North Texas Daily - 2/16/17

Students surveyed think sexual assault is ‘significant problem’ at UNT

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017

VOL. 109 No. 4

A quick guide to construction on campus in February

By Austin Jackson He enters the coffee shop with his thick mustache curled into a smile.

Nods and waves come from left and right as David Lopez, a 22-year-old English senior, finds a seat next to one of his comrades.

But Lopez isn’t just a people person, he’s a man of the people.

With a megaphone in his hands and shades covering the fire in his eyes, he’s led marches through the fountain mall, staged walkouts at the Denton Courthouse and gone toe-totoe with UNT President Neal Smatresk, all in the effort to make UNT a sanctuary campus.

It’s a cause he believes in, and though Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Smatresk have issued flat rejections to his pleas for sanctuary, Lopez said he hasn’t given up.

“Activism is a cycle,” he said.

“You go through your highs and your lows. It’s not going to be easy. This isn’t a battle that will be over in a month.”

New and old campus construction projects and improvements tend to block pedestrian pathways and vehicular traffic across campus. Here are some obstructions to look out for this month: North Texas Boulevard and I-35 Due to the realignment of roads and current construction on the north side of the North Texas Boulevard bridge, walkways and roads will be blocked at the intersection of North Texas Boulevard and I-35. Nearby streets will also be affected.

Pedestrian traffic and streets on the south frontage road of I-35, from Bonnie Brae to McCormick street, are expected to be closed due to the construction of the new bridge, access roads and widening of traffic lanes.

The project has been in the works since September 2015 and is expected to be finished in the spring of 2017.

Improving Hickory Street Parts of the Hickory Street roadway and its sidewalks will be closed due to sanitary sewer and water service reconstruction.

Improvements will span the length of the street, from Carroll Boulevard to Bonnie Brae Steet. The project is expected to finish

by January 2019. The city of Denton is in charge of this improvement project.

Language Building The Language building is undergoing plaza renovations like the replacing of the access ramps, concrete walkways, etc., all along the north, east and south sides.

The project leader is Sharon Kirkpatrick, construction specialist. This project is estimated to finish in spring 2017.

New dorm near Kerr Hall Due to the new residence hall being built

SEE CONSTRUCTION ON PAGE 2

IN THIS ISSUE NEWS E-portfolio pg 3

UNT offers e-portfolios for udergraduate students to help boost student resumes.

NTDAILY.COM

The fight for sanctuary

By Jackie Guerrero

College of Visual Arts and Design Parking lot 50 and sidewalks surrounding the College of Visual Arts and Design building will be obstructed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic, because of the construction of the new CVAD building.

Construction is set to start in February 2017 and end October of 2018. Senior project architect, Jeannine Vail is in charge of this project.

Interior and exterior work on Science Research building The interior and exterior of the Science Research building located on 1504 W. Mulberry St., are being renovated.

The east and south sides of the building are being worked on now. The sidewalks around the research facility and parking lot north of the building will be blocked with fencing for the time of the project, ending March 2017. The project leader is Julie Sands, the senior project architect for the UNT system.

PAGE 3

Lopez is the co-president of MUEVE, a group with the mission of “promoting equality and respect for the Chicanx & Latinx community.” The terms Chicanx and Latinx refer to a more gender-neutral spelling of words pertaining to indigenous roots.

With President Donald Trump in office, as Brad Pitt’s “Inglorious Bastards” character Lt. Aldo Raine once said, “business is a-boomin’.”

After the presidential election, Lopez said MUEVE membership, as well as his conviction, have been on the rise.

“I’m ready for the fight,” Lopez said. “We had our days of shock, grief, sadness, worrying, concern, fear, but that time passed and we realize now we have to mobilize and organize, we cannot let this get in our way.”

Borders Lopez was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas, a city located

SEE SANCTURARY ON PAGE 6

David Lopez is the president of MUEVE, a Latino social justice organization. Lopez has become one of the many faces of UNT student effor ts to protect undocumented immigrant students from threats stemming from the Trump administration. Jake King

A new normal lifestyle for college students Denton to rewrite

By Kyle Martin In a drab technical communication lab on the third floor of the auditorium building, history junior Alex McCann works where there is no food, drink or skateboards allowed.

McCann spends up to 20 hours a week in the lab. Here, she helps anxious students with their projects, helps them build resumes and fits in time for her homework.

After lab time and class, her day is far from over. From school, she leaves straight for her night job as a server at Waffle House, where she also works up to 20 hours a week.

McCann’s story is typical of many UNT students. For her and many others, they face a constant struggle between paying bills, working to stay in school and fighting for their futures.

“I want to be on my own,” McCann said.

“I don’t want to depend on anybody. I want to be an adult for once. I just want to get a degree and be a teacher so I can start my life.”

According to the UNT financial aid department, approximately 28,000 students, or about 75 percent of the overall student population, received some type of aid for the 2016 year. In the same year, UNT gave about $142 million in grants and scholarships and about $156 million in loans, not including Parent PLUS loans, which require a parent or guardian cosigner.

But grants, loans and scholarships don’t pay all the bills for thousands of UNT students like McCann.

And so there are sacrifices.

There was a time when she lived together with her then-boyfriend in their own apartment. It was a time of convenience, before two jobs and a 30-mile commute both ways. They were together for five years, but that doesn’t matter anymore.

This was a relationship that meant more than words to her but is now just a memory. This was a relationship that her life was structured around, a relationship that brought on depression, insomnia, anxiety and exhaustion once it crumbled.

“When you think you’re going to marry someone and they just give up, that’s what it was like,” McCann said. “I was out in

three days.”

Now she commutes from her father’s home in Carrollton and works in Denton.

It’s crucial for her to structure her schedule efficiently.

For McCann, a normal day is: wake up, commute 30 miles for job No. 1 at the lab, go to class, go to job No. 2 at Waffle House, commute another 30 miles back home, walk her dog, do homework and finally, maybe get some sleep. Rinse and repeat.

There isn’t time for much else.

At the end of the day, she is exhausted.

SEE STUDENTS ON PAGE 5

Interdisciplinary studies sophomore Alex McCann works on the weekends at Waffle House, one of her part-time jobs. She said she spends time at there when she’s off work because she enjoys her co-workers and the regular customers. Samantha Hardisty

development code to work with 2030 plan

By James Norman

Last December, the Denton City Council voted to approve an agreement with Clarion Associates for a rewrite of the city of Denton’s development code.

A development code is a code adopted by a city that lays out the requirements and guidelines for development in the city.

Development in the city can be businesses coming in, houses, landscaping, etc. The code lays out rules and regulations as to what those development projects are allowed to encompass.

Denton’s current code, which was adopted back in 2002, was deemed “cumbersome and inefficient” for the direction the city is currently going in.

“When it was adopted several concessions were made in the final moments,” said Shandrian Jarvis, the city of Denton’s administrator of the development review committee. “It led to inconsistencies between various sections and conflicting requirements.”

While the rewrite of the code has been in the works since 2013, Jarvis said it was put on hold last year in order to “reroute staff” for Denton’s new growth plan, Denton Plan 2030.

Denton hadn’t updated its growth plan since the turn of last century, and was seemingly out of date with the current

SEE DENTON ON PAGE 2

ARTS & LIFE Karma Yoga pg 5

Yoga instructor Jessica McReynolds talks about her journey to finding passion in yoga.

SPORTS Terriel Bradley pg 7 To be closer to home, Terriel Bradley joins the Mean Green Women’s basketball team and is already making an impact.

OPINION

Women’s right to choice pg 9 Columnist Gabriella Macias discusses women’s reproductive rights and the right to choose.

With conference tournament hopes dwindling, men’s basketball tries to remain positive

By Clay Massey Two days before Christmas, the Mean Green men’s basketball team squared off with San Diego University in the Super Pit. North Texas was 6-5 entering the contest and appeared to have won the game on a last-second shot by senior guard J-Mychal Reese.

Reese drove the length of the floor with only a few seconds left and hit what appeared to be the game-winning shot.

It looked like a Christmas miracle – at first. But the referees were scrooges.

A charging foul underneath the basket nullified Reese’s

bucket and ignited the worst slide the Mean Green have ever seen under head coach Tony Benford. Since that cold, fateful night, North Texas has lost 11 straight. The tailspin has North Texas sitting dead last in Conference USA with a 6-16 overall record, and a 0-10 mark in conference play.

With just eight games left in the season, the Mean Green are in dire danger of missing the conference tournament. Only the bottom two teams in C-USA will not make the trip to Birmingham — and right now, North Texas is one of them.

“I’m not even thinking about

[missing the conference tournament],” Benford said.

“As coaches, we voted for every team to go, but it was voted down. That’s for the studentathletes to experience. We’re not thinking about it. We’re going to take it one game at a time. We’re just trying to get better every day.”

For the seniors, missing the conference tournament would mean their basketball careers would end in Huntington, West Virginia after a game at Marshall

SEE BASKETBALL ON PAGE 8

North Texas senior guard J-Mychal Reese (52) complains about not getting the foul on his shot against Rice University. Colin Mitchell

NEWS Page 2

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD Turkish led forces advance on al-Bab in Northern Syria Turkish-backed Syrian rebels have captured the outskirts of the Islamic State-occupied city of al-Bab, Turkish sources told Reuters Wednesday. The attack threatens the important ISIS stronghold, and if taken would deepened Turkish influence in the region where it has created a de facto buffer zone. Syrian government forces have also advanced on al-Bab to the south, bringing them close to their rebel and Turkish enemies in one of the most complex battlefields of the six-year conflict.

Riots erupt in Paris amid accusations teen was beaten and raped by police French youths set cars and trash bins ablaze in a suburb of Paris Wednesday for the fourth straight day over accusations police officers had beaten and raped a young black man they arrested last week, The New York Times reported. Police have used tear gas several times over the past four days, and have fired live rounds into the air as warning shots. There have also been peaceful marches in and around Paris to protest the arrest.

Colombia, ELN rebels open peace talks Colombian government peace negotiators spoke behind closed doors with the ELN on Wednesday, the country’s last active rebel group, Agence France-Presse reported. The talks to seek to end a half-century conflict between government forces and the MarxistLeninist group. Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos’ government is trying to reach a deal to bring “complete peace” to Colombia, after sealing a historic accord with the country’s largest rebel group, FARC, in November.

Six Red Cross staff killed in Afghanistan, 2 more missing Suspected ISIS gunmen killed six Afghan employees of the Red Cross on Wednesday as they delivered relief supplies in snowbound northern Afghanistan, Agence France-Presse reported.

Two other red cross workers were missing following the ambush in the province of Jowzjan. They came under fire while delivering livestock materials to a remote area badly affected in recent days by heavy snowfall. The attack comes at a time when Afghanistan is in dire need of humanitarian aid after about 100 people were killed in recent avalanches.

