North Texas Daily - 09/22/2016

Celebrating 100 Years of Journalism Excellence VOL. 108 No. 4

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

Yes, you can vote without a government ID in Texas

Pow wow brings debate on pipeline

Judges say Texas voter ID law discriminated against black and Hispanic voters

Native American dancers share perspective on Dakota Access Pipeline at pow wow.

By Tiffany Ditto If the two presidential candidates with the lowest approval ratings in recent history don’t deter many from voting, the complications and confusion that surrounds Texas’ voter ID laws just might.

A federal judge ruled this week, just five weeks before early voting in the state begins, that Texas’ voter ID laws violate the state’s agreement with the Justice Department that was reached in July. The agreement was that the state would change its voter ID laws so it would no longer discriminate against minority voters.

“They’re very complicated rules, and the state of Texas has been fighting this issue with the Justice Department for some number of years now,” said Sandy Swan, precinct development chair for the Denton County Democratic Party. “That’s where our side is saying that this is going to be even more confusing to voters. [Voters are] not going to understand that there are two types of ID.” In July, the Fifth Circuit court ruled that Texas’ 2011 voter ID law which stipulates the types of photo identification that can be accepted at the polls violates the Voting Rights Act. The 2011 law stated voters must have a government-issued photo ID to vote.

When the court struck down Texas’ law, the state agreed to soften its regulations.

Texas and the court compromised and said additional forms of ID could be accepted if the voter signs an affidavit saying they “cannot reasonably obtain” one of the seven forms of ID, as dictated by the 2011 law.

However, during Texas’ education campaign, the state changed the wording from “cannot obtain” to “have not obtained” the ID. The Justice Department is now arguing that the language is misleading, and will discourage minority voters from going to the polls. This raised concern

By Kyle Martin The sounds of drums and chants were alive in the air as the moon overlooked a sea of people. A flea market of jewelry, knick-knacks and head dresses welcomed in some guests while others shared and mingled, preparing for the night’s activities. Over the weekend, community members gathered at the Grand Prairie Trader’s Village to watch and experience the Native American culture and heritage through music, dance and art.

Trader’s Village was this year’s host of the 54th Annual Native American Pow Wow, presented by the Dallas-Fort Worth Inter-Tribal Association. Native Americans traveled from all over the United States to dance in competition, sell clothing and jewelry, eat and drink.

“It’s a celebration of their culture and their history, in music and in dance,” said Jerry Holt, marketing manager for the event. “There are tribes from all over the country that come and participate in the pow wow every year.”

The pow wow brought together members of various tribes across the country, such as William TwoHawk Gandee, a member of the Choctaw, Cherokee and Lakota tribe.

While the event is a way to celebrate Native American heritage, Gandee said he loves experiencing the culture first-hand, referring specifically to the dance competition.

“It’s more about dancing for your family and dancing for the elders that have passed on,” Gandee, who was

competing in the evening’s dance competition, said. “That’s what I like to do. “ Gandee, a disabled veteran of the Navy and Purple Heart recipient, was born in Argyle, Texas, and traveled “from one end of the coast to the other” attending pow wows and dancing the dances of his people.

Gandee, a “northern-traditional” Native American, was working in explosive ordinance disposal as a member of a naval construction battalion in Beirut in 1983. He was serving in the Navy as a “Seabee” when a truck-bomb explosion killed over 200 U.S. Marines. He said he was dancing in remembrance of those fallen soldiers.

“That’s why I wear this [red sash], it represents the blood that was spilled,” Gandee said, who danced in his traditional, handmade costume to represent his history and culture.

“And the black and white [face paint].

If you ever see the POW/MIA flag, it’s black and white. And normally when the dancers would bring in the flags, they’d go clockwise. The POW flag goes counter-clockwise because they haven’t made it home yet.”

Brittany Taylor, a member of the Cheyenne, Ponca, Pawnee and Southern Ute tribes, travelled from Ponca City, Oklahoma to attend the pow wow and has been dancing in competitions nearly every weekend of the summer.

Freshman Fine with starting job at quarterback “It’s a great feeling once you accomplish that dream.”

By Clay Massey A little over a year ago, freshman Mason Fine was torching opposing high schools under the Friday night lights for the Locust Grove High School in Oklahoma.

The quarterback caught the attention of many in his hometown, but he couldn’t catch the attention of many Football Bowl Subdivision scouts. Fine held just two preferred walk-on offers at Oklahoma University and Oklahoma State University, and a handful of National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics offers, despite being the two-time Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year.

“The recruiting process was slow, to be honest with you,” Fine said.

What the recruiting process needed was a spark, and it got one when Seth Littrell was hired as head coach in December.

The reason? Fine’s head coach at Locust Grove, Matt Hennessy, had an in with Littrell.

SEE QB ON PAGE 6

SEE POW WOW ON PAGE 2

Gabe Bullock walks onto the field ready to dance at the pow wow event in Grand Prairie, Texas. Hannah Ridings A woman holds a sign in suppor t of Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in Nor th Dakota Sept.

16 during the Grand Prairie pow wow event. Hannah Ridings Two women get ready for the pow Wow event in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Hannah Ridings

SEE VOTING ON PAGE 3

Gruesome murder of TWU student rocks N. Texas

By Tiffany Ditto A burned and dismembered body was found this past Wednesday near Grapevine Lake. On Monday morning, Grapevine police reported the body was 24-year-old Jacqueline Vandagriff, a Texas Woman’s University student.

Later Monday afternoon, police updated the public that 30-year-old Charles Dean Bryant, of Haslet, Texas, is charged with capital murder and being held on a $1 million bond.

Bryant was fired Sunday from his job, the Urban Cowboy Saloon, in Fort Worth, for not showing up to work, the company said Monday.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the two were seen leaving Public House on Fry Street.

The two were seen leaving the

Charles Dean Bryant

night before Vandagriff’s body was found.

Vandagriff, a junior nutrition student, was from Frisco. Before attending TWU, Vandagriff attended cosmetology school at Paul Mitchell the School in Dallas, according to her Facebook page.

Vandagriff’s body was found Wednesday morning at Acorn Woods Park, 1000 block of Oak Grove Loop South in Grapevine. The condition of the body was so severe that authorities could not initially determine Vandagriff’s gender.

Bryant was arrested for stalking his ex-girlfriend, an 18-year-old UNT student just days before. His ex-girlfriend reported that he went to her residence hall, Kerr, a day before the break-up to try to kiss her.

She spoke with the dorm’s resident adviser and contacted UNT police.

He was served a criminal trespass warning.

He came in contact with the exgirlfriend again on Wednesday, Aug. 31, when he wanted to be seated in her section while she was working at a restaurant. He tried to visit her at her dorm again on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Police found him outside the dorm and arrested him on a criminal trespass charge and took him to the Denton County Jail. He posted bail and was released later that day.

He was arrested and posted bond again the next day for another

Jacqueline Vandagriff, 24, smiles for a photo. She was found dead near Grapevine Lake last week. incident of stalking, Sept. 9, by UNT police.

Police arrested Bryant Sunday afternoon in connection with Vandagriff’s murder. There are few reported details about him so far. Police are still investigating Bryant’s motives for allegedly killing Vandagriff.

TWU has established a fund for an internship in her memory. A GoFundMe page was created to raise money for her funeral and so far, $2,000 has been raised.

@Tiffany Ditto

IN THIS ISSUE NEWS

UNT Welcomes ITT Tech Students pg 2 After ITT Tech shut down all of its United States branches, UNT is one of the many schools opening its arms for the students now without a school.

ARTS & LIFE

Head Out To Oaktopia This Weekend pg 4 & 5 Starting today, big name muscians and local favorites will take over downtown Denton for Oaktopia, a music festival.

Take a look at the top 8 bands to see.

SPORTS

Superstitious Athletes pg 7 North Texas athletes are under a ton of pressure to win big. But what are their quirky pre-game rituals? Beef jerky.

Shaven legs. Breakfast wraps.

OPINION

To Hell With The Memes! pg 8 This may be an unpopular opinion: Morgan Sullivan makes the case against memes, the internet’s favorite contemporary art.

NEWS Page 2

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD Protests following more police shootings of black men

Pow wow sparks debate on pipeline POW WOW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

In what is increasingly a part of the national backdrop, citizens and officials in the United States were swamped in debate over the role race plays in police shootings.

On Friday, 40-year-old Terence Crutcher was shot and killed by police officers in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was unarmed. On Tuesday, Keith Scott was shot and killed in Charlotte, North Carolina, by police. Police say he had a gun, though his family says he was unarmed.

According to Mapping Police Violence, a website, about 214 black people have been killed by police so far in 2016.

