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Tuesday, March 29, 2011
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Volume 97 | Issue 33
Stormy 62° / 44°
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
Crumley Hall earns prestigious rating EPA recognizes Crumley’s energy efficiency
ARTS & LIFE: Poetry groups promote art form in Denton Page 3
BY LINDA NGUYEN & H ARSHITHA R AMESH Interns
The Env ironmenta l Protection Agency recent ly recognized UNT’s Crumley Hall as one of the most energy efficient university residence halls in the nation. The ENERGY STAR designation is given by the EPA to recognize residence halls that have reduced environmental impact through energy efficiency. The award is given to facilities that perform in the top 25 percent of residence
facilities, ma k ing Crumley one of 74 residence ha l ls in the nation to carr y this rating. “Very few buildings as old as Crumley have ever received an Energy Star rating,” said Joh n F l ippi n, t he sen ior project manager. Flippin sa id in order to receive t he ENERGY STA R rating, Crumley Hall had to apply and have the building commissioned by a certified engineering firm to find the energy efficiency. “We exceeded the minimum requirements for the ENERGY STAR. We actually came in the top 16 percent [of all residence halls],” Flippin said. He said that Crumley is a 24-hour dorm t hat houses
students 51 weeks a year. “We want [UNT housing] to be a leader in Texas in energy savings, and we want to be able to keep our operating costs down,” Flippin said. Last summer, Crumley Hall installed its first condensing boiler system, which runs on at 90 to 95 percent efficiency compa red to t he prev ious boiler system, which ran at 60 to 65 percent efficiency. He said typical boiler systems run at 70 to 75 percent efficiency. “It allows us to have hot water without damaging the hot water boiler when it is needed for heat,” Fl ippi n said.
See CRUMLEY on Page 2
SPORTS: Mean Green falls to Golden Panthers Page 4
PHOTO BY ANAM BAKALI/INTERN
PHOTO BY ANAM BAKALI/INTERN
Katie Jenkins, the front-desk clerk at Crumley Hall, helps a group of perspective students and parents find where they Crumley Hall, one of 13 residence halls on campus, has become the first resineed to go. Crumley houses more than 200 students in the dorms, and the housing and dining offices. dential hall in Texas to receive the ENERGY STAR rating.
Conference discusses State smoking ban nears vote concealed-carry bills Bill would VIEWS: Professor rebuts students’ claim of Islamophobia Page 5
ONLINE: Women’s golf team wins fourth tourney victory of the season
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BY ISAAC WRIGHT Senior Staff Writer
The topic of guns c o m i n g t o Te x a s col lege ca mpuses filled a room of c onc er ne d MAUREEN h i g h e r McGUINNESS educat ion leaders at the 15th A nnua l Hig her Educat ion L aw Conference Monday. The Conference is held every year at UNT, and focuses on contemporary higher education and law issues. “Over the years, it’s become kind of an institution,” said con ference co-d i rector Richard Fossey of the education faculty. Public universities across Texas are facing the prospect of campuses opening up to concealed handguns, as the state Legislature considers a bi l l to a l low concea led handgun license owners to br i ng t hei r weapons onto campuses. L e w i s Wa s s e r m a n o f t he Universit y of Texas at Arlington’s education faculty discussed possible effects of the legislation in a standing room-only lecture he gave just before lunch. Wasserman said the legislation would prohibit Texas universities from preventing individuals carrying concealed weapons from stepping foot on campus. “There’s a high probability that what they do in Austin
will preempt [higher education officials’] ability to enact rules on college and university campuses,” Wasserman said. “What happens in Austin is going to be almost the entire ball of wax.” However, he said, there may be a legal argument to give universities the ability to set their own gun control policy despite the legislation. He cited two Supreme Court rulings that protected “sensitive places,” such as churches and schools, from gun regulation. Wasserman said that
“What happens in Austin is going to be almost the entire ball of wax.”
—Lewis Wasserman, UT-Arlington professor
the decisions do not expand on the definition of ‘schools’ and is generally understood to mean k-12 schools. He said many colleges and u n iversit ies i nclude a reas or activities that are aimed at children, such as campus schools, preschools or daycare centers. Us i n g t h i s p r e c e d e nt , institutions may have legal g rou nds to a rg ue such campuses are not at the mercy of the Legislature, Wasserman said.
See CAMPUSES on Page 2
prohibit smoking in public places
BY DREW GAINES Senior Staff Writer
Te x a s law ma ker s a re fanning the f lames of the public smoking debate once again as the state Legislature considers a bill that would ban the act in bars, restaura nts a nd public places statewide. State Senate Bi l l 355 from Senator Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) is aiming to extinguish the cigarettes and cigars of smokers puffing in public. Concerns about the health risks attributed to secondhand smoke are driving the bill forward in the lawmaking process as it now awaits a Senate vote. The Center for Disease C ont rol e st i m ate s t h at 126 million nonsmok ing A mer ica ns a re ex posed to secondhand smoke in homes, vehicles, workplaces and public places. Exposure t o s e c ond h a nd s m ok e has been attributed to an increased risk of cancer and birth defects. It is estimated that 46 million Americans are smokers. A statew ide ban would also affect young smokers on college campuses. A national sur vey by Massachusetts G enera l Hospita l fou nd that 28 percent of college students smoke cigarettes. Applying that statistic to
PHOTO BY DREW GAINES/SENIOR STAFF WRITER
A cigarette burns in a Denton bar. A new bill making its way through the state Legislature aims to ban tobacco smoking in bars, restaurants and public places statewide. UNT’s student population would mean there are nearly 10,000 student smokers who could be affected by the bill’s passage. As of now, smok ing on campus is permitted except within 25 feet of a building’s entrance. However, SB 355 would ensure a ban in college stadiums and venues used for outdoor events. This is not the first time the issue has come up for lawmakers in Austin. Several previous attempts have failed to ban smoking in public for the entire state. But Jeremy Warren, the communications director for Sen. Ellis, said the issue has more support this session. SB 355 mirrors past antismoking bills, but Warren said more Texans are educated on the adverse health effects of tobacco smoke than in previous years, and backing
from public health groups such as the American Cancer Soc iet y, L ive st rong a nd others are giving the legislation momentum. The bill and its supporters are facing opposition from the usual challengers, namely tobacco companies, t heir lobbyists and some in the bar and restaurant industry who see the state-led ban as an infringement on the rights of smokers. Some Texas cities, however, have successf u l ly passed ordinances that ban smoking in their bars and restaurants. Austin, Houston and Dallas are among 34 Texas cities that have established sweeping measures to keep smokers from lighting up in public. Currently, Denton has no ordinance banning smoking in bars and restaurants.
See BILL on Page 2