North Texas Daily - The Campus Chat Retrofit - 09/29/2016

THE CAMPUS CHAT A Special Edition of the North Texas Daily

VOL. 108 No. 5

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Students wonder: is Denton safe?

Black lives matter Athletes kneel during anthem while students silently protest outside library

After September violence, students buckle down

By Bina Perino and Courtney Anderson

By Julia Falcon The violent crime spree Denton experienced in September has left many students shaken.

The body of Texas Woman’s University student Jacqueline Vandagriff, 24, was found burned and dismembered midSeptember after the alleged killer was confirmed to have stalked other women, at least one from UNT. UNT police reported weeks before that a drug deal gone bad resulted in one student being robbed at gunpoint on campus. Also in December, somebody shot out the rear windows of a Denton Police squad car.

With all of the recent tragedies and crimes, students and locals indicated in a Twitter poll that they either felt the same amount of safety, felt less safe about the situation, or did not know exactly what was even happening. Just over half of people who took the poll said they don’t feel as safe.

Students in lecture halls across campus say this kind of crime is expected at the University of Texas in Austin, but not here, where UNT boasts Denton as a safe community for students.

Sawyer Lawrence, a political science junior, said he won’t travel alone around campus anymore.

“I was really shocked to hear about the dismemberment because I’m from a place

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Students at UNT have stepped up their activism in recent weeks in response to the racial tension of the presidential election and the shooting death of unarmed black men across the nation.

Over the weekend, five North Texas volleyball players kneeled during the national anthem. They were following the lead of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who protested the treatment of black people by not participating in the national anthem during pre-game ceremonies.

This past week, students staged a silent protest on the walls of Willis Library.

Taking a stand Sociology senior Jazmine McGill woke up disturbed last week by the deaths of Keith Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

McGill took her grief to campus with markers and poster boards to initiate dialog around the issue.

“I did it because several traumatic events occurred in the black community in the span of 48 hours and this is the second time that’s happened in about four months, on a scale where most black people are impacted,” McGill said.

Keith Scott was shot after officers found him with a handgun and mistook him for a suspect they were after. Officers said Scott failed to drop his gun and he posed a threat to them. Terence Crutcher, on the other hand, encountered officer Betty Shelby and walked away from her with his hands in

SEE SAFETY ON PAGE 2

Robots are teaching students at UNT Frisco

SEE ACTIVISM ON PAGE 7

Dallas joins U.S. in march against police brutality

By Steven Payne

By Sarah Young

The UNT Frisco campus has introduced a new method of classroom interaction to its campus — robots.

Three robots were introduced to the campus shortly after its opening in January 2016. Now, they’re being put to use.

“The main purpose of these robots is to help the students,” UNT Frisco assistant director Shauna Barbato said.

“If you have a student that cannot make it out here to Frisco, then we would give them a link to remote in and actually attend class and be able to talk back and forth with the instructor.”

The robots can also be used by students who are members of the Armed Forces that have been deployed during the semester, allowing them the chance to complete classwork even when overseas. They are also available for staff who are unable to attend meetings on campus, or for people out of state who wish to tour the campus.

“The majority of the use right now is when we’ve had some corporate meetings out here or UNT meetings where someone couldn’t make it to the campus,” Barbato said. “They remote in and attend the meeting that way.”

So far, the robots have not been used often. Since the campus wants to make sure the robots run smoothly and are free of any kinks, many students don’t know this technology is even available

More than 100 protesters marched through Dallas streets this past week, proclaiming enough is enough.

The Next Generation Action Network began the protest in Main Street Garden Park in Dallas, standing in solidarity with protests over recent police shootings of unarmed black men in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

It was one of dozens of protests around the nation. Just three months after five Dallas police officers were killed while working an anti-violence protest, the police again came to this protest. At one point, the police presence swelled, and officers arrived on scene with shields and other protective gear.

A tense standoff ended in nothing more than a conversation between authorities and protesters.

“This is a rally for love and peace,” said Robert Morris, executive director for the NGAN. “This is an anti-murdering of black men in America rally. This is an anti-violence rally for America.”

Though not officially associated with any chapters of Black Lives Matter, there was vocal support of the Black Lives Matter movement from both protesters and speakers.

“Everyone has to be involved in order to have justice,” Morris said. “Before we can have all lives mattering, black lives must first matter, and it’s going to take everyone to prove that black lives matter.”

SEE PROTEST ON PAGE 3

SEE ROBOTS ON PAGE 6

IN THIS ISSUE NEWS

Parking Spaces Removed To Make Way For Three Frat Houses pg 3 Readers online were not pleased with a plan to take away parking spaces to build three fraternity houses.

ARTS & LIFE

For Broke Students, An Alternative To Oaktopia Music Festival pg 5 Over the weekend, hundreds of locals and students poured into houses to participate in “Broketopia.”

SPORTS

Reunited At The Net pg 8 Teammates BrynCaitlin Walker and Karley York played volleyball together in high school. And now, they are playing for the Mean Green.

OPINION

Learn How To Tip! pg 9 Columnist Victoria Baghaei explains why and how people should tip wait staff at coffee bars and restaurants. See what you may be doing wrong.

NEWS Page 2

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD HIV in young, gay Chinese men on the rise Authorities in southeast China reported that HIV infections among gay Chinese men are increasingly rapidly, according to U.S. and foreign news outlets reporting from Beijing.

Over the past five years, the infection rate has grown 43 percent.

Most of those cases resulted from men having sex with men, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The number of people infected with HIV in the United States more than doubles that number in China, 1.2 million to 575,000. That is partially because the U.S. has a more open dialogue about HIV and gay rights overall.

Two Afghan soldiers kill 12 fellow soldiers

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Students worry about campus safety SAFETY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 of not a lot of violence, and this area usually isn’t very violent either,” Lawrence said. “It was scary, especially that it was a student from TWU. I will try to travel in groups more often now.”

Vandagriff was last seen at Shots and Crafts, a bar on Fry Street. In December, Ryan McMillan, a UNT student, was shot and killed by a UNT police officer just off Fry Street. It is

believed he was celebrating his 21st birthday there, leading him to become highly intoxicated, causing him to act violently and ultimately contribute to his death, authorities allege.

Advertising junior Ryan McConnell said this has changed his perspective, as he will be turning 21 soon.

“I was eating dinner with my mom and she told me about it, she told me she wants me to be careful on Fry Street,” McConnell said. “I was shocked because it is terrifying. I have

a friend who is a bartender at Shots and Crafts, too, which makes it weirder. Now that I’m gonna be on Fry Street more, I have the idea I need to be safe and I’ll be safer.”

The body of Vandagriff was found at a park in Grapevine, where marketing junior Velanie Vargas’ boyfriend works. He was the first to break the news to her, she said.

“I was like, oh my god, when I found out she went to TWU. I was shocked because it was close, then I found out the guy

The Afghanistan Defense Ministry reported two Afghan soldiers killed 12 other soldiers at a base outside Kunduz, in northeast Afghanistan.

Afghani authorities said the soldiers then defected to the Taliban.

And the Taliban took credit for the attack, according to authorities cited in news reports.

Multiple outlets reported the region is seeing a record in police killings even though the United States has increased its airstrikes there.

Congress overrides Obama’s Saudia Arabia lawsuit veto Congress voted Wednesday to override President Obama’s veto of a bill, called the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, that would allow family members of 9/11 victims to sue the Saudi Arabian government.

It was the first time in Obama’s presidency that a veto was overruled

by Congress. The Senate first voted 97-1. The House followed, voting 338-74. White House officials labeled the vote “embarrassing.”

The new bill amends a law from 1976 that had protected other countries from lawsuits filed by Americans. Now, the bill enables Americans to sue anybody in the Saudi government who they think played some kind of role in the 9/11 terror attacks.

600 more troops to Iraq to aid in Mosul operations United States officials said Wednesday that President Obama has approved a plan to send 600 more troops to Mosul, Iraq, to take back the city from Islamic State, increasing the U.S. troop count in Iraq to 5,000 according to The New York Times.

The government followed a familiar path with the announcement, saying the additional troops will be deployed only to assist Iraqi and Kurdish forces in their fight against Islamic State, which has taken credit for terror attacks throughout the West.

Elementary school shooting in South Carolina leaves 3 injured News media in South Carolina reported Wednesday that two students and one teacher had been shot and wounded by a teenage suspect who was in police custody, according to WYFF News 4.

The shooting is believed to be linked to a man’s death three miles away from the school, WYFF reported. It was later reported by The Associated Press the man was the shooter’s father.

Shimom Peres, who worked for peace between Israel and Palestine, dead at 93 A former president and prime minister of Israel who shared a Nobel Prize for a peace deal between Israel and Palestine was reported dead this week. Shimom Peres was 93, and suffered a massive stroke two weeks ago, according to CNN.

CORRECTIONS A photo that ran with a story titled, “UNT offers to transfer in students following ITT Tech shutdown,” which ran Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016, contained information in a cutline that was incorrect. It read “ITT Tech students lined up in Union.” But the people in the photo were not ITT Tech students. The subjects were standing in line for Chick-Fil-A. The Daily regrets the error.

A woman was incorrectly identified in a story, titled, “Exploring city council: The six most powerful positions in Denton County, explained,” which ran Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016. It was written that Annetta Ramsay is Denton’s city attorney.

That is false. Denton’s city attorney is Anita Burgess. The Daily regrets the error.

was arrested here for stalking and trespassing,” Vargas said.

“It made me more worried. I’m always vigilant when I go out but this definitely reinforced it.”

For students at TWU, the tragedy hits closer to home and keeps them on their toes. TWU sociology sophomore Molley Lisner said her first reaction to the news was fear.

“I don’t think I ever got scared to be on campus, just because I know that the girl wasn’t on campus when she was killed, but having a connection like that makes you quickly think, this could so easily happen to me,” Lisner said.

“I am always a little nervous to be around Denton at night honestly, but I think when those things happen around here, it does make you keep an eye out more. It is very sad because it makes you not want to trust anyone. I read her story and although she did some silly things in my opinion, I no longer want to meet any nice strangers because the first thing I think about is, they could kill me.”

@falconjulia22 Three students talk outside of Sycamore Hall. File Photo

A clash of two personalities, the first presidential debate

By Julia Falcon Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton went head-tohead in their first of four presidential debates Monday night at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.

The multi-billionaire and the former secretary of state debated about creating jobs, fixing the economy, taxes, and fighting Islamic State. The 90-minute debate was moderated by Lester Holt, who interrupted the candidates 10 times, while Clinton interrupted 11 times and Trump 55 times.

“I have a feeling that by the end of this evening, I’m going to be blamed for everything that’s ever happened,” Clinton said.