U.S., Russia Play Blame Game in Syria United States officials said Tuesday that Russia was responsible for an airstrike that killed at least 12 people in northern Syria on Monday. Russia denies it played any role in the raid. This comes just days after Russia blamed the U.S. for carrying out a bombing raid in eastern Syria that killed 62 and left 100 others injured.

The U.S. Central Command acknowledge its responsibility in the accidental attack in eastern Syria. The actual target for the attack was Islamic State, U.S. officials told the press.

This finger pointing follows a U.S.-Russia peace plan for Syria.

Boat carrying migrants in Mediterranean Egyptian authorities reported Wednesday a boat hauling migrants from Africa bound for Europe capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, leading to the death of at least 42 people, according to The Associated Press.

Reports the AP, “Egypt’s official news agency, MENA, said the boat was carrying 600 people when it sank near the coast, more than 100 miles north of Cairo, the capital. AlaaOsman said it was likely that the boat had departed from Kafr el Sheikh Province, farther to the east.”

While the dances might be entertaining for spectators to watch, Taylor said the dances symbolize a deeper meaning.

Taylor said listening to the songs and dances, as well as praying, can hold healing powers and act as medicine. For Native Americans, their songs and dances act as a connection to the rest of the world.

“When we dance, we dance for those who can’t,” Taylor said.

“Whenever we dance, we pray. We pray for our people, we pray for those who are going through a hard time,” Healing and prayer are important for many Native Americans at the moment, especially with those who want to protect their land and natural water supply from being threatened by the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in Standing Rock, North Dakota.

The Dakota Access Pipeline, a 1,172-mile-long, $3.7 billion project is a “pipeline that will connect the rapidly expanding Bakken and Three Forks production areas in North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois. The pipeline will enable domestically produced light sweet crude oil from North Dakota to reach major refining markets in a more direct, costeffective, safer and environmentally responsible manner,” according to the

Editorial Board Dalton LaFerney | Editor-In-Chief laferneyd@gmail.com

Authorities arrested two people who they believe to be linked to a Sept. 6 aggravated robbery that occurred on campus, UNT said in

By Steven Payne

Kayleigh Bywater | Managing Editor

Preston Mitchell | Editorial Page Editor Tomas Gonzalez | Visuals Editor

Production Team Hannah Lauritzen | Design Editor Jillian Lim | Deputy Design Editor

a crime alert Monday morning. It appears the victim was involved in a drug deal with the suspects, according to police.

The victim, a UNT student, reported he was robbed at gunpoint

UNT offers to transfer in students following ITT Tech shutdown

Eline de Bruijn | Managing Editor

Reece Waddell | Managing Editor

Energy Transfer Partners website, set up for the pipeline.

“A lot of these dancers have a family and some of their tribes up there supporting and protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline. All four of my tribes are represented there and all of them took our tribal flags up there,” Taylor said. “We’re not just fighting for our indigenous land, we’re also fighting for clean water and everyone who lives off of water.”

The project has been met by over “roughly 2,000 representatives from different tribes and environmentalists still active at the protest site,” according to a New York Times report on pipeline release earlier this month. Some politicians have denounced the pipeline, such as Senator Bernie Sanders, who joined Native Americans in protest at a rally in Washington, D.C. outside the White House. The federal government has also issued a halt on the pipeline, stopping part of the project’s construction, but not all of it.

Nicholas Wahpepah, 36, a member of the Oklahoma Kickapoo tribe, drove from Edmond, Oklahoma to perform at the pow wow as a dancer.

He said he knows of individuals in the area of the pipeline who are protesting, and even knew a man who was arrested onsite.

“Indigenous people are taking it upon themselves to be protectors of mother nature and the environment,

and I think that’s great,” Wahpepah said. “I think it’s building a foundation for legal recourse. The only way you can fight big corporations is with the law, through legal means.”

In North Dakota, some protesters have been sprayed with pepper spray, bitten by dogs and arrested. Native Americans are protesting because the pipeline threatens their ancestral lands and their clean drinking water. Recently, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe brought representatives to a United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, asking for international help to stop the pipeline.

“My hope for an end result is a reduction in the use of fossil fuels.

Best case scenario is that everybody, regardless of race, will start using more renewable energies,” Wahpepah said. “I think that the people that are there now are doing a great job.”

This year, the pow wow was more than just a celebration. With the event came the opportunity for Native Americans in the surrounding areas to share their thoughts, concerns and feelings regarding their stance on the pipeline.

Whether event attendees were dancing, eating or debating, they were all celebrating one thing their culture.

@Kyle_Martin35

William TwoHawk Gandee waits for the pow wow event to start in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Hannah Ridings

Police arrest suspects allegedly connected to aggravated robbery STAFF REPORT

North Texas Daily

NTDAILY.COM

UNT will begin welcoming new students after ITT Technical Institute announced Sept. 6 that they were closing all 137 campuses across the nation. The shutdown was the result of several federal sanctions from the U.S. Department of Education for misuse and abuse of financial aid funding, causing stock values on the institution to plummet and go bankrupt.

“Basically it’s like the Federal Government is dishing out money.

Like your parents, if they dished out money and then see that you’re not using it correctly or you’re abusing it, then they’re going to quit giving it to you,” Associate Director of Admissions Myra Hafer said. “Probably 90 to 95 percent of their students [were] on financial aid, and they’re a proprietary school, meaning they operate for money. So they recruit and go after students with financial aid because they know

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

For advertising, please call 940-565-3989 or email adsales@unt.edu

Faculty Advisor

Gary Ghioto | 940-891-6722 gghioto@gmail.com ITT Tech students lined up in union. File photo

at 8:50 p.m. near the University Union. The suspects, according to police, took his “cell phones (sic), wallet and car keys.”

The crime alert update was sent at about 10:30 a.m. Monday.

In it, university officials wrote the suspects are not “affiliated with the university and the investigation is active.”

that they can get money.”

After the shutdown, nearly 40,000 students, some set to graduate the week of the shutdown, were unable to complete their degree plans due to their ITT Tech credits being almost nontransferable. Because UNT is a member of the North Texas Community College Consortium, the university compiled a list of ITT Tech students and began reaching out to them in hopes that they would transfer to UNT. The NTCCC is a regional network that provides professional development opportunities for its member institutions.

“One of the challenges we faced was there really wasn’t a place to reach out [to students] because ITT very quickly began pulling things down,” Celia Williamson, Associate Vice President for Enrollment, said.

As soon as the announcement regarding the shutdown was made, NTCCC downloaded catalogues, degree programs and any other information they could capture off of the ITT Tech website. The NTCCC hosted a meeting the week following the shutdown for all the surrounding community colleges in order to share information.

Thanks to the proximity of an ITT Tech campus in Richardson, TX, the NTCCC started connecting with students impacted by the shutdown and began recruiting them to UNT and other North Texas community colleges. UNT’s degree programs allow former ITT Tech students to transfer their credits whereas many other universities do not.

“These students are very appreciative of us accepting them and for trying to get them here,” Hafer said. “It’s not only in the Metroplex area, but all over the U.S. that they have reached out to UNT. I think they just saw that we were a caring institution, and I believe that made a difference. If nothing else, they’ve told people out there that we care.”

With the degree plan available at UNT, ITT Tech credits, when transferred, can bring in an entire associate degree with only a handful of other classes needed to receive a bachelor’s degree.

“Most of the credits that are generated by ITT Tech and similar technical schools are Work Force credits, or Technical credits,” Williamson said. “Those credits can only transfer into certain academic programs at UNT, and typically those are Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science degrees because the companion degree at the community college is called an Associate of Arts and Science [degree]. There’s a whole range of associate degrees that they can get with those Work Force or Technical credits.”

So far, 12 ITT Tech students have been enrolled in the Fall 2016 semester, with members of the Office of Enrollment and the Office of Admissions currently in contact with a couple hundred more across the nation.

While at first it would seem like a better option to transfer their credits, Hafer said starting over on their major might be the better choice depending on the student’s progress.

“If they come to us and they use their ITT credits and they had debt, then they’ll have to start paying that back,” Hafer said. “If they come to us and they don’t use them or go for another major, then they have financial aid forgiveness.”

Hafer explained that most of the transfer students who are close to getting their degree will choose to go ahead and use their credits.

Students who are not close are the ones who would benefit from looking at different majors.

An open house washeld at the UNT Frisco campus location on Wednesday to help ITT Tech transfer students get connected with the academic program, how to transfer credits, understanding their financial aid and how to apply any veteran’s benefits.

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Donald Trump Jr. compared Syrian refugees to poisoned Skittles.

