North Texas Daily - 3/23/17 by North Texas Daily

VOL. 109 No. 9

SGA candidates discuss parking, safety in town hall

THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017

NTDAILY.COM

Patrick Burke stands in front of one of his hand painted messages on the exterior of his home. Alec Spicer

By Jake King Anticipating the upcoming general election at UNT, the Student Government Association held a town hall meeting Tuesday in the University Union where students could ask candidates questions about issues facing the university. The three presidential and vice presidential candidates took questions from students both on Twitter and in the audience, giving their various opinions. Students’ questions ranged from issues with student parking to safety on campus. Running mates Tiffany Miller and Mia Muric drew upon their involvement in various sexual violence awareness organizations to describe how they planned to handle sexual assault on campus. “We would continue to attend those meetings as well as finding out what we can grasp from those meetings and bring out to students,” Muric said. “We were intending to expand upon the sexual assault awareness month and have that for the spring semester and the fall semester.” The other two candidacy teams said that they also hope to push awareness and raise student confidence and decrease shame, especially Roberto Navarro Jr. and Steven Maldonado, through the Student Wellness Center in Chestnut Hall. “A lot of students don’t know about [these services],” Navarro said. “They don’t know where to go. They don’t know who to talk to. There are students who have already gone through this. They can give testimonies and provide

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IN THIS ISSUE

A local conspiracy ‘realist’ By Alec Spicer Less than half a mile away from campus at the corner of Panhandle and Malone sits the easily eye-grabbing home of Patrick Burke. With cryptic messages like “EARTH IS FLAT” and “gravity doesn’t exist” painted on the exterior of his house in bright white and neon colors, it’s no surprise that interest in the man behind the

walls is growing. A graduate of TCU and a carpenter/general contractor during the day, Burke, 36, insists he’s a regular guy who just happens to be outwardly passionate about what he believes in. “I get that some of the things I’m saying seem ridiculous on the surface, but I promise there’s more behind it,” Burke said, “It’s not like I’m

Finding Flat Earth Although originally from Chicago, Burke

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New men’s basketball head coach UNT addresses students and UNT community announces alumna as new Provost By Reece Waddell

Amid a sea of green and cheering students, new North Texas men’s basketball head coach Grant McCasland made his way into the student union Tuesday morning. With the fight song blaring and Scrappy dancing, McCasland took center stage with athletic director Wren Baker. He surveyed the scene for a few moments while Baker offered his praises, and before he knew it, was handed the microphone to address the crowd. As his wife and four children stood beside him, McCasland took it all in. He was home. “I am thrilled to be the basketball coach,” McCasland said. “This is a dream for me. It’s a huge blessing. When you get an opportunity to be somewhere you want to be for a while, it just makes sense.” After spending just one season at Arkansas State University, McCasland inherits a Mean Green team that went just 8-22 last year and failed to qualify for the Conference USA tournament. McCasland also inherited all the players recruited by former head coach Tony Benford, most notably junior forward Jeremy Combs, who sat out the majority of 2016 with an ankle injury. Combs was a preseason all-conference selection last year and averaged a double-double in 2015. Although he is literally the new man on campus, McCasland said he does not expect to have any issues with players leaving or transferring. Several North Texas players attended McCasland’s welcome ceremony, including freshman guard Ryan Woolridge, who emerged as a formidable backcourt option late in the season. “They didn’t come here to play for me,” McCasland said. “It’s going to take time for trust to

NEWS Sage Hall renovations pg 2 A three-year construction project in Sage Hall is set to begin in May. Each floor of the building will be renovated to advance “student success.”

ARTS & LIFE Student parents pg 5 Two UNT mothers share their experience and struggles raising a child while pursuing a college degree.

SPORTS Basketball roundtable pg 8 Members of the Daily sports staff analyzed the women’s and men’s basketball team’s previous season in their roundtable discussion.

OPINION Mental health pg 11 Columnist Heather Reed discusses why there should be a more open conversation surrounding mental illness in our society.

saying I think Barack Obama is secretly a lizard or anything wild like that.”

Head basketball coach Grant McCasland stands at a podium in the Syndicate. Robert Warren

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By Kayla Davis A new provost and vice president of academic affairs has been named following the retirement of former UNT provost, Finley Graves. The UNT alumna Jennifer EvansCowley will start the position on July 1. She received a master’s degree from UNT in public administration and has a Bachelors of Science in political science, a master’s of urban planning and a Ph.D. in urban and regional science from Texas A&M University. Since 2014 Evans-Cowley has been the vice provost for capital planning and regional campuses at Ohio State University where she took on various projects such as the President’s and Provost’s Teaching Institute to improve the quality of teaching and its effectiveness. Before her vice provost position, EvansCowley taught at Texas A&M and Ohio State where she chaired city and regional planning in the Knowlton School and was later promoted to associate dean for academic affairs and administration in the College of Engineering. Graves has been with UNT since 2002, when he started off as an accounting professor and chairman of the accounting department. He was appointed to interim academic leader and later appointed to provost, leaving his position as dean of the College of Business where he had been since 2007. He has served as provost since 2015.

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Give the people what they want, Let Them Eat Local By Kyle Martin Charlyn and Joshua Woolley want you to think of 100-degrees under an August sun in Texas when you have locally-raised beef for dinner. In the fresh fruits and vegetables you eat, they want you to appreciate the mother or father who likely spent hours, back bent, picking and harvesting, just to have a chance at seeing their kids at home before they go to sleep. They want you to know that food means more to them than just the colors and smells on your plate. “If you educate yourself and learn where your food comes from, it might start to bother your conscience,” Charlyn said. “I think we have a

responsibility to be mindful about our food. When you take a bite out of your food, that is you voting with your dollars.” Let Them Eat Local is Charlyn and Joshua’s business, first started as a neighborhood cooperative, or coop, out of the garage of their Denton home. After a run-in with the health department, they quickly found out they couldn’t exactly run a business out of their garage due to several laws and regulations prohibiting such an impromptu endeavor. The couple then decided to go full force into their coop. They now pay rent on a warehouse unit and have the proper permits,

transportation and consumer base to make deliveries every Saturday to eager North Texas customers. Joshua and Charlyn are the types of people who can get sidetracked talking about food because of how much they love it, where it came from and who grew it. If you might be curious as to where they might find inspiration, look no further than Ram Trucks’ 2013 Super Bowl commercial, “Farmer.” Listen to Paul Harvey when he says, “And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, ‘I need a

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Let Them Eat Local Denton C.E.O., Charlyn Woolley and her husband, Joshua Woolley, explain about Let Them Eat Local Denton and how local foods are good for people at Woolley’s house. Koji Ushio

NEWS Page 2

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD Attack in London leaves five dead Five people, including a police officer and the suspect, were killed after an attacker drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, The Guardian reported. Police shot the suspect shortly after he crashed his vehicle and refused to stand down. The latest report says at least 40 people were injured.

THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017

SGA candidates discuss student issues at town hall

U.S. investigating Syrian airstrike aftermath The US military is investigating after an airstrike allegedly left 49 civilians dead in Syria earlier this month, The New York Times reported. Locals claim the area targeted was part of a religious complex but US officials say it was a meeting place for terrorists. United States Central Command is investigating if civilians were actually killed and if the targeted structure was part of a mosque.

North Korean missile launch fails once more A North Korean missile exploded shortly after launch early Wednesday, the U.S. and South Korean militaries said. The Washington Post reports this is the fourth missile North Korea has launched this month. The U.S. and South Korean armed forces are currently undergoing military exercises in the region to potentially combat the North Korean threat.

Carry-on electronics now banned on some US-bound flights

The Department of Homeland Security implemented a ban against allowing electronics to be carried onto airplanes from 10 international airports. The ban prevents passengers from carrying electronic devices onto US-bound flights from specific airports in Northern Africa and the Middle East, the LA Times reports. The UK enacted a similar ban shortly after the US implemented their current ban.

North Texas Daily Editorial Board

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Business Adam Reese | Director 940-565-4265 adam.reese@unt.edu Adela Francis | Advertising Director

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

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

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Above Tiffany Miller, left, answers a twitter question while her running mate Mia Muric, right, listens to her answer. Left Steven Maldonado, left, listens to his running mate, Roberto Navarro Jr., give his answer to a student’s question. Candidates Lisa Umeh, far left, and Barrett Cole, far right, look on. Jake King SGA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 support, and this exists on campus: student-to-student support. But it needs to be known on campus.” Navarro and Maldonado said that they want to increase campus safety after dark, by increasing the quantity of the UNT police emergency phone stations across campus. They also said that they would like to create more lighting around campus and make the lighting more technologically advanced by means of motion sensors. Candidacy team Barrett Cole and Lisa Umeh also said that they want to increase the amount of lighting on campus, but want to consider more long-term, permanent solutions. They said they hope to do so in conjunction with the city of Denton’s transportation committee rather than the temporary

lighting the university has erected in the lots near Victory Hall. “I met with the city and their transportation safety committee and all those lights are technically city property,” Cole said. “It’s important for us to make sure that they know what students are going through every day, and that includes lots of follow-up.” Miller and Muric, on the other hand, want to have the university police force patrol the parking lots at night more frequently and add security cameras to buildings that don’t currently have them. To accomplish this, they suggest increasing the student transportation fees which they said haven’t changed in 14 years. Miller and Muric also expressed a desire to address the parking issue on campus, citing that parking at UNT has been an issue long before either of them became students. Miller herself has worked for the

Parking and Transportation Department at UNT and recalled an incident in which she noticed a Faculty and Staff lot, between two student dorms, that was often empty, and suggested to her superiors that the lot be changed to an Eagle Annual student lot. She said that within two weeks, the department made the changes she suggested. She has also introduced legislation to SGA in the past that suggested the elongation of the night time e-ride hours. “We just want to park and go to class,” Miller said. “We understand that. And our goal in relations to faculty and administration is to make them understand.” Maldonado said that although they haven’t done anything tangible to deal with the parking issue yet, they have arranged a meeting with Geary Robinson, director of transportation services. Umeh and Cole said one of the largest

issues with the parking system is that there is little to no communication between students and those who make vital decisions. They said more students’ voices need to be heard, and to do so they suggested adding more student representatives to the city of Denton’s transportation committees. All three candidacy teams seemed to share one sentiment, that UNT is much greater than it seems. Miller discussed the fantastic departments, faculty and colleges within the UNT system, while Maldonado expressed his hope for the future of UNT’s athletic programs. Umeh said that it all starts with students and the pride they hold in their own school.

