North Texas Daily - 12/01/2016

Celebrating 100 Years of Journalism Excellence VOL. 108 No.13

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

Election issues lead to Denton County shakeup

Students at Texas Woman’s University gather on Nov. 14 to voice their opinions and come together in solidarity.

Sara Carpenter

By Julia Falcon

Trump reaction: UNT, TWU students call for sanctuary campus

By Julia Falcon Amid the aftermath of presidentelect Donald Trump’s victory, students at UNT and Texas Woman’s University are pressuring UNT officials to make UNT a sanctuary campus, which would prohibit the federal government from removing undocumented students, faculty and staff from UNT grounds.

UNT students Stephanie Plancarte and David Lopez, and TWU student Maddie Fenn plan to lead a protest today that will begin at both campuses and end up at the

Denton Courthouse. They made an online petition and sent a copy to the administration.

Lopez, an English and education senior, said this movement is important to those who belong in marginalized groups, including immigrants, people of color and the LGBTQ community.

“We want our campuses to become sanctuaries so that we will know that the administration cares about its students who feel most marginalized because of this election,”

Born again in Bangkok

SEE BORN AGAIN ON PAGE 2

many of them have declared themselves sanctuary cities. Sanctuary cities restrict state and local governments from alerting federal authorities about people who may be in that city illegally.

Cities like New York City, Washington, D.C., Miami, Los Angeles and Portland have taken a strong stance defending undocumented immigrants, and all constituted

From small town to the NBA and back again

By Clay Massey From the beginning, Tony Benford knew what his calling was.

“I always knew I wanted to coach,” Benford said.

Benford’s passion for coaching started a long time ago. When he was just a middle schooler in Hobbs, New Mexico, Benford got to experience something not many young basketball players got the opportunity to do.

In Hobbs, and especially in the Benford family, three things mattered: god, family and basketball.

Head coach Tony Benford talks during timeout against Drexel. Colin Mitchell

By Kyle Martin

Former longtime and historic head coach of Hobbs High School, Ralph Tasker, would hold camps so that he could get a look at the younger prospects in his town.

“That was the goal,” Benford said.

“To play for Hobbs High School was everyone’s goal.”

Tasker was monumental in establishing a winning tradition in the hard-working town of Hobbs.

Benford lost a total of three games in his entire career from middle school to high school in a town of 30,000 people.

When he got his chance, Benford made the most of it.

Benford was named the New Mexico Player of the Year and a Converse All-American as a senior for a 27.5 points per game clip with Hobbs. He also helped bring his school a state title in his final season, averaging 29 points per contest in the state tournament.

For Benford, he was just continuing a long tradition and expectation of winning.

“Everybody expected to win

SEE COACH ON PAGE 7

SEE SHAKEUP ON PAGE 2

UNT student vying to give back in spite of fatal disease

SEE SANCTUARY ON PAGE 3

The journey of North Texas basketball’s Tony Benford

By Austin Jackson Looking at the ceiling tiles of Piyavate Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, 9,000 miles past the point of no return, a woman wearing a pink gown and weary eyes enters the final stretch of a 20 year journey.

Nurses in old-fashioned hats whisk her through the corridor and into the cold sterile surroundings of the operating room. After four hours, Texas Woman’s University graduate student Genevieve Ma’yet, 40, wakes up and sits with the after burn of anesthesia and invasive tubes leaving her feeling raw, hungover and exposed. This was Nov. 11.

For three days, she sat in bed, heeling from a penile inversion vaginoplasty, or sexual reassignment surgery. Her wound hemorrhaged, and the indignity of being watched began to feel normal to her. On the third day she rose, lurching herself off the bed until the full weight of her journey fell onto the balls of her feet.

“It felt good to take my first steps,” Ma’yet said.

Each step was a triumph. The stitches pulled. Her girlfriend steadied her through the dizzying haze of painkillers. She was lightheaded, but her heart was heavy.

Lopez said. “We hope the outcome will be for the university to agree on becoming a sanctuary along with other universities across the nation. We have faith that this will work and we will make our voices heard.”

One of Trump’s promises is to deport criminal immigrants and, as he famously said throughout his campaign, build a more than 2,000 mile-long wall between the United States and Mexico. His policy on immigration will target large cities, as

There has been a shakeup at the Denton County Elections Administration following a series of glitches and issues counting votes on Election Day. Three election officials departed the administration. Lannie Noble, the former elections administrator who oversees Denton County voting, resigned Nov. 16.

The former elections administrator for Tarrant County, Frank Phillips, was chosen this past Wednesday to replace Noble, who’s last day as elections administrator was this Monday.

“The election commission can’t tell them [employees] how to do their job, but they can come in and say they aren’t happy with something, and ultimately fire them if deemed necessary,” Denton County Judge Mary Horn said. “As soon as Lannie heard I called a meeting, I think he saw the hand on the wall, and decided this would probably be a good time to retire.”

Although there was a record-setting turnout of voters throughout this year’s election, election officials noticed there were still problems counting the votes.

Ultimately, some ballots were counted three times, however, officials said results were not affected.

During early voting, there were signs posted at polling sites that allegedly mislead voters into bringing the wrong forms of identification to vote. On Election Day, polls at some sites were in “test mode,” and voters were left to fill out paper ballots.

These paper ballots were either not counted or counted more than once, officials said.

Election officials found out that memory cards designated to scan paper ballots were mislabeled. They were also uploaded into a machine used to calculate electronic ballots. This caused election officials to believe there was a miscount.

On election night, officials noticed there was still something wrong with the votes.

Once the ballot boxes were closed and sealed, they can only be opened by court order. Some of the Denton County boxes were out of order. They looked like a

For public relations junior Leah Barker, every day gets scarier. Instead of stressing about finals or making it to class on time, her worries are bigger. Barker stresses about how much longer she’ll have with her mom. She gets nervous about her future. She gets discouraged about the deadly disease that’s made its way through her family.

She gets scared about what’s going to happen next, but she’s decided to try to make the best of it.

The Huntington’s Disease Society of America describes Huntington’s Disease as “a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities during their prime working years and has no cure.”

Because of this, Barker, 24, is crowdfunding money to take her mother, Anna Capp, traveling around the world before the symptoms of Anna’s Huntington’s Disease take over her mind and her body. Barker’s GoFundMe page, “Moving Mountains for Mama,” was launched early November.

Leah’s grandfather died of HD, both she and her mother have it and her younger sister, Courtney, is at risk of

SEE HUNTINGTON’S ON PAGE 4

IN THIS ISSUE NEWS

Big Mike’s Changes Name pg 3 Fry Street’s coffee shop, Big Mike’s, changed its name Wednesday to Aura Coffee. UNT marketing students worked on a project to rebrand the coffee shop.

ARTS & LIFE

The Dose: ‘Fantastic Beasts’ pg 5 “While the follow-ups could rise from the ashes of this film and actually be fantastic, the future of the wizarding world is looking awfully grim.”

SPORTS

A Year In Review: Mean Green pg 6 The Sports Staff reflects on North Texas athletics’ 2016. Writer Clay Massey focuses on the start of the Seth Littrell.

The football team is bowl-bound.

OPINION

Breaking Down the ‘Alt-Right’ pg 8 Since Trump’s election, there has been a lot said about the alternative right. In an editorial, the editors discuss what that means for students and the country

NEWS Page 2

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD Syrian rebels will resist Assad’s advance on Aleppo

Three resign amid election day mishaps SHAKEUP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Syrian rebels vowed Wednesday to continue the fight in East Aleppo in the face of a sudden government advance in the area, Reuters reported. Government advances so far have cut the area held by the opposition by a third in recent days, getting ever-closer to a restoration of government power on the previously ISISheld city. The Syrian armies advances last week have brought whole district of the city back into government control but have led to a human exodus of thousands leaving their pulverized neighborhoods.

Oil prices soar as OPEC cuts output The OPEC oil cartel nailed down its first joint output cut since 2008 on Wednesday after tough talks in Vienna, sending oil prices through the roof, Agence France-Presse reported. The 14-nation organization announced its aim at reducing global glut that has kept prices low for the oil exporters. The cartel will lower its monthly output by 1.2 million barrels per day, to 32.5 million barrels per day from Jan. 1, Qatar’s energy minister and president of the OPEC conference, Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada said.

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birds nest, Horn said. After unfolding and straightening out the ballots, the numbers seemed more normal. Horn said something still didn’t seem right.

“We got back to the company we buy our voting machines with and we discovered that five precincts had not been tabulated.

We determined what was missing and had it redone,” Horn said.

“Everything then made more sense.

