Jimmy John’s employee stabs man who allegedly stole sandwiches PAGE 2
VOL. 111 No. 8
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017
Paul Voertman’s estate bequests $10 million to UNT
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MEAN GREEN MIRACLE North Texas rallies to stun UTSA, improves to 3-0 in Conference USA
By Joshua Cassidy Staff Writer The estate of Paul Voertman has given UNT a bequest expected to total at least $10 million. It is the largest endowment the university has ever received. The money is to be split up between the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, College of Music and College of Visual Arts and Design. These funds will be primarily used to support scholarships and fellowships, with the remainder going towards research and creative activities. Voertman, the former owner of the Voertman’s bookstore, died this past June at the age of 88. Throughout his life and now after it, Voertman has been well regarded for his philanthropy, donating roughly $5 million over the course of his life. Combining this with the aforementioned bequest, Voertman and Richard Ardoin, his late partner of 48 years, have given UNT a total of $15 million. This makes them UNT’s top donors. John Richmond, the Dean of the College of Music, said the philanthropy and kindness of Voertman has left a great impact on UNT.
Students we could not “ otherwise have recruited here will be able to choose UNT because of Paul.
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“Paul Voertman left us a legacy of encouragement, possibility, creativity and imagination in the College of Music,” Richmond said. “Students we could not otherwise have recruited here will be able to choose UNT because of Paul. Faculty and students will be able to reach the fuller measure of their creative and scholarly potential, in part because Paul removed structural impediments that otherwise would have constrained them.” A celebration of Voertman’s life in honor of him and Ardoin will begin at 4 p.m. on October 19 at UNT’s Murchison Performing Arts Center. The public is invited to attend.
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Top: North Texas players celebrate after a 29-26 win over UTSA. The Mean Green scored on a 98-yard drive with under a minute to go. Sara Carpenter | Senior Staff Photographer Left: North Texas sophomore wide reciever Jalen Guyton (9) catches a pass against UTSA for a touchdown. Colin Mitchell | Visuals Editor Right: North Texas sophomore running back Christian Hosley celebrates after the Mean Green beat UTSA 29-26. Colin Mitchell | Visuals Editor
By Matthew Brune Senior Sports Writer
A man picks bananas in Costa Rica. The country is the worlds No. 8 banana producer. The U.S. buys half of what they produce every year. Courtesy | Future Without Poverty
UNT’s Future Without Poverty visits Costa Rica By Sarah Sarder Senior News Writer
As the ball came down off the foot of UTSA punter Yannis Routsas, everyone in a black and green North Texas uniform dispersed from the area as they are instructed to do when a punt falls inside the five. The only problem was that the ball bounced straight up. Not left. Not right. Not forward just two more yards into the end zone. Straight up. The players in navy blue flew to the ball, catching it at the 2-yard line and putting the North Texas offense up against the wall of its own end zone.
Bonnie and Clyde Days brings the infamous couple to Pilot Point By Ashlee Winters Staff Writer
Members of the UNT branch of the international nonprofit organization Future Without Poverty returned from a three-day summit about eco-friendly tourism in Costa Rica on Oct. 8. The FWOP world summit helped members learn about sustainable tourism and its role in developing and reducing poverty in rural areas. FWOP aims to build global sustainable communities with the goal of reducing poverty. The organization’s mission is focused on the four E’s: education, empowerment, enterprise and environment.
A man and a woman stroll into a bank and not long after, the alarm blares. A police car drives up, and several officers hurry out of the vehicle to catch the culprits — it’s a scene that might be incredibly familiar to classic movie buffs. “It’s Bonnie and Clyde,” an officer yells. “Bonnie and Clyde are robbing the bank!” The Bonnie and Clyde Days Festival in Pilot Point was held Saturday to celebrate the filming of the famous bank robbery scene in the 1967 film “Bonnie & Clyde.” The highlight of the festival
SEE COSTA RICA ON PAGE 2
SEE FESTIVAL ON PAGE 5
The Mean Green trailed 26-22, had no timeouts and just 1:07 left on the clock. Sophomore quarterback Mason Fine trotted onto the field with confidence well-beyond his years. North Texas needed to go 98 yards in 67 seconds, and had put up just 104 yards in the previous 44 minutes of play. But there was never a doubt – especially not from Fine. “We always have confidence, especially with this offense,” Fine said. “As long as there’s time on the clock we have a chance, and we just went out there and executed.” Fine began his trek down the field with
completions to sophomore receivers Michael Lawrence and Rico Bussey Jr., getting to the 20yard line before going deep. Fine rolled out left, set his feet and let it fly. Lawrence toed the out of bounds line and let the ball hit him right in the numbers for a 49-yard gain all the way down to the UTSA 31-yard line. After advancing the ball to the 22, Fine took the snap and saw a hoard of Roadrunners coming at him. He took a huge shot, but found Bussey slicing across the field. The zero-coverage look allowed the sophomore to break a single tackle and dash into the end zone with 10 seconds left.
SEE MIRACLE ON PAGE 7
Feedback mixed for UNT’s new bus routes By Zaira Perez Staff Writer
Since installing new bus routes in early August, students gave both positive and negative feedback about the changes, according to UNT Transportation Services. The goal isn’t to stop complaints but instead help those in need quickly and efficiently. UNT Transportation announced new bus routes on Twitter on Aug. 9. The North Texas Daily’s Editorial reported these changes on Aug. 10 along with why the route changes were for the “greater good.” “The bus system had not
IN THIS ISSUE
NEWS
ARTS & LIFE
Denton City Council meets to discuss SB4 pg 3 Denton City Council met Tuesday to discuss their response to Senate Bill 4, also known as the “sanctuary cities” bill, and what it could mean to endorse it or go against it.
UpTop Denton bridges ‘digital divide’ for high school seniors pg 5 A local organization is helping provide technology to disadvantaged high school students and giving them a leg up in their collegiate careers.
previously been modified since the bus service started in the early 2000s,” said Christopher Phelps, interim senior director of Transportation Service. Some of the changes include Fouts Field and Union Circle serving as drop-off and pickup points for the UNT Shuttle buses and Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) buses, as well as route adjustments. Transportation Services’ Twitter account helps them get out information about transportation and parking. Among a few complaints, the account mostly gets questions
SPORTS Week 8 Analysis: North Texas offensive line showing dramatic improvement pg 6 After an extremely tough 2016 season, the Mean Green offensive line is remarkably better through six games. The improvement has led to a much more explosive offense.
about parking lots and buses. Occasionally they get complaints from students, but they resolve problems quickly. “The staff is trying not to think in terms of number of complaints and more in terms of getting valuable information out in a timely fashion and helping those who have problems,” Phelps said. “Students walk away satisfied so it’s hard to quantify complaints with a number.” The North Texas Daily ran a Twitter poll on Wednesday, Oct. 11 about the new bus routes. With a total of 80 votes,
SEE BUS ON PAGE 3
OPINION Why is Donald Trump Jr. barring media from his speech? pg 8 Ironically, the topic of Trump Jr.’s speech through UNT’s Kuehne Series is freedom of speech. So what makes freedom of the press any different?
NEWS Page 2
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017
NTDAILY.COM
North Texas Daily Future Without Poverty attends world summit in Costa Rica Editorial Board 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
Production Team Design Editor Julia Contarelli @ContarelliJ JuliaPaschoal@my.unt.edu Copy Chief Kayleigh Bywater @kayleighnic0le KayleighBywater@my.unt.edu Designer/Copy Editor Circe Marez @CirceMarez CirceMarez@my.unt.edu Designer/Copy Editor Kayla Davis @kaylajeann19 KaylaDavis@my.unt.edu Designer/Copy Editor Kelly Fox @kellythefox1 KellyFox2@my.unt.edu Social Media Manager Alec Spicer @Spicer_Alec AlecSpicer@my.unt.edu Illustrator Max Raign @maxothelioma MaxRaign@my.unt.edu
Business Director Adam Reese 940-565-4265 Adam.Reese@unt.edu
Faculty Adviser Gary Ghioto 940-891-6722 Gary.Ghioto@unt.edu
To pitch a story, or contact the Editor-in-Chief, please email northtexasdaily@gmail.com
Correction In the Oct. 12 edition of the North Texas Daily, we incorrectly spelled the name of Inya Baiye, UNT’s Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX coordinator. The Daily regrets the error.