“Why not?”

Trump responded.

Trump said he wants to create jobs, reduce taxes, and criticized NAFTA, which was approved by Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton. Clinton, who wants to increase taxes for the wealthy and make higher education debt-free, called the plan “Trumped down economics.”

Trump has continuously made it a point to have Clinton release her infamous emails, Clinton continuously apologized and told Trump to release his tax returns, saying they are important for the public to know about.

“Typical politician. All talk, no action. Sounds good, doesn’t work. Never going to happen,” Trump said about his opponent’s words. “Our country is suffering because people like Secretary Clinton have made such bad decisions

in terms of our jobs and in terms of what’s going on.”

Gun control was another heated topic between the two.

Trump said he wants “law and order” in the inner cities, where African Americans and Hispanics are most affected by current gun laws.

Endorsed by the NRA and various police organizations, Trump said murders are up, whereas Clinton said they are not and that she wants to see communities come together to learn about effective tactics to combat violence in the streets.

“I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate,” Clinton said.

“And, yes, I did. And you know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be president. And I think that’s a good thing.”

Clinton also turned her website into a fact-checking

engine after Trump claimed he did not support the invasion in Iraq. Her website said “during last night’s debate, Donald Trump tried to run away from what he’s said — and done. Don’t let him.”

“I did not support the war in Iraq,” Trump said.

“That is a mainstream media nonsense put out by her, because frankly, I think the best person in her campaign is the mainstream media.”

On the subject of securing America, Clinton said that a man who can be provoked by a single tweet should not have access to the nuclear codes. Trump said line was getting old.

Trump has said that he doesn’t think Clinton has the look for the presidency, but he corrected and said it was stamina she lacked.

“Hillary has experience,

but it’s bad experience,” Trump said. “We have made so many bad deals during the last — so she’s got experience, that I agree.”

Clinton followed up with the accusations that Trump has called former Miss Universe a handful of names, and has said that pregnancy is an inconvenience to employers.

“This election’s really up to you,” Clinton said. “So I sure hope you will get out and vote as though your future depended on it, because I think it does.”

The next debate, between the vice presidential candidates, will be on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

@falconjulia22

Donald Trump, right, debated Hillary Clinton Monday night for the first presidential debate of 2016.

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Thousands flocked to Munich to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Theresa of Saxony.

#Debates

The nation - and many abroad tuned in to the presidential debates to see Clinton take on Trump. See our coverage inside (and above).

#TexasStateFair

The month-long State Fair of Texas kicks off this weekend. Thousands will flock to Fair Park in Dallas for fried food, football and fun.

#ColonizeMars

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told investors this week of his plan to send people to Mars, a plan the press called “ambitious.”

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Dallas joins U.S. in march against police brutality PROTEST CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Demonstrators vocalized their opinions and suppor t of the protest against police br utality. Jayme Ali, pastor of God of All Tr uth Church in Minneapolis, and an involved member of the Black Lives Matter movement, said she strongly believes in the impor tance of attending such protests.

“We are out here to continue to pave the way, like Mar tin Luther King [Jr],” Ali said. “That inequality, the injustices, the outright slaughtering and murdering of our black men and women at the hands of these militarized police ter rorists depar tments across the world, it’s got to stop.”

Protester and U.S. Navy Veteran, Al Woolum, agreed.

“As a veteran who saw combat in Vietnam, you know, I believe it’s impor tant to suppor t those who have been disenfranchised from our constitutional rights,” Woolum said. “Ever since the American Revolution, blacks have fought to suppor t America and what it stands for, but America hasn’t reciprocated by giving them their freedom and their rights and their privileges like ever ybody else has.”

The protest began with speeches made by social justice activists, including Dominique Alexander, the president and founder of NGA N, who sur prised the crowd with his attendance after his recent release from jail.

Protesters marched down Commerce Street, chanting phrases such as “Whose Streets? Our streets!” and “Hands up, don’t shoot!”

The march ended when protesters and police met at the corner of Main street and Saint Paul street, where the police were waiting.

As they retur ned to the park, protesters began chanting the names of black police shooting victims, including Terence Cr utcher of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Keith Scott of Charlotte, Nor th Carolina.

Over a dozen officers met the protesters at the park with riot shields and collaborated with protest organizers to urge par ticipants out of the

Const r uction of th ree new f rater n it y houses wh ich bega n Sept. 5 mea ns more housing for U N T’s G reek Life, but it a lso mea ns fewer on- ca mpus pa rk ing spaces.

More tha n ha lf of pa rk ing lot 4 0 is being removed to ma ke way for the new f rater n it y houses, System La ndscape A rch itect Traci Jones sa id.

T he const r uction is expected to cause delays to road a nd foot t ra ff ic.

Off icia ls in cha rge of the project expect to complete it by ea rly November. It will cost about $2 m illion. A f ter the project is complete, pa rk ing will ret u r n to the nor th end of the lot.

“T h is project is the g rading, d ra in ing a nd utilit y work for the f ut u re houses,” Jones sa id. “T h is project itself is not for building [the] houses.”

A f ter completing th is phase of the project, pla ns will prepa re the two neighbor ing lots for f rater n it y housing, Dea n

of St udents Mau reen McGuin ness sa id.

T h is project follows the cu r rent U N T master pla n to expa nd G reek Life’s foot pr int on the ca mpus. McGuin ness sa id the enti re lot will event ua lly be conver ted into G reek housing.

Because a ll soror ities on ca mpus have houses the cu r rent pla n is to build more f rater n it y houses, McGuin ness sa id.

Victor A rguet a, a biology f resh ma n a nd Ph i Ga m ma Delt a member, feels that G reek Life is impor t a nt a nd needs the expa nsion.

“Some f rater n ities don’t have houses, so I feel li ke they should get a cha nce to have one,” A rguet a sa id.

“T here’s so much other pa rk ing [on ca mpus], a nd U N T could a lways build more spots in the f ut u re.”

A lthough G reek housing provides residence oppor t un ities for those in f rater n ities a nd soror ities, st udents such as Jacob Cor tez, a violin per for ma nce a nd music education sen ior,

Several hundred people listened to civil rights leaders and activists speak at a solidarity protest at Main Street Garden Park in Dallas.

Next Generation Action Network hosted a peaceful protest against police brutality in Dallas, Sept. 22. Photos by Ranjani Groth

UNT parking lot 40 being razed to make way for three frat houses

By Evan Groom

streets and back on the sidewalk and into the park.

Kim Cole, attor ney for the Next Generation Action Network, was equipped with a megaphone to urge protesters out of the street.

“Don’t become a hashtag,” she called to the protesters.

“Get back in the park. Don’t become a hashtag.”

feel that pa rk ing should ta ke a pr ior it y because it a ffects a wider ra nge of st udents.

“It sounds li ke they need to get thei r pr ior ities st ra ight,” Cor tez sa id. “T here’s more people that d r ive to school to get thei r education tha n there a re people interested in get ting into f rater n ities a nd soror ities.”

T he const r uction begins as the ca mpus adjusts to a new U N T pa rk ing system.

Despite the new eagle pass prog ra m expa nding the number of lots st udents ca n pa rk, some st udents repor t having diff iculties f inding a n open spot.

“It’s f i rst come f i rst ser ve,” biochem ist r y f resh ma n P r incess Ber na rdino sa id.

“I’m a n off ca mpus st udent, so I have to leave a n hou r a nd a ha lf ea rly to f ind a spot because most of the lots a re crowded.”

@groom_evan

Writing lab tutors ready to help Kerr and West hall residents

By Chase Silvers The Writing Lab started a new program this semester to bring tutors to Kerr and West halls, making help more readily available for students struggling to finish essays, research papers and other projects.

Tutors will be available in designated areas from 7 to 9 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday nights at the dorms.

Dr. Lisa Jackson, the director of the writing lab, said her department is trying to make things easier for students.

“It’s important to put the help where the students are looking for it,” Jackson said.

Last year, the Writing Lab had tutors visit Willis Library.

Jackson said tutors helped about 900 students. She said the university aids students through its one-stop shopping for services located in Sage Hall, where the Writing Lab, Office of Disability Accommodations and the Learning Center are located.

The Writing Lab and the

Learning Center are working together to service students wherever they are. Many students are either unaware of the lab’s services, or they live across campus and don’t have the time to get over to Sage Hall during business hours.

This is part of the reason the Writing Lab decided to offer tutors in the dorms.

Tutors plan to create an environment where they can

A student studies in the library. File photo

offer constructive criticism and focus on improving writing skills, Jackson said.

Nicole Neece, a writing tutor, said she is ready to critique her clients’ work to help them make the best grade that they can.

For more information, visit the Writing Lab’s website: https://writinglab.unt.edu/

ARTS & LIFE Page 4

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

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Oaktopia atmosphere mixes traditional festival style with comfort

By Victoria Monteros

Music festivals are not always seen in every small town. For Denton, they are a necessity.

As with every artsy event, attendees were able to play by their own rules in many ways. Clothing, hair and everything between was fair game. You could go to a show with your dog or get tipsy with a group of friends. You could spend the weekend checking out the free shows or fighting your way through the pit at one of the headliner’s performances. And that’s what makes Oaktopia.

Flexibility and variety are some of the festival’s strongest points.

Although it’s about the music, Oaktopia provided activities and events between performances that people could enjoy.

A majority of bands played at night, which allowed for students to complete their school day without missing classes.

There was pretty much a full day of activities each day. If a show was not happening, Shoptopia allowed locals to sell merchandise for festival attendees.

If you had a break between two sets, Lucky Lock’s Beauty Bar provided the festival with hair and makeup while the

Conner Beene. “Ten years from now, they will have even bigger names performing, like Beyoncé.”

Many venues opened their doors and provided spaces for bands to play. This kind of functionality helped keep the Square under control, and allowed for businesses and residents who are not participating to continue their routine without losing money or having things get out of hand.

Attendees were able to get both the traditional, outdoor aspect of a music festival as well as the comfort and houseparty feeling of an indoor performance.

Even catching a glimpse of the controlled chaos of a backstage performance area had its own energy.

People running around franticly with walkie-talkies strapped to their hip, Timothy Walker and a friend juggle on Friday at Oaktopia in front of the UNT stage. People gathered in front of the stage in preparation instruments carefully toted from place to for Wavves to perform. Hannah Breland place. It was a show all on its own.

“We came out all the way from San Traveling Grooming Parlor and Beard be playing within close range of one Emporium had tattoo chairs open for another, creating a flood of sound. The Marcos,” attendee David Russell said. those who were wanting to get inked to bass would get so intense, the glass of the “We think the atmosphere is perfect, the people are extremely nice. It’s not too remember the weekend. surrounding buildings shook.

