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Volume 97 | Issue 18
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ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
Aviation team takes off, hopes for funding BY M ARLENE GONZALEZ Intern
ARTS & LIFE: Discussion breaks cultural barriers Page 3
SPORTS: Women’s basketball team visits Red Wolves Page 4
Last semester, UNT became the first public university to offer a degree in aviation. This semester, students are starting a flight team to further their skills. The group wants to teach students the basics of flying and logistics so they can be more knowledgeable. “If there’s a solid leadership and knowledge of aircraft, the more prepared they are and can propose it to us, the more likely we are to start the club,” said Doug Welch, the director of Risk Management Services. The flight team is still figuring out when they will meet, said Andrew Brown, a business junior. Members are currently working on turning the flight team into an athletic club, said Alex Scheidel, the vice-president of the organization and an aviation and logistics senior. “We barely started last month. We just got paperwork through sports clubs [in the Recreational Sports department] to get funding from the school,” Brown said. “If the school doesn’t want to take the liabilities, we’re going to be self-funded.” The cost of renting an airplane is about $100 per hour with fuel included, Brown said. Welch said he believes a lot of research is going to be required to operate a successful organization. “We will see if there are any Federal Aviation Administration provisions or requirements, and
PHOTO BY JAMES COREAS/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Sophomore Ralph Brynard (left) and junior Andrew Brown (right), aviation logistics students, are the founders of the Mean Green Flight Team. The team promotes all aspects of aviation excellence, including safety, skill development, education and career opportunities through competition. what other schools have done, and see where we can go from there,” he said. Scheidel said he will be the second person to graduate with an aviation degree. One of the group’s goals, besides getting support from the university, is to show people that flying can be safe, Scheidel said. “It is difficult right now. There
Spring enrollment exceeds expectations
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years. UNT is the High retention previous top transfer student destinasignals academic tion in the state and the fourth in the country, a posiimprovement largest tion Johnson said UNT has
BY ISAAC WRIGHT & H ARSHITHA R AMESH
Senior Staff Writer & Intern More students enrolled, transferred to and stayed at UNT this spring than ever before. UNT enrollment grew by more than 4.6 percent from last year, bringing the total enrollment to 34,155 students. Contributing to that growth is a 4.9 percent increase in retention compared to Spring 2010, which means more students are continuing their studies at a higher level. The university also enrolled 1,630 new transfer students this spring, an amount UNT officials said was greater than expected. “It’s an exciting uptick,” said Troy Johnson, the vice provost for enrollment. “It indicates the quality of our academic programs.” Johnson said UNT’s reputation is improving, and students have taken notice that it is a quality institution. Students are enrolling at UNT because it is one of the most comprehensive universities in the state, and because UNT has the ability to award more than $300 million in financial aid and scholarships every year, Johnson said. The increased amount of transfer students who enrolled this spring was larger than in
held for many years. Transfer students come to UNT in such large numbers because of the infrastructure the university has in place to help ease the transition, Johnson said. “When that environment and structure exists, it makes it easy for students to enroll,” Johnson said. Yet, he said the most important increase UNT has seen this spring is growth in retention rates. That figure, he said, shows the university is on the right track. “It’s not just about enrollment,” Johnson said. “It’s about students completing degrees, whether it’s freshmen or transfer students.” UNT President V. Lane Rawlins said the growth in enrollment could be attributed to a number of factors. Rawlins said one of the biggest reasons UNT is experiencing such rapid growth is because of the growing college-age population in North Texas. Rawlins said that more students are coming to UNT because of the variety of majors that are offered. “We have a good array of programs,” Rawlins said. “It matches pretty well with what this generation is looking at, and it matches pretty well with what employers are looking for.”
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are a lot of misconceptions about aviation. More people get in car accidents than airplanes,” he said. Hillary Wells, the graduate assistant for sports clubs, said she feels that, with students who are motivated and determined to carry through with the procedures, the organization will be approved. A m i n a Ha rd aw a y, a n
accounting junior, said she thinks earning an aviation degree would be interesting. “It’s cool to a certain extent. I’d enjoy being a passenger,” she said. “I’d like to learn myself.” If the flight team cannot get the resources to practice flying, it will work on ground training to compete in the National Intercollegiate Flying Association, which takes place at
Ohio State University this year, Scheidel said. “It’s really to further the education of f lying among students. There is a lot involved in flying, not just taking off. There are a lot of calculations and air craft identification,” Scheidel said. For more i n for mat ion, contact abrown@unt.edu or untflightteam@gmail.com.
UNT professor selected to head national organization Position brings attention to RTVF program BY A LEXANDRA K ING Staff Writer
A veteran UNT professor was recently selected to lead a national organization for broadcast educators. Sam Sauls of the radio, television and film faculty was elected president for the 2010-2011 term of The Broadcast Education Association, an organization that includes more than 1,600 students and professors from 275 universities. Sauls, a BEA member since 1994 and the association’s current vice president, will be officially named president in April at the organization’s annual convention. Sauls said he has served in every officer position since 1997, so the presidency was “a natural progression.” “I first got into it as an outlet to present at national conferences,” Sauls said. “It’s a great outlet to promote your own academic work.” The annual convention, held April 9-13, will offer more than 200 sessions during the conference, which incorporate workshops for undergraduate students, graduate students and professors from all over the country. Saul’s presidency will be officially debuted at the conference. “As president, you work with headquarter staff to ensure dayto-day functions are carried out, make sure the long-term goals are carried out, and ensure member-
PHOTO BY NAHUM LOPEZ/INTERN
Sam Sauls of the radio, television and film faculty, recently elected as the 20112012 president of the Broadcast Education Association, demonstrates how to operate editing software in a radio booth. ship desires are carried forward,” Sauls said. “My thing is to look at what issues have been processed and communicate with membership about specific needs that should be investigated.” The BEA, a volunteer organization that began in 1955, is a scholarship-based program that caters to future broadcasters. “Our goal is to train media professionals for tomorrow,” Sauls said. Sauls’s colleagues voiced their opinions about the gained notoriety from the BEA’s newest connection with UNT. “Involvement in BEA is a great resource. It gives you access to journals and members also attend a tradeshow which is the best in terms of seeing the latest technology,” said Alan Albarran of the RTVF faculty and former 2006 president of the BEA. Albarran discussed Sauls accomplishments and his position of former president. “It makes us look really good. UNT is known for leadership
and we’re a department that has produced a lot of leaders,” Albarran said. Several RTVF students said they also benefit from Sauls’s involvement in BEA. Hanny Lee, a RTVF graduate student and teacher’s assistant, won honorable mention out of 900 students who entered the BEA’s short form category student national documentary competition for her film “Wake-Up and Live.” “Dr. Sauls’s achievement definitely shows that the department has reached a new level. The BEA works in conjunction with the National Association of Broadcasters, which 100,000 students and teachers attend. So it’s amazing he’s president and has that influence,” Lee said. For f u l l-t i me st udent s enrolled in a participating BEA university, admission is free, and members can participate in tradeshows, networking conferences and co-author works with professors.