Happy Holidays
gets financial boost for transfers NEWS: UNT Page 2 Swimming, diving team faces top 25 programs SPORTS: Page 7 Editor says goodbye to UNT family VIEWS: Page 8
UPC event celebrates multicultural holidays. Page 4
Thursday, December 2, 2010
News 1, 2, 3 Arts & Life 4, 5 Sports 6, 7 Views 8 Classifieds 9 Games 9
Volume 96 | Issue 55
Sunny 63° / 42°
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
Former student dies in crash Friends, family remember Tonny Steadman
BY BEN BABY
Senior Staff Writer
PHOTO BY MIKE MEXEUL II/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The UNT Student Financial Aid and Scholarships Office provides a scholarship library and UNT Financial Aid TV, services to help answer student questions.
Financial Aid TV can inform students Part three of a four-part series
BY ERIN LIPINSKY
Contributing Writer The UNT Student Financial Aid and Scholarships Office website offers a channel to answer a wide variety of financial aid questions. The UNT financial aid TV offers more than 160 financial aid answers in the form of video links at unt.financialaidtv.com. There are also 34 playlists compiled by subject matter. A student may search a topic or question, select the appropriate link and receive assistance. “FATV presents complicated, often confusing financial aid information in a different way,” said Lacey Thompson, assistant director of financial aid. “We find that students are appreciative of an alternative to text and graphiconly content.” Some popular videos include questions such as “What is a Pell Grant?”, “How do I know if I will qualify for financial aid?” and “How can I pay for college?” Videos are also offered in Spanish and Chinese. “This is something I would definitely use if I am on the SFAS
website,” said Todd Frizzell, a sociology senior. “I think it could be very useful.” Financial Aid TV is a service of College Media Solutions and was implemented on the financial aid department’s website in August 2008. According to the financial aid TV website, student satisfaction is more than 95 percent. “All FAFSA applications processes for the FAFSA are the same for students in general,” said Senta Macaraeg, financial aid administrator. “But there might be something a little more specialized that each category of students may have to know.” Since August of 2008, more than 24,600 videos have been viewed, about 3,900 of which were from this year. Videos have also been incorporated on the department’s new website design and play on a TV in the SFAS lobby during office hours. The link for FATV is available at the bottom of the website homepage and on the right side-panel of every subpage within it. A mobile version is also close to completion.
If you look past a ll t he players on t he 2010 UN T basketball poster, you see a fan cheering on his team in the background. That same fan could be spotted on ESPN when Troy took on UNT in t he Su n Belt Con ference C ha mpion sh ip ga me la st season in Hot Springs, Ark. Ton ny Ste ad m a n, w ho attended UNT last year, will not have t hat opportunit y again this spring. Steadman was killed in a car accident on FM 1960 in Dayton, five hours south of Denton, on Nov. 25 afternoon. Steadman was pronounced dead by Liberty Justice of the Peace Bobby Rader at 6:10 p.m. at the scene of the crash. The former UNT student was 20 years old. Those who knew Steadman best described him as a genuine, sincere individual. “No matter when I saw him, he a lways had t he biggest smile on his face, so if I was having the worst day ever, he just would smile at me and say hi, and it would completely change my day,” said Caitlin Easterling, a speech pathology sophomore. Steadman attended Lone Star College-Kingwood this fa ll a nd was prepa ring to return to Denton next spring. He had submitted his housing application and was scheduled to move into College Inn on Jan. 12. Rader said Steadman was trying to pass in a no-passing zone and collided head-on w it h a not her vehicle. The occupants of the other vehicle
were taken by Life Flight for treatment. Steadman was on his way to pick up his father, Tonny Dean Steadman Sr., from work because his father’s car was in the repair shop. Easterling met Steadman at Timberwood Middle School in Humble, 45 minutes away from the site of the accident. Business junior Allen Foss was classmates with the two and teammates with Steadman on the football team. At Atascocita
“Everyone knew him as a guy to go to when you’re down.”
—Binoy Chacko UT biology junior
High School, Steadman was an offensive and defensive tackle. Foss and Steadman were close friends and lived in Maple Hall last year where Steadman was a facilities assistant. “He was one of those guys that who, if you criticize and you tell him stuff, he would just turn his head and not care and say hello to you the next the day,” said Foss, a member of the UNT inline hockey team. “He was one of those really nice guys.” Binoy Chacko, a biolog y junior at the University of Texas, first met Steadman in a choir class in high school. Chacko said his voice and his caring personality made him stand out. “T he w ay he sa ng a nd h is cha racter wa s tot a l ly different,” Chacko said. “He ha s t h is deep voice, a nd then he’d be ta lk ing like a sympathetic guy, really nice. Everyone knew him as a guy to go to when you’re down.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRAD BALLARD
Tonny Steadman, a former UNT student and Humble resident, died on ThanksSee CAR on Page 3 giving. His friends and family called him a genuine and sincere person.
Green Brigade takes skills to the ice Homeless man stabbed, in ICU BY CHRISTINA MLYNSKI Senior Staff Writer
UNT is ta k ing its school pride f rom t he tur f to t he ice. Today si x cha r ter buses will load more than 300 band members wearing black, white and green to the American A i rl i nes Center i n Da l la s, w here t he Green Br igade Marching Band will play at 7 p.m. at the AT&T Plaza and during intermission at t he Dallas Stars game. Ticket s a re $ 30 for t he terrace and $40 for priority terrace. “They’re a ver y ta lented group,” said Jessie Wood, an accou nt execut ive for t he PHOTO BY MIKE MEZEUL II/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Da l las Sta rs. “It def initely sets a really nice presence at Members of the Green Brigade Marching Band will chill out by performing during the Dallas Stars versus Washington our game for the Stars to say, Capitals game starting at 7:30 p.m. The band will entertain thousands of Dallas Stars fans during intermission. ‘Look at what we can do and what an amazing college we that venue, non-UNT people Wi l lia ms is not worried have in the area.’” get a firsthand opportunity about the band performing to recognize the talent that on ice. Against All the Odds “At the end of a period of the students share,” Williams UNT is t he on ly col lege said. hockey, the ice is pretty torn What: Green Brigade band that has been invited to The band has four minutes up and the upper layers are Performance perform, Wood said. to get on the ice, play and get mostly sand-like slush,” he T h is is t he second yea r off. If it goes over, the Dallas said. “It isn’t as slick as you When: 7 p.m. the band has been asked to Stars will be fined $10,000, might think.” perform. Sizing Up for Tradition Wood said. Where: American Airlines Nicholas Williams, director T he ba nd w i l l per for m “They have 90 seconds to Center inside AT&T Plaza, of athletic bands, got the offer perform, so it has to be cut music it has worked on this 2500 Victory Ave. in for the Green Brigade to play and perfect,” she said. semester inside t he pla za Dallas from his Dallas Stars season The biggest challenge for before the game. The brigade tickets manager. He said he the Green Brigade was finding will then play the UNT fight Cost: $30 for terrace, $40 gladly accepted. money to travel. The Dallas song du r ing inter m ission, for priority terrace, pur“ T h e G r e e n B r i g a d e ’s Stars pitched in and paid more Williams said. chased at box office success comes f rom t hei r than $4,500 for transportation great performances and in expenses, Williams said. See MARCHING on Page 3
Celebration Station
BY M ATTHEW CARDENAS Intern
A Tha n ksg iv ing Day confrontation left one man in intensive care and lead to another being arrested on s u s pic ion of a g g r avated assault with a deadly weapon, according to Denton police. Public information officer Ryan Grelle of the Denton Police Department said the police received the call at 11:35 p.m. Thursday. Bot h men were homeless and were drinking in a drainage ditch outside of Voer t ma n’s Book store on West Hickory Street, Grelle said. After an argument, the suspect, 19-year-old Spencer Brown, was threatened, then jumped and choked by his f riend, 46-yea r-old Ja mes Powell. The suspect allegedly stabbed Powell 15 to 20 times with a knife and then called the police to the location, Grelle said. Powell was rushed to the emergency room at Denton Regional Medical Center. One of the witnesses of the incident, Billy Stone, said the fight woke him up. “The police showed up about 15 m i nutes a f terwards,” Stone said. “They got Powell in the ambulance immediately.”
