North Texas Daily 3/22/2018

Denton musicians discover a new audience at South by Southwest ARTS & LIFE: PAGE 6

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018

VOL. 112 No. 9

NTDAILY.COM

Former Pepsi executive to be UNT CFO

By Nicole Hooi-Rodriguez @N2_hooi Gary Rahlfs, the former vice president of finance for the beverage and snack company PepsiCo, will join UNT as the new vice chancellor of finance for UNT Systems in late March. He will serve as the university system’s chief financial officer, taking over from interim Vice Chancellor of Finance Bob Brown.

“I am a firm believer that people are what make a difference in any organization,” Rahlfs said. “I was very impressed with the leadership that I met during the hiring process, so I am most looking forward to getting to know the teams across the UNT System office as well as at each Gary Rahlfs university and campus.”

UNT officials interviewed about a dozen candidates for the position and viewed Rahlfs as the best candidate for the job.

“Gary wowed our search committee during the interview process,” UNT Chancellor Lesa Roe said. “He will assume leadership of a strong and experienced team that will complement his strengths.”

Rahlfs described his interview experience as being very disciplined. He also said the rigorous search allowed him to see the high-caliber university leaders including Roe, President Neal Smatresk and UNT Regents.

Brown will continue to serve and assist with Rahlfs’ transition to his new role until May 2018.

“I am deeply grateful to Bob Brown for stepping in as interim vice chancellor for finance over the past four months,” Roe said. “He has tirelessly served our system while also continuing to lead UNT’s financial organization in his day job. Bob’s leadership, financial expertise and steady hand during a time of transition have been invaluable, and his willingness to take on more truly defines the culture of teamwork and collaboration we are working to build at the UNT System.”

Rahlfs’ top priorities include continuing to build “a high-performance team through recruiting, developing and retaining great talent.”

Rahlfs said he is looking to lead the charge in providing high-quality service to UNT students and investing in certain areas that have a significant impact. Rahlfs will serve his first day with UNT Systems on March 26.

Another blowout win on way to finals

By Matthew Brune @mattbrune25

Top: North Texas faced off against Jacksonville State on Wednesday at the Super Pit. Bottom: North Texas sophomore guard Roosevelt Smart (3) shoots a 3-pointer against Mercer. North Texas faced off against Mercer on Monday at the Super Pit. Photos by Jake King

Throughout the first half of Wednesday’s semifinal game of the College Basketball Invitational, sophomore guard Ryan Woolridge carved up Jacksonville State University. Time after time, Woolridge shredded the defense with his precision passes to the rolling big man or the open shooter.

It is what he has done the whole season, but this game the shooters he was passing to could not seem to miss.

The Mean Green finished the game shooting 14-of-20 on 3-pointers and throttled the Gamecocks 90-68, advancing to the CBI Finals. The 70 percent from 3-point land is the fourth best in program history and headlined North Texas’ convincing win.

“The way we played defensively I thought fueled the way we played offensively,”

head coach Grant McCasland said. “We’re playing with some confidence right now, and it’s fun to see our guys compete and prepare on such a short notice.”

Three games into this tournament, North Texas has scored 90 or more points in every game. It has been the same offense, but with the emergence of junior guards Michael Miller and Jorden Duffy, McCasland and Woolridge have new weapons to work with.

This is the first time since 1998 a North Texas team scored 90 or more points in three straight games against a Division I opponent.

“We’re making shots, making plays and sharing the ball,” sophomore guard Roosevelt Smart said. “Ryan’s been doing a good job all season of drawing two and looking for me or DJ or Duffy.”

Coming off of his 31 point game, Duffy scored 19 on 5-of-5 3-point shooting. The other 31 point scorer from the quarterfinal

SEE TOURNAMENT ON PAGE 8

Denton Democrats battle division ahead of primary runoff elections

By Devin Rardin @DevinRardin

Sumshot Khular puts on her cultural dress to exemplify Manipur traditions. Khular is dedicated to furthering south Asian languages. TJ Webb

Sumshot Khular: Preserving culture through language

By Camila Gonzalez @camila_deville About 20 percent of the world’s population speaks English, according the language learning app Babbel, so it would be hard to imagine the world without it. However, less common languages are facing the possibility of extinction as the number of speakers decreases.

This is the case for Lamkang, a northeastern Indian language spoken mainly in communities within the state of Manipur in India.

Native speaker Sumshot Khular is collaborating with linguists in the Computational Resources on South Asian Languages group at UNT to

NEWS

help create a standard dictionary and spelling system to keep the language alive.

“Our very identity, our everything, is in the language,” Khular said.

Khular said schools in India teach in widely spoken languages, such as English, but not smaller tribal languages. This means children are less likely to learn Lamkang.

Khular said this is a problem because language is tied very closely to culture. Many traditions and stories are passed down orally, so the death of the language has a great impact on the community.

“All your rich tradition, your culture, your way of life, would be dead,” Khular said.

UNT to offer dollar-a-day rental bikes in partnership with Spin bike-share pg 3 The university will participate in a six-month pilot to bring Spin bikes to campus and collect data on bike-sharing in Denton.

Elders tell stories and sing songs to others in the community to help teach and explain their importance.

Khular said even if the stories can be preserved, the significance and the people who can provide them cannot. S.N. Bunghon, an elder in her community, recently died, and Khular said “all his knowledge died with him.”

Because of this, she stressed the importance of the language, especially for the younger generation.

Tyler Utt, who has a master’s degree in linguistics, has been working on the 10-year-old project for about eight years. He is focused on the importance of passing the language

SEE KHULAR ON PAGE 5

IN THIS ISSUE

ARTS & LIFE

Austin’s unsung heroes pg 5 SXSW proves to be the busiest time of year for one of Austin’s biggest sources of transportation: pedicab drivers. But there’s more to the bikers underneath the surface.

Democrats had their highest voter turnout in more than 20 years in the 2018 Texas primaries, but Republicans still came out ahead. Democrats had almost 1 million votes while Republicans saw 1.5 million, according to the Texas Tribune.

Denton Democrats saw a similar pattern, but some party members say division and negativity entered the party after primary election results.

“After the primary election there was a lot of division, and I’m ready to move forward,” political science senior Mia Muric said.

The election saw Democrat Beto O’Rourke beat his opponents to head toward a faceoff against Ted Cruz for a U.S. Senate seat. The gubernatorial race between Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez and Houston businessman Andrew White resulted in a runoff.

Andrew Morris speaks at a debate on Jan. 25.

Morris is a democratic candidate for Texas House District 64, a race which is going to a runoff election. Julian Esparza

SPORTS

Men’s golf continues its stellar spring season pg 10 Led by junior Ian Snyman and other veterans, men’s golf hopes to continue quality play into the postseason.

Locally, Angie Cadena won the Democratic party chair seat with 75 percent of the vote.

President of UNT Democrats Jordan Villarreal said that was an “astronomical” number for Cadena.

Some of the more contested races involved those around the UNT area. Linsey Fagan won against Will Fisher in the Congressional District TX-26 race while Andrew Morris and Mat Pruneda are headed to a runoff for Texas House District 64.

“I was kind of shocked for the congressional results,” Villarreal said. “I thought it was going another way. I also didn’t expect to go to a runoff for the Texas House district race. I did not see that as one of the possibilities. That surprised me.”

Villarreal and Muric support both candidates in the Texas House 64 runoff. Morris and Pruneda have similar solutions to many legislative issues.

“I think they are both really great candidates and really great people,” Muric said.

Villarreal agreed but said he thinks Pruneda is more passionate and has a better fighting style. Either way, Villarreal said he thinks this race has the best chance for a Democratic win.

Both of the candidates met to discuss the “increase in negativity, assertions, accusations and innuendo in the recent weeks,” according to a post on the candidates’ respective Facebook pages.

The post called for positive messaging in both campaigns. It also urged people to let the candidates know privately if they see anything counter to the post.

“Together, we want all our campaign staff, supporters and volunteers to work for our respective campaigns rather than against someone else’s — we want campaigns built on

SEE DEMOCRATS ON PAGE 2

OPINION

Self-defense classes neglect the real issue pg 11 Self-defense in a women’s world is everything, but taking Women’s History Month into account, we realize that maybe it’s not the women we should be teaching.

NEWS Page 2

North Texas Daily Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief Kayleigh Bywater @kayleighbywater Kayleigh.Bywater@unt.edu

News Editor Sarah Sarder @sarderrr Sarah.Sarder@unt.edu Arts & Life Editor Alec Spicer @Spicer_Alec AlecSpicer@my.unt.edu Sports Editor Matthew Brune @mattbrune25 MatthewBrune@my.unt.edu Opinion Editor Nina Quatrino @ninaquatrino NinaQuatrino@my.unt.edu Visuals Editor Jake King @King_Jake1st JakeKing@my.unt.edu

UNT’s Student Government Association will soon introduce the Inclusive Language Campaign (ILC) to UNT students.

The ILC is a national campaign started by the Department of Resident Life at the University of Maryland and the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in 2012. It encourages people to think before they speak and refrain from using phrases that could offend people.

“SGA wanted to bring the Inclusive Language Campaign to educate our campus community on how to use alternative vocabulary, in order to create a more inclusive environment at UNT,” said SGA Governmental Affairs Director Taylor Willis.

The SGA executive board has worked on developing the campaign with Pride Alliance, the Multicultural Center and the Dean of Students. It has seen progress since last semester.

The process for this initiative included researching inclusive language campaigns at other universities, developing and vetting the language and creating a roll-out plan, Willis said.

Some of the common problematic phrases listed by the University of Maryland include “that’s so retarded,” “that’s so gay” and “that exam raped me,” among others. The university spent $16,000 in 2015 to implement the campaign.

“I think it’s a fantastic idea because I think there are a lot of people on campus who don’t know or understand how to navigate pronoun usage, appropriate terms and labels for minority groups like the LGBTQ+ community,” journalism junior Emilia Capuchino said.

“This is something that could really make UNT more inviting and somewhat safer for trans people and queer people.”

Inclusive language campaigns have formed at other universities as well.

UNT currently addresses inclusive learning in the Teaching Excellence Handbook to promote a safe learning environment.

The ways the handbook encourages an inclusive learning environment include “[using] inclusive language that can be understood appropriately by all in the classroom” and “[providing] examples representing diverse backgrounds.”

Computer science and music sophomore Canaan Yemane said he thinks the campaign will be hard to implement.

“It’s like getting rid of the [N-word],” Yemane said.

“But I think it’s a good idea. Of course, some will say they [have] freedom of speech.”

UNT’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion aims to facilitate an inclusive environment on campus through community engagement and education.

The director of diversity and inclusion, Shani Barrax Moore, has a presentation available online that discusses how to create an inclusive climate.

Separately, the SGA senate approved a resolution on Feb. 7 to update SGA bylaws to change the pronouns “his” and “hers” to be replaced by more inclusive terms.