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Puzzle-like office shifts will begin as renovations North Texas activist leaders share their come to Sage Hall in May ideals and opinions at UNT panel By Celeste Gracia Renovations in Sage Hall to turn the facility into a “one stop shop” for student success will begin after the end of this semester. The project is expected to continue for three years as each floor in the building gets renovations. Construction will begin on a portion of the first floor, said Thanh Kim Nguyen, project manager for the Sage renovation. Work on the other half of the building will start in late summer, after remaining offices have been relocated out of Sage. “The grand opening of the entire first floor will be in January 2018,” Nguyen said. Finley Graves, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said the goal of the renovations is to increase student retention and graduation rates. “[This project] is to help students succeed so that they will remain here, get through school and get their degree,” Graves said. “It’s one building they can get help in. We have all of these resources here to support students.” Vice president for student affairs Elizabeth With said many programs will find their home in Sage after the renovations. “Our theme is that everything inside of there is to support student success so there will be multiple offices within the building,” With said. Graves said the project is focused on the physical reconstruction of the building and “the strengthening of each program is up to each office.” After completion of the first floor, work will begin on the third floor the consecutive year, followed by the second floor in the last year of the project, With said. With explains that the reason for going to the third floor in the second phase is the limited space on campus and working in this order “makes more sense in the shifting of offices.” “There’s not a place where we can just move everybody and then move them back in,” With said. “It’s kind of this puzzle of moving offices around.” The budget for the first phase is $1.85 million, associate vice president of facilities David Reynolds said. The second phase’s budget is $1.45 million. Both budgets for phase one and two have been approved by

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the board of regents, but phase three is still pending. “The budget for phase three is very preliminary,” Reynolds said. “It is estimated about $2 million. It’s expected to go to the board for fiscal year ‘18.” Nguyen said there are a lot of moving parts in this project as offices are relocated during and after construction. “[The Office of Disability Accommodations] will stay where it is and remain accessible during renovation, as well as the large classroom at the south end of the building,” Nguyen said. “The writing lab will still be up and running until they get relocated as well.” The writing lab will be relocated from its current position in the south area of the first floor of Sage to the middle of the same floor, so that “it’s more visible and accessible to students.” The relocation of the career connect office is still to be determined. The veterans center will be relocated to the general academic building, down to the soon-to-be empty journalism office suites. “They’re going to move there and sit there for about a year and a half to two years until their space is ready at Sage,” Nguyen said. The veterans center will ultimately be permanently located on the second floor. As the project progresses, the math lab will be relocated from the top floor of the general academic building to the first floor. The career center will eventually move from Chestnut Hall to the first floor. The learning center, currently on the third floor, will be moving down to the first. The IT services office and adaptive lab will be moving from the first floor to the third. Throughout the first floor, there will be spaces for open and private tutoring, with individual rooms that students can reserve. The physical reconstruction of the building involves installing glass walls where possible to brighten up the rooms and create a more welcoming, inviting feeling for the students, Nguyen said. Adding new LED lights will further this effort to create “a more energetic study environment.”

An attack on Westminster Bridge Wednesday left five people dead and over 40 people injured. Police shot the attacker.

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By Julia Contarelli With women’s activism becoming increasingly a part of the opposition protest against the current Trump administration, many women are asking what other steps they can take outside of protesting to make their activism count. Five women activists, invited by UNT’s women’s and gender studies program, formed a panel to discuss what options women have to effect change in a country were they feel it is difficult to make change. The guests represented different organizations in North Texas: Mosaic Family Services, North Texas Dream Team, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, the NA ACP and Mothers Against Police Brutality. The new presidential administration was a topic that was dealt with differently by each organization. The Mosaic Family Services and the NTDT believe that it has a big effect in their fight. Kristian Hernandez, an activist from NTDT, said that deportation has always happened, but now people are more scared. Another activist with Mosaic, Aceil Rashid, said the initial travel ban by the Trump administration of seven majority-Muslim countries brought many students to ask for the organization’s help. Differently from the other representatives, the activists from Planned Parenthood and Mothers Against Police Brutality had a different perspective on things. Their fight did not change with the president, according to them, because their suffering and oppression is constant. “It’s an ongoing fight, sometimes it’s bad, sometimes it’s worse,” the co-founder of Mothers Against Police Brutality Sara Mokuria said. For many of the panelists, their

fight has not been something they’ve invested their whole lives in. They had to come to a realization. Three of them shared their stories and talked about why they started fighting for women’s rights. Mokuria saw her father being killed by two police officers in her house when she was a kid. This moment in her life brought her to fight against police brutality and after years she decided to cofound the Mothers Against Police Brutality organization. “A club we don’t want anybody else to join,” Mokuria said. Brittany Burnam, the UNT student activist who represented the NA ACP, grew up in a privileged suburban area, until she had to move to a lower income area and change school districts. That is when she saw all her privileges being taken away. “Now my focus is in domestic poverty,” Burnam said. She started her fight as a student at UNT and had to balance being a student, working and being an activist. Burnam said there were times when her friends would ask her to stop and take a break, because she was too exhausted. Hernandez didn’t start like the others, she skipped school one day and instead went to a protest that was happening nearby. It piqued her interest in activism and she went to a discussion class. She said her start was slow and continues to this day. She is now an activist leader that “uses her privilege” to help others. “But know that this is a marathon, not a sprint,” Hernandez said.

@ContarelliJ

TRENDING #DeathNote

Netflix released the first trailer for their live-action ‘Death Note’ movie adaptation.

#DallasGreen

The former MLB manager that led the Phillies to the 1980 World Series died at 82 Wednesday.

#iCloud

A hacker collective known as the Turkish Crime Family is threatening to delete 200 million iCloud accounts if Apple does not pay them ransom.

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 3

Cost of Denton’s new gas plant raises concerns about transparency By James Norman Worries over the cost of Denton’s new $227 million gas plant have come up in recent weeks, with concerns that the total cost may balloon to over $1 billion after adding in other expenses. The figure takes into

account the expenses of other infrastructure, property cost and substations. Denton Municipal Electric’s Capital Improvement Plan At a March 7 work session, Denton Municipal Electric’s general manager Phil Williams

gave a presentation to explain the costs of the project and break down DME’s expenditures. The presentation included a capital improvement plan budget, which is a chart that shows what is spent on replacing and building infrastructure. It

Denton Council approved a new gas plant to stabilize electricity bill prices and promote renewable energy for the community. Kelsey Shoemaker

College of Education professionals receive $250,000 for autism research By Robert Warren College of Education professionals received $250,000 for statewide autism research services that includes money for in-home training for parents of kids with autism spectrum disorder. The grant plans to help over 100 families in the first year by providing the money to the Kristin Farmer Autism Center and the Texas Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters program where professionals do their work. The money will provide school readiness and preparedness for parents of those living with autism, according to the press release. Difficulties in the spectrum “The autism spectrum can range in many ways,” said Christopher Browns, Denton Bright Mosaic behavioral therapist. “That is why it is called a spectrum.” Browns said that autism is above all else a sensory disorder. It can range from eye contact with people or light that could turn itself into physical or mental aggression. It deals with little things like the sound of a fan that most people can tune out, Browns said. But sometimes people with autism can’t tune that out, and it makes it impossible for them to focus on anything but the sound. With constant stimuli, some people in the autism spectrum may experience frustration, anger and

even violence when not treated for their sensitivity. “The hardest part is dealing with the physical aggression,” Browns said. Browns said it is important that the therapy continue outside the center and into the home. He said that it is important parents not just ignore the issue with giving a child an iPad. However, Browns said that to the parents’ defense it can be exhausting working through some of the difficulties that may present itself with autism. And that’s why he’s made parent training a top priority of his work. Brown added that with autism there are often maladaptive behaviors. These are behaviors that may normally seem wrong to a person outside the spectrum that do not appear wrong to the person with autism. It is the way that people with autism have a sense of control with the world. He said the maladaptive behaviors are done knowing it will trigger a certain response. Reinforcing good behavior Bright Mosaic uses positive reinforcement to teach children what is wrong. By showing what is right with positivity, people with autism begin to see what is wrong. Behavioral analysis is what Browns does. Behavioral analysis is the study of the science behind behavior. It looks

Kevin Stewart works with client at the UNT Kristin Farmer Autism Center. Courtesy|Kristin Farmer Autism Center.

for methods to help deal with bad behavior. Much of the methods they use at the center is based off of the ideas of B.F. Skinner, a founding father of applied behavioral analysis. Autism can affect things like delayed speaking, writing or reading, as well as things like eye contact issues with people and body language and certain textures. Helping out For three years, photojournalism senior Paulina DeAlva was a nanny for a 7-year-old who has autism. “His biggest difficulty was eating and having a well-balanced diet,” DeAlva said. “He just ate peas warmed in a bowl.” DeAlva said he would eat only the marshmallows out the lucky charms. She said three therapists tried to help him with his eating habits. DeAlva said he was non-verbal and the therapists would try to help with that. Basically the child would struggle with asking to go to the bathroom or saying when he was hungry. The therapists worked on trying to get him to ask for his wants. Math and integrative studies junior Gabrielle Segal is an employee at the Kristin Farmer Autism Center. “People with autism receive, feel, hear, all the stimuli in their environment making it extremely difficult to listen to a teachers direction, pay attention in class,” Segal said “Lights and sounds can also be more intense for a person with Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Segal said that hypersensitivity and inhibited communication are the two biggest difficulties faced by people with autism. She described the importance of therapy with autistic people by an experience with one of her own patients. “Through autism behavioral analysis therapy at the Kristin Farmer Autism Center, we have been working with him (the client) to communicate more effectively and gain independence with daily living skills,” she said.

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shows the spending on these items from 2011-2021, as well as the total for the Denton Energy Center, all of which total to over $1.1 billion. DME spokesperson Brian Daskam said the substations and transmissions systems included in this budget were planned any way, and are separate from DEC. “We’re going to build that regardless of the Denton Energy Center,” Daskam said. “That’s not included in the budget [for the DEC] because it wouldn’t make any sense to.” Williams also hit on that difference in the work session and said these are items separate from the DEC and have nothing to do with the plans for it. A diagram showing Denton’s substation locations has seven new areas around Denton listed as “proposed.” Denton resident and UNT associate professor Deborah Armintor noted these plans have not appeared on any other CIP. When talking property costs of these substations, Armintor mentioned how Denton has historically paid 2 to 4 times more than the appraisal value when buying property, which she worries may balloon the total more than has been reported, especially if these properties have not been procured. These properties include projects not directly related to DEC. Daskam said these would have been bought regardless. Another question several citizens have asked is how the rates will go down despite spending going up. Phil Williams admitted it sounds counter-intuitive, but said the money spent on these projects

would be spent any way, it would just be going to another plant rather than Denton’s own. “It’s the ‘own vs. lease’ question,” Williams said. “Am I better off to own it myself rather than pay someone else’s plant?” According to DME data, rates are expected to increase until 2021, but decrease through 2026. Williams also confirmed at the meeting that the DME is “on schedule, and under budget” in its CIP. But Armintor also expressed frustration at the lack of information given to the community about the gas plant. “Am I an expert in electricity production and gas stations and substations? Hell no,” Armintor said. “But I know how to read a map and I know how to ask questions. And they’re not answering my questions.” The Denton RecordChronicle released details regarding information being withheld from the public back in January, which showed parts had been blacked out including several details about Denton’s contract and payments to Wärtsilä and Burns & McDonnell, the two companies Denton is working with to build the plant. Williams noted the plant will allow DME to decrease its money spent on purchasing power and fuel, which is their highest expense, by $60 million. Those funds will be allocated to operational costs and paying off DME’s debt. The DEC’s Background The DEC was approved by council back in September of 2016 by a 4-3 vote. It was DME’s

answer to protect and reduce rates, as well as continue the goal of 70 percent renewable energy by 2019, despite the potential controversy. “This is the best way to do it,” Daskam said. “We thought, we have to present the best solution, even if it’s controversial.” Pollution has been another concern some citizens have had. Denton has the highest amount of air pollution in the state of Texas and the numbers detailing the level of pollution DEC would emit have not been released. Despite this, Daskam and Williams have both said the plants would lower overall emissions. Williams added during the presentation that the DEC will pave the way for emissions to lower by 74 percent and gas usage by 38 percent once renewable energy is increased. Daskam said the plant is expected to run 37 percent of the time, and provide about 13 percent of the city’s energy needs. About a quarter of the plant’s time will be dedicated to creating a supply of power that will go to power areas outside of Denton. Williams concluded saying the DEC is a “piece” of the renewable Denton plan. “Without that piece – it’s critical. Because without that piece I can’t go get the larger prize,” Williams said. “Which is a significant increase in physical renewable energy that locks in pricing and lowers emissions.”

