UNT switching Learning Management Systems, phasing out Blackboard PAGE 3
VOL. 111 No. 1
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017
NTDAILY.COM
Denton faced with gas
Hundreds of homes in the Rockport area were demolished in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Some of the homes remained standing as their neighbors were completely destroyed. Courtesy Tomas Gonzalez
shortages, rising prices due to Hurricane Harvey By Sarah Sarder Senior News Writer Some Denton-area gas stations are running low on fuel after Hurricane Harvey incapacitated 20 percent of U.S. oil refining capabilities, including the nation’s largest refinery located in Port Arthur. A QuikTrip located at the intersection of U.S. 377 Eagle Drive has run out of unleaded gas and is now selling premium gas and diesel only. Employees said the store will continue to operate and sell products as a convenience store if they are forced to close down all gas pumps. A RaceTrac at 601 Fort Worth Drive also ran out of gas Wednesday afternoon, after which it received a gas delivery and refilled pumps. QuikTrip employees said the shortage was an effect of Hurricane Harvey impacting oil refineries in and around Houston. Today was the store’s first day without a delivery, which usually occurs every other day. Employees were not told when they might expect another delivery, but that QuikTrips near highways were being given priority.
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HELL AND HIGH WATER
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Hurricane Harvey batters Texas coast with torrential rain, record flooding and 130 mph winds
Mason Fine wins starting quarterback job, aims for sophomore surge By Matthew Brune Senior Sports Writer The first-team reps over the past few weeks were indicators pointing toward sophomore quarterback Mason Fine, but it’s finally official. Head coach Seth Littrell announced at his first press conference of the year Tuesday Fine will start the season opener against Lamar “I think [Fine]
has had an unbelievable camp,” Littrell said. “His leadership has gotten better, and he far and away has had the best fall camp [of the quarterbacks].” The decision wasn’t necessarily a surprise, but Littrell and the rest of the coaching staff insisted redshirt junior Quinn Shanbour was competing for the starting job and looked good throughout the
SEE FOOTBALL ON PAGE 6
North Texas freshman quarterback Mason Fine (6) takes the ball after the snap. Fine ended the game with 206 yards passing and 49 yards rushing. Colin Mitchell | Visuals Editor
UNT’s new provost looks to increase retention, graduation rates By Celeste Gracia Staff Writer Jennifer Evans-Cowley, UNT’s new Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, began her position on July 1 of this year. Almost two months in to her new role, Evans-Cowley has begun to take note of what UNT needs and what areas should be focused on. “It’s fantastic to be back,” Evans-Cowley said. “It’s been a great transition. The UNT community is very warm and welcoming.” An UNT alumna, Evans-Cowley was announced as the new provost on March 16 earlier this year. Replacing Finley Graves, Evans-Cowley worked for 16 years as a faculty member and administrator at Ohio
State University. Since starting her position, Evans-Cowley has begun working on initiatives to enhance UNT by concentrating on different areas. Some of these topics include improvements to student connectivity, where a project called Smart Campus has begun. She is also looking at online education, which will eventually lead to a newly upgraded virtual teaching platform, and a newly emphasized enrollment plan which aims to increase student retention and graduation rates. Many of these items are underway or have already begun, EvansCowley said. “I’ve started to work on [these initiatives] but two months in, there’s only so much I can do,”
SEE PROVOST ON PAGE 2
The nightwalking comedian By Slade Meadows Staff Writer Many people have seen local comedian Nick Fields perform around Denton at venues such as Killer’s Tacos, Backyard on Bell, The Bearded Monk and Midway Craft House. However, few people have seen the rare performance of him walking the Denton streets at night preparing for his sets. “I walk for a long long time, in the middle of the night,” Fields said. “That’s how I’ve written most of my material.” Fields said every single one of his jokes that he uses for sets now are the product of two to three hour long walks in the early hours of the morning. He does not think silently. He yells ideas to himself over and over, preparing new material. “Just a big black guy talking to himself,”
Fields said, laughing. “I’ve never been stopped by the cops, which is a good one on them. I’ve had a lot of people cross the street and I’m like ‘good call, that’s a solid call.’” When Fields isn’t doing standup or roaming the streets, he is a media arts senior at UNT. He’s hosted and written for several North Texas Television shows, such as Late Night North Texas and Radical Report. His comedy career, however, began long before he arrived at UNT. “The first time I really did stand up was in the fourth grade,” Fields said. “I had a bright green suit jacket and I told clean Christian jokes in this clean Christian talent show and it killed. That’s where it all started.” Field’s brother Levi Fields has never stopped laughing around his brother. “Growing up, Nick had always been the
SEE COMEDIAN ON PAGE 4
Media Arts senior Nick Field discusses stand up comedy on the Square. Fields has been doing improv comedy for two years. Kesley Shoemaker | Staff Photographer
Gas pumps at the QuikTrip located the corner of Eagle Drive and U.S. 377. Multiple refineries located in and around Houston have been shut down due to Hurricane Harvey. Colin Mitchell | Visuals Editor
As textbook prices continue to rise, students seek cheaper options By Bianca Mujica Staff Writer Across the nation, many college students are struggling to pay for their degree as the cost of higher education rises. Over half of all college students attending four-year institutions in Texas had $27,324 in debt, according to The Institute for College Access & Success. Since most schools do not include books in tuition, students often put required course materials on the list of things they cannot afford. “Textbooks are so expensive because professors assign specific editions and just five publishers have a lock on the market,” said Ethan Senack, a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. for affordable higher education. “That means [publishers] are able to drive up prices without fear of market competitors.” The National Association of College Stores (NACS) says students spend an average of $655 on books each year, but this data comes from bookstores on university campuses and may not be reliable. College Board’s estimate is twice that much, putting textbook costs for the average U.S. college student in a public university at $1,200 a year. That number gets higher for students at private and for-profit schools. While overall tuition and fees in U.S. schools have risen 559 percent in the last 30 years, textbook prices have increased over 800 percent in that same time frame, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For a student at UNT, this means $1,000 goes to books in addition to the nearly $24,000 cost already paid to be a full-time student for one academic year. Compared to textbook prices at other state universities, UNT lands in the middle. At Texas Woman’s University, books are an average of $50 more, but tuition is still around $3,000 less. Students at UT-Austin spend about $662 on books per year even though tuition there is a few thousand dollars more than UNT. And at UT-El Paso, where tuition is about the same as UT-Austin, a student pays nearly $2,000 a year for books. While most people shake their fists at publishers for setting prices so high, companies producing the books say it’s not
SEE TEXTBOOK ON PAGE 3
IN THIS ISSUE NEWS
ARTS & LIFE
OPINION
Ongoing campus construction may obstruct vehicle and foot traffic pg 2 Campus construction is in full swing - From I-35 to Hickory Street, we have the breakdown of road closures to expect in the near future.
Urban grocery store defies the shopping status quos pg 5 Blue Bag Groceries, Denton’s newest grocery store, provides both unique food options and well-known brands right off the Square.
Texans set an example for all Americans in wake of Hurricane Harvey pg 8 The editorial board discusses how Texas’ incredible, sympathetic response to Hurricane Harvey is a lesson for all Americans in a time of turmoil.
