9-22-09 Edition

Page 1

SPORTS

discuss question “Is Everyone Racist?” ARTS & LIFE: Students Page 3 criticize online testing NEWS: Students Page 2 to avoid defaulting on student loans VIEWS: Ways Page 6

Mean green lose to No. 4 Alabama Page 8

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

News 1, 2 Arts & Life 3, 4 Sports 5, 8 Views 6 Classifieds 7 Games 7

Volume 94 | Issue 15

Rainy 69° / 60°

ntdaily.com

The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas

Extra expenses add up BY MELISSA BOUGHTON Staff Writer

Whether it’s paying for cable, Internet, electricity or a new couch, all of the extra expenses can make or break a student’s decision to live on- or off-campus. Students on-campus pay one set price to live in a dorm that includes all-bills-paid, Internet, cable, a meal plan and a close proximity to campus. On the other hand, students who choose to move off-campus are faced with a monthly rent on top of individual bills for electricity, cable, Internet and groceries. In addition to the bills, students who don’t reside in student-living apartments like City Parc and University Courtyard have to provide their own furniture and kitchenware. Bills, Bills, Bills Students that move into an offcampus apartment will find that in most cases, there are separate bills for water, trash, gas, electricity, cable and Internet. Electricity bills will vary depending on the size of an apartment and how much electricity is used. The same goes for gas and water bills. Internet prices also vary widely, but companies like Charter Communications have plans

starting at $19.99. Cable can range from a basic package at $29.99 to an extended, full cable package with add-ons such as NFL Sunday Ticket, HBO and other movie channels. These extra features might cost students

The Right Housing in the Wrong Economy Part 2 of a Series more than $100 per month. Victoria Eaton, a social science senior, lived on-campus in the dorms for three years and made the move to an apartment in August. Eaton lives at University Courtyard, a student-living apartment complex that offers furnished units for students that are all-bills-paid and include cable and Internet. Most student-living apartments that advertise all-billspaid do give students a cap for electric bills. Robert Lorance, general manager at City Parc apartments, said the apartments pay $30 per person for electric bills. “Anything over the collective amount for those units, we split between the residents,” Lorance said. City Parc apartments cover $120 of the electric bill in its

four-bedroom units, but if residents use more than the allotted amount, the difference would be split four ways. For example, if a unit uses $160 worth of electricity in a month, a $40 difference, each resident would pay $10. What about the food? Jacqueline Garrison, an anthropology freshman, said she loves the convenience of having a meal plan included in the cost of her housing payment. Garrison, a Bruce Hall resident, has the five-day meal plan and said she spends an additional $10-$20 a week on groceries to make up for the two days without the plan. “I do save a lot of money having a meal plan and living in the dorms,” she said. Students who live on-campus have three choices to choose from for meal plans: a five-day, seven-day and eight’s enough. The eight’s enough plan allows students to have eight total meals per week that can be used on any day at any cafeteria. The difference in price from a five-day to seven-day meal plan at a standard dorm like Bruce Hall is $193.77 per semester.

See STUDENTS on Page 2

PHOTO BY MELISSA BOUGHTON / PHOTOGRAPHER

Victoria Eaton, a social science senior, takes the bus from her off-campus apartment to UNT to save gas and money. Eaton said the ride only takes 15 minutes from University Courtyard to campus.

Bruce Hall

City Parc Apartments

Total housing price per semester Total Dorm w/ 5-day meal plan $3,073.68 Total Dorm w/ 7-day meal plan $3,267.45

Total housing price per month Rent for 4 bedroom/2 bath $539/month Rent for 2 bedroom/2 bath $689/month

Total expenses per semester Semester dorm w/ 5-day meal plan $3,073.68 to $3,253.68 Semester dorm w/ 7-day meal plan $3,267.45 to $3,447.45

Total expenses per month Rent for 4 bed/4 bath $839 to $1219 Rent for 2 bed/2 bath $989 to $1369