This whole process took almost two weeks.”

Texas law requires all votes be certified by Nov. 22. Horn said Denton County had everything finished about 7 p.m. the day before, Nov. 21.

“I’d call it the perfect storm, if it could go wrong, it did,” Horn said.

“I never want to see that happen again. Protecting the integrity of the vote is important.”

There were three people who applied for the position as election administrator, and then it was narrowed down to two.

It came between Phillips and Kerry Martin, deputy elections administrator for Denton County

got, then is was necessary to let a few people go from the elections office, which did happen,” Horn said. “One of them was in their probation period, no issue there.

The other one was a civil service employee, and with that we gave him a letter with intent to terminate and in a required period of time he has the opportunity to respond if he wants. Frank will fill those applications. They haven’t been posted yet because we want Frank to filter those and decide who he wants to put in those elections.”

@falconjulia22

UNT moving child development lab to Mean Green Village

By Evan Groom The UNT child development lab is moving from Matthews Hall to Mean Green Village Building B next semester. A suite for Dr. Bertina H. Combes, the interim dean of education, will be constructed in its place, Helen Bailey, director of Facilities Planning and Design Construction, said.

The construction on the new lab, a laboratory preschool under supervision of the college of education, will finish this winter and is expected to cost $1.6 million in total. The dean of the college of education suite is currently early in the design phase.

“The child development lab currently has two classrooms for the children and faculty and an observation room for students to observe the children’s activities for their programs,” Bailey said.

The new facility will be expanding the total number of classrooms to four and will be adding a new, larger playground for the children. While the lab is being constructed, the current facility in Matthews Hall will continue operations until the end of the semester, Dr. Carol Hagen, director of the child

Pilot in Brazilian soccer team plane crash told Colombia controllers ‘no fuel’ before crash The pilot of the chartered plane carrying a Brazilian soccer team told Colombian air traffic controllers he was low on fuel before the fiery crash in the Andes, The Associated Press reported. The pilot pleaded for permission to land before crashing into the Andes, according to a leaked recording of the final minutes of the doomed flight. The crash, which killed all but six of the 77 people aboard, crazed Brazil, as members of their Chapecoense soccer team traveled to Medellin for the Copa Sudamericana finals after an electric soccer season.

German spy suspected of planning Islamist attack An employee of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency who reportedly “radicalized himself” was suspected of planning a terrorist attack Wednesday, USA Today reported. The 51-year-old Spanish-born German national was arrested in Dusseldorf for allegedly sharing secret information and making extreme threats on an Islamist internet forum. Prosecutors believe he was planning an attack on the Federal Office for the Protection of the Consitution, or BfV.

North Texas Daily

development lab, said.

One of the most significant changes to the new lab will be the addition of two play therapy rooms, Hagen said. Currently, the play therapy program is being conducted outside of the child development lab at the UNT Child and Family Resource Clinic.

The program, conducted by advanced doctoral-level interns and advanced master’s-level interns, studies the way children express their feelings through playing and help children with emotional issues through various playful activities, according to the UNT CFRC website.

The two programs had been working next door to each other in Stovall Hall before its destruction. She said that putting the play therapy program and child development programs back in the same building will help them revive the collaboration that had previously existed.

Once the current faculty and children are properly adjusted to the new facility, additional staff will be hired to accommodate the increase in size, Hagen said. This expansion will also allow for more children to be involved in the program and will allow more UNT students to be

Construction continues on the playground for UNT’s new child development lab facility.

The construction is expected to finish this winter. Evan Groom involved in the play therapy and child development programs.

The current staff and children that are enrolled in the program will remain during the move.

Hagen said they don’t want to surprise the children by changing too quickly, so they have been gradually explaining the move to the children and showing them photos of the new location. She said that she also expects a good transition for the faculty and students.

“You don’t want to throw too many changes at them,” Hagen said. “However, keeping the same teachers, the same schedule, the same materials, we expect that it should be a smooth

transition.”

Bailey said the primary reason for the move from on to off-campus was because of difficulties with the dropoff and pickup of the children on Highland Street.

She said since the street was reconstructed last year, there is significantly more traffic through the area, creating a risk for the children and parents.

Moving the program will also allow the college of education to expand within their own building, paving the way for new programs to be developed.

@evangroom

Board of Regents: New degrees and new property for UNT

Editorial Board

By James Norman and Julia Falcon

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

The UNT Board of Regents convened Friday, Nov. 18 and approved three new degree programs, as well as a property acquisition and finances for the UNT System and the UNT Health and Science Center.

The programs passed on the agenda include a major in Japanese, a joint master of social work degree program with Texas Woman’s University and a Master of Arts degree program with a major in Women’s and Gender Studies.

The first program approved was the Japanese degree program.

Currently, there are 80 students minoring in Japanese studies with 20 who are interested in a major in the subject. The degree would require a minimum of 120 hours,

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with 39 of those in the major and a minimum of 42 advanced hours.

Students majoring in this program would work in Japan or Japaneserelated fields, such as teaching English or working for Japanesebased companies. To expand the program, a third faculty member will be hired. As of right now, UNT offers degree programs in German, French and Spanish, and minors in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian and Spanish.

UNT President Neal Smatresk said these new degree choices will appeal to more select audiences and add more diversity by meeting more needs.

“I think that these programs have a pretty good user base already, you can get jobs where there is demand for it, portfolio, and give our students more options,” Smatresk said. “One of the things

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since 2013, for the job.

Phillips has been with Tarrant County since 2014, but before that was deputy constable in Precinct 3, a chief administrator in the Precinct 3 commissioner’s office, and director of administration to Horn in Denton County over the span of 18 years. Phillips is set to return to Denton County on Dec. 7.

Horn said that she trusts in Phillips to to great and knows he has the management and organizational strengths that an elections administrator needs.

“The first thing you do is find someone with the skills Frank’s

Neal Smatresk, president of UNT, proposes to negotiate and execute a multiyear agreement for UNT and the Dallas Cowboys to the Board of Regents May 19th. Tomas Gonzalez

they worry about for example is current and global issues against a global curriculum.”

A joint master of social work degree program between UNT and TWU was approved and will go into effect August 2017.

TWU approved the motion last week. This program will be an equal collaboration between the two universities and will have a common program and curriculum.

UNT and TWU have Bachelor of Social Work programs accredited by the Council of Social Work Education, a national accrediting body for both BSW and Master of Social Work programs.

The health care and social work field is rated as one of the fastest growing fields in Texas.

According to a Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board report, healthcare social work was rated as one of the fastest growing Master’s degree occupations, with a 35 percent increase in demand through 2020.

While both universities already offer a Bachelor of Social Work degree program, based on a 2015 survey, 80 percent of graduating BSW students said they would attend a joint program to complete their MSW. The closest MSW program is at UT Arlington.= UNT Provost Finley Graves negotiated the partnership with TWU, where people taking classes here and there can combine their forces.

The last degree program passed was the Master of Arts degree program with a major in Women’s and Gender Studies.

The new program will be housed in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Currently, this program has enough existing graduate courses to offer a stand-alone degree program. No additional faculty will be required.

In regards to the programs passed, Chairman of the Board Brint Ryan called them “critically important.”

“I think [it’s important to be] expanding our reach in those areas, particularly in parts of the world with growing economies,” Ryan said. “One of the things I’m really proud of is we’re so diverse at UNT. It’s part of our heritage, and what makes us strong.”

Ryan said he foresees no backlash or negative effects from the programs.

Other items approved included financing for the 2017 fiscal year, an amendment to Regents Rule 10.300 in regards to debt management and to UNT System Regulation 08.2000, as well as the FY18 and FY19 holiday schedule.

Lastly, the board voted and approved the acquisition of real property and professional medical malpractice self-insurance premium rates.

The property acquired is located at 1125 North Texas Blvd. in Denton. Other recent property acquisitions were 1011 North Texas Blvd. and 2114-2122 W Prairie St., both located in Denton.

The next Board of Regents meeting will be on Feb. 23 and 24 at UNT Dallas.

@falconjulia22 @JamesTNorman_WL

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NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 3

NASA and UNT partner to encourage STEM careers in children

By Bina Perino The US Congress funded NASA’s five-year initiative to promote interest in learning of space science and encourage young students to pursue careers in the STEM field.

NASA’s Heliophysics Education Consortium partnered with UNT’s Institute for the Integration of Technology into Teaching and Learning will set up programs to further this goal.

Professor Gerald Knezek and his student team are investing their time in a research project to find ways to educate younger generations on the importance of the STEM field for future space travel and to advance climate change research and prevention.