COSTA RICA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “Sustainability is possible,” Whitney Carr, economy senior and UNT FWOP member said. “And it doesn’t hurt your diet or living.” Fifteen to 20 UNT-associated FWOP members including students, faculty and staff attended the summit hosted at the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center or CATIE Institute in Turrialba, Costa Rica. CATIE is an international institution focused on research and graduate studies on agriculture and environmental conservation. UNT offers a two-year Master of Science in International Sustainable Tourism (MIST) in partnership with the CATIE Institute. Students of the program spend the second year of their studies at CATIE, learning from industry experts at a location UNT calls a “pioneer in environmental conservation.” “Costa Rica is a huge hub for tourism,” Carr said. “Their government is so great with conservation and making sure that the ecology is in sync with society.” Students stayed at the “sustainability house” at CATIE, a residence focused on clean living including recycling, composting and community gardening. The 2017 FWOP summit began with presentations from the various organizations in attendance, all of whom partner with FWOP to work
toward environmental conservation and increase resource access. Stan Ingman, the UNT student FWOP chapter’s faculty adviser and gerontology professor, is one of the co-founders of FWOP. The current vice president of the board, Ingman founded FWOP in 1998 with the help of current President Sylvester Flores and Secretary/Treasurer Tom Benjamin. “I was pleasantly surprised to see how well the presenters presented, and how participants loved them,” Ingman said, adding he had been to a lot of conferences, and none matched the feeling at CATIE. On the second day of the summit, attendees split into two groups and visited either the rural tourism industry in the village of Mollejones or the city of Santa Cruz to learn about small-scale agriculture and livestock production. UNT FWOP Vice President Heliana Onomo said the trip was aimed to further collaboration between FWOP and its partner organizations. “We went as a network to kind of see everyone’s faces and to connect all the dots,” Onomo said. “We wanted to come together and say, ‘This is how we’re going to work collaboratively to accomplish this goal.’” The final day of the summit was focused on the future of FWOP. Members discussed one of the main goals of the conference, to establish a sustainable technology training center
Top, Bottom: UNT student organization Future Without Poverty visits Costa Rica Oct. 8. The students visited Mollejones, a village in the country to learn about rural tourism. Courtesy | Future Without Poverty at CATIE, as well as how to expand membership among younger people. The group spent the rest of their time in Costa Rica touring the capital city of San Jose. UNT’s FWOP chapter, like other local chapters, takes part in a local and an international project. The university chapter is currently working on a community garden at the Renaissance Courts apartments in Denton. For their international project, the group is partnered with Grand Prairie-based Exquisite Water Inc., an organization which helps rural communities in Nigeria access clean water. Distributing solar shelter kits to rural or homeless populations is another
Smart Campus app looks to increase student connectivity By Celeste Gracia Staff Writer UNT is partnering with NetDragon Websoft, a Chinese gaming company, to create a student connectivity smartphone app called Smart Campus. This project comes in an effort to increase student engagement, which leads to higher student performance, Associate to the President Debbie Rohwer said. “Our students who are engaged with each other and the campus community tend to do better with their studies and earn their degrees,” Rohwer said. “The aim of this collaboration and project is to provide students with additional options to connect with each other, faculty and staff.” Shannon Goodman, vice president for enrollment, said the university has chosen the use of an app because digital communications are important to both current and future students. “We aren’t necessarily encouraging students to use an app over face-to-face but do want our students to have options, and this is providing an additional avenue for them,” Goodman said. “For students who are on the go, this gives them another way to connect easily and effectively with each other wherever they are, at any time.” Jennifer Evans-Cowley, provost and vice president for academic affairs, suggested an example of some potential features may include the software rewarding students spirit points for connecting with another peer via the app. Hospitality management sophomore Eric Chavez said one of the features he would like to see in
the app is a system to record how much time is spent studying that could generate points also. Chavez thinks this app will be effective in student connectivity. “I think it will definitely be beneficial because it will help everybody interact with each other on what kinds of duties they need to do for their classes,” Chavez said. “There’s gotta be a way of communication that’s focused more toward class objectives.” This project started as an exchange of ideas between UNT President Neal Smatresk and Dejian Liu, chairman of the board and executive director of NetDragon. Liu and a team of NetDragon representatives visited UNT in May to meet with university officials and discuss the ways NetDragon technologies could enhance the student experience and educational opportunities at UNT. NetDragon Websoft is a developer, operator and publisher of multiplayer online games and mobile applications in China, according to the company website. Since 2015, NetDragon has delivered educational software services internationally through its programs like “101 Smart Classroom.” NetDragon officials could not be reached for comment. The app is in the initial development phase and no exact launch date has been set. “When we are at the beta testing stage, hopefully sometime this spring, we will definitely have the app in student’s hands,” Rohwer said in an email.
@celllyg
project of FWOP’s. The solar kits are made in China and can charge the included torchlight as well as phones, iPads and, as the group discovered, the air filtration devices they also took to Costa Rica. Onomo said she is considering establishing a FWOP branch at a Denton High School to begin student involvement at an earlier period. The organization is looking to have a mini-summit in spring 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. Goals for the summit will include teaching individuals in an area detention center and an assisted living facility made largely of veterans about sustainable gardening.
@sarderrr
Jimmy John’s employee stabs alleged thief By Julia Falcon Senior Staff Writer A Jimmy John’s employee chased down two men stealing sandwiches from the restaurant on Avenue A early Monday morning, according to an arrest affidavit from the Denton Police Department. The employee told police he was walking into work when he saw the two men stealing sandwiches, according to the affidavit. The employee then proceeded to chase them to the Jack in the Box on West Hickory Street. The three men began fighting, and the employee took out a pocket knife and started swinging, stabbing one of the two men. The two men then fled in a black SUV. There was excessive amounts of blood at the scene, according to the affidavit, which caused police to search local hospitals for the suspects. Police were eventually contacted by Medical City Denton, where a man who falsely identified himself as Bryan Vasquez had stab wounds. The man was later identified by police as Alejandro Moctezuma Garibay, according to the affidavit, and told authorities he and his friend were at the bars in the Fry Street area. He said they saw the two sandwiches sitting there and took them, the affidavit stated. Garibay was arrested for robbery at approximately 5 a.m. He had two other warrants for speeding and not having a driver’s license.
@falconjulia22
NEWS AROUND CAMPUS Jerusalem Post correspondent to give speech at UNT Gil Hoffman, chief correspondent and analyst for the Jerusalem Post, will be giving a lecture at UNT from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on Nov. 2 at Willis Library room 140, according to a press release from the university. The title of the lecture is “Red States, Blue States, and the Jewish State: An Insider’s Look at America’s Impact on the Future of Israel and the Wider Middle East.” It is free. Huffman’s lecture will focus on war and peace prospects in the Middle East and the personal impact of the current presidential administrations in both Jerusalem and Washington D.C.
UNT celebrating Homecoming from Nov. 6 to Nov. 11 UNT’s Homecoming is Monday, Nov. 6 to Saturday, Nov. 11, according to a press release from the university. Events include a parade, picnic, field day and an evening honoring distinguished alumni, all of which are set to take place during this week. This year’s homecoming theme is “Deep in the Heart of UNT” and is a collaboration between Mean Green Athletics and Student Activities. These events are open to UNT staff, faculty, students, alumni and the Denton community.
New opera director to bring Mozart to UNT Jonathan Eaton, the university’s new opera director, is bringing his interpretation of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” to UNT, according to a press release from the university. The opera will be performed at 8 p.m. on Nov. 3 and Nov. 10 and 3 p.m. on Nov. 5 and Nov. 12 at the Lyric Theater at the Murchison Performing Arts Center. Tickets for the event cost $35, which includes dessert and wine. All other seats are range from $15 to $25 and can be purchased at www.thempac.com. Parking is free and will be available in the lot next to the MPAC, with overflow parking available in lots 4 and 26.
UNT students create costumes to help out local nonprofit
Design students at UNT will benefiting Denton County Friends of the Family, a local nonprofit, with a unique Halloween exhibit featuring costumes made by the students, according to a press release from the university. All the costumes will be created from materials purchased from the Friends of the Family Thrift Store in Denton. The costume presentation will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6 at the Friends of the Family Thrift Store.
By Jackie Guerrero
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017
UNT groups look to increase retention rate of African-American males By Kayla Goode Staff Writer At UNT, African-American men have the lowest retention rate in regards to race and gender, not including non-resident females, according to UNT Data, Analytics, & Institutional Research. According to their data, African-American men have a retention rate of 73.91 percent. Though an increase from the 2011-2012 retention rate at 64.34 percent, African-American women hold the highest retention rate at 84.48 percent, not including non-resident males. In response to these numbers, UNT and student organizations have created initiatives to help black male students. UNT’s student activities awarded best organization to Dedicated Men for the month of September, citing their hard work and dedication to making UNT a better campus. Dedicated Men is a student organization that was founded last spring by marketing senior Joshua Okpara. He founded the group saying there was a need for a non-Greek organization designed to help minority men succeed. Biochemistry junior David Spears, president of the organization, was unaware of the low retention rate of his fellow African-American male students but said he isn’t surprised. “It’s another statistic, another piece of evidence that exemplifies the results of systematic racism in society,” Spears said. Spears and Okpara are both confident their organization and executive board are doing everything they can to help improve their community by changing their mindset to one that will help them progress. Both said their goal is to help change the stereotype of minority men. “We’ve been programmed to think of minority men in a negative image,” Okpara said. “Not in a suit or doing anything successful.” The executive members’ main goal is to set an example for their peers and members of the organization. They’ve created small study groups divided by major, which includes the younger generations through their mentorship program with Denton Independent School District’s high schools. Dedicated Men will also be holding their second annual “Dedicated Fade” event at the local Denton barbershop North Texas Cutz on Oct. 23, offering free haircuts to all young men but geared towards UNT male students. A new living learning community, LLC, that began this fall, the “Male Alliance for Rigorous, Transformative and Interdisciplinary Approach to Learning” also known as MARTIAL Eagles, at Rawlins Hall is also
Dedicated Men is a UNT student organization that meets every other Wednesday. They are committed to helping men reach their full potential. Jacob Ostermann | Staff Photographer dedicated to helping this group succeed in their college careers. Harold Woodard, executive director for student retention initiatives works alongside Candi Harris, student services coordinator for this LLC, helping students with high attrition rates, which is first generation African-American. The learning communities within the UNT student housing are academic neighborhoods designed for residents of a specific group to succeed together. Students that stay in LLC’s engage with UNT at a deeper level overall. They also get help with transitioning into college, maintaining a higher GPA, as well as elevated graduation rates, according to UNT’s Housing Department. “I want to not only learn more from them but to set an example to the future MARTIAL Eagle members,” freshman MARTIAL Eagle Moses Chism said. The MARTIAL Eagles will progress by focusing on the history of their culture through the lens of music, by studying African-American
music heard in plantation societies followed by spirituals, blues, jazz and modern music. The students are also required to take a three-hour sociology course, Introduction to Race and Ethnicity, as well as attend a one-hour seminar co-taught by Woodard and Harris. “At its heart, this program is a retention-based program,” Woodard said. “I’m hoping that these young men finish their semester with the highest GPA possible for them and see them back for another semester.” The National Student Clearing House Research Center reported in April of this year that black students had the lowest six-year completion rates at four-year institutions coming in at 45.9 percent with black male students coming out at the lowest among gender with 40 percent. Women among both race and gender reports had higher completion rates than men, with the gap between black men and women being the widest with black women at a 50.5 percent completion rate.