When bands were playing, however, it “Oaktopia is getting huge,” said crowded and the music is awesome.” was showtime. Many times, bands would converged broadcast media senior @ToriLaSuper

Norah Jones comes back to Denton to headline Friday night at Oaktopia, says she’s glad to be back in town

By Kyle Martin After the sun went down Friday, Oaktopians were eager for the night’s UNT stage headliner Norah Jones.

Jones played in front of several hundred festival goers who were delighted to see the UNT alumna back in the Lone Star state. A world-renowned musician who has played with famous musicians like Duke Ellington, Wayne Shorter, Dolly Parton, Herbie Hancock and more, Jones has sold millions of albums worldwide with her first album in 2002, “Come Away With Me,” selling over 26 million copies alone. Before she began her rise to fame, she attended the University of North Texas, majoring in jazz piano.

A few days before her performance at Oaktopia, Jones was invited as a guest back to UNT to speak to an overloaded performance hall in the main music building about her brief time at the university and her career in music. At the event were members of the student government, music students, faculty, scholars playing hooky and President Neal Smatresk. Closing the panel, Smatresk awarded Jones a presidential medallion, the most prestigious award the president is authorized to give out.

At Oaktopia, the band ran through a few classics off of Jones’s first record, such as “Come Away With Me,” and a couple songs from some more recent

Norah Jones, an alumna of UNT, performs on Friday night. Hannah Breland records, like “Sinking Soon” off of Jones’s 2007 record “Not Too Late.” Jones also tested the crowd with some new songs that will be coming out on a new record. Her new record, titled “Day Breaks,” will be her sixth solo record and comes out in October.

They also played some country takes on some songs, including a cover of Gram Parson’s “Hickory Wind,” where two guest artists were invited onstage to sing along.

“I have a lot to say to you, but I don’t know how to say it,” Jones said onstage, addressing the crowd in a town that missed her.

When the band played “Come Away With Me,” music lovers relaxed, wrapped their arms around each other and enjoyed the smooth tune. It was at this

point, a point that happens often at any music festival, where people closed their eyes, savoring the escape from whatever was to come in the days or weeks ahead. The people in the crowd were happy to be exactly where they were.

“We do a lot of theater, sitdown shows so playing a show like this where people are excited and having a good time is kind of the most fun, you know?” said guitarist Jason Roberts.

Roberts said the musicians in the band, before the Norah Jones project, had been playing together for around eight years. They joined the team as Norah Jones’s band in 2012 and have been playing together since.

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Rae Sremmurd ‘Starts a Party’ at Oaktopia Festival

By Cierra Edmondson Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee, otherwise known as hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd, closed out Oaktopia Saturday night.

The two brothers, born in California, spent most of their childhood years in Tupelo, Mississippi. They were raised in the Ida Street housing projects, a place where some of the worst crimes in the state occur.

As if that was not enough, their parents divorced early on in their youth, leaving the brothers to seek shelter in abandoned homes throughout the dangerous area.

With very few role models surrounding them, the pair found inspiration from David Banner, another Mississippi native doing big things in the music industry. It was then that music became their peaceof-mind amongst all of the chaos and crime around them.

“When we were growing up, it was just about perseverance,” Slim Jxmmi said.

Having that attitude served them well. The brothers taught themselves how to DJ, record beats and use their natural born gifts as performers to generate a local buzz.

They caught the attention of a producer in Tupelo by the name of P-Nazty, who then introduced the duo to super producer Mike WiLL MadeIt’s Eardrummers Entertainment production team. The rest is history.

“Their show was something that I’d been wanting to see,” Oaktopia attendee Derek Nelson said. “They bring a lot of energy and excitement and it radiates to others. They’re so

diverse that a lot of people from a lot of different backgrounds can have fun at the same time.”

The DJ took the stage before anyone else, using his time before the show to set up, smoke and interact with fans. On the table were huge bottles of water, champagne and a single pineapple.

The show began promptly. Slim Jxmmi entered first, wearing a large pink mink coat and smoke goggles.

Swae Lee followed just behind him in a long green jacket, wearing all white underneath.

They wasted no time going into their first song, “Start A Party.” They hopped and danced around, smoke shooting out of the stage. The crowd sang along, waving their arms and dancing excitedly.

“Their performance was pretty lit,” attendee Mike Fox said. “We needed that little personality to come through the city and turn things up,

especially with all of the bad that’s been going on.”

As their set went further on, the crowd at the stage grew larger.

Rae Sremmurd’s sound quickly overpowered the stage beside it.

The brothers went through several crowd favorites such as “No Flex Zone,” “Come Get Her,” “No Type” and “Up Like Trump.” With each song the crowd became more invested.

At one point, the brothers instructed the crowd to grab something they all could throw.

When the beat dropped, they wanted them to throw everything up in the air. The crowd obeyed and sure enough, up went beach balls, hats and even shoes.

“The show was cool, I loved it,” Rae Sremmurd’s DJ Jay Sremm said.

@Edmondson_C2017

Swae Lee from the duo Rae Sremmurd performing on the UNT stage at Oaktopia.

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GOOD MUSIC FOR EMPTY POCKETS

Local artist Bare Mountain plays at a house venue called Sunhouse. Broketopia was an event put on by locals in Denton to provide an Oaktopia alternative. Sara Carpenter

Broketopia provides new opportunities during Oaktopia weekend

By Austin Cox Oaktopia, the Denton music festival that just finished it’s fourth run this past weekend, brought some big names to town, including popular folk artist Norah Jones, young rap duo Rae Sremmurd and California culture worshippers’ Best Coast.

But for all the press and attention that Oaktopia commanded, there was a smaller, more discreet festival that ran concurrently through the whole weekend.

This festival was irreverently named Broketopia. Its name is a reflection of the large number of broke, college-aged people living in Denton who have little interest in the more mainstream and conventional festivities provided by Oaktopia.

Featuring a roster of 35Denton native bands, Broketopia’s goal was to provide its fair share of feedback, distorted guitars and fuzzed out mayhem as an alternate way to spend Oaktopia weekend.

“This show definitely focuses more on the heavier spectrum of bands that are playing the fest,” showcase organizer John Black said. “We want the environment to be different than what a normal fest would be. There are no huge stages, no massive production or security.”

With the closing of several local venues in the past year, such as Rubber Gloves and J&J’s Basement, Broketopia served as a crucial reminder that Denton’s music scene will persevere.

Like a resilient plague, it keeps coming back, stronger with each

Showgoers went barefoot at a house show in Denton because of the to rain over the weekend. Sara Carpenter

blow.

Despite the perceived setbacks, a group of determined people were able to provide an alternative weekend of fun and shenanigans to hundreds of locals.

Broketopia stepped in to cater to those who embrace the weird and strange. Because Denton locals pride themselves on their homegrown music scene, Broketopia tried to showcase just that.

The subculture diehards of Denton descended upon a variety of locales, from genuine venues to backyard house shows.

Most of the marketing was strictly social media driven, be it through secret Facebook pages, Twitter updates or Instagram’d flyers. All the hallmarks of a festival were driven by young, tenacious kids looking to make their own fun amidst something they perhaps don’t identify with.

On Thursday, the inaugural shows took place, one of them at a house not too far from UNT, called the 813. The show featured a mixed bag of bands that displayed an arsenal of heavy rock. From The Soap’s jazzfusion math rock to Kadath’s nature influenced experimental doom metal. Orcanaut, although they played at Oaktopia, brought their fusion of doom, sludge and stoner rock to the 813’s packed backyard.

“This is in no way a corporate or conventional fest,” Black said.

“Absolutely all the money we collect is going to be distributed to the bands with the venue’s taking zero of the cut.”

The Friday show, which featured Denton’s “finest garage-noise freaks” Jesus Chris + The Beetles, was hosted at a place fittingly named Rabbit Hole. Local favorite Thin Skin also brought their personal brand of wild, distortion punk madness to the living room of the Rabbit Hole.

Broketopia attendee Leland Payne went to several of the free shows throughout the weekend.

“My experience was honestly just a bunch of friends coming together,” Payne said. “It felt less like a fest and more like a whole scene coming together. It was kind of just impromptu, and every show showcased a distinct set of bands.”

The environment of Broketopia was similar to that of a classic house show: play loud, play late and play whatever you want.

“The show at the 813 on Thursday was insane,” Payne said. “The show ended with cops showing up because apparently Orcanaut was playing too loud for the neighbors to handle. It felt like something from out of a movie.”

A hit show of Broketopia was at Glorp Studios, a house venue that also operates a label collective under the same name. The house has become a

People take a break outside a house venue between sets Sunday for Broketopia. Sara Carpenter staple of underground music in Denton, having been the host of numerous house shows and parties since 2015.

The Saturday show at Glorp Studios was full of various genres. From the reverbsoaked dream pop of Rei Clone to the ear-splitting doom metal of Chokey, there was a bit of everything for fans of unconventional music. The house was packed to the gills with every sort of person you could imagine, all collectively there to party and enjoy the music.

“We wanted to give the bands who perhaps got looked over, or weren’t considered popular enough to play Oaktopia, a chance to play something,” Glorp Studios resident Charles Knowles said.

Knowles also helped organize

and run many of Broketopia’s events.

“We kept hearing about bands applying to play and getting rejected, and that sounded, to me, like the perfect opportunity to gather these bands together,” Knowles said.

Broketopia took everything that a conventional fest does and flipping it on its head. The end result was an event that catered to the punks, metal heads, noise junkies and essentially anyone who leans toward abrasive forms of expression in music.

“There’s so many bands right here in Denton that are doing awesome things, and honestly just to be able to organize a fest that celebrates our local scene is really special I think,” Knowles said.

From Denton to Prague: Sampson stages play abroad UNT Media Arts senior wins International Playwright Award

By Evan Groom It was Sept. 17 in the Radio, TV, Film & Performing Arts building, shortly before the first public reading of his award winning play, “The Essay.” Media arts senior Jacob Sampson was nervous.

Sampson knew from sitting in on a rehearsal for the reading that the 12 costumed student actors hit all of their cues, lines and expressions exactly how he envisioned. Regardless, he was worried.

At 130 pages, Sampson had never written a play of this length before, and the process that brought him to write the acclaimed story was long and complicated.

After changing his major three times, Sampson recently had just found his interest in writing, thanks to Andy Harris, a playwriting professor and Sampson’s eventual mentor. He knew he wanted to throw himself into the field, but was surprised at just how much he threw himself into the work.

When Harris originally sent Sampson the criteria for an international playwriting contest, he was excited, yet overwhelmed.

“I just kind of left the webpage open in the background of my computer and forgot about it for a while,” Sampson said.

Taking the leap The the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation and the Academy of the Performing Arts in Prague contest tasked U.S. students with creating a play that utilized a theme from the famous Czech play “The Memorandum.” The play is written by Vaclav Havel, a former Czech president and writer.

“The Memorandum” takes place in an office setting, in which the protagonist of the story must adapt to a new language, referred to as “ptydepe,” that is suddenly adopted by the entirety of the office. The play serves as a critique of the Czech government and is Havel’s most popular play.

While thinking about the play one night in the Willis Library, two months before the submission was due, Sampson said, he was hit with a random stroke of inspiration and began writing.

“I never spent a night in the library until last semester,” Sampson said. “It was intense.

Lots of focus. I never thought I

could do anything like that.”

Over the next four weeks, the story followed Sampson everywhere. His self-admitted perfectionist tendencies made him restless.

He knew the direction he wanted the story to go, but was constantly stopped short by the daunting task of getting it onto paper.

“When I was with my friends or not writing, my head was in a different place,” Sampson said.

“I was just always thinking about where I could take the story.”

After four long weeks of writing and editing fueled by excessive amounts of caffeine, Sampson finally submitted his 130-page play to the VHLF and DAMU contest.

“The Essay” follows Maxwell, an accomplished and eager student at Eaglebrook Academy, an American boarding school. While trying to apply for a prestigious organization in the school, the school’s new headmaster introduces the “ptydepe” language, ruining his application and forcing him to find ways to fit in the new language his colleagues now speak.

While “The Memorandum” has a somber, serious tone, “The Essay” adopts a much more lighthearted approach.

“I breathed a lot of my sense of humor into it and incorporated my style and a lot of my over the top characterization,” Sampson said.

After submitting the play in April, he nervously waited to hear the judgement from the VHLF. On May 2, he received an email.

He had won the contest.

“He’s very fortunate to discover that he has that talent,” Sampson’s mentor, Harris, said. “Think of the number of people who go through their lives not finding out what they’re best at doing.”

Sampson knew that he wanted to be involved in the entertainment field in some way, but was unsure of what path to take his career.

Sampson said winning the award made things clear.

“It’s motivated me to know that my hard work can really pay off,” Sampson said. “I hadn’t really known that until that point.”

Harris, who sent Sampson the contest guidelines in the first place, said he believed from the very beginning that Sampson had a good chance at winning the

contest.

“He came up with a genius idea, not many people in the world that could have come up with this,” Harris said. “I thought it was a good match.”

As a reward for winning the contest, on Monday, Nov. 7 Sampson will be flown out to DAMU, the largest art school in the Czech Republic located in Prague, for a two week residency.

During his residency at DAMU, he will be attending classes related to the performing arts and touring local theaters and museums, all culminating in a live staging of his play in front of students, faculty and the contest judges.

Action All of the work to this point led up to the first public reading of his story.

While Sampson knew that the judges, his friends and his family liked the play, he wasn’t sure how the actors and audiences would respond.

Sampson was self-conscious and worried that the audience wouldn’t understand or appreciate the play. Although he said that a few of the jokes needed some

reworking, the audience loved the reading.

“I was so mortified that it was going to be taken as boring or monotonous,” Sampson said.

“When it was over, I was surprised how much time had passed.”

While Sampson anxiously awaits his trip, he’s begun research into his next play, a take on the classic German tale “Faust” about a scholar that makes a pact with the devil.

Looking back now, Sampson said that in order for people to keep practicing their art, they need to get over their fear of failure and apply themselves. While taking that leap was hard, the opportunity is one he’ll be able to carry with him throughout his career.

“That was the hardest thing for me,” Sampson said. “I had never really put myself out there, I’d always liked writing scripts, but submitting something was scary for me.”

@groom_evan

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 6

Much like Kanye loves Kanye, his concert is lovable too

Views from the pit: a Kanye West concert experience

By Imani Pinckney This summer, when Kanye West announced the Saint Pablo Tour for the American Airlines Center in Dallas, I bought my tickets the hour they dropped. I have been a Kanye fan ever since the third grade and looking back, it was kind of inappropriate for me to have watched the “Gold Digger” music video, however, it still ignited my lifelong love for one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time.

After getting off the DART train on Thursday, the crossing guard allowed pedestrians enter the center. As we approached it, the crossing guard said, “I’m just gonna let y’all know now, and y’all are the only people I’m going to say this to, Kanye ain’t going to be here until 9:30 p.m.”

Unsurprised, because I researched and read concert reviews beforehand, I continued my journey inside.

Once I made it out of the unforgivable Texas heat and into the intense concert lobby, nostalgia ensued. People were everywhere.

The concession lines were short, but if you had a knack for waiting in long lines, the merchandise tables were the place to be. Each table was lined with people eager to purchase pricey memorabilia.

Once I retrieved my orange leopard-print wristband, I headed to the ground floor — a.k.a. the pit, because there was no traditional stage, rather a floating one. Kanye fans chatted in groups, couples and singles. We all came with the purpose of seeing the man everyone loves to hate.

While waiting, ominous music was accompanied by loud bass and white smoke blasted arbitrarily.

This all helped to create a dark and sinister scene. The time for the show was originally slated for 8 p.m., but roughly 30 minutes later, visible crewmen climbed up ropes and fans in the pit began chanting, “Yeezy! Yeezy! Yeezy!”

At 9:30 p.m., lights dimmed and the floating stage lit up when my favorite rapper appeared, performing the intro to “Father Stretch My Hands.” The crowd started singing along.

Next, Kanye rapped “Pt. 2,” featuring the “I got broads in Atlanta” rapper Desiigner, when the stage initiated movement.

Once the stage moved, so did the

audience. Screaming, shoving and jumping were common actions of participants in the pit. Being pushed by others to follow the stage actually kept me alert that night.

The notorious song “Famous” followed, with Kanye allowing fans to sing Rihanna’s parts — several of which interpolate Nina Simone’s “Do What You Gotta Do.” The song suddenly paused and Kanye spoke about fame from his perspective. “The point of being an artist is to say how you feel [and] not having any consequences,” he declared and continued the song.

At that point, it seemed like Yeezus himself would perform “The Life of Pablo” tracklist in order. But Kanye erupted into his verse from Drake’s song “Pop Style” along with his feature on Schoolboy Q’s “That Part.” After Kanye West appears before an excited crowd, performing some of his more those verses, West preceeded the “Pablo” medley with the song recent songs as well as his classics. Imani Pinckney “Facts.” Subsequently, the crowd make you scared to fail.” went nuts when he rapped some West went on about how to turn of his older hits like “Mercy,” “All failure into something positive.

Day” and “I Don’t Like.”

“I’m gone fail,” West “All Day,” in particular, uses proclaimed. “I’m gone keep the N-word over 40 times, which failing. That’s what happens when would normally be upsetting on you try some shit, you fail. The a regular day, except non-black [most] successful person is usually people rapped all of the lyrics, the one with the most failures. Let including the taboo pejorative. I did no one distract you. God speaks not care because I knew it would to his prophets. Don’t let common happen anyways. Thereafter, thought distract an extraordinary “Black Skinhead,” “N—-s in vision.”

Paris,” “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” Kanye passionately performed and “Power” were all played, his beautiful dedication to his followed by a brief intermission. daughter, “Only One.” The crowd Orange lights flashed and abstract squished together closely once synths sounded off before West’s Kanye, lying flat on the stage, return with “Blood on the Leaves,” rapped his comical “I Love Kanye” “Freestyle 4” and “Jesus Walks.” track. At this moment, I became Witnessing the entire arena aware of how hot and sweaty we brighten, thanks to fans flashing all were. It was intense. lights from their phones, was Following “Waves” and “Touch intoxicating, especially because it the Sky,” he performed three occurred during the classic song of penultimate hits: “All of the the same name. Experiencing the Lights,” “Good Life” and a remix chaos that ensued when the stage of “Stronger.” moved again was exhilarating.

West concluded the night with After another intermission, Kanye “Ultralight Beam,” where the stage performed “Wolves,” another lowered and security guarded the “Life of Pablo” reprise. end of the pit since he was exiting As 10:30 p.m. came along, the stage. And like all concerts, Kanye serenaded us with the exiting process was hectic to “Runaway,” asking if we were say the least. Nonetheless, I finally “having a good time tonight.” experienced a Kanye West concert, Kanye gleefully recognized a fan’s which is always an event to be poster of him and his mother. He celebrated. The Dallas concert on then gave words of wisdom about Saint Pablo Tour was definitely a failure. “Not being scared to say success. something, that’s how you control your aspirations,” he said. “They @imanipinckney make you scared to dream. They

“

“I came to this show because growing up, all of my friends would play Kanye West songs at parties or in the car, so I thought it would be a show worth while. And let me tell you, it sure was.”

By Julia Falcon Kanye West, ‘Ye, Yeezy, Pablo or whatever, made his stop on the Saint Pablo Tour in Dallas Thursday night, and it was everything you would expect and hope for it to be.

For someone who isn’t really entertained by the idea of Kanye himself, who claims he is in personal debt, has an oversized ego, I found this was much more than your generic concert at the American Airlines Center. It was a show worth seeing — and worth the drive down Interstate 35 during rush hour.

The highly publicized floating and contorting stage was surreal to see in person. Although the AAC was very dim, except for the spotlights that occasionally shone down upon West, or when the beat dropped in a song, I could feel the music in my body. I didn’t actually see his face despite how amazingly close I was, but hey, it was Kanye.

The crowd was hyped, as they should have been. Kanye is a lyrical genius and producer who undoubtedly creates some of the best beats and concerts. The show was sold out, filled with artificial smoke and people of all ages clad in overly-priced Saint Pablo garb.

Before he came out, people in the crowd were chanting “fuck Taylor Swift, fuck Taylor Swift,” and out came Yeezy. He made a lot of references to fame, Swift and

his haters. Hey there.

“This is so Yeezy-esque,” one of my best friends said. Yes, yes it was. Kanye is known for his dark and simple aesthetics, from his plain clothes to the small amount of speaking he did.

My friends and I snuck onto the lower level from our peasant-level, nosebleed seats. I felt a connection with ‘Ye. He made an intimate connection with the audience. He moved around all over the stage and actually shook the place.

Maybe it was the darkness that put me in the feels, maybe it was the simplicity of the stage, but it made me wish he wasn’t so annoying off of the stage.

When the stage moved around, the herds of people under him followed him like fish with a finger.

The theme of the concert was based on people truly worshipping him, reaching for him as if they were reaching for a god.

From someone who doesn’t like Kanye but likes Kanye, I honestly enjoyed every second of this show. When he played “All of the Lights,” every cellphone in the AAC was shining, and sorry about the pun, but it was truly lit.

