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Volume 96 | Issue 12
Sunny 92° / 72°
Former president to speak at UNT Bush to come to campus this November BY ISAAC WRIGHT
Staff Writer
UNT will reach a historical milestone on Nov. 17, when former President George W. Bush becomes the first president to speak at the university. Last year, Bush was set to speak but could not. This year, however, his staff contacted the university, curious if the invitation was still open. The reaction of the committee and UNT students was yes. As a result, Bush will speak
“This will be the first large name from the other side. We’ve been missing that population for a good amount of time.”
- Hope Garcia Vice president for student affairs
in the Coliseum for a cost of $100,000, said Hope Garcia, vice president for student affairs. “A lot of times, universities in general are more interested in the left side, or the Democratic, side of things,” Garcia said. “This will be the first large name from the other side. We’ve been missing that population for a good amount of time.” The event will be part of the Distinguished Lecture Series, a program that runs every semester at UNT. Each year, a committee consisting of
student representatives, faculty and administrators chooses speakers after seeking input from the UNT community. His appearance is being paid for through student services fees, so admission will be free for students, Garcia said. Ticket prices have yet to be determined, but UNT faculty, staff and alumni will receive a discount. The topic of Bush’s speech is not yet known, however, and may tie in with the release of his memoirs, “Decision Points,” slated for release on Nov. 9, which will be for sale at the event. “He actually doesn’t want a title for his speech,” Garcia said. “He wants it to be ‘Remarks by George Bush,’ so I guess he’s going to surprise us.” The former president plans to meet with a small group of students after the presentation as well. Faculty members will be asked by the university to talk to the students about the opportunity and get them to sign up for a chance to speak with Bush on a personal level. “I’m definitely going to be there,” said Mike Montgomery, an English junior. “Not only is he the first president to speak here, but he’s a high profile, controversial president.” Kevin Sanders, the president of the Student Government Association, and a chairman of the Distinguished Lecture Series, said that Bush coming to speak is an important step in bringing attention to UNT and the opportunities at the university. “Anytime you can have a person of that magnitude come out, you’re going to get a lot of media coverage, which will show the good side of North Texas,” Sanders said. “It shows exactly what we have to offer and that we’re not just a minor university. We’re a big-time school and we’re capable of bringing in bigtime names.”
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
PHOTO BY MIKE MEZEUL/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
A ReRev current converter box is mounted next to a UNT student who works out on a elliptical machine fitted with the ReRev inverter. An elliptical machine in regular use at a gym using ReRev technology will generate one kilowatt-hour of electricity every two days.
Center integrates foot power BY ISAAC WRIGHT Staff Writer
The signs are subtle, but many UNT students have already contributed to the country’s largest human power plant by exercising in the Pohl Recreation Center. There is rarely a moment of calm within the center. In some respects, it is like a massive machine with hundreds of moving parts operating at any given time. Using technology from the Florida-based company ReRev, the gym now has the power to capture the energy students use to exercise by working out on 36 elliptical cross-training machines to produce 100 percent clean, renewable electricity. The equipment is modified to take kinetic energy and convert it to electricity. “It’s putting our human energy to use and creating tangible, physical energy,” said Shea Phillips, a painting and
drawing and art education senior. “It makes me want to work out here rather than a gym that doesn’t have this.” Last week, all 36 elliptical machines retrofitted w ith ReRev’s hardware became operational, and a steady stream of electricity has been flowing into the center’s power grid. To do so, ReRev modified the existing cross-training machines with hardware connected to a central computer. ReRev has published material about how its machines function. The direct current, or energy exerted on the pedals, is transferred out of the machine and into the ReRev “inverter,” a device that converts the energy into an alternate current so that it can be used in the center’s power grid. The amount of power generated by one machine is dependent on the level of resistance a person chooses for his or her
workout, said Laura Klein, senior associate director of recreational sports. On average, however, a typical 30-minute workout can produce 50-watt hours of electricity, an amount that can power a compact fluorescent light bulb for two-and-a-half hours or a laptop computer for one hour. “The higher the resistance, the more energy is pulled,” Klein said. “When you consider that, in the evening, all 36 machines are going at one time. I saw it as high as 400 watts being produced at one time.” Twenty-one other schools nationwide have installed the modified exercise equipment, including Texas State University and the University of Florida, though none have done so on the same scale as UNT, according to ReRev’s website. The Division of Student Development funded the project, and, since the ReRev hardware is added to the existing exercise
equipment, the total cost stands at $19,450. With the equipment operating at full capacity, a monitor will be put on display inside the center in the months to come. The display will give a clear picture of how much energy students are contributing through their workouts. Though the total amount of electricity is small, Klein said, the project’s impact is one that will be seen over a matter of years. Though the power generated by students using these machines is powering more than exercise equipment, the primary goal of the project was to educate, not power the entire center. “We wanted to give people a different perspective on how energy is produced,” said Nicole Cocco, the outreach coordinator for the department of sustainability. “It takes a lot of energy down the line to power a light bulb.”