North Texas Daily Editorial Board Hannah Lauritzen | Editor-In-Chief Linda Kessler | Associate Editor Adalberto Toledo | News Editor Kayleigh Bywater | Arts & Life Editor Reece Waddell | Sports Editor Preston Mitchell | Opinion Editor Colin Mitchell | Visuals Editor

Production Team Chelsea Watkins | Design Editor Circe Marez | Copy/Design Editor Amelia Mueller | Copy/Design Editor Morgan Sullivam | Designer/Copy Editor Evan McAlister | Designer/Copy Editor Samuel Wiggins | Senior Staff Illustrator Antonio Mercado | Staff Illustrator

Business

Adam Reese | Director 940-565-4265 adam.reese@unt.ed Adela Francis | Advertising Director 940-565-3989 adela.francis@unt.edu

Faculty Advisor Gary Ghioto | 940-891-6722 gary.ghioto@unt.edu

To pitch a story, please email pitch.ntdaily@gmail.com

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Denton updates code DENTON CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 times and trends. Enter Denton’s 2030 plan, a new plan adopted last February to help the city cope and plan better around the changing demographics and trends of the city.

Jarvis said the re-write of the development code will “align” better with certain aspects of the new growth plan, such as zoning, land use categories and design standards.

“Now the challenge is to discern where the disconnects are in the code and what needs to be revised,” said Munal Mauladad, the deputy director of development services.

Clarion Associates, a Denverbased firm, will be assisting in rewriting the code. Specifically, they will be “facilitating public meetings,” as well as drafting the majority of the document. Jarvis mentioned the next couple weeks will consist of finalizing the public involvement strategy, as

well as creating a website dedicated for regular updates during the process.

There is also a state-required public hearing process, which requires the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council to hold public hearings on the documents. Lastly, the Council will adopt an ordinance to approve the new code.

“We hope that the new code will help the city come into the 21st century in terms of its built environment,” Jarvis said. “We will tailor the new code to be specific to Denton.”

The new document will have a focus on aspects such as design standards, zoning districts, land use categories, infill and redevelopment standards.

Denton’s Planning and Zoning Commission will be meeting on Wednesday to discuss the code further and consider the creation of a subcommittee for the code, as well as who to appoint to it.

Some complaints about the

current code’s rules are it makes it too hard to build new homes and set up businesses, specifically in used buildings. Stakeholders (typically property owners and developers) have been asking for new rules. Jarvis said the goal is to design a code that works with the growth plans of Denton, whose population grew by over 39 percent from 2000 to 2010 according to the US Census Bureau (the US population had a growth rate of 9.7 percent during that time period).

Denton is making an effort to reach out to the community and hear what they want out of the new code. This includes utilizing the city’s website and public meetings.

The code is expected to be complete in early 2018. Clarion Associates could not be reached for comment on their role at the time of print.

@jamestnorman_wl

Construction continues in February CONSTRUCTION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Jones, system landscape architect.

behind Kerr Hall located on the northwest corner of Eagle Drive and Avenue A, fencing will be put up and will restrict access to the site. This project started January 2017 and will end around July 2018. Andrew Herrell is the project manager.

Lighting up Lot 85 Parking lot 85, the parking lot east of Victory Hall, is expected to have minor pedestrian and vehicular traffic obstruction until May 2017 when the project is said to be completed. This project consists of adding lights to the parking lot for increased security measures. Kim Nguyen, campus planning manager is the leader of this project.

Fraternity row and Lot 40 New fraternity houses will be built along the north side of Maple Street, across from Fraternity Row. The road and walkways will be obstructed by the construction which will end this month. The project leader is Traci

Central Path A pathway linking the Hurley Administration building and the

Gateway Center will cause obstruction on Maple Street until the project is completed in April 2017. Construction will focus on areas near Clark Park and the southeast corner of parking lot 27. Traci Jones, system landscape architect, is in charge of this project.

Community Garden This garden will consist of a raised-bed community garden located between Legends Hall and North Texas Lofts on North Texas Boulevard. Foot traffic will be obstructed for the duration of February and will likely be completed in March 2017. The project Leader is

Cindy Deckard, project manager and landscape architect at UNT. ROTC building upgrades Infrastructure upgrades to the Air Force ROTC Detachment 835 building will cause traffic in the area until June 2017, when the project is set to be finished. Located on 712 N. Texas Blvd., lot 19 through Fouts Field will be obstructed. Facilities engineer Steve Mathis is in charge of this improvement project.

@gagaart1

Staff faculty senate meeting discusses campus issues

By Omar Mir The UNT faculty senate meeting convened earlier today at 2 p.m. in University Union 332. University Provost Finley Graves kicked things off by diving straight into some of the hot button issues requiring prompt attention.

Campus Carry was still hot on the list of agenda items, and Graves informed the senate committee and faculty members that as of now, they were going to wait on the next legislation session to give clarity on the issue. Despite this, the chances are high of following in the footsteps of the University of Texas system in Austin, where professors and faculty members are allowed to carry a firearm into their office for

protection.

Graves also addressed the hiring freeze that was placed from January of this year through the end of August. This freeze was placed only for undergraduate faculty and will not affect the next school session following Sept. 1, 2017. There are a lot of nuances that go along with this freeze, for better clarification on the details of who is affected by the freeze, you can always refer to the FAQ under the Job Evaluation and Grading Project post from the Office of the President on the University’s website.

UNT President Smatresk and Graves discussed the issue of revamping the faculty information systems, which seemed to garner a lot of dissent from professors

and faculty members, who found it somewhat egregious to fill out lengthy CV updates on their own before the April deadline.

Smatresk reminded everyone that though it might be time-consuming and a somewhat monotonous process, once it is behind us, we will all be in a much better place for the next school year when it comes to updated faculty and staff information. He spent most of his time showing overwhelming support for the University Town Hall that took place a few days ago.

Smatresk was extremely buoyant in his support for the international student population, and urged professors and faculty members to be available and supportive of their international students in a time

where their status in this country has entered a realm of uncertainty due to the immigration ban proposed by the new U.S. presidential administration.

He also addressed the joint terrorism task force and how it is our duty to contact our campus police if we witness or are aware of any terrorist activities on campus.

Overall the meeting was swift and addressed some of the vital issues on the agenda in a cohesive manner.

“It was a very typical meeting, I enjoy the fact that the president and provost make themselves available for these meetings and give us valuable input,” Vice Chair of Senate faculty officers Sherry Broyles, Ph.D. said.

UNT gives students access to LinkedIn-like e-portfolio

By Kayla Davis LinkedIn and other portfolio sites are as much a part of the pre-graduation anxiety as anything else, but UNT’s new portfolio service will show future employers the skills students learn in the classroom.

UNT bought a five-year contract with the e-portfolio company Foliotek, which will cost the university about $80,000 a year. The account, which can help to beef up a LinkedIn profile, can be accessed through students’ MyUNT page. While the service is just available for undergraduates as of now, graduate students will be added to the system during the summer.

With the e-portfolio, students can input the experiences they have had while in school into the system as projects. Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs Mike Simmons said an e-portfolio project can be any experience where teamwork, communication and critical thinking skills are demonstrated such as a class project or a volunteer experience.

When inputting a project, you can

add an email of a professor or supervisor who can verify your experience.

After it gets verified, the project is eligible to become a Career Connect experience. The verification process allows for the assessment of your performance and shows a potential employer looking at your portfolio your own reflection and that you’ve been verified.

The goal of the e-portfolio is to help students create their own online identity and better present their accomplishments that wouldn’t show up on a transcript. A transcript shows what grades you made, but an e-portfolio shows what skills you gained from the class and projects you completed.

The Career Connect e-portfolio coordinator Adam Wear said the portfolio gives your potential employer concrete evidence of your college accomplishments.

“Career Connect is actually taking the experiences that you’re already having and moving towards, as the name says, connecting them towards a career in the future,” Wear said.

Students will be able to control

Career Connect e-portfolio Coordinator Adam Wear explains how the new UNT ePortfolio system works. Katie Jenkins what is shown on their e-portfolio, but faculty can use it in their classes similar to how Blackboard is used.

Simmons said the e-portfolio is helping the university connect students’ real life experiences and gives students the ability to be represented in more ways than just going to class.

“There are other elements to learning and the portfolio lets us capture that,” Simmons said.

The e-portfolio is free, and once you make one, you have access to the system for life, even after you graduate and leave UNT.

Students can make an e-portfolio by going to their MyUNT page and creating an account, customizing their ID page and entering their experiences.

Tutorial videos are posted on the e-portfolio tab of the Career Connect website or you can call Foliotek’s help line at 888.365.4639.

@kaylajeann19

TRENDING @ntdaily @thedose_ntdaily @ntd_sports

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On Wednesday T.J. Maxx and Marshalls told their employees to pull any advertisement featuring Ivanka Trump.

#ShePersisted

The hashtag surfaced on social media soon after Sen. Elizabeth Warren was forced to stop reading a letter to the Senate.

#Sony

Sony recently unveiled a camera sensor capable of filming 1,000fps.

#Patriots

On Sunday the New England Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons to win Super Bowl LI.

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 3

Survey reveals students are concerned with sexual assault at UNT

By Sarah Sarder

Resources To access resources relating to sexual violence, contact the following offices or organizations: UNT Survivor Advocate Renee LeClaire McNamara: email or 940-565-2648.

Denton County Friends of the Family 940-382-7273 National Domestic Violence Hotline RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) If you’d like to share your story regarding any form of sexual misconduct, please contact Sarah Sarder at s.sarder007@ gmail.com. All communication is confidential, and you can choose to remain anonymous in any published material.

A survey of 291 UNT students found more than half believe sexual assault to be a significant problem at the university. The survey also showed a majority of students did not feel safe in the area around campus after dark. The survey was conducted in November and December of 2016. Responses were anonymous, and participants were provided with a definition of sexual assault after they provided their opinions on scenario-based questions.

Advertising professor Sarah Champlin was one of the architects of the survey.

“Our survey is a place to start,” Champlin said. “We want to just continue to make sure that we’re understanding the situation that’s unfolding.”

The survey looked at perceptions from less than 1 percent of the student body and is not intended to be representative of the entire UNT population. But the data collected provides a starting point to look at what issues UNT students think require more attention.

Many students felt sexual assault is a significant problem at UNT When asked about their perception of sexual assault at UNT, 51.2 percent of students agreed to some extent that it is a significant problem at the university.

Nearly a third answered they were unsure.

UNT’s Title IX coordinator Inya Baye said the university is in a similar place to most institutions in the U.S.

“It’s definitely of concern and something that we’re working as an institution to address, not just because of the mandate federally, but also because we care about our students and we care about their experience,” she said.

Dean of Students Maureen McGuinness said the responses might also have

something to do with the increase in awareness surrounding sexual assault on college campuses.

UNT police chief Ed Reynolds said the number doesn’t surprise him.

“I always have a concern about sexual assault on campus,” Reynolds said. “That will never change, because until we have

none, that’s an issue.”

Two-thirds of students surveyed replied that UNT has adequate resources for survivors of sexual assault. However, when asked about whether students are informed about these resources, less than half of the participants agreed.

Baye said the matter of creating and

Most students surveyed didn’t feel safe near campus after dark When asked about their feeling of safety on campus after dark, 44.7 percent of students said they did not feel safe. When it came to the area surrounding campus, 65.6 percent of respondents said they did not feel safe.

By contrast, in a nationwide survey by the American College Health Association, 33.7 percent of students reported feeling very safe on their campus at night. The ACHA did not ask students the same question about the area near campus.