Stone said Brown stabbed Powell repeatedly in selfdefense when Powell started choking him. “T he y w er e a r g u i ng ,” Stone said. “It was stupid.” Stone sa id he’s k now n Powell for a while. “He told me he has lived in Denton for about 20 years,” Stone said. Powell often spent time w it h Brow n a nd Stone in the nook. A group of people, including Stone, still hangs out there. Stone and Powell’s other friends wait for Powell to return from the hospital. Hospita l of f icia ls sa id Powell was in critical condition upon admission, but he showed signs of recover y early on. However, his condition became urgent again. As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, Powell was in a stable condition. There is hope that in the next few days Powell will be moved from intensive care into a regular hospital room if he continues improving, officials said. These kinds of issues are few and far between, Grelle said. “Yes, we have homeless people in Denton,” Grelle said. “But it’s a rare thing to have an attack like this.”
News
Page 2 Abigail Allen & Josh Pherigo News Editors
Thursday, December 2, 2010 ntdailynews@gmail.com
War correspondent UNT uses grant to help transfers shares experiences BY TAYLOR JACKSON Staff Writer
BY LORYN THOMPSON Intern
Journalist Anna Badkhen has seen the world. As a war correspondent, she spent time in Afghanistan, Kenya and Iraq. She has toured the U.S. promoting her new book “Peace Meals: CandyWrapped Kalashnikovs and Other War Stories.” Badkhen spoke about food, humanity and war to an audience of 35 Wednesday night in the Gateway Center to end her tour. “I want my audience here in the states to get to know those people,” Badkhen said. “It’s important to look beyond the action of the war and to take an intimate look into the living rooms and the dining tables of those directly affected.” Badkhen has spent the past decade covering war, but she made a point to have a meal with the people she was with, she said. “We look for a common denominator [when we get to know people],” Badkhen said. “In ‘Peace Meals,’ the common denominator is food.” Badkhen’s book is a compilation of stories and recipes, which document the lives of the people she connected with during her travels. “[The book] is an ode to my friends and also an invitation for my audience to get to know them,” Badkhen said. “I’m a megaphone for people who are largely voiceless.” Badkhen worked closely with Thorne Anderson of the journalism faculty. When Anderson asked her to come speak at UNT, she was excited. “I think it is important to talk to colleagues,” Badkhen said. “Student journalists are my future colleagues, even if they don’t realize it. We’re all doing the same thing.”
Much of B a d k h e n ’s presentation focused on her life as a journalist and how she tries to make the ANNA stories of the BADKHEN individuals she meets personal and relatable. “Reporters are not going to stop war, but we can tell a story with compassion,” Badkhen said. Elizabeth Smith, a journalism graduate student who attended the event, said Badkhen’s accomplishments astounded her. “I was impressed by so many things, but a lot of it is simply because she is a woman who is a war correspondent,” Smith said. “To me, that is almost unobtainable.” Badkhen’s 30-minute presentation was followed by a questionand-answer session. Audience members discussed everything from a recipe for eggplant to Badkhen’s writing process. Noah Bunn, a journalism graduate student, said the professionally geared questions set the event apart from other presentations. “If you go to a typical book reading, the questions always revolve around the subject of the book,” Bunn said. “At a reading like this, you get to have a heartto-heart conversation with the author about the craft behind the book.” Badkhen said the main point of her book is to help people understand what it is like to be on the other side of a war. “It’s been rewarding for me to be a conduit between my global family and my audience,” Badkhen said. “I think that they would be very happy to know that their stories are making people think.”
The university got a grant f rom t he Texas Hig her Educat ion Coord inat ing Board to increase outreach to potential and current transfer students. The College Connection 2+2+2 Program has given UNT a $270,000 grant and the program has already begun, starting with the recent transfer weekend. “We know it’s a big region with lots of options, but we’re the first choice for transfers and this grant will only help better that,” said Lynette O’Keefe, the grant coordinator. UNT is the No. 1 destination for transfers in Texas and No. 4 in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. With more than 3,500 new transfers this fall alone, the number of transfer students exceeds the number of freshmen. The grant is being used to help transfers transition from high school, community college and other universities by helping students understand the course load and the purposes of the Learning Center and the Student Money Management Center, O’Keefe said. Transfer students like Ashly Mitchell are the reason for the grant. She’s a commuter from Fort Worth who doesn’t spend much time on campus and hasn’t used the Transfer Center before. “I drive, work and go to
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school,” Mitchell said. “I went to the Transfer Orientation. That’s about all I’ve done transfer related.” Situations like that are what the new grant is trying to fix. “In the past, the university [has] looked at students as numbers, but here we’re trying to give personal attention to the students,” O’Keefe said. The grant gives UNT the chance to become better acquainted with transfer students and leave personal touches like phone calls, e-mails and meetings. O’Keefe said UNT’s affordability may be why many students transfer, but it doesn’t sacrifice quality. UNT also works with four community colleges in the area
to help transfers make a good transition. Scott Geer, the Transfer Center’s coordinator, made it clear that although the center might get money from the grant, it has no overall say in how the money is dispersed because Enrollment Management wrote the grant. “We focus on retention programs to keep transfers that are already here [to] stay here,” Geer said. The center concentrates on helping transfers succeed in school. Most events are hit-ormiss, and they don’t discourage “nat ive,” or non-t ra nsfer, students from attending events and spreading the word about the center.
One of the center’s main resources in getting transfers to come to events is the Transfer Ambassador program. Brittany Johnson, a music education senior and Oklahoma University transfer, came to UNT for its lower cost and the music school. The transfer ambassadors plan events and get student feedback to make them better, but Johnson wishes more transfers used the center. The center also has lockers for commuters to store their stuff during classes. “They can always have their questions answered, make friends, even get a job like I did,” Johnson said.
SGA supports Green Spaces initiative BY ISAAC WRIGHT Senior Staff Writer
The Student Government Association hopes to help ma ke UNT even greener
THE DAILY IS HIRING Want to get involved?