@KayGoode
Recent bus route changes welcomed by some students, causes concern for others BUS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 19 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the new bus routes, 48 percent were unsatisfied and 38 percent were indifferent. The new routes are also more reflective of UNT’s Master Plan developed by university leadership and the UNT community to make the inner part
of campus (Avenue C and Highland Street) more pedestrian friendly. “It is nice that somebody’s looking out for the safety of the people that are moving about campus,” broadcast journalism junior Julian Perry said regarding route changes. “Everybody knows nobody is watching where they’re going, including myself.” Rehabilitation studies sophomore Clarissa Duncan
A UNT bus waits for students to board in front of the Union. There have been changes in the bus routes around campus. Paige Bruneman | Staff Photographer
said keeping the students safe is a good intention but not so readily practiced by students. “The students kinda don’t make it safe themselves by jumping out in front of the bus and running across the street,” Duncan said. Duncan also said some buses are not on track at all. There are two buses for each route operating at the same time. If one bus is arriving at Fouts Field, the other should be arriving at Union Circle. Accordingly, they should not be at the same place at the same time. “Tuesday, [Oct.] 10th I was waiting at Fouts and there were two Eagle Point buses next to each other and two Mean Green buses,” Duncan said. Buses also get heavily crowded, although that is because some hours are busier than others. The Mean Green buses are one of the most used by students according to feedback given to Transportation Servies. In response to this feedback, Transporation Services added a third Mean Green bus. Phelps said DCTA also provides two “protection” buses each morning used wherever there is an immediate need. The Discovery Park route also has an extra bus during busy hours. “It’s a fight for everyone to try to get on the bus,” public relations sophomore Alexia Johnson said. With the route changes, the $3.50 per hour fee in mandatory student fees has remained the same. Because of this, Perry and Johnson said they can’t complain too much.
Students we talked to said the easiest way to keep up with the new routes is through UNT’s Bus Tracker site or the UNT Transit app which went live on Aug. 28. A beta version was available in the summer only on the Transportation Services website where the tech team worked out its bugs. “Even if they’re late, you know exactly how late they’re going to be,” Perry said about the app’s usefulness. Transportation Services and DCTA are hopeful that the new routes will become more manageable for students. “The bus tracker has saved my life,” Johnson said. The UNT Transit app is now the most used app on her phone during school hours. Before making any more changes in the future, Transportation Services and DCTA wants to gather data on ridership and student needs in the bus system. Phelps said weekly meetings between Transportation Services and DCTA’s operations staff and monthly meetings between senior university administration and senior executive management from DCTA are providing beneficial results for UNT’s transit service. “We are fortunate that our partnership with DCTA affords us some flexibility so that we can implement changes when needs are identified and when the demand calls for it,” Phelps said.
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Denton City Council passes Denton Parks Foundation under resolution supporting SB4 lawsuit investigation, halts all fundraising By James Norman News Editor
The Denton City Council met Tuesday and passed a resolution regarding the city’s response to Senate Bill 4, also known as the sanctuary cities law. The resolution passed 6-1. The resolution states the City of Denton’s support for the lawsuit filed against the bill by the city of El Cenzio. The lawsuit was filed the day after SB4 was passed by the Texas Legislature. Other cities such as San Antonio, Austin and Houston, as well as El Paso and Maverick counties have since joined the lawsuit. The deadline for the City of Denton to sign onto the lawsuit has passed. Initially passed in May of this year, SB4 was designed to help stop sanctuary cities in the state. The law requires local authorities to cooperate and comply with federal immigration entities or risk being fined or removed from their job. The law would also give permission to local police to inquire about someone’s immigration status during a routine interaction. Opponents of the bill argue it would enforce racial profiling, as well as make people in the community less safe. The discussion on the matter began during the council’s work session. Victor Flores, U.S. deputy city attorney for Denton, opened the discussion with a presentation detailing the bill. “What Senate Bill 4 says is the local city cannot adopt or endorse a policy that prohibits or discourages the enforcement of immigration laws,” Flores said. The council spent almost the next two hours deliberating over the resolution before breaking for a closed meeting. Later during the city council meeting, several residents of Denton attended to speak out against SB4 and advocate for the resolution. Some residents, like Jennifer Lange, didn’t think the resolution was enough. “The city needs to take a stand,” Lange said to the council. “Joining the [lawsuit] is the best thing we can do. This resolution is the least we can do.” Almost two dozen residents added their thoughts on the resolution, with almost all in favor. After the residents spoke, the council opened it up for discussion amongst themselves. City council member John Ryan said his biggest concern with SB4 was the vagueness regarding what a local official can or cannot say about the issue, which could lead to a violation of an official’s first amendment right. “A comment from one of us on a Facebook post could end up in us being sued or taken out of office,” Ryan said. “Because of that, I am voting in support of this.” City council member Don Duff, the lone member who voted against the resolution, cited the original reasons why the bill was passed, adding he didn’t think anybody in Denton who was of Hispanic descent had anything to fear if they weren’t a criminal. Mayor Chris Watts said when he found out this issue was coming before council, he was anxious because of the emotion and politics surrounding it but added democracy is rooted in protecting peoples’ rights. “I support this resolution,” Watts said. “Because what it does is say, ‘I’m going to support a person or an entity’s right to challenge a law.’”
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By Julia Falcon Senior Staff Writer The City of Denton announced on Oct. 4 the halt of funding and fundraising to the Denton Parks Foundation in regards to an investigation into funding and spending. According to a city press release acquired by the Denton RecordChronicle, the city auditor’s office received confidential tips over the past several months regarding both the parks department and its relationship to the foundation. A committee consisting of former City Auditor Craig Hametner, an assistant city attorney and a representative from the city’s Human Resources office conducted preliminary interviews with both employees and members of the public about those confidential tips, the DRC states. On Monday, Hametner announced his resignation via email to city council members abruptly and without warning. “We’re not sure why he resigned,” City of Denton spokesperson Brian Daskam said. “City council members have tried to reach out to him and got nothing in response.” Hired in February, Hametner is the first person to hold the internal auditor position after the city’s seven-year search to fill the position. “The city is in contract with legal and financial workers while there isn’t an internal auditor,” Daskam said. The open auditor position has been a hot topic for residents and city council members for years. And after having an internal auditor for eight months, the position is under fire again. “The city is in contract with legal and financial workers while there isn’t an internal auditor,” Daskam said.
As of Oct. 4, Denton’s park funding has been put on hold until further notice. Dana McCurdy | Staff Photographer Founded in 1987, the Denton Parks Foundation supports projects and programs of the Parks and Recreation Department in the city. The Foundation has no direct affiliation with the city and is governed by its own Board of Directors, according to the foundation’s website. From Oct. 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, the Denton Parks Foundation received $170,481 in revenue and an additional $100,000 in pledges. The foundation received a total of $53,979 in funding from the city, all verified through the city’s financial system. On Aug. 1, the Parks Foundation announced its plans to launch a major giving campaign targeting to raise $250,000 over the next fiscal year to enhance the redevelopment of McKenna Park into a fully handicap accessible play area. In the past, the foundation has raised $20,000 to save the Owsley and King Kids summer camps for children from low-
income families when federal funds were cut. Money was also being raised for the Pops Carter sculpture, which was vandalized on Sept. 13. It was on display at the Denton Parks Foundation booth at North Texas Giving Day on Sept. 14., where donations were taken to build a new sculpture. As of Sept. 25, $1,450 has been raised for it. Denton police are still requesting anyone with information about the incident to call if they have any leads. “The investigator followed up on a potential lead, but it did not pan out,” Denton police spokesperson Brian Cose said. “No cameras captured the incident and no further leads have been established.”