I came to this show because growing up, all of my friends would play Kanye West songs at parties or in the car, so I thought it would be a show worth my while.

And let me tell you, it sure was.

@falconjulia22

Kanye West performs at American Airlines Center on Sept. 16. Imani Pinckney

UNT Frisco introduces robots for new classroom interaction experiences ROBOTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 for them to use.

To promote the robots, Barbato and her department have posted on their Twitter feed and Facebook page about the new addition in order for people to discover what they’re about and what they offer.

The head of the robot works as an iPad with the body comprised of “Double Robotics,” which is similar to a miniature Segway.

It is controlled using the arrow keys on the keyboard, with click prompts on the screen to do things such as hang up, raise or lower the height of the robot, apply the brake stands to stabilize the robot and conserve battery, control audio and video, and more.

They can be controlled from any computer or laptop with mic and camera capabilities as long as the user has been granted access by Barbato and her department. Control of the

robots is held by UNT Frisco, which sets the precise time frames of the day when people with appointments can control the robots.

“This way, students can’t log in and drive around campus in the middle of the night when no one is around,” Barbato said.

The robots, however, still have minor issues with internet connection and limited availability. Poor bandwidth or bad weather can cause the signal to disconnect. Due to the small

number of available robots, setting appointments can also be difficult.

Professors on the Denton campus are hoping to utilize the robots as well.

“I received training and wanted to use one while I was recovering from hip surgery, but I was overruled,” said Michelle Redmond, a senior lecturer in the journalism department.

“I wanted to use the robot from home to teach my class in Frisco, but my supervisor

insisted on a ‘human’ substitute for me instead. I’m planning to use one sometime this semester for an exercise with my media performance class, but I have not done so yet.”

The robots were constructed from kits purchased from www.doublerobotics.com and were built and configurated on campus. Only three have been built so far, as a standard robot costs between $3,000 to $3,499.

Depending on the success of the robots at UNT Frisco, the

Denton campus may see them rolling around campus in the future.

“If we have more use cases, then yes, we could set up more robots,” Tim Christian, assistant dean for information technology services, said. “We want to learn how useful and accepted the robots are at Frisco. That should give us some idea of what we could do on this campus if anything, and who would likely use them.”

State Fair of Texas opens Friday morning for a month of fried food

By Tiffany Ditto The State Fair of Texas is returning to Dallas this weekend, and this year the fair’s icon,

Big Tex, will be wearing a shirt that features a blue ribbon and police badge to honor the fallen

officers in the July 7 downtown Dallas shootings.

“After the July 7 incident, we

The Texas Star, a ferris wheel that operates during the annual State Fair of Texas is North America’s largest ferris wheel File Photo

were just trying to think about what we could do to honor and appreciate our police,” spokeswoman Karissa Condoianis said. “We wanted to show our appreciation for all that they do.”

The fair is also honoring the officers and other first responders on Friday, Oct.14, by granting free admission to them and up to three of their family members with a valid ID from their department.

Every year the fair brings more than 6,000 seasonal jobs to the Dallas area, and has more than a $600 million economic impact on the North Texas community, according to fair officials.

The fair traces its origins back to 1886 at the Dallas State Fair and Exposition, but it wasn’t until 1952 that Big Tex, the giant cowboy that has become the mascot of the fair, made his first debut. In 1951, the Fair President and former

Mayor of Dallas R.L. Thornton purchased a large Santa Claus figure for $750. He had local artist Jack Bridges commission a giant cowboy out of the Santa Claus. Big Tex’s face remained the same until 2012, when an electrical fire destroyed the icon on his 60th birthday.

After rebuilding in 2013, the 55-foot-tall cowboy still wears his signature Dickies jeans, western shirt, and a 95-gallon hat.

But more exciting than taking a selfie with Big Tex, is the food. This year the state fair is taking food and drink to a new level with edible cola, bacon margaritas and, of course, a plethora of deep fried foods.

“It’s once a year—you know you have to come out and splurge a little,” Condoianis said. “In addition to the Big Tex choice finalists, we have about 24 new foods. One of the ones that made me tilt my head was the Dallas’ fried bacon tilla.”

The Dallas’ fried bacon tilla is a taco with a shell made of strips of bacon woven together and deep-fried. The taco appeals to not only taco lovers but those who appreciate bacon’s versatility.

The fair will also feature live music that is free to fair-goers.

Some of these acts include: Kacey Musgraves, Jazmine Sullivan, and Hip-Hop star Nelly.

The State Fair opens at 10 a.m. Friday at Fair Park in Dallas, and ends Sunday, Oct. 23.

@TiffanyDitto

SPORTS Page 7

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

Athletes kneel during anthem, students silently protest outside Willis Library ACTIVISM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the air. A moment later, he dropped to the ground. Officers were originally called out to the area to inspect an abandoned vehicle.

By using posters and markers to start conversations on the issue, McGill was trying to go about the issue in a peaceful, calm way. She stood in front of Willis Library from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. that Wednesday. The next day, she stood out there again.

Volleyball players Chelsea Abii, Amanda Chamberlain, Mikali Myers, Alexis Wright, and Jordyn Williams kneel during the national anthem Sept. 25. Taylor Ratcliff

The poster boards started relatively blank. As days passed, students were invited to write their own comments about the Black Lives Matter movement.

Adding to discomfort and sorrow relating to issues and topics such as black Americans being shot by police and Kaepernick’s sitting during the national anthem, sports broadcast junior Amani Balowa took a knee in a Kaepernick jersey in front of Willis.

Balowa joined McGill Wednesday to help cultivate dialog surrounding the issue in order to raise awareness.

“I woke up with a lot on [my] mind and I wanted to show people what’s going on,” Balowa said.

For McGill, these tragedies aren’t something she turns a blind eye to.

The protest was a way to educate the community on issues they may not otherwise know about.

McGill’s goal was to create a space for discussions. Where “real feelings can address real violence” happening

in the world. During both days, she said her ultimate goal was achieved to have students engage in passionate discourses. Some even shared their grief and concern for this growing issue that seems to be affecting many black families across the nation.

“It’s distressing to watch these videos of your people, people who look like your family or could be your family, being murdered by authorities,” McGill said. “I wanted to do something for the black community at UNT.” Taking a knee In the wake of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem to protest police brutality, athletes across the country have followed his lead, including those at UNT. Last Friday at the North Texas volleyball match versus the University of Southern Mississippi, five Mean Green athletes decided to join them.

Juniors Chelsea Abii, Amanda

Chamberlain, Mikali Myers, Alexis Wright and Jordyn Williams made the bold decision to kneel during the national anthem.

“We are protesting,” Abii said.

“We cannot stand and pay homage to a country when we feel like they’re not paying homage to us. Every day we turn on the TV and we see them killing us. We just can’t stand.”

These athletes are the first from North Texas to join the national protest.

The five women said they hope to send a message to the community — to get people talking about the issues.

Myers notes that as athletes, whether local or international, they are already on a platform and placed in the limelight.

“It’s important for us, if we have the opportunity, to say something or even just kneel, that means something,” Myers said. “That starts conversations.”

Head coach Andrew Palileo knew before the game his players would kneel during the Star—Spangled

Banner. The women came to him and the rest of the team to discuss what they were going to do, opening up the door for anyone else that would like to participate.

“I told them, ‘Do what you have to and I support you and we’ll be right there,’” Palileo said. “I told them it was courageous and if it’s something they feel strongly about, go ahead.”

The women said that they are open to anyone who wants to talk about what they’re doing. They have already discussed and answered questions from teammates, but want to make one thing clear.

“Just because we did that doesn’t mean we’re anti-police, anti-white, or anti-anything,” Chamberlain said.

@binazahara @CPaigeA23

Senior midfielder Marchelle Davis at home with Mean Green

By Matt Brune Senior midfielder Marchelle Davis has never felt like she’s had a true home.

She’s traveled across city limits, state lines and transferred universities. Now in her third year at North Texas, the team, campus and people have given her something that she hasn’t experienced before.

“I’ve never been [at] the same school for more than three years,” Davis said. “So I’m used to jumping around. But coming here, it’s like I finally found that place I can consider home.”

Davis was born in New Jersey and lived in North Carolina and Virginia before settling in Texas as a junior in high school.

But Davis did not envision a career on the pitch.

“Coming to Texas my junior year, I didn’t plan on playing soccer,” Davis said. “Then the coach convinced me to play, and I ended up doing really well and went to Texas. And I had fun at Texas, [but] things went upside

down and I ended up coming [to UNT].”

At the University of Texas, Davis’ life was never straightforward. She logged 890 total minutes, good enough for seventh on the team. As a freshman with the Longhorns, she was never able to find a groove.

So Davis decided to relocate once again, this time to Denton to play for North Texas — a school 24 minutes from her high school. From the time she arrived, it was an impeccable fit and Davis immediately became a key player for head coach John Hedlund.

“She was a kid that was highly recruited coming out of high school,” Hedlund said. “She decided to go to Texas and I think it just didn’t work out for her there. She wanted to come closer to home and we grabbed it, ran with it and she’s unbelievable for us.”

On the field for the Mean Green, she has been crucial to the team’s winning culture

over the past three years. She was a forward her sophomore and junior year and has made a seamless transition to midfield as a senior.

Her playing experiences from around the country have paid dividends.

“Playing with a different group of girls, you get a different experience of how people play and how they interact with [you],” Davis said. “I think I was able to [make an impact on the team] more because of my experience.”

As an attacking midfielder in 2016, Davis has scored five goals and chipped in with three assists through 11 games. She forces the opposition to respect her shot, her speed and her passing in the middle, opening up the outsides for the wings on the team.

Usually standing beside Davis is junior midfielder Katie Gernsbacher who also began her playing career at University of Texas. The two constantly link up with each other and have a noticeable chemistry.

“She has a really good first touch,” Gernsbacher said. “Her shot is amazing and she can switch the point of attack really easily.”

Davis has numerous characteristics that set her apart, but Hedlund specifically enjoys her ability to play anywhere on the field at a high level.

“She’s quick enough to win balls in the midfield,” Hedlund said. “She can run anybody down from a defensive standpoint, she’s like a true forward coming out of the midfield and she can set people up with her vision.”

As one of three captains for North Texas this season, Davis is an established leader and often lifts the Mean Green when they

need it most.

“She’s been our true leader this year,” Hedlund said. “Not just with her play, but she’s been the vocal leader. She’s tremendous for us, she speaks up at halftime and I just feel so fortunate to have her on this team and on the field.”

To continue the winning tradition of the North Texas soccer program, Davis understands how she influences teammates with her play and persona, and more importantly, understands her coach. “[I’m] able to know how [Hedlund] coaches,” Davis said.