“Campuses are much safer than the city that surrounds them,” Reynolds said. He attributed the lack of feeling safe to a general societal norm rather than a fear specific to UNT. The question did not ask for reasoning, McGuinness said, so this feeling might be attributed to lack of lighting, fear of attack by a stranger or other reasons.

Sexual assault victims are much more likely to be assaulted by someone they know, and according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 80 percent of rape victims are acquainted with the perpetrator.

In evaluating student responses by gender, 39.5 percent of males said they feel unsafe in the area surrounding

campus after dark, while 75.9 percent of females agreed.

Six of 6 non-binary participants said the same. A non-binary gender identity is one that does not fit the male-female binary.

Similarly, in the national survey above, looking at the numbers by gender showed that most men did feel very safe on campus at night, while less than a quarter of women felt the same way.

One of the better-known areas near campus, Fry Street, elicited a groan from McGuinness. Fry Street is known for its multiple bars and active party scene.

Though Baye said the university does not look at concerns by street, McGuinness noted that police may be asked to pay special attention to certain areas if they cause worry among university officials. Reynolds said police maintain an increased presence in the area during its busiest nights.

“Decisions about how to approach off campus are not made in isolation,” Baye said.

University officials work with UNT and Denton police to keep each other informed.

A majority of survey participants said they remembered taking Haven, an online sexual assault education course that educates new undergraduates on consent, bystander intervention, supporting survivors and more.

McGuinness said she was “pleasantly happy” that a majority of students remembered taking the course.

Baye noted that one challenge for the university when educating students is figuring out how to keep up the flow of information to students who are already at UNT. In the survey, sophomores had the highest percentage of recall of Haven, while seniors had the lowest.

However, McGuinness was optimistic that Haven had taught students behaviors that encouraged them to prevent sexual misconduct in their first semester at UNT, setting the precedent for coming years.

More than a third of participants

said that Haven had taught them things they did not know about sexual assault, while 24.1 percent said it had not.

McGuinness said these numbers showed a positive trend, indicating that students were coming to college with more knowledge of sexual violence.

Hale, however, said he would have liked to see the numbers be higher. He also felt that the addition of another course for students to take later in their academic careers could help them retain the knowledge from Haven.

“I think some sort of mandatory refresher certainly would help, there’s no question about that,” he said.

Hale said he would like Haven to be mandatory as well, in the sense that there would be some penalty for students who did not complete it. There is currently no such penalty or hold, although the Dean of Students does call the course mandatory for new undergraduates.

Campus initiatives in the works Baye emphasized the importance of this survey in helping the university target their programming and resources to where they are most needed.

The university rolled out an online sexual misconduct education course for full-time employees in December 2016, which Baye hopes to expand to include part-time employees as well.

McGuinness said she could

How UNT compares to other Texas universities In its most recent Clery report, UNT showed little change in the number of sexual violence crimes from previous years. The number of rapes decreased from 12 in 2014 to seven in 2015, but it is important to note that such f luctuation may not signal a trend.

Based on its Clery numbers from 2015, UNT has a much lower percentage of reported rapes than the University of Texas at Austin and Southern Methodist University, but higher than the University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M. UNT’s number of reported rapes per thousand was 0.33, falling closest to Baylor University’s 0.31.

Clery numbers only include cases reported to either the university or the police, so they give no indication of how many unreported rapes occurred.

Sometimes, this might mean institutions see an increase in

Most students remembered taking Haven course

As part of the consortium with other area universities, UNT plans to administer a campus-wide survey to gauge student perceptions about sexual misconduct, reactions to sexual misconduct and available resources.

“It’s important not just for programming, but it’s also important for us to take our temperature,” Baye said. “Where are we as an institution?”

promoting resources requires constant evaluation. To help this process, the university will be participating in an eight-university consortium led by Texas Woman’s University that aims to establish a “consistent, effective response to campus sexual assault.”

guarantee that Haven would become more technology and app-oriented in the next few years, and said that the university would recommend adding scenarios in the course to take newer developments like Tinder, Snapchat and Lyft into account.

The Dean of Students and Title IX coordinator both expressed one sentiment repeatedly: that there is always more work to be done.

“We’re focused on not just resolving sexual assault situations but encouraging our students to think about sexual behavior in a completely different way,” Baye said. “Not just sexual misconduct, but even consensual sexual contact, how do you think about that in a way that’s affirming of another human being? Which is much more challenging than addressing sexual misconduct.”

Clery rapes as they improve the sexual assault reporting process and resources.

UNT is currently undergoing a Title IX investigation by the U.S. Department of Education.

The investigation was opened in September 2016, and will review whether the university has proper policies in place to handle reports of sexual assault. Baye said the university’s Title IX office has not received any updates on the matter. Investigations take longer than a year on average.

SGA president Grant Hale said the investigation is not an accurate representation of how the university handles reports of sexual misconduct.

“The fact that there is an investigation going on, and that there may have been instances in the past where due diligence was not given to violations of title IX, is concerning,” he said

A majority of students correctly identified sexual assault scenarios, but not harassment Survey participants were randomly provided with one of four scenarios and asked whether they considered the situation sexual assault. They were then asked to provide the reasoning behind their answers.

Two of the scenarios involved alcohol and non-consensual acts, specifying differing levels of consciousness and willingness from the victim, Katie. Nearly nine out of 10 students surveyed correctly identified the scenarios as sexual assault. Their comments on why they answered the way they did included: “Sleeping over at someone’s house does not equal consent.”

“Katie was drunk. If someone is drunk, they cannot consent.

Secondly, she was unconscious so there was no possible way for her to consent.”

Another scenario presented students with a male subject told to perform oral sex on another man to gain membership to a social organization. The subject completed the task because he would not be able to join the organization otherwise.

Forced oral sex is considered sexual assault, and nearly four in five students classified it as such. Students explained their

responses in the comments: “Technically this is hazing and sexual assault. Promising acceptance into a group contingent upon sexual favors is sexual assault.”

“Garret was not physically forced, however, his desire to be part of a group was used in an extortive manner to “force” him into doing something sexual he may not have otherwise done.

That’s rape.”

Respondents were less sure of their opinions when it came to sexual harassment in a scenario involving a man persistently f lirting with his male server, Austin. More than one in four students thought the incident was sexual assault.

35.7 percent of students were unsure of how to classify the event, while only 37.1 percent correctly answered that the incident was not assault.

Some of the reasoning from respondents included: “The man continued to hit on Austin when he was clearly not interested and uncomfortable, but I’m not sure he was aggressive enough to warrant the term “sexual assault”.”

“If the man had asked multiple times and was making Austin uncomfortable it would be considered sexual assault.”

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 4

Parking plans show three new lots opening in near future

By Celeste Gracia The long-awaited removal of Fouts Field will start in the next few years and will be replaced with new athletic facilities and more parking, Geary Robinson,director of parking and transportation, services said.

Additional parking will not be added to that side of campus until a new track and field complex is completed, which is currently in the design stage. Helen Bailey, director of facilities, planning, design and construction, said the goal is to have the complex finished by late next year, but the real timeline is uncertain.

“Once old Fouts Field comes down, we hope to get some surface parking out of that,” Robinson said. “That’s about a 6-acre footprint and in that 6-acres, we can get an additional 1000-plus cars in there.”

In addition to the 1,000 parking spots, another parking

lot will be built south of Victory, David Reynolds, associate vice president of facilities, said.

Reynolds said hopefully by fall of this year construction will start on this new lot.

“We’re going to build a parking lot just south of Victory Hall,” Reynolds said. “The master plan shows a residence hall and a parking lot, but what we’re going to do is build a larger parking lot.”

Robinson said the university is also considering building more parking across from Apogee Stadium.

“We’re looking at building some additional parking over at Apogee on the north side of the stadium across from Bonnie Brae, where there was talk about building a baseball stadium,” Robinson said.

If funding is approved, this proposed project is anticipated to be completed by January 2018, Robinson said.

He added the future parking lot by Victory Hall will “most likely” be for residence

UNT to offer 11-month MBA program, one of shortest in nation

By Robert Warren

Business Leadership Building. File photo

HIP HOP FOR HIV

students. The parking lot that will replace a proposed baseball stadium will likely be for Eagle parking permits and the future Fouts Field lot will combine parking for faculty, staff and students.

Robinson said UNT is proposing to expand parking by building two more parking garages over the next 10 years.

Should the construction of more parking go according to plan, the garages will add dozens of parking spots.

To encourage more people to park in the current Highland St. Parking Garage, Robinson said UNT parking services has proposed reducing the garage rate from $850 to $650 for faculty. Changes to students’ rates have not yet been approved.

“What we want to do is build garages to where there are also intermodal facilities so the buses can come in and leave from then have a smaller transit system circulating the campus so they don’t have the big buses

running through the middle of campus,” Robinson said.

The UNT facilities department and parking and transportation services are working together on a plan

The UNT College of Business w ill be of fering a full-time, 11-month business management MBA degree program star ting this summer, one of the fastest in the countr y.

U N T ’s full-time MBA program currently takes 16 months, and its shor test program is 14 months. But the new program hopes to bring intensive learning in a shor t amount of time.

Audesh Paswan, A ssociate Dean for Academic A f fairs, said the program is as intensive as a job.

“We felt if students make a commitment then they can get the most out of it,” Paswan said. “The more intensive program w ill allow them to feel more like they are working in the workforce.”

Paswan said that this would not be a “drive-by” degree.

The program is designed

for students of all f ields and w ill help them confront the intricacies of the fast-paced modern workplace.

“We hope to give students a feel for the working rush,” Paswan said. “The program w ill have students v isiting businesses maybe ever y other week and f ixing their programs.”

Paswan described the graduate program as being 15 graduate hours, f ive in the summer, f ive in the fall and f ive in the spring. He said they are currently accepting applications for the program.

But some students are skeptical about the program.

Its shor t time span is concerning, though integrative studies junior Daniel DeDoes said he’d be able to manage.

“The management classes I have taken so far have been prett y easy,” DeDoes said. “I could see it as being doable.”

for the next steps of parking.

The final copy of the parking master plan will be released for public review once it goes through approval with UNT administration and the board

of regents.

@celllyg

Campus parking lots fill up quickly during class hours. Jackie Torres DeDoes compared the program to an internship. His friend, he said, had taken an internship w ith South by South West forcing him to give up a big par t of his social life. He said this MBA program could have similar ef fects.

“It’s cool in theor y, tr y ing to f it two years in 11 months,” DeDoes said. “But it doesn’t leave much room for work, friends, a Super Bowl par t y or any thing like that.”

Harrison Hargis, economics major, felt the program should heav ily scrutinize its candidates.

“I feel like it is a good idea to screen ever yone and see if they have what it takes to get in,” Hargis said. “It is probably better to have barriers for entr y.”

Hargis said it was impor tant that they test out the program before it is fully implemented to make sure that it is not

over whelming for students.

“It might be too much for people who are not prepared,” Hargis said. “But if it is of fered to graduate students they are probably much more prepared.”

Paswan said they added inter v iew ing as par t of admission into the program.

He said that while students can have a high GPA the inter v iews are there to fully vet the students.

“We don’t want students coming in thinking this is an extension to their undergrad degree,” Paswan said. “It is a professional degree.”