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ARTS & LIFE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017
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Local magician finds joy in performing illusions and mind tricks
Magician Will Winkler explains the instructions to his card trick to a volunteer assistant during his act. Winkler travels the Denton area putting on street performances. Kelsey Shoemaker | Staff Photographer
By Kayla Henson Staff Writer Sitting among frantic students in West Oak Coffee, a man sips his beverage with a sly smirk and a few cards up his sleeve. To the average eye, Will Winkler, 35, is just a regular guy enjoying hot coffee on a chilly Monday night. But Winkler isn’t here to cram for exams — he’s here to practice magic and illusions on unsuspecting locals. With total command of the room and the confidence of a regular performer, Winkler taps on the shoulder of a student working on an assignment. “Hey, what’s your name, man?” he
asked the student. “My name’s Jon,” the student replied. “[Have] you ever had a bad day, Jon?” Winkler asked. Winkler knew the answer already. “Yeah,” Jon replies immediately, laughing and nodding. “So, the deal with magic is if I can make you, Jon, forget about that for five seconds or five minutes [then] I’ve done my job, and you can’t tell me that magic isn’t real,” Winkler said. “It’s an illusion, it’s a trick. Right? It’s a sleight of hand. But the experience that you had, if you don’t think about it for five minutes, then that bad day doesn’t matter.” Born and raised in Dallas, Winkler has
been a practicing magician for around 11 years and has taken a more professional approach to it within the past year. “Magic is one of those things that feels like a vehicle that takes me to do the things that I love,” Winkler said. “That’s why I do magic.” Winkler decided to quit his software developer job once he realized his passion for magic about a decade ago, and he hasn’t looked back since. He also partakes in climbing and exploring in places like Yosemite National Park in California, where he lived briefly. This wanderlust has led him to a far happier life than before. “If I didn’t do the things I did when I
was slightly younger, I wouldn’t be able to do magic now,” Winkler said. “I had a good job as a software developer, and I was just like, ‘This isn’t me. I’m not happy doing this.’ At that point, I was not happy being in a cube every day from 9-to-5. I hate that lifestyle. I want to be outside. I want to enjoy life and people.” Winkler attended UNT briefly around nine years ago. However, he found himself more interested in a magic club offered at the time than the classes. He now finds solace and community every week in the Fort Worth Magician’s Club. “I love having that community because I didn’t have that before,” Winkler said. “It’s a great atmosphere and great people to be around because they love the art.” He mostly performs card and coin tricks while also focusing on close-up illusions and “mentalism” tricks, like reading minds. When it comes to his audiences, he finds that most of them are shocked by his craft. “There’s a lot of people who haven’t seen a magic trick in real life,” Winkler said. “They’ve seen it on YouTube, but never in real life. When you see it with that degree of separation, you can say it was a camera trick or that people were in on it.” Communication design junior Aileen Sanchez is one of his many audience members who had never encountered a magician before Winkler. “It was pretty cool watching it, I’ve never seen a magician up close like that,” Sanchez said after watching Winkler perform several coin tricks and mindreading illusions before her eyes. Communication design juniors Brianna Merich and Victoria Flores both agreed that they were skeptical at first, but became impressed by his performance by the end of it. “I was very intrigued by it,” Flores said. “I wanted to see more. Seeing it up close
makes you believe it more.” Liberty University student Jon Bernal immediately recognized Winkler from his past performances on the Denton Square, and he fondly remembered not only his act but his charisma. “I think what’s interesting about his show is his sense of humor — it’s not a cheesy show,” Bernal said. “He’s real, it’s not a façade.” Winkler said audience reaction varies from person to person, but stopping the first few people is the toughest part of his job. “Most people are disinterested,” Winkler said. “I’ve had a few people walk off on me during tricks. [Stopping] the first person is the hardest. I have to work really hard for that. Once you get those first two or three people, then you can start building a crowd [and] building an audience.” As a former Starbucks barista, Winkler discovered his enthusiasm for cheering people up — particularly selling coffee to groggy customers in the early morning. “If you can have any kind of banter it can make their day,” Winkler said. “Right there, at like 6:10 in the morning, you can make that person’s day, and I think that’s huge. That idea of making someone’s day, making the world a little bit better with political views aside, all that stuff aside, is great.” Winkler’s passion for brightening people’s days is where his passion for magic stemmed from and what fuels him through long days and nights of performing. “I heard a magician say the world needs us now more than ever and I believe that,” Winkler said. “It’s just like when I was talking to [Bernal] or to anybody else, having that escape for five minutes. I’m doing it for that.”
@kayla_hensonn
Denton birth photographers capture the full story of new life through their lenses By Amy Roh Senior Arts & Life Writer Growing up, the idea of birth never scared Teagan Jacobson. She skipped school to watch her cat have kittens and helped her family deliver newborn calves during her childhood. The book she read most often was “The Birthing Room,” a novel about 1800s prairie home births. “It is unbelievably rewarding to watch a baby be born,” Jacobson said. “I get an adrenaline rush every single time, and I’ll admit — it’s a tad addicting.” Jacobson is a birth photographer and, along with fellow photographer Casandra Hawkins, owns Denton Birth Photography. For a couple of years, the two Denton residents have captured the most intimate moments of the birthing process, ranging from cesarean sections to home births. “Most people get a little horrified when they hear about birth photography and assume it is graphic,” Jacobson said. “They are so surprised by how beautiful and [not] awkward the photos are.” Hawkins and Jacobson both previously photographed weddings and portraits. Jacobson said she was looking for something different and new. “After years in the portrait and wedding photography business, I had become a little burned out on all the posing, makeup [and] ‘say cheese’ stuff,” Jacobson said.
Their foray into the business was prompted when they hired photographers for their own births. After seeing the depth and uniqueness of the photos, Hawkins and Jacobson said they felt compelled to pursue it full time. “I booked my own birth photographer and after having [my daughter], I just felt like it’s what I had to shoot,” Hawkins said. For each client, Hawkins and Jacobson book a tentative due date. They remain on call for two weeks prior and two weeks after, just in case any changes with the baby occur. Often, the phone rings in the middle of the night. The timing isn’t always perfect, but Hawkins said it is worth it. “Even with a repeat client, they’re never going to have an identical birth,” Hawkins said. “Being able to witness and document an event that’s completely one of a kind is really amazing.” Hawkins said birth photography is becoming popular, but it is still a niche in the photography industry. Clients want to capture the full experience in detail, since recalling the process can often be fuzzy and hectic. “If something had to give, it shouldn’t be the photography, as it’s memories and emotions captured through a lens that you can cherish for a lifetime,” client Sophia Pizana said. On their website, Hawkins and Jacobson
describe themselves as “storytellers.” Both of them have their own style that translates into the events that unfold during the birthing process. “I would say that Casandra is a bit more artistic, and me more journalistic,” Jacobson said. “But we are both crazy about details. While we may shoot different angles or focus on different aspects, we both tell the full story through our own eyes.” Capturing the births are both an adrenaline rush and an emotional moment for them. As a mother of two who experienced different types of births, Hawkins said she relates to her clients every time she enters the room. “When I’m at a birth, I’m not there working so much as I’m there experiencing it with them,” Hawkins said. “Since I’ve been through it twice before, I feel everything. I know what those contractions feel like. I know how hard it is.” As beautiful as it is, Hawkins and Jacobson said it is a special challenge to stay poised and ready during unexpected moments. “We can’t just re-pose the shot later if the first one doesn’t turn out,” Jacobsen said. “[It’s like,] ‘I missed that, could you please put the baby back in and deliver it again?’” On a technical side, there are often times when Hawkins and Jacobson don’t know what the setting will be. Sometimes
Denton birth photographer Casandra Hawkins documents the journey of childbirth. She has also documented weddings in the past. Brigitte Zumaya | Staff Photographer it can be pale and bright while in other instances it could be in the middle of the night. “It’s very challenging to walk into a birth with no idea what lens or settings it will require,” Jacobson said. “C-sections have intense fluorescent lighting and home births often happen at night by candlelight.” No matter the struggle, the two photographers continue to provide new
and experienced mothers with the gift of reliving a milestone moment and one of the most joyous days of their lives. “It is difficult to place a value on these pictures,” client Misty Leigh Jeter-Bennett said. “When I look at them, I can feel every emotion just as strong as the day our son was born. I will never tire of looking at them.”
@rohmyboat
UNT Dye Garden combines nature’s resources with visual art By Austin Wagner Staff Writer For a certain group of visual arts students, their work includes blending nature’s resources throughout their craft in the form of natural dye. UNT has a hidden treasure within its fibers program — the Natural Dye Garden. “There are around five or six students who use the Dye Garden consistently,” said Abby Sherrill, fibers program art technician and adjunct instructor. “We have workshops where other students come in and use it.” The Dye Garden is located near Avenue D and Highland Street on the west side of Bain Hall. The fibers program represents a tiny slice of the university with its small pool of students. “Students use the dye in their courses and work all the time, so
that is one way to see the garden in full effect,” Sherrill said. The fibers program had a show last week at the Lightwell, the main gallery in the art building. The senior fiber students have a show coming up at Cora Stafford on Oak Street that will feature work done using the dye made with the flowers from the garden. “Working in the dye garden is a good space for student leadership and involvement in the fibers program,” fibers major Molly Beaufait said. Beaufait uses inspiration from the garden to propose projects and then uses the garden to bring those projects to life. “The garden allows you to have a say in what you want to do with your art and also how you want to do it,” Beaufait said. “Working in the garden also provides outside experience.” The idea for a garden used to
create the dye for the department came in 2011 when Sasha Duerr, a fibers professor at the California College of Arts (CCA), visited UNT for a workshop. “At the time, I was taking classes and preparing to apply for grad school,” Sherrill said. CCA has a dye garden that they used for quite some time prior to its implementation on Denton soil. “Everybody was interested, but a group of us really wanted to find a way to bring natural dyes to campus,” Sherrill said. “We applied for funding through the We Mean Green Fund and received it, and [we] got to work on the garden.” The garden was finished in 2012 and was flourishing by fall 2013. The College of Visual Arts & Design (CVAD) is open to using the Dye Garden for collaboration among other departments and outside organizations.
“We are always looking for opportunities to collaborate with people of all majors,” Sherrill said. “We like to find new ways to make use of the dye and the garden, and anybody can really use it, regardless of major.” One organization that has worked with the CVAD department and Dye Garden is Big Thought, a nonprofit from the Dallas area that works with children to engage them and keep their minds imaginative and expressive. Big Thought brought kids from their programs to campus to experience the garden and learn about it. Members of CVAD have also worked with the Denton County Master Garden Association to help the garden thrive. “We do workshops with them, and they work a bit in the garden,” Sherrill said. “They know more about plants, [and] we know
more about arts and dye, so it’s a teaching process for both parties.” Although the garden is providing opportunities for students now, some worry about what is to come for nature and how people affect it. “Making dye in the garden is a great way to get rich color in a fabric without using chemicals that are dangerous to the environment,” said Natural Dye Garden President Rachel McGee. “Conceptually, we try to tie in that natural aspect.” The upkeep of the garden is a collaborative effort of the students who use it. “I’m president in name, but everybody contributes just as much as I do,” McGee said. Though the garden’s upkeep and basic operations are performed by students, there are certain circumstances that cannot be helped by students, resulting in
outside aide. As far as everyday weeding and typical maintenance goes, everybody pulls their weight. “We [recently] had to do a revamp of the garden, and university maintenance helped a lot with that,” McGee said. “We had an issue with flooding in our beds, had to do some major weeding and we planted some new plants.” The garden was rumored to be moving to the top of the art building that is under construction, but McGee said no plans are set in stone. “Originally we wanted the garden to be on the roof of the new building with raised beds, but I’m not entirely sure what’s going on,” McGee said. “Things seem to be changing as time goes on.”