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NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 4

SGA PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo Robert Navarro Jr. and Steven B. Maldonado run their YouN-T campaign, which represents your voice, your campus, your future and making your voice heard. They plan to focus on listening to students through surveys and polls in addition to working to expand tutoring and facilities available to students.

Barrett Cole and Lisa Umeh run their campaign by the idea of being a catalyst for change addressing students concerns, finding ways to promote spirit of service and by being active leaders with empathetic leadership. They are ready to embrace difficult concerns to serve you.

Tiffany Miller and Mia Muric run their campaign by their idea SOAR, which is students first, students united, turning energy to positivity and having outreach for students concerns. They plan to promote students ides to faculty, utilize feedback, establish relationships with organizations and fight for students concerns such as parking.

SGA SENATE CANDIDATES College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Pamela Ashwood plans to be the voice for her fellow students. She advocates for better parking systems, increased student awareness of UNT-offered programs, services, and events, and more quiet areas assigned for studying purposes. Luis Avila wants to create a better academic setting for students while continuing the educational traditions of UNT. Avila advocates for a shift to better safety on campus regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or other identities of students. Emily Bell, a transfer student, hopes to actively serve and help the students of this campus to the best of her ability. Bell seeks to gain knowledge in this position and grow as a leader to change this school for the future. Misaki Collins currently serves as the senator for the College of Arts and Sciences, Secretary of the Senate and SGA Representative for the Union Board of Directors. She wishes to be re-elected as senator to increase the presence of SGA on campus and be a voice for UNT students. Samantha Matamoros aims to reach out to UNT students outside of an office. She would like to create a

mentoring program to help first generation minority students, and has started thinking of ideas to benefit freshmen residents, work-study recipients and students prospectively working on campus. Gabrielle Tilley wants to help protect students and their rights, including the freedom for students to be diverse and outspoken. She considers campus safety a priority and plans to focus on the issue of limited parking to ensure students’ parking spaces. Stephen Garcia wants to work cohesively to solve the issues that affect students the most. He will focus on collaborating with dining services to look into more cost-effective ways of dining on campus and working with transportation services to lessen parking issues. Jace M. Zett plans to focus on three main points as a senator: to create total transparency between the school, SGA and students; to address the issue of transportation and parking; and to celebrate a diverse campus where different opinions are respected and welcomed. College of Sciences Angel Miranda served on a committee in his high school that brought a bio-academy to a struggling science department; with his past experience, he

plans to work even harder to make this college thrive through a focus on values, commitment and leadership. Ram Prasanna plans to focus on bridging unity across the colleges through great communication among and programs sponsored by SGA, bring a more enjoyable atmosphere on campus through various events, and engage with the student body more efficiently. Jamel Wara plans to work for the benefit of others by making his fellow students’ voices heard. Wara welcomes open communication to know how he can make UNT an even better home. College of Business Teresa Aguayo is the current senator for this college and running for re-election. She wants to ensure that UNT continues in diversity and support of all students, and wants to represent those she feels are the most underrepresented on campus, such as those who have DACA or are undocumented. Trevor Dondrea would like to increase the visibility of SGA by designing a pocket student constitution for distribution among the student body and marketing more specifically for SGA meetings. He wants to ensure that SGA is approachable

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and accountable to fellow peers. Mauricio Robles seeks to address the needs of students, and he understands that some top concerns are the lack of study areas and parking close to the BLB; he means to work hard to improve students’ experience in this college. Daniel Roosa plans to fully serve those who elect him by giving them a voice in SGA. He wants to gain knowledge of leadership through this position, and make UNT better in terms of the wants of the students. College of Education Natalie Belokin wants to bring frequent résumé workshops and career fairs to this college. She also wants to create info sessions and an online anonymous suggestion box for students to submit ideas they have for UNT improve upon. Gabriel Mondragon will focus on a mission of ensuring that all students feel heard and included. He believes that the creation of a diverse and inclusive community at the university is necessary to ensure students’ success. College of Public Affairs & Community Service Roni Fraser is running for re-election as senator for this college. Her goals are to provide a social media outlet for students to access information about the school and serve the students better; she would also like more events targeted at PACS students specifically.

College of Merchandising, Hospitality, & Tourism Navya Kaur will advocate to offer more professional development resources and will support legislation that promotes networking, mentorship and direct industry interaction for students in any field of study. As college is the first step toward a career, Kaur will ensure students are well prepared and eager for their futures. As a current senator, Lindsey Lotze has tackled the issues and concerns of those within her college and worked together with the associate dean and other faculty members to arrive at meaningful, impactful solutions. Approachable and dedicated, Lotze promises to make sure every voice is heard. Mikah Oliver plans to make campus a more vibrant, pleasant environment for students. Oliver intends to address the ineffectivity and inconvenience of the on-campus E-rides, as well as the dining halls’ early closing hours. He hopes to create a more functional college experience for the student body at UNT. Abisola Adeyemi desires to advocate for her peers by making sure any and all issues and concerns are brought to light. Adeyemi believes her ability to connect to those around her will allow her to be accessible and to serve as a connector between the student body and SGA. Brooke Parent advocates for every student, regardless of major or involvement at UNT. She will focus on creating more journalism honors courses and increasing awareness of the many advantages of the Honors College. She hopes to utilize her experience both in and out of

SGA to achieve these goals. College of Visual Arts & Design Kierstan Osborn plans to focus on making CVAD students a more integral part of UNT student life. Osborn will achieve this by incorporating students’ work throughout campus life and allowing CVAD students to contribute their work and skill to design projects around campus. Texas Academy of Arts & Sciences Sven Lohse as a current SGA Senator, Lohse looks to make TAMS a more integral part of UNT, allowing access to all university resources. Lohse has been working on different plans and establishing the necessary connections to achieve this goal. If re-elected, Lohse will continue to work directly on these issues. Jeffrey Wang believes that TAMS deserves a more prominent position in UNT and should be treated with an equal degree of importance as other UNT functions. Wang supports an increase in cost per semester hours, cost-saving measures, and advancing student rights on campus. Honors College Stephen Garcia plans to serve the interests of the student body and to keep alive the great sense of community and traditions at UNT. A veteran of the US Marine Corps, Garcia believes his military and life experience will make him a good candidate to represent the UNT student body.

ARTS & LIFE Page 5

THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017

NTDAILY.COM

Killing A Sound kills it at Killer Tacos By Nina Quatrino The sun sets on what was the last Saturday of spring break for students of UNT. Cars line up on Bryan Street, as people try to snag an empty parallel parking space. Located on the corner of Scripture and Bryan street sits Killer’s Tacos, a place for music, friends and good food. Jessica Jones, 21, an employee who has worked at Killer’s Tacos since it opened said that it has certainly been an experience working there. Jones said that after a month of being open, bands started to wander in. The taco joint has been open for almost a year now, providing quality food at a decent price and a place for musicians to share their music. For Jason Arp, 26, and Jesse Avalos, 21, this was not any ordinary show at Killer’s Tacos. Friends and founders of Killing A Sound record label company, the boys had been awaiting the night for months. This would be the first time that the label company would put together a show of mostly all K.A.S bands. Fool Me Forever; the live tape release Arp is well-known for his original technique when it comes to his label. He, unlike many, records the band’s set during their performance, and

then releases the live tapes as specific and unique to each show. The idea comes from when he was a little kid, listening to the static noises in between tracks on C.D.s and after the album would play through. For Arp’s Denton-based band, Facing Worlds, he hopes to record their set live onto the tapes. “I think the best part [would have been] were the specific cassette tapes that we made specifically for the show,” Avalos said. Unfortunately, due to issues involving his band, the tapes were unable to process. He hopes the live tapes will be available eventually, but knows they probably won’t be released this month like planned. Arp also regrets not being able to sit at his merchandise table throughout the night, because of disappointing results in cassette sales. “When I wasn’t sitting at the table, the people who were, didn’t know about them [cassette tapes],” Arp said. “But it’s okay! We did great! We did run out of mediums [T-shirt]!” A set of bands unite Two Denton-based bands under Killing A Sound’s label, Violent Exit and Creeping Death, lead people to literally magnetize around the stage. The amount of energy in the

tight-packed room was immaculate, something one must experience for themselves. “Being in this band helps me keep my mind off negativity,” said Juan Vazquez, 22, guitarist in Creeping Death. He describes the large number of people who enjoyed his set as “way better than I thought,” considering the sound is relatively new to the Denton scene. Vazquez has been in Creeping Death since the band formed just two years ago. He plans on one day making music full-time, but for now, he is studying operations management at UNT. “Making music full time is hard,” Vazquez said. “But that’s the goal.” Out of state bands like Time Walk, and Morbid Rites from Springfield Mo. and Blindside, from Kansas City Mo. brought inx a huge crowd of loyal hardcore fans to the tiny cupboardlike venue. “Denton is pretty awesome,” said guitarist and vocalist of Morbid Rites, Gage Farely, 26. “A lot of people came out, and that shows you how really supportive the scene is.” Farely doesn’t consider his band Morbid Rites under the “hardcore” category, but rather “thrash-metal” with influences like Slayer and Metallica.

Springfield Missouri natives, Morbid Rites take the stage at Killer’s Taco’s. Nina Quatrino The tight-knit “HXC” community “I’m really stoked on the scene here in Denton!” said Juan Pardo, 21, drummer in Time Walk. Pardo explains that after touring, he’s realized that the “hardcore” scene is different in every city. “The Midwest and Texas are very similar, there’s a large scene and everyone is really cool. The energy is nice” Pardo said. “The East Coast is so different – they are looking to mosh!” Pardo mentions that many of the bigger names and influences in hardcore come from states on the East Coast such as New York,

Pennsylvania and Michigan Freelance photographer Marlon Jones, 22, does not identify himself as one within the hardcore scene, however, he is good friends with Avalos. “Being so close to the stage hurts my ears, and people are always moving around too much,” Jones said. “But I like the good vibes they have.” Jones is a strong believer in positive vibes and energy and though he doesn’t care for the music, he respects his friends and the closeness of the scene. “A lot of people drove hours to be

here,” Avalos said, as he thanks his friends for their support and coming out to the show. He said that Denton’s scene is expanding, and the few venues that are provided are gaining popularity within the hardcore world. Up until recently, the community was originally split into subcommunities, like Fort Worth and Dallas. Now, everyone knows everyone [so it seems] and an outsider [like a journalist] stands out immensely.

@ninaquatrino

Students find balance between school and parenting By Bianca Mujica

Nadia Rosales sat in the corner of Naranja Cafe while her daughter, Penelope, tried to slurp the tapioca balls in her boba tea. She could not get them, so she asked her mother to do it. Rosales sipped, took a tapioca ball out of her mouth and gave it to Penelope, who plopped it into her own mouth like a baby bird. Dellandra Adams eats ChickFil-A outside the Language Building during her only break of the day. She finished her sandwich, fries and drink in 15 minutes before rushing to her class. Later she would go home to her baby boy, then come back to school the next day and repeat the process. This is her life as a single mom.

