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Wednesday, October 14, 2009
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Volume 94 | Issue 28
Stormy 79° / 65°
UNT budgets pass $1 billion New programs contribute to record budget BY A MBER A RNOLD Senior Staff Writer
UNT’s combined budget has exceeded $1 billion for the first time in its history. The combined budgets of t he universit y, t he hea lt h science center, UNT Dallas and the system headquarters make up this number, said Andrew Harris, vice president for finance and administration. “You can all be very proud of the contributions you’ve made that have made this possible,” he said. Harris said universities are divided into two basic g roups : t hose t hat have reached a budget of more than $1 billion and those who haven’t. This is quite an accompl i s h ment f or U N T, he said. Harris delivered the news at the div ision of f inance and administration’s town ha ll meeting at 8 :30 a.m. Wed nesday i n t he Si lver Eagle Suite. Jean Bush, associate vice president for finance, elaborated on the financial situation of t he UNT Denton campus. I n add it ion to U N T’s increased budget, it has also seen an increase in its credit rating for the first time in 14 years, Bush said. “We’ve had a really steady climb in net assets,” she said. The tuition from UNT’s g row i ng st udent popu lation has contributed to the g row t h of t he u n iversit y financially. Bu sh a l so adde d t hat tuition has seen a steady rise but not the significant jumps that other universities have experienced. “We have basically locked
in mandatory fees other than the slight increase in union fees,” she said. Ot her busi ness du r i ng the meeting included information about UNT’s Hertz Connect program, which was launched in August. The program is the newest form of alternative transportation, said Joe Richmond, associate director for transportation services. U N T te a me d up w it h Connect by Hertz to create the program aimed at UNT’s faculty, staff and students without transportation. “This is great for internationa l students who want to explore the metroplex,” Richmond said. “You don’t need a car to come to school here at UNT. We can get you to campus, and we can do even more now.” The program provides four cars intended for personal u se, w h ich a nyone w ho is accepted for t he Hert z membership card can rent. The meeting concluded with Donna Keener, assistant vice president of human resources, discussing t he n e w c l a s s i f i c a t i on a nd compensation program. Classif ication and compensation refers to the positions of faculty and staff and their pay, she said. However, it is more than just job titles and pay raises, she said. The new program will be competency-based w it h a new phi losophy of ta lent management, Keener said. Keener said the university will be an advocate for employees by advancing and promoting within the UNT community. To view the finance and administ rat ion tow n ha ll meeting, please visit http:// web3.unt/vcstream/. To read the full NT Daily story about Hertz Connect please v isit: http://ntda il yd at a ba s e.c om/i nde x . php?s =hertz.
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
Umbrellas get plenty of use from students walking to class Friday. They have needed their umbrellas almost every day this month.
PHOTO BY RYAN BIBB/ INTERN
North Texas adjusts to El Niño BY BROOKE NOTTINGHAM
for a number of reasons. “This was going to be my season to get in shape and start running, but now I can’t,” said Brooke Koslan, a political psychology junior. The rain isn’t just keeping students inside, but also a
on the slick pavement. “It’s dangerous. When the sidewalk’s all wet, it’s easier to slip or hit people,” said Keaton Stevens, a language arts freshman. “I accidentally hit someone the other day who was walking slow because of
In the season known to treat North Texas to cool sunshine and colorful foliage, students have woken up to alternating days of chilly drizzle and swampy fog for the past several weeks. Parks have turned into flood plains and streets into rivers. Leaves that would be crisp and bright instead hang limp and exhausted from the rain, heat, rain, humidity and more rain pattern. Students trudge around campus in the same fashion, squelching in wet shoes or rain boots. Some carry umbrellas while others sit in class damp, wondering what happened to the seasons of clear autumn sunshine. According to the National Weather Ser v ice, students should get used to the wet weather. The cooler temperatures and frequent rain is expected to stay throughout the season because of the El Niño cycle. Warmer