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 3

Exploring city council The six most powerful positions in Denton County, explained

By Adalberto Toledo Often students and regular, plainclothed citizens don’t pay attention to local government. Election results and their turnouts are evidence of this fact. Denton County election administration’s results from the recent city election in May showed less than 6,000 residents voted out of 429,941 registered voters.

City officials are directly responsible for the quality of the roads, the zoning in the city and most of the traffic, which is often complained about. But the blame is often placed on construction and too many people, but the decisions are made directly by elected officials and those they appoint. Here are the most important positions in city government, responsible for all that traffic: Mayor Chris Watts is the leader of Denton and concentrates on improving the conditions of city’s residents.

He’s tasked with overseeing local departments like police, fire, housing and other primary functions of local government. Other responsibilities lie in budget planning and public relations for the city. The mayor also reviews capital improvement plans, (i.e. road improvements, industry planning and energy plans like Renewable Denton). He is also the ambassador of the city to the rest of the world.

Denton utilizes a council-manager

system of government. According to the Texas State Historical Association, this means the mayor isn’t the chief executive of the city.

He operates with a city council as the main policy body, but is elected from among the city council members for one, two-year term. In Denton, he is elected “at large,” meaning he’s not attached to a particular seat, all registered voters may cast their ballot for or against Mr. Watts — though he ran unopposed in the last election. As for the chief executive-administrative officer of Denton, that job goes to...

City manager(s) There is no city manager in Denton right now. Well, there’s an interimcity manager, Howard Martin. He’s chosen by the city council, under the council-manager system, to serve as the chief executive officer for the city.

Think of it like a deputy mayor.

He provides his expertise and opinion to the city council and directly reports to them. In the case of Denton, Martin would usually have four assistant city managers, but after George Campbell’s contract went without renewal there are only three.

Assistant city managers report to the city manager and together they’re accountable to the city council, so bringing checks-and-balances down to the local level.

Since Martin’s not elected he can’t vote in city council elections, but is compelled by the city charter to all their meetings. He’s allowed to fire and hire people to the city

bureaucracy, must prepare the annual budget and administer it, and then give an expense report for review by the city council and the…

City auditor The entry in the charter is short: “The city auditor shall be appointed by the council and shall serve at the pleasure of the council, and shall perform such auditing duties as may be assigned from time to time by the council, or by the city manager at the direction of the council.”

And Denton doesn’t have one.

Since 2011 the city auditor’s chair has been empty, during a time when Denton has gone through high levels of population growth consistent with the same trend across Texas. In the past city council election, Sara Bagheri ran on a platform ready to fill the position of city auditor. Her position is...

City council member Every two years Denton elects seven council members, one of which is the mayor. They’re responsible for representing the people and passing ordinances and budgets, setting taxes and other responsibilities common to running a city. They appoint city administrators, like city managers and chiefs of police, and can only serve three consecutive terms in the same place.

They’re also tasked with dividing the city into four districts that must have equal population according to the latest census. They have to have

Sara Bagheri votes against the tax increase and explains her disagreement with the Renewable Denton Plan Tuesday at town hall in Denton. Tomas Gonzalez resided in the city for at least one year and be a registered voter in Denton County. If they’re running for a specific place seat, they must reside in it. For at-large council members, they have to live within Denton’s corporate city limits.

City attorney The city attorney, Annetta Ramsay, helps local government take care of its legal problems. They represent the city in all legal matters and act as the legal representation for the city. Kind of like a person lawyer.

She is also tasked with drafting legal documents for the city and serves at the pleasure of the city council.

County judge and commissioners Mary Horn is Denton County judge and has been the longest-

serving county judge in the history of Denton County. She was also the first woman to serve in the chair. She’s not a city official, but her office is the chief governing body for Denton County and has to coordinate with city officials regularly.

“I don’t sit in judgment of anybody, it’s more of an administrative position,” Horn said. “County judge may or may not have actual judicial duties. My division is county judge, county judges handle probates, competency hearings, etc. but once your county hits a certain size the county judge doesn’t do many of those.”

Denton County is divided into four separate commissioner precincts headed by Horn. Since Texas elects their judges, the precincts serve as voting districts as well as Horn’s atlarge seat. They set the tax rate and

adopt the County budget, pay county bills, establish the precincts and manage all county facilities, roads, and bridges. Her job, she said, is hard to describe.

“It can be fun, it can be frustrating, nerve wracking, rewarding. All of those things,” Horn said. “You come into the office every day and you have your schedule, but the schedule often gets changed for you. It’s rewarding when you can improve the lives of your constituents by completing projects, and though it always takes longer than you wish it would, people are really good at being patient if you keep them informed.”

@aldot29

County politicos preparing for election

By Crystal Arevalo The Denton County Republican Party and Denton County Democratic Party are registering voters and holding events around the city and UNT campus. The DCRP tailgated at UNT football games while the DCDP hosted booths at several events. Both parties aim to inform and educate voters about the issues facing Denton County and the country.

Lisa Hendrickson, the Denton County Republican chairwoman, believes it is the mission of the DCRP to help inform and educate voters in any way possible.

“A majority of the time the voter only has a snippet, but not all the information regarding the candidates and their stance on issues, which is not fair to them,” Hendrickson said.

The DCRP held an event this past week at a local gun range and volunteered in Flower Mound to register citizens.

Starting Sept. 29, the DCRP will have volunteers at UNT to register voters. They plan to have these booths set up from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to inform students about the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump.

“His platform is to make America great again and uniting the country that has been divided,” Hendrickson said.

She said she hopes to convey the message “of supporting our veterans and to create and inspire a society that appreciates and values the previous generation.”

Uniting the country is the reason why Hendrickson said she can not listen to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton because “she mentions color in her speeches [and] makes it about race when it is not. That does not unify the country.”

The DCDP also plans to team up with the College Democrats and have both set up in Gateway starting at the end of September to get students registered to vote.

Phyllis Wolper, Denton County Democratic chairwoman, said the party also plans to inform citizens about the platform of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

“She has stressed about the importance of helping women, children, family and education,” Wolper said. “One big issue is the enormous debt of student loans and finding ways to help students.”

Wolper believes two of the

biggest issues in the political race are immigration and stressing how “we are not at war with Muslims but with terrorism.” “[Terrorism] just happens to be happening in that area, but people must know that the people mean no harm, they are fleeing from these countries because they are in danger,” Wolper said. “Most leave behind family and friends and such for a safer environment, and we must help them.”

One particular piece of information the party is trying to convey is that voters do not have to show photo ID to vote.

“We want to educate voters on voter laws because there is a lack of information out there because the government hasn’t been doing the best job to inform voters about the issue,” Wolper said.

Both party chairwomen say they hope to see students attending their events which they said students can find updates on their local chapter’s social media pages. Both groups have official websites with a calendar of several events being hosted in Denton County and surrounding areas.

@CrystalKira

Yes, you can vote without a government ID in Texas VOTING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 among those who feel that voting is one if the rights that should be protected for everyone under the Constitution.

“Our most fundamental right is to vote,” Swan said. “If you can’t vote, how do you have a say?

Voting is the most underlying right we have.”

Not everyone agrees, however, with Swan’s view that voting is a right that should be given to all.

“I personally do not believe voting is a right,” said Lisa Hendrickson, Chairperson of the Denton County Republican Party.

“I believe it is a privilege and one that should be shown a great deal of respect. Each voter should take the time and do their due diligence as it relates to educating themselves on the issues and the candidates.”

At the polls in November, voters may present any of these forms of photo ID: a Texas driver’s license, a Texas election identification certificate, a Texas personal identification card, a

Texas handgun license, a U.S. military ID card, a U.S. citizenship certificate or a U.S. passport.

“In the state of Texas there are 600,000 registered voters that do not have one of the original types of ID’s,” Swan said. “There are some parts of west Texas where you have to drive 100s of miles to get to a DPS to obtain an ID.” If a voter does not have one of these forms of ID, they should not be discouraged from voting.

The originals of these documents will also be accepted at the polls, as long as they are paired with a signed reasonable impediment declaration: valid voter registration certificate, a certified birth certificate, a current utility bill, copy of bank statement, a government check, a paycheck, or any government document with your name and address.

According to 2014 data from the census bureau, 21.3 percent of people in the city of Denton live in poverty, and according to the 2010 data 38 percent of Denton’s residents are minority races. While the 2011 voting identification law will most likely continue to

be up in the air, it’s important that everyone understands that there is a way for all citizens to vote, regardless of if they have a government issued ID. Geritt Davenport, music composition freshman, said students need to vote, and he doesn’t think Texas’ voting ID laws are a bad thing.

“Voting is important because you can’t complain about stuff if you didn’t contribute,” Davenport said. “I feel like [requiring ID] is a necessary thing that makes voting legitimate.”

In an effort to make voting easier for those in Denton County and on the UNT campus, an additional early voting location will be at UNT’s Gateway Center.

Students who would like to vote can register with their school address, as long as they are not registered elsewhere.

Students can register to vote until Oct. 11.

Tan Parker, Republican District 63, talks to an audience hosted by Denton Republican Women’s Club Wednesday at Chaparral Grill.

Jennyfer Rodriguez

Republicans and Democrats promote presidential nominees

By Sadia Saeed This election cycle has seen some tactics and strategies that haven’t been seen before on both party sides. Although the election is over a month away, now is the time for both political clubs at UNT to gain support for their candidates, leaders say.

The College Democrats, a club geared toward spreading democratic ideals and helping the community, holds their meetings at 7 p.m. every other Tuesday in Wooten Hall. They have 30 active members.

Their first meeting was headed

by Jacob Romee, president of the organization.

“Our platform this year is focusing significantly on our local races,” Romee said. “We have candidates like Evan Stone and Connor Flanagan that could win local seats that we desperately need to affect change locally.”

Evan Stone, running for Judge of the 393rd District Court in

Denton County, is one of the many local representatives that the club is focusing its efforts to ensure that the election body knows about.

Media surrounding the two candidates leaves little room for members to focus on their own candidates such as those at home that will take issues to D.C. Donkey Fest, a fundraiser that aims to update the public on the election as well as raise awareness on the importance of voting, featured Texas Democrat John Cook, candidate for Texas land commissioner, as the speaker.

“Last week, we had Evan come to our meeting and attended the Donkey Fest for Denton County as volunteers,” Romee said.

The main goal for the club, he said, is to make the election year more local for all students on campus and to whoever they can reach.

“Local politics can create instant change in our lives as

students and citizens of Denton County,” Romee said. “We want to change our local politics to reflect the actual electorate of the students who live here, and that comes with being informed, and voting.”

College Democrats are trying to get members more active in the polling process, organizing a viewing of the debates, and most importantly, registering people to vote.

The club aims to increase the amount of voters, no matter what party affiliation the students are.

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ARTS & LIFE

8

Page 4

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

MUST SEE LOCAL BANDS AT OAKTOPIA

Oaktopia welcomes artists from all genres to celebrate their love of music

By Kyle Martin and Cierra Edmondson

Put on your festival outfits and get your cameras ready, Denton. This upcoming weekend is Denton’s yearly music festival, Oaktopia. Headlining artists include Norah Jones, Rae Sremmurd, Erykah Badu performing a DJ set as DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown, Fishboy and more.

With 13 venues and over 50 artists and bands, diversity plays a big part in the makeup of Oaktopia this year. From metal

FISHBOY

Eric Michener is Fishboy and plays 8 -8:45p.m.

Thursday at Dan’s Silverleaf Hannah Ridings

ORCANAUT Pulling inspiration and influence from bands like Red Fang, Russian Circles and Mastodon, Orcanaut brings a progressive rock and metal element to Oaktopia.

Orcanaut, which consists of Cameron Hinojosa on guitar and vocals, Korbin Chase on guitar, Jake Mann playing the drums and Hayden Kirkby on bass and vocals, is scheduled to play at 10:30 p.m. Saturday at Andy’s Bar. The band name came about by combining the concept of an orca whale and an astronaut.

This will be their second year playing at

SUNBUZZED

Sunbuzzed plays at 10:30 p.m. Saturday at Sprockets. Travis McCallum

bands to acoustic performances, various genres of music are represented in one place for Denton and surrounding areas to experience. Along with music, there will be art installations, food-trucks, a place to get a haircut or beard trim, a tattoo station and much more.

While this year marks some bands’ first experiences playing the festival, others are veterans who have been able to

Fishboy is a Denton-based indie-rock band fronted by guitarist and vocalist, Eric Michener. The rest of the band consists of Brooks Martin, Grahm Robinson and Samuel Escalante.

Known for their narrative songwriting and story-based albums, many of their records are accompanied with comics drawn by Michener.

According to Michener, they are the first band to play on Thursday and they hope to kick Oaktopia off with plenty of excitement and energy.

“Oaktopia is like a visual flag to people who don’t know much about the music scene,” Michener said. “Here in Denton, we’re about Oaktopia. Last year, the band played at Oaktopia twice. Orcanaut expressed appreciation for the diversity of chosen bands at Oaktopia, adding that similar music festivals around Texas can sometimes ‘lack variety’ and ‘sound the same.’ “[Oaktopia] is definitely turning into a SouthBy-Southwest scale [festival],” Kirkby said.

“Give it a couple more years and it’s going to be massive.”

The group describes themselves as being loud, rowdy and fun. Each member brings their own personal element to the band and they try not to subscribe to any specific genre.

“We just want the fans to have a good time,” Hinojosa said.

If you’re wanting to hear some “spooky, garage rock,” Sunbuzzed will be providing just that at this year’s Oaktopia festival. Its standing members include Lo Ramirez on vocals and guitar, Carli Elizondo on guitar, Ellie Alonzo on Drums and Daniel Serrano on keyboard.

While Sunbuzzed came together with each member experiencing their own individual backgrounds in the music scene,

see Oaktopia’s growth through the years.

No matter their history with Oaktopia, however, there’s one reason they’re all there - to play, jam, rock out and perform together.

Here’s a look at some of the local bands, old and new, that will be taking the 2016 Oaktopia stage.

MUSIC AND MORE

the music, we’re going to be in your face about it this weekend, showing you how great the music is.”

Michener said he pulls inspiration for Fishboy’s songs, sound and videos from movies, storytelling and classic rock.When he gets an idea in his head and sits down to write a song, he often poses the question of what he wants the audience to feel as they listen. Then, he builds from there.

“I’m inspired to deliver a specific story or message or feeling in the most condensed, but effective way possible,” Michener said.

Fishboy is scheduled to take the stage 8 p.m tonight at Dan’s Silverleaf.

MARATHONS AND UNICORNS: THURSDAY @ 8 - 9 PM GLOW YOGA: THURSDAY @ 8 - 9 PM FISHBOY: THURSDAY @ 8 - 8:45 PM FOOD TRUCK FEST: THURSDAY @ 4 - 10 PM JESSIE FRYE: THURSDAY @11- 11:45 PM GRANATUM: FRIDAY @ 5 - 7:30 PM BLACK FILM FEST: FRIDAY @ 8 - 10 PM JOKETOPIA: FRIDAY @ 10:30 PM - 1:30 AM LEONCARLO: SATURDAY @ 10 - 11 PM SUNBUZZED: SATURDAY @10:30 - 11 PM THE BOOMBACHS: SATURDAY @ 11:30 PM - 12:30 AM MONKBERRIES: SATURDAY @ 6 - 7 PM YOGA DRUM JAM: SATURDAY @ 11 PM - 12 AM

Orcanaut plays at 10:30 p.m. Saturday at Andy’s Bar. Katie Jenkins

the band said they can hang with the best of them.

This will be the first year Sunbuzzed has played at Oaktopia.

“We know a lot of people [in] the lineup we are playing with,” Ramirez said. “So it’s like we’re gonna be playing in front of friends.”

When it comes to what Oaktopia does for the community, as well as for local musicians, Sunbuzzed said the festival provides an outlet for artists in the area.

GETTING THERE is a PIECE of [FUNNEL] CAKE

“[Oaktopia] shows the power of grass-roots and community and how music means a lot to Denton,” Serrano said. “[Oaktopia] could be something that, yearly, is a part of our community.”

While venue closures around Denton may have cause for concern for some artists, Sunbuzzed seemed relatively confident in Denton’s ability to keep the music alive.

“I think a lot of people are realizing they have to work together

to keep the pace of the music going,” Elizondo said. “I think it helped everyone realize that instead of sitting around and complaining about it, we should really shift focus toward keeping it going and not letting this bring it down.”

Sunbuzzed will be playing at Sprockets on Sept. 24 at 10:30 p.m.

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Jessie Frye plays at 11p.m. Thursday at PAAC. Hannah Ridings

Maratons and Unicorns plat at 8 p.m. Thursday at The Bearded Monk. Taylor Ratcliff

JESSIE FRYE

MARATHONS AND UNICORNS

MONKBERRIES

THE BOOMBACHS

Jessie Fr ye is a p op -ro ck g roup t hat sp e cia l i z es i n put t i ng on a show.

At previous Jessie Fr ye conc er t s, t he ba nd ha s d resse d i n got h-i nspi re d clot hes a nd ma keup a nd com m it t e d to b ei ng a pa r t of t he exp er ienc e wit h t he aud ienc e. Havi ng playe d Oa k topia b efore, t he ba nd k nows what it’s doi ng a nd sa id t hey wi l l b e wor t h st ayi ng out pa st you r b e dt i me for.

