Magical Mariachi Ensemble allows students to musically shine Page 8 Thursday, January 20, 2011
News 1, 3 Arts & Life 4, 8 Sports 5 Views 6 Classifieds 7 Games 7
Volume 97 | Issue 3
Rainy 44° / 23°
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
Prison sentence doubled for student’s murderer BY M ATTHEW CARDENAS Staff Writer
SPORTS: Tennis prepares for ranked competition Page 5 DREW GAINES/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The skeleton of the scoreboard at UNT’s new football stadium is up as bleachers are put into the lower bowl and walls are finished in the press box. The $78 million project will be completed in July, in time for the fall’s first home game.
Stadium springs to life Venue to be first LEED Gold college stadium in U.S.
ARTS & LIFE: Students bring back ’90s cartoons Page 8
VIEWS: Students can help avoid disasters Page 6
ONLINE: Volunteer opportunities are abundant
BY DREW GAINES Senior Staff Writer
It has been a year since UNT broke ground on the 30,000-seat football stadium that now towers above Interstate Highway 35 and Fouts Field. Since the projects’ start, UNT has seen the resignation of a president and the handing over of the football team to a new head coach. Despite this … “Everything is still on schedule,” said Eric Capper, senior associate athletic director. “And it looks like we should be able to complete the project for what was budgeted originally.” Completion of the $78 million stadium is scheduled for July, in time for next fall’s football season. It will replace 53-year-old Fouts Field and is set to be LEEDcertified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) after construction, a title that could make it one of a kind in the realm of college football. Crews celebrated the ‘topping out point’ last October when they reached the highest point of construction on the stadium. The Board of Regents approved, in November, plans to erect three wind turbines next to the facility that will partially power it. Season tickets went on sale in December. Now, work crews from Manhattan Construction, one
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Stadium progression
April 1, 2010
August 8, 2010
September 1, 2010 their seat selection. Capper also expects the stadium’s LEED certification to attract investors. To be LEED-certified, the facility must meet high environmental and sustainability standards during its design, construction and use. The three wind turbines set to go up on the west side of the stadium will be a major factor in achieving this certification.
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Changes to dining meant to benefit students BY SHANNON MOFFATT Senior Staff Writer
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of the companies managing the project, are finishing construction of the walls in the press box and continuing to brick the stadium’s outer sides. Bleacher seats will be installed in the lower bowl of the stadium during the next few weeks. “Every seat in the house has spectacular views to the field, great amenities with restrooms and concessions, and then for the alumni, there is the opportunity for the suites and the club seats for the high donors, so it should be enjoyed by everyone,” said Greg Whittemore, vice president of HKS Architects and project manager. The modern lines and amenities HKS included in their design of UNT’s stadium reflect one of the firms’ recent projects, Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Club members will watch the Eagles from 21 suites complete with an elevator, bar, dining area and floor-to-ceiling windows. Prices for the suites range from $3,000 to $12,000, and, Capper said, they are selling. “I think we are down to one or two that we have left to sell,” Capper said. UNT has been marketing season tickets and club sales with the stadium’s own website and through UNT’s Athletics website, meangreensports.com. The latter contains a link from Ballena Technologies, a group that made a 3D reconstruction of the stadium that lets people view the field from any section online. Prospective ticket holders will tour the facility in April to finalize
A Denton man previously convicted of murdering UNT student Lorena Sandoval saw his original sentence double in mid-December, af ter gambling on a new jury when his original conviction was thrown out last year. Sean Kresse, 27, received 99 years in prison for the September 2007 strangulation of Sandoval in the 21-year-old’s off-campus apartment bedroom. The sentence comes after Kresse opted for a new trial in hopes of reducing his 2009 conviction of 50 years. Lt. Keith Smith of the Denton police department investigated the case on the night of the murder in 2007. When officers arrived on the scene, they found Kresse intoxicated and belligerent, Smith recalled. Kresse had called his mother who drove from Fort Worth to the Denton