Student Government Association is bringing a campaign to campus promising to push for inclusivity through abstinence of offensive language. File

A rundown of ongoing construction on campus

By Jacqueline Guerrero @gagaart1

Production Team Design Editor Kelly Fox @kellythefox1 KellyFox2@my.unt.edu Designer/Copy Editor Marshall Cearfoss @JustMarshalling MarshallCearfoss@my.unt.edu Designer/Copy Editor Kaitlin Pennell @k_itlinn KaitlinPennell@my.unt.edu Designer/Copy Editor Kiera Geils @KieraGeils KieraGeils@my.unt.edu Copy Intern Becca Stetson @beccastetson rebeccastetson@my.unt.edu Social Media Manager Kenli Gunter @kenliiiii KenliGunter@my.unt.edu Senior Staff Illustrator Austin Banzon @Austinbanzon99 austintroybanzon@my.unt.edu

Business Director Adam Reese 940-565-4265 Adam.Reese@unt.edu

Faculty Adviser Gary Ghioto 940-891-6722 Gary.Ghioto@unt.edu

To pitch a story, or contact the Editor-in-Chief, please email northtexasdaily@gmail.com

CORRECTION

SGA introduces language initiative to encourage inclusivity on campus

By Zaira Perez @zairalperez

Managing Editor Kayla Davis @kaylajeann19 KaylaDavis@my.unt.edu

NTDAILY.COM

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018

In the March 8, 2018 issue of the North Texas Daily, a map was printed with an incorrect cutline that stated the map represented locations of high school walkouts in North Texas. The map actually represented schools in North Texas that were vocal about gun safety since the Florida shooting on Feb. 14. The Daily regrets the error.

Construction projects at UNT are causing obstructions at several areas on campus. A portion of the projects will be completed by the end of March and others before January 2019.

Here are the major projects taking place at UNT, according to the university’s construction obstruction report: Hickory Street Hickory Street between Welch and Carroll Streets will be closed until June 29. This area has been undergoing construction since February as part of a capital improvement plan. The plan involves an upgrade and replacement of the water main line for the water supply system.

There will be increased vehicular and pedestrian traffic along Hickory Street between North Texas Boulevard and Fry Street until Aug. 30 while existing gas mains and service connections are upgraded.

Both pedestrian and vehicular traffic will be interrupted on Hickory Street between Bonnie Brae and North Texas Boulevard until May 30 for reconstruction of the streets.

CVAD Workers poured concrete around the College of Visual Arts and Design on March 12, and the area will be under construction for at least one month.

The sidewalks near CVAD on Mulberry Street will be closed and pedestrians are advised to cross at the corner of Mulberry and Welch Streets.

The east side of the CVAD building will be blocked for construction of the new art department academic building set to be completed by Oct. 29. Parking lot 50 near Union Circle and sidewalks along the new building are closed for the remainder of the project.

of the construction of a new sidewalk tying into the Interstate 35 bridge. The paving of the new sidewalk is set to be completed by March 24.

Music building The east side of the Music building will be closed to pedestrians while the roof is repaired. The project started on Nov. 12 and will be completed by March 30.

Infrastructure Pedestrians will be blocked from walking along Bain and Ken Bahnsen Gym located at West Highland Street because of sewer and storm drain upgrades. The project started in January and is expected to be completed

by May 30.

Mean Green Village Building L, located between building B and K in Mean Green Village, is being demolished. Pedestrians are restricted from the area, which will be enclosed in fencing until the project is finished by March 30.

Athletic facilities The area south of Warranch Tennis Complex will be under construction until July 30 as a new track and field complex is built. The sidewalks near the construction area will be blocked for the duration of the project.

The east sidewalk to Apogee Stadium is blocked to pedestrian traffic because

West Hickory Street has been under construction for several months and is expected to be completed by January 2019. Ashley Gallegos

Nonprofit leadership studies degree coming fall 2018

By Sean Riedel @SeanRiedel Starting in fall 2018, UNT will offer a bachelor of science in nonprofit leadership studies through the department of public administration.

University officials say the degree will prepare students for careers in multiple nonprofit sectors.

The degree plan will “expand on courses already offered through a minor in leadership of community and nonprofit organizations, and an academic certificate in volunteer and community resource management,” according to a UNT press release.

“It’s going to be beneficial, not just to UNT and to its students, but on the back end, it’s going to be beneficial to the community and to the nonprofit organizations here in Denton and in DFW,” Department of Public Administration Chair Abraham Benavides said.

The degree plan includes 33 hours of core courses offered in the department of public administration, 15 hours of courses in the communication studies, management and journalism

departments and nine hours of electives.

Laura Keyes, department of public administration undergraduate coordinator and lecturer, explained what the new program will focus on.

“Our coursework is focusing on administration and management, but we are providing [students] with a marketable skill set in finance and a marketable skill set in critical and analytical thinking,” Keyes said.

“They’ll have a capstone course that will focus on the culmination of all of these skills and work on a specific project, and then they will also have an internship requirement where we will help place them in a nonprofit in the DFW area to gain practical, hands-on skills.”

Topics for the courses include community resources, financial management, leadership theory and practice for volunteer managers, mediation, philanthropy and fundraising, proposal writing and grants administration, Keyes said.

The courses are all set to be offered on UNT’s main campus and will integrate in-person and online classes.

Keyes talked about her efforts in securing nonprofit organizations

interested in accepting future interns through this program.

“I’m working night and day trying to build these partnerships and a database and get confirmation from them that they’re interested in administration and management, and that they’ll help us place [students] in [human resource] positions and the donor and fundraising development type of positions,” Keyes said.

Keyes said nonprofits in the DallasFort Worth area have expressed excitement about the new program.

Communities In Schools of North Texas CEO Ann Pape said in an email she is thrilled to be a part of UNT’s efforts to support and develop the next generation of nonprofit leaders.

“I have had the privilege of teaching the next generation of leaders as well as leading a nonprofit organization in service to children and families,” Pape said. “Investing in the next generation of nonprofit leaders is an investment in our community as a whole. Our hopes for social equity, empowered individuals and thriving families rests on the ambitions and abilities of students who will one day become leaders.”

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

Austin bombing suspect dead

Shooting at Maryland high school

Trump congratulates Putin

Facebook user data mishandled

Mark Anthony Conditt, the suspect in a series of package bombings in Austin, blew himself up as officers closed in on his vehicle Wednesday morning, The Dallas Morning News reported. Officials say the 23-year-old may have more bombs placed throughout the city. Conditt is said to be responsible for at least six bombs that killed two people and wounded five so far. The package bomb attacks started the morning of March 2.

Austin Rollins, a teenager who shot and critically wounded a girl in a Maryland school, was killed when a school resource officer confronted him, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle. A third student was shot in the incident but is in good condition. The cause of the shooter’s death is unclear.

President Donald Trump called to congratulate Vladimir Putin for his re-election as Russia’s president. Trump did not bring up Putin’s lopsided victory, Russia’s impact on the 2016 presidential election or Moscow’s role in the nerve agent attack on a Russian spy. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the two “had a very good call,” according to The Washington Post.

Federal regulators and state prosecutors are investigating Facebook for the mishandling of user data, The New York Times reported.

A report that a political consulting firm obtained information of 50 million Facebook users sparked the investigation. The incident has decreased Facebook’s value by $50 million in two days.

Public relations junior Czarina Muñoz will add nonprofit leadership studies as a second major this fall.

She said she’s volunteered at various nonprofits and found a love for the public relations sector.

“Every organization, no matter how big or small, leaves a footprint on people’s lives,” Muñoz said. “With my degree, I plan on entering the nonprofit sector whether it be through grant writing or human resources. I would love to counsel young adults who are looking at working in the public relations side whether it be human resources or nonprofit organizations.”

Benavides said this degree will be a good fit for young people interested in contributing to their communities.

“Something I’ve noticed is that this younger generation that’s coming up, they’re interested in making money, but they’re also interested in doing good,” Benavides said. “This degree will help train them to do that, so they can feel a purpose to their lives. They can say, ‘Yes, I’m able to feed my family and provide for my needs, but at the same time, I’m also able to contribute significantly to the community.’”

Chicago voters support recreational marijuana An advisory-only referendum by Illinois County backed the recreational use of marijuana in Chicago, according to ABC News. State lawmakers are currently discussing the legalization of marijuana.

Supporters say it will raise revenue for state and local governments. Opponents say it will disrupt federal laws and will have social costs.

By Devin Rardin

NTDAILY.COM

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018

PAGE 3

City leaders discuss new ethics ordinance

Latest draft focuses on transparency, raises standards for public officials

By Devin Rardin @DevinRardin Denton City Council discussed the first draft of its ethics ordinance, the first of its kind for Denton, on March 6.

The ordinance aims to establish rules on ethical behavior for elected and appointed officials.

The draft says its purpose is to “foster an environment of integrity for those that serve the city of Denton and our citizenry” and “to increase public confidence in our municipal government.”

The draft is subject to change based on council input and public hearings.

Denton resident and veterinarian David Zoltner pushed for reforms in 2012 when he ran for city council. He claimed city leaders did not report unethical practices.

In 2015, former city council member Kathleen Wazny tried to discuss ethics reform with the council but the conversation did not result in action.

Wazny and Zoltner started to draft their own ordinance and petition. Last November, Denton voters supported ethics reforms, which resulted in the ordinance.

The council participated in two hours of ethics law training and discussed the subject in four work sessions, which adds up to over 10 hours. The ordinance will apply to the mayor, city council, board appointees, the city auditor, city manager, city attorney and municipal judge.

The lawyer hired to draft the ordinance, Alan Bojorquez, said the draft is an “attempt to take all the feedback [the council] has given me over the previous four meetings and put them in some sort of order to show how they’re interrelated to each other.”

On March 6, the council reviewed and discussed the draft for almost three hours. Among the subjects discussed was

conflicts of interest.

The council asked for clear language to understand what triggers a conflict of interest enforcement.

“We need to be tight,” Mayor Chris Watts said. “We need to give a real clear picture of predictability and guidelines. I think [conflicts of interest] throw in a subject of subjectivity that makes it difficult. What I perceive to be a conflict, somebody might not and vice versa.”

They also conferred about gifts and accepting meals from their vendors. The council talked about how it applies to banquets and where to draw the line.

Mayor Pro Tem Sara Bagheri said she believes meals do influence decision making. She gave an example of a lobbyist taking them out to eat.

“When it comes time to vote on his contract, I’m thinking about the meal,” Bagheri said.

Other points of contention were the Board of Ethics, which administers the ordinance, and the panel, an adhoc subcommittee to the board. The conversation was based on who would serve the three-person panel and whether or not it should be subject to the open meetings act.

Council member Dalton Gregory said he thinks the open meetings act should apply.

“That’s part of transparency,” Gregory said. “That’s a part of what this whole ordinance is about, and if the whole ordinance is about that then to carve out this exception seems to be working at odds

with the goal.”

Bojorquez said he will take all these into consideration when making the next ordinance draft.

Watts concluded the discussion by saying officials are in “the final stretch.”

Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, professor and chair of the political science department at UNT, said the ordinance will take time so people should be patient. He said it needs to be clear, publicly accessible and have a watchdog to make sure people are following it.

“We want people to have faith and trust in their government and if there is a lot of grey area that just leads things to interpretation,” Eshbaugh-Soha said.

“So we want to take that off the table.

We want something that is clear and

understandable.”

Eshbaugh-Soha said the ordinance will enhance trust in the local government.

“We don’t want the perception of corruption,” Eshbaugh-Soha said. “We don’t want actual corruption. If there are clear bright lines for members of the city council then they know what’s expected of them. They know what they can and cannot do. If all of this is publicly out there and people are happy with the rigorous and clear ethics ordinance then people will have more faith in their government. They will know that the government is working to benefit all citizens of Denton. Not just a few.”

The public expressed their opinions on the ordinance during a hearing on March 20.

From left to right, Gerard Hudspeth, Keely Briggs and John Ryan swearing into office at City Hall on May 16, 2017. Courtesy | Jeff Woo/DRC

Democrats encourage positive interaction from constituents DEMOCRATS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

A student uses a bike lane on West Highland Street in Denton on Wednesday. UNT will soon begin a partnership with Spin, a bicycle sharing company, to increase the bicycle friendliness of UNT. Kathryn Jennings

UNT partnering with Spin to bring dollar-a-day bike-sharing to campus

By Jacqueline Guerrero @gagaart1 UNT will be partnering with bikeshare company Spin to provide students, faculty and staff with the benefit of mobility for the cost of a dollar a day.