PHOTO BY BRIAN MASCHINO/INTERN
The Transfer Center offers many activities to current and prospective transfer students to promote benefits of joining the UNT community and ensure a more successful transition.
by supporting the Office of Sustainability’s Green Spaces initiative. The Wednesday meeting of the SGA was opened with a presentat ion f rom of f icia ls f rom t he Of f ice of Sustainability spreading the word about the office’s Green Spaces project. “We’re trying to improve the natural and social environment,” said Brandon Morton, a graduate student and staff member of the Office of Sustainability. The project is in the planning stages and includes two proposed plans. One plan is to expand the tree planting around the duck pond on the UNT campus done annually by the Silvey Society, a student organization dedicated to environmental projects. The office is proposing to create a larger park around the area to be named the Silvey Legacy Arboretum. The second project is the creation of a community garden park along Mulberry Street adjacent to the Environmental E duc at ion, S c ienc e a nd Technology Building. The office will submit the
plans for the two proposed projects to UNT President V. Lane Rawlins later this month. To display the organization’s support for the plans, the SGA voted unanimously to work with the office to lobby for the initiatives. Matthew Florez, the senator for the Honors College who proposed t he leg islat ion, said he sought out the office to speak at the SGA meeting because he felt it was a cause the student-led governmental body of UNT could help with. “I had started trying to get a community garden on my own,” Florez said. “They already had a coalition of different organizations and they wanted SGA’s help. They felt that support from SGA would help solidify their chances of having their ideas passed.” The SGA also passed legislat ion de sig n at i ng C ook Children’s Medica l Center and Invisible Children as the organization’s official philanthropic causes for the next three years. SGA President Kevin Sanders, who w rote the legislation, said the SGA had established
a strong relationship with Cook Children’s through the Carts for Cancer events. During the events, SGA members drive people around campus in golf carts for a $1 fee. He said Invisible Children was chosen after the organization had come to the SGA for support earlier in t he semester. “I wanted to establish a domestic philanthropy and an international philanthropy,” S a nder s s a id . “I nv i sible Children deals with children in Africa and Cook’s Children’s suppor ts ch i ld ren i n t he United States. I thought it was a good correlation between the two.” Chris Walker, a senator for the College of Music, echoed the sentiment that their philanthropy with Cook Children’s has become effective. He said the SGA’s partnership with Invisible Children was a strong decision as well. “[Invisible Children] is such a well-oiled machine, almost, in terms of the organization,” Walker said. “It’s going to be great for us to help them in their efforts.”
Thursday, December 2, 2010 Abigail Allen & Josh Pherigo News Editors
News
Page 3 ntdailynews@gmail.com
Competition gives boost to small businesses BY BERENICE QUIRINO Staff Photographer
A total of $75,000 was awarded to the top three contestants of the New Venture Creation Contest after months of work and tough competition. The winners of the contest were a nnounced Nov. 17 at the Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship Leadership Luncheon. The contest is sponsored by the Murphy Center for Ent repreneurship to g ive students a chance to receive money for their up-and-coming businesses. In front of 600 successful entrepreneurs and business leaders, including Herb Kelleher, co-fou nder of Sout hwest Airlines, graduate student Le’Neisha Brooks stepped up to receive a $50,000 award for her business, Cakes Couture. “It was very surreal,” Brooks
said. “I was sha k ing. I don’t k now what it feels like to w in a Gra m my, but I think it’s probably ANTHONY similar.” MENDES Her business partner, Tifanni Johnson, was not able to attend the luncheon but said she was jittery waiting for the phone call.
The Contest Anthony Mendes, director of the center, said the judges looked at the quality of the business plans and the potential for success in selling the product, as well as the reality of their financial projections. He said it is the largest sum of money the university gives students. The panel consisted of professors and entrepreneurs in the
North Texas area. “It was very tough to choose the winners,” Mendes said. “It was a difficult decision to only award three of the six finalists.”
Cakes Couture The business is a boutique cake company that focuses on gourmet and specia lt y designs. A large part of the business
“They are not only examples of entrepreneurs. They represent all of UNT.” —Anthony Mendes Director of the Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship The second-place winner, Stephen Andrews, a criminal justice junior with Imported Performance, won $15,000 and third-place Yiannis Arestis, a business graduate student with Armadillo Ale Works Restaurant and Brewery, was awarded $10,000.
will be capitalizing on the cupcake craze going on across the country, Johnson said. Since people are always so mobile and on the go, it makes sense, Brooks said. “We pitched the idea [to the contest judges] that people want handheld things, like
their phones,” Brooks said. “People want things in small packages. It’s more of a lifestyle.” Another aspect of the business is that people can get their own custom cupcakes made.
Future Plans Ca kes Couture is based in Houston but can ship to Denton. With the money they have been awarded, Brooks and Johnson pla n on initia lly purchasing a k iosk at the Houston Galleria as well as taking care of any legalities. They would also like to book larger events and purchase larger amounts of the ingredients needed to make the product and invest in a fullservice kitchen.
Competitive Motivation Brooks and Johnson have known each other since grade
school and consider themselves to be competitive women. They knew they would work well together in the competition. “It was really rewarding,” Johnson said. “It’s been a journey, and the contest put a fire under our butts to really put in the time to create a good business plan.” The most rewarding part of the experience was that they were able to set goals for themselves, accomplish them and also receive recognition by established entrepreneurs, Brooks said. “It’s the va lidation that someone else sees your vision,” Johnson said. Mendes said he saw a lot of hard work put in by all the finalists and also feels that the winners receive well-deserved recognition. “They are not only examples of entrepreneurs,” Mendes said. “They represent all of UNT.”
Car crash kills 20-year-old man Marching band to Continued from Page 1 Steadman enjoyed sushi, Chinese food and the Houston Rockets. His favorite superhero was The Green Lantern. The last status Steadma n posted on Facebook sa id, “Off to fight crime.” “He had so much pride for t he school, especia l ly for Maple Hall,” said Brandt Brooks, a Maple Hall resident assistant. “I could a lways count on him to come to my programs or any of the general assemblies. I never had to get on to him about anything.”
Steadman was planning on getting a degree in internat iona l st ud ies. He was interested in broadcasting and traveling the world, said Ton ny ’s mot her, Yvon ne Steadman. Steadman enjoyed c ook i ng. H i s spe c ia lt ie s were ba rbecue a nd stea k. Yvonne said her son went to pick up her husband around 4:15 p.m. “I was just blessed with a good son,” Yvonne Steadman said. “Whatever I asked him, without fussing, he said, ‘Yes ma’a m.’ He never a rg ued with me. He always stayed
humble. Very few people get that from their children.” Elect ronic news sophomore Brad Ba l la rd l ived in B200 w ith Steadman at Maple Hall, and the duo were there to witness the Mean Green basketball team win t he Su n Belt Con ference Championship last season. Ballard says Steadman’s deat h has a llowed people to not on l y le a r n more about the deceased sophomore, but also his faith in Christianity. “I’m sad that he’s gone, but the fact that I know he is in a much better place …
is ex t remely comfor t ing,” Ba l la rd sa id. “People a re react ing to t hat a nd just asking questions. With bad t hings, great t hings come out of it.” Steadman leaves behind his parents and two sisters: Victoria, 18, and Olivia, 11. T he v iew i ng w i l l t a ke place at 11 a.m. Saturday at Good Hope Missiona r y Baptist Church in Houston, with the funeral scheduled for 1 p.m. Allen Youngblood f rom i-dineout.com contributed to this story.
perform on ice Continued from Page 1 Eric Mills, a drum major for the band, performed at a Dallas Stars game last year. He said he feels the band has expectations to live up to. “We are the largest spirit organization on campus, and with that very fact comes a great responsibility of making sure that we represent our school in the best possible way,” he said. Mills, a music education junior, wants the audience to
see how important tradition is to the band. “I hope that people who witness our performance are blown away by our spirit, musicianship and the love for our school,” he said. Justin Caldwell, a UNT alumnus, said he encourages all students to attend the game. “A large showing from the university will not only show support for the Green Brigade, but will show the strong community we have at UNT,” he said.