@Robofthunder

A UNT MBA MEANS

A special night dedicated to HIV awareness.

MORE OPTIONS ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR & HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

PERFORMANCES BY

Free access to on-site HIV screenings, muscial performances, and T-shirts!

//WORDSMITH

Union 314 A

//THROWBACK TIME MACHINE

Friday, Feb. 10 @ 7PM

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

CLASSES BEGIN THIS MARCH

FOR MORE INFO http://bit.ly/MBAExpress

GET ON BOARD WITH AVOIDING THE STRESS OF HIGHWAY TRAFFIC AND CONSTRUCTION Relax and take The T. It’s predictable, convenient and affordable.

GET ON BOARD WITH ROUTE 64/NORTH TEXAS XPRESS Traveling to work or to campus? The North Texas Xpressis a great option for business professionals and students. Starting in downtown Fort Worth, the route goes to Alliance and Denton, with stops at the Alliance Opportunity Center, Tarrant County College’s Hadley Center of Excellence, the North Park & Ride and the University of North Texas.

Go to www.FWTA.org/NTX to learn more!

ARTS & LIFE

Page 5

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017

NTDAILY.COM

High tutition costs force students to juggle multiple jobs STUDENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 McCann takes four online classes and one on campus. She said it’s easier to take online classes because this allows for a flexible schedule, especially with a full 15hour course load.

“Before, I didn’t really take money seriously,” she said.

Now she does, because now she has around $12,000 in student loans and works two jobs out of necessity.

Her focus is on a brighter future and independence. She works these hours at these jobs because there is hope in hard work — a hope that it will all be worth it in the end.

She’s not alone.

For the 2016-2017 academic year, the average annual cost of attendance for a Texas resident living on campus and enrolled in 15 hours per semester is $23,780, according to information from UNT department of admissions.

Graduate students enrolled in 9 hours per semester living on campus will pay $20,352.

A Dallas Morning News report from April 2016 analyzed “all 37 Texas four-year public colleges and relied on federal data, which goes back much further than what the state maintains,” the report said. UNT collected $260,908,550 in tuition in 2015 — about an 851 percent increase from the $27,445,949 collected in 1993, the report said.

With this rise in tuition, students like McCann who can’t afford school outright often have to work side jobs just to survive.

Harleigh Robinson, media arts sophomore Media arts sophomore Harleigh Robinson strives to eventually be a director or producer in film.

“I want to be a part of that industry and make a change,” she said, noting whitewashing and historical inaccuracies in World War I documentaries. “They make some people seem better than they are and some worse than they are.”

Robinson transferred to UNT from Midland College.

In Midland, she remembers hearing of a time when the drug cartel killed two of her friends

from high school. One of them was her neighbor and the other was her boyfriend. She remembers the bingo hall she worked at where retirees would drop $400 a night in the hopes of claiming some pointless prize, because these are the things that happen in Midland.

Her father dropped out of the 9th grade and later got his G.E.D. Her mother dropped out of college after her first year. Her older brother is studying to become a nurse.

She is a first-generation college student. Her family is betting on her becoming something more for herself.

“None of them have done it, so they want me to do it,” she said.

Her interest in film and storytelling is not something normally brought up in conversation in her home town.

For her, college is a rescue from stagnation. Getting a degree is the ticket out of small-town Texas, where not much happens and not so many people leave.

She graduated high school as a licensed cosmetologist. In high school, she worked three jobs as a nanny, a cosmetologist cutting and styling hair and at the bingo hall.

“I’m used to two jobs now,” she said.

She learned that her bills don’t wait because she has tests and homework. She also learned that the medications she took to cope with depression, anxiety and ADHD were not helping, and stopped taking them.

“That was so I could figure out how to live with my mental illnesses and still function in society,” she said.

Now, she’s working around 40 hours a week between selling books at Voertman’s and ripping tickets, sweeping and pointing to theaters at the Movie Tavern. This is so she can afford $600 a month for rent, $100 a month on her car payment, $20 a week on food and a little bit here or there on her cat.

She’s always gone to school because if she wanted to leave Midland and become a movie director or producer, she’s had no other option.

“It’s not a passion, but it’s necessary,” she said. “Where I come from, there’s nothing like

this here, so I was kind of taking a shot in the dark.”

Kara Jobmann, public relations senior Kara Jobmann worked three jobs and an internship while enrolled in 18 hours of classes during November through finals week of last year, and maintained an overall 3.4 GPA. She’s since taken a step back to breathe from all of that.

“Some weeks I was working 20 or 30 [hours], others I was working 40 to 45,” she said. “It just depends.”

As a public relations and English double-major, working all these hours on top of school grew to be too much to handle.

Her parents are divorced and until this semester, loans were her only option to cover her expenses. Her mother is a school teacher and her father, who was “out of the picture” until this semester, made too much money for her to qualify for financial aid outside of loans.

This is the first semester she received help from her father, and also the first semester she didn’t have to take out any loans. Now, she only works an internship for a public relations firm in Dallas and is a campus ambassador distributing KIND granola bar samples across the university.

“I knew I was going to be in a lot of debt, so I wanted to further my chances of getting a good job,” Jobmann said.

Six months after she graduates this upcoming December, she’ll have to start paying back the $89,000 in student loans she’s taken out during her time in college. That is unless she finds a job and enrolls in graduate school before then.

If at that point Jobmann is in graduate school, she plans to pay off her accruing interest while pursuing another degree and working at the same time.

Post-college, she said she wants to be involved with public relations for a non-profit organization to advocate for the education of children in need.

“I’m one of those millennials that believes education is a human right,” she said. “I think a lot of problems in our society come from a lack of education or lack

Media Arts sophomore Harleigh Robinson sells tickets to “Split” at the Movie Tavern in Denton. She surrounds herself with films in her classes, at work and in her spare time. Samantha Hardisty of knowing. People are afraid of what they don’t know.”

For her, going to school was an investment in herself. Investing in herself meant she’d later be able to invest herself into helping children receive an education.

Jobmann said she took on so much because when she gets out of college she wants a job that pays above the median wage in her field.

Focusing on herself often means time away from her friends, too.

“You need social interaction.

Humans need love and affection,” she said. “After a while your friends realize that you don’t have time for them and so they stop asking.”

Samuel Coleman, sociology graduate studies Samuel Coleman is enrolled in the pass-through master’s degree program at UNT. He’s working towards getting his doctoral degree and master’s degree in sociology at the same time. With this being his first year in the program, he’s got a few years to go.

Coleman took out just over $3,000 worth of loans during his time as an undergrad, thanks to help from a Pell Grant and a McNair scholarship at Sam Houston State University, where he received his undergraduate degree. Without these federal aid programs, he said he would have

gone to a junior college instead.

His ultimate goal is to be a professor teaching social stratification and race relations to college students interested in sociology. Right now, he’s getting practice working 20 hours a week as a teaching assistant in the sociology department.

On the weekends, he works 20 hours at Dillard’s to pay his bills — $420 a month on his car, $550 a month on his apartment where he lives alone and around $2,000 a month on food because he doesn’t cook too often and likes to eat.

“Obviously, you just need to pay bills,” Coleman said. “You have to survive on your own. Luckily, I have a job that works with my schedule.”

During his time as a graduate student, he will conduct research on his thesis and dissertation.

Research is something held in high esteem in the sociology department. It’s a way to give back and show others what you have learned.

“That’s why everybody is here, to give back in some way,” Coleman said. “To give back to your discipline.”

But giving back doesn’t always happen when on the weekends he has to sell clothes instead of study about race relations in America.

Regardless of whether he wants to work outside of school or not, he has financial obligations which won’t wait for him to write his

thesis.

A new normal McCann, Robinson, Jobmann and Coleman work two or more jobs to survive through school.

Though their lives are different, they hold at least one thing in common with thousands of other UNT students.

These students are fighting for their future.

For these students, what matters are their post-college futures. This is true for millions of students across the country.

For some dealing with rising education costs, the luxury of full-immersion in one’s education, without life or money getting in the way, doesn’t exist.

Throughout American history, it’s been normal to graduate high school and go to college. In 2017, the new normal for many is fulltime work and full-time school.

But what matters more? Work, or school? And at what point does work get in the way of school, and vice versa?

Coleman, with 40 hours a week on top of his graduate studies, feels the effects of this new normal firsthand.

“There’s just no other option,” he said. “I don’t think that’s going to change much as long as there’s bills to pay.”

@Kyle_Martin35

Inside ‘The Nook’: Smoking, graffiti and politics

By Nina Quatrino A young man with dark tinted shades turns to a young woman with dark red lipstick and jet black hair as he lights her cigarette. The two engaged in loud conversation with another young man, who was also smoking. Out of nowhere, another girl crash-lands into the corner from off her skateboard.

They all cheer, laugh and welcome her into the nook with high-fives. The smell of urine combined with cigarette smoke takes over the air and the tree that grows from within casts a shadow over the group of friends.

Tucked away from Fry Street and directly across from campus lies ‘the nook,’ a corner where

individuals from all walks of life can share a smoke or join in a conversation about anything they’d like.

“The proper name for [the corner] is the nook,” history junior Andrew Villarreal said. “Some people call it the vortex, the aidshole, bum-hole. I have heard it called the Communist Corner, but it’s really messed up because half of us aren’t even communists.”

However, if you ask anyone what the hole-in-the-wall spot between Aura Coffee and Voertman’s Bookstore is really about, you’ll probably get a handful of responses.

There is a mystery behind the nook that nobody seems to be able to explain. Perhaps it is the artwork

on the walls that expresses ‘antiestablishment’ attitudes and crude humor. Or it could be the nook’s proximity to the dim-lit, Aura coffee shop and its urban-hipster patrons.

A deeper meaning But what exactly is the nook? Is it an underground hangout spot for the politically charged left? Is it a stop for travelers and wanderers who don’t have a place of their own to call home? Or is it a place for local artists and musicians to thrive and express themselves?

The nook is a collection of misfits. Some are considered political refugees and others, like physics junior Brock Beauclair, just want the place to be somewhere to

A small nook in the wall between Voertman’s and the newly named Aura Coffee on Hickory street has been the hangout of choice for coffee drinkers and smokers alike. Ariel Strother, left, and Andrew Villareal, right, hang out in the nook. Jake King

share a smoke with people of likeminded beliefs.

“We want to be taken seriously,” Beauclair said.

As he describes himself and his tight-knit group of friends’ personal political beliefs, he references back to books he’s read and people he has spoken to. He notes that it is uncommon at UNT for someone to openly call themselves as a communist.

Beauclair prefers to identify himself with the term “Leftist.”

“Leftists are people who want the workers to control the means of production, and differ on the preferred methods of that happening, [essentially] the end of bringing equality to the working class and marginalized people,” Beauclair said.

There is also a large online social media presence of vocal leftleaning advocates, also known as “Left-Twitter.” Many are familiar with internet memes, but most do not recognize the importance.

“Meme-culture started out as funny memes about far leftist ideals, [but] people started turning these memes into [real] advocates of participation,” Brock said.

He notes that these internet chat rooms and online forums started to gain popularity during the 2016 primaries. Though he and his friends share most political ideals, he says that he too finds himself in philosophical discussions which usually end in differing opinions.