The official launch of the six-month pilot has been delayed due to the branding of the bicycles, said Trista Moxley, UNT ‘s senior communications transportation specialist.

Spin is a stationless bike-share company working on transforming cities and campuses by offering an accessible, affordable and environmentallyfriendly form of personal mobility, according to Spin.

A regular Spin bike is orange, but the Spin bikes coming to the UNT community will be branded with the official UNT green color along with the school logo, said Christopher Phelps, senior director of transportation services at UNT. Phelps joked that around this part of Texas the color orange, especially burnt orange ­— the University of Texas at Austin’s school color — is frowned upon.

“I hear all the stories about the Coliseum,” Phelps said. “Apparently the Coliseum way back when had orange seats, so anytime we mention orange bikes they go, ‘Oh, that’s the Coliseum story.’”

It was UNT Transportation Services’ decision to launch a dockless bikeshare program on campus and the department has done research on the matter over the summer and fall of 2017,

Phelps said.

“We got a [request for proposal] ready to go for a bike-share, but we have some dynamics,” he said. “With the city of Denton, we have [a] permitting process ... maybe a pilot process will be a good thing, to see if this works and that doesn’t and adjust the RFP.” When the Spin pilot program does officially launch, riders in the UNT community will be able to ride for $1 and will have the option to pay a monthly fee. The cost for unlimited rides for one month is $29, three months for $59 and $99 for a year.

Riders can drop off the Spin bikes around campus and off campus in the Denton area but will be recommended to stay on the UNT campus, Phelps said. The RFP will allow for the city of Denton and Texas Woman’s University to also participate in the bike-share.

To start off this pilot, 100 Spin bikes with UNT’s branding will be sent to the university, Moxley said. UNT will receive no financial benefits from this project and will only pay for the branding of the bikes, she said.

“Out of the pilot we want to learn a lot of the data,” Moxley said. “What is the right number of bikes to have on campus? Are the students even interested in using the bike-share versus using their own bike? We want to learn the data about what the students want and how it can be utilized correctly.”

Throughout the last year, bikeshares started popping up around Dallas and surrounding areas, receiving some negative response due to bicycles

becoming common obstructions on sidewalks and elsewhere.

Mark Nelson, director of transportation and aviation for the city of Denton, said the city identified safety and nuisance concerns after VBikes began operating in the Denton area during summer 2017.

“Denton is responding to experiences in Denton related to bike-sharing with an understanding that the community has expressed a concern that the deployment of an unlimited number of bikes is not desired in Denton,” Nelson said. “These issues were primarily associated with safety such as blocking sidewalks and [Americans with Disabilities Act] access as well as an obstruction to a line of sight at intersections.”

Denton City Council began the request to look into “developing a policy to set operating guidelines” in October 2017, Nelson said. He is not certain of a timeline for the official launch of Spin, but the company has indicated they will be submitting an application. The city of Denton has yet to receive the application request.

“Currently, the ordinance establishes responsible deployment and management of bike-share assets, essentially encouraging a good neighbor approach,” Nelson said.

The data generated from the sixmonth Spin pilot program will help in the development of future bike-share programs and infrastructure, such as a long-term bike-share policy for Denton.

positive messaging that seeks to help all our constituents,” the post stated.

It ended by saying the only opponent that matters is Lynn Stucky, the Republican incumbent for District 64.

Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, professor and chair of the political science department at UNT, said the Denton democratic candidates have no chance against their Republican opponents. The democrats can, though, build momentum for a possible win in 2020.

Eshbaugh-Soha said Morris and Pruneda’s message is a long-term strategy to help engage democratic voters in the future.

“It’s not about tearing each other down, it’s not about having a fight related to a victory that is unlikely,” Eshbaugh-Soha said. “It’s really a long term strategy and I think it can only help to have a positive forward-thinking message as a way to demonstrate an alternative, engage people and have a substantive discussion.”

The TX-26 results brought some disagreement among the party. Muric cited a debate where Fagan said lawyers are corrupt. Muric says Fagan was implying that Fisher, who is an attorney from Flower Mound, is corrupt.

“There was a lot of division over that because you are calling another democratic candidate corrupt,” Muric said.

Fagan said she was making the point that everyday citizens should take office.

Muric said she wished the message was presented in a more articulate way. She also said she thought Fisher had a better chance of beating Michael Burgess in the general election.

“I think Linsey is going to have a hard time with the GOP strategies that are out there,” Muric said.

Muric said she will still support Fagan and that she thinks Fagan could have a chance when the November election comes around.

Villarreal said Fisher supporters have to find new avenues to express their passions.

It might not be through Fagan’s campaign but through other local democratic races.

Villarreal is optimistic about Fagan.

“I think Linsey Fagan will do a phenomenal job as a candidate for TX-26,” Villarreal said. “Even as someone who did not vote for her in the primary, I am looking forward to voting for her in the general. She is someone who is passionate, unapologetic progressive and a voice for change.”

When asked about division and infighting among the Democratic Party, Villarreal chuckled and said it is relatively small. He said he’s more impressed by the growth of Denton’s Democratic Party, saying it was almost nonexistent a few years ago.

“A lot of progress needs to be made but we can’t oversimplify the fact that a lot of progress has been made within the Denton County Democratic Party.”

Eshbaugh-Soha said it is natural to have tension amongst political parties. Some groups try to send the message that they are the face of the Democratic Party and they are the reason the party will win, Eshbaugh said.

“In the primary especially we tend to see negative ads because there is really no difference in policy so you attack the other person to try to win,” Eshbaugh-Soha said.

“That’s not necessarily a good strategy for a party that is trying to build and motivate the electorate to support them over the long term” Muric said the party is in a transition period and wants more accountability for party members. She said precinct chairs do not show up to meetings and party officers do not know Robert’s Rules.

Muric said there are a lot of organizational issues within the party but that is a learning curve that can be overcome.

“I don’t really see the massive division that some people are saying,” Villarreal said.

“I think its symbolic on some ends. People want to see the Democratic Party divided but for the most part, we are ready to go into November with a great slate of candidates and a vision for a progressive future for Texas.”

The runoff elections will be held on May 22, and the general midterm election is on November 6.

Mat Pruneda, left, and Andrew Morris, right, shake hands after a debate on Jan. 25. Both are Democratic candidates for Texas House District 64, a race which is going to a runoff election. Julian Esparza

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THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT News highlights from the break

Petition formed to disband North Texas Sweethearts gains more than 250 signatures

By Zaira Perez @zairalperez A petition to disband the North Texas Sweethearts for alleged racial discrimination and hazing reached more than 250 signatures as of Wednesday night.

The petition was created by inactive Sweethearts members Victoria Edwards, Isabelle Vigil and Whitley Smith. It says incidents regarding a video on Instagram where members used a racial slur and homophobic slurs on Facebook and Twitter posts “have been swept under the rug by the current officer board and those of the past.”

“I was alienated and treated like a social pariah because I wasn’t friends with the ‘right’ sisters, and the way I spoke my mind was unacceptable,” Edwards said.

Vigil found a video on Feb. 7 on Instagram of Sweethearts members saying the N-word. The video was then posted on Twitter. Vigil and Edwards notified the president of the North Texas Sweethearts, Lisa Kramer, within an hour.

Vigil said she got involved with the petition because she felt singled out.

“They make me feel as if I am less than [them] for trying to correct their actions by educating them about racial issues which is something I feel like I shouldn’t even have to do in the first place,” Vigil said. “I feel as if I am being demonized by other members because I have decided to take a stand against the racial injustice within this organization.”

Edwards and Vigil said they have both brought the issue to the Dean of Students.

After seeing the video of the two members saying a racial slur, Kramer said the officer board of the organization removed them from the organization. She said the officer board looks into such situations and follows their constitution as well as UNT’s Code of Conduct.

“Any and all acts by any member that have exhibited racism or discrimination while I have been in office [since summer 2017] have been dealt with immediately,” Kramer said.

Kramer and the Sweethearts’ officer board have also brought the petition to the university’s attention.

North Texas Sweethearts is a women-only student organization that purports to be dedicated to promoting school spirit in UNT athletics and philanthropy around the Denton community, according to its website.

Denton county patrol sergeant arrested for solicitation of a minor

By Sean Riedel @SeanRiedel A Denton county patrol sergeant has been fired following charges of online solicitation of a minor, according to a Denton County Sheriff’s Office press release.

Patrol Sgt. Weston Jordan was arrested after a joint investigation conducted by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit and the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division. Jordan is being held in Tarrant County Jail on a second-degree felony charge, according to the Denton County Sheriff’s Office.

Denton County Sheriff Tracy Murphree released a statement March 14.

“I am shocked and ashamed by the arrest of one of our own for such a horrible crime,” Murphree said.

“Criminal actions by those sworn to serve and protect will not be tolerated. He has brought dishonor to his profession and to this office. He has been terminated and we are cooperating fully with the Investigation.

I am thankful that Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn and his Office and DPS conducted this investigation and was able to get a predator off the street.”

PLATFORM speaker series features acclaimed artist

By Becca Stetson @beccastetson Roberto Lugo, 36, visited the Patterson-Appleton Arts Center on March 1 as part of the UNT Department of Studio Art PLATFORM speaker series. He was the inaugural speaker of the series, and drew a crowd of over 100 people from the Denton community.

Lugo is a Philadelphia-born potter, social activist, spoken word poet and educator. Carrying an impressive laundry list of accomplishments, Lugo uses his work to spark social change.

His workspace is messy and cluttered with the day’s tools. The sun set hours ago, but he presses harder in the studio’s harsh fluorescent lights.

Hands immersed in clay, he hunches over his wheel, crafting both art and social change. He molds the clay into pottery while using his words to mold the young minds of tomorrow.

“My life’s story takes shape in the form of teapots, poetry, murals, rap, artist talks and sheer acts of activism,” Lugo said. “I teach communities to make mosaic murals that pay homage to those killed in their neighborhood streets.”

Honoring the fallen Lugo’s work focuses on the creation of mosaic murals that honor victims of gun violence. He uses ceramics to turn temporary graffiti art into permanent memorials remembering the fallen.

Lugo said he was inspired by “the rest in peace” graffiti murals he saw growing up in the ghetto. These murals are often destroyed by the city for being acts of vandalism, so Lugo wanted to find a medium to bring permanence to lost community members.

“Sometimes this is the only part of this person that exists,” Lugo said.

“One of the qualities of ceramics is that it lasts forever, so I figured that’s a real permanent way to pay homage to this person.”

His work is especially relevant in the wake of recent acts of gun violence around the country, specifically the Parkland shooting that shook the nation in February.

Lugo’s lecture was well-received by crowd Lugo’s lecture drew positive

responses from the Denton and UNT community. Upon completion of his speech and spoken word poetry, the crowd gave Lugo a standing ovation.

He was asked to speak at the program by UNT ceramics professor Brooks Oliver, one of his previous classmates at Penn State.

Oliver said procuring Lugo as a lecturer for the series was an intentional effort, in part due to the nature of Lugo’s work.

“In a time where our society seems to be fractured and divided, Roberto’s work inherently starts conversations,” Oliver said. “[His art] starts dialogues between groups and individuals that might not have been able to sit down with each other before.”

Ceramics junior Emma Lassiter said she attended the lecture after viewing one of Lugo’s previous speeches in ceramics class.

“I love Roberto Lugo’s work,” Lassiter said. “As a person, I think he’s so awesome and in his work, I think he’s using his art in such a positive way and it’s just so inspiring.”

