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Volume 100 | Issue 11
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
Office helps provide for students in need
King of the strings
JASON YANG
Senior Staff Writer
PHOTO BY MICHELLE HEATH/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Gregory Lange, musical instrument repairman at little d guitars, does a setup for a professional musician’s new guitar. Lange, who has been working on guitars since 1995, started working at little d guitars in 2003. Read full story on page 3
“Students are not an interruption to our work. They are the purpose of it.” That’s the quote attached to the end of every email from Maureen McGuinness, UNT dean of students and vice president of student affairs. She borrowed the line from New England businessman L.L. Bean and swapped out the nouns and pronouns, but said it perfectly sums up her office’s mission. “I adapted the quote because it’s quite fitting to what we do every day,” McGuinness said. “It’s quite fitting.” Tucked between the Student Government Association Office and the lounges on the third floor of the Union, the Dean of Students Office serves as a student advocate, navigating students through the trials and difficulties of college life. Last year the office handled 209 complaints, helped 329 students
“seeking options and solutions” and assisted about 170 students considering withdrawal. In dire circumstances, the office even ensures that no student ever has to go hungry. “I look at the DOS office as an area [that can help] no matter what the issue the student is dealing with,” McGuinness said. “I want to make sure the student gets to where they need to go or receives the help the need.” The service took shape when McGuinness took the helm as Dean of Students in January 2011. When she first took the job, McGuinness said she occasionally heard stories of students struggling to keep up with tuition, rent and book fees, sometimes to the point that they were skipping meals. After conducting research, she put together a flier of local services and groups that offer free food every day of the week.
See STUDENTS on page 2
UNT students, professors Director appointed to study water contamination statewide rehab council JULIE BIRD Staff Writer
It’s easy to see that humans have an enormous impact on the environment, but the negative effects of civilization and its byproducts on reservoirs and aquatic life are often overlooked. Students and professors at UNT’s Aquatic Toxicology Lab are hoping to change this by researching the effects of mercury and various chemicals on fish in Texas’ lakes and streams. As the population of North Texas grows, more and more chemicals are being put into the water, biology professor Thomas La Point said. “We take medications and antibiotics and use other personal products that go down the sewer,” he said. “About 98 or 99 percent of it is treated by sewage plants, but about one
percent gets through.” T h at one percent can have an effect on fish, snails and other species living in reservoirs. AARON T h e l a b ROBERTS has tested fish from streams in North Texas and found that there are noticeable amounts of some chemicals accumulated in their tissue, although the fish haven’t shown any significant negative side effects yet, La Point said. Researchers in the lab have also looked at the effects of mercury on fish and hope to help limit human exposure to mercury by educating the community. “This research is extremely important to not only Texas or North Texas, but to all of
the world,” said biology senior Mark Vernon, who works in the lab. “Just think about how much fish the world consumes.” Mercury is a neurotoxin that can dramatically affect the nervous system. The metal does not accumulate significantly in water, but instead builds up in the tissues of fish, biology professor Aaron Roberts said. Fish that are lower on the food chain tend to have lower mercury concentration, since they don’t absorb mercury from other fish. The state of Texas sets advisory warnings for consuming fish from specific bodies of water based on the mercury content of the fish muscle. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends a much lower maximum mercur y content than the state.
See WATER on page 2
WHITNEY ROGERS
Contributing Writer
Gov. Rick Perry appointed Martha Garber, a licensed professional counselor and director of applied research and development at the University of North Texas, to the Rehabilitation Council of Texas late this summer. The RCT works closely with the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, or DARS, on policies, planning and how to best distribute resources to help Texans with disabilities. “I would like to see Texans with disabilities receive the best possible service that is individualized for each person,” Garber said. As a young adult, Garber, who was born without a left hand, was a client of a rehabilitation agency that
helped her learn how to function in school and the workplace with a disability. The agency provided the training and help she needed to get a bachelor’s degree and start her career. “My degree was in another field, but I ended up coming back to rehabilitation because it’s my passion,” she said. Garber has been named chair of the council’s planning and review committee and has also been asked to serve on its executive committee, where she will work with the rest of the council to advise DARS on policy and make rehabilitation services more effective. “The vocational rehabilitation program helps build an individual plan to help you get to your goal,” Garber said. “It gives you skills to live your life as independently as possible.”
MARTHA GARBER Thomas Evenson, dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service, said Garber’s appointment to the council “elevates the stature of the rehabilitation program through the state” and inspires confidence about the quality of the program.
See GARBER on page 2
Development continues at Denton’s Rayzor Ranch A SHLEY GRANT
Senior Staff Writer
Residents of Denton’s north side have already seen the beginning of a makeover intended to bring housing, retail and entertainment spots to the Rayzor Ranch development near University Drive and Interstate-35 E. The area’s facelift, following the examples of neighboring cities such as Plano and Frisco with walkable new developments, is still underway, and is scheduled for completion by early 2013. Separated into two sides, north and south, the 412-acre mixeduse development will be a game changer for the city, Mayor Mark Burroughs said. “The amount of improvePHOTO BY CARRIE CANOVA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ments that are going to be made to this area are in the hundreds Rayzor Ranch, located off of University Drive and I-35, is in the process of expanding. After construction is complete, Rayzor Ranch will add Kohl’s, Joann Fabric and of millions of dollars,” he said. Crafts, Famous Footwear and Petco to its list of businesses. “With the Rayzor Ranch developments, both halves combined, billion dollars.” the northwest corner of the city more vibrant parts of Denton, a options. the totality of the value of what The northern half, Rayzor Burroughs said he expects from an area that’s been “pretty hot destination for residents and they’re building is well over a the development to transform darn stagnant” into one of the visitors enticed by all the new Ranch Marketplace, is about 80
percent completed and will eventually be occupied by Petco, Kohl’s, Famous Footwear and Joann’s Fabric and Craft Store. Currently open and anchoring this side of the development are the retail giants Walmart Supercenter and Sam’s Club, along with several other businesses including GameStop and Freebirds World Burrito. Erica Sullivan, economic development analyst for the city, said Walmart is valued at $15.4 million and Sam’s Club at $12.2 million. Rayzor Ranch’s southern half, Rayzor Ranch Town Center, will have a retail component, but will be designed like a town center with parks, a museum, a movie theater and restaurants as well as single-family homes, townhomes and apartments, Sullivan said. “It’s going to be like a small town within a town,” she said. “Theoretically, some people won’t even have to use their cars.”
See RAYZOR on page 2
Inside First student director for Denton TV News | Page 2
Local magazine emphasizes local talents Arts & Life | Page 3
L.A. chef can’t stand the heat Views | Page 5