Unique friendships Villarreal identifies himself as a libertarian and notes that most of the regulars of the nook have vastly different political views; hence the

openly loud disagreement to the rumored name “The Communist Corner.”

He has been coming back to the nook every weekday for nearly two years since he discovered it.

“I saw the nook, and I was like man, look at all those nerds, I’m never going to be like those people, smoking cigarettes in the alley,” Villarreal said.

He explains how he used to walk past it every day, and never considered stepping a foot inside.

Until one day he decided to see what it was all about.

Villarreal is often called the “smooth-one,” a name coined by friends of the nook who recognize his sly, flirtatious and witty personality.

“It was also because I saw a cute girl,” Villarreal said, remembering the first time he experienced the nook. “I was like, ‘yeah I’ll go talk to her.’ [But] the real reason why we all hang out here is because it is the nicest place to smoke off campus.”

Villarreal believes that the nook has strengthened some of his then-distant relationships with now close friends, particularly his friendship with Beauclair. The two have different political views, but manage to be good friends.

“I taught him how to shoot a gun for the first time [at a local shooting range],” Villarreal said.

Media arts junior Ariel Strother said that no matter how much they feud over politics, they all have each other’s backs and keep one another safe.

“We all agree to disagree,” Strother said.

Strother explains that at the

end of the day, the nook is a safe space and it is much more than just a “smoker’s corner.” She says that it is home to stragglers, travelers and a place for homeless to seek inspiration. Strother added that the artwork that makes up the nook brings people together. The artwork and graffiti often change but are always impressive and insanely creative.

Strother is passionate about the art that makes up the nook, in fact, she is the one who superglued a dildo to the wall.

“It’s a conversation piece,” she said.

Brock states that he and his friends weren’t the first ones to discover the nook, and they won’t be the last. It’s been there since the 1920s and has seen many different faces over the years.

The nook is roughly the size of a small fully furnished studio apartment. Resting over a water pipe that runs through the city, the nook has been rumored to be closed up and boarded off. However, that doesn’t seem to be a set plan.

The nook has remained popular with various groups of people, and the people come and go as often as the graffiti changes.

“People like to ascribe this weird, mysticism to [the nook] when really it’s just a place for people to smoke off campus,” Beauclair said. “It’s not some sort of club. Everyone wants to make friends, and you can’t smoke on campus, so why not hang out here?”

@ninaquatrino

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 6

Karma Yoga instructor Jessica McReynolds finds solace in struggles

By Cierra Edmondson If you’ve ever been to a yoga class hosted by Jessica McReynolds of Karma Yoga Denton, then you know to expect many laughs, moments of deep connection with friends and a great workout.

Crossing paths with McReynolds is like catching up with an old friend or meeting someone new and feeling an instant, deep emotional connection to them. That’s what McReynolds strives for, any way.

McReynolds, a mother of two, usually sports a very laidback style, opting for comfort and ease over any thing too fussy. On a Friday afternoon at Rusty Taco, she wore a long black winter coat with a black, textured leggings and a colorful scarf. Her long, blonde hair f lowed down her back.

Her personal story, much like her style, is also very colorful and interesting.

Many people know of McReynolds from her ties to Karma Yoga. The business was started by her and her business partner Tiffany Johnson in March 2015. Karma Yoga seeks to give college students and other yogi’s the opportunity to participate in yoga at the cost of a $5 donation.

At the time that the opportunity was presented to her by Johnson, she was still grieving the loss of her late husband and had gone from a $500,000 salary to almost nothing. Although money was a significant driving factor, McReynolds had already cultivated a love for yoga and thought the plan of starting Karma Yoga to be genius.

At any rate, she knew that she needed to act quickly, despite the circumstances, and hasn’t regretted it since.

McReynolds grew up in Louisiana and started taking interest in playing the banjo at eight years old, one of her many passions.

From there, she found herself living in Syracuse, New York for a time and then moved to Denton about 20 years ago at

the age of 19.

“I play banjo and sub for a lot of bands,” McReynolds said.

“A lot of my family is from the Cajun country and so it was a family thing.”

Looking back on her arrival here so long ago, McReynolds is still shocked at how different the community and atmosphere was then, compared to its current state today.

“The community here is unbelievable,” McReynolds said. “Even with it being a college town and being the age that I am, I am still able to have these amazing friends of all different ages.”

Many of the people she’s met in Denton have made some of the biggest impacts on her life.

Not too long after moving to town, McReynolds walked into Zebra’s Head and met its then-owner, a man by the name of Dennis. The two immediately hit it off and began dating. McReynolds was 11 years younger than Dennis, who would later become her husband.

She also had a friend living in Denton who was, at the time, preparing for an arranged marriage in India.

Upon arriving in India for the wedding, she decided to explore the country.

McReynolds quickly took notice of yoga in the country and how it was so different than western forms of yoga.

“It wasn’t as much about the physical as it was about spiritual,” McReynolds said.

“They didn’t even have yoga mats. It was done on either a little rug or even out in the dirt.

They would wear this white, loose-fitting clothing that we just don’t have here in the west.”

During her time there, she was able to practice yoga under many different teachers. Some, she found, were very serious and spiritual in their approach, while others encouraged laughter and ease. She found that she preferred the ladder and carried it with her back to the States, incorporating it into her own classes.

“Laughter can be a great mediation,” McReynolds

Jessica McReynolds demonstrates various yoga poses before a class at Barnyard on Bell. Hannah Ridings said. “It was definitely eyeawakening.”

One day, while roaming the streets of India, she was stopped by a shaman in the middle of the road. He warned her of hard times that she would soon be facing, but McReynolds did not easily heed his message.

“He told me that I was going to go through something really big and that I needed to go ahead and go to the doctor and get checked out,” McReynolds said. “I told him that he had no idea who I was and that he didn’t know what he was talking about, but sure enough when I got home, it wasn’t much longer that I found out that I was pregnant, had my son and then found out just how bad it was.”

Prior to this occurrence, McReynolds had been noticing that her energy levels were extremely low. She had also been consistently working out and noticed that her stomach wasn’t flattening. Despite the

signs that her body was giving her, McReynolds was in denial about the condition of her health.

After the birth of her son through c-section, she was officially diagnosed with liver cancer.

“Cancer is huge in my family,” McReynolds said. “Living in Louisiana, there are all of these surrounding factories that run into the bayou. In fact, they have a thing in Louisiana called Cancer Valley.”

McReynolds quickly found that the traditional route of medicine was not a match for her and she opted for a smaller dosage of traditional medication and relied more on alternative means of healing. In time, her cancer left, but she is still cautious.

“I still have to be careful and get checked,” McReynolds said.

“Sometimes I still get scared and wonder what the test results will be or if they will turn out bad.”

While the worst of her illness

was behind her and the storm of McReynolds’ cancer had passed, tragedy struck again one morning while she and her husband prepared the kids for school.

Dennis had begun to struggle with severe headaches and despite being on medication, hadn’t experienced relief.

“He went to the bathroom and I heard him hit the wall,” McReynolds said. “I went in and he was on the floor.”

Dennis had had an aneurysm.

McReynolds was followed to the bathroom by her 8-yearold son, but due to shock, she was unable to dial 911.

Frantically trying to resuscitate her husband, she handed the phone to her son to call for help.

Despite her efforts, McReynolds was unable to revive him.

He was only 45 years old.

Time has passed since her struggles. Now approaching her 40th birthday in December, McReynolds finds herself going through a period of reflection.

With the loss of her husband just over three years ago and raising two kids as a single parent, she worries, as most of us do, about how she is performing in certain aspects of her life.

McReynolds continues to push on for herself, her children and her late husband. To this day, she is grateful for having taken the chance on Karma Yoga and pursuing her healing journey.

“My husband would always tell me that everything would be fine and to do what I wanted because I would find myself,” McReynolds said. “He was always very positive in that way.”

@babycyd15

MUEVE’s members work for change through unity SANCTUARY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 on the border separating his family’s past from his future.

The Lopez family are all U.S. citizens now, but in the 1980s, this wasn’t the case. “[My dad] would literally swim across the river and hitch a ride to Houston every two weeks to work, and go back and back and back, to support our family,” Lopez said.

Thanks to the sacrifices of his parents, and ironically an amnesty bill signed by former President Ronald Reagan, his family became U.S. citizens.

Life on the United States side of the Rio Grande Valley was still mired in poverty and crime.

But for what the city lacked in resources, it made up for with its tight knit community.

“I think I had a very good childhood despite how poor

we were and that goes back to the love in the community we have, that’s something we can’t forget,” Lopez said. “That love is so important, it’s what keeps me motivated.”

The reason Lopez is majoring in English, thanks to a scholarship to UNT, is directly related to the community he left behind. He wants to channel has activism to education, specifically as a high school English teacher in Brownsville.

“I only feel like it’s fair to give back to my community in that way,” he said.

Media Arts junio Dylan Hensley grew up with Lopez in the Rio Grand Valley. He said he’s seen Lopez grow leaps and bounds since their days in the Valley.

“He’s always been David to me,” Hensley said. “But [in the Rio Grand Valley] everyone is

in that same pool. Here, it’s different. He was like, ‘I can step into this arena now.’ I’ve seen him grow to become much more active and responsive to the community he can help speak for.”

MUEVE In the spring of 2016, Lopez joined MUEVE and was nominated as the group’s copresident.

“If you look into my background, you could see from a mile away that I would become an activist,” he said.

It’s not activism for the sake of activism, Lopez said. He joined because he cares. He cares for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals students, who are at risk of deportation in the community he is a part of.

“It’s a personal movement,” Lopez said.

But Lopez is not alone. Others take MUEVE’s movements personally, too.

At the Day of the Dead Festival, Lopez said a woman spat on him and other members protesting. Later, the police were called and MUEVE was forced to disperse.

Dealing with trolls has become part of the game. But he said he’s learned that particular task isn’t one of his gifts.

That’s why he cherishes MUEVE. He calls it a leader-full movement with his comrades each exhibiting their strengths in different ways.

“We would have no movement without them,” Lopez said.

One of those comrades working behind the scenes is music senior Adriana Valls.

Valls has been in MUEVE for three years and said Lopez has brought energy and action to the

movement, though admitting it might be due to the political climates as of late.

Valls said she was more behind the scenes in a more creative capacity for the group, but said everyone has their talents that work together.

“Its a group effort,” Valls said.

“In MUEVE, there isn’t really an hierarchy. It’s not one person, everyone has a say.”

Though the group is involved in several protests, they also work in different capacities, whether it be attending town hall meetings or drafting their proposals to enact change. In the aftermath of becoming a sanctuary being shot down, Lopez hopes to employ a more personal strategy to let their voices be heard.

He said it’s all about connecting with people and bringing two opposing points

together. He hopes he can do just that alongside Smatresk down the road.

If not sanctuary, Lopez hopes to discuss ideas, such as policies directed towards students taking online classes or being refunded their tuition in the event they are deported.

Activism is a cycle, and Lopez said he and MUEVE plan to keep chipping away.

“If we can guarantee any rights for undocumented students or DACA students, we’re doing our job,” Lopez said.

“The fight’s not over.”