“I’m just rea l ly excit e d to se e t he cit y come a l ive for a whole we ekend,” Fr ye sa id.

Fr ye sa id she’s hopi ng to i nspi re p e ople wit h her p er for ma nc e. She’l l b e playi ng lat e t he f i r st n ig ht of t he fest, but t he show must go on. Her ba nd, compr ise d of Jessie Fr ye on g u it a r a nd vo ca ls, M icha el Ga rcia on g u it a r, C had Ford on d r u m s a nd A nd ro o O’Hea r n on ba ss, is i n t he pro c ess of w r it i ng new music. T h is show is t he ba nd p e epi ng t hei r head out ab ove g rou nd for a m i nut e b efore t hey d isapp ea r back i nto t he d a rk dept hs of t he st ud io.

“It’s gon na b e shor t a nd swe et, but it’s gon na b e sup er energet ic,” Fr ye sa id.

“W hat you ca n nor ma l ly exp e ct f rom a Jessie Fr ye show.”

Jessie Fr ye wi l l b e playi ng T hu r sd ay f rom 11-11:45 p. m. for t he Blo o d Mo on Pa r t ies i n t he G reat er D enton A r t s Cou nci l bu i ld i ng.

Midlake guitarist Eric Nichelson has put together a new Denton rock band that includes himself, and two up-and-coming musicians: Owen, 12, and Tate, 5. The three-piece family jam band features the two boys as the drummers and Eric on guitar, vocals and keys. They will be playing a free show outside of the Bearded Monk, so even if you don’t have tickets to the fest, there’s no excuse not to catch some improvised rock and roll off the square.

“We have a couple different styles, you could say, or avenues to get into, but for the most part it’s all improvised,” Nichelsen said. “What you hear is probably the first time we’ve ever played it.”

Owen and Tate are both homeschooled, so they have the privilege of doing school and music all at once. They both play baseball on the side, listen to heavy metal and rock and roll and gig with their dad when they can. They’ve gone on tour and have played in a few different spots around the country, including here in town for 35Denton.

“We’re just trying to get out there and do the thing, just like everybody,” Nichelsen said.

Oaktopia will be the biggest festival that the kids and their dad have played together as Marathons and Unicorns. Nichelsen, though he shares his own views on the Denton music scene, said that this festival is something that is good for the town and the artists that reside in it.

“Everything helps, like having festivals, as many as you can,” Nichelsen said.

Marathons and Unicorns will be playing at 8:00 p.m. Thursday at the Bearded Monk.

If you are looking for a way to wind down your night or to reminisce upon the weekend you’ve spent in the hot sun, grab a burger at LSA and check out the Monkberries.

“We want to transport people to another time period with our set,” vocalist Marissa Hunt said. “We want to go full 60s.”

The band, started by Hunt and Adam Millard when they started dating, plays live as a six-piece “time-machine into a different dimension.” The name Monkberries draws from the song “Monkberry Moon Delight” off of “Ram,” a Paul McCartney solo album. The band draws inf luence from the 1960s era of music, naming the Beatles and the soundtrack to George Lucas’s “American Graffiti” as some of their main inf luences.

“I was raised a lot on the Beatles, so that was kind of the soundtrack to my childhood,” Millard said. “The 60s is really the golden period of music.”

Their music is intimate and cozy, and they said their goal is to have the audience leave the building feeling better than how they walked in.

The Monkberries will be playing LSA on Saturday from 6:00-7:00 p.m., so make sure to check out this Denton duo.

The BoomBachs is a local Denton band that got its start in an unconventional way-a music class final. Marcus Wheat, the keys player in the band, started the band while studying at UNT. This jazzinfluenced, hip hop collective has been playing around Denton for several years and strives to pack a house, or living room, full of energetic, fusion music.

“This was his semester composition final, so not only was this for fun, this was for a grade,” Adonias “A.D.” Wondwesson, BoomBachs lyricist, said.

The BoomBachs is comprised of Wheat on keys, Wondwesson as lead vocalist and lyricist, Connor Veteto on guitar, Matt Westmoreland on keys, Ray Rose on drums and David Ferrell on bass. Most of the band met as UNT students, with four of them meeting while living in the Bruce Hall dorm.

“Matt told me what it was about and said, ‘Marcus has the tunes, but you can do whatever you want with it,’” Veteto said of his time during the early stages of the BoomBachs. “From the first rehearsal to the first show, I knew this was the band. This is what I wanted to do, so here I am, here we are.”

Having played Oaktopia since its inception, the band is comfortable on the festival’s stage.

The band has shared lineup space with acts like Thundercat, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Neon Indian, Del Funky the Homosapien and more since Oaktopia’s humble beginnings.

“It’s fun to watch a small group of local people do big things that inspires everybody that’s working beside them and with them, which is really important for a town like this with the music scene like it is,” Veteto said. “[There’s] a lot of voices to be heard, and they’re putting our names out there and also associating us with big-time, professional acts. I couldn’t ask for more at this point.”

The BoomBachs will be playing at 11:30 p.m.

Thursday at The Bearded Monk.

LEONCARLO CANLAS Local artist Leoncarlo is ready to bring beautiful music to Oaktopia festival. He will be playing on Saturday the 24th at 11pm at West Oak St Coffee Bar. Katie Jenkins G et i nto t he a i r cond it ion i ng a nd g r ab some ca f fei ne at t he West Oa k Cof fe e Ba r Sat u rd ay n ig ht a s you l ist en to L e onca rlo Ca n la s a nd prepa re for t he a l l-n ig ht er you have to pu l l b e cause you went to a music fest iva l i nst ead of st udyi ng for you r cla sses.

Ca n la s is a cla ssica l ly t r a i ne d viol i n solo act, e qu ipp e d wit h lo op er p e d a ls a nd ef fe ct s t hat he hop es to cha nge viewer s’ p er sp e ct ives of t he way a viol i n ca n b e use d.

“I just wa nt to g ive p e ople k i nd of l i ke

The Monkberries plays at 6 p.m. Saturday at LSA Burger Co. Taylor Ratcliff

The Boombacks play at 11:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bearded Monk Hannah Ridings

a n i nt i mat e, t houg ht f u l opp or t u n it y to just sit dow n or st a nd, a nd just absorb my music,” Ca n la s sa id. “Hop ef u l ly t hat’l l c reat e a sp e cia l plac e for Oa k topia.”

Ca n la s se es a lot of p ot ent ia l i n D enton a nd appre ciat es t he c reat ive out let s t hat a re supp or t e d here i n tow n a nd at Oa k topia. He sa id t he music sc ene ha s cha nge d si nc e he st a r t e d get t i ng i nto it i n 2 0 07 but t hat D enton is a g reat plac e to b e nonet heless.

A f t er st a r t i ng h is solo proje ct, Ca n la s ha s fou nd a pa ssion i n developi ng h is ow n sou nd, pu l l i ng i n f luenc e f rom h is t i me ja m m i ng wit h d i f ferent ba nds a nd playi ng i n t he Two O’Clo ck L ab Ba nd. “ T he solo proje ct st a r t e d out a s a pu r su it of e ducat ion a nd c reat ivit y to just f i nd t he sou nd t hat d id n’t ex ist a ny where, a nd I haven’t stopp e d,” Ca n la s sa id.

D u r i ng h is Oa k topia set, Ca n la s is lo ok i ng to hy pnot i z e a nd mesmer i z e p e ople wit h h is c reat ive out lo ok on a cla ssica l i nst r u ment. “ T he t h i ng ab out t h is tow n is t hat t here’s a n ebb a nd f low to t he c reat ive sc ene here,” Ca n la s sa id. “I’ve b e en here n i ne yea r s a nd I love t h is plac e.”

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SPORTS Page 6

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Tennis most international sport at North Texas A look at Mean Green’s most diverse sport

By Matt Brune In women’s sports across the NCAA, an estimated 5.6 percent of all athletes are from a country outside of the United States.

Tennis supersedes that average by 5.4 times, as 30.4 percent of female tennis players in college are foreign.

This evokes curiosity and raises questions as to why tennis is the most international sport on most college campuses. Is it simply that they are better or do they show more promise and work harder?

“Of the best American kids, some will turn pro, and the [others] will go to the Stanfords or the Dukes,” North Texas head coach Sujay Lama said. “Then there is the next tier that everyone tries to get of five star [players]. After that, there’s a drop off, but we’re able to look internationally and get those five star and blue chip kids.”