NEWS Page 2
North Texas Daily Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Reece Waddell @ReeceWaddell15 ReeceWaddell@my.unt.edu News Editor James Norman @JamesTNorman_WL jamesnorman@my.unt.edu Arts & Life Editor Abby Jones @abbyfjones28 abigailjones3@my.unt.edu Sports Editor Brady Keane @BradyKeane bradykeane@my.unt.edu Visuals Editor Colin Mitchell @CJHMitchell cjm0335@myunt.edu Opinion Editor Clay Massey @Clay_FC ClayMassey@my.unt.edu
Production Team Design Editor Julia Contarelli @ContarelliJ juliapaschoal@my.unt.edu Copy Chief Kayleigh Bywater @kayleighnic0le kayleighbywater@my.unt.edu Designer/Copy Editor Circe Marez @CirceMarez circemarez@my.unt.edu Designer/Copy Editor Kayla Davis @kaylajeann19 KaylaDavis@my.unt.edu Designer/Copy Editor Kelly Fox @kellythefox1 KellyFox2@my.unt.edu Social Media Manager Alec Spicer @Spicer_Alec AlecSpicer@my.unt.edu Illustrator Theresa Sanchez @Theresas_here TheresaSanchez@my.unt.edu
Business Director Adam Reese 940-565-4265 adam.reese@unt.edu
Faculty Adviser Gary Ghioto 940-891-6722 gary.ghioto@unt.edu
To pitch a story, or contact the Editor-in-Chief, please email northtexasdaily@gmail.com
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017
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Students at UNT affected by Hurricane Harvey By James Norman and Julia Falcon Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 storm last Friday night, pounding the Texas coast with winds gusting as high as 130 mph. Now six days later, cities such as Houston and Beaumont have experienced record flooding, with some areas receiving up to 50 inches of rain, according to The Weather Channel. As a result, roughly 4,000 UNT students have been impacted by Hurricane Harvey, according to the university. Several of those students are still stuck in the storm and unable to travel to Denton, while some have family and loved ones in the middle of the flooding. Madison Berry, a history and print journalism sophomore, currently has family living with her in Denton. Originally from Kingwood, a suburb northeast of Houston, the first floor of Berry’s family’s two-story townhouse was completely flooded. Although they evacuated, her family became stranded in Spring, Texas for a few days. “They got on a pay road and tried to exit to get on I-45, but the exit was closed,” Berry said. “They turned around to go back home, but people had closed the exit behind them. Luckily my mom has a friend who lives out there.” Daphne Carter, a print and digital media senior and another student impacted, said both her parents are OK, but her grandparents’ house was severely flooded. “They basically lost everything,” Carter said. “And neither of my grandparents work, so it’s going to be
really tough to rebuild a situation they can’t afford.” Carter’s stepmother also lost a friend in the flood. With her car about to go under, she got out to seek shelter, but couldn’t swim. According to several outlets, the current death toll stands at 31 as of Wednesday night. In an effort to accommodate students affected by Hurricane Harvey, UNT faculty and student organizations are coming together to help those in need. The fall registration period has been extended until Sept. 5, and new payment deadlines are Sept 6. to be flexible with students who were affected by the disaster, UNT spokesperson Julie Payne said. “There are students here who are distracted because they have family that was affected,” Payne said. “Some students are still there.” The university is working to get transfers in from other universities that were damaged by the hurricane so they can continue their education. In a press release last Sunday, UNT announced it would be assisting students who were affected by waiving application fees and immediately enrolling students for fall 2017 courses. “UNT is already working with students to provide them with an educational home if they were displaced by the storm,” the release stated. According to Payne, UNT has admitted 15 students through the process with two already moved into housing. In addition, the Dean of Students has helped about 60 current students with advocacy, food pantry
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and other resources. Student organizations on campus are accepting donations for charities and UNT is opening its doors to those in need. “With more rain predicted in the Houston area this week, UNT is equipped and prepared to open an emergency shelter for evacuees, if and when we are asked,” UNT President Neal Smatresk stated in a release on Tuesday. “Our university is a community of great compassion and we will support the impacted individuals in every way we can.” Vice President of Enrollment, Shannon Goodman said in a release the university will continue to work one-on-one with students to address their evolving needs. Michael Carroll, the director of the economics research group at UNT, said a disaster like this one can lead to people losing jobs due to the damage. “There may be an increase in people enrolling in technical colleges because their other businesses were damaged,” Carroll said. “Those people may think they want to go back to school.” Amir Gooden, a digital and print journalism senior, said while his home hasn’t been impacted beyond the loss of power and roof damage, the burden of finances is a concern as neither of his parents can work. “[My mom] works in Galveston, so right now she’s kind of just off,” Gooden said. “You don’t know when your job is going to start back up. She works in a hospital as a volunteer coordinator, so even if she goes back to work, there may not be any volunteers. So it all
@JamesTNorman_WL @falconjulia22
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My uncle had to go back to take care of his store and was trapped in Houston for a few days due to the flooding on the highways. But thankfully last night he was able to get back to safety. -Aasma Aziz
kind of complicates her job.” Impacted students have said their professors have been understanding and compassionate with the situation. Berry said her professors were willing to let her go down to Kingwood and take care of anything she needed when the area was accessible again. As far as Houston, many of the students believe the city is handling a bad situation in the best way possible. Even though Carter is nervous to return home in the next couple of weeks, she thinks the city’s decision to not order an evacuation was the right one. “If you’ve ever been on Houston roads and in Houston traffic, it is more dangerous to sit in that traffic,” Carter said. “I evacuated for Rita and it took us eight hours just to get to Austin.” Some estimations show the evacuation of Hurricane Rita killed upwards to 70 people, while others have the death toll at over 100. Public health sophomore Aasma Aziz said the disaster takes her back to Hurricane Katrina, but thinks the help that has come through for the storm has been great. “It’s nice to see a lot of people who have been given a platform using it to donate and send supplies,” Aziz said. Counseling services on campus are also available for students to reach out to if they need it. If you were impacted by Hurricane Harvey, you can call 940-565-2681, or email undergrad@unt.edu to begin enrolling.
I don’t know what I’m going home to and if I’ll be able to go home because the roads are so damaged. There is actually a road to get into Houston that collapsed. -Daphne Carter
My family lived by the worst area of the flooding and we’re pseudo-homeless now. It’s been hard to paste together how everything happened. Our entire first floor is under water.” -Madison Berry
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My aunt’s house had water up to almost the second floor. My cousin just had a newborn baby, so all the baby’s clothes, all the toys, everything is kind of destroyed now.” -Amir Gooden
UNT alumna starts new position as provost, VP of Academic Affairs PROVOST CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Evans-Cowley said. “It’s moving ahead in the right direction. It’s all a work in progress.” Crowley will be outlining her goals in further detail this Thursday from 3-5 p.m. in Union 314. One thing Evans-Cowley is trying to do is familiarize herself with the university setting in order to appropriately learn exactly what UNT needs. “Right now I am learning the UNT context and how things work around
here,” Evans-Cowley said. “While I learn the ropes, I’m listening to other staff members. A lot of members here have good ideas and I have ideas too, but I want to be able to tailor my ideas specifically for the UNT community.” Bob Brown, vice president for finance and administration, is working closely with Evans-Cowley to review the UNT capital improvement program. He said she is a kindred spirit and a comfortable fit for the UNT environment and culture. “I think it’s been going wonderfully
well,” Brown said. “She has a strong background in capital planning and management. She understands how to set goals and make plans.” Barbara Bush, the faculty senate chair who served on the search committee for the new provost, said the search committee looked for applicants with certain characteristics. Ones that Evans-Cowley fulfilled. “[We look for] a person who has an understanding of how institutions work,” Bush said. “Someone who
appreciates the role that faculty have in campus governance. And as someone who represents faculty, I think that’s extremely important. I believe she shares those qualities.” While she knows she has much work ahead of her, Evans-Cowley said she is pleased to be back at her alma mater. “Once I saw this position was open, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up,” Evans-Cowley said.
@celllyg
Denton activist Willie Hudspeth announces plan to run for county judge Julia Falcon Senior News Writer At a Denton County Commissioner Courts meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 15, Denton County NAACP president and active member of the community Willie Hudspeth announced that he intends to run for county judge position in 2018. The position is currently held by Mary Horn. She was appointed in June 2002 to finish Scott Armey’s term and began her first full term in 2003. The county judge seat does not have a limit to the number of terms one can serve, and Horn is currently in her fourth term. One of the reasons Hudspeth wants to run for county judge is to get his voice heard by everyone. “My platform is coming together,” Hudspeth said. “The whole county, the whole city, coming together.” Horn has yet to announce if she will be re-running for a fifth term but said it has been an honor presiding over the Denton County commissioners court.
“I am very appreciative of all the people who allowed me to be county judge all these years,” Horn said. “It’s a big job, one that I’ve enjoyed. Certainly, one that I am appreciative of. I would like to think we have accomplished a lot of great things for Denton County.” The official filing period to run for county judge is Nov. 11, and elections are set to be held on March 6, 2018. Born and raised in the Denton, Hudspeth has been an activist in the community for many years. From being present at city council meetings, where his son Gerard is the city council member representing District 1, to school board meetings and various events around the city. “I’m not worried if I get elected into office or not,” Hudspeth said. “That’s out of my hands. But I figured if by running, the message would get out. The main message is that we need to come together.”
Hudspeth said he will plan to run as an independent candidate because he doesn’t particularly believe in one side. “When you run for these positions, it can be divided by a party or precinct or platform,” Hudspeth said. “I can’t live up to either [parties’] major objectives. I agree with some of both parties [ideas]. I just want to support what I think is good for Denton County. And I am going independent for that reason.” For the past 18 years and counting, Hudspeth has shown up to each of the county commissioner meetings that are regularly held on Tuesday evenings. Not only will he continue to attend Denton City Council and school board meetings, but Hudspeth said he would start attending these meetings in other cities throughout Denton County. Being present in other cities meetings is on the top of his list of priorities if he is elected. Hudspeth said that listening is another one of his priorities and is
imperative with communication. “I know how things are ran, but don’t have specifics of what they [cover],” Hudspeth said. “Governing, that is where you say or do something to move [a goal] forward. I am the kind of person to go and get involved at meetings. Talk to people, go out and talk to and listen to them.” As for people who won’t listen or agree with him, Hudspeth said he will take it all with a grain of salt. “This is [how I see] my position,” Hudspeth said. “This is what I think would be better to the county. Then I listen to them. I lay it out to them. I listen to what they say in response. I do the work that is necessary to get the information I can. That’s how I would govern.”
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CONSTRUCTION AROUND CAMPUS NORTH TEXAS BOULEVARD/ I-35 Ongoing construction on North Texas Boulevard and the north intersection of Interstate Highway 35 will not end until Fall 2017 due to the realignment of nearby roads and the North Texas Boulevard bridge. Nearby pathways will be closed or obstructed during that time. Foot traffic will be blocked on the south frontage road on I-35 from Bonnie Brae Street to McCormick Street which will end sometime during this fall.
COLLEGE OF VISUAL ARTS & DESIGN BUILDING
Parking lot 50, on the corner of Union Circle and Welch Street, and nearby sidewalks will be vacated until October 2018. Sidewalks along the west end of the CVAD building will be obstructed until January 2018 because of infrastructure improvements for the new building which broke ground this past January.
HICKORY STREET Set to end early 2019, the 3.1 miles stretch of Hickory Street, starting at Bonnie Brae Street extending to Carroll Boulevard will be filled with construction. The walkways and some of the roadways will be affected by the continuation of water service and sanitary sewage upgrades by the City of Denton.
KERR HALL Construction will start in October for the new residence hall directly behind Kerr Hall, located at the northwest corner of Eagle Drive and Avenue A. This will not be finished until early 2019. There is currently fencing surrounding the lot limiting public access to the site.
NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 3
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017
UNT switching from Blackboard to Canvas by September 2019 By Sarah Sarder Senior News Writer UNT announced on Aug. 22 it would be switching Learning Management Systems (LMS) from Blackboard to Canvas. The university plans to make the full transition to Canvas by Spring 2019. UNT has signed a five-year contract with Canvas beginning Sept. 1, 2017. The UNT Center for Learning Enhancement, Assessment, and Redesign (CLEAR) decided to review potential options for new LMSs after its current LMS, Blackboard, announced the introduction of their new cloud-based product, Blackboard Learn Ultra. The university has been using Blackboard and previous iterations of the product through various transitions since 1998. UNT set out to find other cloud-hosted systems and discovered Canvas, an LMS which has been leading national adoptions in recent years. While the university planned to pilot both Blackboard Learn Ultra and Canvas with faculty and students during Spring 2017, Blackboard was not ready in time, so only Canvas was piloted. CLEAR Dirrector Patrick Pluscht said the response was overwhelmingly positive. “The type of feedback we’ve gotten from faculty was that virtually every process required fewer clicks,” Pluscht said. “That’s important. You shouldn’t have to spend all your time trying to figure out what buttons to push.” Once it was clear students and
faculty preferred Canvas, the decision went through various stages of approval before being recommended to President Smatresk by the Information Technology Planning and Prioritization (ITPP) committee, who approved it. Of the 11 courses piloted in the spring, four are offered in the fall. Those four are PSCI 2316, CJUS 5700, AEAH 4614 and INFO 5713. All four chose to continue their courses in Canvas. These are currently the only courses which are being offered through Canvas. The university’s contract with Blackboard is set to end on Aug. 31, 2020. Pluscht said the first year of using both LMSs will cost less than previously using only Blackboard due to discounts, and that the cost of Canvas will eventually be about equal to what Blackboard had cost. In Canvas, students will be able to access a “what-if” feature that allows them to input scores for assignments and see what their course grade would be with that score. Because it is cloud-hosted, Canvas does not have regular website maintenance downtimes, allowing students to use the website whenever they need. Like Blackboard, Canvas also has a mobile app. “Blackboard always seems to have technical difficulties,” fashion design sophomore Kiara Brown said. “The worst thing is trying to be productive and you can’t. I’m excited for this new system.” One of the advantages of Canvas, as identified by Pluscht, is that many schools and colleges which feed into UNT use Canvas, so those students
come in with experience with the system. Freshman business major Tariq Gay has experience with both Canvas and Blackboard, having used Canvas for high school and Blackboard for dual enrollment courses at Tarrant County College. Gay said he had a hard time using the Canvas app and that the layout of the Blackboard website is cleaner. “I personally don’t like Canvas,” Gay said. “Blackboard is more suitable for a college environment.” Faculty will have access to a variety of new features in Canvas which UNT says will allow for a more efficient experience. Notable features for faculty include a “speedgrader,” which Canvas said would allow faculty to grade faster, a calendar with which students can schedule appointments with professors and full integration with Turnitin assignments. Bethany Blackstone, associate professor of political science, was one of the faculty members who piloted Canvas in spring 2017. She said the experience was “very positive,” and even requested an extension on the pilot in order to use Canvas in her summer course, which she received. “I found the interface well-designed and intuitive,” Blackstone said. “I’ve used Blackboard for years now and while it’s generally met my needs, I find it difficult to navigate and clunky. I think students will find it easy to use.” Blackstone said students in her spring and summer courses had an overwhelmingly positive response to using Canvas. Some of Blackstone’s
favorite features in Canvas were the built-in calendar, easy-to-organize modules and Turnitin integration. Due to the size of the UNT student body, the switch to Canvas will have to take place over multiple semesters. UNT is planning on moving the approximately 2,500 courses needing to be switched over from Blackboard to Canvas in thirds and hopes to have all courses in Canvas by spring 2019. One of the primary student concerns from those who were a part of the pilot group was that using both Blackboard and Canvas was inconvenient. Pluscht called this the biggest downside of the switch since such a situation will be unavoidable for many students from spring through fall of 2018 while the switch is occurring. “To try to ameliorate that as best as possible, we want to try to target selfcontained programs where they’re unlikely to be taking courses in other academic departments,” Pluscht said. CLEAR is also taking requests from faculty who would like their courses to be switched to Canvas earlier, and prioritizing those classes to be switched over by next semester. There is no definite cap on requests as of now. Pluscht said the number of requests from faculty immediately following the President’s announcement regarding Canvas was encouraging. “Rarely have we seen faculty clamor for something and run towards it,” Pluscht said. “Usually we have to push them to pursue change. But they seem to be welcoming of Canvas.”
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Study shows some first year students do not buy required textbooks TEXTBOOKS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 that simple. According to National Association of College Stores, the publisher usually gets a 77 percent profit while 22 percent goes to the bookstore, and the remaining 1 percent is used for shipping. The author is generally paid 12 percent of the total cost. One Priceonomics article written by a former employee of an unnamed textbook manufacturer breaks down the price for an algebra book at his previous job: One unit of Introductory Algebra, 4th Edition (Tussy, Gustafson, Koenig) sells for $195.49 directly from the publisher and for a wholesale price of $181.50 to bookstores. For a single copy, printing costs $10.75, author royalties cost $25, editorializing costs $58, marketing costs $27, shipping costs $1.80 and general company overhead costs $18. In the end, the company makes a 22 percent profit with $40.95, not including taxes and other costs. People inside these companies further argue that effort is the main justification for the high costs. Bruce Hildebrand, executive director of higher education as
the Association of American Publishers, said the work put in by textbook companies is often underestimated. “Developing and producing textbooks take an average of three to five years, and some science books take over a decade,” Hildebrand said. “You’re paying for a labor intensive process.” He said the circulation of used textbooks creates a financial burden for publishing companies, who continuously release new editions out of a necessity to keep the company afloat. Opponents argue the textbook industry is more of a monopoly. Five companies (McGraw Hill, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Pearson, Thomas Gale, Wiley) own 80 percent of the market as of 2013, according to the Iowa Policy Research Organization. These companies maintain control through contracts that strictly regulate distribution, add webaccess codes or other extras, frequently publish new editions with the same information and sue smaller textbook startups over minor copyright claims. As publishers face new competitors like Amazon,
they have opened their products to be more versatile. Some companies now offer e-book versions of their materials at equal or lower prices. However, people like Senack are not impressed. “Even as they move into e-textbooks, publishers incorporate paywalls, expiration dates and printing restrictions that further continue the practices they’ve used to control the market,” Senack said. The solution one in four first-year students choose is to not purchase textbooks at all, according to a study by the National Survey of Student Engagement. In doing so, they knowingly accept the risk of a lower or failing grade. This means the price of any given textbook can affect students’ academics as a whole. Despite the textbook marketplace often being described as “broken,” consumers are not powerless. Websites like Bookrenter and Chegg have thousands of books available to buy or rent at lower prices. Some bookstores have payment plans, and most buy back used books in good condition. UNT Barnes & Noble, Voertman’s and the Campus Bookstore all buy back
used books, as well as price match each other and Amazon. A new approach is the use of open license books, which are available as free online downloads or can be purchased in hardcover for around $20 per book. Another option is Amazon Student, which offers a free six-month trial of Amazon Prime for college students. It includes full benefits and 50 percent off subscription fees once the trial expires. For a completely free solution, the UNT library system has hard copies of textbooks for many classes available to be checked out with a student ID. However, financial limits mean not every book for every course can be found and time restrictions vary. “For general information books that update often, there’s no budget to purchase those items regularly so we count of professors to provide those,” UNT reserves manager Darin Castillo said. “But for subjects like history and literature, textbook requirements don’t change often so we usually have those.”
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Andrew Morris to run against incumbent Lynn Stucky for District 64 election By Devin Rardin Staff Writer
Democrat Andrew Morris will be running against Republican incumbent Lynn Stucky for the District 64 seat in the Texas House of Representatives. Morris moved to the United States from Australia in 2008 and became a U.S. citizen two years ago. When he filled out the November general election ballot, he was disappointed to see many of the races
Andrew Morris gained his American citizenship in 2015 and has been in Denton since 2008. Morris is running on his tagline “Pathways and Partnerships.” Cameron Roe | Staff Photographer
lacked a Democratic option. “I realized I was actually in a pretty good position to provide that option and choice for everyone else,” Morris said. Before committing to Texas 64, he worked with the Wendy Davis’ campaign in 2014, co-founded the Denton for Bernie Sanders Facebook group in 2015 and worked as the campaign manager for Linsey Fagan, a congressional District 26 candidate. One of the primary issues Morris will be focusing on is the education system. Morris said the optimal student-to-teacher ratio is one teacher for 20 to 27 students. Right now most classrooms are seeing a ratio of about one teacher for 35 students, Morris said. “There are huge issues with the way things are financed and part of that means training and retraining good teachers and making sure the student to teacher ratio starts coming down,” Morris said. Along with lowering the student-to-teacher ratio, Morris wants to tackle payment for teachers. “It doesn’t make sense to me that you can have someone get a medical degree, or a law degree or an education degree, and that person as an educator ends up being paid far less than their equivalent peers in
the medical field or the law field,” Morris said. Lastly, Morris plans to build vocational training programs and help students explore their different pathways after high school. “[I want] the next generation to know that college isn’t the only pathway available to them,” Morris said. Morris said he is disappointed with Stucky because he has not been a moderating voice and his handling of the bathroom bill didn’t represent the people of District 64. Stucky is from Kansas and has practiced veterinary medicine since 1983. He is the former executive director for the Sanger Chamber of Commerce and served as the president for the Denton County Medical Association for six years. He was also a school board member of Sanger ISD for 15 years. Stucky believes his history as the District 64 representative proves he is the best candidate and doesn’t believe anyone should be running against him. “I’m not being arrogant about it,” Stucky said. “I just think I am because of my history and what I’ve been able to accomplish in my first session.” Stucky believes immersion in the community is an important part of his job and looks to face the issues of
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health care, education, transportation and protection. “I never go in with an agenda,” Stucky said. “I try to go in with an open mind and the ability to listen to the people I represent and hopefully make the right decision that’s in the best interest of the majority.” The incumbent candidate said he has never met or spoken to Morris but is looking forward to meeting him. Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, professor and chair of political science at UNT, thinks Morris will have a tough time winning the election as the district leans more conservative. “The people who tend to vote in these elections tend to support incumbents,” Eshbaugh-Soha said. “The only way is if something catastrophic happens.” Morris says he is the best choice for Texas 64 because he is willing to listen, learn and work together with his colleagues. “It’s not me vs. Dr. Stucky,” Morris said. “It’s not Democrats vs. Republicans. It’s not liberals vs. conservatives or libertarians vs. greens. It should be us as a collective vs the problems that we face.”
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ARTS & LIFE THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017
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NTDAILY.COM
Blind artist’s paintings soar to new heights, featured on festival plane By Amy Roh Senior Arts & Life Writer Denton artist John Bramblitt touches the paint before his brush touches the canvas. Through this process, he creates detailed art that bursts with color, emotion and complexity. It’s why viewers are always shocked when they realize that he is, in fact, blind. Originally from El Paso, Texas and an UNT alumnus, Bramblitt has been painting for years after he lost his sight due to complications with his epilepsy. Bramblitt was diagnosed with epilepsy at 2 years old and later on contracted Lyme’s disease in his teens. His epilepsy and the disease, combined with their respective treatments, caused him to experience seizures that became increasingly severe and life threatening. His breathing would stop and so would his heart. The constant lack of oxygen caused permanent damage to his optic nerve and occipital lobe, which processes visual information. And by his next fall semester at UNT, Bramblitt was legally blind. “I felt alone and very isolated, even though I had a great support group around me,” Bramblitt said. “I was epileptic, and then now blind as well. I just didn’t see a way for me to move forward in any meaningful way.” With the aid of the Office of Disabilities, Bramblitt learned how to travel independently with a cane and use his hands as a new set of eyes. “Once I could travel again on my own it occurred to me that I might be able to navigate my way across a canvas using the same techniques—using touch to find my way,” Bramblitt said. “Art came back into my life in a big way.” After gaining more confidence, Bramblitt consumed himself with art. He painted 14 or more hours a day, sharpening his ability to feel colors and textures. He started drawing lines that could be felt and brailled his paints. “I can mix white so that it is thick like toothpaste and black so that it is runny like oil,” Bramblitt said. “The two colors feel very different, and if I want a grey that is halfway between the two I can just mix them together
until the texture is midway. When that happens, I know the color is too. It gives me a way of controlling color through touch alone.” The idea of actually selling his art was the furthest thing from his mind. But by time he graduated, he had had nearly 80 shows and his work shown in over 20 countries. Instead of sputtering to a stop, Bramblitt was gaining traction. “I was having the time of my life, but I expected it to end at any time, and then I would go back to school and go back to my real life,” Bramblitt said. “Instead of that happening, I just got busier and busier until one day it finally occurred to me that maybe I could keep doing what I loved every day as a career.” But after pursuing his art, he’s garnered widespread recognition that’s earned him three Presidential service awards, workshops with The Metropolitan and the Guggenheim and the Most Inspirational Video of 2008 on YouTube. Recently, he’s added another accomplishment to the list. Bramblitt’s new artwork was chosen to be displayed on an airplane hosted by Rock in Rio, Brazil’s renowned music festival and one of the largest in the world. With crowds that boast millions,
Josh Bramblitt, a local blind artist and former UNT student, surrounded by a few of his most iconic pieces. Courtesy|Facebook Overview of an aircraft displaying the original artwork of local blind-artist, Josh Bramblitt. Courtesy | Michael Teo Sin Rock in Rio has hosted artists like Queen, Rihanna, Guns N’ Roses and Shakira. “As an artist you dream your art and hope it takes flight, but in this case it happened literally,” Bramblitt said. “We did a lot of photo ops with people after the plane landed, and it was great to be there to experience the joy everyone felt in actually flying in a piece of artwork.” The plane was used to promote the event through a partnership including Gol Airlines, Delta, Air France and Spotify. A vibrant crowd below cheers across the plane while a rock star in a jet blue jacket grinds on his guitar across the plane’s rudder. “As a person with disabilities, I’m humbled that this gives me a stage to be able to tell people that are facing struggles in their lives that they aren’t alone,” Bramblitt said. “That
you are part of a bigger community, and that there are people out there that care.” It can be surprising to any firsttimers that it was painted by an artist who is blind. “[Within] the first hours, we realized that he is a super-man because he may be blind, but he sees everything,” said Michel Téo Sin, a Rock in Rio photographer. “He has a normal life and even in some moments he has more perception about the space he is than us. It’s really extraordinary and amazing to see him painting.” Bramblitt has commissioned
countless works, but the plane is Bramblitt’s biggest display yet. “It’s just awesome to see his work on that scale because the colors really pop,” Bramblitt’s wife Jacqi Serie said. “It’s the biggest representation that he’s ever had of his artwork so far.” As years passed, even Bramblitt’s health began to improve as he got his epilepsy under control. And now, Bramblitt said he’s made it a point to include charities or a positive message in tandem with his work. “A project like this plane and working with Delta, Air France, KLM, GOL Airlines and Rock in Rio
excites me because I know that it is going to lead to a lot more work with some incredible charities; which means that I am going to be very happy,” Bramblitt said. Despite his long journey to this point, Bramblitt says there is much more to come. “It has been an incredible journey that has taken me completely by surprise, but I have to say that everything is just getting started,” Bramblitt said.
@rohmyboat
Comedian writes and rehearses in Denton streets COMEDIAN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 comedian,” Levi said. “He has a way of making any scenario a hilarious joke, making the worst of the worst seem laughable.” Fields performed intermittently for years, but he decided to become serious about his dream around two years ago when he signed up for a set at the White House, which is now Killer’s Tacos. He continued to perform on a weekly basis and began to develop a routine. “My sets are usually about 80
percent rehearsed and 20 percent improvised if I just want to get in and out,” Fields said. “Like if this morning someone farted in my mouth and traffic was bad and it’s a bad day, you know. But when I really feel it, like I really feel like slam dunking it, I will do 100 percent improv. I’ll just go for it and those are the sets that I love the most.” Fields describes himself as a very political person, a description that becomes apparent in the work that he’s done for shows such as Radical Report, but he doesn’t like to do political standup.
“I don’t like to do politics in my comedy because it’s no fun for me,” Fields said. “I pick things that I think are fun. I do stuff about cell phones and sexting because it’s about my life, you know. I think that’s pretty millennial. I mean that’s all life is, cell phones and sexting.” Much like his jokes, Field’s lifestyle is all fun to the people he surrounds himself with. “Everything from Nick’s resiliently positive attitude to his silly, bright wardrobe is a reminder to have fun,” said Monna, a local standup comedian who often
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performs with Fields. “I think that ultimately, as comedians, we want our audience to have fun. He takes a lot of the pressure away from performing.” While Fields is known for his positive and low-pressure attitude, he still gets nervous performing, but not in the stereotypical fashion. “I get nervous, but I get more nervous when I get off stage,” Fields said. “If I have a good set I have to leave the venue for a couple of minutes to cool down. I’d love to get off and slap five with everybody, but I basically get off and make a
beeline for the exit and calm down for a little bit. It’s so weird, I would rather someone roast my whole being than someone to give me a hardcore compliment.” While Fields may dislike the praise he receives from shows, he loves a different kind of attention that many comedians would hate. “I don’t know if I want this to get out but I adore hecklers, I love it so much,” Fields said. “I like doing improv when I’m up there, so whenever someone heckles, that’s like an opportunity. I’m not mean to them, that’s my big rule. I will not be
mean to them. I will make you my friend or make you embarrassed, but I will not be mean to you.” Fields can be seen (and heckled) in an upcoming live show featuring all black performers at the Dallas Comedy House in December and at local shows around the Denton area. “I don’t really get heckled and I had a friend who told me, ‘Yeah, when you’re heckled your face lights up,’” Fields said. “I just love that kind of stuff. Do it, but don’t really do it — please don’t hurt my friends.”
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017
Students utilize their house as iconic live music venue for local bands
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By Anna Orr Staff Writer
n select weekends, the lights of the Jagoe House burn bright. A mass of people stand beneath the various twinkling lights, chatting with their friends and allowing themselves to listen to the music roaring from inside. On other weekend nights, it is the place to be. Music floods the street until early morning when the crowds go home. By day, however, the Jagoe House is just like every other house in Denton. What’s unique about Jagoe House is that the residents have made it priority to turn their home into a well-functioning, small-scale concert venue, and a recording studio in the future. Media arts junior Ryan Gordon is one of four people currently living in Jagoe. Gordon has lived at the Jagoe House since August 2016 and has since taken over the responsibilities that come with living in a house venue. “I fully knew what I was getting myself into,” Gordon said.
Gordon and his roommates have done their best to make sure that the Jagoe House has a presence on every form of social media. Jagoe can be found on Instagram under the username jagoehouse, captioned as a performance and event venue. Its feed consists of short videos and photos of performances, band promotions and announcements for upcoming events. “We all have our hands dipped into the social media,” Gordon said. “Everyone who lives here gets a chance to run the Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram.” There is an email linked to the account for bands to reach out to Gordon and his other housemates if they are interested in preforming at Jagoe. People can also reach out over Facebook. The bands can perform without any fees involved, as Gordon sees this as an opportunity for them to have publicity without a cost. “The bands are picked to play if they’re ready to put on a good show and have their songs down,” Gordon said. “They have to have fun with it.”
Strings of lights, an aspect the Jagoe House is well known for, hang over the usually crowded backyard. Jagoe is a performance and event venue in Denton that hosts various bands and parties throughout the year. Cameron Roe | Staff Photographer
The housemates have received submissions ranging from local bands in Denton to bands in Nottingham, England. Even before they move in, the Jagoe residents must know what being responsible for a concert house requires. Jagoe House residents come and go. Occasionally, a resident decides it’s time to move on and a vacancy is available for one of the four rooms. English junior Cole Helms is the newest member of the Jagoe House. Helms moved in several weeks ago and has made it his priority to clean up the house. “I just moved in, and it wasn’t very clean,” Helms said. “There’s a broom closet with a lot of memorabilia of past concerts and lost items, we had to clear that out.” Helms and Gordon were fans of Jagoe years before they were residents. “We’ve been coming here for a couple years before living here,” Helms said. “The Boombachs were one of the first bands I saw play here.” Gordon, Helms and the other residents of Jagoe are now responsible for making sure the concert runs smoothly. Gordon said what sets them apart from other concert venues is they have a lot of man power and work as a team to make sure everything runs smoothly. During Jagoe concerts, timing is crucial. The front door of the house is specifically used as an enter and exit for the bands and their instruments. Their goal is simple — to set up and break down the equipment in-between sets as quickly as possible and to arrange effortless transitions from band to band. These smooth transitions would not happen without the housemates working together. The house members of Jagoe work in teams to monitor different points of interaction during the shows. They take turns working the front desk, taking donations and monitoring all the doors. “When you have a place like this and people you’ve never met come here sometimes in the hundreds, then you have to make sure everything is running smoothly,” Gordon said. “We do our best to make sure everyone is having a good time and is being safe. If there are problems, we will have to deal with them.” Giving back to the bands is important. Band Together Denton was a three-day long event at Jagoe where all donations were given to the bands and the Denton community. Meach Pango is one of the local bands performing
“I was mesmerized by how intimate it was.
at Jagoe House’s back to school show on Sept. 1. It is the group’s first time preforming there, and they have high hopes for the outcome of it. Meach Pango’s lead singer Alex Mackenzie said the band sees this opportunity as a way to get a big break in the Denton community. “It was actually the first house show I went to when I moved out here a year ago,” Mackenzie said. “When I went, that was my first real experience of a house show. I was mesmerized by how intimate it was.” The intimate setting of Jagoe is what their band was searching for. They believed the closer proximity would allow them to reach out to potential fans and gain a larger following. Mackenzie and the bands are appreciative of the opportunity Jagoe has presented them and hope it will help sell their upcoming album, called “Fresh Fruit,” that will be released on Sept. 8. The Jagoe House not only utilizes its house for the bands, but it also allows local vendors of Denton to gain business during their shows. Vendors often reach out to Gordon and the other members of Jagoe House and simply ask permission to set up their booths during concerts. Vendors look to sell their jewelry, music, clothing and art. “I like when the local vendors come because it really gives a sense of community,” Gordon said. While working with the community is important to the house, music has always been the priority. Helms and Gordon are looking to possibly turn the Jagoe House into a recording studio. Gordon said they are currently “trying to get some studio concepts going on.” “Bands can practice and record, we would love to contact a sound engineer who has all the mixing craft to supply a live show or a live concert,” Gordon said. While these concepts are still in the distant future, Gordon and his housemates are looking to have them become a reality. In addition to Meach Pango, the Jagoe House’s back to school show will include local bands Sad Cops, OG Garden and Body English.
@anna_orr2
New urban grocery store defies the shopping status quo By Kayla Henson Staff Writer Meandering through aisles of flashy deals competing against each other and large shopping carts twisting through the narrow walkways, grocery shopping can quickly turn into a stressful necessity of living. But at the Blue Bag Grocery, you’re greeted by a friendly face behind the counter playing upbeat music on his laptop, a concise collection of food and other products and a stress free shopping experience. Located on 503 S. Locust St., Blue Bag Grocery has become the downtown community’s one-stop shop for quick grocery runs at a convenient location—right in their backyard. UNT alumnus Jacob Moses, 25, opened the store earlier this month after noticing a deficit in “urban groceries” in Denton neighborhoods. “I believe people should do life, including grocery shopping, in the neighborhood in which they live,” Moses said. “Sure, there’s monetary benefits, save money on gas, car maintenance, but most important, there’s infinite social benefits.” The small store prides itself on stocking classic name brands along with lesser-known alternative vegan and vegetarian options. Moses said he listens intensely to customer requests and adds products to the store immediately to accommodate the locals. Though its space takes up a modest 630 square feet, the close quarters is very intentional to the store’s purpose. “Think about it, we usually buy the same 15 items any time we’re at the store, yet we’re in these overwhelming 50,000 square feet, minimum, spaces,” he said. “Forget that. Come buy cool stuff in an enjoyable environment, checkout quickly [and] then go home and enjoy your goodies.” Career Center employee Corey Davidson, 40, is one of the many local customers who enjoys the refreshingly brisk pace of shopping, even though it’s not his primary choice of grocery shops. “[It’s] not really a grocery store replacement as it is a great place to grab a few essentials and snacks without having to deal with a big store and busy parking lot,”
Davidson said. The store also offers a free candy bar with the purchase of tampons, aligning with Moses’ belief that tampons are a “medical necessity” which should not be taxed. “We’re doing what’s right—nothing praiseworthy,” Moses said. “Change doesn’t come from candy bars, it comes from legislation. However, in the meantime, we’re overjoyed to gift our female patrons with something sweet to eat.” To further serve the community, the store also encourages customers to purchase blue tote bags, automatically putting them in the Blue Bag program which donates 5 cents from every transaction to a neighborhood service of the customer’s choosing. The choices include Keep Denton Beautiful, Serve Denton, Our Daily Bread and the Denton Community Health Clinic. “Blue Bag Grocery serves and supports Denton on a neighborhood level,” Moses said. “Yes, that includes groceries, but it also includes supporting the most important elements of a neighborhood, [which are] the services that should serve and support everyone equally.” Moses’ friend Zachary C. Simpson, 24, was one of the construction workers who helped put the store together, and he is also a big fan of the store itself. “I absolutely love the store, [and] wish I could be more involved to be completely honest,” Simpson said. “I feel it is a great addition to the downtown area, especially with the lack of a convenient grocery store in close walking distance with all the apartments.” While both frequent and sporadic customers fluctuate in and out of the store, Moses believes that his grocery store is the solution that local neighborhoods have been looking for. “My heart is for downtown Denton and its residents,” Moses said. “And now, instead of driving to a supermarket because you’re craving Halo Top, then waiting in a 20-person self-checkout line with your one or two items, the goodies are now a brief walk, bike or car ride away.”