@a_jack17

SPORTS Page 7

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017

The road to Denton:

By Matthew Brune Playing one-on-one with her youngest sister is a habit Terriell Bradley had to break when she spent her freshman season at Kansas

North Texas sophomore guard Terriell Bradley (23) calls a play at the top of the key against Rice University.. Colin Mitchell

University.

Since her basketball career took her miles away from home, Bradley was limited in how often she was able to see her sister. But signing with a school in the Big 12 that has a rich basketball pedigree was something Bradley couldn’t pass up.

Things just didn’t work out.

Bradley spent one year in Lawrence, Kansas, before realizing what really mattered to her.

“I thought [Kansas] was the best decision for me at the time,” Bradley said. “[But] things just didn’t turn out how I thought they would. I got homesick.”

Originally from New Orleans, Bradley and her family were forced to move to Texas when Hurricane Katrina rocked their hometown.

Moving around Texas brought her and her family closer, and basketball is something Bradley always associated with her parents and siblings.

“My family is at all of my games,” Bradley said. “They’re always supporting me. My mom is the one that introduced me to basketball.”

Enter the Mean Green.

NTDAILY.COM

Terriell Bradley becoming a key fixture for women’s basketball

North Texas was not only a perfect fit for the redshirt sophomore Bradley, but also just what head coach Jalie Mitchell needed in her second season at the helm.

Mitchell initially lost the recruiting battle for Bradley to Kansas while she was an assistant at the University of Texas. At the end of the 2015 season, Mitchell accepted the head coaching position at North Texas just as Bradley was looking to move back to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The timing was impeccable, and now Mitchell has a perennial playmaker on her squad.

“She’s always been a very talented scorer,” Mitchell said. “She’s a tough matchup for any opponent because she can shoot it, put it on the floor, draws fouls and she’s a great free throw shooter.”

In 21 games this year, Bradley is averaging 13.3 points per game, which is the highest average of a North Texas player since 2005.

Bradley is tied for 16th in Conference USA in scoring and is fourth in the conference in free throw percentage, despite shooting over five per game.

“It’s been really good for her, after [being] ineligible last year, to come in and find her niche,” senior guard Candice Adams said. “It’s a great thing whenever [she] can come in and make an immediate impact.”

While Bradley is only shooting 34.8 percent from the field, a large reason is because she has the task of scoring off the dribble more than anyone on the team. Bradley is often left isolated with defenders, leading to more difficult and off-balance shots.

It isn’t all bad, though.

The sophomore guard and her teammates understand that when she is attacking the defense, she sets up easier shots for everyone else.

“I feel like [scoring] is my role,” Bradley said. “It’s what the team needs me to do. My aggressiveness [has improved].”

Even though she starts most games as an off-ball guard, Mitchell has played Bradley an extensive amount of time at point guard this season. In response, Bradley has done an exceptional job of setting her teammates up while remaining aggressive when need be.

Mitchell sees glimpses of her own court vision in practices and games, so she decided to test her out at point guard. The results have shown that Bradley is an even more complete player than most previously thought.

“I don’t think she’s shown how well she can pass the ball,” Mitchell said. “She was a little hesitant when I started playing her at some point.

She was trying to find that balance of [scoring and facilitating], but she’s accepted the challenge.”

Now that she’s back with her family in Denton, no challenge on the basketball court seems to deter her.

While she has only played one season for North Texas, Bradley feels as comfortable as ever.

“Since I’m closer to home, my family is always in the crowd,” Bradley said. “[On the court] I feel like I’m gelling more with this team than I have on other teams, so our chemistry is good.”

With two years remaining in her college basketball career, Bradley will aim to be the focal point of the Mean Green while also being an integral piece in turning this program around.

And Mitchell does not hold back

praise when talking about her stud sophomore.

“I think the sky’s the limit for her,” Mitchell said. “I think she’ll leave with some records [and] she’s putting herself in a position for people to know her name when she leaves here.”

Her youngest sister currently plays at the same high school that she once attended, Mansfield Timberview in Arlington. Now that the two are back together Bradley constantly gives her tips and helps coach her up.

“That’s another reason why I wanted to come home,” Bradley said.

“If I was in Kansas I would never get to watch her play basketball.”

And now that she’s back home, Bradley can go back to one of her favorite family activities — little one -on-one with her youngest sister. As expected, she refuses to drop her competitiveness against anyone.

Even family. “[We play] all the time,” Bradley said with a smile. “[And] I always win.”

@mattbrune27

Sophomores Maria Kononova and Tamuna Kutubidze a dynamic duo for North Texas tennis

By Cesar Valdes It’s true: opposites attract.

At least that’s the case for two members of the Mean Green tennis team.

Sophomores Maria Kononova and Tamuna Kutubidze have teamed up to become North Texas’ most dynamic duo, and their personalities couldn’t be more different. Kononova, or ‘Masha,’ which is a Russian nickname for Maria, and Kutubidze, who head coach Sujay Lama dubbed as “BoomBoom Tamu” after her devastating forehand strike, have impeccable chemistry.

They’re just nothing alike.

“She’s the fire,” Kononova said.

“I’m the calmness.”

In their first doubles match in over three months, Kononova and Kutubidze did exactly what they’ve done since they arrived at North Texas — dominate their opponents.

Against Michigan State, the duo controlled the match from the opening serve, and never allowed their opponents to catch their breaths in the 6-0 beat down.

Minutes later, Kutubidze was in her sweats and a large winter coat.

Her day was over.

But even well after the match, her tension, her energy and most notably her nerves, were apparent. She can’t help it.

Kutubidze plays the game with an immense amount of emotion.

It’s noticeable in every swing of her racquet and at the end of every point,

whether it’s a deep exhale, a drop of her head or muttering gibberish under her breath.

Meanwhile, Kononova continued her quiet dominance on court one. What stood out the most in Kononova’s 6-0, 6-3 win wasn’t necessarily her exceptional play, but rather her unflappability. After every point, game or set, Kononova kept the same demeanor, no matter the result.

Cool, calm and composed.

That’s just who she is.

“I’ve heard already last year that I’m kind of mature for a freshman and now I’m a sophomore and people are still surprised,” Kononova said.

“It’s just the way I was [raised], my parents taught me like that.”

Despite their differences in personalities, they’ve blended into what could eventually become North Texas’ greatest and most tenured No. 1 doubles team.

“They’re such dominant players and they have such high expectations,” Lama said. “We’ve told them it’s feasible in the next three years that they actually can be AllAmericans and also have a shot at a national championship. That’s how good they are.”

As freshmen, Kononova and Kutubidze combined for a 12-6 record and helped their team reach the Conference USA semifinals where they were knocked off by Rice University. They also added first-team all-Conference USA honors in both singles and doubles to their résumés, becoming the first

freshman doubles team in North Texas history to earn that honor.

In their short time at North Texas, the young duo has already defeated two doubles teams ranked top 50 in the nation. They are currently No. 54 in the country themselves, with their highest win coming at the ITA All-American Championships where they beat Oklahoma State’s No. 36 ranked doubles team.

“Chemistry matters,” Lama said.

“One’s more intense, fiery, one’s more laidback. It’s like yin and yang.”

Their success, however, did not come without their fair share of struggles.

Kutubidze, a native of Tsibili, Georgia, understood if she wanted to continue her dreams of playing tennis professionally, she would have to move to the United States.

“In my country there is a real horrible situation with everything, especially with sports,” Kutubidze said. “I just really [couldn’t] imagine myself at the age of 18 to just stop playing tennis, and if I stayed that’s what I had to do.”

Among the countless number of tennis scholarship offers Kutubidze received, she remembered seeing one from associate coach Jeff Hammond. For some reason unknown to Kutubidze herself, she committed to UNT. “I don’t know why I came here to be honest, but I’m lucky.” Kutubidze said.

As for Kononova, she faced a similar journey to UNT. Without any

START MOVING AHEAD. START TAKING THE LEAD. START OPENING MORE DOORS. START BUILDING YOUR FUTURE. START ACCOMPLISHING MORE. START FACING NEW CHALLENGES. START SEEING HOW FAR YOU CAN GO. START STRONG.

For more info about scholarships and ROTC at the University of North Texas, visit goarmy.com/gx48, email army.rotc@unt.edu or call 940-369-8011.

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financial support in her homeland of Russia to continue playing tennis, she began seeking an opportunity elsewhere. Kononova was able to connect with Lama through her former coach who had worked beside him in Germany. Once Lama saw what he wanted in Kononova and offered her a scholarship, she was off to Denton.

When the two arrived in the U.S., homesickness began to sink in for the two.

“I had a bad time my first semester,” Kononova said. “I didn’t like anything. I wanted to go back home.”

It was with this shared hardship, along with their connection on the court, that led to their unbreakable bond. When asked which single

person helped them the most, they immediately pointed towards the other.

“I think those two were probably the most incredible transition I have ever seen a freshman have,” Lama said. “They have the right mindset and when they came here nothing overwhelmed. Their personalities really helped the transition and they were best of friend’s right off the bat too, so they were able to feed off of each other.”

At times it seems as if the two are joined at the mind. They don’t need to speak very much on the court, but when they do they typically use their common Russian tongue, something they say works to their advantage.

“I’ve tried other combinations, but with her I don’t need to say

anything,” Kutubidze said.

With just three games into the season, Kononova and Kutubidze currently hold a 2-0 record in doubles play and have their eyes set on building off their success from the previous year. The two have won 15 of their last 19 doubles matches, including dual and tournament play.

“First as a team win conference, then play in the NCAA team championship, as well ITA [AllAmerican Championships],” Kononova said. “That’s what I’m looking for.”

@The_CesarValdes

Ready for Romance?

Birth control is not one size fits all.

The health experts at Planned Parenthood have information on all the options, so you can find the right birth control for your health and your plans for the future.

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 8

Senior Collin Heard setting sights high in final season with Mean Green track

By Deondre Jones Sports have always been a focal point in the Heard household.

The Heard family is also no stranger to UNT. Heard’s mother, father, brothers and aunts are all UNT alumni.

With a brother that played football at Midwestern State University and another that walked on at North Texas, senior sprinter Collin Heard is no stranger to competition.

“I’ve always been surrounded by athletics,” Heard said. “[My family] has pushed me to be better than what I am.”

Coming out of Bishop Dunne High School, Heard was a three-time all state athlete, lettering in both track and football. Originally, Heard was courted by the North Texas football team, but ultimately he chose to pursue a career in track.

“When he came here, I was really excited about the opportunity because he’s one of the fastest athletes out of high school that I had recruited,” head coach Carl Sheffield said. “For

me to actually recruit and have him come here was an exciting opportunity.”

As a team captain, Heard has made tremendous strides in his final year of collegiate eligibility. He had a strong start to this season, notching a second place finish in the 200-meter dash at the Aggie Invitational with a time of 21.37 seconds.

“It’s very exciting being a teammate of Collin’s,” sophomore sprinter James Cole said.

“He’s very energetic, aspiring and a good leader.”

In his last year, Heard has one particular goal on his mind: advancing to the finals of the NCAA meet. Heard finished the 2016 season with a career-best time of 20.51 seconds in the 200-meter dash in the West Prelims, but was just two spots shy of reaching the finals.