Rosales and Adams are UNT students balancing parenting and academics. Rosales, a sociology senior, had her daughter in 2013. Adams, a social work junior, had her baby last year. Both have faced the difficulties of having a child, but they would not change it if they could. “I feel like I’m occupying space in two different worlds that don’t meet all the time,” Rosales said. “I’m an outsider in parenting groups because I’m so young and I’m an outsider as a student because I can’t do a lot of the things that are part of college culture.” Rosales found out she was pregnant during her senior year of high school. She received her diploma at nine months pregnant,

Nadia Rosales poses with her daughter Penelope Rosales. Courtesy | Lindsey

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attended college orientation one week before her due date and began university when her baby was one month. Now, Penelope is 3 years old and Rosales is graduating this May. Rosales, a Denton native, applied to several universities across the nation in hopes of leaving. She was accepted into most of them, including her dream school in New York. Then she found out she was pregnant. Both Rosales’ and the father’s family live in Denton, so she decided to stay and pursue an education here. The past few years have also taught Rosales about herself. Before her pregnancy, she did not want kids nor did she think she was good with them. But now she transfers tapioca balls from her mouth to her daughter’s just to see the joy on her little face. She even has a new appreciation for Denton, the place she intended to never look back on. “It’s forced me to be more present,” Rosales said. “I’ve always been anxious about the future. This has been a grounding experience, and it’s really helped me slow down.” In her first year of parenting, she had trouble making friends because she was always either in classes or at home with her baby. She developed postpartum depression and coped with it by focusing on her daughter rather than herself. She did not escape from that mindset until the past few months. “I didn’t know how I could

possibly be raising a child when I’m this horrible human being,” Rosales said. “I lost my sense of self and that created a false dichotomy where I’m bad and she’s good.” She believes that parents should put their children first, but she has learned that parents also need to look after themselves. It took breaking down to realize she needed to take care of herself, and although it is an ongoing journey, she has made progress. “Where I am now is a much healthier place than where I was before I got pregnant and where I would be if I had not gotten pregnant,” Rosales said. On the flip side, Adams said her pregnancy was horrible and she felt sick every day. Despite this, she remained enrolled in school to ensure that she graduated on time. She took online courses while pregnant because she knew she would not make it to class every day. Like Rosales, she never considered taking a semester off. And although school has always been her main priority, her 1-year-old son now holds that spot. “When my baby is happy, I’m happy,” Adams said. “He’s motivated me to continue my education.” Adams is a foster care alumni and therefore has free tuition, which has helped her stay afloat throughout her college and parenting career. But she also has no family. She said it’s just her and her baby, who is the

most important part of her life and all the family she needs. The most she would say about the father is that they went their separate ways. Adams also believes in the importance of parents prioritizing themselves. She has ‘self-care Sundays,” where she stays in her house all day and relaxes with her son. She turns off her phone, bingewatches shows and gives herself a spa treatment. It is her favorite time of the week. Her financial situation, however, is more complicated than her Sunday routine. She used to work at a nursing home but was laid off four months ago. She has been living off her past paychecks and hopes to find a new job soon. Rosales also struggles with money, using her job earnings and financial aid to pay for Penelope’s private school. The father is also a student at UNT and works as well. They are no longer a couple, but she said they are working to maintain a “friendly co-parenting relationship” for their daughter. Since both of Penelope’s parents have been in school all her life, being a student is the norm. Rosales said when they drive past campus, Penelope says, “This is your school and I’m gonna go here one day.” Moments like these make Rosales proud of her accomplishments and her daughter. Adams has experienced a similar type of personal growth.

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Parenting has taught her to focus on the things that she enjoys, such as yoga and cooking, with her baby at her side. And regardless of how people perceive her, she has found that not caring about trivialities is liberating. “Being a mom has made me a much better person,” Adams said. “I take the time to appreciate the small things and it puts in perspective what really matters.” What really matters to Rosales is being a good mother, but sometimes she feels like she cannot be that and a good student. She often gets overwhelmed at the thought and feels the pressure of parenting weighing her down. “Sometimes I feel like the time I devote to school and work prevents me from being a good mom and that makes me feel really guilty,” Rosales said. “But I just have to remember that I’m in school to give her a good life.” If there’s anything she wants to do for her daughter, it’s to be a good role model. She hopes overcoming this challenge will give her daughter the confidence to have similar successes. “I want her to know that this was hard but it was worth it,” Rosales said. “She can do anything she wants, regardless of what life throws at her or what other people think of her.”

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Home-grown, local business seeks to teach food mindfulness and other places where they learn about how their food gets to and from their table. Saturdays, however, are the delivery days.

Joshua (left), Tirzah (center) and Charlyn Woolley (right), inspect a dozen eggs from local Sanger farm, Crazy Feathers Farm, while preparing the day’s deliveries. On Saturdays, Let Them Eat Local delivers their bushels of local products around North Texas. Kyle Martin BUSINESS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 caretaker,’ so God made a farmer.” “What we’re doing is not the normal way people do their groceries,” Joshua said, a licensed engineer who works as a project controls director on construction projects across the country. “The goal is not for this to take the place of my job. The goal is for this to sustain itself.” Now, after over a year of operations underway, they’re meeting their minimums and beginning to cover rent on their warehouse unit with revenues from customers around North Texas. A homeschooled, family business “We’re Christians,” Charlyn said. “We believe God created us to work. What brings us joy is doing what we were made to do.” On the wall of the living room of the Woolley’s home, a “Family Tree” hangs in the shape of photographs, dating back generations on both sides of Charlyn and Joshua’s family. Family is something invaluable to the Woolleys. It’s your legacy, as Charlyn puts it. It’s all you’ve got. When you sit down for a meal

with the Woolley’s in the home, their eyes light up because they’re excited to tell you how much more than just food is on the table. If they’re serving chicken, they’ll probably want you to know that in spirit there’s Skipp and Heather Ratliff from Crazy Feathers Farm in Sanger, Texas, joining for the night. If you’re eating the Bavarian Cream yogurt for dessert, they’ll probably take a video of your initial reaction and show it to the folks at Wolfe Pen Creek Farmstead Cheese in East Texas because that’s how much they care about the generations of history behind that special recipe (and because they really do love that yogurt). Food to them speaks volumes and tells stories of hardships, struggles, dedications, triumphs and families. “I’m inspired to teach people to appreciate what we grow locally, seasonally, here,” Charlyn said. “The whole business is birthed out of my joy for cooking for my family.” Charlyn is one of five kids on her side of the family and Joshua is one of six. Both of them were homeschooled by their own parents, along with their siblings. Now with six kids of their own, they aim to spread their love of family and food to the generations that live after them.

“We joke around with people and tell them it was too expensive to feed six kids and so we had to open a grocery store,” Charlyn said. Joshua and Charlyn’s passions in family, mixed with their passions for running a business they are proud of and enjoy, are something they say they want to pass on to their six children. All six children are homeschooled by the Woolley parents. They say that what they are trying to teach their children is the freedom to learn whatever they want and use their knowledge to design a future that they want to take part in. They also want to teach their children all about what it means to put pride into what can be done with a little, or a lot, of hard work. It just so happens, Charlyn and Joshua said, that their kids also like to help run the family business. “There’s a lot of things they get to learn that they wouldn’t have the opportunity to learn elsewhere,” Joshua said. “Having a family business allows us to give them more meaningful work.” Their kids, Lydia (12), Sarah (9), Tirzah (7), Nate (5), Evelyn (3) and Ruthie (1), often pack into their massive Nissan NV passenger van and head off on field trips to farms, the dump

our goal is to be 80 percent local in the baskets. Bananas will always be in the baskets and those aren’t grown locally.” Inside the baskets, customers can often find themselves delving into tangerines, pears, bok choy, hydro-ponic lettuce, apples, green onions and more. Winter is harder to get all local ingredients because of the climate, but that’s why the Woolley’s find it even more important to keep their business going. During slow months of the year or during times when produce and fruits spoil in the heat of a Texas summer, farmers lose profit on

lost goods. With their business, the Woolley’s are hoping to enhance the diets of local consumers while creating a different platform for farmers to sell their products, even during times when business might be slow. “Part of our goal is providing the farmers with a market,” Charlyn said. “What we’re trying to do is provide them a steady demand. And through us, it’s a guaranteed sale.”

A well-oiled machine This is where the whole family gets involved, along with Jayme Andujar, 35, who drives the whole crew around to drop of their bushels of goodies. “I really wanted to focus on what was going on in my state and my neighborhood,” said Andujar, @Kyle_Martin35 35, a Private First Class in the National Guard and worker at The Village Church in Denton. “And this is just another aspect of that.” After Andujar and his family met the Woolley’s through a previous dairy co-op they were all involved in, the Woolley’s started to pursue their business. They needed a driver, and Andujar was the man for the job. “I just want to give back and serve my community,” Andujar said. Because the Woolley’s have such a devout appreciation for what it means to be a family and what locally grown food means to neighboring families, Charlyn and Joshua put all hands on deck, forming an interesting take on an assembly line with the kids to fill their baskets of food, or their “bushels,” as they call them. Because they’re kids, they go between work and play pretty frequently. Saturdays, even as workdays for the Woolley’s and company, are fun. Custom, Texas-made baskets hold the week’s seasonal picks and one by one each man, woman and child hand packages the baskets, making sure that no bruised fruit or wilted cabbage makes it into a customer’s kitchen. Customers can choose from a wide inventory of products, and can buy fresh fruits and produce by the “Full Bushel,” “Half-A-Bushel,” “Just Suicide is Preventable. Send Silence Packing. Speak Out. Save a Life. A Peck!” and even monthly subscriptions. “If we could get [farmers] a steady demand and they can This is an award given to Joshua’s grandfather, Cliff Grueschow, whose claim to count on that, then they can focus on what they do best,” fame is designing the shock absorbers used for the lunar rovers during early Minds invites youhistory. to attend Joshua said, noting that their stages ofActive lunar and space exploration in American This award hangs in the baskets contain about 50 percent study of the Woolley’s house as a reminder of the importance they find in family of Texas-local products. “Really, and legacy. Koji Ushio

Active Minds invites you to attend

at the University of North Texas

Active Minds invites you attend at the to University North Texas Active Minds invites you toofattend Active Minds invites you to attend Suicide is Preventable. Send Silence Packing. Speak Out. Save a Life. at the University of North Texas at the University North Texas Suicide is Preventable. Send Silence of Packing. Speak Out. Save a Life.

at the University of North Texas

March 23, 2017 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Library Mall

Send Silence PackingSend is an award-winning Suicide is Preventable. Silence Packing. Speak Out. Save a Life. exhibit of 1,100 donated backpacks andPacking. Speak Out. Save a Life. Suicide is Preventable. Send Silence personal stories representing the number of college students lost to suicide every year. Join us in starting a dialogue about suicide and encouraging everyone to reach out for help before it is tooSend late.Silence Packing is an award-winning