Art as a weapon Lugo said he used to question his purpose as an artist, feeling powerless in his passion.

“I started thinking to myself, ‘Why am I making pottery?’” Lugo said.

“This is kind of stupid, you know, in a world where we have things like this, how is anything gonna change? How am I going to make any impact on the world if I’m just making pottery?”

It wasn’t until he really understood the power of diversity that he stepped into his role as an influence for young artists who shared his background.

Lugo explained that the simple act of seeing representation in the classroom and the studio inspired him to use his platform for good.

In addition to creating memorials for victims of gun violence, Lugo uses his voice to fight continued gun violence around the country.

Lugo stressed the importance of using art to break down the barriers that divide a nation.

“Art’s best weapon is to produce empathy from people,” Lugo said.

“People feel so alone and outcast and art has the capacity to build community and I think through that, people are less likely to want to kill one another.”

Roberto Lugo, artist and social activist, addresses the crowd at UNT’s inaugural PLATFORM speaker series, hosted by the College of Studio Art. More than 100 were in attendance at the lecture on March 1. Becca Stetson

ARTS & LIFE Page 5

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018

NTDAILY.COM

Behind the bikes

Downtown Austin’s unique pedicab drivers help keep the city ‘weird’

By Kaitlin Pennell @k_itlinnn

As the mass of people from across the globe empty the streets of Austin after a week filled with music, film, conventions and parties at the annual South by Southwest festival, one thing is sure to remain behind: pedicab drivers.

It is nearly impossible to maneuver in downtown Austin without seeing an array of bicycles with attachable carriages, hauling people to and from their destinations, oftentimes blaring music from speakers.

With numerous street closures, expensive parking lots and venues scattered from one side of downtown to the other, hitching a ride with a pedicab driver is an appealing option for festival-goers’ wallets — and feet.

The Texas capital is just as unique as its pedicab drivers, who can be found on every street downtown all year — not just for festivals. However, most pedicabbers will likely say because SXSW brings the biggest crowds, the festival helps them bring in the big bucks.

“It’s one of the only jobs I know that you can have money in hand without taking your clothes off by the end of the night,” Austin pedicab driver Sarah Yopp said. “South by is our Christmas, as we call it.”

Wonder Woman can do it all Yopp is one of the more unforgettable pedicab drivers downtown — she’s hard to miss with her headto-toe Wonder Woman costume, a look she’s been rocking ever since she started pedicabbing in Austin seven years ago.

“I was just some crazy lady who obviously loved Wonder Woman, but now people recognize me,” Yopp said.

Yopp stumbled upon this job and found herself pedicabbing full-time after leaving her job as a charter school teacher. She taught children about gardening and environmental skills during her teaching stint, helping

“

With this job, we do everything: I’m a psychologist, I’m a tour guide and I’ve rescued people.

“

her put her degrees in zoology and environmental studies to use.

“I was just wanting an extra job at the time, but I ended up making a lot of money my first night pedicabbing,” Yopp said. “It was just like that — I went from no money to having all this money by the end of the night.”

This job allows Yopp to wear many hats apart from being a cyclist.

“With this job, we do everything,” she said. “I’m a psychologist, I’m a tour guide and I’ve rescued people.”

With an extensive background in bicycling and mountain biking, combined with her experience as a bike messenger in New York, the self-proclaimed gypsy said she has become immune to the fear of constantly

peddling next to cars.

However, cars aren’t the only thing Yopp is cautious about in this line of work.

Yopp recalls a time when a fellow pedicabber was assaulted and robbed. The woman was hit with the butt of a gun by a man, leaving her with an empty wallet and permanent brain damage.

This Wonder Woman was faced with a dangerous situation herself, in which she was attacked and luckily rescued by a taxi driver. In addition to being a rescuee, Yopp has stepped up and done some rescuing herself.

“I’ve actually saved women on 6th Street late at night who are incapacitated — who have had too much to drink — and some guys have touched them inappropriately,” Yopp said. “I’ve seen some horrible stuff.”

Keeping her pepper spray close to her at all times, Yopp said although she likes her job and where it’s been able to take her, at the end of the day, it is “extremely difficult” to be a female pedicabber.

“It’s not only having to deal with bad customers, but also my male peers who give us girls less credit than we deserve,” Yopp said. “You definitely have to not take any s—t and just be a tough person in general.”

Yopp now owns her own business and has plans to continue her work as a pedicabber this summer in Chicago for a second round. Austin can expect a return of its Wonder Woman pedicabber in time for the Austin City Limits music festival.

Groovy, baby Covered in psychedelic hand-painted patterns is Adam Carrell’s pedicab bike. Carrell has been pedicabbing in Austin for five years, with this year’s SXSW marking his fourth time working the festival.

Carrell’s colorful ensemble was inspired by an attempt to stand out for a job he picked up for the Las Vegas Electric Daisy Carnival rave last year.

“Because of the nature of the event, though, I blended right in — no one batted an eye,” Carrell said.

“Maybe people were just too high to notice it. When I brought it back to Austin, though, it was a big hit here, so I just kept it.”

Everything on Carrrell’s bike and carriage glows at night, making it a fun ride for his customers, who he can often be spotted taking selfies with after each ride.

“It definitely looks the best at night,” he said.

Carrell installed all the decorations himself, and recently added even more color to his carriage. He transformed an ordinary zebra print blanket into a vibrantly plush seat cover with the help of a few UV blacklight fabric markers and a little distraction.

“It took me about five episodes of ‘Breaking Bad’ to color it all,” Carrell said.

Pedicab driver Sarah Yopp, also known as Wonder Woman, has been pedicabbing in Austin for seven years. Yopp quit her job as a life skills teacher and finds herself trying to balance working full-time and running her own business. Nina Quatrino is busy working so she can save money for a big move on the horizon.

“South by Southwest is such a good time of year for us [pedicabbers],” Wagner said. “This is my last chance to rake up as much cash as possible, and this is a great opportunity for that.”

A Killene, Texas native, Wagner said she fell in love with the big city after having to move here two years ago for school. “[Austin] is so much better than the small town I came from,” Wagner said. “Especially as a pedicabber, you get to meet so many lively people and so many different types of people. I love it.”

With meeting new people comes new relationships, and as for the Tinder date that started it all, Wagner has since hung up her dating boots.

“I have a boyfriend now, so it obviously did not work out with the other guy,” Wagner said. “We are still friends, though — we actually work for the same company.”

Man’s best friend With all the high energy SXSW brings to Austin, it isn’t common to see dogs with their wagging tails and

happy smiles around downtown. That is unless you’ve met Justin Freeman.

Freeman’s 4-year-old dog Macy has been accompanying the pedicab driver for more than two years, giving “bring your pet to work” a different take.

“She just developed into it,” Freeman said. “This job really helped her [become a people-person].”

Macy and Freeman were introduced to each other thanks to Freeman’s mother, who he says “has a habit of picking up dogs.”

“I met [Macy], and she was so perfect and such a stand-out good dog that I took her from my mom,” Freeman said. “My mom got [Macy] from someone who wasn’t able to care for her anymore and who was trying to get rid of her, so in that sense she is a rescue.”

Freeman, a Houston native, has been pedicabbing for eight years and has lived in Austin since 2003.

Freeman estimates Macy has biked 50 miles a day on average as his pedicab co-pilot.

Pedicabbing allows these bikers to stay connected with their Austin community while also enjoying the freedoms around not having to work a 9-to-5 job. Since pedicab services are used by locals all year long, pedicab drivers have a permanent spot in Austin’s culture.

It all started with Tinder If all goes well, some people get lucky and end a Tinder date with some sort of relationship. This rang true for pedicab driver Julia Wagner — only not in a traditional sense.

Wagner’s relationship with pedicabbing bloomed after she was picked up for a Tinder date in a pedicab.

The driver noticed her athletic physique and suggested she look into getting a job on the bike. Fast forward a few months later and Wagner completed her chauffer’s permit certification and began her job as a pedicabber.

She has now been on the job for eight months.

When Wagner isn’t filling her role as a biology student at the University of Texas at Austin, the newbie

Saving languages for future generations KHULAR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 down to younger generations.

“If young speakers are not learning it, it is going to be gone in a generation,” Utt said.

Khular said people within the community will write in different ways, so the linguists have to come to a consensus and create one standard system.

Khular and her linguistics team have tools to help them, such as Fieldwork Language Explorer, or FLEx, to create a dictionary. It works by creating a sentence in Lamkang, Sumshot Khular which can then be translated, and each individual word is categorized by part of speech (noun, adjective, etc.). The final line displays the original sentence in English.

Translated words are stored in a lexicon within the program. This is the beginning of the dictionary, which currently includes about 4,100 words.

Melissa Robinson, a linguistics master student, has been with the project for about two years. Robinson focuses on the physical properties of how the words are pronounced and uses a program called Praat to analyze the different sounds.

“I just really appreciate being able to see language and human sound in a completely different way

Sumshot Khular, a Manipur native, works with students who are building a database to preserve the language of Lamkang in the Linguistics department at Discovery Park. TJ Webb

than we experience on an everyday basis,” Robinson said. “Every sound has kind of like a fingerprint.”

Through her work, she learns about the different rules within the language, such as what sounds can or cannot be together or what sounds the speakers do or do not use. For example, she has noticed Lamkang has many words that place several consonants next to each other.

With a bachelor’s degree in English, Robinson joined the program without linguistic experience. She admitted that it was risky, but she luckily fell in love with her new work.

“I became enamored with this idea that language was a puzzle,” Robinson said.

There are about 10 people working on the project at any given time. Some linguistics students will do specific research for the project as part of their classwork, but they cycle through and do not stay long-term. Robinson said they also work with people outside of UNT. Although the linguists still have a considerable amount of work to do, they want to find short-term ways to help the community. Khular has laminated papers with pictures of fruits and vegetables that the people in her community commonly eat. Their names are written beside them in Lamkang. One of these foods is a purple banana flower, which Khular said can be mashed up and given to people who drank poison to cure them.

While it promotes healthy eating, this handout is also a way for people in the community to get used to the idea of seeing their language in writing. This will hopefully help them ease into reading and eventually writing with the standardized spelling.

Khular plans to distribute these handouts in the summer. Meanwhile, the linguists will continue their work.

“The two main purposes of our work are to preserve the language for the sake of the community and future generations and also for the scholarly community who want to know as much as possible about all human languages,” Utt said. “Once a language is gone, it’s irreplaceable. It is lost forever.”

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THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 7

Renowned festival discovers Denton

By Alec Spicer and Kaitlin Pennell

Photo by Alec Spicer TOMKAT performs at the SXSW Discover Denton showcase. This marks the band’s inaugural appearance at an official SXSW show.

Photo by Alec Spicer

Photo by Alec Spicer Formed by frontman Wesley Jensen a little more than two years ago, Wesley Jensen and the Penny Arcade made its return to SXSW for the second year in a row.

This might be considerable to note, given Jensen himself only landed in Denton three years ago after making the move from California.

“I got stuck in a career situation that didn’t allow me to play music like I wanted to,” Jensen said. “I decided it was ruining my soul, so my wife and I and our three kids just threw a Hail Mary and did something that would allow me to focus on music.”

Ironically, it was Jensen’s visit to Austin that brought his family to North Texas, saying, “Denton won us over.”

“My wife is a very creative person as well, so we knew we wanted to be somewhere creative and music-friendly,” Jensen said. “One of our friends told us to stop by Denton [while in Texas], and it was much more our speed.”

While The Penny Arcade typically only plays one show every few months, 2018 is set to be a busy year for the band as they plan to release new EP’s and music videos for every season of this year, with the next collection out in May.