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Page 4 Katie Grivna Arts & Life Editor
Arts & Life
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Baha’i friendship club seeks unity, harmony BY A SHLEY-CRYSTAL FIRSTLEY Intern
A group of 10 people meet at 6 p.m. on Thursdays to take in one common interest: peace. The group is part of the more than 20-year-old Baha’i Fr iend sh ip C lub, w here members discuss a variety of topics and partake in interfaith devotionals, comparisons of different religious writings, club president and Texas Academy of Math and Science student Maggie Hakala said. “A lot of the club has been a learning process about ourselves and the world we live in,” said Cory Johnson, an English senior. Raised as a Christian, Johnson said his eyes were opened to the Baha’i faith five years ago, and he has been involved with the friendship club for a year and a half.
The Baha’i Faith Founded by the prophet Ba há’u’l lá h (pronou nced ba-haa-ol-laa) in the 1800s, Hakala said Baha’i is the second-most widespread religion. Ha ka la sa id t he ma in distinction of the Baha’i faith is the concept of progressive revelation; in the way Christianity accepts Judaism as a religion of the same God, the Baha’i faith accepts all religions. “It’s a world religion. We believe in one God, the unity of humanity, equality of all people,” Hakala said. Vocal jazz and philosophy freshman Hunter Waters said
he w a sn’t familiar w it h t he Baha’i faith unt i l he came to UNT. He s a id CORY he was given JOHNSON a pamphlet at Freshman Orientation and has been researching and attending the club meetings to learn more about the faith. “His teaching is simply one relevant from the period of which it comes ... to take
kgrivna@ntdaily.com
nity,” Johnson said. “They’ve shown that if you engage in service from an early age, you’re more likely to later on.” Libra r y science sophomore Sarah De Schweinitz joined the club this semester. She said she became interested in the Baha’i faith in February when she hung out with others who were also interested. Schweinitz said the club has given her new perspectives, and it’s open for anyone to join.
“It’s a world religion. We believe in one God, the unity of humanity, euqality of all people.”
—Maggie Hakala Texas Academy of Math and Science student and president of the Baha’i Friendship Club
different perspectives and consider them as a succession of teachings instead of considering them as separate entities,” Waters said.
Applying the Principles The club participates in ser v ice projects, such as junior youth groups where they teach kids ages 11-15 about moral and spiritual empowerment along w ith team-building activities and games, Hakala and Johnson said. “It encou rages f rom a young age to really participate and help the commu-
“It’s important to look at ever y t hing w it h a n open mind and actually learn about other religions instead of just sticking to one,” Schweinitz said. “It’s important to investigate every single aspect if you care about that sort of thing.” Hakala said she plans to have speakers who will talk about the harmony of science and religions and the similarities between religions next semester. “It’s not a tangible benefit,” Johnson said. “You become a lot more aware of what it is be human.”
PHOTO BY JAMES COREAS/INTERN
Justin John, a marketing sophomore, decorates a stocking for his girlfriend. The University Program Council’s Christhanakwanza event was held at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the One O’Clock Lounge.
UPC immerses students in multicultural holidays BY STEPHANIE ROSS Contributing writer
On Wednesday, Alex Hill, a marketing senior, pinned a face together just as she would playing “pin the tail on the donkey.” The game honored the Japanese New Year as part of the University Program Council’s Christhanakwanza. At the event, students explored different cultures from across the world. “UPC hosting this event is really cool,” kinesiolog y freshman Jaci Williams said. “I actually didn’t know they were hosting it until I was walking to class and saw their displays. It’s neat knowing that a lot of people around the world are celebrating different holidays.” Traditional games, craft
stations and snacks, such as cookies and eggnog, were available to attendees, as well as display boards with information about the different holidays. “We just really wanted to broaden the public’s knowledge on holidays that are observed between November and December,” Hill said. “The majority of them only know about Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, but there are so many others.” English freshman Rachel Gunnels said she feels more infor med about dif ferent religions and cultures after attending and participating in the event. “It’s crazy to me to see that there are so many different holidays that I haven’t even heard
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about until now,” Gunnels said. “I think every student needs to have at least a little information about all of the holidays because it brings unity to UNT’s diverse community.” Alexandria Strong, a biology senior and member of the UPC, said she wanted to be a part of the event to help spread knowledge about the different cultures and holidays. “I just wanted to come out and support this event,” Strong said. “Coming to events like these allows you to learn about the different types of cultures that are found across the world and their different ways of celebrating their holidays.” Hill said she believes awareness of the different cultures is a good sign. “By putting this event together, we are allowing students to get creative while actually learning about the different holidays,” Hill said. “A lot of students didn’t know what most of the holidays were, so it was great to see them actually read the information boards and participate in the traditions and crafts.” Hill said about 100 people read the display boards and participated in the games and crafts. “I think a lot of our events get a great response,” Strong said. “We always have surveys at the end of them, and people seem to be having a positive experience at them.” UPC student services coordinator Sergio Renovato said he believes it’s important for students to know the different holidays of the season. “Students need to realize that the holiday season is shared by different cultures,” Renovato said. “One culture doesn’t own the holiday season, so having a different understanding of cultures at this time is extremely important. By knowing about all of the different cultures and religions, it can hopefully bring some peace into the world during the holiday season. That’s what I hoped students walked away with ... peace.”
Arts & Life
Thursday, December 2, 2010 Katie Grivna Arts & Life Editor
Page 5 kgrivna@ntdaily.com
Seniors to debut their dance works Friday BY TARYN WALKER Intern
Months of hard work all come down to one night. Senior dance students will display their original works on Friday for the first time at the New Choreographers Concert. The concert will start at 8 p.m. in the University Theatre in the Radio, Television, Film and Performing Arts Building. General admission is $5 and tickets can be purchased at the box office, over the phone, at the door and in advance. Students enrolled in dance professor Shelley Cushman’s senior projects class are required to choreograph or perform in the concert. They also can complete a research study in fieldwork. “Their work is a culmination to demonstrate the knowledge they have acquired through the course of their study,” Cushman said. Cushman, the artistic director of the concert, is known for her background in dance. She
earned the 2010 University Dance Educator of the Year from the National Dance Association. “They have to create a product, which the public is invited to see, and in this process they have to solve all of the problems they are given in order to create this work of art,” she said. In the class, students learn about dynamics, unity, variety, content, form and theme, Cushman said. From the 10 choreographed works at the concert, two dance pieces were chosen to represent UNT at the American College Dance Festival, including Amelia Wert’s “The Television is Watching Me Again” and Cassie Farzan Panah’s “Gravity of Deception.” “I set out with this image of a motel. I was interested in doing something different,” Wert said. “I thought about the idea of why people would want to stay at a motel and wondered what they felt.” Wert’s modern piece includes
nine dancers accompanied by focused lighting to make it seem as if they are each in their own motel room. Each dancer is isolated from the others and dances with minimalistic movement for a strong impact. The themes include love, loss, isolation and insomnia, which are overlaid by the glow of a television. “It’s a good program. We have some amazing faculty that have really pushed us far,” Wert said. All 56 dancers were chosen from the dance department by advanced choreography students. Some choreographers also decided to dance. Cushman allowed students to perform if they were up for the challenge. Rachel Caldwell choreographed “Certain Uncertainty” and is also performing in “Guess Who’s Not Coming to Dinner,” choreog raphed by A n na Womack. In Caldwell’s choreography, dancers explore the experi-
PHOTO BY TARYN WALKER/INTERN
Dance students perform “The Itch,” choreographed by dance senior Anna Olvera, at a rehearsal for the New Choreographers Concert. ence of being blind by wearing blindfolds. In 28 rehearsals, the four dancers adapted to their hearing and touching senses to help them through the modern piece. Caldwell also worked with music student Ryan Pivovar to compose a song of looped cello
harmonies. Caldwell said her piece is about blindness as an experience, not a handicap. “I was in my modern class last semester and we would lie on the ground and shut our eyes. I wondered if I could capture a
feeling of dance with touch and sound rather than with sight,” Caldwell said. The concert will also be held at 8 p.m. Saturday and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the University Theatre. For more information, visit www. danceandtheatre.unt.edu.
Monthly event promotes art purchases in Denton BY M ARLENE GONZALEZ
wife, Leslie Kregel, thought it would be great to increase awareness of the communiOn Friday, the shops off the ty’s artistic talent and culture, Denton Square will stay open Kregel said. later than usual. Drawe contacted sources Denton will have its monthly and created the website firstFirst Friday on the Square and fridaydenton.com to establish Industrial Street area. the event. Live music, sculptures, stained “First Friday has no boss, no glass, appetizers and art will be president. I’m just in charge of available until 9 p.m. instead of the website and building it into the regular 6 p.m. PHOTO BY TARYN WALKER/INTERN something because I started it,” For First Friday, art galleries and businesses stay open longer Robin Huttash, owner of A Creative Arts STUDIO, will participate in First Friday Drawe said. Kregel’s business, Cimarrona, to give shoppers an opportunity Denton. The studio will stay open until 9 p.m. on Friday. sells hats, scarves and warm to admire and buy art. Several communities and month, which is where the idea pher and UNT alumnus, said he clothing recycled from old countries have their own First came from. helped start Denton’s First Friday clothes. “What we hope is [to gain] a Friday or First Thursday each Shannon Drawe, a photogra- in in February 2010. He and his Intern
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Thursday, December 2nd Roger Creager/Zach Walther-8:00pm @ Rockin’ Rodeo Till They’re Blue or Destroy-7:00pm @ The Hydrant Café Denton Holiday Lighting Festival-5:45pm @ The Square Friday, December 3rd North American Skull Splitter Tour 2010: Skeletonwitch/Withered/Landmine Marathon/ The Spectacle-8:00pm @ Rubber Gloves Crooked Finger-9:00pm @ Public House Denton Bach Society-7:00pm @ The Hydrant Café MillionYoung/Teen Daze/Old Snack/Goldilocks & The Rock-9:00pm @ Hailey’s The Quebe Sisters/Will Johnson-8:00pm @ Dan’s Silverleaf Fatty Lumpkin-7:00pm @ The Boiler Room Reindeer Romp-7:30pm @ South Lakes Park
little more visibility and have the public more aware of art culture in Denton that isn’t always recognized,” Kregel said. Merchants join with artists to help promote art and businesses. For example, an artist looking for a place to display his or her work could contact a coffee shop owner willing to host the artist, Kregel said. Heath Robinson, a pharmacy junior, thinks the event will bring attention to the creativity the community has to offer. “I think it’s a good way to increase the exposure of the arts in Denton,” Robinson said. Robin Huttash ow ns A
Creative Art STUDIO, one of the businesses that has been a part of First Friday since it started. Huttash said her main goal is providing music for the event each month. On Friday, Alex Riegelman, a local guitarist and blues singer, will play in A Creative Art STUDIO. Keri Zimlich, a journalism junior, said she thinks the event is a great opportunity to have fun. “It’s not just one shop, but all the shops getting together to rekindle that love of art,” Zimlich said.
Sunday, December 12th The Second Shepherds’ Play/ Christmas Pie...A Madrigal Farce & Feaste-2:00pm @ The Campus Theater Monday, December 13th The Gay Blades-9:00pm @ Rubber Gloves Trivia Night with Norm Amorose -7:30pm @ Public House
Saturday, December 4th La Meme Gallery opening: Sally Glass/Oh Lewis!/ Murdocks/Jon Vogt-9:00pm @ Rubber Gloves Angel Tree Fundraiser-8:00pm @ Rockin’ Rodeo The Contingency Clause-9:00pm @ The Hydrant Café A Spune Christmas 2010: Telegraph Canyon/Monahans/Birds & Batteries/Seryn/Dour Burr/Glen Farris-7:30pm @ Hailey’s Disc Golf Winter Open: Amateur Team Tournament10:00am @ North Lakes Disc Golf Course Sunday, December 5th Sundress/Final Club/Land Mammals/ The River Mouth-9:00pm @ Hailey’s Monday, December 6th Trivia Monday with Norm Amorose -7:30pm @ Public House Tuesday, December 7th Pearl Harbor Memorial Day Thursday, December 9th Josh Abbott Band/Rob Baird/ William Clark Green-8:00pm @ Rockin’ Rodeo
THE WARRIOR’S WAY [R] 11:40am 2:05pm 4:55pm 7:30pm 10:05pm BURLESQUE [PG13] 1:05pm 4:05pm 7:00pm 9:50pm DUE DATE [R] 11:45am 2:20pm 4:50pm 7:15pm 9:40pm FASTER [R] 11:15am 1:45pm 4:30pm 7:05pm 9:35pm HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 [PG13] 1:40pm 5:10pm 6:30pm 8:30pm 9:45pm HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 - DIGITAL [PG13] 11:55am 3:40pm 7:25pm 10:45pm LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS [R] 11:20am 2:10pm 5:00pm 7:55pm 10:40pm MEGAMIND [PG] 1:10pm 4:00pm MEGAMIND - REAL D 3D [PG] 11:50am 2:35pm 5:15pm 7:50pm 10:15pm MORNING GLORY [PG13] 11:30am 2:25pm 5:05pm 7:45pm 10:30pm TANGLED [PG] 12:45pm 3:20pm 6:05pm 8:45pm TANGLED - REAL D 3D [PG] 11:25am 2:00pm 4:40pm 7:20pm 9:55pm THE NEXT THREE DAYS [PG13] 12:50pm 3:55pm 7:10pm 10:20pm UNSTOPPABLE [PG13] 11:35am 2:15pm 4:45pm 7:35pm 10:10pm
Friday, December 10th Burial/Wild Tribe/x- unit 21’s first show/Wiccans/ Rotundus/Youth Agression-8:00pm @ Rubber Gloves Dirty City Band -9:00pm @ Public House New Riders of the Purple Sage/ Violent Squid Day vs. Night Achtone-8:00pm @ Dan’s Silverleaf The Second Shepherds’ Play/ Christmas Pie...A Madrigal Farce & Feaste-7:30pm @ The Campus Theater Saturday, December 11th Dead Week Print Show: Pan Ector/Gutterth Productions/ La Meme/ Pants-9:00pm @ Rubber Gloves Jessie Frye, with Sam Robertson-8:30pm @ The Hydrant Café Arts & Crafts Show-8:00am @ Danton Civic Center The Second Shepherds’ Play/ Christmas Pie...A Madrigal Farce & Feaste-7:30pm @ The Campus Theater
THE POLAR EXPRESS weekend of 12/2
SHOWTIMES VALID FOR 12-03-2010
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 [PG13] 12:00 | 3:20 | 6:30 | 9:40
TANGLED 3D [PG] 11:15AM | 1:50 | 4:25 | 7:00 | 9:55
MEGAMIND 3D [PG] 11:00AM | 1:25 | 3:50 | 6:15 | 9:00
UNSTOPPABLE [PG13] 11:45AM | 2:20 | 4:55 | 7:30 | 10:15
Page 6 Laura Zamora Sports Editor
Sports
Thursday, December 2, 2010 laurazamora26@gmail.com
Mean Green aims for tenth-straight home victory Struggling Tigers to visit Super Pit tonight BY SEAN GORMAN Senior Staff Writer
Winners of three straight, t he UNT men’s basketba l l team will try to build on its n i ne home ga me w i n n i ng st rea k w hen it host s t he Grambling State Tigers at 7 tonight. T he Me a n Gre en ( 5 -1) can become the sixth team in school histor y to record a double-d ig it home w i n streak with a victory over the Tigers (1-5), who are 1-4 on the road. “We’ve got to continue to get better defensively and take away any kind of penetration,”
counts, and we work hard in practice to prepare for each opponent.” Under Jones, t he Mea n Green is 5-1 against SWAC teams, including wins over Jack s on St ate a nd Te x a s Southern last year. Strong guard play has led a balanced UNT attack this season, w it h sen ior g ua rd Tr ista n Thompson leading the team at 21.3 points per game and White scoring 15.9 points per game. “Bot h of t hose g uys a re excellent shooters and confident ba sketba l l player s,” Jones said. “There’s no reason we won’t continue to depend on them shooting the basketball.” The productive backcourt lost some dept h t his week when it was announced that
Grambling State @ UNT When: 7 p.m. Where: The Super Pit This is the first meeting between the Tigers (1-5) and the Mean Green (5-1)
from the line in the game’s final two minutes. “Ma k i ng f ree t h row s is somet h i ng we st ress a s a team,” Thompson said. “We know how important it is to ma ke t hose shots and ta ke pride in our ability to knock them down when it counts.” Play on the post could play a big role, as both teams possess big men who can score. The Tigers’ Justin Patton is averaging 15.6 points per game while UNT’s George Odufuwa aver a ge s 10. 2 poi nt s per game and 11.5 rebounds per game. “I’m just [doi ng] ever ything I can to limit the guy I’m defending, grab as many —Josh White rebou nds a s possible a nd Senior guard score w hen t he oppor t unity comes,” Odufuwa said. “There are plenty of guys on the sophomore guard Alzee this team who can score and Williams would miss the rest compete, so I know if I do my of t he season a f ter hav ing part we have a good chance surgery on his right knee. to win.” The Mean Green has develIf the team wins tonight, oped a habit of w i n n i ng the Mean Green will equal the close games, notching three longest home winning streak wins by 6 points or less and under Jones. secu r i ng a n over t i me w i n “It always helps to have the aga i nst Texas Tech ea rlier fans behind us when we play this season. at home,” White said. “There Key f ree t hrow shoot ing have been some good turnhas allowed UNT to win those outs this year and it makes a close contests. UNT is 37-41 difference.”
Senior guard Josh White goes up for a 3-pointer against Rice last week. The Mean Green takes to the court against Grambling State tonight at the Super Pit.
line could hurt the UNT men’s basketball team as well. Losing forward Eric Tramiel to graduation was a huge blow to this team, which has capable sta r ters in senior for wa rd George Odufuwa and junior forward Kedrick Hogans, but may not be as deep as it needs to be. With transfer junior forward Alonzo Edwards still making his way, sophomore forward Ben Knox becoming comfortable with notching more fouls than points and sophomore forward Jacob Holmen settling for outside shots, it’s hard to tell who will be able to fill in for Odufuwa and Hogans. Senior for ward Cameron Spencer is still hurt and we
reserves down low. For t u n at el y, t h i s i s a problem that has a handful of possible solutions. Holmen has all the physical tools to receive heavy minutes for this team. A track star in high school, the 6-foot-8 sophomore has the length and speed to play either small or power forward. While he lacks the strength to make the kind of impact Odufuwa does on the block, he is a capable scorer and a confident shooter. When UNT runs small, Holmen is a logical play at power forward. If Holmen can continue to mature and see the game “slow down” for him, he can really contribute. That being
“We know this year that we can’t overlook anybody and that there’s a target on our back.”
head coach Johnny Jones said. “If we do that consistently, we give ourselves a great chance of winning.” T h is w i l l be t he tea ms’ first meeting, but UNT has succeeded i n t he Tiger s’ league of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. “We k now t his year t hat we can’t overlook anybody and that there’s a target on our back,” senior guard Josh W h ite sa id. “Ever y ga me
PHOTO BY RYAN BIBB/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Seansense: Frontline could have issues with depth Opinion BY SEAN GORMAN Senior Staff Writer
When the NBA season began and predictions of the Miami Heat winning 70 games in a season flew around like LeBron James jumpers destined to miss the basket, it all seemed too good to be true. While the team has three superstars in James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, it lacked a key component every team has to have: a strong a nd aggressive front line. As the Heat f lirts with .500 basketball and I enjoy watching its demise, it’s important to see that issues on the front
Sean Gorman don’t know when he’ll be back, so no immediate impact will be seen there. There appears to be a clear met hod to defeat i ng t h is Mean Green team that nobody has really exposed yet: get Odufuwa and Hogans in foul trouble and expose UNT’s
said, it’s still a work in progress. Edwards is an interesting case as well after transferring from Big 12 Club Nebraska. Recruited as a small forward, “Zo” has struggled with knee injuries t hat many people c l a i m h av e s low e d h i m down. It’s going to ta ke some time for Edwards, who will have his growing pains on a new team after a season of junior college. For now he is not a viable option to play for extended minutes, but before season’s end he could make a giant impact if he can settle in. There is a large ceiling for Edwards in the long term, so
if UNT can get by with heavy doses of Odufuwa and Hogans, it can depend on Edwards more and more as the season progresses. You know what you get with a guy like Cameron Spencer – he isn’t the fastest player but can give you five to 10 rebounds every night. He will be a reliable post player off the bench after he returns from injury. I’m not saying all hope is lost for the Mean Green, which has impressed a lot of people in its first five games. I’m simply pointing out that as the year goes on, guys like Holmen and Edwards must have a greater impact if this team wants to be playing deep into March.
Sports
Thursday, December 2, 2010 Laura Zamora Sports Editor
Page 7 laurazamora26@gmail.com
Mean Green club chooses skates over cleats BY PAUL BOTTONI
Why Hockey? Forward Carlos De La Fuente said the Disney movie “The Mighty Ducks” first drew his attention to hockey, and when a StarCenter opened near his home in Duncanville, his interest grew. “It’s faster paced. Not many people have the skill to skate on ice on a piece of metal while dribbling a puck and avoid getting hit,” De La Fuente said. “Sometimes we get up to speeds of 20 to 30 mph.” PHOTO BY PAUL BOTTONI/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Though the sport has been in Members of the UNT Ice Hockey Team run a goaltender-screening drill during practice. Dallas for several decades, it didn’t truly flourish until the arrival of Division II of the American the National Hockey League’s got travel teams that cost $4,000, Season So Far After holding tryouts early in Collegiate Hockey Association, Minnesota North Stars, who reloand that doesn’t include the travel the fall, the Mean Green kicked the governing body of teams cated to Texas in 1993 because of [costs].” To cut back expenses and off the 2010-11 season by going not affiliated with the NCAA. low attendance and financial issues. accommodate school and work 10-2, including victories over the Head coach Neil Sheehan said if After several brushes, the renamed schedules, the team practices at Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M the team finishes with an “excel- Dallas Stars won the franchise’s Dr Pepper StarCenters ice arenas Aggies. The start is the best in lent record,” an ACHA committee first Stanley Cup in 1999. The combination of the team’s will decide whether the team will late at night, when the price for three years, Kennedy said. The team competes in compete in its divisional playoff on-ice success and the opening ice time is cheaper.
