Lawson’s thrilling buzzer-beater sparks men’s basketball OT win PAGE 7
VOL. 111 No. 14
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017
NTDAILY.COM
Trump Jr. event raised less funds than reported Students vote Revenue generated from Kuehne Series on athletic $2.2 million fee increase By Sarah Sarder and Amir Gooden Senior News Writer and Contributing Writer
The UNT Kuehne Speaker Series earned a net total of $88,319 from the Donald Trump Jr. event hosted on Oct. 24, according to documents obtained by the North Texas Daily through a public records request. However, that figure is 73.4 percent less than the $332,000 UNT publicized as the amount raised solely as a result of the Donald Trump Jr. event. In a university-wide email sent on Nov. 29, a press release claimed the series had “raised a record $332,000” due to the Trump Jr. event. UNT has also not been subtracting expenses for the Melissa Francis event scheduled for March 2018 in the announced $332,000 figure, but has included income from it. More than four years since its conception, the Kuehne Speaker Series has contributed a total of $50,000 to offset scholarships — just over two percent of the roughly $2.2 million the Kuehne Series currently has at its disposal. The $2.2 million the series now possesses is divided between a fund which acts as an endowment containing lifetime member donations and an operating account that receives all other donations and from which expenses are paid. Since the series’ expenses come from donations going into the operating account, a large portion of them come from various UNT departments. For the 2016-2017 season, over a quarter of the total income came from various UNT departments that bought tables in the form of sponsorships for either $5,000 or $10,000. The $1.6 million in the separate lifetime member endowment fund is invested to accrue interest.
“The lifetime membership funds are raised to support scholarships,” said UNT spokesperson Kelley Reese. “By investing those funds, the university earns more money in perpetuity rather than taking the money and distributing it one time.” The $50,000 towards scholarships, which was given to the President’s Excellence fund this fall, came from the operating account. According to Reese, the endowment fund had $1.6 million available as of September 2017. The endowment fund has never been used for any other purpose than investment. UNT officials did not comment on how the money was being invested by the time of print Wednesday. The series has netted an average of $61,467 per event prior to this season, 30 percent less than the amount raised by the Trump Jr. event. Costs for the Trump Jr. speech came to a total of $249,680, more than triple the $76,743 average cost for events in the series.
By Sarah Sarder Senior News Writer
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Where the money goes The money raised from lifetime members’ donations to the series goes into “a fund which acts as an endowment,” Reese said. Though the fund, which was created in 2016, is called the “Lifetime Member Endowment Fund,” it is not an actual endowment, which means Kuehne Speaker Series board members are legally able to use the money for purposes other than simply investment. The board has invested $900,000 from the fund since early 2016 and earned $9,229. The series is promoted as benefitting scholarships, and in the most recent statement from Nov. 29, is referred to in a variety of ways: that it raises money through the endowment fund for scholarships, that the
SEE TRUMP JR. ON PAGE 2
The Kuehne Speaker Series has raised over $2.2 million in total revenue since being created in December 2013. In that four-year period, they have given $50,000 to help offset the cost of UNT’s National Merit Scholars. Photo illustration by Julia Contarelli| Design Editor
Voting ended Wednesday for a referendum that would potentially raise the student athletic fee by $4.25 per credit hour. Graduate and undergraduate students began casting their ballots on Monday. If passed, the increase will go to the Board of Regents in February 2018 to take effect in Fall 2018, depending on the regents’ approval. Results of the vote are expected by 5 p.m. Thursday. The measure proposes a $6.25 increase in the intercollegiate athletic fee and a $2 decrease in the Student Service Fee. Both the Graduate Student Council and Student Government Association had to pass a resolution for the measure to make it to a student referendum. SGA passed the measure with a 24-0 vote on Nov. 15 and the GSC approved it with a 25-7 vote on Nov. 17. “I think the reason why the resolution passed the Senate unanimously is because senators think it’s important for students to vote on this,” SGA President Barrett Cole said. College of Engineering Technology Senator Jeff Gittle was the first to introduce the measure to the GSC after athletics director Wren Baker and Vice President of Student Affairs Elizabeth With approached the GSC and SGA presidents about the increase. Any increase in student fees exceeding 10 percent must pass as a resolution in both bodies before it can be put to a student vote. The student representatives did not vote on the increase itself, but on whether students should be able to vote on the increase. “Our role is to be the gatekeepers to make
UNT professor hunts down Zodiac Killer in History Channel series By Amy Roh Senior Arts & Life Writer What do Ted Cruz, the History Channel and a UNT professor all have in common? They can all be associated — in one way or another — with one of the most enigmatic serial killers in American history.