w inds t hat a re genera l ly pushed to the Pacific around this time of year are creeping to the coastlines along North Mexico and South America. “When that happens, warm air expands and has more moisture content, causing more rain,” said Kenneth Iles, of the geography department. “We’re under the influence of a subtropical jet stream that brings moisture and usually gives us a milder, wetter winter.” An excess of moisture in the air with the kind of instability that comes with a cold front produces heavy rainfall. Because of the unusual air patterns, North Texas has seen warm fronts and cold fronts in the past few weeks, which has also contributed to the soggy campus. “The rain waters the grass. The trees are happy. The birds are happy,” Iles said. “Only students are aggravated because they don’t own umbrellas.” However, students are upset
tant if t hey’re turning our green grass so pink.” Nicole Cocco, v ice-president of t he Nor t h Tex a s E ner g y a nd E nv i ron ment club, said she has also noticed the neon-markings. “I t h i n k t he color s a re obnoxious,” Cocco said. “But, if they’re temporary and will prevent future more intrusive activities, then it’s definitely a good thing.” Cocco also said she hopes the boring of holes will be completed in t he sma l lest a nd most env ironmenta lly friendly way possible. Teague, Nall and Perkins, Inc. could not be reached for comment on the extent and process of the boring. Jackson sa id t he project s hou ld b e c omplet e d b y November. He also indicated that all ma rk ings w i l l be removed after completion. “It’s all just a temporar y t hing,” Jackson sa id. “The spray-pa i nt shou ld ea si ly wash-off, and the f lags will be picked up.”
Flags and writings mark the paths of underground utility lines across campus. The information will be used to create a geographic grid of the lines.
Intern
“All I can say is, if you don’t own an umbrella, you need to buy one.”
—Kenneth Iles Geography professor
number of potential customers, leaving students in the service industry strapped for cash. “Shoppers aren’t willing to visit stores, in addition to restaurants,” said Karolina Stewart, a server and merchandising senior. “Servers are dependent on tips. The rain has definitely put a dent in my wallet.” For t hose who venture outside, they have to plan extra and practice caution. Rain can cause hazards for bicyclists who are more likely to lose control
all the puddles.” Francesca Martinez, another bike rider, said she walks to class when it rains. “There’s no way I can carry an umbrella on a bicycle, and I don’t want to get wet.” Although hoofing it keeps her dry, it has also made her late to class. Despite these complaints, Iles advises students to adjust to the wet weather. “All I can say is, if you don’t own an umbrella, you need to buy one,” he said.
Neon-colored markings show campus digging sites BY JOSH PHERIGO Staff Writer
T hose who t raverse t he UNT campus regularly may h a v e not ic e d t he mu lt ic ol or e d k n e e -h i g h f l a g s a nd spray-pa i nted a r rows ac c ent i ng t he g r a s s a nd sidewa lks for the past t wo weeks. The abundance of neoncolored utilit y mark ings is part of an ongoing project to determine the route and depth of underground utility lines, said Charles Jackson, executive director of facilities. T he cont racted f i r m, Teag ue, Na l l a nd Perk i ns, Inc., w ill place t he underground utilit y system on a computerized geographically based grid. Ja c k s on s a i d t h e g r i d would simplif y the process of f inding ut i lit y lines for future university construction projects. “The project will focus on t he cent ra l ma i n ca mpus, and will not be taking place at Discover y Park,” he said.
Before this project, if there was a need for digg ing on campus, many agencies had to be notified to identify each utility line. T he new system w i l l centra lize t he information to a l low speci f ic l i nes to be found and avoided more easily. The project w i l l require ex tensive mappi ng a nd boring to identif y the exact route a nd dept h of each line. “The contractors will bore holes i nto t he g rou nd at various locations throughout ca mpus to deter m i ne line depth,” Jackson said. Shannon Rogers, an Eagle A mba ssador i n t he Eag le Student Services Center, said she has noticed the brightly colored markings for weeks but wa s u nawa re of t hei r purpose. “I was just ta l k i ng w it h my tour group about it,” said Rogers, a hospitality management and business economics sophomore. “I told them that I imagined it must be impor-
PHOTO BY KHAI HA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER