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.
@sarderrr
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.