“Being able to come in and help these freshmen and sophomores adapt to how [Hedlund] does

things. It’s kind of a leadership role, because as you get older obviously people look up to you.”

As she enters her third and final season with the Mean Green, Davis’ comfort level is at an all-time high. Moving, adjusting and conforming to new environments across the country have all played a part in developing her game and her personality.

And Hedlund is happy she found a home in Denton.

“She’s the full package,” Hedlund said. “I never want to take her off of the field.”

@mattbrune25

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NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 8

High school teammates reunited at North Texas

By Courtney Anderson For many, starting college can be an overwhelming and scary experience. With new people, new buildings and a different atmosphere, the transition is often eased with the help of friends.

That is exactly what happened on the North Texas volleyball team.

Freshman outside hitter BrynCaitlin Walker joined the Mean Green after being introduced to UNT by former and current teammate, sophomore setter Karley York. Walker and York both attended Churchill

UPCOMING GAMES Friday • Swimming and diving @ North Texas relays starting at 4 p.m.

•Volleyball @ UTSA starting at 6 p.m Saturday •Football vs. Middle Tennessee at Apogee Stadium. Kickoff set for 6 p.m.

•Cross country @ Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival • Swimming and diving @ Green and White Meet starting at 9:30 a.m.

Sunday • Soccer at home vs. Western Kentucky starting at 1 p.m.

High School in San Antonio, where for two years they were varsity teammates, making it to the state tournament and forming a bond.

“Our high school team’s program was very family-like and disciplined,” Walker said.

“I knew if Karley liked it here, it would most likely be a good fit for me as well.”

York was first spotted by head coach Andrew Palileo’s former assistant two years ago. Once she was brought to his attention, Palileo knew York was the setter he would target.

“We were looking for a setter for 2015 and the assistant coaches are always out looking and identifying players,” Palileo said. “We followed Karley for a little bit and I decided she would be a good fit for this team.”

During York’s first year with North Texas, she earned a spot on the Conference USA commissioner’s honor roll and notched a career-best 43 assists against Abilene Christian University — a record she broke earlier this season.

For Churchill head volleyball coach Jo Anne Hultgren, the

Football The North Texas football team won its first road game since 2013 this past Saturday, defeating Rice 42-35 in 2OT. The win moves the team to 2-2 on the season.

Volleyball North Texas volleyball earned its first victory in Conference USA play Sunday when it went 3-0 in straight sets against Flordia International University.

Soccer The Mean Green soccer game vs. Louisiana Tech was rained out and postponed on Sunday. A make-up time has not been announced. North Texas is currently 3-0 in C-USA play.

teammates in high school, Palileo sees that as nothing more than a happy coincidence. In fact, it was not until Walker attended a Mean Green volleyball camp that the coaching staff decided to make her an offer.

For Walker, though, there was one thing in particular that convinced her to come to Denton.

“The [team] I guess you could

say, as cheesy as it sounds, sold it to me the most,” Walker said.

“They all were just so nice and welcoming to me, and just had a lot of fun.”

With York’s success luring Walker out of high school, Palileo acknowledged sometimes it is not the coaching staff that makes the best recruiters, but the players themselves.

“Our best recruiters are always the ones that are playing for us,” Palileo said. “[They] go home and talk about the experience they are having here. That’s why we try to make sure our players have the best experience they can.”

@CPaigeA23

BrynCaitlin Walker, left, and Karley York came from San Antonio together to play volleyball for the Mean Green. Hannah Breland

Conference USA round-up A couple of coaches left their posts around Conference-USA this week. Let’s dive in.

MEAN GREEN QUICK HITS

success her former players are experiencing comes as little surprise. While at Churchill, Hultgren said, the tandem’s passion and dedication was unmatched.

“I remember [Karley] because of her drive,” Hultgren said.

“She would never stop pursuing a ball. She would run into walls, the score table, people, just everything. She just would never stop going for the ball.

BrynCaitlin was such a hard working individual. They both were.”

In just half a season, Walker has already made an impact on the team, and become a very integral part of the offense. In her NCAA debut, Walker set her career-high with 16 kills and 39 attack attempts.

With Walker being forced into a starting position early in her career, York knew she could use some tactics from high school to the team’s advantage.

“I already know what kind of sets she likes,” York said.

“I know she is as an all-around person and player, so I see it as an advantage for us and the team.”

Despite the duo being

Western Kentucky University The No. 25 ranked volleyball team picked up a sweep against Charlotte this past weekend.

The Hilltoppers have now won 40 straight home conference matches.

University of Texas at San Antonio Freshman forward Jordyn Lacy won her first C-USA Offensive Player of the Week award on Monday. She scored a pair of goals to get the Roadrunners off to a winning start in conference play, defeating Middle Tennessee 3-1.

University of Texas at El Paso

The Miners were handled at home by Southern Miss 34-7 in football. The Miners committed three turnovers as the offense struggled to get going.

University of Alabama at Birmingham The Lady Blazer’s soccer team snatched a double overtime victory at home. Megan Hudgens slotted home a goal to break a 0-0 deadlock, handing the Blazer’s a 1-0 win.

University of Southern Mississippi Football’s Curtis Mikell and volleyball’s Stephany Purdue were named the school’s student-athletes of the week.

Mikell tallied two interceptions, while Purdue had 33 kills on the weekend.

DOG DAYS

OF DENTON

Rice University Senior right-side hitter Chelsey Harris was selected as the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week. It’s Harris’ first honor, earning the title after 40 kills in eight sets.

Marshall University Women’s golf notched a top half finish in the first day of the Lady Pirate Intercollegiate.

Freshman Shelby Brauckmuller tied for 10th.

Old Dominion University Former Senior Associate Athletic Director for Internal Affairs, Ken Brown was promoted to the position of deputy athletic director. Brown has been at ODU since 2011.

Louisiana Tech University

Women’s soccer renewed it’s partnership with local non-profit 4 Paws Rescue Inc. The team donates time in the preseason to help care for stray, abandoned and neglected dogs.

Middle Tennessee State University Head volleyball coach Dan Aheirs resigned from his position effective immediately.

Aheirs cited personal reasons, mainly around his behaviors after the death of his mother earlier in the month.

Florida Atlantic University Former women’s soccer standout Claire Emsile is enjoying success overseas with her pro club, Bristol City Women’s Football Club. She has six goals, and is tied for the team lead of the club, which is leading their division.

North Texas’ win over Rice a turning point in #NewDenton

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University of North Carolina – Charlotte Sophomore Tom Nobles was named the C-USA cross country athlete of the week. Nobles set a personal record in the 8K with a 24:41.1 time.

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Florida International University Head football coach Ron Turner was relieved of his duties effective immediately after the team’s 53-14 loss to the University of Central Florida.

FIU will look nationally for candidates to replace Turner.

During Seth Littrell’s weekly press conference Tuesday, he tried to downplay the significance of North Texas’ double-overtime win against Rice University. He said every win is important. But deep down, I think, Littrell knows what the win over the Owls meant to his program in the long run.

Come on, coach, we saw how y’all celebrated.

All across the Mean Green fandom are signs of hope we have not seen since the 2013 season. North Texas had a similar win that year, when it defeated Ball State University at Apogee Stadium 34-27.

Trailing 27-16 at the end of the first half, the Mean Green defense pitched a shutout to finish the game.

The loss was one of only three Ball State suffered that season. The Cardinals played in the GoDaddy Bowl, and finished the year 10-3. They were good.

It showed the Mean Green weren’t half bad either, as it finished off the year with a Heart of Dallas Bowl victory just up the road at the Cotton Bowl.

While this Rice team the

Mean Green just knocked off may not be the caliber of the 2013 Ball State team, I think this was a turning point for #NewDenton.

Why? Well, it actually looked like a new Denton.

Freshman quarterback Mason Fine marched the offense down the field for three impressive touchdown drives. The longest was a nine-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a wonderfully weighted ball into the end zone that junior running back Willy Ivery dove and caught.

That could have never happened last year.

The best DaMarcus Smith put up last year was 25-for-45 for 234 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He was a junior.

Fine finished 17-for-29 for 224 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions against Rice.

More importantly, Fine is doing his job. He’s navigating the offense while minimizing mistakes, despite a struggling offensive line that forces him to maneuver outside the pocket on occasion.

Another reason the Mean Green appeared to turn a corner Saturday was the fact it was able to seal the deal and get the win.

Even though the defense looked shaky giving up 17 points in the first quarter, the team battled back. If this team had a double-digit deficit last year, forget about it. You could have kept the teams in the locker room because the Mean Green was not coming back.

But this is a new team, and sometimes it isn’t about how you start, it’s how you finish.

The defense finished. They forced three fumbles and

grabbed an interception, not to mention their effort on the final play, where they stuffed Rice on fourth and inches. Even more impressive, they did it in doubleovertime and on the road.

It was pure guts and determination to blow that play up and win the ballgame.

When you get tested on the road and overcome, it does wonders for a locker room. The celebration was pandemonium.

It meant a lot to the guys in green. They now have invaluable experience to carry with them as the season goes on.

The defense did its job, and so did the offense. Ivery and junior Jeffrey Wilson pounded the ball on the ground, leading to a career day for Wilson.

The receivers stepped up with 17 total catches between eight players for 224 yards. The offense went blow-for-blow with Rice in overtime.

As it stands, North Texas is 2-2 at the end of September.

Through four games, the Mean Green has doubled its win total from 2015. The win against Rice gives North Texas momentum before Middle Tennessee State University comes to town on Saturday, a team Littrell has called “elite.”

If the Mean Green want to make a bowl game, they will have to beat two of the Conference USA powerhouses.

Saturday is a perfect opportunity to catch Middle Tennessee off guard, and move one step closer to playing football in December.

@Clay_FC

OPINION

CENTURY

Page 9

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

NTDAILY.COM

Join us in celebrating 100 years of journalism, 100 years of you

By The Editorial Board

The newspaper you’re holding may not be printing in 10 years.

Until then, we need to celebrate this community’s history and understand that journalism will exist beyond the printed word.

The stories in this newspaper are written by students. The photos are captured by students.

It’s all edited by students. The North Texas Daily is a grindstone upon which students come to learn how to do journalism. This program has turned out successful journalists for a century. We plan to keep it that way — no matter the medium.

Threats to defund do not deter us. Rather, those remarks serve only as affirmation that we’re doing a fine job. When students ask why there is a student newspaper when readership across the globe is declining, we only become more motivated to do better work,

to help those students understand our value.

The Daily has seen various changes to its name, its masthead and above all else, the method of how it chooses to publish the news.

When we first published in 1916, when we were called The Campus Chat, it was a simpler time in journalism and free speech on campus was not so fragile.