Art store ‘right across the street’ draws students HMS remains family-owned since 1973
“HMS is a little small so you don’t think they’re going to have what you need, but they do.”
SHANNON MOFFATT
—Holly Siggelow Sculpture junior
Intern
Wa lk ing dow n Mulberr y Street, many people notice that the Art Building and HMS Art & Frame Shop sit right across the street from each other. Many students may wonder which came first, the building or the store. The Art Building that stands today was built in 1969, said Jim Hornsby, owner of HMS. His store opened in 1973. Hornsby’s British grandfather was in the Royal Navy, which gave his mother the idea to name the store after the British ships she grew up with. Her Majesty’s Service — HMS Art & Frame — became the name of the store. HMS originated at 107 Ave. A, which is now Jimmy Johns, but moved to its current location in 1976. Hornsby said after three years of renting that space, they bought 1212 W. Mulberry St., right across the street from the Art Building. “Buying paper and other stuff is a lways convenient
PHOTO BY GREG MCCLENDON/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Anna Burgess, a photography graduate student, organizes brushes at HMS Art & Frame Shop at 1212 W. Mulberry St., which has been a family-owned store since 1973. when it’s right across t he street,” said Jana Vinson, a photography senior. R icha rd Benav idez, a draw ing and painting and sculpture senior, has worked at HMS for six months. Benavidez
said UNT students make up about 90 to 95 percent of its clientele. “During class a lot of people will run there across the street or on their breaks to get a certain pencil or tool they
need or a certa in k ind of paper,” said Paige Walton, an art history and drawing and painting junior. Jim Hornsby is the son of Harvey and Betty Hornsby, the founders of the family-
owned store, and grew up in Denton. “My mom and dad, they were old people when they st a r te d t h i s plac e,” Ji m Hornsby said. “I was a little bitty kid, I’ve been here all my life. We’ve been on the block longer than anybody else.” Holly Siggelow, a sculpture junior, said HMS has an interesting vibe. “It ’s not a s welcom i ng a s Vo e r t m a n’s b e c a u s e Voertman’s is big,” she said. “HMS is a little small so you don’t think they’re going to have what you need, but they do. It’s kind of a false perception.” A rt A lley, Hobby Lobby, Michael’s a nd Voer t ma n’s are just a few of HMS’s local competitors. “A lot of the art supplies there are really expensive,” Walton said. “I go there more because it’s across the street.
There are other places I could go to get better deals, definitely.” At Art Alley, a comparable art store on Nort h Locust Street, students do not make up a large percentage of the clientele, said Randy Axtell, owner of Art Alley. It’s a d if ferent stor y at Hobby Lobby on Loop 288, said Rebecca Shonk, customer service manager. Students or members of school art departments from the surrounding area make up about 75 percent of the clientele. S t a c e y K e n n e y, s t o r e ma nager at M ichael’s i n Denton, said t hey have at least 50 students a day buying general art supplies. “They wiped me out when school started a couple weeks ago,” Kenney said.
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