@wagskeez
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017
NTDAILY.COM
Page 5
UpTop Denton bridges ‘digital Friday the 13th sparks return of spooky divide’ for high school seniors tattoo tradition in Denton and Austin By Amy Roh Senior Arts & Life Writer For the kids who do homework by phone light, skip class to study in the computer lab, work late and study even later, UpTop Denton wants to help. UpTop, a fundraiser started by Denton resident Chris Briggs, provides laptops for disadvantaged seniors at Denton Ryan High School. In an increasingly tech-heavy classroom method, its goal is to close the digital gap between students who have access to computers and those who don’t. “[It’s all about] knowing how important access to a device beyond a phone is,” Briggs said. “[It’s] not [just to] be successful in school, but just being able to get by.” What started as a personal mission for Briggs grew to become a local philanthropic cause. “The red tape to get started was depressing, so I personally thought I could get enough resources to get one or two laptops to a couple of kids,” Briggs said. This is partly why UpTop is not formally classified as a nonprofit. Briggs considers it more of a fundraising effort within the community, initially sparked through word-of-mouth and social media. Briggs describes it as a “pass-the-hat, guerrillastyle, do-gooding” funded from the hands of fellow Dentonites. “I started mentioning it to some acquaintances in town and they said, ‘Well, I’ll give you $50,’ and another one said, ‘I’ll give you $10,’” Briggs said. Knowing he had some support, Briggs began contacting organizations and businesses to partner with. Diane Owen, a Talent Search counselor at Denton Ryan, happened to be the only one who picked up. Talent Search is a federally-funded program that provides assistance to firstgeneration or disadvantaged students. “I was more than thrilled that someone wanted to adopt our program to give these students an opportunity that they otherwise wouldn’t have,” Owen said. Students are chosen or recruited by teachers in the fall. At Denton Ryan, Owen said there are 210 students currently enrolled in the program. “We target underrepresented students to help them get into college as low-income and first-generation,” Owen said. “They
need to have at least a 3.0 GPA and show college readiness.” With this in mind, Briggs started a GoFundMe last year with a goal of buying two laptops, but he eventually reached $1,200. In that year, UpTop Denton was able to supply laptops to six seniors at RHS. “All [the students] are going to know is that there are people in the town that want to see them do good and recognize that they’re taking a big step coming out to college,” Briggs said. Estrella Chacon, who is one of the recipients, said the laptop has been a crucial tool in a college setting. “I’ve had to use my laptop every single night in college whether it be for projects or homework,” Chacon said. “Everything now in college is based off electronics — unlike high school that has paper homework that you turn in.” Chacon is now a freshman at the University of Texas at Arlington pursuing a degree in nursing. She said that UpTop and the Talent Search program were instrumental in giving her a push toward more academic pursuits. “That was the first scholarship I’ve ever received, so it really gave me motivation to apply for other scholarships,” Chacon said. This year, Briggs said he wants to reach higher. UpTop has set up the 2017-2018 GoFundMe with a goal of buying 20 laptops. They have raised $545 since September. “I like to tell people it feels good to give in a small way,” Briggs said. “To be a part of something positive.” Every day, the GoFundMe is funded by families, friends and complete strangers. Recipients of the laptops may not know the donors personally, but Briggs said it is a testament to how supportive the Denton community can be. “[The students know] that people in their own town have their back,” Briggs said. “Not even in a small way, but in a really big way.” Although UpTop is in its early stages, those involved hope to continue growing as the classroom turns toward a more digital space. “If that could continue and we could help every senior who didn’t have access to a laptop get one, that would be amazing,” Owen said.
By Anna Orr Staff Writer At midnight on Friday the 13th, a crowd has already lined up in front of Austin Tattoo Company. People looked on in confusion as the line of eager customers wound from the doors of the establishment to the end of the block. The tradition of getting small tattoos on Friday the 13th — often incorporating the number 13 in the design — originated from Oliver Peck, a current tattoo artist at Elm Street Tattoo in Dallas. According to the Dallas Observer, Peck heard from a client that contrary to popular belief, the number 13 does not attract bad omens, but instead wards them away. Peck loved this concept and began tattooing “13” on his friends. Soon, other tattoo artists and shops caught along with the trend, and it hasn’t stopped since. Both in Denton and Austin, tattoo lovers began gathering for the Friday the 13th Tattoo marathon. Some parlors, such as Austin Tattoo Company, did allnighters, tattooing from midnight on Friday to midnight on Saturday. Other companies like All Saints Tattoos in Austin opened their doors around 10 a.m. on Friday. Miranda Mansfield, 25, was just one of the people gathered at Austin Tattoo Company. Mansfield had only done the Friday the 13th ordeal once before, but has several tattoos on her hands, arms and shoulders.
“I’m going to start a collage all along my lower back of Friday the 13th tattoos,” Mansfield said. “Last time we came here it was kind of on a whim. I was at my friend’s house and we just decided to go.” Mansfield chose a camera tattoo from the sheet of available tattoos. She said the process was easy, but the wait can be over three hours. Mansfield was accompanied her friend, Carly Dalby. Mansfield said Dalby was the expert compared to her. “I have gotten many Friday the 13th tattoos, only one which I regret,” Dalby said. Dalby has been growing her Friday the 13th tattoo collection for four years. She has a hang loose hand on her lower back, a butterfly underneath her clavicle and a 13 on her ankle. “Every experience I’ve had with Friday the 13th has been awesome,” Dalby said. “I haven’t always gone to this tattoo shop, but last year I decided to.” Dalby said the tattoo artists at Austin Tattoo Company were genuinely nice, quick with the design and sanitary. For Dalby, sanitation is one of the most important factors when choosing a tattoo parlor, especially when that parlor does tattoos for hundreds of people in just one night. “It’s an experience,” Dalby said. “The whole waiting in line, deciding what you want — the anticipation. Hearing other people’s stories is fun, too.” At Denton Tattoo Company, tattoo artist Lauren Hutson was modifying individual file sheets around 8 p.m. on
Thursday evening. “I’m really into horror movies, so I have some graphic ones,” Huston said. “I add some popular themes. Last year we had a lot of Stranger Things references.” Huston said she was considered doing IT tattoos, but decided not to. “It’s insane,” Huston said. “The last few years we have been doing this, we had five artists, and each of us did a minimum of 45 tattoos even before the line was out the door.” A local Denton tattoo artist is taking the tradition of Friday the 13th tattoos and giving it his own personal spin. West Brown is the owner of Metropolis Tattoos in Denton. Instead of allowing lines to run out the door, he threw a block party. This is the first year they have decided to switch it up. “We wanted to do something different and incorporate local businesses,” Brown said. Businesses found at the block party consisted of food trucks, a car club, live music, a raffle to support breast cancer victims and a DJ. Brown said he hopes that with his event he can grow the Denton community — and show people how fun Friday the 13th can be. “It’s more or less for me as a business owner and a Dentonite — I’m big on community,” Brown said. “It does a lot for me a business owner because it brings me closer to the people.”
@AnnaMOrr97
Denton Event Radar October 19, 2017
Give-Back Thursday Where: Game Changers Sports & Arcade Grill When: 11 a.m.-11:45 p.m. Free
October 23, 2017
@rohmyboat
Local Music Series Where: Union Patio When: 12-1 p.m. Free
October 19, 2017
October 21, 2017
UPC Presents: Magician Ben Seidman Where: Lyceum When: 7-8 p.m. Free
2017 DIME Handmade Harvest Where: TWU Hubbard Hall When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $2 in advance, $5 at the door
October 24, 2017
October 25, 2017
6th Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest Where: Oak St. Drafthouse When: 6-9 p.m. Free
DJ Wars Where: Library Mall When: 7-10 p.m. Free
The Denton Community Theatre performs at the 50th anniversary of the Bonnie and Clyde festival in Pilot Point. The town is home to the bank rob scene in the movie “Bonnie & Clyde.” Kelsey Shoemaker | Staff Photographer
1930s revived with annual festival FESTIVAL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 is the reenactment of the scene at the Farmers & Merchants Bank, where the actual scene was filmed. “We celebrate the day Hollywood came to town,” Main Street director Lenette Cox said. This year, the festival featured performances by a UNT Jazz Quartet and the Denton Community Theatre, which did a production of the musical Bonnie & Clyde in August. Sienna Riehle, who organized the Denton Community Theatre’s performances for the festival, decided to bring the show to Bonnie and Clyde Days to contribute to the historical and fun festivities. “The directors and I really wanted to highlight our show’s historic significance, as well as our incredibly talented cast and creative team,” Riehle said. “We found Bonnie and Clyde Days would be a great outlet for us even after the musical had closed.” The 1967 film premiered at the Campus Theatre, so Riehle was excited to not only bring that story back to the Theatre on its 50th anniversary but to also share it with the community at the festival. “By performing at the festival in Pilot Point, we gave our music director and members of the Bonnie & Clyde cast another opportunity to shine, spreading the word about DCT and the historic Campus Theatre, and giving back to the community,” Riehle said. The Denton Community Theatre performed several scenes from the musical with songs such as “Picture
Show,” “How ‘Bout a Dance” and “You Love Who You Love.” “We were excited to perform some of the hit tunes from the musical, and we just hoped the festival goers were ready to have fun with us,” Riehle said. “We brought not only musical theatre, but jazz, gospel, country and rock ‘n’ roll, so there was definitely something for everyone.” Bridgette Pineau, who played Blanche for the festival performance of “Bonnie & Clyde,” looked forward to using the musical to bring the stories of Bonnie and Clyde to life and transport guests back to the 1930s. “Our performance preceded the reenactment of the bank robbery, so we were a good transition from typical festival activities such as pie eating contests,” Pineau said. “We also served as a good introduction to some of the stories behind Bonnie and Clyde, such as who they are and how the songs from the musical reflect that.” The festival also provided a chance for the cast of “Bonnie & Clyde” to perform somewhere other than what they were used to — challenging them to move from the stage to the street. “Performing at a festival is extremely different from performing on stage because we did not have the set and props to work with, but that just means we had to rely more on ourselves to get into character rather than relying on the environment,” Pineau said. The Denton Community Theatre performers and festival attendees enjoyed the unique theme
and atmosphere of Bonnie and Clyde Days and appreciated the entertaining focus on history. “I think Bonnie and Clyde Days attracts a lot of history buffs, film buffs, families and people who want to get out and do something fun and unique without going all the way to Dallas or another larger city,” Riehle said. “It seems a lot like a themed version of a good oldfashioned county fair.” Bonnie and Clyde Days began in 2010 and has become more and more popular throughout the years. Between locals and out-of-state visitors, thousands of people flock to the Pilot Point Town Square to be a part of the history and fun of the festival. Bonnie and Clyde Days appeals to people from all over the country who have an interest in the history of the infamous duo and a desire to bask in the old-fashioned festivities. “We just try to keep bringing [in] more and more people,” Cox said. “They come from all over the country. I’m always amazed to hear people from Kansas or Idaho saying they came all this way for the festival.” Pilot Point native Christy Knight attends the festival every year with her family and loves the fun twist on history Bonnie and Clyde Days presents. “My family and I always look forward to the Bonnie and Clyde Days Festival,” Knight said. “It’s fun for all of us, and my kids love watching the robbery reenactment.”