Top: Blue Bag Grocery is located at 503 S. Locust St. The grocery store opened for business on Aug. 7, 2017. One popular feature that spread around social media is that the store offers a free candy bar with the purchase of a box of tampons. Cameron Roe | Staff Photographer Bottom: Blue Bag Grocery is located at 503 S. Locust St. and offers a wide variety of items, from cereal to “cool new snacks,” owner Jacob Moses said. Moses has wanted to start his own grocery store since his time as a student at UNT. Cameron Roe | Staff Photographer
@kayla_hensonn
THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017
Denton Event Radar August 31, 2017
UPC Presends: Open Mic Night Where: UNT Union When: 7 p.m. Free
September 1, 2017 First Friday Where: Denton Square When: 5 p.m.- 9 p.m. Free
September 2, 2017
Denton Community Market Where: Denton County Historic Park 317 W Mulberry St. When: 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. Free
September 2, 2017
2 North Texas Daily
Houston Relief Fundraiser Where: 122 E McKinney St. When: 6 p.m. - 12:45 a.m. Donations welcome
September 3, 2017
East Side Four Year Anniversary Where: 117 E Oak St. When: 2:30 p.m. - 2 a.m. $10 for shirt and glass package
September 6, 2017 Happy Hour Yoga Where: 103 Industrial St. When: 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. Free
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SPORTS Page 6 UPCOMING GAMES Friday •Volleyball: vs. Bryant University (Boston College Tournament: Boston, MA) – 12 p.m. •Volleyball: vs. Princeton (Boston College Tournament: Boston, MA) – 4 p.m. Saturday •Football: vs. Lamar (Apogee Stadium) – 6 p.m. •Volleyball: @ Boston College (Boston College Tournament: Boston, MA) – 11 a.m. Sunday •Soccer: vs. Houston Baptist (Mean Green Soccer Complex) – 1 p.m.
MEAN GREEN QUICK HITS Mean Green open against Lamar The Mean Green football team will kick off year two of the Seth Littrell era against Lamar at 6 p.m. Saturday. After going 5-8 with a Heart of Dallas Bowl appearance last season, expectations are high for the team this season. Soccer game cancelled in wake of Hurricane Harvey The North Texas soccer game against Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi that was originally set to be played Friday has been canceled due to Hurricane Harvey. According to MeanGreenSports.com, the game will not be rescheduled this season. Chamberlain named Conference USA Player of the Week Senior Amanda Chamberlain was named C-USA Player of the Week after racking up a team-high 50 kills last weekend. She was named the North Texas Invitational MVP and led the Mean Green to a 2-1 record. True freshmen crack depth chart Jaelon Darden (WR), Manase Mose (OL), Cam Johnson (CB), and Makyle Sanders (S) should see significant playing time in the opener.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017
NTDAILY.COM
Hedlund leaves starting goalie job up for grabs By Luis Diosdado Staff Writer While the North Texas football team settled its two-man battle for the starting quarterback job by naming Mason Fine the full-time starter on Tuesday, it appears the Mean Green soccer team has no plans to follow suit by settling on a single starting goalkeeper moving forward. Last season, head coach John Hedlund rolled with Brooke Bradley in the early part of the season as the then-sophomore led the Mean Green to a 7-3-1 start. But when Bradley went down with an injury against Marshall, then-freshman Miranda Schoening took over and finished out the year with an 8-2 record. Hedlund opened 2017 with Schoening in goal but isn’t committing to using just one goalkeeper after a 2-2 start. “Miranda played well in the preseason,” Hedlund said. “She works extremely hard and has great hands to go along with her height advantage. But I just don’t see myself going with one keeper the entire season.” Hedlund said both Bradley and Schoening have proven they are capable of being the team’s starter but he is looking for more consistency from both players. The two will battle throughout the season for the starting spot, and Hedlund has no issues splitting time until one completely outplays the other. Schoening has started all four games so far this year, recording two shutouts in wins against Incarnate Word and Abilene Christian. She allowed a combined three goals in losses to Power Five programs in No. 17 Arkansas and Texas and has tallied a total of 17 saves. Bradley’s only live action at goalkeeper this year came late in the loss to Texas when she logged just over eight minutes in the net. She entered the game after Schoening had spilled a couple Texas shots back into the Mean Green box. Texas earned the winning goal off of a rebound. While it is a small sample size, Schoening has lowered her goal against average from 1.16 in 2016 to .77 this year. She credited a strong offseason for helping her feel more comfortable entering the season. “My fitness wasn’t very good last season,” Schoening said. “I busted my butt all summer
Sophomore goalkeeper Miranda Schoening catches the ball in a game against the University of Texas on Aug. 26. Sara Carpenter | Senior Photographer to improve that. I worked out every day, twice a day, and ran 10Ks during the week. It’s a real confidence booster to come in and play knowing my hard work pays off.” Even with that improvement, Schoening agreed consistency is what’s lacking in her game. “I think it’s all about playing to the best of my ability,” Schoening said. “I have my really good games and saves, but I also have my fair share of mistakes just like everyone does. I just have to keep working and overcome that.” When it comes to comparing the two players, Hedlund noted part of what gives Schoening an edge is her 6-foot-1-inch frame. Bradley has more experience as a junior
though and has grown into a team leader over the years. “Brooke is just an extremely hard worker and definitely one of are more conditioned athletes,” Hedlund said. “As for Miranda, her height rarely allows balls to go over her head and she does a great job at tipping balls over the goalpost.” Hedlund added he is comfortable with either player in the net at this point, which is a sentiment the rest of the team echoed. “Every single of our goalies, in my eyes, has the potential to be our starter,” senior defensive standout Tori Phillips said. “I have full confidence in whoever is behind me.” For now, the competition remains between
Schoening and Bradley. With Friday’s road game against Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi canceled due to the fallout from Hurricane Harvey, the two will have a few extra days to gain some ground before taking the field against Houston Baptist on Sunday. Hedlund left the door open as to how playing time would be divided moving forward. “Both of them will get plenty of playing time throughout the season,” Hedlund said. “Miranda is only a sophomore, she’s still learning the game. It’ll come to her, but at the same time, Brooke needs to continue to be on that field for us as well.”
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Fine bounces back from slow spring with strong fall camp to claim QB job FOOTBALL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 spring and early parts of the fall. Fine started to get a feel for which way Littrell was leaning as his share of snaps with the first-team offense became more dominant throughout August. “It feels good,” Fine said. “It shows that your hard work has paid off, I think I had a decent fall camp and you could kind of tell by the reps going out.” After a shoulder injury last season kept him out of the final three games in 2016, Fine needed a strong comeback. It took some time for him to regain his footing, and when he returned to practice he found himself in a competition with one of his closest friends. Fine and Shanbour hangout outside of football almost every day. But during media day on Aug. 21, Fine displayed his competitive nature while also showing a willingness to improve. “It’s a competition, and me and Quinn understand that,” Fine said. “We handle that very well and both of us push each other. It’s just good competition, we don’t get nasty about it but we have to win a job.”