The loss, while painful, gave Heard motivation to put in countless hours in the offseason in hopes of advancing this year.

“I’m definitely doing the small things right,” Heard said. “I executed well on the

track. Now it’s time to make sure I do all the [small] things off the track like getting good sleep, eating well and just making great decisions.”

Although Heard faces immense pressure this season, he still reminds himself that as one of the few seniors on the team, it’s his job to set an example so when his time is done, North Texas can still succeed.

“I want to leave an impact on the team to where they’ll be better off without me,” Heard said. “They have a lot of great young guys that are going to be really good, so I just want to inf luence them now and push them to be the best.”

Heard’s teammates have the same goal in mind and are striving to meet his standards.

“It’s just pretty much having someone to model myself after,” Cole said. “I try to be like him and just stride to what he’s accomplished.”

As for his coach, Sheffield believes when it’s all said and done, Heard has a chance to be one of the most decorated sprinters the Mean Green have seen.

Walk-on outfielder Victoria Blagg living her dream with North Texas softball after tragedy

By Clay Massey When she was a little girl, walkon junior outfielder Victoria Blagg knew exactly where she would be playing.

Blagg grew up in Denton with softball in her blood. Her grandfather played fast pitch softball, and took her to North Texas games. Lovelace Field soon became a softball cathedral for her. She watched Mean Green teams of old, and knew she would be the future.

When she got the chance to walk-on to head coach Tracey Kee’s squad thanks to open tryouts held in September of 2015, it was a chance she waited a long time for, and an opportunity she knew she was ready for.

“I was not nervous at all the whole summer leading up to it,” Blagg said. “I didn’t really take any time off. It was honestly a lot of fun.

Once we got going [in the tryout] it was like practice with a team I had been around.”

Her athleticism caught Kee’s eye.

Out of the handful to try out, Blagg was the only one who was offered a spot. Blagg had experience at the junior college level after time with North Central Texas College.

“I think when you hold open tryouts for kids who are enrolled you get a lot of different types,” Kee said. “I felt she had the athleticism to contribute to our team.”

But during Blagg’s freshman year at NCTC, tragedy struck the softball program.

In September 2014, the team bus was traveling home after a game against Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma. Just south of Turner Falls, Oklahoma, a semi travelling northbound on Interstate-35 crossed the center median and struck the team bus.

Four NCTC players were killed.

Brooke Deckard, 20, of Blue Ridge; Jaiden Pelton, 19, of Telephone; Meagan Richardson, 19, of Wylie; and Katelynn Woodlee, 18, of Dodd City were all killed.

The driver of the semi, 55-year old Russell Staley, was charged with four counts of first-degree man slaughter. Staley committed suicide in January before he could stand trial.

Blagg was not on the bus that night, as she chose to ride home with her parents.

“Going to four funerals in one week and back to those girl’s hometowns, that was the hardest thing I ever did,” Blagg said. “Seeing the heartbreak on their closest friends and family’s face. Whenever things start to move too fast here, I kind of think about that. It really helps put things in perspective. Yes, it can be hard at times, but it’s not the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Not being on the bus that night created a sense of disconnection between Blagg and some of her teammates, according to Blagg’s mother, Tobye Ann Blagg.

She knew she and her husband had to be there for their only adopted daughter.

“It’s hard when a team goes through something like that and you’re not actually with them,” Tobye Ann said. “She would try to encourage them, and some would tell her she didn’t know what it was like. She felt like an outsider.”

Tobye Ann and her husband adopted Victoria when she was nine months old and homeschooled her after third grade. Victoria is the youngest of four children, three of whom are adopted.

Victoria and all her siblings were homeschooled. It was through homeschooling that Victoria found a passion for softball, using the extra time she found after completing her schoolwork in the family’s batting cage in the yard.

Her talent led her to start playing travel softball at the age of nine. Her parents always gave her the option to go to public school or private school, an option she never took.

“You really have to be selfdisciplined to stay on top of things,” Victoria said. “Just like you do

in college. I think it really helped prepare me for college. A lot of people have a lot of misconceptions about homeschooling…it really just helped me hone the craft of softball at the same time.”

Victoria was a three-year letter winner for the Christian Home School Athletes of North Texas Chargers, who won the national title in 2013. It is not often a homeschool athlete finds their way to Division I sports, but for Victoria, she always knew.

“She told me when she was 8 years old that she would play in college,” Tobye Ann said.

Victoria has a chance to contribute to a young team that features just five upperclassmen.

Kee hopes she can step in an immediately make an impact.

“She’s come a very long way since we added her to the roster,” Kee said. “As a student-athlete I can’t complain. Her grades are perfect. I think a lot of people can be nervous with a home school student but in her case I think she’s incredibly prepared.”

She will get her chance when the season finally starts up on Feb. 10 against the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. It has been a long time coming for Blagg to finally suit up in a North Texas uniform, and a bumpy one, at that.

But when her mother and father, who were longtime UNT employees, finally see her don the Mean Green across her chest, it will all be worth it.

Even the neighbors will come out to watch. Her neighbors being her grandparents.

“My family has always been supporters of everything I do,” Victoria said. “It’s been a blessing from God that I’ve been able to come here. When I was in my junior or senior year of high school I knew going to a junior college for my first two years was best, but I had every

@Clay_FC

Junior walkon outfielder Victoria Blagg prepares to run an infield drill during practice. Dylan Nadwodny

“I think if this year goes well, athletically he will go down as one of the best sprinters at this university,” Sheffield said. “He has tremendous talent and has grown to be a fantastic young man with a tremendous future ahead of him. I hope he can put up the numbers and solidify his place in North Texas history.”

And although a championship would be nice, Heard wants to be remembered for more than just what he has done on the track.

“I want to be remembered as a positive leader and a good friend,” Heard said. “I want people to know as both a student and athlete, how much I care about my friends, family, track and UNT.”

@deandrejones34

Collin Heard crouches down in runners stance as he poses for the picture.

Kaitlyn St. Clair

Men’s Basketball counts on teamwork and positivity BASKETBALL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 University.

Senior guards Deckie Johnson, Keith Frazier and Reese will be graduating after this season.

For Frazier, it will mean the McDonald’s All-American will depart after just four appearances for the Mean Green. Benford declared him out for the rest of the season last week, citing sore knees.

“It would be heartbreaking,” sophomore center Rickey Brice Jr. said of missing the tournament. “We put so much hard work in during the summer. Our goal was not only to get to the tournament but win the tournament. I have faith we’ll make [it] and make North Texas proud.”

Despite a winless record in conference play, the Mean Green are clinging to the hope of participating in postseason basketball. North Texas has a pivotal Florida road trip this week, taking on Florida Atlantic University Thursday and Florida International University Saturday.

Both of those schools are just above the Mean Green in the standings. A loss against either of the Florida schools and the season could essentially be over.

FIU is the other cellar dweller in C-USA with a 1-9 conference record. Above FIU is the University Southern Mississippi University, with a 4-7 tally in conference, who Mean Green face off on Feb. 25.

North Texas faces three teams in the bottom five of C-USA in its final eight games — a series of must-win contests.

“These last couple games we’ve been playing hard and giving ourselves a chance, we just didn’t pull them out,” Reese said. “I feel like we’ve got a good chance [to make the tournament]. We need to stay together and keep working.”

In a season riddled with injuries, the Mean Green are near the bottom of almost every statistical category in conference play. North Texas ranks 11 out of 14 in scoring, averaging 66.5 points per game, and are one of only five Division I teams to not record a conference victory.

Junior forward and preseason all-conference selection Jeremy Combs has been sidelined for the season due to a lingering ankle injury. Johnson is battling a recurring hip injury and Brice recently injured his ankle but did return after missing just a handful of games.

The Mean Green have struggled in the second half of games this season, dropping seven of their last 11 after trailing by single digits or

North Texas sophomore guard Ja’ Michael Brown (3) throws up a shot while falling against Old Dominion University. Brown had 6 points on 2-6 shooting. Colin Mitchel leading at halftime. Part of the reason is a 64.5 percent shooting percentage from the free-throw line, the second worst in C-USA. Benford knows the injuries are no excuse, but cannot deny they have taken their toll.

“We thought Deckie would get 30 minutes, we thought Keith would get 30 minutes, we thought Jeremy would get 30 minutes,” Benford said.

“It’s tough. You can’t control injuries. We changed the way we played during the season because of injuries.”

With so many missing faces, the freshman guard duo of Ryan Woolridge and A. J. Lawson has stepped up for Benford off the bench. In the loss against Rice University this past Saturday, Lawson and Woolridge accounted for 52 of the team’s 80 points.

As the season winds down, Benford knows if the team is going to capture that elusive conference win and ultimately make it to the tournament, it will require a total team effort.

After all, the motto around the team is it only takes one win.

“We feel really good about making a push,” Benford said.

“Everybody needs to step up.

We do believe we’ll win games.

We need to keep working hard and stay positive.”

@Clay_Fc

UPCOMING GAMES Thursday •Men’s basketball @ Florida Atlantic.

Tipoff 6 p.m.

•Women’s basketball vs. Florida Atlantic. Tipoff at 7 p.m. p.m Friday •Softball vs. U-Mass Lowell. First pitch at 4 p.m.

•Tennis @ Oklahoma.

Saturday •Men’s basketball @ Florida International. Tipoff at 6 p.m.

•Women’s basketball vs. Florida International. Tipoff at 3 p.m.

•Softball doubleheader vs. Arkansas and U-Mass Lowell. First pitches at 1 and 3:30 p.m.

•Track and field @ Collegiate Indoor Invite. All-day event.

Sunday •Softball doubleheader vs. Arkansas and UMass-Lowell. First pitches at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

MEAN GREEN QUICK HITS Men’s Basketball •North Texas men’s basketball is still searching for its first win in Conference USA. At 6-16, 0-10, the Mean Green are in danger of missing the conference tournament.

Women’s Basketball •The women’s basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak with an overtime road win at Rice over the weekend. The Mean Green are currently in eighth place in C-USA. Softball •North Texas softball kicks off its season Friday afternoon. The Mean Green are looking to rebound after a dreadful second half of the 2016 season cost them the chance to compete in the C-USA tournament last year.

OPINION Page 9

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017

NTDAILY.COM

How the transgender mayor of New Hope is changing the rules

By Victoria Falcon Tuesday, Jan. 31 marked a monumental moment in Texas history when the mayor of New Hope, a suburb of McKinney, announced she was transgender.

The announcement was released on the official website of the city of New Hope, where Jess Herbst addressed she would now and forevermore be living her life as a woman, and that she would also continue serving as mayor.

New Hope is a conservative farming town of about 639 residents, so Herbst was overwhelmed when the announcement was met not only tolerance, but also with unanimous support.

Herbst became mayor in May 2016 after serving since 2003 in the local government as “alderman, road

commissioner and mayor pro-tem.�

Herbst began hormone replacement therapy two years ago and in the announcement she, “At the time, I did not imagine I would hold the mayor’s position, but here I am.�

The support spread across the nation, with her story being featured in several news outlets. She even garnered a supportive message from Caitlyn Jenner, who Herbst attributes, along with Laverne Cox of “Orange is the New Black,� to making great strides in the transgender community.

