are probably already rolling their eyes, trying to formulate a response as to how just about every home game during that magical season was more important than this one. I’m here to tell you otherwise. Sure, the last three games at Apogee in 2013 against Rice University, the University of Texas at El Paso and UTSA were important as North Texas fought for a shot at the C-USA championship that year. Ironically enough, it was the Roadrunners who ended any chance of that dream becoming a reality. UTSA shocked the Mean Green 21-13 at Apogee, allowing
Rice to sneak into the conference title game. That loss is part of what makes this game so much more important. Yes, it’s early in the season. But North Texas is currently in position to finish at the top of the C-USA West standings. UTSA entered the year as one of two favorites in the division alongside Louisiana Tech University, but faltered in a 31-29 loss to the University of Southern Mississippi in its conference opener. With that loss, the road to the C-USA West title runs through Denton for now. And that’s why Saturday is so vital. Head coach Seth Littrell and athletic director Wren Baker are both in the second year of their tenure with the Mean Green, and Saturday provides a real opportunity for North Texas to fully establish itself as a rising power. But it’s not just about proving themselves as a true competitor for the C-USA title this year – it’s about showing students that things are finally different in Denton. There is no doubt the Mean Green have already done a whole
lot to change the perception of the team on campus. From the dismal 1-11 season in 2015, to the 2016 Heart of Dallas Bowl appearance to the 2-0 start in conference play this season, things are clearly trending in the right direction. But it’s also true that many fans and students still have the program’s former shortcomings in the back of their mind – whether that be the embarrassing homecoming loss to Portland State University in 2015 or the long years between 2004 and 2015 without a bowl appearance. None of that is the fault of the current team, the current staff or the current administration. They have done everything in their power to change the culture – and have done a tremendous job of doing so. But the opportunity to knock off an in-state budding rival in front of a home crowd after days of intense marketing aimed at filling Apogee is a picture-perfect chance to completely turn the corner. The hype is building – now it’s time for the Mean Green to capitalize on the biggest night in Apogee’s history.
@ntdaily
College illness costs an arm and leg By Rachel Herzer Staff Writer Getting sick as a college student is a dicey situation. You can tough it out and suffer through it, or you can take a trip to the campus health center and see how much you are willing to pay to be healthy again. The cost most notoriously comes in the shape of a bill, but being officially sick as a student has another kind of expense. When you get sick, you miss class. Whether that is because you are contagious, in pain, exhausted or liable to throw up, you should stay home. This sounds like it would be a universally agreed upon concept. But the reality is class
absences can have an abundance of drawbacks, even if you have a reasonable excuse. At UNT, class attendance tends to take precedence over student health. Attendance policies vary from professor to professor and course to course. In certain classes, any sort of absence is met with grade penalties. For some professors, even an excused absence is not grounds for allowing the student a due date extension or make-up work. What, then, is an “excused” absence, if students are still penalized for it the same as if it were unexcused? It seems there is no difference. Harsh policies like this perpetuate unhealthy and dangerous habits like students coming to class sick. This, in turn, cultivates an adverse learning environment. The sick student is not there to learn, but solely to
Illustration by Max Raign
avoid the retribution of absence. The UNT Health and Wellness Center does what it can, within legality, to help students, but the SHWC Assistant Director of Outreach Kerry Stanhope said it is ultimately the professor’s discretion that decides the fate of a sick student. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any control over what a professor’s absence policy is,” Stanhope said. “At the end of the day, it’s up to a professor on what they’re going to accept.” The SHWC does not write traditional doctors’ notes. Instead, students that visit the clinic receive a “verification of visit” form that only acknowledges the student’s presence at the clinic, and not the reason for the visit, the diagnosis or the treatment. This is a measure taken to comply with medical privacy laws. Confidentiality is important, but the fact remains that sometimes professors do not accept verification of visit forms as proof the student should not be in class, as the form does not provide any medical information. If the student does not want to share this private information in order to prove themselves, their perfectly viable excuse for being absent is as good as dead. Missing class for illness should not negatively affect students’ coursework or grades. At a university where attendance is the best policy, sickness costs two arms and two legs.
@coolrachdoritos
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