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Freshman quarterback Mason Fine (6) throws to the outside late in the game against MTSU. Fine finished with 303 yards and a touchdown. Colin Mitchell | Visuals Editor
The competition ended up benefiting both Fine and Shanbour. Littrell said he expects Shanbour to have a role on this team as a leader and added he is comfortable with Shanbour taking over the offense if Fine were to go down with an injury. The shoulder injury that forced Fine off the field last season is almost an afterthought for the young quarterback heading into the new season, but Fine admitted it made him put a lot of work in to get to this point in the days leading up to the opener. “I felt like it was a long offseason,” Fine said. “There’s a lot of time between when I had my injury and this first game, [but] I felt like I gave 100 percent rehabbing it. I kind of had a slow spring but I bounced back in this fall camp and I’m ready to be out there. I’m ready to be back.” A year ago, Fine was thrown into the fire as a freshman and his best attribute appeared to be his legs. Now, especially after his recent injury, Fine will lean on the running backs to handle the bulk of the carries offensively. With a full year under his belt and a better handle on the offense, Fine can now focus more on being a leader – a task he conceded is tough with his quiet personality. Redshirt sophomore Jalen Guyton has been impressed with his quarterback’s ability to captain the offense both with his arm and his actions as a leader. “Mason knows how to conduct our offense,” Guyton said. “Just like a quarterback should, he comes in poised, keeps his composure and knows what he’s doing in the offense. Mason’s not really a vocal leader, he’s a lead by example guy.” Guyton, who caught 45 passes for 968 yards and 12 touchdowns last year at Trinity Valley Junior College, is one of the receivers Fine will be able to rely on to make plays throughout the season. The receiving corps has developed a rhythm with Fine as August has progressed, despite the majority of the key players being new to the starting lineup. “[Our chemistry] is good,” Guyton said. “His chemistry with receivers goes as far as chemistry with his whole offense. He’s comfortable with every single one of us and I feel like he’s comfortable dropping back and giving it to [any] of us.” After showing some freshman growing pains a few times last season, Fine is expected to be more polished this season. Now that he’s firmly locked in as the team’s starter, all eyes are going to be on the second-year quarterback from Oklahoma to take the next step forward. “I don’t feel a whole lot of pressure,” Fine said. “I’m just going to go out there and do what I do.”
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NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 7
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017
New coach brings enthusiasm to cross country teams By Matt Brune Senior Sports Writer When former North Texas cross country coach Stefanie Slekis was hired in 2013, she was the youngest head coach in the Mean Green athletic department at just 25 years old. Her successor Kevin Williams, who was hired Aug. 10, has taken over the role as the school’s youngest active head coach. Williams, 27, is just a few years removed from his college graduation at the University of Oklahoma, but he hasn’t taken any shortcuts on what’s been a quick, but winding, road to his first head coaching job. After an illustrious high school career in Denver that included seven state championships as a runner, Williams made three consecutive All-Big 12 teams at OU. He was a second team All-American selection in the 5,000-meter run as a senior in 2013. He spent the last two years as an assistant coach at the University of Portland before moving across the country to Denton for his first head coaching gig. “Coaching is a hard industry to get into,” Williams said. “You have to go where the opportunities arise. I was lucky enough to get on the staff in Portland and had a great set up there, but I thought North Texas had a really good opportunity to do some good things in cross country.” It wasn’t that long ago when Williams was in the shoes of the athletes he is now hoping to lead to the top of Conference USA. His ability to relate to the team is part of what has made for a smooth transition.
“He’s pretty laid back and willing to work with the team,” senior Rick Nally said. “He’s a bit younger so he understands what it’s like to be in college, and he’s willing to work with us a lot more. The fact that he kind of gets us helps a lot.” While some runners described Williams as leaning toward a more laid back approach through these first few weeks, the young coach knows he’ll be able to turn up the heat when necessary. He credited his experience around a variety of coaches in helping to develop his unique style. “I was lucky to have a couple different mentors,” Williams said. “My college coach was serious all the time – I call it old school approach. Then at Portland, both coaches I worked under were the opposite approach – more hands off, putting the accountability on the athlete. I think I’m somewhere in the middle” No matter where Williams sits on that spectrum, one thing is clear – hard work is the biggest key to the program he hopes to build over the next few years. With its early hours typically beginning before 6 a.m., cross country can be a taxing sport both physically and mentally. Williams has already set in motion a more involved coaching plan aimed at long-term improvement rather than a short-term overhaul that sometimes risks burning out runners. “He is a strong believer in a lot of hard work,” junior Susannah Lynch said. “His whole coaching approach is a gradual improvement from freshman year to senior year, so it’s not piling on the mileage and expecting results.”
While Williams was able to draw from several different mentors in developing his approach, the coaches at Portland seem to have influenced his career the most. At a school of about 4,200 students with around 80 track athletes, Williams was forced to do the dirty work because there were so few hands available. The experience only made him that much more versatile as a coach. “It was about learning how to do everything with less,” Williams said. “I was lucky I got experience doing a lot of different things because we didn’t have the staff of everybody else. Being in that environment really helped me take that mindset to a place like UNT that does have a lot of resources.” Williams will look to take advantage of those resources as he aims to return the cross country program to the success it’s seen in the past. The men’s team won the C-USA title in 2014 in the same year the women finished third, but both teams have failed to return to those heights in recent years. While his teams have yet to get going in the regular season, one of Williams’ most influential mentors have little doubt in his ability to turn things around – and fast. “He has the enthusiasm, the knowledge and the experience of an athlete himself,” Portland coach Robert Conner said. “He has everything you want in a head coach. He’s going to be at a very high level, if people want to work hard they’re going to be successful, guaranteed.”
@mattbrune25
At 27 years old, Kevin Williams has been named the cross country coach for the UNT. Madison Gore | Staff Photographer
COLUMN
Seth Littrell led the Mean Green to a bowl in his first season, now what?
By Matt Brune Senior Sports Writer At this time last year, we didn’t know what to expect from the North Texas football team. Sure, there was excitement surrounding Seth Littrell and the new regime, but the optimism had a cautious air to it – so much so that fans didn’t really know what the goal was when the 2016 season began. Coming off a historically
bad 1-11 year, would 3-9 be good? 4-8? Not many realistically expected what actually happened – a Heart of Dallas Bowl appearance in Littrell’s first season at the helm. This year is different. The immediate success has fans, alumni and the team ready for an even bigger season. Now, a return to the postseason is an expected commodity. In order to find out how high the bar has been set for this team, I conducted an extremely methodical and precise survey – or a poll on Twitter – almost two months ago. I asked what the worst record the football team could have this season is with it still being considered a good year. The results of the 174 votes surprised me. Fifty-seven percent said if the team does not make a bowl game, it would be a bad season. Twenty-
seven percent said they have to win seven games for it to be a good year. Keep in mind this isn’t what people actually expect the team to do. This is what the bottom of the totem pole is as far as fans are concerned. Not even two years removed from a 1-11 season that included an embarrassing 66-7 loss to FCS Portland State on homecoming, the Mean Green faithful are all-in on Littrell and his program. While there is certainly reason to be hopeful, the results portray a dangerous way of thinking – a dramatic stride forward each season shouldn’t be taken for granted. Here’s some perspective. Of the 10 SEC coaches who have been at their school for at least two seasons, the average increase in wins from year one to year two is a mere 1.3. It’s not easy to make
that leap regardless the amount of talent or how great the coach is. Traditionally, the third year under a given coach is when a team should be really turning the corner in a rebuilding project. So no, the Mean Green probably won’t increase their win total by four games again this year. But fans need to see the value in continuing what was a hefty rebuild. Simply returning to a bowl game and proving this team is built to contend consistently in the long haul should be the goal this season. North Texas hasn’t been to consecutive bowl games since Darrell Dickey led the team to four straight New Orleans Bowl appearances from 2001 to 2004. Consistency is the goal for the team and fans will need to be consistent too – as weird as that may sound. Don’t get too high or too low if the team doesn’t live up
to your subjective expectations right away. Keep in mind things looked bleak at the end of last season before the Mean Green qualified for a bowl based on the program’s APR score. It’s a long season and Littrell
has shown, so far, that he’s a very capable coach. Let’s give him a chance to build on that without setting the bar too high.
@mattbrune25
Head coach Seth Littrell walks the sideline during the game against Middle Tennessee State University. Colin Mitchell | Visuals Editor
What to watch for in North Texas’ season opener vs. Lamar By Matt Brune Senior Sports Writer
The Lamar Cardinals will travel to Denton to face North Texas Saturday Sept. 2, with hopes that this year’s lone FBS game goes much better than last season’s 42-0 loss to University of Houston. The Cardinals ended the 2016 season with a 3-8 record while the Mean Green finished 5-8 with an appearance in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. Under new head coach Mike Schultz, who is just the second head coach since the football program was revived in 2010, Lamar has several new faces on its team this season. They return 13 starters and have only two players on the roster with three years of experience. In addition, Schultz brought in almost an entirely new coaching staff in to assist him this season. “Obviously it’s a new coaching staff, but I’ve known Schultz for a long time and he’s very respected in the coaching community,” head coach Seth Littrell said. “He’s done some unbelievable things as an offensive coordinator, and I know [Lamar] will be a tough, disciplined football team.”