“The argument is no longer whether climate change was caused by humans or by nature,” Knezek said.

“The argument is what we’re going to do to ensure our survival.”

Knezek has been researching to figure out how to gauge young, middle school aged students’ interests in the STEM field. He uses a “career

interest questionnaire” and a “STEM semantics survey” to figure out where these students land in their interest.

The results are based on the scaling methods he uses.

“I think this is exciting research,” TAMS student Bihan Jiang said. “We have the opportunity to apply what we’re learning.”

Jiang, one of the students on Knezek’s team, has been analyzing the data Knezek’s surveys has gathered.

Through her research, a trend she has seen is that before the students are exposed to scientific technology they generally aren’t impressed. But once the team gets hands-on experience through technology-infused activities, the students gain interest.

“It’s good that we introduce these concepts to young kids,” said TAMS student Anna Ko. “We keep gathering data that shows there is potential.”

Ko, another student participating in data analysis, notices that young students are generally enthusiastic about scientific innovation. In fact, studies have begun to show that young girls are more likely to feel driven to make a difference when it comes to solving environmental problems.

However, there’s an overall trend that goes against the favor of mathematics. She said this lack of mathematic enthusiasm could have an effect on the STEM field, but that’s what the project is trying to combat.

“This research is important because the graphs show room for opportunity,” TAMS student Andy Wu said. “We’re working on analyzing this data to figure out what NASA’s initiatives should be in the future.”

Wu said he’s excited to be a part of Knezek’s team because he’s optimistic about the impact their research can make on future generations. He has been involved in 2-D and 3-D printing to help design UV protective glasses for the total eclipse in August 2017.

The process he’s using to develop these glasses will be used during seminars and camps to allow children to design their own protective glasses to use during the eclipse. These kinds of projects are what Knezek’s team are looking forward to.

“Next summer, we’re hoping to host a seminar at the Dallas Arboretum that will make children aware of how space weather effects our weather,” said graduate research

assistant Samson Den Lepcha. “As a Ph.D student, I’m glad to have an opportunity to not just have the classrooms and textbooks to learn from, but also applying my research in this project.”

Den Lepcha oversees the work of the TAMS students and helps them.

The hands-on opportunity of working with local schools and students is something he appreciates. He’s also looking into pursuing connections with indigenous communities and testing the potential there. Based on the historical connotation of indigenous people’s belief of taking care of the Earth, he’s hoping that those communities will feel encouraged to contribute to environmental initiatives, the end goal encouraging them to pursue STEM careers.

“One day, our research will go to Congress so they can vote on initiatives to encourage STEM in schools,” Knezek said. “We need to find where the motivation is so we can further our goal of going to Mars or surviving climate change.”

Todd Hileman, City Manager, mingles with guests at the meet-and-greet Nov. 14 at the Patterson-Appleton Arts Center. Hannah Breland

Illinois’ Todd Hileman hired as Denton city Big Mike’s Coffee changes name to Aura Coffee manager

UNT senior marketing students pose inside the cafe together with Aura’s Coffee owner, Kim McKibben, and UNT strategic marketing professor Eric Kennedy. Jennyfer Rodriguez

By Tiffany Ditto The days of Big Mike’s Coffee are no more.

The coffee shop changed its name to Aura Coffee Wednesday as Kim McKibben, the shops owner, unveiled her choice for the new name and her plans to rebrand and renovate the Fry Street coffee shop.

“I bought the building for the energy surrounding it,” McKibben said. “So Aura was the perfect name.”

The shop’s new name was the brainchild a group of students

from UNT’s Branding and Marketing class that impressed McKibben the most. Ninety-six students, under the direction of professor Eric Kennedy, were divided into groups and tasked with creating a new brand for the coffee shop. The groups made recommendations for the shop’s aesthetics, menu design, social media strategy, advertising strategy, and sponsorships.

“This team gave her a whole new layout [for the restaurant],” Kennedy said.

The winning six-student team spent around 198 hours

on the project and made recommendations for changing the color pallete, the layout of the community room in the back of the shop, and a redesign of the dining room area. Because McKibben doesn’t have a lot of money to redesign, the groups had to tell her the estimated price of each change.

“These guys did enough stuff to keep me busy for another five years,” McKibben said. “Who knows what the shop will look like when it’s all said and done.”

She added she will have to slowly make the changes to the

@binaperino

shop each time she gets a little money to renovate.

When McKibben took over the coffee shop in 2013, and began redesigning it last year, she planned to rename the shop Cara Coffee. McKibben said that the original thought to name the shop Cara Coffee stemmed from her love of Irish culture, and that to the Irish, Cara meant “friend”. However, one of the students in the winning group was bold enough to tell McKibben that in some Spanish dialects Cara means “expensive woman.”

“We didn’t want people to associate the shop with that,” McKibben said.

McKibben still doesn’t know when the coffee shop will get a new sign on its exterior, but plans to have local artist Matthew Long, a barista at her shop, paint the exterior.

In addition to a name change, the coffee shop will also stop selling Avoca Coffee. Instead the shop will brew Counter Culture Coffee. McKibben said that Aura will be the only coffee shop in North Texas selling Counter Culture coffee—setting her apart from the competition.

@Tiffanyditto

By Julia Falcon Denton City Council voted 7-0 to hire Glenview, Illinios, village manager Todd Hileman during a special called meeting on Monday.

Since 2004, Hileman has been the manager of Glenview, Illinios, and before then was the city manager of Avondale, Arizona from 2000 to 2004. Hileman has also served as city administrator in Delavan, Wisconsin and Vandalia, Missouri, with his local government experience totaling over 24 years.

During the community meet-and-greet held Nov. 14, Hileman talked about how he wants to focus on all levels of education and making sure all services of the city work as a team.

In a statement, Hileman said the city of Denton has a lot to offer his family, as he has a lot to offer for the city.

“After having the opportunity to speak with citizens and business owners, City staff, and the City Council, I am excited to be a part of your dynamic and growing community,” Hileman said. “With its quality of life offerings for my family, two top-notch universities, model school district, vibrant downtown, and dedicated

business community, I am honored to be Denton’s next City Manager.”

Mayor Chris Watts said that he thinks Hileman is a good fit for the city.

“He will bring fresh ideas and new approaches to problems we have, bring fresh thinking and envision to our city,” Watts said. “I think he will get a new exposure to our city, our full service city, that will give him exposure to that.”

The process to finding a new city manager began in Aug., with 71 applicants interested in this position.

“We had a consultant to help with our search, narrowed down to finalists, and council deliberated based upon that,” Watts said. “We decided to extend an offer to him and make an appointment agreement.”

The new city manager’s five-year contract will begin on or before Jan. 30. Interim city manager Howard Martin has been in the seat since June, when the contract of former city manager George Campbell was not renewed.

@FalconJulia22

Trump reaction: UNT, TWU students call for sanctuary campus SANCTUARY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 winning places for Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election.

In Texas, sanctuary cities include Dallas, Houston and Austin.

Recently, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that he is going to stop funding the sanctuary cities in Texas. Abbott’s visit to campus last year sparked widespread debate on campus, largely coming from Hispanic students who do not support the Republican Party’s immigration policies.

On a post on the Denton Matters page on Facebook, residents discussed the possibility of making Denton a sanctuary city.

On Nov. 11, UNT President Neal Smatresk sent out a university-wide email, telling students that UNT is an honest and caring community.

“Thank you for coming together this week to openly, respectfully and peacefully discuss your feelings and thoughts about the outcome of the Presidential election and its possible implications for our nation at home and abroad,” Smatresk said in the email.

“Our campus community, like our nation, holds many points of view about what is good and right for our country, and I am encouraged by the way

our community has responded to one another with discourse that ref lects intellect, empathy and understanding.”

The morning after the general election, UNT students joined thousands across the nation to protest Trump’s presidency.

University officials did not interfere with campus protests, which took place in Library Mall, one of the university’s designated free speech areas.

Students from UNT and TWU are coming together to help other students feel safe on campus, and not have their education suffer from not being a citizen of the United States.

International studies senior, Plancarte, said that she felt the need to make UNT a sanctuary campus from the emotions a lot of students were feeling after the presidential election.

Plancarte said she saw a few f lyers around campus about a white supremacist group recruiting people. Her biggest fear is border control going to universities and taking students away.

“Our goal is to help these students who feel like they are harmed, feel prejudice and see hate crimes,” Plancarte said.

“FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) can be taken away from universities

Students at TWU gather on Nov. 14 to voice their opinion and come together in solidarity. Sara Carpenter and share information about undocumented students, whose rights to privacy could

be taken away. My parents think that because I was born here, I’m not at risk and

shouldn’t be protesting. But that makes me feel more urge to do this and help people.”

@FalconJulia22

ARTS & LIFE Page 4

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

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Virtual reality forecasts the future

By Travis McCallum The Media Library and The Factory are planning to provide students with more options pertaining to virtual reality within the coming month. The emerging technology, which provides both an educational and recreational outlet for students, offers applications in medical, construction and communication fields, alongside a myriad of others.

The Oculus joined the media library in May 2015 and over 850 students have used it. The Vive arrived May 2016, bringing in 370 curious students.

Outreach and Program Director Jeremy Kincaid said there are two software development kits of the SDK Oculus Rift, along with HTC Vive that are equipped with two tripods holding cameras and a supercomputer to support the VR headset games.

The media library wants to mount the cameras above head level to allow for more walking room in the future, but the portability for transportation is more appropriate at the moment.

“VR is not really a feasible thing for people to buy right now on their own,” Kincaid said. “Unless they are really willing to dedicate a lot of time and money to it. So by us having

Jeremy Kincaid, outreach program coordinator at the Media Library, shares the Oculus Rift headset. Travis McCallum

it, it allows people to experience something that is new and upcoming that might not be able to in their everyday life.”

Since the media library is constantly looking for new types of media, VR provided a new and creative outlet to display that media.

Despite the fun and games, however, research is the first priority in the library.

The benefits of VR to students are plentiful. Students are able to “travel” to places they normally wouldn’t be able to go to, like the Sistine Chapel, in order to learn more about aspects and features of various places around the world. In addition, students studying anatomy or other medical related classes are able to practice on a skeletal system.

“We are engaged in students staying in school,” Kincaid said.

Factory worker John Knowles highlights Unity, a game design engine that utilizes VR technology at Willis Library. Four fully equipped workstations are available for students to experiment in-shop. In addition, an Oculus system can be checked out, often by professors for their research projects.

“One of the biggest advantages of Unity is that it publishes games that can take advantage of VR headsets,”

Knowles said. “It allows people to really easily get into making really interesting VR applications, interacting with 3-D objects and 3-D space in VR platforms without having to go and do all the backend coding that you would have to do to build a rendering engine.”

While the VR sets provide educational purposes for students, they also provide a way for students to take a break and relax from the stresses of upcoming finals.

At the moment, game options are limited. Games that have multi-use licenses are free downloads that can TAMS engineering student David Choperro guides his sister Michelle Choperro be shared with all students. Right on the HTC Vive at the Media Library. Travis McCallum now, each VR headset has four games year, but his school schedule didn’t available. The media library provides eliminate the licensing issue.

Kincaid expects VR to progress let him see it until the Thanksgiving the hardware, but students need their own software. Students are able to beyond the library. The hands-on break.

“I thought I might as well try it utilize their own Steam or Oculus engagement provides educational accounts for single-use licenses to opportunities that lay the ground floor for myself just to see what it is like because I had never tried VR before,” access the full roster of games. Steam for students.

“It makes me like I’m actually in Choperro said. “I’m kind of hooked recently announced they are in the process of allowing exclusive multi- the game,” engineering student David on it.”

Students interested in learning how Choperro said. “You forget where you use licenses for libraries.

The libraries are planning ahead are. You forget what time it is. You to utilize the VR technology in full are for future purchases of the PlayStation forget everything. You are just so deep encouraged to attend the workshops posted on The Factory website.

VR, which is expected to release in six in the game.”

He describes it as full immersion, months. The PlayStation is an easier way for everyday people, including imagining himself in his favorite book students, to afford VR. In addition, the where he gets to do things he’d never PlayStation VR will provide physical do in real life. His friends told him @Travis_McCallum disc copies of the games, which would about the technology earlier in the

Student raises money to give dying mother a trip around the world HUNTINGTON’S CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 developing it.

“I understood something was wrong with my mom and I knew she was struggling,” Leah said.

“I became very self-aware at a very young age.”

If a parent has HD, that parent’s children have a 50 percent chance of inheriting the disease. Around 30,000 Americans show symptoms of HD and over 200,000 are at risk of inheriting it, according to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America’s website, hdsa.org.

As of now, there is no cure and minimal treatment for HD.

“I started having some extreme mental problems within myself that I kind of wanted something to blame,” she said.

“I didn’t just want to be crazy, so I went and got tested.”

The disease is a genetic disorder – a mutation in one’s DNA shows the whether or not one has inherited the disease.

According to Predictive Testing for Huntington Disease, “the gene causing HD has been shown to have a region in which three of the bases (CAG) are repeated many times. A normal gene contains 35 or fewer CAG repeats, while the Huntington

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disease-causing version has 36 or more repeats. A gene with 36–39 repeats falls into a ‘reduced penetrance’ (RP) range, which may or may not be associated with the onset of HD symptoms.”

Two years ago, Leah got tested for HD. The results revealed that her CAG repeats were at 43.

She will progressively develop HD in her coming years, losing portions of both mental and physical capabilities.

From a young age, Leah said she was told by her family that only males could get it “so that [she] wouldn’t be scared.” Being that she and her sister were raised by their single mother, times were tough and they had plenty to worry about without having to think about HD. “I remember crying because I was so thankful for my mom and the things she did for us,” Leah said.

But as her mom develops harsher symptoms, and while Leah has been tested and diagnosed with the disease, this is the reality they live in.

Anna’s symptoms will only worsen, alongside Leah’s. The two of them, together, will have to continue living knowing that their symptoms will get no better and their disease will eventually take over their lives.

“It’s really, really hard to sit and watch somebody that you love at such a young age, she’s only 46, forget who you are, forget normal daily things,” she said. “Basically you have to

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Leah said her project, “Moving Mountains for Mama,” is her way to give back to her mother for single-handedly raising her and her sister to be what they are today.

“I want to see her happy more than anything,” she said. “I want to surprise her for once.”

Courtney Barker, Leah’s 22 year old sister living in Denton, spoke highly of her mother and of her sister’s goals to give back, even in the face of such a destructive disease. Though she herself has not been tested, she has a 50/50 chance of developing symptoms and says she still struggles daily with heavy anxiety, which could be an early sign of HD. She shared perspective on growing up and

losing her grandfather to the disease.

“As a child, seeing my grandpa continuously twitch and turn super, super thin – it really frightened me,” Courtney said. “It’s something you don’t really describe, it’s something you have to see for yourself. “ Uncontrollable twitching is another symptom of HD, often causing patients to burn a lot of extra calories and lose weight.

Eventually, most HD patients will need a caregiver to help maintain their own health, as they themselves will lose the ability to do so.

“I don’t think people are aware of the fact that Huntington’s Disease affects your whole entire life, not just when you’re older,” Courtney said. “You are automatically different in the head because of

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Huntington’s Disease.”

Now that her mother and her sister both have HD, she sees “Moving Mountains for Mama” as a chance to give something back. Even though her mother will not be the same in the years to come, they now have an opportunity to show her the world, or at least some of it, while she still has some of her health left.

“Our mom, literally our whole entire life, she has taught us how to love unconditionally and not just for us as her daughters, but for everyone else around her,” Courtney said. “She has been the first person to give, she has been the first person to make somebody smile.”

@Kyle_Martin35

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 5

The Dose: ‘Fantastic Beasts’ is all bark, no bite

By Evan Groom Throughout “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them,” I kept waiting for a moment.

A crucial moment of exposition is for the primary characters to stop casting spells and have a real, human moment to get me invested in their story.

Any film should be peppered with those moments, something that all eight “Harry Potter” films did masterfully.

That moment never truly shows up in “Beasts.” In its place were more visual effects and surface-level worldbuilding than you can wave a wand at.

And don’t get me wrong, the surface of “Beasts” is dazzling, charming stuff.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them” follows Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), a magical beast collector, who arrives in 1920s New York with a magical suitcase housing dozens — possibly hundreds — of bright and colorful creatures.

While chasing an escaped creature, Scamander inadvertently runs into the non-magical Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), who accidentally releases a slew of

creatures upon unsuspecting New Yorkers.

From there, he’s forced to work with Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), a former Auror for the Magical Congress of the United States of America, and her psychic sister Queenie (Alison Sudol). Together, the group chases down the escaped beasts to return them to their temporary home in Newt’s case.

It’s when the group navigates Prohibition-era New York, with its hidden-in-plain-sight magical underbelly, that the film is at its most wondrous.

The set designs ooze ‘20s Gothic authenticity, and its extension of the wizarding world feels unique and livable.