Herbst has been chronicling her journey as a public official through a self-titled blog, specifically so the announcement wouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to New Hope residents.

Perhaps it’s this collection of her story has created so much support in her community. In the blog, she’s honest about every step of her path.

Herbst, 58, tells all about growing up with thoughts of transitioning, being old enough to read about transitioning and finally deciding to transition at 56 with full support from her wife and children.

For the most part, people have said nice things and she has received full support from her colleagues. In a report from the Dallas Morning News, serving Alderman Bob Parmalee explained the support: “As long as the person does a good job as mayor, and she is doing a good job as mayor.�

As a public official, she has strongly felt that it’s her duty to the people to be honest, which is why she will continue being who she is during her tenure in office. It is obvious that she feels in order to do the best job she can as mayor, she must be her full self. This is just as much of a service to herself as it is to the people of New Hope.

This announcement comes at an uncanny time as Senate Bill 6 has been in major talks for the past few months and could be signed into law during this upcoming legislative session.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been a strong proponent for this bill, which allows businesses to regulate who gets to use the bathrooms in their facilities and in public schools. In turn, state and government buildings will force all to use the bathroom that corresponds to their biological sex.

Patrick has stated that he wants to protect women and children from sexual

predators.

However, many feel this bill is

Illustration by Samuel Wiggins

discriminatory, needlessly expensive and is not even the most pressing issue to focuse on in legislature.

With such a bill on the table, especially in Texas, and considering the politics of the DFW area, Herbst’s announcement is extra surprising. She should be praised for her sincere need to be herself and nothing less.

As the first seated transgender mayor in history, her story is impactful

and will be remembered as an example of the great strides made in the transgender community, gradually changing how society views LGBT issues.

@falconista_

The inseparable histories of sports and unity

By Nate Jackson When nothing else can, in the midst of tragedy and political unrest, sports possess the power to unite, inspire and change the world.

Sports as we know them today derived from ancient Greece – Olympia to be exact. The Olympic games were constructed as a religious commemoration in honor of Zeus, the king of the gods. They were held every four years, and citizens from all over Greece would make the trek to participate.

Being in attendance was a way to flaunt your socioeconomic

status, as business owners came the establishment of sports. to conduct trade, entertainers The biggest adjustment that came to delight and politicians sports helped to make was came to give speeches.

Jackie Robinson and Branch According to the Ancient Rickey’s effect on the Civil Rights Civilization 0nline textbook, Movement. In the first half of the “leaders from various city-states 20th century, Americans didn’t discussed important political have the opportunity to indulge in and economic matters� during television. Their primary medium these Olympics. Seldom would for entertainment was the radio, politicians meet in the same and baseball was America’s place, but as the Olympic games favorite pastime. approached “everyone generally Therefore, baseball had the agreed to an Olympic truce, a capability to win the adoration time where warfare and conflict of the country. In the midst usually ceased.� of segregation, which Sports were essential to this was one of the biggest democracy, and if it weren’t for the Olympics, warfare would have never ceased and there would have been no compromises on matters that affected the general public.

Modern America is still dependent on the existence of sports. As a country, we have seen the evolution of many affairs and the mending of our Illustration by Samuel Wiggins country because of

indecencies in our country’s history, Jackie Robinson was the first black player in Major League Baseball. Although Robinson experienced astounding bigotry, his level of play was undeniable and those same racists and bigots ended up cheering for him.

Robinson was a catalyst and he expedited the speed at which things were moving within the Jim Crow era. Integration began on a baseball field and carried into society.

Equally important is sports’ capability to heal a

nation. Almost 16 years ago, on Sept. 11, 2001, our country experienced one of the greatest terrorist attacks to take place on American soil.

Two planes flew into the Twin Towers. Everyone alive can recall where they were that morning and the shock that ensued. But shock wasn’t the only thing we felt.

We were hurt. How could this happen to us? We’re the United States of America, this kind of thing doesn’t happen to us, but 9/11 shook us back to reality. The loss of life was significant, and in this moment, we didn’t know how to react.

But one thing we did realize in this moment was our frailty as humans and our singularity as Americans. We were in it together.

Sports helped us return to our sense of normalcy, briefly distracting us from the concerns of national security.

Examples include the Mets game in New York City that

day, the excitement that surged once Michael Jordan hinted at a comeback and the Williams sisters playing “in the mostwatched women’s tennis final in U.S. Open history.�

There is no greater vehicle than sports to entice unity. It speaks to something much bigger than ourselves: the human will to win.

It doesn’t matter if you’re white or black, Democrat or Republican, or Muslim or Christian. That’s irrelevant. If you can help me win, let’s win. That’s what makes Americans great. That’s what makes America great. We all have an unrelenting will to win, at whatever it is we put our hands to.

To quote a Chicago Tribune column, published five days after 9/11: “Sports are not detached from life. Sports, at their core, are life affirming.�

@_NateJackson11

The legal fight to protect reproductive rights

By Gabriela Macias

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Last year’s death of Justice Antonin Scalia left a vacancy in the Supreme Court, and has once again opened a war of ideas within the judicial branch. At the center of this issue is the fight and protection of reproductive rights.

Texas is no stranger to the court. Last summer, it confronted one of the most important rulings since Roe v. Wade in a case that would determine the access and protection of safe and legal abortions for the state’s women and possibly affect the entire nation.

The case Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt ruled in favor of women’s rights, stating that “restrictions on legal abortion cannot impose burdens on a woman’s right to access care without providing any legitimate medical benefit.� The decision happened on June 27, 2016.

Although the court was clear in its decision, it has not stopped Texas organizations from attempting to limit women’s access to safe abortions and

medical care.

A case filed in December 2016 went a step further by making a mandate that would force women to endure the “burial and cremation of embryonic and fetal tissue that would result from abortions, miscarriages and ectopic pregnancy surgery – regardless of the woman’s personal wishes or beliefs.�

Presented by the Texas Department of State Health Services, the rule would impose an extreme financial burden on women. Also, medical entities would be required to work with third parties in the organization of burials or cremation services.

The new rule did not go unchallenged. The DSHS was sued by the Center of Reproductive Rights, who stated that the rule is in direct violation of the Supreme Court ruling from June.

In late January, the Court had its order to strike down any new regulations that clearly go against the Health v. Hellerstedt ruling.

The order cited the vagueness of the language used in the amendments from the DSHS and the lacking of any presentation of health benefits. Furthermore, it said that the evidence presented

may be a “pretext to restrict abortion,� which is currently unconstitutional.

Cases like these are the latest being fought by reproductive rights activists, and Texas has been at the epicenter of it all.

The vacancy in the Supreme Court has only fueled the debate and serves as ammunition by all political parties to energize their base, despite the uncertainty of the future. However, pro-choice advocates know that the fight for reproductive rights has never been easy and will continue. With the faith of Roe v. Wade hanging by a thread, organization and a clear strategy might be the correct solutions to secure the outcome.

The one thing we can take away from these rulings, aside from the clear necessity to defend and protect women’s rights, is the importance of an independent judicial branch. One does not act along party guidelines, but protects the integrity of our constitution without outside ideological influences.

@Gaby_Mac22 Illustration by Sam Wiggins

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 10

The detriment of dismantling the Department of Education

By The Editorial Board

Illustration by Samuel Wiggins

Three weeks ago, we wrote these exact words: “If Betsy DeVos becomes the Secretary of Education, our student debt will be even more endangered.”

Even after her controversial confirmation hearing on Jan. 17, it was clear that she was still President Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education — a disturbing revelation considering her lack of experience with banking and student loans.

All of the speculation ended on Tuesday when Vice President Mike Pence voted for DeVos, confirming her secretary status and historically breaking a 50-50 tie in the Senate.

Despite criticisms against DeVos’ poor performance at her confirmation hearing, Pence defended his decision to the press and claimed it was “the easiest vote [he] ever cast.”

However, The Hill reported more alarming news on the same day.

Confirmed by multiple other sources, Kentucky House Rep. Thomas Massie introduced a page-long bill intended to terminate the U.S. Department of Education on Dec. 31, 2018.

In Massie’s opinion, state and local policymakers “should be responsible for education policy, instead of a federal agency that’s been in place since 1980.”

Citing the U.S. Constitution as one of his reasons for the bill, Massie added that “unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. should not be in charge of our children’s intellectual and moral development.”

He also believes “schools should be accountable” to shape such criteria and “parents have the right to choose” the best education for their kids.

Although it’s shocking how a House Republican premiered such legislation the same day that one of his own joined the Cabinet, it’s not the only time a Republican has called for the department to be dismantled.

Enter Ronald Reagan, who campaigned for the presidency in 1980 and, of course, ran the nation from

Spaces filling fast for Fall 2017!

1981 to 1989. Part of his campaign platform called for the abolishment of the Department of Education.

Since the department was signed into law a year earlier by then-President Jimmy Carter, Reagan’s logic was aided with how the department “failed to deliver” strengthened test scores like Carter had promised.

Following his presidential win, Reagan made the Address to the Nation on the Program for Economic Recovery on Sept. 24, 1981.

In his speech, he called for the dismantling of the Education and Energy Departments and argued that doing so would greatly reduce the national budget.

While Reagan-style conservatives like Massie are right in an economic sense, thinking about education solely from a financial view only disguises the severe implications of terminating the department.

As Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) previously said, the department makes “sure that the $150 billion [the country invests] in students each year gets into the right hands” so we can have proper financial support in our academic lives.

The reason Democrats opposed DeVos’ confirmation in the first place was because she would be in charge of managing trillions of dollars in student loans and Pell Grants throughout Trump’s presidency — a leader who infamously confused proficiency and growth. It turns out that eight other Republicans, including Massie, feel the same way and want to destabilize any harm Secretary DeVos will cause.

However, mediating her leadership shouldn’t include the extreme alternative of abolishing a cabinet department. Letting state and local communities choose their own standards for schools means that very few Americans will have equal access to educational opportunities.

In fact, a department study from 2011 found that 45 percent of impoverished U.S. schools received less

state and local funding than other schools in their districts. Another study in 2013 showed that in 11 states no black students were able to take the Advanced Placement exam in computer science.

In eight other states, no Hispanic students could take it either.

This is upsetting since the purpose of the Department of Education is to work towards an equity of educational opportunities — the same reason why the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was passed to begin with.

Furthermore, the department has improved education quite a bit in recent years. According to its website, the rate of high school graduations is at its highest ever, at 82 percent.

The amount of black and Hispanic students enrolled in American colleges has also increased by over a million since 2008 — which can be supported by the Pew Research Center.

Within the final years of Barack Obama’s administration, taking into account that he won the presidency in 2008, the department finally proved its worth in the cabinet. In 2014, the average dropout rate in the U.S. decreased from 12.1 percent in 1990 to 6.5 percent at the time.

As stated by the Current Population Survey, “there was no measurable difference” between the 2013 and 2014 rates.

If we lose this department permanently, nearly 40 years of progress for young Americans will be lost and the potential for another 40 years of progress will be impeded.

Now all we can do, and all that we should do, is hope that Massie’s bill dissolves just as Reagan’s suggestions did. As much as we dislike DeVos for usurping political power, it’s still better for Americans to have an educational department to depend on.

@ntdaily

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