@ashwinters221
FREAKY FRESH! FREAKY FAST! ™
WE DELIVER! VISIT JIMMYJOHNS.COM TO FIND A LOCATION NEAR YOU
SPORTS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017
Page 6 UPCOMING GAMES Thursday • Soccer: @ Charlotte – 6 p.m. Friday • Swimming and Diving: @ Rice – 5 a.m. Saturday • Football: @ FAU – 4 p.m. • Swimming and Diving: @ Houston – 11 a.m. Sunday • Soccer: @ Old Dominion – Noon • Volleyball: @ Charlotte – Noon • Men’s Golf: @ Tavistock Collegiate Invitational – All Day through Tuesday • Women’s Golf: @ Maryb S. Kauth Invitational – All Day through Tuesday
CONFERENCE USA STANDINGS
Conference USA West Team Conf. Overall UNT 3-0 4-2 S. Miss
2-1
4-2
UAB 2-1 4-2 La. Tech
1-1
3-3
Rice 1-1 1-5 UTSA 0-2 3-2 UTEP 0-3 0-7
Conference USA East Team Conf. Overall Marshall 2-0
5-1
FAU 2-0 3-3 FIU 2-1 4-2 WKU 2-1 4-2 MTSU 1-2 3-4 ODU 0-2 2-4 Charlotte 0-3
0-7
Underdogs Despite winning three straight games to open C-USA play, North Texas opened as a 3.5-point underdog to Florida Atlantic. The Owls have yet to beat a team with a winning record while North Texas’ only two losses have come to SMU (4-2) and Iowa (4-2). The three FBS teams the Mean Green have defeated are 11-6 on the year.
NTDAILY.COM
North Texas soccer a model of consistency By Matthew Berger Staff Writer Pacing down the sideline, North Texas soccer coach John Hedlund was still yelling at his players to get in position as the clock wound down in a 1-0 win over a Conference USA rival, the University of Alabama at Birmingham. It is the type of coach Hedlund is while the team is on the pitch, giving it his all until the final whistle – and he expects the same from his players. Off the field, Hedlund is a down-to-earth, personable coach who players feel they can talk to and connect with. Being both demanding during the game and a players’ coach afterward has led to Hedlund building a powerhouse program at North Texas. It all starts with one thing – consistency. With the recent victory over the University of Texas at San Antonio, Hedlund and the Mean Green program sealed their 23rd consecutive winning season. It’s one of only four active streaks in the country. Since taking over the brandnew program in 1995, all Hedlund has done is win. In August 2016, he became just the 20th coach in NCAA history to amass over 300 victories in a coaching career. He has led the Mean Green to 12 conference championships and four appearances in the NCAA tournament. “I always expected success, because I knew a lot of my recruits were going to come from the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” Hedlund said. “I was never expecting not having a losing season, winning 12 conference championships and doing so well in Conference USA, though.” He has done well recruiting in the Dallas-Fort Worth area over the years and has coached 76 allconference players since 1999. Some players, like senior Katie Gernsbacher from the University of Texas, transferred into the program because the allure of playing for the Mean Green drew
Senior defender Tori Phillips defends against junior forward Taylor Torres during a game of “flying colors.” Phillips currently leads the team in assists. Rachel Walters| Staff Photographer her in. “He was all about winning above anything,” Gernsbacher said. “I just wanted to come to a program that has a history of winning championships.” On the sidelines during a game, Hedlund can be seen yelling across the field at players to get in better position or yelling at a referee about calls he disagrees with. These actions give off the impression that Hedlund is a tough coach and a drill sergeant, but in actuality, he is a joking, fun-loving coach who just wants what’s best for his players. That kind of atmosphere is what has helped build the dynasty at North Texas. “I am a players’ coach, but they know when the game starts they have to come play,” Hedlund said. “In practice, I try to take as much
pressure off them as I can. I try to ease the tension away from them and put it on me. I take care of them, and they know that as well.” Assistant coach Daniel Dobson has been with the Mean Green program for the past six seasons and has become familiar with what Hedlund has done over the years to turn this program into one of the best – and most consistent – in the country. “One of the things I have noticed about John since I’ve been here is that he shows up to the office every day,” Dobson said. “I respect that even on our off days he is up there doing something.” Hedlund has also had success with his players in the classroom, as the soccer team has been ranked in the top 10 percent in the country in academic progress rate in three of the last five years. It is another
accomplishment in a long list of awards the coach has received during his tenure. Academic prowess, as well as on-field success, is one of the many ways the Mean Green have stayed atop C-USA and the Sun Belt Conference for so many years. “He knows how to win,” Dobson said. “He is very competitive and he has been doing it the right way for 23 years.” Walking around the Mean Green Soccer Complex, fans and opposing teams can see the championship banners draped all around the field. To opponents it is intimidating, but to others, the accomplishments are a sign of the constant success that continues to lure players and recruits to Denton. “Seeing the banners, I am sure it is intimidating,” Gernsbacher said. “There are not a lot of facilities
that I have been to with all these banners. A lot of programs that have this many banners have both men’s and women’s teams and have been around longer than 23 years.” Winning is one of the main attractions for the Mean Green program, and over the past 23 years of existence, that hasn’t been an issue. With the success he’s had winning on a year-to-year basis, Hedlund’s competitiveness still has him striving for more. “I want to make a run in the NCAA tournament, like the Sweet 16 or Elite 8,” Hedlund said. “Getting up to 400 [career] wins would be nice. We are all about winning – this was a winning program from the start, and I am very proud of that.”
@Bergersthoughts
Stracke has men’s golf shooting to become top program in Texas By Malik Wright Staff Writer With newly added depth and an already experienced core, the Mean Green men’s golf team is looking to put its name into the conversation for the title of the best program in Texas. North Texas seems to have already found its stride early this season. The addition of two new freshmen is meshing nicely with the upperclassmen and the team
appears poised to take the next step. The Mean Green began the year slowly, tying for eighth place at the Wolf Run Classic while shooting 58-over par as a group. The team quickly rebounded, however, tying for sixth at the Trinity Forest Invitational before finishing second to Louisiana State University at its most recent tournament, the David Toms Intercollegiate. “We didn’t start off how we wanted to,” head coach Brad Stracke said. “But it seems like we’re picking it
North Texas junior golfer Thomas Rosenmueller hits the ball in the Trinity Forest Invitational on Sept. 26. Rosenmueller shot 1-over par at the David Toms Intercollegiate. Sara Carpenter | Senior Staff Photographer
Kononova, Kutubidze recent matches Won |
Angelina Shakhraichuk and
Theresa Van Zyl (Baylor): 8-7 (7) Won | Michaela Haet and
Savannah Durkin (Rice): 8-4 Won |
Tsveta Dimitrova and
Sveva Mazari (Houston): 8-7 (5) Lost |
Marta Perez-Mur and
Danielle Wagland: 6-7(7), 6-3, 7-5
up a little bit and I just think this team is going to get better and better as the year goes on.” One of the biggest changes from last season is the opening of one of the most state-of-the-art practice facilities in the state, the Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas. The course has helped the team improve this year and challenges both the men’s and women’s teams in their preparation. Additionally, the arrival the two young newcomers, freshmen Viktor Forsland of Sweden and Vitek Novak of the Czech Republic, has paid off. Both golfers have already penciled themselves in as key members of the team and have finished near the top of the team’s leaderboard in each event. Forsland shot a 1-over par at the Trinity Forest Invitational and David Toms Intercollegiate, helping the team to its second-place finish in the latter. Such early successes have given him confidence that he can continue to help the Mean Green not just this year but for the next three as well. “It was a huge adjustment coming from Sweden to the states,” Forsland said. “I didn’t know what to expect when coming here and the courses here are very different, but I like it. Playing against the best players in the state and knowing you can beat them gives you huge confidence.” Players like Forsland have helped the returners improve as golfers, which has contributed to the growth the Mean Green feel they have made since last year. “We picked up some good freshman that have pushed us this year,” redshirt junior Jordan Sanders said. “The line up is deeper – last year we were about
three deep and now have five or six guys who are at the same level. We have confidence that each of us can win an event individually.” Sanders returned to action on the course this year after a hand injury forced him to redshirt and miss the entire 2016 season. He shot even-par in his last two tournaments but continues to stress that the team’s runner-up finish doesn’t satisfy their long-term goals. Former Conference USA Freshman of the Year Ian Snyman joins Sanders as one of the team’s leaders alongside senior Andrew Hudson. Snyman has shot 3-over par and 5-over par the last two tournaments while Hudson shot 3-under par on the course the last time out. Both feel as though the team still has room to improve. “It’s all mental,” Snyman said. “We know we can compete against any team. Every tournament we play better because we eliminate doubt every time.” With a pair of dynamic freshmen alongside leaders like Snyman and Sanders, Stracke has high expectations for where he wants this team to be at the end of the season. After their second-place finish at the David Toms Intercollegiate, the Mean Green have one final fall tournament before taking off until February. The team returns to action Oct. 22-24 at the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational. “I think at the end of the year we are going to be one of the top programs in Texas simply by the talent that we have,” Stracke said. “These guys are going to mature as players and enhance their games.”