Americans like to boast about their freedom of speech. And yet at the same time, Americans run from the power of free speech. Too often, when news media produce stories that challenge people’s beliefs and perceptions, when news outlets offer truths that seem pointed, people get mad. And they fight us with flak, with threats to end subscriptions or pull funding.

But before you start firing, please know you’re firing upon 100 years of tradition. This newspaper is run by students who are also advocates for their fellow student. None of the editors

currently leading this paper are here to sympathize with the administrative direction of this university or to boast UNT’s accomplishments.

We do this for Jacqueline Vandagriff, so people can know her face and never forget her. We do this for the residents of Scott Brown Properties, so students can know the company’s issues and understand local authorities will soon not tolerate it. We do this for Chelsea Abii, Amanda Chamberlain, Mikali Myers, Alexis Wright and Jordyn Williams, so the nation can understand why they kneel during the national anthem. We do this for Julio Santos, so students will never forget his smile or his beautiful hair.

This newspaper has stood here for 100 years, and the stories of the people printed on our pages can never be erased. That is why we celebrate today.

The Daily was born into an era

sandwiched between old school press and the dawn of nightly news. Today, we operate on shaky ground, as the internet has eroded the value of truth.

Don’t believe us? Take into account how the Pennsylvania Gazette, the most prominent paper of the colonial period, was made out of Benjamin Franklin yearning for a more patriotic colony. He even drew the legendary “Join, or Die” cartoon because of it.

Flash-forward 20 years after the American Revolution’s end in 1783, where the nature and accessibility of press expanded immensely. According to data from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the United States circulated roughly 148 million newspapers in 1840, double the amounts published in 1820. By 1860, one year before the Civil War, about 3,000 papers were in print, so that number could only increase once racial and economic tensions lowered by the

19th century’s close.

By the time The Campus Chat rolled around, newspapers were staples across the country. The reporters and columnists of the time knew they had a tradition to follow, biases to leave out of their work and the power to foster mass conversations Even though we’re an ensemble of fledgling journalists, following in the footsteps of previous students, the Daily has been successfully media literate for 100 years, and has delivered university and community news like no one else can.

Collegiate or not, every type of journalism is important and will continue to be. It stands as the most distinguished way to educate people about the culture they inhabit, making sure we know the 4-1-1 before historians transform it into legend. While the reporting landscape has changed multiple times, every one is served by journalism.

Tenured journalists from bygone eras, who run many current publications, often fear online journalism will fully supplant printing. And they’re right. Most prestigious newspapers, if not all, are visible on the internet.

This has made news more useful on search engines, garnering a capacious amount of readership able to click on hyperlinks to check the legitimacy of facts. It’s a far cry from the dated dependency on encyclopedic news, which usually gets discarded days after the timeliness wears off.

Although new journalists have more methods to tell stories, we remain modest and mindful of where we came from to get here.

As we’ve proven for more than a lifetime, the North Texas Daily isn’t faltering anytime soon.

Here’s to another 100 years of journalism excellence.

Every server deserves to be tipped, no matter what

By Victoria Baghaei If you don’t have the money to tip your server after your service, then you don’t have enough money to go out. Take a minute to let it all sink in, because next time you order food, this should be going through your mind. This isn’t the world’s most pressing issue, but with the amount of people who actually struggle with it, it might as well be.

We know you worked hard for the money you spend on food, and you should be able to get what you want. But see that person waiting on you?

They do as much work to earn your money so they, too, can have enough to spend on themselves.

Wages Servers on average make around $2.13 an hour and rely on tips as their main source of income.

Many customers think it’s okay not to tip if they don’t have money for it.

Well, here’s a newsflash: servers will never see that $2.13. See, there’s this sweet little thing called taxes and guess what?

Servers aren’t exempt from them. Taxes can

take the server’s entire paycheck, usually leaving around $1.14 for 80 hours of work.

So when you decide you aren’t tipping servers, know that they don’t have money to make up for your ignorance. You have been ripping people off. Pat yourself on the back for contributing to poverty.

How much should I tip?

Tipping servers isn’t complicated, but there is still confusion on the percentage appropriate to provide them. A quick bite at a restaurant where you have a small bill deserves an additional 15 percent of said bill. With more complicated service, 20 percent is a steady and appropriate tip. All you have to do is math, and voilà, you’ve had an appropriate restaurant experience.

Sometimes you may experience a server who’s under the weather, new or just doesn’t care that day. A lot of people say you shouldn’t

reward bad behavior, but I personally have found it is better to tip a bad server than not at all.

A lot of the time, bad tips can fuel the server’s anger and they can struggle to see the mistakes they make during their service. If their service is unbearable, contact a manager without resorting to not tipping first.

Tipping different types of servers Everyone is aware that servers earn their wages through tips, but most people don’t take into account the different types of servers like baristas, who specialize in making coffee. Baristas typically make minimum wage, but they are not only your servers, they are the cooks too.

Custom-made coffee orders are increasing in popularity in an average adult’s daily routine, and it isn’t going to slow down

anytime soon. Baristas are busier than ever with the possibilities of mixing different flavors and types of milk in customized drinks. Everything about your coffee is customizable, and customers reserve the right to that opportunity when they are paying for it. But what about the person making this complicated order? There is a set menu and the barista is going out of their way to specially make the coffee you desire. When your order is complicated or long, a little tip for the barista can go a long way as they have to spend such a truncated time to make your special coffee.

You should always tip your servers accordingly. They get paid minimum wage and take your complicated order every

@chorizotacoss

RE: Conservatives at UNT must come out of hiding

By Laura Sanders I read your article and the first thing that came to mind is “hypocrite.” As journalists, you are to seek and present the truth as it is given or accredited, and by accredited I mean researched and factually checked, being of the upmost, unbiased integrity; yet this article openly claims the newspaper itself to be of liberal persuasion when the author says, “Talk about the issues, and not about how much you hate liberals, because, like it or note, we aren’t going anywhere.”

Apparently your experience with conservatives has been rather

harsh in the past. Perhaps, if I might add an observation here, it is because you ask them not to hide, but then when they speak up, you demand that they do so on your terms. For example, they can not quote FOX News because you, a liberal newspaper full of liberal writers, do not perceive them as a reputable source. Never mind that other news sources, well, let’s be serious, pretty much every other news source, has also been found to distort and take out of context the truth in their own favor. And maybe it’s because you completely discount Donal Trump based on your own personal biased, instead of keeping the same open mind that you are asking of your readers.

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

And, it’s not just the author of the article in question here. Dalton LaFerney attended the September 14th SGA meeting in hopes of bridging the gap between turbulent waters in the past. However, he had no qualms about insulting and joking about, once again, FOX and Trump. Dalton gave no thought to the ideology of the room, only confirming the narrowmindedness and intolerance of the liberal movement toward conservatives.

The article begs conservatives to stand up and have a voice, but then dictates exactly how to speak, what sources can or can not be used, and warns to not degrade others, while…. degrading

conservatives…. ? Kind of seems like the pot is calling the kettle black here.

No, conservatives are not hiding, they are just won’t play the liberal game. True, some may lash out in a bad apple kind of way, but liberals have bad apples too. Bottom line, we are all in this together and no one gets out alive, so we best start looking beyond ourselves and making things better for those to come. If you want conservatives to counter without being defensive, stop attacking and just inform.

I will chalk up your newspaper’s and staff’s fumbled presentations to the lack of experience and hindsight that is to be expected

North Texas Daily

Adalberto Toledo | Managing Editor

Production Team

Kayleigh Bywater | Managing Editor

Hannah Lauritzen | Design Editor

Reece Waddell | Managing Editor

Jillian Lim | Deputy Design Editor

Preston Mitchell | Editorial Page Editor

Linda Kessler | Copy chief

Tomas Gonzalez | Visuals Editor

Chelsea Watkins | Designer/copy editor

Colin Mitchell | Deputy Visuals Editor

Evan McAlister | Designer/copy editor

when all are so young and naïve.

So, I only ask that you seriously consider my point, which I hope that I have both made and that you understand.

And to answer your question, yes, I am conservative. I am not in hiding. I am right here in plain sight and I will speak up in my own way, in my own time, and in accordance to my own conscience. I can only hope that the North Texas Daily will also open their minds and evolve into a non-biased, non-partisan source of information that UNT students can rely upon.

I am here. I want to help.

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NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 10

How unopposed politicians undermine the democratic system

By Morgan Sullivan A s t h e g e n e r a l el e c t i o n fo r D e n t o n C o u n t y n e a r s, t h e 14 Re p u bl i c a n s r u n n i n g u n o p p o s e d a r e s y m b ol s of a b ig g e r p r o bl e m w it h i n our democratic s ys t e m.

It ex t e n d s f u r t h e r t h a n the s i m pl e bounda r ies b e t we e n D e m o c r a t s a n d Re p u bl i c a n s, o r t h e t wo m aj o r p a r t i e s a n d t h i r d p a r t y vo t i n g.

T h e wh ol e p o i n t of t h e d e m o c r a t i c s ys t e m i s t h a t p e o pl e h ave a r ig h t t o c h o o s e. N o m a t t e r wh o yo u s u p p o r t , it ’s o bv i o u s

t h a t a l low i n g t h i s l a c k of c o m p e t it i o n undermines t h e ve r y b a s i s of o u r g ove r n m e n t.

A lt h o u g h t h i s m ig h t s e e m t o b e a c e n t r a l i z e d i s s u e, it ex t e n d s f a r t h e r t h a n D e n t o n, a n d eve n o u t of Tex a s. T h i r t y- t h r e e p e r c e n t of a l l s t a t e l eg i s l a t ive d i s t r i c t el e c t i o n s h a d o n ly one candidate per seat in t h e 2 012 r a c e, a c c o r d i n g t o Ba l lo t Ac c e s s N ews.

I f o n e - t h i r d of t h e m r u n u n o p p o s e d, c o n s t it u e n t s a r e fo r c e d t o s e t t l e.

T h e i s s u e h e r e i s t wofol d : incumbents r un unopposed d u e t o n a m e r e c og n it i o n a n d f u n d i n g wh i l e m a ny Amer icans are al ready uninterested in lo c a l p ol it i c s.

M o s t p e o pl e c a n n o t n a m e eve n o n e lo c a l p ol it i c i a n.

Eve n s o m e of t h e m o s t p ol it i c a l ly i nvolve d h ave ha rd times thin k ing past t h e p r e s i d e n t i a l el e c t i o n. I f t h ey c a n m u s t e r t h e c o u r a g e

t o lo o k a l it t l e clo s e r t o h o m e, m o s t Tex a n s k n ow Te d C r u z a n d G ov. G r eg A b b o t t , b u t n o t m u c h el s e.