Since many of the top echelon American tennis players go to larger, more well-known universities, mid-major programs rely heavily on recruits from overseas to fill holes in its rosters.

Although the American and foreign players have similarities, Lama has noticed a marginal

difference between the two.

“I don’t want to generalize,” Lama said. “But, the international players that I have worked with have had a greater work ethic and an appreciation for the opportunities.”

At one time, Lama himself was a highly sought after international player, and said the benefits of foreign teens coming to the United States are overwhelming.

“Where else in the world are you able to study and at the same time play a high level of tennis?”

Lama said. “And secondly, the resources in this country are mind boggling in my opinion.”

At UNT, the 2016 tennis team is comprised of eight total players, and seven of them are from another country. The lone American, senior Alexis Thoma, is the only girl from the U.S. to be on the team over the past eight years.

“It’s kind of been the norm to me for everyone to be of a different country and culture,” Thoma said.

“Tennis is a really diverse sport.

We grew up competing [against] everyone from all over the world, so it’s not much different when we all come out here and compete as a team.”

Tennis is a worldwide sport, and the U.S. simply does not produce a high number of Division I caliber players. Essentially, college coaches can get a higher level player in a different country because American players are

more often recruited by larger schools.

Programs, like North Texas, that can find the unseen players on the other side of the world have an advantage on those that primarily recruit within the states.

Assistant coach Jeff Hammond has excelled at recruiting top-level players from around the world, and said overseas players are not really different in their style or approach.

“The [players] are the same,” Hammond said. “It’s just the U.S. might only be 15 percent of the marketplace. And if we only limited ourselves to 15 percent of the marketplace we wouldn’t be really good.”

Division I tennis boasts great players in every program. This year, the Mean Green is an excellent example of the amount of time and research that programs around the country put into getting the best possible players for their team.

For North Texas, it is not about where a player is from, it’s simply about their level of skill.

It’s just more often than not, the international players are the ones catching the coach’s eye.

“If you’re a great player,” Hammond said, “we’re knocking on your door.”

@mattbrune25

NTDAILY.COM

Conference-USA Roundup

By Clay Massey This week, Conference-USA is seeing conference play start to ramp up across all sports. Here’s what’s happening in C-USA. Western Kentucky University Men’s golf sophomore Billy Tom Sargent picked up his second straight top-five finish on Tuesday.

His finish at one-under par helped the Hilltoppers tie for seventh as a team.

University of Texas at San Antonio The Roadrunners faced a stout opponent in Arizona State University on the gridiron, Friday. The Sun Devils escaped with a 32-28 victory courtesy of a touchdown with just over three minutes to play.

University of Texas at El Paso Sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Palacios won her second C-USA Goalkeeper of the Week Award.

She’s the first Miner keeper since 2010 to win two weekly conference awards in one season.

University of Alabama at Birmingham The Blazers football program announced Tuesday that it will host its second annual Green and Gold game during homecoming week. The Blazers return to the gridiron in 2017.

University of Southern Mississippi Men’s golf just missed the podium at the Jim Rivers Intercollegiate.

Led by senior Ryan Argotsinger and junior Nathan Corchis who shot even, the Golden Eagles shot four over as a team.

Louisiana Tech University The Lady Techsters of soccer continued their hot road streak to knock Southern Miss off 3-0 to open conference play 1-0 and improve to 9-1-1 on the year. It was the first time LA Tech scored at Southern Miss.

Rice University The Owl’s women’s soccer team relinquished a lead against the Mean Green on Sunday to open C-USA play. Senior Jenny Fichera scored for the Owls, but senior Rachel Holden picked up a double for the Mean Green to hand the Owls a 2-1 loss.

Florida Atlantic University The Owls were dismantled by Kansas State on the road Saturday by a score of 63-7. The Wildcats led 42-0 at halftime, and the Owls didn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter.

Old Dominion University Fifteen-year coaching veteran Robert Carlisle was hired to coach the diving squad at ODU. Carlisle joins after a stint with the Ultimate Diving Team Junior Olympic Program.

Middle Tennessee State University The Blue Raiders picked up a massive 42-21 victory over Bowling Green University in week three of the football season. The Raiders open conference play against Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

Marshall University The Thundering Herd face a big test on Saturday in the form of No. 3 in football, Louisville University.

Louisville is led in by Heisman frontrunner sophomore Lamar Jackson.

Kickoff is at 8 p.m.

Florida International University Members of the FIU football team visited Baptist Hospital on Monday. Isaiah Brown, Isaiah Hill, Chris Flaig, Anthony Johnson, Deion Eakins, Jean Estinor, Davison Colimon and Neal Mars went roomto-room visiting with children and spending time.

University of North Carolina at Charlotte It had to happen eventually, but the Niners men’s soccer team was finally downed. The University of North Carolina at Wilmington downed the Niners 2-0 at home Tuesday. The Niners drop to 4-1-0.

@Clay_FC

True freshman taking the reins as quarterback UPCOMING GAMES Thursday •Soccer vs. Marshall (Home) – 7 p.m.

Friday •Volleyball vs. Southern Miss (Home) – 7 p.m.

•Swimming vs. TCU, UTPB (Home) – 2 p.m.

Saturday •Football vs. Rice (Away) – 5 p.m.

Sunday •Soccer vs. Louisiana Tech (Home) – 1 p.m.

• Volleyball vs. Florida International (Home) – 1 p.m.

MEAN GREEN QUICK HITS Football The Mean Green football team gained only 53 yards of total offense this past Saturday against Florida. The offense also surrendered seven sacks in the 32-0 loss.

Soccer North Texas soccer got a win to open Conference USA play on Sunday, defeating Rice 2-1.

Cross Country Sophomore Susannah Lynch became the first person in North Texas cross country history to finish first at the Ken Garland Invitational.

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Mason Fine poses for a photo after a brutal practice after the loss to Florida. Fine is the starting quarterback for the Mean Green football team and will be starting against Rice xSaturday. Colin Mitchell

QB CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 So Hennessy made a phone call to his longtime friend, who was now roughly four hours south in Denton.

The two met when Littrell was a hardnosed fullback playing at Muskogee High School, and Hennessey was on the opposing sideline as a coach.

Hennessey knew he could help two friends at once just by picking up the phone.

“I’ve known Seth forever,” Hennessey said. “As soon as he got the [North Texas job] I called him.

I told him, ‘I’ve got a kid you have to look at.’ We watched every play of every game on film and he said,

“

“He is a 4.0 student and understands the system..”

‘why has nobody offered him?’ I told him because Mason was 5’11.”

Now, Fine is the starting quarterback at North Texas, and his high school coach was able to watch his first collegiate start.

It was a special moment for the two who talk almost daily.

“It meant a lot for him to see that,” Fine said. “We kind of started it together at Locust Grove and built a really good program down there.

When not a lot of people believed in me, he stood there and believed in me.

Sometimes he has more confidence in me than I do in myself.”

Fine made his coaches confident in him by throwing for 13,081 yards in high school -- the eighth most yards in high school football history. He added 166 touchdowns, good for fifth in high school football history.

But his sparkling resume was diminished by his size. Fine checks in at just 5’11, 170 pounds.

His hard work is what set him apart.

“I thought it would be really cool to be on TV playing football,” Fine said. “I set my mind to it and my dad asked me if it was something I really wanted to do.”

The dream was in motion once Fine and his father started attending camps. Fine never had a quarterback coach growing up. Instead, his father acted as one to the best of his ability,

and was adamant on teaching his son the proper way to play the game.

“We started going to camps and I tried soak in everything,” Fine said. “My dad would go back and write down what they taught me. My parents didn’t play high school sports, so this was their first go around. There were some nights when I would come in the house crying because I wanted to have fun throwing the football but he would make me stick to the fundamentals. It’s a great feeling once you accomplish that dream.”

Fine came to North Texas, in his mind, to compete for the starting job, which he has now won.

However, just three short weeks ago, it looked as though Fine may be redshirted.

In the fourth quarter of the Mean Green’s season opener against Southern Methodist University, Littrell put Fine under center, and he’s been there ever since. He led the only scoring drive of the second half.

Littrell has called Fine a special player, and knows he needs playing time to reach his full potential.

“He’s just got it,” Littrell said of Fine. “He doesn’t get rattled and is extremely smart. He is a 4.0 student and understands the system. He has that presence about him. Guys look to him and follow him.”

It’s nothing new for Fine to be praised on his presence when he is

on the field. Hennessey said one of the most impressive things about the youngster are his intangibles.

“He’s one of the biggest competitors I’ve ever been around,” Hennessy said. “He’ll stand in there and take a hit.”