@_teammill
Doubles team Kononova, Kutubidze impress at ITA Texas Regional By Thomas Escobar Staff Writer After an impressive run to the semifinals of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Texas Regional, Maria Kononova and Tamuna Kutubidze were eliminated just shy of the championship game Monday. Coming into the tournament, the highly-regarded doubles pair held the No. 22 ranking in the country and landed the top seed in the tournament. The duo lost in one of the most highintensity matches of the year to the No. 8-seeded University of Texas 6-7 (10), 6-3, 7-5. Despite the elimination one day away from the championship, head
coach Sujay Lama is determined his two stars can take a lot of good out of this tournament as the Mean Green continue to mold to team into one of the top young duos in the country. “I thought we had an incredible couple of days here at regionals,” Lama said. “To see what Maria and doubles did to get there to the semifinals against Texas is incredible. I think we saw signs of real progress. The girls stepped up and took on the challenge against tough matches, and overall, I’m really pleased to see what we can do.” The tournament marked the third time a North Texas doubles team has made the semifinals of the Texas Regional. The last time they advanced this far was last year, when the girls
went in as the No. 8 seed. The jump to the No. 1 seed showed dramatic improvement in a short period of time. “Look at Maria and Yamuna and how far they’ve gotten,” Lama said. “There’s no doubt we have the talent, work ethic and, now, the maturity. They’re capable of winning tough matches like these, and if we have that culture of excellence to build from, then it’ll only get better.” Away from the doubles side of the tournament, the Mean Green’s No. 3-seeded Kononova lost in singles draw to the top-seeded Bianca Turati of the University of Texas 6-0, 6-1. Kononova entered as the underdog, ranked No. 41 in the country compared to No. 24 Turati.
However, Kononova became the only player in North Texas tennis program history to reach the semifinals of the tournament in singles. The team as a whole collected a total of 12 wins, surpassing last year’s total (8) at the ITA Texas Regional by four. “No matter what the situation is, they stay poised,” Lama said. “The game has slowed down for them, and they have two more seasons to do something special.” Next up: North Texas looks to build on its performance when they return to the court at the River Oaks Country Club Invite Nov. 3-5 in Houston.
@balidontlie
NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 7
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017
Left: North Texas senior offensive lineman Riley Mayfield (79) blocks for a run against the University of Texas at San Antonio. Colin Mitchell | Visuals Editor Right: North Texas junior left tackle Jordan Murray screams after a win against the University of Texas at San Antonio. Colin Mitchell | Visuals Editor
BY THE NUMBERS 2016*
Sacks allowed: 43 2017
Sacks allowed: 14 *13 games
O-line showing dramatic improvement By Matthew Brune Senior Sports Writer
There was nowhere to go but up for the North Texas offensive line entering the 2017 season. The line allowed 43 sacks in 13 games for a total loss of 293 yards last year, and both of those marks ranked No. 122 in the FBS. The problems were glaring up front, and Chuck Langston was hired in hopes of providing an answer in the trenches. Langston came over from Lamar University, where he served as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for four years. “He relates very well to his men, which is key,” head coach Seth Littrell said. “He understands schematically what we’re trying to do, and he’s a very good teacher.” While North Texas lost three linemen who totaled 28 starts in the 2016 season, Langston has made due with largely the same contributors as last year. No true freshmen are in the rotation and only one redshirt freshman has played in a game. Jordan Murray, Elex Woodworth, T.J. Henson and Creighton Barr are back from last year while transfer Riley Mayfield came in and solidified himself as the
starter at right tackle. Early on, Langston brought a newfound energy for the unit and it has worked well for the team so far through six games. “He harps on technique all the time,” Murray said. “Techniques and assignments. He doesn’t let us get tired of being consistent in everything we do.” While going from one of the worst in the FBS to one of the best is a lot to ask, the improvement has been significant for the Mean Green. According to www.teamrankings.com, the offense had a sack percentage of 9.37 in 2016, ranking No. 110 in the FBS. This year, the sack percentage is down to 5.73 – good for No. 60 in the FBS. “They’re a great group of young men,” Langston said. “They’re passionate about getting better. Really, it was just getting in the weight room. We had to get physically stronger. We were getting outmatched because our physical strength wasn’t what it needed to be.” The added strength has enabled them to take on the bigger pass rushers with more efficiency. Since the average height of the five starters this year is over 6 feet 5 inches, the group is usually able to impose its size
and arm length on opposing linemen. They have helped keep quarterback Mason Fine upright for the most part, regardless of the blitz packages brought by opposing teams. The University of Texas at San Antonio provided the stiffest test to date and got to Fine a few too many times, but the line, as well as running back Jeffery Wilson, picked up enough blocks in key situations to let Fine make plays down the field. “Every game they go into, they’re prepared,” Fine said. “If there’s something they haven’t seen, if it’s a blitz or something like that, they pick it up. Coach Langston does a great job with his techniques, getting those guys in the right position and preparing them.” As well as using their hands and being more prepared, they have been able to use their feet effectively throughout the year. Quick defensive ends including Southern Methodist University’s Justin Lawler and UTSA’s Marcus Davenport gave the front five problems, but that’s what very good players do. Even so, Murray forced the UTSA staff to shift Davenport to the other side of the line early in Saturday’s win. He has been one of the players who
has improved dramatically this year. While the group’s mobility is still growing, the line is getting out on screens and pull plays that allow the offense to add another layer of complexity both through the air and on the ground. The strides up front are a crucial reason the run game of the Mean Green has been effective this season. North Texas is No. 38 in the country in rushing yards per game at 194.2 and No. 24 in rushing yards per attempt at 5.2. “Jeff can make you look good,” Langston said. “I know it sounds simple, but it’s just technique and fundamentals. Our guys have had great attitudes and worked extremely hard and bought into coach Littrell.” The usual starting five includes Murray at left tackle, Woodworth at left guard, Barr at center, Henson at right guard and Mayfield at right tackle. The continuity among this group, especially the starters, shows on the field. Before every play, they are pointing, talking and adjusting to what the defense shows. The starting five includes two seniors, two juniors and one redshirt sophomore, and their experience is evident as the group
has developed physically since last season and is more aware during games. “I think experience [and] having years in this system has helped too,” Murray said. “We have players that are able to coach when our coach isn’t around, and I think we’re making strides and getting better.” Langston said finishing blocks without holding is the central focus of improvement at the moment as the team looks to continue to climb up the ladder on a national level. Coming into the year with lowered expectations after 2016, the offensive line has quickly transformed into the backbone of the best offense in Conference USA. The big guys up front are a key unit to watch for as the offense continues its success. “We were the laughing stock coming into the season,” Langston said. “Everything said the offensive line would be the weak spot of the team. [So,] we have a chip on our shoulder and by the end of [the year] we want to be considered one of the best O-lines in Conference USA.”
@mattbrune25
Preview: North Texas travels to take on Florida Atlantic By Matthew Brune Senior Sports Writer
Head coach Seth Littrell is looking to lead the Mean Green to a 5-2 (4-0 C-USA) start.
Coming off a thrilling win last week against the University at Texas at San Antonio, North Texas (4-2, 3-0) faces Florida Atlantic University (3-3, 2-0) at 4 p.m. Saturday in Boca Raton, Florida. As important as last week’s game was, this week marks a battle of two unbeaten teams in Conference USA.
What to watch for North Texas slowing the FAU run game FAU has consistently shown a preference for its run game over the passing attack this season. In their most
recent game against Old Dominion University, the Owls had 69 rushing attempts in 91 plays. While the front seven of the Mean Green is a strength, UTSA had success pounding North Texas with the run and almost came out with a win. With players like senior safety Kishawn McClain and junior linebacker E.J. Ejiya leading the way, the Mean Green expect to get back to holding teams to under four yards per carry – starting this week. “We have to do a great job up front,” Littrell said. “Like UTSA, [FAU] wants to establish the run. We just have to get back to the fundamentals of wrapping up and getting the ball carrier down.” Two C-USA unbeaten teams FAU has defeated Middle Tennessee State University and Old Dominion University to go 2-0 in conference play. The two wins came by 18 and 30 points respectively, showing the conference that they’re not a joke this time around. The Mean Green, meanwhile, have been through three battles to start the C-USA season. While the three emotional wins built their confidence, fatigue and wear and tear start to build – especially when traveling to Florida for a game. “One week at a time,” Littrell said. “That’s been our message, culturally. Be the most excited team to play and that doesn’t just start on Saturday. Just continuing to focus on one week.”
North Texas senior defensive end Andy Flusche (99) rushes USTA quarterback Dalton Sturm at Apogee Stadium. Colin Mitchell | Visuals Editor
More than just “Fine” Leading the game-winning touchdown drive was the icing on the cake for sophomore quarterback Mason Fine in last weekend’s win over UTSA. Fine leads the conference in passing yards and has completed nearly 62 percent of his passes while doing so.