March 23, 2017 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. A Health Library Mall Minds, the Denton County United Way, UNT Join us in starting a dialogue about suicide Counseling and Testing Services, Substance Send Silence Packing is an award-winning March 23, and encouraging everyone to reach out 2017 for exhibit ofResource 1,100 donated backpacks and Health and Abuse Center, Student help before it is too late. Send Silence Packing is an award-winning personal stories representing the number of March 23, 2017 exhibit students of 1,100 donated backpacks Wellness Center, theevery UNTand Survivor9 a.m. - 4 p.m. college lost toand suicide year. A Health and Wellness Expo including personal stories the number of 9Library a.m. - 4Active p.m. Mall Advocate willrepresenting occurMinds, simultaneously. the Denton County United Way, UNT college students lost to suicide every year. Join us in starting a dialogue about suicide Counseling and Testing Services, Substance Library Mall and encouraging everyone to reach out for exhibit of 1,100 donated backpacks and personal stories representing the number of and Wellness Expo including Activeevery year. college students lost to suicide

Abuse Resource Center, Student Health and Join us in starting a late. dialogue about suicide help before it is too Wellness Center, and the UNT Survivor and encouraging everyone to reach out for Send Silence Packing is an award-winning Advocate will occur simultaneously. help before it is too late. A Health and Wellness Expo including Active

exhibit 1,100County donated backpacks Minds, theof Denton United Way, UNT and A Health and Wellness Expo including Active Counseling and Testing Services, Substance personal stories representing the number of Minds,Resource the Denton County UnitedHealth Way, UNT Abuse Center, Student and college students lostServices, to suicide every year. Counseling and Testing Substance Wellness Center, and the UNT Survivor Abuse Resource Center, Student Health and Advocate will occur simultaneously. Wellness Center, and the UNT Survivor Join us in starting a dialogue about suicide Advocate will occur simultaneously. and encouraging everyone to reach out for help before it is too late.

A Health and Wellness Expo including Active Minds, the Denton County United Way, UNT Counseling and Testing Services, Substance Abuse Resource Center, Student Health and Wellness Center, and the UNT Survivor Advocate will occur simultaneously.

March 23, 2017 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Library Mall

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 7

Local Denton resident’s controversial message sparks conversation CONSPIRACY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 moved to Denton from Arlington just over nine years ago after his younger brother enrolled at UNT. However, it wasn’t until Burke got to Denton that he found himself gravitating toward what he refers to as the “f lat earther movement.” This self-described enlightenment wasn’t immediate, though, as Burke admits he only began to seriously explore his beliefs fairly recently. “I haven’t always known about this stuff. I’d say just within the last 2 and half or 3 years is when I really started getting into it.” While it may still be a relatively new embracement for him, Burke says that the signs leading him to his beliefs were unmistakable. The unapologetic f lat earther attributes the catalyst of this process to when he stumbled upon “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon,” a documentary focused on the validity of the Apollo 11 moon

landing. “I had a hard time believing in the moon landing, to begin with before, but that film is what solidified it for me,” Burke said. From there, he began casual research on the controversial moment in history until he ultimately discovered YouTube videos made by a man named Eric Dubay. With over 91,000 subscribers and just under 19 million views, Dubay is often credited with leading the modern exposure of what his YouTube bio says is “the new world order.” “I agree with a lot of the things [Dubay] says, and his information definitely holds the most ground among many f lat earthers,” Burke said. Burke is a nonbeliever of evolution, climate change or a spherical earth. He does believe in God and that the idea of one continuous, f lat plane that we’re living on easily corresponds with a belief in a higher power. “Make no mistake, God and a f lat earth are absolutely on a mutual course, there’s no doubt,” Burke said.

Patirck Burke’s house at the corner of Malone and Panhandle is hard to miss. Alec Spicer Curvature Killer No concept is as unfounded as the idea of gravity, though, according to Burke. One of the fundamental beliefs of f lat earthers is that without a curved horizon when looking into the

The aptly named “Crunch,” one of Patrick Burke’s two decorated vehicles. Alex Spicer

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distance, there can’t be a logical explanation for the existence of gravity. “If there’s no curve, there’s no gravity. Period,” Burke said. “If you’re six foot two and your feet are on the ground as you’re standing in front of the ocean, there should be a curve in vision, and there isn’t.” This idea of an absence of curvature isn’t something Burke took into consideration without applied measurement, either. In fact, after almost a year of studying this, he finally found an opportunity to find out for himself once and for all. On May 11, 2015, with an old telescope he bought at a resale store, Burke stopped by the beach on the way to his cousin’s wedding in Florida. “I thought to myself ‘this is it,’” Burke said. “If the earth really is f lat, everything is about to make sense.” As he focused his telescope on a pier with a view of about six miles away, Burke was elated to see what he believed to be true for so long, was finally confirmed. “I was freaking out,” Burke said. “I had finally just found out for myself that the earth

is actually f lat. It was around sunset too, and it was just a really beautiful moment.” Regardless of what he believes to be true, Burke is acutely aware of the conversation surrounding his message from skeptics. “It comes with the territory I think,” Burke said. “I’m about to tell people the earth is f lat so there’s obviously going to be pushback.” That same expectation is what left him unsurprised when he received written complaints from the city of Denton just months after painting messages on his home, spreading beach chairs across his lawn and placing a telescope in his truck bed. The complaints have to do directly with his “portable,” “non-conforming” signs. “I had a vision, it was all a theme for how to awaken others,” Burke said. “But it was a theme that was apparently worth $800 in fines.” Despite the resistance to his efforts of making his message visual, Burke remains a proud Dentonite committed to sharing his knowledge on the subject. “I feel like this is what I owe to the world,” Burke said. “It’s the

reality of it. I’m not theorizing a damn thing and if anything, I’m a conspiracy realist.” Even with all of the controversy surrounding his views, Burke is optimistic as he regularly welcomes curious Denton locals to stop by for anything they might have questions about. “Even in just the past few weeks, I’ve noticed more people in Denton seem to be waking up,” Burke said. “Half of them think I’m crazy and half of them are realizing I’m right about all of this.” Being labeled crazy isn’t something the polarizing yet approachable f lat earther spends a lot of time thinking about, however. And even if others don’t believe him, Burke is perfectly content with believing in what he knows to be true. “It’s so easy for people to make something like this look insane,” Burke said. “And if I end up being wrong about all of it then go ahead and strap me down and admit me, but I highly doubt that I am.”

@spicer_alec

SPORTS Page 8

THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017

NTDAILY.COM

Roundtable: wrapping up the men’s and women’s basketball seasons Editor’s note: With the 2016 regular season complete for the Mean Green, the North Texas Daily sports staff has reviewed and analyzed the performance of both the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The men’s team finished 8-22 and did not qualify for the Conference USA tournament, while the women’s team finished 12-19 and lost in the quarterfinals of the C-USA tournament.

1. If you could sum up the men’s season in one word, what would it be and why? Reece Waddell: Ugly. At times it was physically painful to watch this team play basketball. Yes there were injuries, but this is a Division I program. At multiple points throughout the season you probably could have convinced me I was watching a middle school. Clay Massey: Sad! The Mean Green went 8-22, 1-11 on the road and missed the conference tournament. North Texas also sported the second worst scoring margin in C-USA at -6.1. Not exactly ideal numbers. Morgan Price: Train wreck. It was one of those things that was so horrendous you couldn’t help but watch. Nothing went right for this team. Deondre Jones: Pitiful. Attendance was dreadful all season at the Super Pit, and it is easy to see why. The product on the court was terrible, so why would students and fans want to show up?

1. If you could sum up the women’s season in one word, what would it be and why? Brady Keane: Streaky. The Mean Green went on a five-game winning streak in the middle of February, but closed the season with four straight losses heading into the conference tournament. Jalie Mitchell has done wonders with this team, but the lack of consistency hurt down the stretch last season. Matt Brune: Necessary. The program needed to show improvement and they did. Mitchell proved that she can not only bring in talented transfers and freshmen but also that she can coach them. They won close games and were really good which was necessary in Mitchell’s second year. Samantha Morrow: I would use inconsistent, which I think sounds cliché in some ways but I think is true. There were games where this team proved that they had the ability to win and do so with force. However, they would turn around the very next game and make everyone want to bang their heads on a wall. Cesar Valdes: Although the record only indicates a slight improvement, what Jalie Mitchell has done over the past two years has been a step towards the right direction for this organization. Terriel Bradley and Tyara Warren were huge additions by Mitchell and will be an integral part of this team’s success moving forward. We knew all along that this team had great depth and the bench

demonstrated that by posting more than twice the amount of points from the previous season. 2. Did the men’s team exceed your expectations or fall short and why? RW: If my expectations were for them to simply win a few games then sure, they did fine. Unfortunately, the expectation with a McDonald’s All-American and preseason allC-USA selection was to contend for a conference championship and win enough games to save Tony Benford’s job. Whoops. CM: They fell short. Do I really have to explain why? If you watched enough games this season, you’ll understand. MP: After winning only two games in conference play, it’s safe to say this team fell far short of my expectations. It was an utter collapse come midDecember, and once the train was off the tracks, all bets were off. DJ: The men’s team fell short of my expectations. At least the 2015 team made the C-USA tournament. Even with new additions in Keith Frazier, Ryan Woolridge and A.J. Lawson, the Mean Green still finished last in the conference. 2. Did the women’s team exceed your expectations or fall short and why? BK: I hate to say it, but this team fell short of my expectations simply due to its lack of consistency. Mitchell’s team showed a lot of promise

behind a guard-oriented lineup, but injuries and inconsistencies played a role in holding North Texas back. I was hoping to see a winning record in season two, which may have been unrealistic – but it shows just how far the program has come under Mitchell in two short seasons. MB: They exceeded them because they made the quarterfinals of the C-USA tournament. The three seniors exceeded my expectations as leaders and Mitchell also showed me a lot. The pre-game food also exceeded my expectations. Chicken Express and Jimmy Johns were consistent night in and night out. SM: I expected this team to continue improving after going to the C-USA tournament last season, but they finished in the exact same place. They did not necessarily get worse, but they didn’t improve either. For that reason, I say the Mean Green fell short of my expectations. CV: I think they finished the season about where they realistically should have. We have to remember that not too long ago this team was 5-24 and searching for a new head coach. Two consecutive first round wins in the C-USA tournament only add to the indication of the rising of a program that has not seen a winning record in over a decade. 3. What letter grade did the men’s team earn? RW: F. When you’re the worst team in your conference, your head coach gets fired and one-

third of your projected starters go down with injury, is there really any other appropriate grade? CM: F. It’s tough to give this season anything but an F because it was a failure. The Mean Green didn’t make the postseason, Tony Benford is out of a job and you have to think it put some doubts in the mind of a couple players about their futures at North Texas. The good news is it’s always darkest before dawn, and the basketball program is in a dark spot. Grant McCasland is an exciting hire, but it will be even better to see him get to work on the court. MP: C- It would be lower, but that 11-game losing streak they went on became fun at times. Benford’s tie game, however, receives an A. They were always on point. DJ: D+ North Texas had plenty of close games and have a really talented backcourt in Woolridge and Lawson. That said, this team was awful in many ways and was one of the worst statistical teams in C-USA. We can only hope it gets better from here. 3. What letter grade did the women’s team earn? BK: B. The flashes of greatness bring this grade up for me, as the Mean Green were a fun team to watch this season. Mitchell has done to the women’s program what fans hope McCasland will do to the men’s program – and the excitement around the program has translated to growing

success on the court. MB: B+ This team was really good with no depth and no true center to dominate the paint. I feel like Mitchell was huge in changing her scheme throughout the season to find something that worked. SM: C+ This season was frustrating to follow because they never seemed to get on a roll. They had the potential to come out with a better record, but at least they weren’t as bad as the men’s team. That has to count for something. CV: CDespite the improvement, this team continued the trend of maintaining losing records at home, on the road, in conference and overall. Still, I’m pleased with the year-byyear improvement and the talent Mitchell has recruited.

