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Volume 100 | Issue 14
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
Study: Campus debit cards pose dangers JASON YANG
Senior Staff Writer
Students should be wary of university-affiliated debit cards, which can come with high fees, insufficient consumer protections and few options, according to a recent report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. The report, “The Campus Debit Card Trap,” found that many banks use partnerships with universities to gain special access to students by linking checking accounts to student IDs. Students with low-income backgrounds who are reliant on financial aid are often the most negatively impacted . “Students think they are getting fair and unbiased advice when they see the college logo,” said Rich Williams, U.S. Public Interest Research Group higher education advocate. “But many times, schools are getting financial perks for their endorsement while students are stuck with high bank fees.” Wells Fargo, a financial card partner with UNT, offers an “Enhanced Mean Green Card” that functions as a university ID card and a student’s checking account. UNT also offers a UNT Debit
Card, managed by Higher One, that disburses financial aid refunds and disbursements to students, according to the Eagle Student Services Center’s website. The “Campus Debit Card Trap” report found that UNT is one of the largest public universities in the country with a financial card partner. UNT Student Accounting and Cashier Services declined to comment. Williams said students think a campus-affiliated card provides exclusive benefits, when in reality, students can be hit with high fees for overdrafts, using different banks’ ATMS, inactivity charges and other service costs. U.S. student debt is more than $1 trillion, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Higher One, which helps colleges, including UNT, with the management of student refunds, got 80 percent of its $176.3 million revenue from campusaffiliated disbursement cards in 2011, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
Hammer Time
PHOTO BY TYLER CLEVELAND/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Hammer thrower John Garrish, a kinesiology master’s student, poses Wednesday in the equipment room at Fouts Field. “I would never have guessed I would be here, doing hammer throws,” said Garrish, who began throwing two years ago after suffering several concussions playing football over the years. For full story see page 6
See DEBIT on page 2
Mentors help students stay on academic track
According to the Texas Cancer Registry, 469 Denton County residents will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012.
EMILY BENTLEY
Intern UNT’s four-year graduation rate was 19 percent from 2010 to 2011, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics. To help raise graduation rates and keep students enrolled, UNT has come up with a variety of new initiatives. The Advocates Creating Conversations that Engage and Support Students, or ACCESS, Mentoring Program was created to foster more dialogue between faculty, staff and students. ACCESS offers resources such as Dinner Dialogues, which gives students a new way to interact with mentors over a meal. Faculty mentors are given free meal passes and then choose a place to meet with a group of students to mentor at least once a month. The Out to Lunch Program is similar but provides a student with the pass. The student then takes the mentor out to eat for a more intimate, one-on-one discussion. “Advising and mentoring is one of the variety of things counselors do to retain students,” said Sean Ryan, senior academic counselor for the Honors College. “It enables a student to be encouraged in their interests and choice of career, along with establishing a plan to successful.” The personalized mentoring is an enormous benefit to students, said Candi Harris, the program coordinator for Undergraduate Studies. “One of the major bonuses of mentoring is accountability,” Harris said. “UNT is very large, and there is plenty of information out there that can make it overwhelming. With mentoring, there is somebody sitting across from you who cares about your
GRAPHIC BY THERESE MENDEZ/ DESIGN EDITOR
Denton races for cure A SHLEY GRANT
PHOTO BY CARRIE CANOVA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Various departments on campus offer mentor programs for students. The Multicultural Center Buddy System Program offered a way for freshman Sahara Ale, education junior Briana Crowe and sophomore Danika Adams to get connected. success. Some people do not have this at home, so in this way we act like a surrogate.” The drastic changes of college can be overwhelming for many students, Harris said. Mentoring not only helps students get started but leads them to ask questions about their future, making the student more likely to seek answers and stay enrolled in school. “My foren sics prog ra m director not only helped me start my degree plan, but he has also
helped me figure out a plan of action after I finish my degree,” pre-biology sophomore Elise Raley said. “I think mentoring is so important because not everyone has is privileged to have parents to guide them through college, so we have mentors to set up this foundation.” The Honors College hopes to grow and expand its programs with the combined efforts of students and mentors.
Senior Staff Writer Denton is going pink this Saturday at South Lakes Park for Susan G. Komen North Texas’ yearly Race for the Cure, an event dedicated to raising awareness and money for breast cancer research and education. “[The race] is based on hope, and it’s a time for lots of people to get together to celebrate t hose who have been fighting breast c a n ce r a nd t ho s e who have passed on because of it,” said Hannah Beaty, marketing and communications specialist for the North Texas affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which formed in 1982 and is the la rgest a nd most wel lknown breast cancer organization in the U.S. Registration prices range from $10 to $30, and those i nte r e ste d c a n r eg i ste r online or anytime after 6 a.m. the day of the race. Beaty said the organization is expecting to see about 2,500 participants at South Lakes Park at 556 Hobson Ln. in Denton. Last
year, 2,200 people took part in the Race for the Cure. Because there is no on-site parking at South Lakes Park, participants are being asked to park at Golden Triangle Mall and hop on one of 10 charter buses donated by Durham Charter Services, she said. “They were kind enough to donate the buses, as well as their time, to help participants get to the park,” Beaty said. Denton’s Race for the Cure will feature a competitive 5-km race, a casual 5K run and walk, and a one-mile family fun run and walk. It will also include a 50-yard dash for children 12 years old and younger, she said. The race celebrates survivors of breast cancer and pays t ribute to those who have died from the disease while raising money for community outreach, education and breast cancer screening and treatment. Most of the event’s revenue comes from donations collected by participants in the race. “Our goal through participant funds is $100,000, but our overall goal is to raise $200,000,” said Jim Rainbolt,
business development manager for Komen North Texas. Aside f rom sk i n ca ncer, breast ca ncer is t he most frequently diagnosed form of cancer among women, said Joy Donovan Brandon, commun icat ion s ma nager for the American Cancer Society. “T h e r e ’s a n e s t i m at e d 226,870 new cases expected to occur in women across the nation this year alone. In men, the number is 210,190,” she said. The Texas Cancer Registry estimates that about 469 new cases of breast cancer will be documented in Denton County in 2012. Brandon said some factors that increase the risk of breast cancer are smoking, physical inactivity and family history. Komen North Texas pools the money it raises through events such as the Race for the Cure and applies it, in the form of grants, to programs dealing with breast health, education and screening in the eight counties it services: Collin, Cook, Denton, Grayson, Fannin, Hunt and Montague. For more information, visit komennorthtexas.org.
Inside SGA appoints senators News | Page 2
Blocks provide intimidation for volleyball team Sports | Page 6
Paddle fight is just plain weird Views | Page 7