Schultz has a strong offensive reputation from his time as the offensive coordinator at Texas Christian University and Texas State University, but he’ll have his work cut out for him this year. Lamar’s offensive line returns just two starters and is also without its two top running backs from last year. The Mean Green defensive line is primed to show what its made of in this week one matchup after an offseason full of hype. They face an offense that ran the ball for just 131 yards per game and managed just 3.5 yards per carry last season. The Cardinals most dangerous offensive player is likely Zae Giles, who accumulated 847 all-purpose yards and seven total touchdowns as a freshman last season. North Texas will look to exploit the Cardinals’ tendency to turn the ball over, as Lamar turned the ball over 21 times in 11 games last year. Such miscues appear to be a point of concern in the days leading up to the season opener, and Schultz pointed out the team’s struggles after their second scrimmage less than two weeks ago. “We had too many mistakes this afternoon,” Schultz
told LamarCardinals.com on Aug. 19. “Defense was offsides three times on third down conversions and we gave up the first down. We have to eliminate the mistakes.” North Texas has a more experienced roster than Lamar, especially on the line of scrimmage. The Mean Green offensive line should have its way up front, as Lamar allowed 29 rushing touchdowns as well as 230 yards per game in 2016 – an average of just under three touchdowns on the ground each night. Look for senior running back Jeffrey Wilson and company to have a monster day in the run game. North Texas will look to get Wilson going early and often, as Lamar is susceptible to slow performances out of the gate. The Cardinals averaged just 7.7 points per game in the first half last year, while the Mean Green averaged more than 17 points in the first two quarters – a disparity that could present itself on game day. While the Cardinals have been heavily affected by Hurricane Harvey in their preparation for Saturday, both Lamar and North Texas have a lot of excitement surrounding their season opener. Both are in the early
stages of a rebuild and are led by coaches who have been at the helm of their respective program for less than two years. Only one team can start the season 1-0. “It’s exciting to go against someone else and it’s exciting to play in Apogee in front of the fans,” Fine said. “I feel like the energy is going to be great and it’s going to be fun to get that Saturday game day experience.” Score prediction: North Texas 34, Lamar 7
THURSDAY, JUNE
@mattbrune25
Lamar 2016 Stats Record 3-8 20.9 points per game 323.7 yards per game 131.8 rushing yards per game 191.9 passing yards per game players: Zae Giles (WR), 29, Notable 2017Rodney Randle (DB)
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OPINION THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017
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Texans set an example for all Americans in wake of Hurricane Harvey By The Editorial Board In 1836 the Texas Revolution was in its most crucial stages. The rebels were preparing to make their final stands in the now famous battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto. A Tennessee man was running for Congress. His name was Davy Crockett, and he promised his people that if he won, he would serve them faithfully. He did not win, which is how he ended up in Texas when early Texans needed him most. The Niles Weekly Register recounts his arrival in Texas. “If they saw it fit to re-elect me, I would serve them faithfully as I had done,” Crockett said. “If not, they might go to hell, and I would go to Texas. I was beaten, gentlemen, and here I am.” The rest is history. The Texans sacrificed it all at The Alamo and made a final stand at San Jacinto to repel Santa Anna’s forces, and the Texas we know and love came to exist. Texas was hell this week. Hurricane Harvey brought the coastal region of our state to its knees. But it was that spirit encapsulated by those who fought for its independence that will help our state rebound. It also showed why our neighbors in this state and those around us are so great. Harvey brought over 50 inches of rain to some parts of Texas. That might be a little hard to wrap your brain around when reading it. So put it this way. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has seen just over 28 inches of rain this year in total.
It has crippled the Houston metro area and coastal towns. The images are jaw dropping. But what might be even more jaw-dropping is the support. Citizens on boats rescuing people from their flooded homes. Trucks full of supplies going down south, and companies such as Texasbased H-E-B setting up mobile kitchens to help feed thousands. Even our own university reached out to those effected. UNT is offering immediate enrollment to students effected by Harvey who need a school. Just Texans helping Texans. Texas continues to show why it is one of the best states in the union. In times of need, you are lucky if you have a Texan as your neighbor. Many will drop what they are doing and pick you up because they love thy neighbor. It is not just Texans. Neighbors from Louisiana, known as the Cajun Navy descended upon the state with boats to help. Texans will repay you once they’re back on their feet. While a lot of people feel uneasy about what is happening in our country, whether it be socially or in the current political climate, use Texas as a lesson. When our state was brought to its lowest, we came together. But that is just how it is down here. We take care of one another. Forget the splitting images you see on TV, this is what our country is at its core. It is neighbors looking out for neighbors – and Texans are the perfect example of that.
@ntdaily
Rescuers ready a boat to evacuate residents who were threatened with rising waters by Hurricane Harvey, Aug. 29, 2017, near Lakewood Forest in northwest Harris County, Texas. Courtesy Tomas Gonzalez
Tearing down Denton’s Confederate monument does not erase history By Tori Falcon Staff Writer On Aug. 26, Confederate sympathizers descended on the Denton Square protesting in favor of the statue of a Confederate soldier in front of the courthouse. According to the Denton RecordChronicle, the group called Hiwaymen go wherever they feel they need to show support and keep Confederate monuments intact to preserve southern heritage. Eventually, counterprotesters showed up and shooed the group away sharing opposite sentiments about the monuments and confederate sympathizers. The Hiwaymen may have come to Denton with the intention of defending the statue, but due to a lack of turnout and a newfound peak in interest in confederate monuments from counter protesters, they failed. Confederate statues have been the latest project taken on by the resistance. Although many people believe this so-called “whining” and “erasure of history” is brand new, it really isn’t. In Denton alone, Willie Hudspeth, a resident of the town since 1970, has been protesting the statue for 17 years. As his efforts continue to be shot down, and he felt it was time to run for county judge and take matters into his own hands. As the spot, currently occupied by Mary Horn, is soon to be open, Hudspeth will try to change things from the inside. Along with this, those against the monument have been protesting at the Square every Sunday beginning a couple weeks back. Due to the current political climate,
the tensions of these confederate statues feels heightened. Even though it isn’t new, there seems to be a lot more energy and hope for them to come down. Throughout the nation, plenty of monuments have been coming down in response to pressure put on by protesters. President Donald Trump, along with many others, feel taking down these monuments means deleting the history of our nation and does not honor those who fought in the war. There’s much wrong with this attitude. Trying to guilt people into thinking they are dishonoring brave soldiers completely ignores what the war was about. The reason people feel so much animosity towards the statues is because they only represent those fighting against people who were trying to disband slavery. The Civil War was a split in the nation between those for and against making African-Americans a lesser body and force them to work for their ‘superior race.’ Also, the idea that removing a statue of Robert E. Lee is going to make the entire country forget the sins of their past or the labor of their ancestors is foolish. The way the country runs, whether it be smoothly or not so much, is always a reminder of where we were and where we are. We teach our history in schools almost every step of the way. Even though the way it is taught isn’t always exact, that is a broader topic which goes hand in and with this one. According to a study from 2016 by the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are distinct periods in time most of these monuments were erected. Those times being during the Jim Crow era and during the Civil Rights Movement.
This study further proves these monuments are specifically inserted into public and government areas, such as in front of courthouses like the one on the square, to send messages that there is and will continue to be more value in white lives over black ones in the system. Even if people feel they no longer mean this, it is still a reminder and intimidation to any colored person that their feelings and places in society will be put on the back-burner regardless. Especially as we see events unfold such as Charlottesville, people realize if we are going to combat racism, the response needs to be right and in full this time. And it includes removing any symbol representing the disenfranchisement of our minority citizens.
@falconsita_
Illustration by Theresa Sanchez
Letter from the Editor: A new era for North Texas Daily By Reece Waddell Editor-in-Chief For the first time in four decades, the North Texas Daily has a new home. In June we left our beloved, albeit dated newsroom in the GAB behind for a beautiful, brand new office in Sycamore Hall. Room 230, to be exact. Although we have a new space, we’re still the same newspaper. The Daily is still here to serve you, UNT and the Denton community. So feel free to stop by! Whether you want to share a news tip or talk sports with someone who spends way too much time watching them, my door is always open. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Reece Waddell, and in April, I was chosen by the UNT student media committee to serve as the Editor-in-Chief. I’ll hold this position until I graduate in December, and until then, my incredible staff and I look forward to bringing you the news every single day. As I said before, I’m a hopeless sports fanatic, and began working at the Daily in January 2015 as a sports writer. Since then I have held the positions of Senior Sports Writer and most recently, Managing Sports Editor. Enough about me, though, let’s talk about you –
our reader. Because at the end of the day, you are the reason the Daily exists. We value our community and audience, which is why along with our new office, we have also re-designed our website, www.ntdaily. com. And tailored it with you in mind. Now you can virtually flip through our paper from the comfort of your couch or recliner. We have also embedded our Facebook and Twitter feeds on the homepage as well, so you’ll always have up-tothe-minute information at your fingertips. We think the new site is pretty cool, and we hope you do, too. Some things aren’t changing, however. Our newspaper will still be on newsstands every Thursday morning, and we are still a digital-first publication. This means our focus on multimedia and social media is at an all-time high. Our goal is to be as transparent as possible, so expect live tweets during breaking news events or during Mean Green football games. Expect the occasional Facebook Live from our newsroom on Wednesday night, giving you an insight to how we produce our paper and the stories we are writing. But above all else, expect us to be there to cover anything and everything happening at UNT and in Denton. We’ve been around the past 100 years and aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
@ReeceWaddell15
The North Texas Daily staff prepares the weekly paper in its new office. Colin Mitchell | Visuals Editor