@ReeceWaddell15 @Clay_FC @morganprice @deandrejones34 @BradyKeane @mattbrune27 @sam_morrow14 @The_CesarValdes

Jimmy

Head basketball coach Grant McCasland stands with his family at the Syndicate in the Union. McCasland was hired after the departure of Tony Benford. Robert Warren

Grant McCasland ready to get the Mean Green back on track COACH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

be built. At this point, we’re planning on all of [our players] to stay.” Despite all the changes, some North Texas players are excited for what the future holds. Sophomore center Rickey Brice Jr. was another member of the Mean Green in attendance Tuesday and is ready to suit up for his new coach. “I love coach McCasland,” Brice said. “He has a lot of experience being at Arkansas State and Baylor. He’s going to bring a lot to this university. I feel like the new Denton is here. We’re going to [turn] things around.” McCasland’s hire

was also a big moment for Baker, who landed his first head coach at North Texas. A former basketball coach himself, Baker has repeatedly spoken about his passion not only for the sport, but getting the Mean Green back on track. “We found somebody who is a great, great leader,” Baker said. “I have been longing for the days when [North Texas] is back in the NCA A tournament.” McCasland is the 18th head coach in North Texas history and has an all-time record of 219-56 for a 79.6 win percentage. He grew up in Dallas-Fort Worth and graduated from Irving High School. Prior to Arkansas State, McCasland was a

coach at Midland College and Midwestern State University, where he reached back-toback Elite Eights in Division II and even won a national title at Midland. McCasland’s goal is to bring that same success to North Texas. “I see a hunger in [this team’s] eyes for winning,” McCasland said. “And I want [the students] on this campus to be excited about the teams we beat.”

@ReeceWaddell15

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 9

Head coach Brad Stracke helping men’s golf regain prominence By Jaz’man Hampton Guiding the North Texas men’s golf team since December 2009, head coach Brad Stracke has revived the program in more ways than one. After taking home the Conference USA title in 2015 and being named coach of the year, Stracke led the Mean Green back to heights they hadn’t reached in more than 40 years. But Stracke has brought more than accolades to the Mean Green. Along with his own knowledge from his playing days, Stracke has also created a bond with current and former players and coaches – something none of them take for granted. “It is an absolute pleasure to be working alongside coach Stracke,” assistant men’s golf coach Marco Scarola said. “I heard about the possibility of an assistant coaching job opening at North Texas and I acted on it right away. He is an incredible coach who has taught me so much in a short period of time.” Stracke’s golf career began at a young age. In 1993, a few years before he began coaching, Stracke hit the links both at the collegiate and professional level. He won all-conference honors in 1993 and later was a sectional

qualifier for the U.S. Open in 1995. After his playing days were over, Stracke began his instructional career at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club, mentoring amateur golfers who played the game mostly at the recreational level. “I worked with guys that [were] scratched to twenty-five handicaps,” Stracke said. “I figured I could work with better players, or I could [continue to] work with guys that struggle and can’t really do what I instruct.” That’s when Stracke made the move to coaching full-time. Instead of coaching a scratch golfer – a player who can play to a course handicap of zero on an all rated course – Stracke transitioned to coaching college students. His first stint as head coach began at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa and lasted for nine seasons. “As a career choice it was a good one for me,” Stracke said. “I like coaching younger, better players and helping them with their golf careers and life choices.” While coaching at Indian Hills, Stracke created what he considers one of his best moments in coaching when he won the NJCA A National

Championship in 2000. When his time in Iowa was up, Stracke became an assistant at the University of Florida, where he helped the Gators win three straight NCA A championships. In the last few years alone, several of Stracke’s players have even gone on to compete on the PGA Tour. Senior Cory Churchman believes one of the things that separates Stracke from other coaches he’s had is his attention to detail, especially when correcting errors in his swing. “[Stracke] has taught me a lot about the strategy of the game and how to play golf courses precisely,” Churchman said. “I’m not just out there hitting golf balls. I really think I’m better at everything. I know how to play golf [better now].” Although it is above and beyond what is expected of him, Stracke often takes several hours out of his day to work with his players one-on-one, even if it means staying until the sun goes down. “I work with each [golfer] individually,” Stracke said. “I think my strengths are picking out [the player’s] weaknesses and correcting them.” More than anything, though, Stracke demands one quality

above all else in his players – dedication. “There are times when you don’t want to give your all and coach won’t allow that,” Churchman said. Along with Churchman, Scarola also knows firsthand the level of hard work Stracke requires. During his playing career, Scarola helped North Texas win two consecutive titles with Stracke at the helm. Now coaches, Stracke and Scarola often recruit together in the offseason and help current players improve their game. This season, the Mean Green most recently finished tied for sixth place at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational and have roughly two months before the NCA A regionals in mid-May. Even though he has a young roster comprised of mainly freshmen and sophomores, Stracke remains confident about his team’s potential down the stretch. Because no matter who is teeing it up, Stracke’s coaching philosophy is the same. “I try to bring in the best kids possible and make them the best players they can be before they leave,” Stracke said.

@misfitoffaith

Golf coach Brad Stracke. Rick Yeatts | Courtesy

Softball sweeps UTEP to open C-USA play By Clay Massey

On March 11, 2017, sophomore Harley Perella hit the ball and ran to first base, UNT softball faced UTEP over the weekend with two games Saturday and one game Sunday. Katie Jenkins

COLUMN

It didn’t go as planned, but women’s basketball took another important step rebuilding in 2016

By Matthew Brune In a meaningless game against Texas Woman’s University at the start of the 2016 season, the North Texas women’s basketball team suffered an injury that haunted them for the rest of the year. As junior guard Stabresa McDaniel clutched her leg writhing in pain on the hardwood, the entire Super Pit fell silent. From head coach Jalie Mitchell to the end of the bench, the Mean Green knew what they had lost. McDaniel was done for the season with a torn left ACL. It may have only been a preseason game, but McDaniel looked liked the most seasoned scorer on the roster, leading the team with 14 points in 23 minutes before going down in exhibition. Without her, the team stumbled out of the gates and went 3-9 in their first 12 games. Their offense, for the most part, was stagnant and lacked a perennial scorer. Despite this, North Texas was able to rebound from their sluggish start to go 9-10 in their final 19 games, a record much more indicative of this team’s talent without McDaniel. At the end of the season, North Texas sported a 12-19 record – only one win better than their 2015 campaign – and won their first-round Conference USA tournament game before getting shellacked by Western

Kentucky. And while this year’s team did not end up being the massive leap from average to great some expected, they still had a very good season, especially once they overcame the early injury to McDaniel. In addition to increasing their C-USA win total from five to eight games, North Texas had a slew of transfers from Power Five schools such as sophomore Tyara Warren from West Virginia and sophomore Terriell Bradley from Kansas, as well as McDaniel from Minnesota. Along with her ability to recruit, Mitchell proved in her first offseason she can bring formidable talent to Denton. Equally as important as getting the players is getting them to gel in time for conference play, which Mitchell was also able to do. In that sense, this team had a very productive season. Even though there was not a marginal difference in their record, the Mean Green took an important next step in the rebuilding process. More than anything, however, it was easy for fans to get behind this team. They played hard, had three seniors who all were great people and had a coach that is one of the best players in North Texas history. After last year’s surprising turnaround, the Mean Green needed to show they could continue to trend upward – and they did. North Texas played in and won several tight games, including four overtime contests, all of which were on the road. Some of that can be contributed to coaching, and some can be contributed to having composed seniors on the floor. The three seniors, guards Kelsey Criner and Candice Adams and forward Terra Ellison, were terrific for most of the year. Nearly every time I wrote something about this team I mentioned them as if what

they were doing was the norm in college basketball. But it’s not. Those three seniors all left their marks on the program as they helped carry the team in Mitchell’s second season. In many ways, they were the heart and soul of the squad. And next year, they will not be there to lean on. When the clock is winding down late in games, there will be no turning to them to make a big shot. In order to avoid the dreaded lull of mediocrity, Mitchell will at the very least need to find a center willing to do the dirty work. That means rebounding and contesting shots in the paint – something that was virtually nonexistent this year. Instead of relying on one post player in particular, the team utilized a “center by committee” in sophomore Micayla Buckner, junior Tosin Mabodu and freshmen Jada Poland and Hannah Hopkins. One of those players will either need to step up, or the Mean Green will need to recruit and bring someone else in. Having a rim protector is paramount in college basketball. Of course, if all else fails, Mitchell could throw on a jersey at halftime and ball on these kids like Michael Jordan when he was on the Wizards. Considering how competitive she is, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet, honestly. All jokes aside, North Texas took a step in the right direction in the midst of a tough injury and slow start. While it didn’t happen how they envisioned, the Mean Green continue to show they are back on the right track.

@mattbrune25

It took five games last season for North Texas to pick up its first Conference USA win last season. This season though, the Mean Green started C-USA play undefeated at 2-0. North Texas (13-9, 2-0) downed the University of Texas at El Paso 2-0 and 8-6 to start conference play. The Miners (5-17, 0-2) never led during the day. Sophomore Harley Perella stood out with a 3-for-6 day with four RBIs. Freshman Hannah Rebar was the spark plug the Mean Green needed at the bottom of the line-up, going 2-for-4 on the day with a run scored. Senior right hander Stacey Underwood continued her dominant season with a complete game in game one. Her ERA now sits at 2.59 on the season with 46 strike outs. North Texas 2, UTEP 0 North Texas opened the day with a win behind Underwood’s success in the circle. She manned the circle with confidence to improve to 7-3 on the season. Using just 70 pitches, she ran through the UTEP line-up going all the way, 7.0 innings, giving up no runs and allowing just five hits. The senior has already matched her win total from last season. On the losing side was another senior righty in Erika Harrawood. Harrawood has struggled with just one win this season, but she pitched well against the Mean Green and allowed just two runs on six hits in 6.0 innings while striking out three. But two runs was all the Mean Green needed, and both scored in the fifth inning. Senior infielder Kelli Schkade scored Rebar with a bloop single to right field to extend her hitting streak to 11 games and pick up her 13th RBI of the season.