Apogee Stadium. File photo SEE FEE ON PAGE 3
Mean Green falter against FAU, fall in C-USA title game By Brady Keane Sports Editor
Ryan Garlick Sarah Schreiner| Staff Photographer Ryan Garlick, a computer science and engineering professor, was asked to join a five-member team for a special series called “The Hunt for the Zodiac Killer” on the History Channel. The show features Garlick, along with other experts, as they attempt to crack the infamous 340-character cipher sent by the killer in 1969. The show premiered on Nov. 14 and spans over five episodes. “People heard his voice, people saw him and yet it’s still a mystery,” Garlick said. “But I think on the show that we significantly advanced the problems of the case.” The San Francisco Chronicle received the cipher nearly 48 years ago. Since then, the FBI, CIA and a host of experts have tried and failed to break the code. The case was also widely publicized when the movie “Zodiac” premiered, which Garlick said rekindled his interest after he read the book. “It was the biggest unsolved serial killer case,” Garlick said. “Then the movie came out and reawakened everyone and put a big spotlight on the case.” Between the early 1960s and 1970s, the
SEE ZODIAC ON PAGE 5
When the North Texas defense held Florida Atlantic University to a field goal on the opening possession of the game, the Mean Green needed their offense to come out and answer right away. A score on the ensuing drive would have given the team confidence in the Conference USA Championship game against the Owls – something North Texas so desperately needed after getting throttled by FAU back in October. But the Mean Green did just the opposite. Sophomore quarterback Mason Fine completed a pass to Michael Lawrence for an 8-yard gain on the first play, but the offense couldn’t move the chains. FAU stuffed backto-back Nic Smith runs, forcing North Texas to punt. The Owls needed just two plays to get into the end zone, using some trickery when Kamrin Solomon found John Franklin on a 22-yard touchdown pass. That first three-and-out set the tone for the rest of the game, as the Mean Green offense sputtered in a 41-17 defeat.
North Texas freshman running back Evan Johnson (26) gets tackled against FAU in the Conference USA Championship Game. Colin Mitchell |Visuals Editor “We struggled in the first half and obviously you can tell that on the scoreboard,” Fine said. “I felt like we were a little hesitant – specifically me. I came out a little hesitant and didn’t play loose. That’s what happens.” North Texas, which entered
the game with the No. 2 ranked offense in C-USA, was unable to get anything going consistently against the FAU defense. The Mean Green finished with 437 yards, but they were outgained 382-141 in the first half as FAU pulled away. The struggles started up
IN THIS ISSUE
NEWS
ARTS & LIFE
Confederate committee hosts first meeting last Thursday pg 3 The Confederate Solider Memorial Advisory Committee held their first meeting last Thursday and will continue to meet until Dec. 21.
Denton startup helps comic book industry thrive pg 5 Illustrator and owner of local startup Dusk Comics is proving that the comic book community is still going strong.
front with the offensive line as North Texas had no answer for the pressure the Owls brought throughout the game. FAU sacked Fine nine times and had eight different players record a sack in the win. “They’ve dominated a lot,” head coach Seth Littrell
SPORTS Baker, Smatresk coordinate satellite commencement in New Orleans pg 6 The administration will host a satellite commencement in NOLA for the football players, band, cheer team, dance team and any graduating students wanting to attend.
said. “They’ve won a lot of football games. They haven’t been beaten in a long time. I just think they’re a really good team – they’ve got great players.”
SEE FAU ON PAGE 6
OPINION More office hours from professors are a neccesity pg 8 Office hours are one of the most vital resources for students in their studies. Professors should consider adding time to their office hours if time permits.