In a day and age where quarterbacks are protected in games and wear red jerseys in practice to avoid getting hit, Fine does not fit that mold. This past Saturday against the University of Florida, Fine was sacked seven times, but continued to get up.

Fine is not one to shy away from contact.

“He got mad in practice when he was running scout team in practice,” Hennessy said. “He went and tried to

run over one of our linebackers to get a first down. That’s just the kind of kid he is.”

Even though Fine is the first true freshman to start at quarterback for North Texas since Giovanni Vizza in 2007, Fine is confident navigating the offense. On a team that used three different quarterbacks last year, Fine presents a solution to the recent quarterback woes and represents the future of the Mean Green.

“North Texas has all the tools to turn around a program,” Fine said.

“Now you just [have] to put it in plan and go with it. Things are going better than I thought they ever could.”

@Clay_FC

Mason Fine, starting quarterback for the Mean Green, (6), fights off defenders from Bethune-Cookman Sept. 10 at Apogee Stadium. Colin Mitchell

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 7

New Mean Green women’s golf coach Michael Akers Tomas Gonzalez

New women’s golf coach injecting life into program Michael Akers to unlock each player’s potential

By Austin Jackson Four months after leading Texas State University to a Sun Belt Conference championship and its sixth NCAA tournament appearance, Michael Akers, the newly hired North Texas women’s golf coach, sits in a cluttered office in the Olympic Sports Complex plotting the progress of the No. 198 ranked Mean Green.

Akers’ objective: improve the

“

“We’re developing this group further than they’ve been.”

team 100 spots in the national rankings by the end of the season.

“I have the results from last year on the whiteboard in my office that I look at to know this is where I was, and obviously up here is where I want to get to,” Akers said. “I can’t jump from here to here. It’s going to be a lot of steps, but I really think we can jump 100 spots in the national rankings.”

After one season at Texas State, Akers helped the Bobcats leap from 148th to 48th, and by the end of the 2007 season, amassed six top-five finishes, a Southland Conference Championship and the school’s first appearance in the NCAA tournament.

“Part of my personality is the underdog story,” Akers said. “At Texas State, we were able to beat Texas, Texas A&M, everybody in the Big 12 — that really drives me, and this will be the Cinderella as well.”

Akers’ journey through golf began when his dad gave him a cutdown club at 3-years-old. Since then, he’s been obsessed with the

game. After playing collegiately at Fort Hays State University, he was faced with the reality of not being able to play on the PGA Tour. Instead of quitting, he began a career as a club professional teaching the game.

From 1995-2002, Akers served as head PGA professional at Hays’ Smoky Hill Country Club, and in 2001, co-authored and produced an instructional CD titled “Build Your Perfect Swing.”

But in 2005, Akers returned to college golf, this time as an assistant coach at the University of Central Florida, where he said he learned an important lesson.

“I felt as a golf pro, I got too wrapped up in the perfect swing and lost sight of getting the ball in the hole,” Akers said. “Now as a coach, that’s all that matters. It’s the score you put on the card and there [are] many different ways to do it.”

After one year as an assistant to both the men’s and women’s teams at UCF, Akers began his 10-year stint at Texas State.

And in May, former athletic

director Rick Villarreal announced North Texas hired Akers as the full-time women’s golf coach.

“We believe that he brings a lot of golf expertise as well as great recruiting,” Villarreal said at the time of the hire. “We are excited about the team he can put together to emulate our men’s golf program.”

Junior golfer Nyca Khaw said Akers is already making an impact on the team.

Through one tournament, the Mean Green has improved its average by one stroke — a statistic Khaw attributes to Akers’ guidance on the course.

“We just came back from Lubbock, and he helped me a lot,” Khaw said. “Like the way he walks with us from hole to hole to make sure we know what we’re doing and we know where to aim.

He means a lot to the team.”

Although Akers has only been in Denton four months, he said the difference between working at Texas State and North Texas is night and day.

“At Texas State, I had to build all the resources and fund all the travel,” he said. “But here, everything is lined up. It’s just a matter of recruiting and developing.”

Akers’ personal strategy is not to interfere with players’ swings, since most college golfers have their own swing coaches. But with the current squad he has, Akers won’t shy away from lending his insight.

“With this group, I’m jumping right in there,” he said. “We’re developing this group and we can take this group further than they’ve been. There’s been a lot more development than I’ve been doing in the recent past.”

Akers, however, isn’t just getting involved in the physical aspects of the game – he’s also focusing on the mental side. For him, the two go hand-in-hand.

Since the Mean Green have finished last in their past four tournaments, Akers is focused on building player confidence. To do so, he and men’s golf coach Brad Stracke have added a sports

psychologist to the golf program in hopes of unlocking each player’s potential.

Akers said he’s been talking to the team about the goal of winning the Conference USA championship and has even started a group text where he shares motivational messages from time to time.

All things he believes will help turn the program around.

“You can’t win unless you believe you can and you set that goal,” Akers said. “It’s all about programming your brain for success.”

As his first season gets in full swing, Akers is excited to embrace the challenge at North Texas and eagerly awaits what the future holds.

“I pinch myself every day that I have this opportunity,” Akers said.

“I’m in a department that operates at Division I. It’s mind boggling, the support. I’m just thrilled to be here.”

@a_jack17

Leg shaving and beef jerky: North Texas athletes’ superstitions The many odd, yet typical rituals performed to achieve success

By Matt Brune Late in the second quarter of North Texas’ game against Bethune-Cookman University, freshman quarterback Mason Fine dropped back on third down and surveyed the field.

With no options open, Fine darted up the middle and quickly realized he had a decision to make: slide and avoid the safety, or lower his shoulder.

All 170 pounds of him opted for the latter, as Fine levied the boom and picked up 25 yards.

And he could not have done it without beef jerky.

“I always keep a bag of beef jerky [with me before games],” Fine said. “I started that when I was a freshman in highschool, and I’m not going to stop. That’s just one superstition that I have.”

Rituals, routines and lucky items are common in every sport. When the football team runs onto the field, about half of the guys drop to a knee and say a quick prayer before heading to the sidelines.

One of the football players with a unique routine is junior running back Jeffrey Wilson, who got this idea from his father.

“Before every game, I walk to each goal post,” Wilson said. “I pray at the first one, then I stop in the middle of the field and pray again, then I go to the other goal

post and say my last prayer there.

When I get back to the eagle, I look at both end zones and tell them that I’ll be back.”

From a meal to a nap, most players have something that gets them mentally prepared for a game. For Mean Green volleyball, it’s as simple as jamming out to their favorite tunes.

“We usually listen to music and dance in the locker room,” junior middle blocker Amanda Chamberlain said. “Everybody’s dancing and having fun, and we just get our minds off of the game; so when we come out, it’s time to focus.”

The volleyball team is a cohesive unit, and its relationships off the court help. However, the team is a little peculiar as far as pregame rituals are concerned.

Junior outside hitter Alexis Wright wakes up hours earlier than usual on game days and usually eats grilled chicken, not fried. Chamberlain prays before coming out of the locker room.

But senior setter Amy Henard may have the oddest routine of them all.

“This is really weird,” Henard said. “But, I shave my legs the night before [a game]. It’s a superstition that I have.”

Some teams on campus have more ordinary rituals, though,

like North Texas soccer. In the few moments leading up to a game, the players take the time to focus and prepare as a team.

“We always pray before a game,” senior midfielder Anna Flobeck said. “We always [get into] a circle on the field and hold hands, then we like to sing the fight song before we break out.”

This team-first approach has worked for the girls and has helped with chemistry, which has generated success on the field.

Before the team even goes out for warm-ups, senior midfielder Marchelle Davis eagerly takes every superstitious opportunity available on game days “If we have a home game, my dad makes me breakfast,” Davis said. “It’s a wrap with eggs, bacon and potatoes. It’s delicious, and I eat two. Then, before games, I’m the last one to get dressed, and I wear the same color spandex and sports bra for games.”

On the defensive side of the field sits sophomore goalkeeper Brooke Bradley. She has been named Conference USA goalkeeper of the week twice this season and is always alert and reactive on the field.

A large part of that may be her

intriguing pregame habit.

“Once I get dressed and we all head into the meeting room, I put Pre-Workout in a water bottle,” Bradley said. “I drink it halfway through [Hedlund’s] pregame meeting, so by the end of the meeting my legs are shaking, and I’m pumped for the game.”

Players get creative with their routines and superstitions. They

go out of their way to make sure they give their team the best chance to be successful.

Music, prayer and food appear to be the most used habits by athletes at North Texas. There are several unseen and unheard superstitions that players have or do before games to psyche themselves up, and they all help.

At least, the players think they

do.

“I listen to gospel music to get myself to keep calm,” Wilson said. “A lot of guys have different [superstitions] on the team.”