Each of the wizarding world’s flourishes are on full display, more so than any other “Potter” film. But while the series used the various trinkets and quirks to bring out different elements of characters and personalities, “Fantastic Beasts” does the opposite. The “world” is the new character, while the humans are simply excuses to show off pretty scenery.

Redmayne, with his foppish hair and low, muttering vocal delivery, has no charisma and minimal amounts of personality. Little is known

about his character — or any of the main cast, for that matter — and very little reason is given for us to care about his journey besides his passion for animals.

Every romance in the film, specifically the connection between Kowalski and Queenie, is entirely too tenuous and shallow to convince viewers of their legitimacy by the end of the film. There’s no substance, spark or significant moment to let us understand their connection to one another.

Little of the film’s two-hour running time is spent with the characters. Instead, the time we spend mostly consists of jokes or vague quips about their pasts, which annoyingly serve as setups for future Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures sequels.

The most interesting most likely to catch viewers’ characters are, without a doubt, attentions. the villains. The motives of I understand how anyone, Graves (Colin Farrell) and especially a die-hard “Potter” Credence (Ezra Miller) are kept fan, could find a lot to love in vague until the finale, and the this world. I just couldn’t find portions we see are intriguing anything real to latch onto like and rather disturbing at points.

I could in the previous movies.

That momentum is ruined, J.K. Rowling, the creator of however, when the main villain “Harry Potter,” brilliantly is used as an excuse to blow up crafted characters with genuine half of the city unexpectedly heart in those stories. and with no compelling motive, I don’t know if Rowling, who

wrote this script, has lost her love for the wizarding world — which is possible after the nightmare that was “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” — or if she was just trying something new that didn’t turn out the way she envisioned.

Recently, “Fantastic Beasts” was announced to be the first in a five film series and it really shows. Aside from a few scenes, this narrative fails to

stand on its own.

While the follow-ups could rise from the ashes of this film and actually be fantastic, the future of the wizarding world is looking awfully grim.

@evangroom0

TWU student’s lifelong wish comes true in Thailand BORN AGAIN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 And this week, Ma’yet returned home to Texas.

Growing up different Ma’yet was 4 years old when she first became conscious of her sexual identity. This was Chicago.

“You just feel different from everyone else,” Ma’yet said.

“You don’t know who to talk to.

You don’t know if what you’re feeling is or isn’t normal.”

At school, she was a student who made A’s but couldn’t make friends and an athlete who didn’t like sports. She said she grew up feeling alone.

“Hiding who you are, hiding how you feel,” Ma’yet said. “In the ‘80s nothing transgender or trans anything was really talked about. It was a lot of confusion and trying to figure out why I don’t feel right in my body. It was difficult.”

In hindsight, her mom, Bonnie Wnenkowski, saw signs that her child, born Jonathan Picha, would grow into her daughter. Today, she calls her daughter “Gen.” “I really thought around 6 or 7 I was seeing things that were alerting me, I could just tell there was something happening there,” Wnenkowski said.

Wnenkowski first became aware of Genevieve’s identity when the 6-year-old wore a dress for Halloween. She was struck by how comfortable and happy her daughter looked. When her father came home, Ma’yet jumped out of the costume.

Wnenkowski was unaware of the fear her daughter had of her husband.

Ma’yet said her dad was

Courtesy of Genevieve Ma’yet

mentally and physically abusive.

Her mother “wasn’t around a whole lot.” While Wnenkowski was busy at work as an electric engineer at Bell Labs, Ma’yet lived beneath the shadow of her father’s expectations.

“It’s unfortunate but it’s true,” Ma’yet said. “The mental was just a constant fear of failure. He always told me I would fail. ‘School is a waste of time, you’re not going to amount to anything, grow up and get a real man’s job.’ He had a real blue-collar mentality.”

He punched and kicked her, “he even hit me with a guitar.”

After making a stand for herself, Ma’yet left for college, where she found the resources to explore herself. Four years later she came out to her family.

“The reaction wasn’t one of unacceptance, but more of worry,” Wnenkowski said. “I was worried how people, in general, would treat her, and of course, being my child, you go into protective mode. I never wanted her to get hurt. Society is just awful.”

Though Wnenkowski had her suspicions, Ma’yet kept her pain hidden. But after seeing her blossom recently, she just wishes she could’ve helped her daughter sooner.

Wnenkowski wants to write a book about her experience to help other parents raising children without expectations associated with gender assignment.

“It’s just total acceptance because at the end the day they will stay the same,” Wnenkowski said. “The person you love is the is still the same person. The good, decent, wonderful, loving person is still there, it doesn’t

go anywhere. The rest makes her comfortable but it doesn’t change how you feel about them deep inside.”

Born again Memories of a 6-year-old who wanted be a princess for Halloween only to be scolded and stuffed into Army camouflage come to mind. Memories of a childhood home wallpapered with mental and physical abuse.

Memories of feeling broken and flawed, leaving death as the only solution.

Through the scars of the past and the pain of the present, Mayet steps into the bathroom and catches the gaze of a woman she’s never seen before, the person she was born to be.

“It’s almost indescribable,” Ma’yet said over the phone.

“Emotionally it’s overwhelming.

I finally have the pieces that make me whole — the pieces I always knew I should have been born with. It’s overwhelming relief and joy.”

Though insurance companies consider the procedure to be cosmetic, Ma’yet said it saved her life.

“It’s the dream I’ve always had,” she said. “It takes away a lot of my trepidation about existing.”

It took about 20 years of budgeting and siphoning from her 401k to accrue the $17,000 needed for her surgery. At first, she only considered surgeons located in the United States.

But with the out-of-pocket cost starting around $25,000 to $40,000, she realized she simply couldn’t afford the procedure.

In 2015, Ma’yet and her girlfriend Kate Ford, 36, began researching alternative options.

This eventually led the pair to Dr. Preecha Tiewtranon, a renowned surgeon. Despite the $4,000 cost of two round-trip tickets to Bangkok, the financial feasibility and reputation of Dr. Preecha made Ma’yet’s dream a reality.

One year before Ma’yet’s birth and 41 years before her rebirth, Dr. Preecha became the first in Thailand to perform sexual-reassignment surgery.

By the early 2000s, Preecha had created a niche industry in his image and helped turn Bangkok into a global gender reassignment surgery destination. According to the Preecha Aesthetic Institute website, Dr. Preecha and his staff have performed 5,136 of

these surgeries.

In a 2001 report from The New York Times Magazine, Preecha said his close work with transgender community helped him understand their struggle and appreciate their strength.

“You know, someone you do stomach surgery on, maybe it’s very hard for them, and you do a good job, but the patient is just saying, ‘Oh pain, pain, pain,’’’ Preecha said. “The sexualreassignment surgery patients are always happy. They don’t complain. They say they are born again here in Thailand, and they are happy.”

Coming home to America’s Transition From their high-rise hospital room, overlooking the neon glitz and congested chaos of Bangkok, Ma’yet and Ford watched in horror as Donald Trump became elected the 45th president of the United States.

Ford said she fears the once silent minority will feel emboldened by Trump’s rhetoric and resort to violence against her community.

“America made hate popular again,” Ford said.

But while they fear the next four years, Ma’yet said being trans in America has never been easy.

“Every time I go out, I have to

put on thick skin because people always have something to say,” she said. “[They’ll] laugh at me or jeer at me.”

Moreover, she said going to a public bathroom is terrifying because she never knows if someone is going to yell at her or call the cops.

Ma’yet said the surgery and a new birth certificate helps relieve those fears.

“It’s going to make me more confident,” Ma’yet said. “I not only feel like myself, I’m able to be myself.”

She was able to afford the procedure that most with gender dysphoria simply can’t. She had the resources to get 16 years of counseling to cope with her depression and suicidal ideation.

The only assistance for transgender health care or therapy in America was a provision in the Affordable Care Act. But now, with Trump’s campaign promise to repeal and replace it, Ma’yet fears those in the trans community will be left without the hope of care.

“I know I can use my experiences to help other people and use it as a positive,” she said.

She said making an impact is important. It’s why she upended her career as an environmental compliance specialist in the private sector and enrolled at

TWU for her second master’s degree to teach.

“I’ve suddenly realized I really haven’t made that much of a difference,” she said.

“That’s why I wanted to get into teaching, I want to teach science. And teach about the environment and the planet and how cool it is.”

While the Earth’s transition looks dire, Ma’yet said there’s a bright future ahead.