Photo by Alec Spicer Though Harry Zimm is still in its newborn stage, Andrew Rothlisberger, Eric Nichelson and Hunter Canon are familiar faces in Denton’s music scene.

“We’ve all been pretty active in other bands...so we have all kind of known everyone around [Denton],” frontman and guitarist Rothlisberger said.

Formed just six months ago, SXSW marked the band’s fourth show ever.

“I don’t think we’re going to play another [show] for the rest of the year,” Rothlisberger said. “We have been in the middle of recording since we started so at this point, we have got to hit it hard and heavy.”

While Harry Zimm is still working on new music, listeners will have to visit the band’s website to hear its only available track at the moment, “Honey Dew Fade” a creamy ‘70s rock-inspired track.

Denton native Josh T. Pearson headlines The Sidewinder in Austin for Discover Denton’s SXSW 2018 Music Showcase. Pearson had his start in music with indie-rock band Lift to Experience before pursuing a solo career.

RollingStone magazine named Pearson one of the 30 best acts it saw at this year’s overall lineup.

With indie and alternative rock bands dominating the Denton music scene, Leon Carlo offers a breath of classical fresh air with his “cinematic soundscape” music ensemble.

“I think most people are taken by surprise when they hear this music,” said Leon Carlo, violinist and frontman for his self-titled band. “People tell me it sounds like the soundtrack of their day. The response has been great.”

This year marks Carlo’s second appearance at SXSW as Leon Carlo. The experienced violinist said he hand-picked his bandmates to ensure musical chemistry stayed consistent.

“These guest musicians are some of the most competent people and best musicians I could’ve asked for,” Carlo said.

The Leon Carlo ensemble will continue to make music in the coming months, with a new EP slated for the summer.

The group also is planning an accompanying tour.

“The future is looking bright,” Carlo said.

Courtesy Denton CVB

Photo by Alec Spicer

Photo by Alec Spicer Kaela Sinclair journeyed back to Texas from California to represent Denton in a solo performance at SXSW. The singer/keyboardist is more famously known for her work with Grammy-nominated French electro-pop band M83.

Sinclair said performing at Discover Denton by herself is an attempt to kickstart her solo career, an endeavor supported by her M83 bandmates.

Sinclair is no stranger to SXSW, though — she has played multiple unofficial shows in the past and said she has continued to receive positive feedback from performing in Austin.

“Austin can be kind of rowdy, and the energy here is great,” Sinclair said. “I love it.”

Looking into the future, Sinclair hopes to balance M83 with her solo pursuits, and plans to release a new single next month.

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Pearl Earl takes the stage as part of Discover Denton’s SXSW 2018 Music Showcase at The Sidewinder in Austin. Though the band has played unofficial shows at SXSW in the past, they landed their first official show this year.

SXSW UNPLUGGED: Laughing Falcon brings stoner rock to Austin from Nebraska

By Kaitlin Pennell @k_itlinnn Not many people think of Nebraska as being a hub for a new wave of heavy stoner metal, but the guys in the band Laughing Falcon are trying to change that.

“Most people think of corn when they think of Nebraska,” said Kyle Gibson, bassist in Laughing Falcon.

“Don’t get me wrong — we do love our corn, and as important as that is to us, it’s not the only thing we have to offer.”

Laughing Falcon has its roots in Lincoln, Nebraska and is comprised of Gibson, vocalist Kevin Chasek, guitarist Nate Christiancy and drummer Jordan Elfers. The band played as part of Nebraska Exposed, an unofficial South by Southwest showcase headed by Gibson, as well as two other SXSW showcases.

Gibson said the band is heavily influenced by heavy metal bands of the ‘70s and ‘80s — namely Black Sabbath — and other psychedelic heavy metal bands of the past decade — like German power metal band Horizont.

“We make music you can listen to in the car without making anyone uncomfortable — grandma and grandchild can listen to it,” Gibson said. “But we still keep it heavy, we keep it fun, we keep it with a lot of energy. It’s that way by design.”

Laughing Falcon formed in 2011 in response to a collective desire to

pursue a more serious music project, as all members are vying to become professional musicians.

“We’ve always been in and out of bands, but we want to be bigger than hometown heroes,” Gibson said. “We wanted to be on tour more and wanted to be on the road more. The end goal is to make it our jobs.”

When they’re not busy booking and playing gigs, Laughing Falcon band members work other jobs.

Christiancy works as a county clerk for the Lancaster County Court, Chasek is a tattoo artist, Elfers a bartender and Gibson works at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as an assistant director and research assistant.

“This is definitely more fun for me,” Chritsitancy said.

Laughing Falcon band members are no strangers to SXSW or to touring — they have all played in various shows with different bands across the country. Though each city they’ve played at is sometimes separated by hundreds of miles, Gibson said the crowds seem to stay the same — they stay fun.

“There’s different feelings in different towns, for sure,” Gibson said. “Austin is such a crapshoot — if you’re playing the right show … you can always find friends and fans there.

People are generally here to see music, so it’s always fun to play at South by.

Navigating the crowds is not fun.

Getting the gear anywhere is not fun.

But the people are always fun.”

Christiancy said although his friends who live in Austin dip out for the week of South by to avoid the crowds, he still enjoys the festival every year when it comes around.

“I really like Austin,” Chritiancy said. “I’d like to see it when it’s not South by, though. It’s really not all that different than [Lincoln] — it’s not as spread out over there.”

Laughing Falcon has one album out now called “Sonic Possession,” available on all music-buying outlets.

The band is set to start a new twoweek Midwest tour starting at the end of April. For the summer, Laughing Falcon will be in the studio recording a new album.

Nebraska artists get the spotlight at SXSW The Nebraska Exposed showcase is in its third year since its inception and highlights various artists based in Nebraska, all of whom fall under a wide range of music genres. The showcase was held at the Cheers Shot Bar rooftop on Wednesday, March 14.

Laughing Falcon’s bassist Gibson played a pivotal role in organizing the event by working with sponsors, the Cheers owners and other bands to help give an opportunity for Nebraskanatives to have some time under the spotlight.

Gibson said when he was scouting for new talent to play at the showcase, he was looking for more than just the “hometown hero” element.

“It’s not a group of people who are only hometown heroes — that’s not what we’re concerned about,” Gibson said. “We ask the people who we know are already touring and who are already on the road, ‘Can you build a tour around coming to South by?’ If they can, they have a spot with us at Nebraska Exposed. If not, oh well.”

A few names on the Nebraska Exposed lineup included rapper HAKIM, comedians Joey Zimmerman and Audrey Farnham, post-hardcore band Better Friend, indie dance rock band State Disco and Hip-Hop/soul duo Khari the Duo. “We use this as a stepping stone for people so they know they have at least one solid show in Austin they can then build off of,” Gibson added.

Laughing Falcon rocks out with SXSW attendees at an unofficial showcase, Nebraska Exposed, at Cheers Shot Bar. The showcase featured a wide range of artists, all of whom hail from various cities in Nebraska. Kaitlin Pennell

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THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018

Junior guard Brittany Smith shoots against University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the first round at the 2018 Conference USA Women’s basketball championship. Rachel Walters

Women’s basketball ends historic season

North Texas junior guard Jorden Duffy (2) drives the ball against Mercer on Monday at the Super Pit. Jake King/DRC

Men’s basketball cruises behind continued hot 3-point shooting TOURNAMENT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 game was Smart who had a team-high 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field Wednesday night.

Woolridge finished the game with nine assists and 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting while sophomore guard DJ Draper pitched in 14 points on 4-of-5 3-point shooting.

“What we’ve been doing a good job of is getting good shots and staying patient and maybe not taking the first open three,” Draper said. “With four shooters or four guards out there, you know you can get another good look.”

Defensively, North Texas held the Jackrabbits to 36.8 percent shooting from the field and 30.4 percent from 3-point range.

After shooting 70 percent in the first half, the Mean Green finished the game at 61.5 percent shooting overall.

North Texas scored 17 fast break points to Jacksonville State’s zero, and it helped open up the Mean Green’s offense early on.

“We just got stops,” Smart said. “They got one team offensive rebound [in the first half], and that got us out in transition, and in the half court we did slow it down and share the ball.”

Now, North Texas heads into the CBI Finals on one of their hottest offensive stretches of the season.

The Finals will be a best of three series starting on Monday with North Texas’ opponent to be determined Thursday night. McCasland knows the impact a CBI championship would have in his first season at North Texas.

“It says a lot about how our guys have gone from trying to play hard and do what we’ve asked them to do to believing we’re going to win,” McCasland said. “[A championship] would carry over to what we want to do, which is play for championships every year. It would be a great start toward those goals.”

North Texas junior guard Jorden Duffy (2) shoots the ball against Mercer on Monday at the Super Pit. Jake King/DRC

By Asher Feltman @AsherFeltman Going into the 2017-2018 basketball season, the women’s basketball program was certainly on the rise. The Conference USA preseason poll reflected as much, projecting the Mean Green to finish eighth in the conference after finishing ninth in 2016-2017.

Sure, it is just a modest one spot jump, but the Mean Green went on to record their first winning season since 2005-2006 and put the conference on notice of the rising program in Denton.

In November, when the season tipped off against Texas Woman’s University, the Mean Green ran off three straight wins and won seven of eight games to start the new year.

Unfortunately, they were unable to sustain the breakneck pace and struggled in Conference USA play, going 6-10 by the end of it.

The Mean Green were an exceptional home team, though, feeding off the growing crowds at the Super Pit. North Texas was 9-6 on their home court. The core pieces of stable coaching and a good home record are in place to help the program continue to grow.

“We played, throughout the season, where people want to come watch us play and see what we can do,” head coach Jalie Mitchell said after the regular season finale. “That’s how you want to be at home.

You have to win more than you lose and play fun, exciting basketball.”

Two Mean Green stars took home AllConference awards this year. The first being junior Terriell Bradley who was named to the Conference USA All-Conference First Team.

As the leading scorer for North Texas at 18.6 points per game, Bradley’s average was third in the conference. Her 148 free throws was second in C-USA and 83 percent from the line was third.

On Feb. 8 at Florida International University, Bradley scored a career-high 32 points and made a program-record

nine 3-pointers on just 10 attempts. Twice named the C-USA Player of the Week, she scored her thousandth point in 2018 and her total of 527 points this season ranks as fourth-most in program history.

Freshman Lauren Holmes earned First Team honors herself, named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team. In her first season with the Mean Green, Holmes was the team’s second-leading scorer with 8.9 points per game. She also finished third in the entire conference with 2.1 steals per game.

North Texas possessed the best defensive unit of any team in the conference this season. Allowing just 55.7 points per game, the best clip in Conference USA. As great as the start to the season was, the finish is what will be remembered from this team.

It has not been since Mitchell was a player herself, in 2002, that North Texas has reached the semifinals in a conference tournament.

Not reflected by their 11th seed heading into the tournament, there was a strong belief in the locker room that something special could happen.

“A lot of people didn’t think we would get this far, but we knew ourselves that we could,” Holmes said.

At the Conference USA tournament, North Texas took down the sixth seeded University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the first round, and then overcame the tall task of facing off against one of C-USA’s top teams. The Mean Green used a hot start and a brilliant free throw performance to upset third seeded Louisiana Tech.

In the semifinals, second seeded Western Kentucky proved the toughest match yet and ended the Mean Green’s Cinderella run. Nevertheless, getting this far signaled a turning point for the school.

“Every single player in that locker room are players that we recruited, players we brought in and players we believed in that could get us to this point,” Mitchell said after the season’s conclusion. “We have the right people in place from staff to players, and I think we’re going to continue to movie forward.”