of franchise-owned ice arenas Dr. Pepper StarCenters, formed a recipe for hockey’s local growth. “When the Stars moved to Dallas from Minnesota in 1993, they knew they had to build a fan base,” said Keith Andresen, senior director of hockey programs for Dr Pepper StarCenters, in an e-mail statement. “Due to the success of the Dallas Stars on the ice and the success of the StarCenters, the fan base grew rapidly.” Andresen said a hockey generation was created in the 1990s and still lives today. “Many of the kids who started playing hockey as 4-5-year-olds in the late 1990s are now playing college hockey, including many who currently play for UNT,” Andresen added. So why choose hockey over footba l l ? “It’s the hardest possible sport you could play,” Kennedy said. “Take the hitting of football, the individual skill of basketball, the team play of any other sport, and then you do it on ice.”
ence championships, this is the most important meet of the year,” Dykstra said. He said the indiv iduals’ per for ma nces at UT w i l l help determine the lineup for the conference meet in February. Dworschack said the individuals’ goals are to get higher times to place for conference and move up in their conference rankings. The Longhorns will also host the NCAA Championships and Zone D Diving Meet in March, for which divers senior Mary Beth Geeze and junior Delia
Covo qualified – the first of the Mean Green to qualify in seven years. After the Texas Invite, the Mean Green will compete in only one other meet before Christmas. “Our goal is to make an evaluation of where we’re at halfway through our season. They won’t swim as fast as they will at the end of the season, but they’ll swim real fast,” Dykstra said. “We’ll have some lifetime bests. We’ll have mostly all-season bests across the board. I expect us to do real well in that regard.”
tournament after the season wraps up in February.
Contributing Writer Football reigns supreme as the sport of choice for many Texans – but for a group of UNT students, ice hockey is king. The UNT Ice Hockey Team was re-established in 2001 after being disbanded in the late 1990s and, like those before them, its current members are dedicated to their craft. Accounting for practices, games, preparation and travel, forward and team president Ron Kennedy estimated the team dedicates 10 to 15 hours a week to hockey. And then there is the money side. Bucks for Pucks The team has one of the largest budgets among UNT recreational teams, Kennedy said. Club dues were $2,000 per player this year, but that amount is lower than the norm, he said. “Hockey around here isn’t really funded [by schools or clubs]. It’s always funded by players and parents,” Kennedy said. “You’ve
Big-time programs await UNT at Texas Invitational BY R AEGAN POOL Staff Writer
The Mean Green swimming and diving team appears at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin today for a three-day meet against some of the best teams in the nation. The Texas Hall of Fame Inv itationa l w ill host t he 3-meter dive today, the 1-meter dive on Friday and the platform competition on Saturday. UNT w ill sw im against nationally ranked programs including No. 3 Texas, No. 7 Arizona, No. 16 Wisconsin and
No. 24 California-Los Angeles, as well as Wyoming, CaliforniaDavis and Sydney University Swim Club from Australia. The Mean Green divers will face a plethora of competition, including Texas, UCLA, Wyoming, California, Boston, Harvard, University of Houston, P u rdue, Tex a s C h r ist ia n University and Miami. Ty pica lly, when a team competes in a sporting event, its goal is to win first place. However, that is not the case for UNT this weekend as it competes against some of the top 25 teams in the country.
“[ Scor i ng as a tea m] i s not t he poi nt of a m idseason meet,” head coach Joe Dykstra said. SEABRE “ N o b o d y POPE rea lly ca res where you finish. Everybody wants to swim fast for themselves.” Senior distance swimmer Angie Dworschack and junior sprinter Seabre Pope said they expect the swimmers, both distance and sprints, to
perform their all-time bests. The team swam promising times in last week’s practice, Pope said. “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to beat all of those times,” she said. “There should be a lot of people on our team who do best times or right at best times – that’s all that Joe is looking for, really.” With five meets left before conference and only two of those at home, this meet will ser ve as great preparation for the Sun Belt Conference Championships. “Other than the confer-
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By: December 18
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Page 8 Eric Johnson, Editor-in-chief
Editorial With finals approaching and stress levels rapidly rising, students are encouraged to complete the Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness for each class. The evaluation was introduced to UNT in fall 2009 after a state law required all public universities to create an assessment tool that measures student evaluations of their classes and instructors. The questions address the instructors’ organization, explanation of materials and efforts to create a positive environment. However, not every question is applicable to each class because of the large variety of courses. For example, asking students to evaluate whether their instructors encouraged them to develop new viewpoints would apply to an English or history class, but would be irrelevant for a math course. Students can skip a question entirely if it does not apply, but this is not explained in the survey instructions. The Editorial Board believes the instructions need to be more detailed and inform students of their response options to avoid inflation or deflation of professors’ effectiveness scores. A UNT Institutional Research and Effectiveness document addressing instructors’ concerns about the spring 2010 SETE states that, “ A N/A response option would alter the students’ scale score.” The results’ validity would be questionable, it says. Because students are unaware of this option, they may feel forced to give artificially high or low scores based on their assumption of what is expected for a good or bad professor, respectively. If a student likes a professor, it is possible he or she will answer non-applicable questions with the highest score, creating a problem in terms of analysis. The current system needs to be tweaked to provide students with better instructions and correctly portray instructors’ qualities and capabilities.
Campus Chat
Will you fill out the Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness? “I don’t think it does us any good since it’s done after the fact and it’s done at the end of the semester, so some people just breeze through it and don’t put any actual thought in it.”
{ {
Tyler Kockler
Emergency administration and disasters planning senior
“Yes, I’ll fill it out because I think the feedback gives the instructors the information needed to better educate the students.”
Jodi Jackson
Rehabilitation studies senior
“Yeah, I’m going to fill it out because the feedback helps the lecturer improve the teaching and it also help benefits the students.”
NT Daily Editorial Board
Sanjay Kumar
Computer engineering graduate student
The Editorial Board includes: Eric Johnson, Josh Pherigo, Abigail Allen, Brianne Tolj, David Williams, Laura Zamora, Katie Grivna, Graciela Razo, Carolyn Brown, Katia Villalba, Augusta Liddic
ntdailyviews@gmail.com
Editor: Thanks for the memories
Reset the SETE
{
Thursday, December 2, 2010
It’s often said that college will be the best years of your life. I have no idea if that’s true because I cannot see into the future yet, but I do know for me that during my time at this university, I have learned who I am, who I want to be and what I want to do, which I guess is kind of the point of going to college. I thought I knew it all when I walked on campus as a freshman; not that I still don’t have my moments where I let my ego get the best of me, but I quickly discovered I had a lot to learn. I always said I wouldn’t be one of those people who changed their major, I was wrong. I always said I would blow through college without slowing down and without any setbacks, I was wrong. Without continuing down a long, and I mean long, list of things I was wrong about, the point is that UNT has been my womb for the past five years, and what happened here will shape and impact me for the rest of my life. During my time in college, I met the woman I plan on spending the rest of my life with, witnessed the birth of my beautiful baby boy, who turned 4 Oct. 29, developed life-long friendships and met some of the most influential people in my life. I’m writing this to say thank you to the people who have made me what I am. The most important lesson I learned during my college career was that no one accomplishes anything alone. I cannot thank the Mayborn School of Journalism and the skilled and knowledgeable professors who teach here enough for providing me an opportunity at a future. The road has been difficult, but the experience has been priceless. Some of my fondest memories are the two years that I spent at the North Texas Daily. The Daily has been a second family to me, and during my tenure, I have grown so much as a journalist, and more importantly as a person. I was so excited about taking over as Editor-in-Chief because I would get to watch a new group of staffers grow and mature, and these four months have been some of the best of my life because of the dedicated, passionate and genuine people I have gotten to work with. To the Daily Readers You are the reason we do this. The job of the journalist is simple: to inform the public. I got into this because I love telling people’s stories and sharing information, and without constant feedback and criticism from the readers we cannot do our jobs. I want to thank those that have kept me on my toes, because as much as anybody, it’s the readers that helped me to learn and grow. No journalist or writer is naïve enough to think they don’t make mistakes, so continue to demand more from this newspaper and any other news organization you get your information from. To My fellow Daily Staffers It’s crazy to think about how many amazing people I have met since I started here in the spring of 2009. I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most talented, intelligent, passionate and interesting people.