In a year she plans on using her semen sample stored in a cryogenic lab to start a family with Ford. But before discovering what it’s like to be a mom, Ma’yet plans on discovering what it’s like to be herself. “[The surgery] is a completion of a lot of roads that I’ve been on and the creation of a new road to discover more about myself,” she said. “ I don’t have to deal with that aspect hanging over my head anymore. Now that my physical self is complete I can start to complete my mental self.”

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

North Texas football roundtable: wrapping up the Mean Green’s 2016 Who was North Texas’ most valuable player and why?

Reece Waddell: This is tough.

It’s between Mason Fine and Jeffery Wilson, but I’m going with Wilson. When he was healthy, Wilson was one of the best running backs in the country. He was on pace for 1,000 yards and at one point was rivaling Heisman frontrunner Lamar Jackson of Louisville in rushing touchdowns.

Clay Massey: Eric Keena.

Yup. The Mean Green punter was outstanding this season.

The senior from Keller punted 69 times for a 43.8 yard average, which was good enough for 22nd in the nation and it was a career low for him. This guy f lipped the field on so many teams, and he can run on fakes. He only made one mistake this season and it was in the final game of the year. I’ve started a #Keena4Heisman campaign you should all join.

Matt Brune: The MVP of the team was Jeffery Wilson. In a year where the defense was passable, the quarterback play was dicey, and the offensive line was shuff led more than a game of Uno, he was the lone player who was constantly reliable. That is before he got hurt, but you get my point. I’m glad he’s coming back next year.

Courtney Anderson: The MVP has to be Mason Fine.

As a true freshman, he led the Mean Green to a 5-7 season (which I predicted from the get-go) in the first year of the rebuilding process. He racked up 1,572 yards before getting pulled out early in the game versus Western Kentucky, due to injury, and already made school history by having the longest run by a quarterback at 80-yards.

Trevon McWilliams: Mason Fine, without a doubt. He is the team’s most pivotal player and is the future of North Texas football. Even though he got hurt at the end of the season, everything he accomplished during his time as a freshman starting quarterback shows a lot about his preparation, dedication, and character.

Who under-performed that you expected more out of?

RW: Terian Goree. At 6’3 and entering his second season, many expected Goree to be the primary target for Fine.

Unfortunately, he never got going, and head coach Seth Littrell announced he was suspended for the final two games of the season for violating an undisclosed team rule. He finished the year with 328 yards and two touchdowns on 36 catches and ranks second on the team in receiving. For a guy with the size and skill set to be the No.

1 receiver, not even leading the team in receiving is a huge letdown.

CM: Goree. He was the new No. 1 receiver this season but did not perform like it. He started pretty strong, but some slow games down the stretch and a suspension for the final two regular-season games and any postseason play due to a violation of team rules really hurt his numbers. He had just 36 catches for 328 yards, which is not enough from someone who is supposed to be your primary target.

MB: Well, I had this team going 2-10, so in a way, I under-performed. But in all seriousness, I came into the year expecting them to be bad, and after the first five weeks, I still did not think that they were very good. Therefore, the only player that disappointed me was the two-time national champ Alabama transfer himself, Alec Morris.

CA: Personally, I was coming into this season expecting more from Alec Morris.

There was so much hype surrounding him because he was transferring from Alabama, even though he only had one throw and completion his entire time there. In four out of the five games he made an appearance in this season, he had interceptions. For only appearing in those five games, though, he did earn over 800

yards which, on average per game, is more than Fine.

TM: Without a doubt, Alec Morris. A two-time national champion at Alabama, expectations were high for Morris entering the season.

But after a bad debut outing against SMU, he was benched for Fine and did not see the field again until Fine got hurt and he started the last two games of the season. His level of play was just never there, and it showed.

Give an overall grade (AF) on the team’s season and on Seth Littrell and brief ly explain why.

RW: I’m giving the team a B, and Littrell an A-. The bottom line is this team won one game in 2015, then won five this season and is going to a bowl. They lost a few games they were in (UTSA, Middle Tennessee, SMU) and had some other blunders like the dud at UTEP last weekend.

For Littrell, he made a very gutsy move to burn Fine’s redshirt and play him over Alec Morris. He made good on his promise to tee it high and let it f ly, and rejuvenated an offense that was downright atrocious last year.

CM: I’m going to give this season a B+, and Seth Littrell an A-. Being anywhere near bowl eligible was just a fever dream 13 weeks ago, now

we will all sit anxiously on Sunday to see where the Mean Green will be bowling. That is quite the turnaround any way you slice it. The man leading the revival is Saint Littrell himself, and after following this team all season, I firmly believe Littrell is one of the best young coaches in college football. His coaching philosophy and values are universal, and the team has latched on to that. He laid a great foundation in year one and set himself up for more success in year two.

MB: I’m not grading this team off expectations, I’m grading them off of what I saw throughout the year. This team was outscored in regulation 379 to 277 in 12 games, beat three scrubs, had two nice wins, lost five games to better teams and disappointed me against UTSA and UTEP. Overall I give the team a C+.

Littrell, however, did a great job on the team this year and I like the direction they are going. he gets a B+.

CA: Saint Littrell gets a B+ and the team as a whole gets a C+ in my book. Littrell came into North Texas working with a 1-11 team under Dan McCarney and turned it around to a more successful season. Next year, I hope to be attending a university who’s football team has a winning record. In college, the saying is “Cs get degrees,” and in the

case of North Texas football, Cs get bowl games, barely. If it wasn’t for the APR score, the season would have ended with the loss in El Paso.

TM: Littrell deserves an Adue to the fact he improved the offense, defense and special teams. The team gets a B-. Yes, they won four more games than they did in 2015, but they also lost winnable games and limped into a bowl on APR at 5-7.

Editor ’s Note: With the 2016 regular season complete for the Mean Green, the North Texas Daily sports staff has reviewed and analyzed their perform ance this year.

@ReeceWaddall15 @Clay_FC @mattbrune25 @CPaigeA23 @trevonmac1

COLUMN

Year one of the Seth Littrell era would have been successful even without a bowl game

By Clay Massey I am faced with a conundrum.

At the beginning of the season, I upset quite a few people by saying North Texas football would only be slightly better this year.

So I made a deal.

Here I sit at the end of November after 12 football games were played, and I find myself in a situation where I was both right and wrong. North Texas will more than likely make a bowl game, but the Mean Green did not qualify for one based on their record.

Instead, North Texas will

probably go bowling thanks to its Academic Progress Rate, which is 10th in the country at 984. While there are nine schools with better scores, eight of them already have the six wins necessary for bowl eligibility, so APR is irrelevant.

Officially recognized in 2004, APR measures eligibility and retention of studentathletes. According to the NCAA, each student-athlete receiving athletic related financial aid earns one point for staying in school and one point for being academically eligible. A team’s points are then divided by the total they could have received and multiplied by 1,000 to get APR. Essentially, the Mean Green can thank their grades for an opportunity to take home a bowl title for only the second time in 10 years.

If you think about it, it’s kind of funny. Seth Littrell posted five wins but had to be helped out by the grades North Texas earned

under former head coach Dan McCarney. Oh, irony.

So, am I sorry for saying the Mean Green would not be incredible this year? No. North Texas technically did not qualify for a bowl game and will be considered alternates if they are given an invitation on Sunday when the participants are announced.

An asterisk is already donned by their name on the numerous bowl projections that have been released.

Don’t get it twisted, though. I like APR. I think it’s fitting the NCAA rounds out its bowl schedule with teams that didn’t quite hit the .500 plateau because that is the reason we’re all here at college – to get an education. North Texas athletics has a history of being great at academics, so it is pretty cool to see that paying off.

The Mean Green should be rewarded with a bowl game for what was, in relation to their 2015 campaign, a remarkable season.

To go from one win last year to bowling the next is almost the

ultimate turnaround, even if you had to limp in (almost literally) on APR. North Texas improved, and that is the most important thing.

A foundation was laid in Littrell’s first year, and the Mean Green are set up for success in the future.

North Texas cut opponent scoring by 100 points while scoring over 100 more points than last year’s team. A young defense that got better as the year went by will return eight key contributors next season.

The offense will still have its engine in freshman quarterback Mason Fine and junior running back Jeffery Wilson, who was on pace to have a 1,000-yard season before knee surgery sidelined him for a couple of weeks.

Littrell had an iconic win at Army and won three games in Conference USA play. He had a successful season, even if the Mean Green would not have made it into a bowl game, which on paper they should not have.

Littrell promised New Denton, and he delivered, laying the

groundwork for the future. That is the most important part of year one.

But you know what else is also important?

