VOL. 105 No.13
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2015
NTDAILY.COM
DONATION
CAMPUS GOVERNMENT
SGA House abolished
STUB to be replaced with sculpture; donor gives $250K
By Lisa Dreher & Sarah Lagro Staff Writers @lisa_dreher97 @lagroski
By Adalberto Toledo Staff Writer @adaltoledo29 UNT students will continue to see construction around the Library Mall — or rather destruction. Stovall Hall will be demolished and replaced with a green space adorned with a sculpture hopefully erected by next March, UNT President Neal Smatresk said. The sculpture is the work of alumnus Jesus Moroles, who died in a June car accident. Moroles’ legacy is being carried out by friend Jerome Westheimer, who donated $1.9 million to UNT this year. About $250,000 went to commission the sculpture now being completed by the National Medal of Arts winner’s studio because of Moroles’ sudden death. A resident of Ardmore, Oklahoma, Westheimer met Moroles at the art center in town. “I run the Westheimer foundation that my dad founded,” Westheimer said. “[Moroles] came to the art center to have dinner one night and I was not there at the time, and it was mentioned to him that they would like to buy a piece of art.” Westheimer and Moroles went to UNT at different times, Westheimer graduating in 1965 and Moroles in 1979. “We had a discussion one
SEE DONATION ON PAGE 2
Lee Walker has learned after eight years on the street that he only needs $10 a day to survive. Meagan Sullivan| Associate Visuals Editor
Denton’s homeless population comes from all walks of life By Kyle Martin Staff Writer @Kyle_Martin35 Lee Walker, 58, has been living on the streets since 2007. “Money makes being homeless better,” Walker said. “I make 20 bucks a day, and I only need but 10. I don’t get greedy.” Walker sleeps on trains some nights, works odd jobs every once in awhile to make some cash and
WEATHER
Today H: 64°F L: 43°F 7-Day Forecast Friday H: 67°F L: 43°F Saturday Sunday
H: 51°F L: 32°F H: 52°F L: 35°F
Monday H: 56°F L: 42°F Tuesday H: 59°F L: 49°F Wednesday H: 65°F L: 56°F TRENDING
@ntdaily @thedose_ntdaily @ntd_sports
#ParisAttacks
The manhunt continues for the suspects from last Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris.
#HungerGames
The fourth and final installment of the Hunger Games series premiers this weekend.
#DemDebate
The second Democratic Debate took place on Saturday, focusing on foreign policy in the wake of the #ParisAttacks.
EDITORIAL ON PAGE 8
FACEBOOK’S SAFETY CHECK
TIMELINE
has been homeless for eight years. Being on the streets for so long, he’s learned how rough it can be. When he has the money, he’ll stay at a motel or buy a couple packs of Ramen, but if not, he has to bum it around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. “You never know what’s going to happen every night,” Walker said. “Some days are good, some days are bad.” Homelessness can affect anyone at any time. It has been a pressing issue in the Denton community for years, but whether it is being effectively
approached and handled remains to be seen. “Other communities are dealing with it,” executive director for Serve Denton Patrick Smith said. “Denton County as a whole is not doing a good job with addressing the issue.” Not alone Smith and Serve Denton have become active leaders in the fight against homelessness. Serve Denton is a company whose mission is to support “nonprofits that open doors for people to become
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ENTERTAINMENT
Watched ‘Empire Strikes Back,’ fans did By Matt Payne Senior Staff Writer @MattePaper A battalion of Stormtroopers, jarring Wookiee cries and the distinctive whooshing of lightsabers aren’t the usual sights and sounds Cross Timbers Community Church on West McKinney Street is accustomed to. With just under a month until “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” premiers in theaters nationwide on Dec. 18, more than 1,000 Jedis, Sith Lords and bounty hunters congregated in the ministry’s parking lot as “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” was projected onto a screen—not unlike a drive-in movie. The excitement among the legion of fans was evident, but even stronger was the Force of charitable spirit.
Cross Timbers has put together several of these community movie nights in partnership with First Refuge Ministries and Giving HOPE Inc. of Denton County, including an event more than two weeks ago on “Back to the Future Day,” Oct. 21. “Star Wars” night was the fifth event of its kind, and youth pastor Nick Person said the movie nights serve two purposes. “Why not put on a community event that also has a good cause behind it?” Person said. “It’s a good way to engage people and also help people.” At the event, attendees who participated in a costume contest were awarded gift cards from sponsors, including West Oak Coffee Bar and More Fun and Games Comics. A photo booth, created by “People of Denton” Facebook page
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STUDY ABROAD
About 600 students use study abroad programs By Chelsea Watkins Staff Writer @chelloo
Kristen Cogswell, right, battles Laura Malins’ son during Star Wars movie night at Cross Timbers Church. Meagan Sullivan | Associate Visuals Editor
BASKETBALL
Notre Dame transfer finds home in Denton after accident impairs vision By Torie Mosley Staff Writer @toriemosley Landing a spot on a top-tier division 1 college basketball team to prepare for a hopeful professional career is on the wish lists of many high school hoops stars. Some go on to have lengthy, memorable careers. But for some, the road to basketball success is not so smooth. Graduate student and forward Eric Katenda appeared to be on the former path after being recruited
by Notre Dame University, an elite program that has only posted one losing record this century. But an accident during one of countless pick-up games Katenda has played resulted in the forward getting poked in the eye while jockeying for a rebound. The accident left Katenda with distorted vision in his left eye temporarily and altered his collegiate career permanently. “I went to the doctor and they did a bunch of testing to make sure my eye was all right,” Katenda said.
Student Government Association’s House of Representatives was dissolved after a student vote of 114 to 91. About 0.6 percent of the student body participated in the referendum. SGA president Adam Alattry wanted to remove the body from SGA in order to focus on the SGA Senate. “I think it was a good turnout,” Alattry said. “I think 200 people voting is not really horrible.” Student applications to join the SGA House were not open last spring, which led the House of Representatives chamber to be largely inactive. “It’s a huge weight off our backs,” Alattry said. “Now that it is passed, we can focus on building [the SGA Senate] up like we envisioned it when we first came into the administration.” Throughout the voting period last week, the North Texas Daily asked students around campus if they knew of the referendum. Of 100 who responded, 12 of them were aware of the referendum. Because the SGA House has been removed, the undergraduate government will be able to focus its attention on the Senate, where problems remain, such as members not knowing how to write legislation. Through spring 2016, SGA will train its members to effectively write legislation on student concerns by using templates to construct the proper format. Students not in SGA can propose legislation, according to the SGA ByLaws. Article two, section two, states bills may be submitted to the Student Senate by the student body president, a senator or a student as long as the legislation is sponsored by a seated senator. Alattry said students are not allowed to submit statutes they have written on their own. “Only members of the legislative branch may draft legislation which currently are our senators.” Alattry said. Alattry said if a student has an idea or wants to propose legislation, they should contact their respective senator and meet with him or her. Education junior Robyn McGhee said she would like to see more connection between SGA and the student body. “Passing a bill that would somehow encourage student involvement would be helpful,” McGhee said.
“They couldn’t really tell at first, because there was so much blood in my eye that they couldn’t see the back of it. So I went through two surgeries, and they told me I had a severed optic nerve.” Katenda’s journey started in his hometown, Paris, where he lived and played basketball until the age of 14. His talents on the court eventually led him to America to play for prep high school Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, Connecticut, before playing his final high school season at Sunrise Christian
Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas. Katenda averaged 15 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals as a senior while winning the National Association of Christian Athletes (NACA) national championship and the MVP award as well. ESPN-U named Katenda the No. 27 ranked power forward of the 2011 recruiting class. That prompted Notre Dame to recruit Katenda, where he earned a spot in the starting rotation. But the
SEE KATENDA ON PAGE 6
The university offers more than 800 study abroad programs, but study abroad adviser Courtney Rogers said on average 500 to 600 students take advantage of the programs each year. That is due to a number of things, but Rogers said it’s mostly a matter of students not knowing about the programs. Along with being able to experience another culture, studying abroad may leverage students in standing out to future employers. According to a study by Erasmus Student Network, students who study abroad are half as likely to face long-term unemployment, and 64 percent of employers consider international experience important for recruitment. “It’s a fantastic thing to differentiate students on their resumes and their transcripts,” Rogers said. “Such a small
SEE STUDY ABROAD ON PAGE 2