Snyman’s redemption season leads men’s golf through spring

By Joshua Paveglio @ Joshpaveglio Junior Ian Snyman received his second straight nod for Conference USA men’s Golfer of the Week award on March 7.

This follows a week by Snyman in which he tied for second at the N.I.T. in Tucson, Arizona in

addition to finishing fourth at the All-American Intercollegiate on Feb. 16-18.

It has felt like an eternity to Snyman and his team, but their junior leader is finally back from a fall season where he was hampered with a sore muscle in the ribs, forcing him to take time off and focus on rehabilitation to get back

into the game.

The result has been dominant outings so far this spring.

“Ian is healthy for this spring season, [after] he was hurt the whole fall,” head coach Brad Stracke said. “We expect this out of Ian.” This is his fourth C-USA Golfer of the Week award, however this is

North Texas junior golfer Ian Snyman hits the ball in the Trinity Forest Invitational on Sept. 26 2017. Sara Carpenter

his first time receiving the award back-to-back weeks.

As Snyman continues to grow his game after facing injury, he credits his recovery and his ability to elevate his game to his time off.

“I had time off during the winter break in Bellville, South Africa, so I had perfect weather, I could practice, and I got well rested,” Snyman said. “I think it helped me look forward to every tournament.”

Snyman shot one under par in the John Hayt Collegiate Classic and finished 20th in a field that included six of the top 50 schools in the country.

His game as a whole came together at the right time for this team, but he still strives for improvement every day in all areas, even his strengths.

“Putting tends to be one of my best strengths, and I’m loving it,” Snyman said. “Putting can save you big time. I’m going to keep working on it, and it’s always fun making a lot of putts.”

Snyman’s time in Bellville and the off-season seemed to make a difference for the South African native. It provided the junior with plenty of time to work on his shots, specifically his range game.

“I tried spending most of my time hitting [range shots] and getting myself to the next level,” Snyman said. “Getting a little more distance, hitting it higher is vital

for me since I’m probably one of the shortest on the team.”

Despite the height disadvantage, Snyman has emerged as the leader of the Mean Green squad and is also ranked No. 82 in the nation. Nothing has slowed down Snyman’s progress thus far in this spring season as he has matched his career high twice, shooting a 67 on two occasions.

Snyman’s work off the course and throughout the off-season has proven to be a game changer for himself as he continues to be a game changing factor for the entire team. His teammates credit his work ethic for the early success this season.

“Ian’s work ethic is very good,” freshman Viktor Forslund said.

“He works hard at practice, has a good attitude and I’m never surprised by his results.”

Snyman has helped elevate the team’s success as well. In the N.I.T. on Feb. 25 and 26, the junior put up 16 birdies to only 2 boogies leading to North Texas to fourth against five top-50 teams on the field.

Snyman’s contributions to the team have been present on the course and elevating the Mean Green’s success, however, he has also been a pivotal player for the team off the course as a primary motivator for his teammates.

“He’s been an anchor for our team these last few tournaments,

and that helps to motivate us to catch him, of course,” Forslund said. “He motivates me and inspires us to be as good as him.”

While inspiring those around him, Snyman has been hard at work to surpass where he was before the injury in the fall that kept him sidelined.

As he continues to add shots to his repertoire, his coach knows he has the potential to climb even higher than his current No. 82 position in the country.

“This is how he can perform,” Stracke said. “He is a really good player. We worked with him on his long game and he’s improved and ready to fire.”

FOUND GOLD RING Inside Willis Library January 2018

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Page 9

Abii goes beyond athletics to push for justice

By Jordan James @JordanJamesTV With arms locked on a Tuesday night in Wooten Hall, a group of more than 30 students begin to shout.

“It is our duty to fight for our freedom.

It is our duty to win.”

As they continue to quote the words of Assata Shakur’s poem “To My People,” the sounds of their voices start to rise and passion exudes from their lips.

Moments like this are what criminal justice senior, Chelsea Abii had in mind when she joined UNT’s National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter. That feeling of being surrounded by a cohesive unit is a welcoming feeling for her after what she dealt with during last year as a member of the North Texas volleyball team.

As issues of police brutality started to mount during the 2016 volleyball season, Abii and other teammates of color felt compelled to speak out against the injustice by joining NFL player Colin Kaepernick in his protest. On Sept. 23 at home versus the University of Southern Mississippi, they decided to take a knee during the national anthem. Amanda Chamberlain along with Abii, then North Texas volleyball players, organized the protest.

“I was nervous,” Chamberlain said. “I mean, it’s a protest. I knew the backlash it would have on the team if they didn’t decide to join me in it. I knew what I was getting into, but I was still confident that this was going to bring this conversation ahead, and we were going to talk about it.

I’m not just going to let you sweep it under the rug or pass over it on Twitter. Like, we’re going to talk about it.”

While things appeared to be calm on the surface, tensions rose among teammates and coaches behind the scenes.

Some players and coaches asked Abii and those taking a knee if the team wearing a shirt against police brutality in warmups would be a good compromise so they could move forward and focus on volleyball.

They declined.

Abii and company wanted to show their protest to the Denton area and make a statement on what was important to them.

“We always see the support behind these players when they wear all pink and pink jerseys for breast cancer awareness, and that’s amazing,” Abii said. “When the black athletes decided to do something, where is the support? Where is the

celebration behind us?”

As head coach Andrew Palileo aimed to build the North Texas volleyball team, one of his points of emphasis was forming a sisterhood. At times, though, that relationship did not appear to exist to Abii or Chamberlain. They started to feel ostracized for standing up for what they believe in.

In an effort to find common ground, they arranged several team meetings where players had the chance to express their feelings.

The hope was that these meeting would allow them to put their feelings aside for the sake of the team and learn to respect other opinions. Ultimately, those meeting made Abii and Chamberlain realize how hard it is for people of different backgrounds to relate to their experiences.

Chamberlain took a knee and fully supported Abii’s cause, but she admits it changed the team once they did.

“I’m usually friendly with everyone, but I felt like people were kind of hesitant around me because of my decision to [take a knee],” Chamberlain said. “They’re all wondering why I chose to do it, and I had to keep explaining to them why. I think the chemistry around the whole thing kind of just felt off a little. Definitely off the court, you could feel people clicking up and going with their groups and not being in with each other.”

The team’s record suffered as they finished the year 13-19 overall.

As the season wound down, Abii felt as if those who protested were being tolerated for the sake of their athletic abilities. With her teammates’ unwillingness to try to understand her position and the constant attempts to stop them from protesting, Abii began to question her future with the North Texas volleyball team.

Walking away from volleyball meant giving up her scholarship and forced her to pay for college out of pocket. It was a risk she wanted to take if it meant she could use her platform at her own leisure instead of being told how she should protest.

During spring 2017, Abii announced that she no longer would be a part of the volleyball team moving forward. After watching videos of African Americans becoming victimized at the hands of law enforcement agents, she knew it was time for her voice to be heard beyond just the silent protest of taking a knee during the anthem.

“You really have to assess what you’re willing to lose and be real with yourself

Chelsea Abii, kneeling on right, kneels during the national anthem before a North Texas volleyball game on Sept. 25, 2016. File and understand that there are things you could lose,” Abii said. “You could lose your scholarship, you could lose some friends, but I didn’t feel [free] until I did that— until I spoke up about the things I was thinking in my head.”

She said it was a liberating feeling knowing she no longer had to filter her message for the sake of appeasing members of the volleyball team. Despite the uncertainty moving forward, she said her faith in God assured her that everything would work out for her.

Now that she is no longer a student athlete, she is far more involved with the NAACP and was named the president of the organization at UNT in fall 2017.

When Chamberlain thought of doing the anthem protest, there was no doubt in her mind that she would have the support

of Abii. Even though it was hard to watch her leave, she knew that it was for the best.

“When she [left] I understood, and I was very happy for her,” Chamberlain said.

“I knew she wasn’t happy on the court.”

Throughout Abii’s tenure as president, the NAACP has looked to educate the student body about their rights as citizens.

They also spark various conversations about minority representation on campus and address any pressing issue impacting the African American community.

As a member of the executive board, senior journalism student Kaleen Washington spent countless hours working with Abii. Just like Chamberlain, they became bonded by their love for NAACP and standing up to injustice.

“She’s very genuine and really cares for the organization and wants to see

everybody in the organization do well,” Washington said. “It’s not for bragging rights. It’s because she genuinely wants to make a difference [on] campus.”

With her volleyball career behind her, Abii is concentrated on creating change.

Everyone learned from her experience on the volleyball team and the protest accomplished exactly what she wanted it to. It made people uncomfortable. And slowly, she sees the change coming.

“I had a former teammate, who’s also not on the team anymore for other reasons, reach out to me,” Abii said. “[She said], ‘Hey, I didn’t understand when you were talking about it then, but you’ve opened my eyes to so much and thank you for that. If you hadn’t done it no one else would have.’ I think that it probably one of the biggest successes I’ve seen from it.”

Softball team searches for consistency in conference play

By Luis Diosdado @luis_diosdado9 For the North Texas softball team (12-15, 3-3), finding the consistent ability to perform well in hitting, pitching and defense has been an issue. Through 27 games, the Mean Green have only once scored five or more runs in back-to-back games.

Head coach Tracey Kee has changed her lineup both offensively and defensively every game throughout the season thus far. It can be difficult for a coach to find the balance that is needed to win games, especially with the talent she has on her roster, but she explains it is common in this sport.

“I think that’s natural for a lot of softball teams to try and be able to fire off of all cylinders,” Kee said.

Much of this may be caused by the little experience much of her players have. With three freshman on the mound and a handful of sophomores spread out around the field, Kee has had to depend on the youth of her roster to lead the team. However, as the season progresses, Kee hopes the group is learning from the changes.

“I would like to say that this group is maturing,” Kee said. “You’re seeing them work through things and understand the concept of a long season.”

Sophomore outfielder Hanna Rebar, who has started all 27 games this year, agrees the team has improved since the opening games.

“I thought it was a problem earlier in the season, but I think we’ve done a much better job of putting it together these last couple games,” Rebar said.

Along with Rebar, the class of 2020 has undoubtedly been the fuel of the offense. Rebar, outfielder Katie Clark, catcher Nicole Ochotnicki, outfielder Camille Grahmann and infielders Lacy Gregory and Lindsey Gregory combine for a .300 batting average, 19 home runs and 71 RBI’s.

“It’s tough at the beginning, especially when you’re so young,” Rebar said. “But I don’t think that plays a factor now. Our pitchers have really

settled in, and I think we’re all starting to find it and getting better each game.”

Perhaps another one of the biggest standouts among the group of fresh faces has been freshman pitcher Hope Trautwein. Trautwein currently leads the team in earned run average (3.01), complete games (6) and strikeouts (77).

“In regard to our pitching, they are really starting to show how they’re maturing,” Kee said. “You can see through Hope when you compare where she is now versus where she was a month and a half ago.”

Defensively, the Mean Green average more errors than last season with 1.26 per game. Despite the team struggling at times behind her, Trautwein’s confidence in her defense has never been doubted.

“I will always completely trust my defense,” Trautwein said. “I just try to do my best to get them playable balls and easy outs.”

The Mean Green have had a number of performances where one thing outshines the other. For example, going from being shutout and held to two hits one night in a series, but then coming back the next day and putting up 13 hits and 10 runs on the exact same team they faced the night before. This is where Kee uses her philosophy of rearranging the lineup to her advantage.

“A lot goes into just making a lineup,” Kee said. “It’s not just throwing the best nine batting averages out there, but to strategically putting together the best lineup to beat that particular team.”

With many games left in the 2018 season, the main focus for the Mean Green is continuing to link hitting, pitching and defense to win games, especially in close games. Nine of North Texas’ 15 losses have been within three runs or less.