Me being right – and I was. I told you they would go 5-7, and I told you they would not be spectacular. So I’ll bask in that glory momentarily

before getting ready to cover this team in postseason play.

See you when North Texas goes bowling.

@Clay_FC

Junior running back Willy Ivery celebrates after scoring late against Southern Miss.

Colin Mitchell

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 7

Jalie Mitchell looks to lead women’s basketball program to prominence

By Matt Brune Headed by sophomore duo Rosalyn Reades and Jalie Mitchell, the Mean Green women’s basketball team took the court at the Super Pit. Their opponent, for the second time in the 1999 season, was the dominant Southern Methodist University Mustangs.

The Mustangs came in with a 15-2 record, while North Texas was struggling at 9-8. But with Mitchell as the team’s leader and best player, the team never feared a challenge.

The Mean Green defeated SMU 90-77 in what was a monumental win for the

program, and for Mitchell.

The victory is one of the memories she relives every time she steps onto the court in the Pit. “We didn’t lose much on this floor, only four losses at home in my time,” Mitchell said. “I have a lot of great memories, like buzzer beaters, and my career high in points [game], and beating SMU here.”

After her playing days finished, Mitchell found a job in banking until she discovered an opening in coaching that she could pursue on the side.

“I knew I wanted to coach, and I got into it around 2006,” Mitchell said. “I was still banking, but I was helping out

with an ABA men’s team in Fort Worth for a couple of years before I got my first coaching opportunity as an assistant here in 2008.”

From banking and assisting the Texas Tycoons’ ABA team, to finally getting a shot at North Texas, Mitchell has never really wanted to be anywhere else, despite taking a few assistant gigs elsewhere to build her resume.

She admits the opportunity to coach in Denton has been extraordinary, and in a way feels like it was just meant to be.

“The advantage I had is that I came to a place that I already knew and loved and really had a passion for,” Mitchell said.

“I had the pleasure of already bleeding green, so it was a nobrainer for me to come back and take the position.”

Her passion has spilled onto the court, where in practices, timeouts, and games she has shown an intensity that pushes her players on a consistent basis.

In her first year, Mitchell posted an 11-19 record, including nine home losses, more than twice what she had in her four years as a player. Despite this, she has shown major signs of improvement, not only with her coaching, but also with her recruiting and ability to draw players from other prominent programs. “[She has] a lot of

competitiveness and she pushes us,” senior guard Terra Ellison said. “Now, we’re pushing to get somewhere with this program.

Her mindset and how much passion she has for basketball just helps us and also the program.”

Mitchell attributes a large part of her success to her years at the University of Texas at Austin under Karen Aston.

While Mitchell is still fairly young, she already has the intangibles that allow her to connect with players -- an ability that few coaches possess in college basketball.

Players new to the Mean Green feel this connection early in their arrival at North Texas.

“What stood out to me [is] how she cares for us,” sophomore guard Tyara Warren said. “She’ll push us. If we’re not doing something the way that she thinks we can, she’ll push us in practice until we do it [right].”

Just like when she was a player, Mitchell wants to be the best. While she pushes her team in practice, they know her experience as an assistant and a player shape how she views the game. Warren said along with caring for her players, Mitchell also prepares them for challenges and obstacles that come with the grind of a full season.

“Being mentally tough, she teaches that a lot,” Ellison said.

“Without her here I probably would not have that [as much].

A lot of the things she tells us I bring off of the court as well. The way she pushes us in practice is the way I push myself

in life.”

Back on the hardwood, Mitchell’s squad has loaded up with talent, and after an influx of transfers and freshman, appears ready to compete at a high level.

Now more than ever, the ceiling is high, and the expectations are lofty.

But just as she did against the 15-2 Mustangs nearly 16 years ago, she never backs down to the challenge ahead. “[I want to] build and expand the program and put North Texas basketball in a place that it hasn’t been,” Mitchell said. “Even myself as a player, we didn’t go to the NCAA tournament, so for me taking on this challenge, [I want] to make it the best, not just continue to be mediocre.”

With a young core and only three seniors on this year’s team, the women’s basketball team is poised to contend for Conference USA titles in the near future.

The Jalie Mitchell at North Texas is in full swing -- again.

And she expects to hang some banners.

When I think about the A&M’s and the Baylor’s, they all started somewhere,” Mitchell said. “Look at them today and they’re a different program because somebody’s came in there and turned it around, so it can be done, and that’s the goal.”

@mattbrune25

North Texas women’s basketball head coach Jalie Mitchell runs through plays before an overtime last season. Colin Mitchell

Benford’s coaching impacts players beyond the court COACH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 championships,” Benford said.

“It’s all about winning there. We had great role models. It’s hard working people. People who love family and God.” His high school play caught the attention of a handful of schools, but Benford already knew where he was going. Hobbs native and mentor Rob Evans was at Texas Tech University and had helped establish a pipeline from Hobbs to Lubbock.

Evans is now Benford’s associate head coach at North Texas more than 30 years later.

The Next Level Benford knew he was going to be a Red Raider under historic coach Gerald Myers. Myers was a Red Raider through and through after being a studentathlete at Tech in the 50s. In his tenure, he won the most games of any Texas Tech men’s basketball coach.

Myers pushed his players and had a brazen personality. He was not always the easiest coach to play for.

Benford was not fazed.

“I was from Hobbs,” Benford said with a laugh. “We knew how to work.”

Myers’ attention to detail is what ultimately helped shape

Benford into the coach he is today.

“He’s a very very good coach,” Benford said. “I learned a lot from him. The thing I took from him is that you have to be detailed. You have to be firm with your student athletes and you have to be a balanced coach on teaching offense and defense.”

Benford changed his play when he arrived in Lubbock.

Hobbs was a high flying offensive power-house that would routinely be near the top in scoring in the nation while Texas Tech played a more halfcourt style.

The 6’3 guard was a centerpiece of a Red Raider team that won Southwest Conference regular-season and tournament titles in 1985. The Red Raiders snagged a 1986 SWC tournament championship while Benford was selected to the All-Southwest Conference team and was named the tournament’s MVP. “He worked at it,” Evans said. “He worked tirelessly. He studied the game. He wasn’t a great athlete, but he was a good player because he worked at it.”

Benford caught the attention of a handful of NBA teams and, in 1986, Benford was selected by the reigning champion Boston Celtics in the fourth round of the NBA Draft. It was a strange

day for the Lakers fan, but he put aside his fandom.

Benford celebrated with family and friends that night, but the next morning he received a call that shook him.

A reporter from the Boston Globe rung.

“He says, ‘have you heard the news?’” Benford said. “I say, ‘no.’”

The Celtics second overall pick, Len Bias from the University of Maryland, was dead. Bias overdosed on cocaine the night he was selected.

“I was shocked,” Benford said.

“That was a tough camp. Nobody really wanted to be there. There was a cloud over camp.”

But Benford and the Celtics pushed on. After trying his chops against Larry Bird, Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle and Bill Walton, Benford was released by the Celtics and picked up by the Chicago Bulls.

After competing against Michael Jordan in Bulls’ camp, Benford was released again.

After failing to find a home in the NBA, he found an opportunity in the Netherlands.

Benford played in Holland for the 1986-87 season before returning home to pursue a career in coaching.

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North Texas men’s basketball head coach Tony Benford runs through plays during a timeout. Colin Mitchell pace for Benford.

“It was different,” Benford said. “It was a good experience.

It was good basketball. After all the pressure of trying to play in the NBA and you don’t quite make it, it was nice. You go over there and everyone wants your autograph and is treating you the right way.”

Benford started off coaching junior high, but quickly found a job in his home state of New Mexico. It was a special time for the Benford family.

Benford then went to Arizona State and held two jobs in a 14year span. Then in a whirlwind, he accepted a job at Utah State, but never went to Utah. Then the University of Texas at El Paso called, and Benford was there for two weeks before accepting a long-term position at Nebraska University.

He spent two seasons with the Cornhuskers before moving to Marquette University during the prime of the Big East.

Benford coached NBA stars Jimmy Butler, Wesley Matthews and Jae Crowder in his time at Marquette, helping the Golden Eagles reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Marquette is where Benford honed his craft, developing a system of inside-outside play with an emphasis on paint touches. After taking the North Texas head coaching job in 2012, Benford modeled the Mean Green program on this strategy.

In his four years at North Texas, the Mean Green has been near the top of ConferenceUSA in free-throw attempts due to this. Benford and his staff chart every paint touch North

Texas takes, and if they are not getting enough, someone will say something.

“Now we don’t make a lot of free throws,” Benford said, chuckling. “But if we can get that number up we’re going to average more points.”