Fast food leaves Crumley BY C YNTHIA CANO Hungry Crumley Hall residents rubbed their sleepy eyes in disbelief when they discovered they would have to walk in the rain to grab breakfast. On Sept. 8, UNT’s Housing and Dining Department canceled Crumley’s Food To Go service, the only source of community food in the dorm. The Food To Go program was designed to give residents the option of grabbing something to eat without having to walk to other cafeterias. Crumley Hall does not have a built-in cafeteria. Mariel Javier, a Crumley resident and an interdisciplinary studies freshman, said she felt sad the program was canceled. “I wanted it because it would have been easier to just have breakfast downstairs instead of having to walk to Maple,” Javier said. She also said the program would have helped her save money because she could eat in Crumley instead of buying food at retail places in the University Union. “We knew it would have

to disappear,” Bill McNeace, director of Housing and Dining, said. McNeace said during a routine inspection during the summer, he discovered that the Crumley kitchen was not a food-service approved space. The area did not meet health code requirements. The department presented the idea of bringing the program up to code and re-opening it. However, even if the department spent the money revamping it, McNeace said the program was not a sustainable service from an economic, environmental or business practice standpoint. “It drives costs higher, creates trash and promotes underutilization of the cafeterias,” McNeace said. The program was used not only by Crumley hall residents, but also other students across campus. To counteract the effect of taking away the program, McNeace said they overstaffed the cafeterias so they could more efficiently serve students and eliminate long lines. McNeace said the department is considering other

options to replace what t he prog ra m offered students at Crumley. Starting fall 2010, meal plans Bill McNeace will have a predetermined amount of dining dollars that students will be able to use in all food retail locations across campus. The area where the program once was may become a designated location for a retail store. The department is taking suggestions into consideration, such as opening a convenience store or a coffee or doughnut shop, McNeace said. He said before any decision is made, it will be discussed with the student Dining Advisory Committee. “The students supported this change,” McNeace said. “They agreed that it would be for the better good even if it’s not good right now.”

Sept. 4. He said he hopes the advisory board will give students a connection to journalism throughout the state and country. He hopes this will be achieved through enhanced internships and other opportunities that members of the board could provide, he said. Clyde, who earned his degree at the University of Texas at Tyler, worked for the Tyler Morning Telegraph for 20 years and is now the publisher of the Tyler Courier-Times—Telegraph. Frank Burke is the managing partner of Burke Mayborn LTD., and was named vice chairman

of the board. He will work with Clyde and the other board members, many of whom are wUNT alumni, to advise faculty and students. Land said this is an honor for the board members, but it is also a great sacrifice. “People have flown in and sacrificed their own time and money to do this,” he said. “These professionals are willing to work with us and help us without any compensation.” Land also said the school of journalism expects a mentoring board to begin next spring, which will be more hands-on and will provide students with

opportunities to train or shadow mentors. This, as well as new concentrations in business and sports journalism, will be the next steps toward increasing the visibility of the school, Land said. The next advisory board meeting will be held Oct. 30, and nominations are still being accepted to expand the board even further in terms of expertise, Busby said. “My desire is that we would be an energized advisory board to serve as ambassadors for the department and to encourage the school to be the best in its field,” Clyde said.

Intern

PHOTO BY JAYDA QUINCEY / PHOTOGRAPHER

Learning collagraphy

Writer Patty DeLarios inspects her print at a collagraph workshop at UNT on Sunday. DeLarios, a published author, attended the workshop and said she thinks the creative process helps with her writing. Various materials cut out into random shapes and sizes covered the tables of the P.R.I.N.T. workshop over the weekend as artist Barbara Elam shared her knowledge of the art of collagraphy with a group of local artists. Elam has traveled the world as an artist and has had her work featured in over 250 national shows. Typical collagraphy includes arranging materials on a board or flat surface to create a new surface with different levels and textures. The artist then coats the newly made plate with paint and proceeds to make copies of the design.

UNT journalism school expands advisory board BY A MBER A RNOLD Senior Staff Writer

In an attempt to provide more direction and better opportunities for students, UNT’s School of Journalism created a new board of advisers this semester. The Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism was officially formed on Sept. 1, and is now an independent institution. The administration wanted to expand the existing advisory board to better represent all of the concentrations within the undergraduate and graduate degree plans, Interim Dean Mitch Land said. Professionals specializing in

public relations, marketing, newspaper and publishing fill the 27 advisory board positions. “We’re going to make sure that the students have access to the very best opportunities,” he said. Roy Busby, interim associate dean of the Mayborn, said the advisory board would be a step in that direction. Busby collects the board nominations and presents them to the current advisory board. The advisers will serve on subcommittees and will be involved in everything from guest speaking in classrooms to establishing professional partnerships

with the school, he said. The process of creating the board began in June. Journalism faculty and graduate students nominated the potential board members, and a formal election was held during the board’s meeting in September. The board’s guidelines stipulate that there can be no more than 35 members, and the board must meet at least twice a year. However, Nelson Clyde IV said many of the members are ready and willing to meet more often. Clyde was voted chairman at the board’s first meeting on


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.