“We just need to play more consistently throughout the entire game,” Rebar said. “Sometimes we do really great the beginning or really great at the end. I think if we just start strong, play hard through the middle and finish strong, that could be the big key for us winning games.”

Left: North Texas sophomore Lindsay Gregory attempts to tag a player sliding into second base in a game against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on March 10 at Lovelace Stadium. Sara Carpenter Right: North Texas sophomore Katie Clark runs to third base in a game against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on March 10 at Lovelace Stadium. Sara Carpenter

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018

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Two late runs down softball to powerhouse Baylor in Waco

By Stefan Washington @stefans_world97 North Texas entered Tuesday night’s game in Waco looking to extend their recent success against Baylor University. Since 2015, the Mean Green have had a 4-1 record against the Lady Bears.

While history was on their side, the once again nationally ranked Bears this time got the better of the Mean Green 2-0 behind the pitching of Gia Rodoni Head coach Tracey Kee knew it would be a challenge playing the No. 13 ranked team in the nation with a star pitcher, but North Texas tried not to change too much going in.

“A lot of it is us just trying to play our own game,” Kee said. “We try to clean up our defense, continue to swing the bat and pitch well. We kind of approach each game the same way.”

There was stellar pitching in the 1st and 2nd innings with the Mean Green’s freshman Hope Trautwein and Baylor’s Rodoni. Rodoni went on to have 10 strike outs and Trautwein finished with two.

While Rodoni got the win and did not allow an out, Trautwein’s performance was not overlooked by her coach.

“I thought Hope threw a tremendous game tonight, to keep a very dangerous Baylor offense in check and she showed great maturity,” Kee said.

Trautwein finished only allowing one extra base hit in the game and only walked three, keeping the Lady Bears out of scoring position for much of the night.

“Obviously it’s Baylor, so I just need to focus on every single pitch and execute,” Trautwein said. “That was my main goal, to execute well so I can give my offense enough time to score. I’ve been trying to implement

more variety of pitches into patterns and I feel like I did really well tonight with picking spots and changing speeds.”

Kee also tipped her hat to Rodoni’s performance, shutting out a North Texas team who had been hitting the ball well in recent games.

“I think our hitters today faced one of the best pitchers in the nation,” Kee said. “I mean this kid took Baylor to the World Series last year, she’s not just a fluke. And I think she showed that tonight.”

North Texas had some trouble getting hits in this outing, with the first hit not coming until the top of the 4th from sophomore second baseman Lacey Gregory.

“I think all the kids made adjustments individually,” Kee said. “If you looked for an off speed [you would get the opposite]. [Rondoni] is a well polished and established pitcher.”

Harley Perella tried to get the team rolling in the 5th inning with a single up the middle but was thrown out at second for the third out of the inning.

Baylor showed their No. 13 ranked offense in the bottom of the 6th. They scored two runs off of 2 hits leaving one on base. The runs proved to be the only runs scored in the game and made the difference this time around.

Trautwein looks to grow and recover from the loss and knows it will only help.

“I can do it,” Trautwein said. “I have the confidence in myself and if can hang with No. 13 team in the nation I can hang with anyone.”

Next up: The Mean Green return home to face conference foe Louisiana Tech University in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. then 3 p.m. Saturday.

North Texas sophomore Lindsay Gregory slides into third base in a game against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on March 10 at Lovelace Stadium.

Sara Carpenter

Club creates supportive, unplifting environment for UNT runners

By Stefan Washington @stefans_world97 Running means something different to everyone.

Some despise it and refuse it while others accept it and embrace it. With the running club at North Texas though, it is more meaningful.

“Running means basically everything to me,” said junior Isabel Dominguez, vice president of UNT’s running club.

The running club consists of a few different aspects. The first is running. But the relationships and motivation of being with others provides while attempting to better one’s health is another major plus.

“Running in a group is safer, and it is better to train with people,” Dominguez said. “Not only just for training purposes, but just mentally having a team makes me a better runner.”

This club may be one of the most obscure clubs at the university, but it remains one of the most prominent ones to the people who are a part of it.

Running can be important to anyone trying to stay

or get in shape, but here they push their members to do even more than they expect from themselves.

“I joined the club to find a new group of friends and also to motivate me to run harder and to run more,” club president Stephen Hidalgo said. “I was not competitive until I joined the club, and that is what made me faster. Not everyone in the club is competitive. We all just feed off of each others pace.

It is a very team oriented club.”

Last year, the club was made up of about 10 people and five would show up to practice. This year though, their membership exploded to about 50 people with an average of 20 showing up to practice. Hidalgo and Dominguez put in the effort to recruit people, and it is paying off in their increased numbers.

“The best way to recruit is at student orientation fairs during the summer and all of the campus events they have throughout the year,” Hidalgo said.

“Mean Green Fling was also the best way to get our club out there.”

One of the new members is freshmen Anna San Miguel who has been running since the seventh grade and enjoys the new experience.

“I wanted to get involved with a club on campus, and I wanted to maintain running,” San Miguel said.

“I knew I didn’t want to be on the cross country team, but I still wanted to be a part of running. It clears my mind, and I just like being outside a lot, so it is just a way to get in a good workout, while enjoying the weather.”

While running is daunting for a lot of people, some runners get to a point in their workout where they get a second wind or a runner’s high. This feeling alone can be the main attraction to casual and competitive running.

“A runner’s high is probably the best feeling in the world,” Hidalgo said. “It’s a little hard to explain. I typically only get a runner’s high when I am doing longer distances. I would say its an unstoppable feeling, that makes you never want to stop [running].”

Knowing the impact a good run can have, the club stresses inclusion as a way to overcome the hesitations most people have of running.

“Just anytime you’re in a bad mood you go for a run, you just feel relaxed and clean,” Dominguez

said. “All the stress is gone. You feel like you did something.”

Hidalgo has plans for his club and likes to see them achieve their group and individual goals. While a lot of their progress is individual, they still serve as a team going into every practice and competition.

“It is such a rewarding experience seeing everybody train for their first 5k, 10k or half marathon and seeing them actually do it and not give up in the middle of training,” Hidalgo said.

“As the semester goes on [the running club’s] main goal is basically to compete in a half marathon in Oklahoma.”

For the members of the club, running is a health benefit and fun competition. They also stress the fact that running is for any and everyone and getting started is the toughest part.

“I basically run to keep my fitness in check, and it is a stress reliever away from school and everything,” Hidalgo said. “Everybody thinks you have to be fast to be called a runner. You can honestly be any level and consider yourself a runner.”

Golf hopes to capitalize on success

By Joshua Paveglio @ Joshpaveglio

i’ve gotta go!

Time after time this spring season, the North Texas men’s golf team has shown a certain resilience which has caught the eye of teams around the nation.

Not only are they participating in competitions with stacked fields that often have upwards of five or six nationally ranked teams, but the Mean Green have faired well several times.

For North Texas and head coach Brad Stracke, belief is the main motor behind their success.

“We need to believe that we are capable of doing great things — because we are,” junior Ian Snyman said.

There were six nationally ranked top-50 teams in the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational — their latest tournament — where North Texas struggled, but in the N.I.T. in Arizona, the Mean Green finished fourth ahead of two nationally ranked teams.

This is only a glimpse of what the team hopes to accomplish this year.

“The future is unknown, but we will fight to make history this year,” Snyman said.

Snyman sat out the majority of last season with a sore muscle in the rib area, but he has returned this spring and leads the team, as many expected him to do. He won back-to-back Conference USA Player of the Week awards this spring and has led the team with one of the best scores in nearly every tournament.

Snyman never misses the chance to exert confidence in his team and believes he can lead them to big things, which he has done so far this spring season. The junior also believes that he, as well as other leaders on the team like junior Thomas Rosenmueller and freshman Viktor Forslund, create a healthy competition on the team to one-up each

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North Texas junior golfer Thomas Rosenmueller hits the ball in the Trinity Forest Invitational on Sept. 26. Sara Carpenter

other.

“We all enjoy competing and want the whole team to do well,” Snyman said. “We motivate each other, and this just makes an individual sport like golf more enjoyable.”

In the Bob Sutton Invitational, the entire Mean Green golf team shot near par, resulting in a team win after a surge on the final day. It was North Texas’ first tournament win since October 2015. Led

by Synman shooting -1 under par, the team shot 13 over par, beating out second place Rice University.

“The win last week was very satisfying after waiting two years,” Rosenmueller said. “Our team this season has very good depth. We have six guys that can play well in any round.”

Despite the success, Stracke knows the areas where the team must improve.

North Texas is ranked just outside the top 50 in the nation at 55, leaving them competing with high talented teams and nationally ranked squads. This inf luences a lot of players on the team’s confidence, which is something Stracke has been working on diligently with the guys.

“The team needs to continue to work on their process and relax during tournament rounds,” Stracke said about the team’s mindset.

Another issue the Mean Green golf team has faced throughout the season is digging themselves into a hole in the first round of tournaments and picking up their games in the latter rounds in attempt to overcome that hole.

Last week in the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational, the team scored better consecutively through the rounds after a below average first round with a score of 298. They went on to score 293 and 292 in the second and third rounds. This is a focus for the team moving forward into the season.

“We have to get a lot better starting tournaments,” Rosenmueller said. “We put ourselves a lot of times in a bad spot, which we can’t always cover up for in our last round.”

As the season wears on, North Texas has the Aggie Invite remaining on their schedule as their last regular season tournament. The C-USA Championships will follow, and the NCAA regionals and championships will take place after.

“I’m excited for the postseason,” Rosenmueller said. “We have six guys who are ready to give everything they have to go all the way this postseason.”

As the Mean Green prepares for the competition ahead, the coaching staff and teammates have high hopes in their potential for the postseason.

“We are capable of beating any team in the nation, which is super exciting,” Snyman said.

Stracke showed no signs of intimidation for the competition ahead of them. In addition, the guys on the team are all thrilled to start the postseason looking to take on anything that stands in their way.

“The postseason is always exciting,” Stracke said.

“The hours of practice you put in throughout the year is preparing for the postseason.”

OPINION Page 11

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018

NTDAILY.COM

Accents in movies are more problematic than not

By Spencer Kain @spencer_kain Hollywood has a casting problem.

Now more than ever it seems to be a bigger issue than it has been before. This may not necessarily be new to some, but it is certainly an issue.

Whether it’s casting a straight actor to portray a gay character, not giving women enough roles they deserve or casting an actor who is not the correct race the character is intended to be, Hollywood’s casting issue also breaches into another

topic not mentioned as often as it should: movies with actors having to adopt a certain accent to fit the character they are portraying onscreen.

Unfortunately, when actors have to mask their natural voice with an accent, most of the time it never really seems to work out for the good.

For instance, I recently saw the spy thriller “Red Sparrow” with Jennifer Lawrence, who portrays a Russian with, of course, a Russian accent. Lawrence is not a native Russian — she had to adopt a Russian accent for her role.

For the most part her accent was fine, but throughout the film, I could tell when her original voice would blend in with her accented voice, and it did not flow as naturally as it should have.

If filmmakers casted a real Russian to play the role in the film, there would have been no real issues with the portrayal of the

main character and her accent.

“Red Sparrow” is just one example in a long list of films in which actors have to fake an accent for roles, and it does not always work.

The main issue with casting people without the correct background, race or identity for films is how it takes away from the overall viewing experience of the film. Films are an escape into another world for a couple of hours, and when those films accurately convey those things, it boosts the film to another level of enjoyment.

However, when these films are not portrayed accurately, especially in terms of casting, it can definitely detract from the overall viewing experience of the film.