This place has consumed me. I think I have spent more time in this office than I have in my own home the past 48 months, and I don’t say that with any regrets. Not every second has been sunshine and rainbows, but it has been so much fun. The change of atmosphere this semester has been great for this place as well. People feel comfortable here now, which has been a welcome change from past semesters. It puts a smile on my face to see so many people developing friendships, building trust and learning from each other. Every editor has goals when they take over the paper, and I feel like we were able to accomplish the majority of mine because of the hard work that each one of you put in on a daily basis. I understand that I can push a little hard at times, but that is because I see the potential in you all and want to see you be successful. Here’s to a Great Semester The paper has looked the best I’ve seen it in the five years I have been here, and that is all because of the hard work of the staff. I have gotten to sit back and guide you, teach you and give you advice, but it is your talent and effort that is responsible for the success of the paper. I have an entire wall in my office covered by wellwritten articles, fantastic photos and beautifully designed pages, I get to be reminded of how lucky I am every time I look at it. This is a staff with some future superstars in the journalism industry. Some of you have been workhorses, some of you have been pleasant surprises, and this paper as a whole has far exceeded my expectations, so I sincerely want to thank you for your effort and focus. I’ll always remember how some of you rose to the occasion and tackled the biggest stories. Whether it was the death of Josh Rake, V. Lane Rawlins being named permanent president of UNT, the shooting at UT, Todd Dodge being relieved of his duties as head football coach or noticing that a police dog did not look healthy, you have impressed me with your journalistic instincts and ability to perform under pressure. I don’t want to single out too many people by name because I don’t want to belittle the work of this staff as a whole, but those of you who have put in a constant and sincere effort know who you are. My hope for this semester was that you would all become more versatile and discover just how important it is to wear many different hats. I have seen so much growth, and I really hope you take those words to heart because they will benefit you in the long run. I don’t do those things to hear myself talk. I talk about building a diverse skill-set on a consistent basis because it will help you find a job and build a successful career. I want to leave you all with the t wo quotes you have seen hanging on my door all semester. “Impossible is not a word, it’s just an excuse for someone not to try.” “Nothing in this world worth having comes easy.” I hope that during our time together I have impacted your lives as much as you have mine.
You have made my final semester at UNT my most memorable, and I will always be here for you if you have any questions, want my advice or just need someone to talk to you. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with you. To My Mentors Ever yone has t hat one professor they will always remember, or who has been there to give them advice at every turn, I was blessed enough to have two who changed my life forever. Don’t get me wrong, there is not a professor in the Mayborn who has not been there and done that in the journalism industry, and I have enjoyed learning from each of them, but there are two faculty members who have had a huge part in molding me. Nann Goplerud and Kathie Hinnen, I will never be able to truly thank you for everything that you have done for me. The two of you have consistently gone above and beyond what you had to do. You are my two biggest fans and two harshest critics, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You never accepted good as good enough, you demanded my very best in everything I did. Nann, I remember coming to you as an arrogant 19-yearold who thought he had already arrived. You quickly knocked me off my pedestal and challenged me every step of the way. You have seen me at my absolute best and worst as a student, as a journalist and as a person. When I was broken, you helped pick up the pieces. You have been more than a professor, you have been like a mother to me. You taught me more than great storytelling, you taught me about life. You have been there for me no matter what it was I needed, even when I didn’t know what that was. Kathie, you molded me into the writer I am now. When I returned to UNT after growing up a little bit, it was you that helped me rediscover my passion, drive and determination. You demanded better of me and put everything I did under a microscope, and if it wasn’t for that I have no idea who I would be. I look back at how much I have grown the past two years, and I can’t help but be so grateful that I had you there to guide me. You set the example for what type of teacher I needed to be for the Daily staff this semester. There is not a person I have met who doesn’t respect you, and it’s easy to see why. You are a fireball of passion, energy and excitement, and I only hope that my heart burns with that same passion for the rest of my life. There is no way that I can truly express my gratitude for what you two have done for me. I hope that I am able to make you proud, and I will strive to be the best wherever I am because that is who you taught me to be. From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you. I would be nothing without the two of you. To My Protégé I remember t his excited a nd energet ic you ng ma n coming up to me this past fall and asking me to critique his first profile stor y. Here was this 18-year-old kid who had a huge passion for writing and journalism and wanted
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to do whatever it took to be the best. As I read through the story about UNT forward Jasmine Godbolt, I couldn’t help but think this man has limitless potential. Mentoring Ben Baby over the past year has been challenging at times, but it has been the most fun I have had in journalism. Ben, I don’t know if you know how great an impact you had on my life, but it was you who taught me that what I really love doing is teaching others. Your enthusiastic attitude was not only refreshing, but it was inspiring. I decided to run for Editor-in-Chief because of the great experience I had guiding you and helping you grow, and I wanted to share my love and passion for journalism and teaching with others. I have never met a more talented writer, and you are going to be a household name one day. So, if you are wondering why I push you so hard and demand so much from you, it’s because you are too talented to produce anything less than great. You have become like a little brother to me, and I am fully invested in your future and will be here for guidance whenever you need me. Don’t think that just because I’ve graduated I won’t continue to critique you and demand perfection from you. Don’t allow yourself to become complacent. Be consistent, be thorough, stay dedicated, stay passionate and be the example for the rest of the students in the Mayborn. If Ben Baby were a publicly traded stock, I would buy every share because you are going to be a huge success in the journalism industry. You have changed my life. You showed what my future is and who I am supposed to be. I want to say thank you. You came to me for guidance, but in the process you have become one of my best friends and taught me so much about myself. It was an honor to mentor you, and I hope you got what you were looking for. If there is ever anything you need from me, don’t hesitate to ask. This day has come a lot sooner than I thought, and I already miss the Daily and being a student. For those returning next semester, hold on to every second because it goes too fast. Soak up this experience, build the friendships and always be your own worst critic. Thank you to UNT, the Mayborn School of Journalism and all those people I have encountered along the way. It has been an honor and a privilidge. I look forward to the great things the Daily will produce with Katie Grivna as the new Editor-in-Chief in spring 2011.
Eric Johnson Eric Johnson is the Editorin-Chief of the Daily. He can be reached at ericjohnson3@ my.unt.edu.
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The NT Daily does not necessarily endorse, promote or agree with the viewpoints of the columnists on this page. The content of the columns is strictly the opinion of the writers and in no way reflects the belief of the NT Daily.
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