Freshman infielder Lindsay Gregory followed up Schkade with rope single into right center that pushed Schkade across the plate to make it 2-0. Gregory also is riding a double-digit hitting streak at 10 games. The Miners went quietly until they were down to their final out in the seventh. But with runners on first and second, Underwood got a strikeout to end the ballgame. North Texas 8, UTEP 6 North Texas opened the scoring almost immediately when sophomore first basemen Rhylie Makawe gently lifted a hit into left field to score a run and punch home her fifth RBI of the season. Lindsay kept her hitting streak alive, extending it to 11 games. Schkade followed suite, extending her own hit streak to 12 games. Freshman Lacy Gregory got the Mean Green on the board again in the second with a RBI base knock, her 10th of the season, and then Perella followed up with a two-run bomb to left. It was Perella’s fourth home run of the year to give the Mean Green a 6-0 lead at the end of two after a five run inning. Sophomore infielder Cortney Smith got the first run of the day for UTEP with a RBI single to left to make it 6-1 in the fourth. But the Mean Green answered back with a Perella sac-fly making it 7-1 at the end of four. Sophomore righty Lauren Craine got the start and pitched well until the sixth. Craine was faced with her first big challenge of the day with two runners on and no outs, and allowed a two-RBI single before head coach Tracey Kee made the call to the bullpen for Underwood. Craine’s day was done after 5.2 innings, as she allowed four runs on eight hits. Underwood came in to allow an RBI single, and then

a two-run shot to junior infielder Courntey Clayton to make it a one run ballgame at 7-6 in favor of the Mean Green. It was Clayton’s second of the season. But Perella pushed across yet another RBI, and it was an important one, giving the Mean Green some breathing room in the sixth as the scoreline sat at 8-6. That score held as the final.

@Clay_FC

UPCOMING GAMES Saturday •Softball doubleheader vs. UTSA at 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday •Softball vs. UTSA at 1 p.m.

MEAN GREEN QUICK HITS Men’s Basketball The North Texas men’s basketball team hired Grant McCasland as its next head coach. McCasland takes over for Tony Benford and inherits a team that missed the Conference USA tournament last season. McCasland is the 18th head coach in school history. Women’s Basketball The Mean Green women’s basketball team bowed out in the quarterfinals of the C-USA tournament, falling to No. 1 seed Western Kentucky. North Texas won a game in the conference tournament for the second straight year. Softball Softball is ranked 57th in the first RPI poll and sports a 14-13 record. North Texas is currently in second place in C-USA west and trails only Louisiana Tech in the standings.

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 10

Maria Kononova breaking records and turning heads for Mean Green tennis By Cesar Valdez As sophomore Maria Kononova makes her way towards the Waranch Tennis Complex she takes to a robotic, yet graceful style of serving. Each motion has a purpose. Every single service is an exact replica of the previous. The setup is mechanical and the execution can be devastating for opponents. Her feet stand parallel to the baseline, left toes rising at a high angle while her right foot stays flat behind her. She leans her towering body back and raises the ball in front of her stomach as it presses tightly against the strings of her racquet. Kononova flicks the ball high over head, never losing sight of it, drags her feet together and bends her knees to add an extra kick. Once the ball falls to her desired height she brings her racquet behind her body and prepares for her attack. Ace. Just as quickly as the tiny yellow ball whizzed by her opponent, she had won the match. “We were really close and on my last serve I decided to just go for it,” Kononova said. “The previous matches [weren’t] that close, so I could always make up for it.” Kononova tied the North Texas record for the most singles win for a player at the No. 1 spot on an ace, which was the exact same way she started that match. To sweeten the pot even more, Kononova knocked off long-time rival Anastasia Rychagova, who got the better of her last year and currently sits one spot ahead of Kononova in the national rankings. “Since I started playing tennis she was always No. 1 at

my age [group],” Kononova said. “We never played in the same tournaments because we were at different levels of our game. I always saw her playing and saw her results for the national team. I just wanted to win this time.” Even though Kononova has dazzled so far this season, some coaches and universities were skeptical of her ability during the recruiting process. Before she signed with the Mean Green in December 2015, Kononova was unsure of where she would continue her tennis career. At the time, her options were scarce. For a while, the only offer she received was from Conference USA foe Louisiana Tech University, who attempted to lure Kononova with the idea of pairing her with a Russianspeaking teammate to make her feel more at home. Fortunately for North Texas, Louisiana Tech gave Kononova an extended period of time to contemplate her decision. Meanwhile, head coach Sujay Lama was focused on filling his last scholarship spot on a recruit ranked in the top 100 in the world. But the deal fell through, paving the way for the then raw and inexperienced Konovona. “You could see that she had all the tools,” Lama said. “You can see the movement. You can see the big forehand, and you can see that serve. The stellar results happened after we signed her. She went to a tournament and beat a player ranked in the top 500 or 600 in the world and we were going ‘wow, did we get lucky.” In the midst of a season plagued by blown leads, close losses and a myriad of injuries, Kononova has been the one constant for the Mean Green.

“Seeing her doing this motivates me because I’m playing next to her and she’s winning and I want to win too,” doubles partner Tamuna Kutubidze said. “She’s winning all these games. Not just for me, but all for all of [our] teammates. She really leads by example.” Now after nearly two seasons at North Texas, Kononova sits atop the C-USA rankings as the No. 61 ranked player in the country. In spring play, she has accumulated a 7-4 record against top-125 ranked players and hasn’t lost to a non-ranked opponent this season. For the 20-year-old Kononova, her drastic improvement from year one to two is a testament to the serious work ethic she puts herself through year round. “During [the] summer I spend a lot of time with my coach [in Russia] working not only on my tennis, but on my conditioning,” Kononova said. “I didn’t waste my time during Christmas break, which obviously really helped me in the season because I pay a lot of attention to my fitness and my footwork.” Even with the amount of success Kononova has had thus far, her ceiling is a long way from being reached. With constant aces and head turning volleys, Kononova and her coach know they have merely scratched the surface on what could be an illustrious career. “I compare her to an iceberg,” Lama said. “There’s so much more. Every aspect: technical, tactical, mental, physical. So much is still down there and we need to bring it out.”

@The_CesarValdez

Sophomore Maria Kononova swings at the ball. Samantha Hardisty

The doubleheader problem; Mean Green softball struggling in back-to-back games By Morgan Price In a schedule built around double headers and playing up to five games in the span of three days, collegiate softball has one of the most grueling

energy going into the second,” senior pitcher Jessica Elder said. “The first game is more of a warm up and you start to get your groove and when you do go into that second game, you have that consistency.”

been their only problem.

and demanding seasons. The

The Mean Green softball team

“Getting our focus back after

mentality is simple – it’s a

plays at least one double header

the break,” freshman second

Perhaps even more alarming

games, half will be played as

marathon, not a sprint.

per

occasionally

baseman Lindsay Gregory said.

is North Texas’ records in the

double headers. Of those seven

Playing 56 games in a little

two if it’s a tournament. Often

“That’s probably the hardest

second game of doubleheaders.

double headers, six will be part

over three months comes with

they’ll get as little as a 20

part.”

The Mean Green is 3-7 this

of their conference play. In the

a lot of peaks and valleys, and

minute break between games,

season in those contests, a stark

last weekend of the season,

sometimes, those valleys can

which can sometimes lead to

header

contrast from their 7-3 mark in

the Mean Green may face their

come in one weekend.

fatigue, among other issues.

against the same team as the

game one.

toughest

weekend,

The second game of a double isn’t

always

played

their

remaining

double-header

yet

first game. In 10 double headers

“Sometimes if you win the

when they square off with No. 2

this year, North Texas has only

first game, you tend to lose

Florida University and Florida

played the same team in both

focus on the second,” Kee said.

A&M University.

games of a doubleheader three

“Or sometimes if you lose the

times. In those games,

first, it tends to be a f lyer.

the

To take two games is a very

Mean Green is 1-2. Even

though

playing

the

same team multiple times helps with

familiarity,

doesn’t

always translate to wins. “You learn their tendencies

difficult task.” While

But should their trend of struggling in the second game

order

continue, it could spell good

generally stays the same during

things for the Mean Green.

doubleheaders,

Florida is the opening game of

pitcher

the

Florida has won two national titles in the last five years.

batting the

starting

almost

always

the double-header.

really fast in game one,” head

different. With North Texas

coach Tracey Kee said. “[But]

only carrying three pitchers on

physically,” Gregory said. “But

sometimes it’s nice not knowing

its roster, sometimes players

typically I feel like since we

your opponent’s abilities and

will have to enter the circle

already played one game, we’re

adjusting on the f ly.”

twice in one day.

already in game mode and ready

Overall, North Texas’ run

four

doubleheaders

minus 23, which has become a

pitcher from the first game

cause for concern. This means

has also pitched in the second

the Mean Green have managed

game. And surprisingly, fatigue

just 36 runs while opponents

has not become an issue.

But scoring runs has not

year,

differential in doubleheaders is

have plated 59.

this

the

“A

doubleheader

tough

to go for that second game.”

@morganprice

“Once we go through that first game, I feel like I have more

The team celebrates after freshman infielder Lacy Gregory (6) hits a home run. Gregory has five on the season. Katie Jenkins

OPINION Page 11

THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017

NTDAILY.COM

The American Health Care Act: What do we have to lose?

By Gabriela Macias On March 6, Paul Ryan, the speaker of the house, released the long awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, enacted under former President Barack Obama in 2010. The new legislation was released by House Republicans and presented as the American Health Care Act. House Republicans want to put the bill up for a vote this Thursday. But the passing of the bill is uncertain. It has faced heavy criticism not only from across the aisle, but from within the GOP. There is much discontent from hard line conservatives, arguing that it looks very similar to the ACA, some even calling it Obamacare 2.0. Moderate Republicans are even reticent,

realizing that it might really hurt their constituency. Most of the criticism came after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released a report that estimates the cost and coverage of the new legislation. Among the most alarming numbers are the effects on the federal budget, health insurance coverage and premiums. The CBO presented the scorecard and found that the AHCA will reduce federal deficits by $337 billion over the 2017-2026 period. The largest savings will come from reductions in outlays for Medicaid and from the elimination of the ACA’s subsidies for non-group health insurance. The reductions in insurance coverage between 2018 and 2026 stem in large part from changes to Medicaid program enrollment. Among the reasons given by the CBO is that some states would discontinue their expansion eligibility, states that are eligible for expansions would choose not to do so and that pre-enrolled spending in the program will be capped. Therefore, subsidies allocated for the expansions that make it possible for more

people to enroll in Medicaid will now be harshly reduced, making it less accessible for people to have health insurance. It also estimated that in 2018, 14 million more people would be uninsured under the new legislation than under the ACA. More alarmingly, the number of uninsured people will jump to 21 million in 2020 and then to 24 million in 2026. In comparison, 52 million people would be uninsured against 28 million who would lack healthcare under ACA by 2026. The new legislation will affect premiums, and this is among the most contentious part of the ACA. Premiums are what people really want to see change, but to the discontent of many, the new average premiums will increase before 2020, with a decrease starting in 2020 due to a decrease in enrollment. The CBO further shows that changes in premiums relative to the ACA would differ significantly for people of different ages because of a

Are you pro-life or just anti-abortion?