When building his staff at North Texas, Benford knew one key cog he had to have – his old friend Evans. He asked Evans to join his him as an associate head coach after his introductory press conference, and would not take no for an answer.

Evans had been at Texas Christian University for less than a year and was also being courted by the legendary Larry Brown at Southern Methodist University, but after careful deliberation and a 3 a.m. conversation, he and his wife decided a move to Denton would be best.

The tables had turned.

“I knew that’s where I needed to be,” Evans said. “I felt like I had a lot to offer because he was a new head coach. I wanted to get him off on the right track with sound advice.”

He wanted a man that had seen it all on his bench, and a man he could bounce ideas off of at any time.

“There are times when he’ll text us and email us at 3 o’clock in the morning,” Evans said.

“But that’s what you’ve got to do to be successful.”

Why you coach Benford knows why he coaches, which is something he thinks is necessary. He wants to make an impact on the lives of young men through basketball.

Senior guard J-Mychal Reese has been affected by Benford in his time at North Texas after transferring from Texas A&M University.

Reese immediately picked up on the type of coach Benford would be when he first met him.

“He always says if you’re playing hard and working hard, the rest will take care of itself,” Reese said. “He pretty much lives by that and has us thinking the same way. It’s fun to play for him.”

In the final year of his contract at North Texas, Benford has the Mean Green off to a 4-3 start. With just 54 wins and one conference tournament win to his name at North Texas, job security could become a question at the end of the season.

Despite this, Benford knows he’s won when he gets a call from one of his players down the road telling him what they meant to him. As a father and a husband, he wants to help mold his players into role models.

Not too long ago one of his former players got married and shot his former coach a text saying he loved him.

“Stay true to yourself and be genuine,” Benford said. “Those guys that can call me are so rewarding to me. That makes it worthwhile.”

@Clay_FC

OPINION Page 8

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

COLUMN

How should rappers respond to Donald Trump?

By Preston Mitchell Illustration by Antonio Mercado

It’s time to start calling the ‘alt-right’ proto-fascists

By The Editorial Board “Hail Trump! Hail our people!

Hail victory!” is what a swarm of white nationalists shouted on Nov. 19 when Richard Spencer, the president of the National Policy Institute, led a Washington, D.C., conference declaring those same words.

Taking place a few blocks away from the White House, the meeting culled many activists together to discuss the future of the “alternative right” movement. Also known as the “alt-right,” the ideology favors white supremacy and literally wants to “make America great again” for European-Americans.

Reserved under the name “Griffin family reunion,” reality star Tila Tequila joined two men in a private room for a “Sieg Heil” salute on Twitter.

This gesture, which means “hail victory” in German, is the official Nazi salute.

Furthering comparisons between the conference and National Socialism, Spencer reportedly joked to cameramen downstairs, “let’s party like it’s 1933.” That was the same year Adolf Hitler became Germany’s chancellor, after his party won 33.09 percent of seats in parliament.

In addition to threatening every non-white-and-straight demographic, the “alt-right” could regress American progress if we’re not careful to call these extremists what they really are: proto-fascists.

Fascism, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is any political movement or philosophy “that exalts nation and often race above the individual,” standing for “a centralized autocratic government” headed by a dictator. But Spencer and his cronies can’t be considered

fascists yet.

They lack a focus on establishing a corporatist nation, one where corporations and private interests benefit state powers. Like the appendages of a body, states feed from the idea that corporations and people’s goals are not vested in private profit or self-progression, but for the good of the state and its longevity.

Instead, Spencer’s movement exists in its larval stage, not yet succumbing to the ritualistic, white supremacist Nazi Reich of old. The “alt-right” feeds on the fears of the poor white working class, the people who elected Donald Trump into office.

Xenophobia, exclusionary policies and calls to revive a supposedly downtrodden race are the first steps to a future with Swastikas and jackboots.

Even calling them “altright” is disrespectful to actual right-wingers like Presidentelect Donald Trump. Although Spencer admits the presidentelect isn’t “alt-right,” he believes Trump “represents the first step towards identity politics in the United States.”

These politics refer to Spencer’s dream of America being “a new society, an ethno-state that would be a gathering point for all Europeans.”

To achieve this, Spencer calls for “peaceful ethnic cleansing,” which certainly doesn’t make his support system an offshoot of conservatism whatsoever. In the words of Hillary Clinton, the “alt-right” movement is built on “race-baiting ideas, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant ideas,” which “is not Republicanism as we know it.”

These people are deeply rooted in racist, neo-Nazi, and overall, proto-fascist methodologies that perpetuate the ugliest aspects of humanity.

Due to our nation’s democratic and republican nature, not even Donald Trump could avow “altright” thought.

Now it’s time for the media, and everyone paying attention, to separate these fascists from conservatives once and for all.

Richard Spencer and likeminded people clearly don’t care about lowering taxes, limiting government regulation on business or upholding any kind of social stability. They’re only hiding behind Trump’s rhetoric to build a platform that disables progressive action for anyone that’s not a white nationalist.

They want to destabilize an already divided country, so perhaps a Hitler-like dictator could rise to power one day.

While the Trump campaign was built on disgusting prejudices, Spencer has made no bones about his rejection of Republicanism and how he means everything he says. “[Republicans] have had their day,” Spencer recently said in Ohio. “They have no legitimacy.

They have no new ideas. [The party] is just a bunch of old farts.” He later declared that his movement “will have [its] day,” and said, “We are young. We are more powerful. We are rising.”

In the past, we truthfully labeled these kinds of people neo-Nazis, proto-fascists, white supremacists and racists. To not call them what they are is to besmirch the name of the veterans who fought fascism in World War II.

Throughout this year, journalists have covered the antics, fraud and ridiculous oration of Donald Trump.

Fueling the fire was Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of Trump on “Saturday Night Live,” which brilliantly lampooned the president-elect’s egotism.

With the media’s subtle jabs and the bold critiques from sketch television, how should musicians respond to Trump’s future plans?

Mainly the artists who are best known for addressing political corruption and institutionalized prejudice: rappers.

Ever since it first reached mainstream success in 1979, hip-hop culture’s primary functions have either been livening up parties or telling serious stories. Originating in African-American communities, when drug law enforcement heavily targeted those areas, hip-hop was a safe haven for wordsmiths clawing themselves out of hazardous conditions.

About 40 years later, contemporary poets such as J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper continue

the tradition of shedding light on racial issues. What all three musicians have in common is their artistic influences from Kanye West, who betrayed rap culture this past weekend.

At his San Jose concert two weeks ago, West declared he didn’t vote, saying “if [he] would’ve voted, [he] would’ve voted for Trump.” Although West has acted like a diva for quite some time, his comments were shocking, considering how he began his career making socially conscious music.

Having grown up on West’s classics, I can’t imagine how a Trump supporter once rapped the words: “Drug dealer buy Jordan, crackhead buy crack and the white man get paid off of all of that.”

While I believe West’s antics were more in a series of mentally ill outbursts, it’s still a detriment to the culture for one of its biggest influences to tell black fans to “stop focusing on racism” — one of rap’s defining topics.

In fact, if anyone has best exemplified how to respond to the Trump era, it’s the team behind the rap musical “Hamilton.”

On Nov. 18, Vice Presidentelect Mike Pence attended a “Hamilton” screening.

Taking into account how the production is performed by actors of color, it makes sense for the crew to issue a statement for Pence, with his history of imposing laws against LGBTQ and minority individuals.

Brandon Victor Dixon, who portrays Aaron Burr in the play, said to Pence that “the

diverse America” is “alarmed and anxious that [Trump’s] administration will not protect” those communities.

He concluded by saying, “We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us.”

Not only did the “Hamilton” team express people’s worries in a professional manner, they cited their stances optimistically and avoided direct conflict with an establishment figure.

The same can’t be said for President-elect Trump, who angrily tweeted in a fashion comparable to the Meek Mill/ Drake feud.

Although many of us would like Trump to apologize for all of his prejudiced prose, it wouldn’t stop his inauguration from happening. All rappers can do now is continue bringing awareness for people willing to listen.

Since Trump and Pence will be empowered soon, the responsibility falls on citizens, reporters and entertainers to stay informed during this vital period. As tempting as it is to furiously tweet at Trump supporters, replace those thoughts with constructive information about domestic and international issues.

As for rappers, they should take note of the precedent “Hamilton” has set. The Coles, Kendricks and Chances are still poised to honor rap culture, and their brands of optimism are what minorities need to hear in 2017.

@presto_mitch

@ntdaily Illustration by Samuel Wiggins

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