Fine’s main target, sophomore Jalen Guyton leads the conference in receiving yards with 626 in six games. The FAU secondary has forced 10 interceptions in six games, and while neither the run or pass defense looks poor on paper, they do not have the players in the front seven that UTSA had last week to really force the Mean Green’s high powered offense out of its rhythm. “[We want to] just keep that momentum on our side,” Fine said. “Keep practicing hard, don’t get complacent, just go out there and work everyday and stick to the gameplan. That’s what we plan to do.” Littrell vs. Lane Kiffin Lane Kiffin is in his first season back as a head coach and is starting to adjust to the personnel he’s been handed. Everyone is aware of his past jobs and his experiences, especially with his most recent position as the offensive coordinator for Alabama. A creative coach at home could present problems for the Mean Green. While Littrell is bringing the same mindset he does into every game, a win over a coach with the resume of Kiffin certainly would do wonders for a resume of his own. More importantly, North Texas would move to 4-0 in the conference, which fits more into Littrell’s longterm goals. “I know a little bit about [Kiffin],” senior running back Jeffery Wilson said. “But I believe in our defense to step up and do what they need to do.” Score predictions: Matt Brune: North Texas 44 FAU 38 Brady Keane: North Texas 38, FAU 28
@mattbrune25
Fine leads offense on improbable scoring drive to defeat UTSA only is he physically tough, he’s very mentally tough. I have a lot of fun coaching him, that’s for sure.”
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MIRACLE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Euphoria ensued, as North Texas defeated its budding rival UTSA 29-26 Saturday night at Apogee Stadium. “They blitzed and [Bussey] was my hot,” Fine said. “I threw it on blind faith, I didn’t know if he was going to be there or not, and he caught it and made a play on it.” With senior running back Jeffery Wilson facing a slew of Roadrunner defenders loading the box, Fine became the focal point of the offense. Roadrunner defenders Marcus Davenport and Josiah Tauaefa combined for 16 tackles and constantly affected Fine’s ability to be comfortable in the pocket. The pressure forced Fine’s lone interception in the third quarter, but also led to the game-winning score. “He’s resilient,” head coach Seth Littrell said. “I can’t say enough about Mason. He’s very competitive and not
We control our own destiny.
Fine ended the game completing 20-of-34 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns. He found sophomore receiver Jalen Guyton eight times, as Guyton had another monster performance finishing with 182 yards and two scores. It was yet another dominant showing from the explosive duo of Fine and Guyton, who continue to torch
opposing secondaries this season. “The game is easy,” Guyton said. “It’s easy to do what we’ve been doing all week in practice so I think we’re all comfortable right now.” While the defense kept the team in the game, Fine and the offense won it in the end with a nearly perfect drive that ended with a win while preserving an undefeated record at home and in conference play. The road to the Conference USA West title runs through Denton now, and the win was a monumental one for a program on the rise. “It’s a big win,” Littrell said. “For the reasons of confidence, just learning about being in games when the pressure is on. It’s also big because now we’re 3-0 in conference. We control our own destiny.”
@mattbrune25
Sophomore Rico Bussey Jr. evades a UTSA cornerback en route to scoring the game-winning touchdown Saturday. North Texas knocked off the Roadrunners 29-26 after scoring with 10 seconds left on the clock. Colin Mitchell| Visuals Editor
OPINION THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017
Page 8
An open letter from our new Opinion Editor By Alec Spicer Opinion Editor and Social Media Manager Last week I was browsing social media when I got a phone call. The North Texas Daily needed a new Opinion Editor. Up until now, I had not even an ounce of expectation that I would be introducing myself to you as the Daily’s new Opinion Editor, but here we are. Hello, I’m Alec Spicer (no relation to the guy who worked at the White House). I’ll be the Opinion Editor of the Daily until the end of the semester. Previously, I served solely as our Social Media Manager, but will now continue to hold both roles through December (insert “get you a man who can do both” joke here), so I’ll still get to scroll through the occasional tweets from people calling us “fake news” when I’m not busy editing columns. Although this might not have been a position I ever saw myself holding, opinion writing is an old friend of mine. In fact, it’s where I got my start in journalism, as I reviewed albums and films for my high school newspaper. I still to this day cringe when I think about the fact that I allowed someone to title my column “Spicer Spills” back then. All jokes aside, this position is one that comes with a great deal of freedom — and responsibility. I am acutely aware that in the midst of the most ideologically and politically divisive times I’ve ever lived in, missing the mark, even in opinion, is not an option. We’ve made some mistakes here at the Daily, but
with every misstep, a lesson follows. We always strive for perfection — in every section, every time we hit publish. While we have been transparent in acknowledging our mistakes, I can assure you they don’t go unnoticed. Mistakes are a byproduct of the journalism process at any publication, but some tend to forget everyone on staff at the Daily is still a student in the middle of their learning experience. So what can you, our reader, expect from the new opinion section? Well, things are changing. We are so fortunate to be a part of a university known for its diversity and open-minded nature, and I think it’s important that our opinion section is a mirrored representation of that. This means both liberal and conservative voices. Both nonmarginalized and marginalized community voices. Both journalism majors and non-journalism majors. We aren’t the only ones with opinions on this campus. College is a place where so many conversations with differing ideas and opinions are taking place, and you can count on me to focus on equally giving students a platform. It’s important to remember we aren’t all always going to agree here, but that is exactly what makes opinion writing so enthralling. Just know that I’ve seen and heard your concerns first-hand regarding our opinion section, in every mention and comment, and you can look forward to a revamped section from me and the talented opinion writers I’m excited to have inherited.
@Spicer_Alec
NTDAILY.COM
8 a.m. classes are a detriment to student learning By Spencer Kain Staff Writer To put it frankly, 8 a.m. classes are the bane of my very existence. I am not a morning person in any sense of the phrase and having to wake up so early for my 8 a.m. nearly makes me cry each time I have to. Eventually, I am able to get myself together and throw on some clothes I just pulled out of my closet, followed by silently screaming into endless oblivion. Then I begin walking to my class that is way too early. Not only do 8 a.m. classes absolutely suck for an anti-morning person like myself, or for most anyone actually, but it is also a detriment to a student’s health and learning. It has been proven that undergraduates perform their worst in the early morning, according to a recent study. Their cognitive functions are at their lowest in the early morning which impairs the overall learning function of the student. An 8 a.m. class is certainly not the best learning environment for a student, either. When I look around, I notice other students in my class are visibly feeling the
tiredness of the early morning because it literally shows all over their face. Some of the questions raised by my professor are left unanswered because it seems as if no one is even listening, let alone even paying attention. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of actual learning going on, which could easily affect students’ grades. Much like countless other students, I am not able to properly learn in my early class, and I view it as a severe detriment to my ability to learn the required content and retain that information for tests and assorted homework. The negative effects of 8 a.m. classes have a longer lasting impact than one might typically think. If I can barely retain the information that was taught in the class, I am sure not going to be able to retain the information for the tests. Call it irresponsible if you want, but I think this issue is something beyond just being written off as irresponsibility. No matter how many Red Bulls I down before my class or how many cups of coffee I can fit into my travel mug to smuggle into class, I am never fully awake for my 8 a.m. class. I sincerely try to listen to my professor
and take my notes, but I physically cannot help myself from dozing off or trying to prevent myself from falling out of my chair due to my exhaustion. So learn from my mistakes — stay away from 8 a.m. classes like they’re the next bubonic plague. They reap so many more negatives than just having to wake up early.
@Spencer_Kain
Illustration by Max Raign
Trump Jr. event barring press implies distrust By Rachel Herzer Staff Writer Donald Trump Jr.’s Oct. 24 lecture at AT&T Stadium will focus on freedom of speech, a subset of the First Amendment. Another idea central to this amendment is, of course, freedom of the press. It should be noted that members of the press are not allowed at Trump Jr.’s speech. Obviously this isn’t Congress. It’s a privately-funded speaker series, so it has no legal obligation to let reporters in. This doesn’t mean the decision to bar media is ethical. It is the duty of the media to report on large, politically-charged events like this, especially given the state of the current climate. Journalism has a responsibility to the public to be the watchdog for the things
that might otherwise go unnoticed, to bring important issues to light and to equip citizens with knowledge. To keep the press from doing its job is to deny the public access to important information. And it begs the question, what is being said at these lectures that non-wealthy, nonRepublicans aren’t allowed to know about? Based on Trump Jr.’s claim during a speech at Faulkner University that college campuses suppress conservative voices, you can make some educated guesses about what will be discussed next Tuesday. Speculation is pretty much all we’ll have access to, anyway. The Kuehne Speaker Series has always barred the press from attending, and tickets to the events can only be obtained through an expensive sponsorship of the series. However, the North Texas Daily obtained a contract with past speaker
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Rudy Giuliani that showed media had been allowed to cover the event. The only thing that happened between Giuliani’s and Trump Jr.’s speeches to result in this policy change was the election of President Donald Trump to office, and the ensuing attacks on the integrity of the press. It is no reach that Trump Jr.’s support of his father, the president, influenced the choice to deny the presence of the media at his event. The Trump administration’s disrespect and blatant demonization of the media have been consistently increasing since the campaign days. Just last week, Trump essentially suggested censorship of a publication and called the media’s freedom “disgusting.” The President of the United States advocating the distrust of news media is influential. In the future, we may start to see the media being prohibited from more and more events due to this cultivation of contempt. Trump’s threats to legislatively abridge the press seem empty, but private citizens and groups reserve the agency to decline media coverage. The Kuehne Speaker Series’ decision to do so indicates the people’s weakened support of full freedom of the press in Trump’s America.
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