@mattbrune25

North Texas sophomore goalkeeper Brooke Bradley drinks pre-workout before every game. She says it helps her get focused on soccer and only soccer. Dylan Nadwodny

OPINION Page 8

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

Higher education isn’t meant for everyone The Editorial Board Many of us have been groomed by our families to be the next great step in their bloodlines. Some of us came from blue collar units, primped during our entire youths to be the family’s biggest success story.

Others may be the first in their families to even go to college.

Then there are the students who applied to universities precisely

because their parents told them to.

This notion that we must go to college neglects the people among us who simply do not, can not or will not want to pursue college after high school. We don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

While anyone reading this is

likely a student or educator who believes college is a blessing, there are plenty of people afoot lacking a real desire for a college degree. Although there are many advantages with academia, there are also many strings attached.

Remaking movies can be a wonderful thing

By Preston Mitchell One of the most common controversies in movie discussions has to do with Hollywood remaking classic films. Whether it’s a film from someone’s childhood or a gem they recently discovered, some of my friends can be overly protective of certain movies. Thanks to the upcoming “Magnificent Seven” re-imagining, I’m hearing those criticisms once more.

In a sense, I understand the disgruntlement. As a movie junkie, I have my own favorites that I hold as sacred. Like every other art form, those special films play big roles in creating our tastes and personalities. Nonetheless, it’s our duty as consumers to ensure that every art form can evolve with time. Because when remakes are done well, they can be a wonderful thing.

For starters, Hollywood has recycled ideas since synchronized sound killed the silent age in 1927.

Due to these audio innovations, cinematic musicals took shape. By doing so, MGM could transform 1925’s “Wizard of Oz” into a much more imaginative work of fantasy.

Hence, their 1939 iteration — the one we all know and love.

Some of the most popular movies ever made are remakes.

Clint Eastwood wouldn’t be so iconic without someone turning a brilliant Japanese samurai movie (“Yojimbo”) into a legendary Italian western (“A Fistful of Dollars”). As good as the 1932 “Scarface” is, the moments everybody remember are from the Al Pacino version. And while it’s easy to be livid about Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt leading a new “Magnificent Seven,” don’t forget that the original was another remake of a samurai adventure.

Now, I’m not saying every classic needs an update. Timeless films like “Casablanca,” “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Taxi Driver” cannot be outdone. Decent movies (or those that “missed the mark”) are perfectly conducive for a redo.

Look at “Ocean’s Eleven,” which took the premise of a bad rat pack caper, gave it an actual budget and became one of George Clooney’s biggest hits.

Another example is my favorite horror film of all time: 1982’s “The Thing.” It wouldn’t exist if an audacious John Carpenter (“Halloween”) hadn’t approached “The Thing from Another World,” thinking he could improve it. That cheesy ‘50s B-movie inspired his groundbreaking masterpiece of sci-fi terror, which still captivates to this day.

Lastly, the Coen brothers were bold enough to touch “True Grit,” the movie that won John Wayne

an Oscar. Truth be told, it’s a great movie that took numerous liberties with the original novel — something that the Coens had a legitimate gripe with. As such, their adaptation turned out to be a dark, enthralling and astonishing counterpart to its predecessor.

Honestly, it’s my preferred version of the story.

Be mindful next time you accuse Hollywood of being commerce in lieu of merit. Just like any artistic movement, equal amounts of good and bad are abundant in the remake world.

For lasting advice, don’t get so heated whenever classics receive the makeover treatment. Even if Jaden Smith and Taylor Lautner were cast in a hypothetical “Breakfast Club” revival, I’m staying calm. That movie could be absolute trash, but the old disc will remain on my shelf regardless.

I, for one, will always hope that stories can reach their fullest potential. I’m waiting to see what Ben Affleck’s “Witness for the Prosecution” looks like. I’m ready for that new “Mummy” movie to be the fright fest it always should’ve been. And as someone who likes Denzel, Chris Pratt and westerns in general, I’m willingly going to see “The Magnificent Seven” soon.

We’re living in exciting times right now, and entertainment is only doing what it does best.

@presto_mitch

The longer we attend school, the more we suffocate in loans and debt. The more we have to sacrifice our lives for the sole purpose of passing a course.

The more classes we skip just to study for other ones.

Not everyone can afford to embark on such an ambitious undertaking. Contrary to what elites or working class men often speculate, classism is alive and well. Think of the young people who have children of their own; they must put off college to work and buy food, housing and clothes so that one day, perhaps, that child can be that next great step. This issue is multiplied among parents raising kids with low wages and substandard living conditions.

Naturally, universities breed educators because the core essentials of academia attract prosperous students, hungry for knowledge.

Sure, we’re always going to need teachers and principals, but when those teachers-inthe-making can go to college and make “something out of themselves,” they’re often

systematically institutionalized — where many of these graduates enter teaching positions in underfunded, inner-city schools, only to be discouraged by what they find: a lack of administrative and civic support. This further undermines the value of teachers, forcing them to lose students.

Because of this, some kids grow up with the belief that wealth is unattainable, based on their lack of mentoring and opportunities, and vanish into the streets.

What hardly anyone in this society wants certain students to know is that it’s never too late to find an occupational purpose.

There are numerous high-paying professions that do not require college degrees whatsoever, and each one overflows with a beautiful credibility. For every educator, doctor or rocket scientist the world wants, it’s always going to need custodians, servers and mechanics. More importantly, those same doctors need assistance from radiation therapists and criminal investigators. Positions like

these simply demand a high school diploma.

Fundamentally, anyone can afford to live without getting a bachelor’s. It all depends on how students market themselves outside the classroom, and how many feet they can nest in proverbial doors. It’s not hard to do, so instead of teaching our children that obtaining degrees is a “must,” teach them that they’re capable. Teach them they should be making decisions for the betterment of their living— not their reputations.

While some parents confuse “reputations” with “resumes” far too often, there is a lot of respect skipping college for personal reasons. Higher education may not be meant for everyone, but in any case, we all have the possibility to make something out of ourselves.

It’s time we encourage our young students to love education. And going to college, taking exams and studying all night is not the only way to live a life of education.

It’s time we took a stand against memes

By Morgan Sullivan Whether they’re about “Sesame Street” or the Cincinnati Zoo, memes have begun to overpower all pop culture references in a weird, avant-garde way. What was created as enrichment for people’s lives was suddenly overtaken by poor grammar and raunchy implications.

It began as funny pictures accompanied by a distinct Impact typeface and transformed into whirlwinds of discourse the internet wasn’t ready for. Memes no longer even make sense.

They’re not jokes anymore, often just silly visuals or phrases used in different contexts. Memes are ways of communicating. They’re changing the very fabric of our society, and in a horrific yet beautiful way, they’re constantly being created and destroyed.

Nothing is safe from memes.

In this ultra-creative, everevolving technological society we live in, anything on the web

is subject to instant subversion.

Political statements are taken out of context and further disassociate any policy from online shenanigans. It’s hard enough to take Donald Trump seriously when memes blur the line between fact and fiction.

When your political news is coming in the form of memes and internet slander, maintaining a well-informed voting class is nearly impossible.

Perhaps what’s most concerning about memes is their sheer power to overwhelm the popularity of the subject they’re based on. In a new crop of “Arthur” memes, many ‘90s kids were reminded of a TV show they’d long forgotten.

Kermit the Frog experienced a resurgence in his tea-sipping image that vastly overshadowed his “Muppet” stardom.

The Cincinnati Zoo probably wishes it never received Harambe, as his popularity continues to surge online months after his death. The zoo cannot post anything online without getting bombarded by comments asking why Harambe was shot.

These memes have effectively ruined the zoo’s online presence.

The internet allows for memes to be continually constructed, making a hyper-stressful environment for people seeking them out. There’s a strange sense of urgency in finding new

memes. If you’re late to the party, or your friends found a meme before you did, it can ruin any credibility you have. This kind of pressure is ridiculously intense. People have jobs and school, but the pressure to keep up with memes is ever-pressing.

On top of that, nothing appears tobe respected anymore. There’s no line drawn between what’s acceptable to meme up and what isn’t. Childhood memories of television are destroyed.

Genuine comedies like “Shrek” are made into ironic punching bags. Entire species of animals become the butt-ends of jokes they don’t even understand.

If no one stands up against memes, they can only get worse. There comes a time when kindhearted citizens must recognize the tyranny of forum culture and nip it in the bud before it’s too late. Otherwise, the very societal foundations we rely on will crumble beneath our keyboards.

We must prepare for the day in which memes are used as communal warfare. They are radical, and they’re not going to be silenced easily.

@sadsquadch