By Kara Jobmann The Republican and Democratic parties have made their stances on abortion abundantly clear. Pro-abortion rights, or “pro-choice,” (D) is the idea that a woman should be able to choose to have an abortion for a variety of reasons: health and financial ability being two major contributors. The idea is that this right should not be infringed upon by government ideologies or religion. Pro-life (R) is the idea that life starts at conception, and that the fetus has the same rights and autonomy that the mother does. It is the idea that a woman should not have access to abortions and should, in some cases, be punished for seeking out those services. The problem with the prolife idea lies in the fact that as soon as the baby is born, those supporters are nowhere to be found for help. The problem is with the racial biases of the prolife movement. The problem is with the hypocrisy of it all. Republicans say pro-life, but as soon as that mother looks to the government for help with education, food stamps and paid maternal leave, that same pro-life mentality becomes, “the government shouldn’t give handouts, so get a job and work harder.” They say prolife, but when that baby grows up in poverty, with a mother working four jobs to put food on their table and she looks to the streets for help, they call her child “a thug” or “ghetto.” Life may begin at conception, but it also continues after birth. The Republican Party isn’t so much pro-life as it is antiabortion. When President Donald Trump reinstated the Global Gag Rule, he cut funding for organizations worldwide that provide healthcare to women, medical research and medicines for people suffering from Zika, HIV

and other life threatening diseases. This is not pro-life. The Global Gag Rule essentially says that any government-funded agency that offers or even discusses the possibility of abortion will have their funding revoked. While these agencies provide abortions to at-risk women in developing nations, they also provide life saving healthcare in general. The party is more antiabortion because it introduced the American Health Care Act, which is estimated to leave 14 to 24 million Americans without access to healthcare. They want to defund Planned Parenthood on the basis of pro-life, when in reality Planned Parenthood is not legally allowed to use any of their $528 million from last year’s government funding for abortions. The vast majority of those funds come from two places: Title X of the U.S. Public Health Service Act and Medicaid. Seventy-five percent comes from Medicaid alone, according to NPR. Planned Parenthood offers a safe place for lowincome women to receive necessary healthcare. The self proclaimed pro-life party wants to cut funding to 19 government funded organizations, some of which include the U.S. African Development Agency – dedicated to growth and helping African countries in fragile times – and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, which is dedicated to eradicating homelessness among veterans and American youth. My issue with the pro-life movement lies in the hypocrisy of it. It claims to be “prolife,” but as soon as they have the opportunity to

actually improve someone’s life, they cut funding and make a movement to end agencies that help those people live dignified lives. Pro-life supporters tend to suggest using contraceptives, or remain abstinent until marriage. When you try to defund an agency that provides about four million people access to affordable healthcare each year, you eliminate the access to contraceptives for a significant amount of women. That is like the equivalent of chopping someone’s hands off and asking them why they can’t write. A woman has, or should have, the right to do what she likes with her body in and out of wedlock, and should not be punished for owning her sexuality. In fact, not all abortions are provided to women out of wedlock, as women can have abortions while married for a variety of reasons. I don’t say any of this to demonize right-wing causes. I do think that pro-life fighters strongly believe they are fighting for a just cause and for that I admire them. Standing up for a cause you believe in is noble and is the very idea that America was founded upon. A lot of these people are prolife because they are Christians who believe children to be blessings from God and that murdering them is against his will. But, if they are fighting on that platform, they need to continue fighting for that child to have access to good education, food on the table and a happy childhood. We cannot use Jesus’ name to fight for one cause, but forget it in the face of others. If you believe that every child is a blessing, you also have to believe that Jesus would want every child to have food on the table and parents who are present. That’s what it means to be pro-life.

@karajobmann

Illustration by Antonio Mercado

change in age-rating rules. Under the new legislation, insurers would be allowed to charge five times more for

Illustration by Sam Wiggins

substantially reducing premiums for young adults and substantially raising premiums for older people. This is one of the provisions that has been most criticized and is of biggest conflict within the GOP. Remember that this is being presented as a budget bill, and cannot be filibustered by Democrats. They need 216 votes to pass the bill in the House, so House Republicans can’t afford to lose more than 21 votes. In the hopes of securing more votes, Republican leaders released a set of changes Monday night, but none of the changes directly provide helpful tax credits for older Americans. The AHCA, will also get rid of the individual mandate. But there will be a 30 percent surcharge on premiums for people who enroll, if they have been uninsured for more than 63 days within the past year. It will also repeal the surtax on certain high-income taxpayers’ net investment incomes. Not surprisingly, the GOP proposed limits on

Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood. The provision will reduce federal spending on reproductive care for women, possibly causing many clinics to close. One key thing to understand about the ACA is that the most unpopular parts of the law allow the parts that the public likes to be possible. The ACA is by no means perfect, but by taking only parts of this law and producing a new set of rules and standards, it will dramatically affect the most disenfranchised parts of our society, the poor, the sick and the elderly. Although this is an extremely politicized issue, it is real people and real lives that are affected in the end, regardless of party affiliation. After all the political discourse, it is going to be us, the people, who suffer the consequences of a system that is apparently created to treat healthcare as a luxury. In reality for many, access to healthcare is literally life or death.

@Gaby_Mac22

Learning to be open about mental illness

By Heather Reed Mental illnesses are frightening, but they shouldn’t be. Maybe they aren’t to you, but for some people mental illnesses are scary. They can be humiliating, debilitating and embarrassing. But now, it’s time to start a conversation and end the stigmas surrounding mental illnesses and therapy, and just get help when you need it. Our world can seem so perfect. Most advertisements we see are Photoshopped and edited to look flawless. Instagram models rule social media and a girl will go from the beautiful young woman her mother told her she was to a mess of emotions and insecurities. Now, some girls aren’t like this. Some are strong and stand tall in the face of carefully crafted perfection, but for the rest of us, seeing the best of certain people makes us see the worst in ourselves. Exposure to media at a young age has proved to form a direct link to how women view themselves later in life. If you consumed a lot of media, like television and ads, when you were young, you’re more likely to develop habits that resemble eating disorders. Striving to be thin has become a part of the female package, and trying to meet beauty standards is part of our everyday lives, although it shouldn’t be that way. A lot of people, not only women, devote a lot of time and energy into being someone else or something better. There’s huge pressure on students in particular to get the best grades, get into the best jobs or graduate schools on time, and before you know it, you become a huge snowball of anxiety. It seems like nothing is simple anymore, every choice you make has a direct impact on your future and for some people, that pressure can be crushing. So crushing that getting out of bed every

morning seems impossible. Mental illnesses are unique, no two people will experience them in the exact same way. Everyone is fighting their own battles. UNT offers its students free counseling services. They’re paid for by our tuition, but so many people don’t know it’s available to them. It doesn’t have to be some earth-shattering, heartbreaking experience that leaves you broken or lost. Life is difficult, so having someone professional to talk to is an invaluable asset regardless. Best friends are great but they’re just like us at the end of the day. We’re all a little broken, lost and trying our best daily to be a bit better than we were the previous day. What we all need is a conversation, an opportunity to be honest with people and for the people we run towards to fill us with good graces. In fact, a study conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness found that one in every five

American adults will experience mental illness to some degree in any given year. It’s like any other sickness, there are times before and times after. It can always get better, but if everyone around you is scared to talk about it, nothing will ever get better. Pretending something doesn’t exist doesn’t make it go away. What you should take away from this is that you’re not alone. Everyone around you has something in their past or in their future that they’re terrified of. Everyone has a thought that whenever it crosses their mind, it breaks their heart. Sometimes those feelings get so big we can’t control them and that doesn’t make us weak or unworthy. It makes us human.

@heathereed1111

Illustration by Sam Wiggins

Student Service Fee Advisory Committee Deliberations Date: Friday, March 24, 2017 Location: Union, Room 412 Time: 8:00 AM

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 12

Defending Tomi Lahren shouldn’t be a liberal focus By The Editorial Board At UNT, conservatives and Republicans tend to be the whipping boys of political discussions. In many cases, however, a worse subculture is the liberal one which only stands for the Democratic Party, like-minded individuals and no one else, This is dangerous because Republicans continually implement bills fitting their “prolife” and anti-immigration beliefs. Despite their lack of representation in both the House and Senate, liberal Americans need to start doing a lot more than hugging trees and reading National Geographic. With their main opposition being a president who fully disregards left-wing thought, coming to the support of conservative commentator Tomi Lahren should be a liberal’s last resort. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case. On Tuesday, the BBC reported that Lahren had been suspended from her network due to “prochoice” comments she made on “The View” last week. Lahren, a 24-year-old television host known for her controversial opinions, was brought to the show to discuss President Donald Trump’s executive orders and allegations of wiretapping against former President Barack Obama. Instead, Lahren’s views on abortion gained the most clout. According to data paraphrased by Sunny Hostin of “The View,” “68 percent of conservative Republicans think that abortion should be illegal across the board,” which prompted the self-proclaimed “constitutional conservative” to defend her beliefs. Lahren said, “I am someone who loves the Constitution. I

am someone that’s for limited government. So I can’t sit here and be a hypocrite and say that I’m for limited government but I think that the government should decide what women do with their bodies.” She also said, “I can sit here [as a Republican] and say, ‘You know what, I’m for limited government, so stay out of my guns and you can stay out of my body as well.’” Since her appearance was published last Friday, the video has garnered thousands of views on YouTube, as well as a f lood of backlash from “all sides” of the political spectrum, as Lahren likes to put it. But even more disheartening to see, regardless of our own pro-choice beliefs, was the amount of people coming to Lahren’s defense online. With people such as Ken Bone saying how “unfortunate” it is that she’s being “slammed,” it’s as if she’s never equated AfricanAmerican pride to the Ku Klux Klan, bashed peaceful marches for women’s rights or, in her same “View” appearance, stated that Trump’s executive order “is not a Muslim ban.” Although individuals like Trevor Noah should be “offended by the hypocrisy” of Lahren’s suspension, calling her a heroine is like saying Paula Deen makes good food. In fact, praising her for holding her ground isn’t too dissimilar from how Vice President Mike Pence and many Trump supporters justify the recent executive orders: “This president [is] speaking his mind and speaking very straight with [Americans].” Where are the liberals in Washington who can offer reasonable alternatives to the controversial GOP bills? Where are the liberals who are fighting to reform the Democratic Party without seceding into the Justice

Democrats? Where are the liberals who can speak their minds without living vicariously through Trevor Noah or Stephen Colbert? “The View” is not that place, and Lahren’s suspension is more hilarious than it is a conservative act of hypocrisy. For an example of a strongwilled Democrat, look at Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who was one of the first Democrats to note how Trump failed to touch upon “income inequality, criminal justice reform and climate change” in his February address to Congress. This action kept in line with Sanders’ persistent reputation of giving light to untapped issues, which thankfully hasn’t gone away since his own party ousted him from last year’s candidacy. Furthermore, a lot of inspiration needs to be taken from Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who Trump declared as his “dream opponent” if he runs for re-election in 2020. Instead of entertaining the prospects of becoming our president, Warren used her appearance at a Springfield event on Monday to encourage others to concentrate on “how [Trump’s policies] are impacting working class Americans.” Warren has also been the most vocal Democrat about the future of the U.S. Department of Education, and was among the most knowledgeable scholars about business law before taking up senatorial duties. For these reasons, sensationalists such as Joy Behar and Bill Maher

Spaces filling fast for Fall 2017!

Illustration by Samuel Wiggins shouldn’t be the chief funnels for liberal discourse. What liberal Americans should be doing – especially the Democratic authorities – is vocally influencing legislation and adamantly standing by their just leaders without taking time out to normalize the Tomi Lahrens of the world. Relying on the politicians we already have, or looking forward to “Saturday Night Live” every week, isn’t enough

to change the face of the White House. Citizens have to. While it’s cool that Tomi Lahren is pro-choice, it doesn’t brush aside her racist, peaceless and misinformed rhetoric of months past. Instead of worrying about the length of her suspension, start thinking about how the nation can better itself under abhorrent political leadership.

@ntdaily

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