T h i s m a k e s it i n c r e d i bly e a s y fo r i n c u m b e n t s t o c o n t i n u o u s ly w i n t h e i r s e a t el e c t i o n after el e c t i o n.

Vo t e r s t h i n k, “ O h! I’ve s e e n t h a t g u y’s n a m e o n a s ig n s o m ewh e r e s o I’l l vo t e fo r h i m.” Na m e r e c og n it i o n i s a b ig f a c t o r i n c a s u a l p ol it i c a l e n g a g e m e n t.

P e o pl e fe el l i k e vo t i n g, eve n i f it ’s u n i n fo r m e d, a i d s t h e d e m o c r a t i c p r o c e s s.

T h ey fe el l i k e t h ey’ve furthered h u m a n it y by c h e c k i n g a b ox a n d g e t t i n g a n “ I Vo t e d ” s t i c k e r.

T h i s i s n’t a n i s s u e of p a r t y p ol it i c s. Tex a s h a s b e e n, a n d w i l l p r o b a bly c o n t i n u e t o b e, a r e d s t a t e. F o r t h e democratic process to t r u ly wo r k, h oweve r, p e o pl e n e e d a choice b e t we e n d i f fe r i n g p a r t i e s.

Clinton came prepared while Trump fell flat

By Shain E. Thomas Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced off against each other Monday in this year’s first presidential debate at Hofstra University.

If anything can be gleamed from that night, the Republican candidate was ill-prepared to take on the former secretary of state. The reality is, once all of the misinterpretations, vague half-truths and blatantly obvious lies have been cleared away, Trump did not have the stamina to compete. It was almost as if he was deliberately trying to fold his hand.

If you watched the presidential debate, you would have seen Clinton overwhelm Trump in the third section of debate when it came to issues like national security and gender equality.

There is no denying Trump tried his best.

While the Republican candidate

hammered Clinton in the early stages of the debate, the former First Lady proved her metal by forcing the real estate tycoon into a defensive posture.

Trump turned to jelly as Clinton berated him for the many overt sexist comments he has made over the years. “This is a man who has called women pigs, slobs and dogs,” Clinton said. “And someone who has said pregnancy is an inconvenience to employers.” Indignation of sexism aside, there is no getting away from the fact Trump was the leading voice of the birther movement targeting President Obama. Birthers have somehow maintained the ridiculous notion Obama was not born in the United States. With the release of his birth certificate in 2008, Trump intimated that a few of his comments were only “said in entertainment,” not that everyone was entertained by what the three-time traditionally married Trump had expressed.

Trump argued with moderator Lester Holt about the constitutionality of the controversial police practice stop-and-frisk. Trump was steadfast in his belief stop-and-frisk had not been ruled unconstitutional.

On Thursday, during an interview on CNN, New

NYC mayor Bill de Blasio spoke about Trump in connection with stop-and-frisk. “Donald Trump talks about stop-and-frisk like he knows the facts. He has had no experience with policing, no experience with public safety,” de Blasio said. “He should really be careful because if we reinstituted stop-and-frisk all over this country, you’d see a lot more tension between police and communities.”

While people have a tendency to point to how New York City performed stop-and-frisk, it was Chief Justice Earl Warren who wrote, “The Fourth Amendment provides that ‘the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated. This inestimable right of personal security belongs as much to the citizen on the streets of our cities as to the homeowner closeted in his study to dispose of his secret affairs.” Trump clearly did not have an ear to listen to what the debate moderator was saying.

Those, relatively speaking, are just a few of the highlights of the first presidential debate. The second presidential debate is scheduled for 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, at Washington University at St. Louis. Until then, we will see vice-presidential candidates Tim Kaine (D) and Mike Pence (R) square-off against each other in the vice-presidential debate, scheduled for 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia.

@shainethomas

Democrats still continue to r u n i n Tex a s b e c a u s e t h ey h ave t h a t o p t i o n.

If yo u r c o m p e t it o r’s n a m e i s n’t wh a t g ive s t h e m t h e e d g e, it ’s t h e i r m o n ey. I n c u m b e n t s w i l l h ave more f u n d i n g.

A lt h o u g h m o n ey i s n’t t h e most impor tant thing in p ol it i c s, a c a n d i d a t e w it h more financial back ing w i l l d o m u c h b e t t e r, s i m ply b e c a u s e t h ey c a n r u n a b e t t e r c a m p a ig n.

Perhaps the b ig g e s t factor of why candidates run unopposed i s u t t e r l a z i n e s s.

C o n s t it u e n t s d o n’t care if there are three p e o pl e

r unning or one person r u n n i n g. M o s t of t h e t i m e, p e o pl e j u s t p i c k a r a n d o m n a m e a n d h o p e fo r t h e b e s t.

T h i s i s d i s c o u r a g i n g fo r p o t e n t i a l p ol it i c i a n s.

I f yo u k n ow yo u h ave n’t got a ny m o r s el of a c h a n c e t o w i n, yo u’r e p r o b a bly not going to wa s t e yo u r time and

m o n ey.

This is the d ow n f a l l of t h e d e m o c r a t i c s ys t e m. A lt h o u g h i n t h e o r y t h e s ys t e m wo r k s fo r t h e p e o pl e, a s m a l l a m o u n t of p e o pl e wo r k t h e s ys t e m t o t h e i r a d va n t a g e.

Amer ican p ol it i c s h ave b e c o m e ex t r e m ely l a z y, p a r t i c u l a r ly in lo c a l e nv i r o n m e n t s.

By a l low i n g p ol it i c i a n s t o r u n u n o p p o s e d, we are volu n t a r i ly g iv i n g away o u r d e m o c r a t i c r ig h t s.

@sadsquadch

Are the news media really biased?

By Preston Mitchell G o o d j ou r n a l i sm i s a l l a b out b ei ng obj e c t ive, but c a n t ho s e of u s b eh i nd t h e m e d ia r e a l ly b e obj e c t ive wh en we’r e d i f fe r ent i nd iv idu a l s? T h e a n swe r i s no, a nd t h e ve r y e ss enc e of bia s ch a l lenge s ou r j ou r n a l i st ic dut ie s eve r y t i m e we r e p o r t on fa c t u a l event s. T h a t s a id, we st i l l st r ive t o b e n eut r a l i n ou r i n fo r m a t ion, d e spit e how d i f f icu lt it i s t o c on n e c t t o who we w r it e a b out.

D u r i ng Mond ay’s p r e sid ent ia l d eba t e, on e of t h e t o pics b r oug ht b efo r e H i l la r y C l i nt on a nd D on a ld Tr u m p wa s r a c e, p a r t icu la rly how p ol ic e h ave h a nd le d t h e i n nu m e r a ble deaths of bla ck m en i n A m e r ic a. I n r e sp on s e, C l i nt on st a t e d how bia s ext end s b eyond r a c ia l p r ejud ic e.

“I think i m pl ic it bia s i s a p r oblem fo r eve r yon e,” C l i nt on s a id.

Spaces filling fast for Fall 2017!

“ Not ju st p ol ic e. I t h i n k u n fo r t u n a t ely t o o m a ny of u s i n ou r g r e a t c ou nt r y ju m p t o c onclu sion s a b out e a ch ot h e r. T h e r efo r e, I t h i n k we n e e d a l l of u s t o b e a sk i ng ou r s elve s h a r d qu e st ion s a b out why I’m fe el i ng t h i s way.”

Fo r st a r t e r s, H i l la r y, we a l s o d e s e r ve t o a sk you r qu e st ion ou r s elve s.

Wit hout bia s i n n ews m e d ia, wh ich d o e sn’t h ave a ny choic e but t o c ove r t h i s t u mu lt uou s ele c t ion, you wou ld b e p a i nt e d much wo r s e t h a n you r o r a nge t a n n e d o p p on ent.

W h i le C l i nt on h a s h e r fa i r sh a r e of d e r py m em e s a nd c r o ss e s to b e a r, D on a ld Tr u m p attracts t h e mo st n ega t ive of n ews r e p o r t i ng; mo st ly f r om h i s du mbfou nd i ng Tw it t e r a c c ou nt a nd la ck of fa c t s t o sup p o r t h i s h ei nou s cla i m s. A s much a s Tr u m p sup p o r t e r s c ou ld a rg u e t h a t n ews m e d ia h ave exp r e ss e d a n u n fa i r p a r t ia l it y t o t h ei r p a t r on s a i nt, t h e t r ut h of t h e m a t t e r i s t h a t j ou r n a l i st s c a n not avoid t h ei r bia s e s.

A lt houg h it’s my j ob t o su m m a r i z e t h e h e a r t a nd s ou l of my r e p o r t i ng c ol le a g u e s, a l l w r it e r s a r e t a ug ht t o i nclud e “ voic e” i n t h ei r wo r k. We e a ch h ave d i st i nc t st yle s we cho o s e t o exp r e ss ou r s elve s w it h, s o no m a t t e r how obj e c t ive j ou r n a l i st s h ave t o b e, t h ei r

voic e w i l l a lways o oz e t h r oug h t h ei r ve r bia ge t o s om e ext ent.

It’s st i l l p o ssible, howeve r, fo r a n out let t o b e fa i r a nd not b e c om e F OX News. W h i le obj e c t iv it y i s d i f f icu lt t o g r a sp, it i s not u n a t t a i n a ble. A few we ek s a go, I p en n e d a c olu m n sup p o r t i ng wom en’s r ig ht s t o f r e e t a m p on s i n t h ei r r e st r o om s. Wa s I awa r e of my m a le p e r sp e c t ive wh i le w r it i ng it?

Of c ou r s e, but t h e fa c t s we r e t h e r e, r ega r d le ss of how d et a ch e d I a m f r om t h e fem a le exp e r ienc e. It’s not a b out t h e exp r e ssion of subj e c t ive a t t it ud e s, but d ig g i ng i nt o t h e va lu e s of you r subj e c t t o t e a ch r e a d e r s wh a t you le a r n e d.

I a g r e e d w it h C l i nt on’s bia s st a t em ent ove r a l l, but a t t h e s a m e t i m e, sh e ba sic a l ly s a id t h e obv iou s. It’s e a sy t o s e e how b r o a d c a st n ews m e d ia le a n i n it s d a i ly c ove r a ge of p r e sid ent ia l t it a n s, but n ext t i m e, b e p r iv y t o who i s a c t u a l ly put t i ng t h a t n ews t oget h e r. You’r e a hu m a n b ei ng le a r n i ng f r om old m i st a ke s, a nd j ou r n a l i st s a r e c on st a nt ly le a r n i ng a s wel l.

@presto_mitch

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