Hopefully in the future Hollywood can make the push it really needs to cast the right actors for the right characters to give films the quality they need to be fully accurate.

Illustration by Austin Banzon

Self-defense classes neglect the real issue behind assault attacks

By Rachel Herzer @coolrachdoritos An excerpt from the Larry Nadeau’s Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) self-defense program participant manual from 2006 reads: “Keep in mind that without some preparation, you may actually increase your already statistically significant chances of being selected as a target.”

That’s right ladies, you can never over-prepare for literally being attacked at all times. Sexual abuse is already “statistically significant” for you just because you exist, so you are going to have

to put in time and effort to make yourself less of a “target.”

And even then it is not guaranteed.

Nothing says “women’s safety” like a self-defense program created by a dude.

Why are people sexually assaulted? If your answer to this question is, “because they can’t defend themselves,” you are already barking up the wrong tree.

And you’re victim-blaming.

The real answer is, “because some people have sexually violent tendencies and skewed ideas on respect and consent.”

Why aren’t we starting there, where the problem originates?

Why is male violence treated as a default, unavoidable constant that women must protect themselves from, to such a degree that they change their lifestyles, learn physical assault tactics and carry weapons of defense? Why isn’t male violence thought of as the issue that needs fixing?

We live in a society that

socializes men to be more violent and drastically fails at sexual education, yet refuses to acknowledge this combination yields sexual abuse.

Ultimately, self defense classes reinforce that the responsibility is on women to “avoid getting assaulted” instead of on men to not commit assault.

And if they weren’t already problematic by nature, I have yet to see a self-defense program that does not rely on the stereotype that sexual assaults are committed by crazy criminals in dark alleys.

Sexual violence statistics are readily available all over the internet. A five-second Google search would let anyone know that much more often than not, sexual assault victims know their assailant. More often than not, the perpetrator is someone the victim is well-acquainted with and interacts with willingly, not a random stranger that jumps them from a bush.

Do self-defense experts and

Dear Uber, Lyft: We demand drivers to always be respectful

By Oriana Valderrama @orianavalls Picture this: You’re a college student — well, a broke college student, which is why you don’t have a car yet and you take the bus to class. It’s Saturday night, and your relentless friends convinced you to go out.

Sounds fun, right?

Only thing is no one can pick you up. You decide you want to have a little fun tonight anyway, so you order an Uber to Uptown Dallas.

Seems like a good plan. The downside? You have to endure 45 minutes of f lirtatious and inappropriate comments from a

sketchy, much older Uber driver.

That is not OK. According to public safety campaign Who’s Driving You, there have been 362 alleged sexual assaults and harassments

by Uber and Lyft in the past six years.

We often think Uber drivers talk to us to be nice and to ensure we give them their five stars at the end of the ride, but there is a fine line between casual conversation and hitting on a passenger.

I had a friend who took an Uber home from Collin College and was constantly asked by her driver if she had a boyfriend.

When she said she did, he said he didn’t believe her and made her feel uncomfortable. He then asked her several times to follow her on Instagram, and even when she kept saying “no,” he kept going.

You might think this is just a guy interested in a girl. That’s fair. But when a woman — or even a man, for that matter — rejects this kind attention or requests, it should be taken seriously.

What happened to my friend might have been annoying, but that is how conf licts start.

Flirting can turn into something very serious and negative very fast.

I once was asked by a Lyft driver if I wanted his phone number so I could contact him personally to get a ride, in an effort to get me to stop using Uber. I was 18, and he was in his mid-60s.

We should trust the people companies employ to drive us around, especially at night, especially when there are high numbers of harassment complaints against Uber and Lyft and especially when these are popular transportation options for college students and young adults.

According to harassment laws in Texas, harassment starts by the intent of the perpetrator, meaning it is not OK to let these drivers step out of the line because they have a young, pretty girl in their back seat.

police not have access to Google?

They must not if their programs so blatantly ignore what accounts for the majority of sexual assault.

If you’ve taken a defense program like this and enjoyed it, I’m not mad at you. Empowerment is always a good thing. And who could blame you? I can imagine elbowing a guy dressed like a clunky, red Bionicle would be pretty sweet.

The fact is that self defense classes aren’t effective in preventing the real issue.

After a house fire, we might

equip our houses with better fire alarms or a sprinkler system, but the real prevention comes in the

form of education and ridding the house of hazards that caused the fire in the first place.

Illustration by Gabby Evans

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Liberals, conservatives: We do have middle ground

By Jade Jackson @IAMJADETHEGREAT Being open to new behaviors or opinions that discard traditional values can be pivotal in progression towards the future. If what’s been going on isn’t working anymore or hasn’t worked, why not come from it at a different angle?

Disdain for liberals promotes the idea that liberals are ignorant to their own views.

Common stereotypes of millennial liberals are that they are “crybabies” who don’t know much about hard work and getting things done “the right way.” They are soft in their views, which is not good idea for America in the long run.

Now, of course, the same type of

disdain can conversely come from liberals who view conservatives as racist, selfish and only caring about the agenda of their “own people,” not all peoples of America.

Is there some truth in both stereotypes?

If you’re a liberal, grab a piece of paper with a pen and draw a line down the middle. Write “conservatives” on one side with “liberals” on the other. Then, write down your views of yourself and the views you see conservatives having.

Think about recent situations in America’s history. Think about ideals and views on common subjects.

Does the “liberal” side have more emotional reactions and responses? Does the “conservative” side sound heartless?

Have you ever tried to think logically about these subjects for a solution?

Now, some topics are going to be a no-brainer for liberal views, such as abortion laws and women’s rights.

Liberals can call out the hypocrisy of America’s response to the Parkland teens versus teens in the Black Lives Matter movement.

Things can get complicated when you start to talk about gun laws or

immigration, though. To proudly call yourself liberal means to know where you stand and why you stand for it.

You cannot stand for something if you don’t understand it.

For those common denominator liberals, they should look at the pros and cons of an issue before deciding why they lean to one side.

Do you know how a gun works?

How many lives have been saved because of guns? Stricter laws may need to be in place to prevent school, movie theater and concert shootings from happening, yes. But how far could our government go to take away our Second Amendment rights?

You think about the American dream for that immigrant who came here with nothing and who opened his own shop to put his children in college, yes. But did

you ever think about the money he sends back to his home country that doesn’t circulate within America?

Did you connect those reasons when talking about the debt our country has?

This is for that young person out there who doesn’t necessarily know much about the topics, the issues or the sides.

The next

generation needs to be prepared to defend their side.

In understanding, there may come a time where there isn’t a side.

Illustration by Gabby Evans

DeVos’ school choice is not ideal SXSW is overrated, sorry ‘bout it

By Macy Jackson @maccolljackson From practically the beginning of Betsy DeVos’ role as a public figure and political proponent she has been crystal clear in her support of the concept of school choice.

School choice is the concept that any student should be allowed to take the money the government has allotted for their personal education to any institution of their or their parents’ choosing whether it be private, chartered or religious in nature.

On the surface, it sounds ingenious. Who doesn’t like having choices?

Many students and parents are fed up with their schools’ rather lackluster performances and the idea of escaping them sounds wonderful.

I learned about the idea of school choice a few years before Betsy DeVos even took office as the Secretary of Education, and I’ll be honest, when I first heard about it I thought it was a fantastic idea.

When the issue of school choice became a topic of national conversation, I began to see cracks in what I had once thought was a brilliant solution.

Dallas has some of the most well-

regarded magnet schools in the country, in fact, TAG, The School for the Talented and Gifted, has been ranked as one of the best in America. Magnet schools, while slightly different from Charter schools, are similar in that by and large they divert funds from traditional public schools.

There is no doubt the magnet program in Dallas has been successful in producing extremely high performing institutions. In many cases private, magnet and charter schools give students great opportunities. But why aren’t our traditional public schools just as good? These alternative institutions often argue that they are trying to give students options. They argue that their existence allows students to pursue avenues that truly invigorate them and to be taught in ways that genuinely enlighten them.

I would agree these are admirable goals for education, but I would hate to think they are things that cannot be incorporated into traditional public institutions.

I think it’s entirely possible to institute programs in schools that exalt all the same educational virtues that these alternative options do while still keeping money in our widespread, wellestablished public schools.

Advanced Placement classes help prepare students for college, and while these classes are available in many high schools across the nation their dispersal is still quite uneven.

I’ve had friends and family who attended more rural high schools where there were only a few AP classes available on campus or in order to take AP courses they would have had to be bussed to

another school in the surrounding area. Even fewer schools have what is called the International Baccalaureate diploma program.

I was lucky enough that my school did have this program, and I can say that it without a doubt prepared me for college and employed teaching techniques that helped to make me a better student.

Often those in the poorest districts have to jump through so many more hurdles to even take these courses.

While many will argue school choice helps lower-income students leave inferior institutions, there’s a great deal of reason to believe that the concept doesn’t really help impoverished students. School choice is a great option if you have the money to spend on gas or have a parent at home that could take the time to drive you to school every day, but if you don’t then it’s not really an option at all.

The issue of transportation keeps students most in need of a better education stuck at a school that is progressively being drained of resources as more well-off students flee to charter or private schools.

Every day, public schools are boldly trying to put into place programs that would allow students to focus on their passions, be taught in a way that really makes sense to them and ultimately have a choice in their education.

But if Betsy DeVos and others like her consistently advocate that the American traditional public education system is beyond saving then they will never have the funds necessary to bring these ideas to fruition.

By Nina Quatrino @ninaquatrino Festivals are expensive, we get it. And for the most part, we will pay for it — if it’s worth it. In my case, I went to Coachella. Yes, Drake was headlining. Yes, it was amazing. Yes, I am still paying off that trip.

But as a first-time SXSW attendee, I have some questions.

First of all, $1,325 for a pass is a little extreme, especially because this price only covers film, music and interactive badges individually. Those badges do not guarantee you access to every event, and even if you are granted access, you’re most likely “secondary priority” alongside the public, who didn’t pay a dime.

The platinum badge, which is like the “VIP” badge, gives you access to anything and everything, but it’s $1,650.

So, you’re basically waiting in line for an event at a venue that is way over capacity, only to be allowed in one-by-one once people actually begin to leave.

Plus, having to wear a badge the entire time was lame. At every festival or concert I’ve ever gone to, it’s always been a wrist band. I mean, I honestly thought I was only given a badge because I was with the press. However, after noticing everyone attending had badges, I caught on to the trend.

In all my experience of festivals, everything is enclosed in the same area. SXSW is spread out throughout the city, with multiple different events going on at different times, many over lapping each other.

Parking was a literal nightmare.

You could spend hours looking for free parking on a random street somewhere and pray your car doesn’t get towed. Or you could suck it up and pay the $40 for all-day parking, only to realize the event you planned on going to was moved to a different venue all the way across the city, and there’s no way you can walk there.

As for the selection of content the festival provided, I felt like the music and interactive events fell short.

Don’t get me wrong — there were some amazing artists who performed and some pretty cool robotics and tech things to look at. Would I personally spend a little more than a grand on a badge specifically for music and interactive? Absolutely not.

I felt like the film selection was pretty good, however the venues were extremely packed and lacked regulations for which badges could enter upon priority. In one film, I was sitting next to someone who was obviously uninterested and was using his cell phone throughout the duration of the movie.

All in all, SXSW was a fun experience. With your badge you’re given a punch card — good for a free drink every day — and almost every event I attended was open bar or we were given wristbands for free drinks. Then there’s the bar scene — which everyone goes to directly after the last event every night.

The city has a fun vibe to it, so honestly just being in the city alone was an experience.

But at the end of the day, would I personally drop that much money on a badge next year? Probably not.

Illustration by Austin Banzon

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