apartment. “We responded to a call on the night of Sept. 14,” Smith said. “Kresse’s mother had made the call. She was performing CPR on Sandoval when paramedics arrived.” Sandoval, who was previously in a relationship with Kresse, had just broken up with him prior to the night of the murder, reports say. Ac c ord i ng to phone records, Kresse had called his friends and his mother before his mother called the police. “He spent hours doing everything he shouldn’t have done,” Smith said. “[Kresse’s mom] drove all the way from Fort Worth before she made the call.” W h i le t r y i ng to get Sandoval in the ambulance, Kresse caused a disturbance and interrupted the paramedics, Smith said. Police had to restrain and then arrest Kresse for public intoxication. Sandoval was pronounced deceased on arrival, and the autopsy showed evidence of strangulation. Kresse was charged with murder the next day, Smith said. Kresse initially offered
a plea of not guilty, Smith said. How e v er, h e s o on ad m it ted t hat he was guilty. LORENA S m i t h ’ s SANDOVAL a t t o r n e y, Sarah Roland, found a technical problem with the jury, Smith said. Roland is the appointed attorney for Kresse’s case. “The jury was misread information from the judge,” Smith said. Kresse and his attorney won the right to an appeal in 2009. The trial took place in early January. “It’s a risky strategy to reduce the sentence,” Smith said. “It’s a complete redo with a new sentence.” The new sentence was what Kresse expected. “The second jur y saw through some of the stuff that the first jury didn’t,” Smith said. The second jury sentenced Kresse the maximum sentence of 99 years in prison and he will have to serve at least half of the term before parole can be considered. Now Kresse is looking ahead and planning his second appeal, Roland said. “There were several points of errors in the appeal,” Roland said. “The big one that got the case reversed was in part of what the appellate judge said to the jury.” According to Roland, harm was caused by the judge’s improper instruction to jury on the subject of voluntary intoxication. “There was a tremendous emphasis on Sean being an entirely different person when intoxicated,” Roland said. “They made it sound like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Roland got the appeal, and Kresse will be working with David Whacker on his next appeal. Sandoval was a business major who would have graduated in May 2008. She is remembered for her unique style, love of music and love of natural beauty.
University dining areas have undergone major changes to create several new additions to buildings and menus. “The closing of Clark Grill, and by adding Late Night, has definitely brought more students to us,” said Sean Coxon, food service manager at Kerr Hall. “We went from having 2,000 students to 4,000 students this last semester.” The biggest change took place in Kerr Hall Cafeteria, said Shohreh Sparks, associate director of dining. Kerr is the largest cafeteria and the only cafeteria open on the weekends, he said. A major addition over the winter break is the Blue Bell ice cream bar in Kerr’s dining hall, she said. The t radit iona l chocolate, vanilla and strawberry f lavors are served daily. Two
f lavors change each week to add variety, Coxon said. “Wow!” said Andrew Perry, a criminal justice freshman and new resident. “I think that’s really cool that there is something like that here. That’s great after a big meal.” Kerr has extended the menu of its late night food, recently added during fall semester. Starting this semester, the ca feteria stays open unt i l 2 a .m . Mond ay t h roug h Thursday. The Kerr Late Night Grill moved from a small part in the back of the building to a larger area toward the front of the cafe, Coxon said. Other changes at Kerr Hall Cafeteria include keeping the salad bar open until midnight and extending the cereal bar hours to 2 a.m., Coxon said. Another addition to UNT dining is Khush Roti, a new food stand near the General
Academic Building, offering healthy food and international food. “We gave out free samples of sandwiches on Friday, before we were open and people loved them,” Sparks said. Kerr Hall Cafeteria, Avasta in the University Union and the dining main office underwent remodeling over winter break. Champs Cafeteria at Victory Hall still offers grilled sandwiches. Mean Greens Café at Maple Hall still serves gluten free and vegetarian options. “Our cafeterias are open to everyone,” Coxon said. “People can pay cash or use your meal plan at any university dining café.” Other dining options on campus, not part of the university dining, include fast-food restaurants in the University Union like Chick-Fil-A and Taco Bell.
PHOTO BY JAMES COREAS/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Stephen Scott, an economics sophomore, serves students food at Kerr’s dining hall.