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Volume 96 | Issue 21
Sunny 85° / 58° The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
UNT chosen to win Sun Belt Basketball earns preseason honors
Grant provides money for training BY TAYLOR JACKSON Staff Writer
BY SEAN GORMAN Senior Staff Writer
After winning the Sun Belt Conference and returning to the NC A A Tournament last year, the UNT men’s basketball team turned many heads and received attention from all over the nation. The Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook certainly took not ice, select i ng t he Mean Green to repeat as Sun Belt West Division champions while recognizing some of its players. “It’s a good feeling that we were selected to win the division for the second straight yea r, but it doesn’t mea n any t hing unless we go out there and compete all season,” senior guard Josh White said. “I’m more focused on t he season ahead of us than the preseason awards we win.” W hite was chosen as the conference’s preseason MVP while senior forward George Odufuwa joined White on the All-Conference Team. “It really is a honor for me because there are so many great players in this league but the key this year is to get back to the NCAA Tournament and advance,” Odufuwa said. “Last year felt good, but there was a sour taste in our mouths when we lost t hat game to Kansas State.” Leading UNT in scor ing w it h 14.5 points per ga me and making the All-Sun Belt Third Team last season, White i s t he prog ra m’s a l l-t i me leader in free throws made percentage. “My mission as a player is to help the team w in so as long as we build off of last season’s success I’ll be happy,” White said. “It’s a good feeling to be selected as t he M V P, but preseason awards mean nothing in the long run.” Odufuwa led the league in
ntdaily.com
FILE PHOTO BY RYAN BIBB/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook chose the Mean Green basketball team to repeat as Sun Belt West Division champions and recognized senior guard Josh White and senior forward George Odufuwa on the All-Conference Team. rebounding at 10.7 rebounds a ga me a nd averaged 11.5 points per game, finishing as one of 20 NCA A players to average a double double. “The team is really excited t o ge t b a c k out t her e,” Odufuwa said. “We believe we have the players to make great things happen this season.”
Last season the Mean Green strung together 11 straight wins en route to a NCAA tournament birth, defeating Troy 66-63 to win its second conference title in four years. A nnua l favorite Western Kentucky was selected to win t he Sun Belt East Div ision while Troy was selected to
finish in last place a year after making the conference finals. The Trojans lost all five of their senior starters after last season. The Mean Green will kick off the season in an exhibition home contest aga inst Henderson State on Nov. 12 at the Super Pit.
T he Nat iona l Science Foundation gave UNT $750,000 to continue training teachers for the next five years. The grant provides money for the UNT Science and Mathematics Robert Noyce Schola rships, which a re intended to increase the number of teachers in the areas of secondary and middle school math and science by supplying senior undergraduate students, career changers and graduate students with money for school-related expenses. “[ T he NSF suppor t s ] research but also want[s] to fund teachers to maintain future research,” said Joan Prival, the foundation’s program director of the Math and Science Partnership Program. “We want to increase the scientific workforce.” UNT was awarded $500,000 for the same purpose in 2005. For UNT to get the first grant in 2005, it had to submit propos a l s, w h ich were reviewed by peers. Then the proposals were rated based on their merits and other schools applying. The foundation has the final say over all funding and chooses the schools based on proposal ratings and the schools, Prival said. The idea of the grant is to help prepare students to teach since math and science require more preparation and experience than other subjects, Prival said. “NSF wants to elevate the prestige of teaching as a profession by making the program very selective,” Prival said. The new grant is considered a Phase Two award. UNT had to reapply for the second grant instead of it being a continued grant, said Colleen Eddy, assistant professor of mathematics education. Phase Two grants are difficult to get, with only four to
six Phase Two grants awarded to universities per year from the 36 to 40 awards given out, she said. UNT’s Phase One, which began in 2005, helped 49 students graduate to become teachers in troubled areas. The grant requires two years of service for every year of scholarship, causing some students to worry about getting stuck in teaching for two years. “I think it’s good,” said Lindsay Weaver, a math junior, about the program. “It’s just, it seems like you get yourself kind of … in … a sticky situation if you don’t end up teaching.” Because UNT only gives the grant to seniors, they are required to teach for two years following graduation, Eddy said. The Phase Two award is aimed to assist 55 students graduating from UNT to teach in the next five years, she added. The applications are due by Nov. 1, and the requirements are specific. “The student has to be a math or science major and must be a senior by January when the award is given,” Eddy said about the admissions process. Beginning Nov. 1, an advisory board of professors and district personnel will review applications. After they go through the applications, the board will interview potential scholarship candidates. The universit y awards $11,000 to students, $10,000 in tuition and school expenses and $1,000 in a math or science teacher resource kit. The grant is different from most teaching programs, though, with regular followups by the board to determine teacher retention and with no strict requirements to teach for longer than two years, Eddy said. For more information about the grant, visit nsf.gov.
Concert hall reopens with new look, sound, name UNT completes $6.4 million renovation in Music Building BY BERENICE QUIRINO Staff Photographer
T he newly renovated concert ha ll in t he Music Building will once again be filled with music, but with better acoustics. The hall, renamed the Paul Voertman Concert Hall, will have preview performances starting Friday. T he demol it ion a nd construction process began in Febr ua r y a nd cost $ 6.4 million. Jim Scott, the dean of the College of Music, said ever y t h i ng, i nclud i ng t he roof, is new. The original lighting, set up in t he 1960s when t he concert hall first opened, was still there, he said, and all the chairs squeaked, “especially in the quiet parts,” of the music. “It w a s rea l ly old a nd needed to be repaired,” said Meredit h Hea la n, a music senior. Nathan Hodgson, a music
one of the first to make sophomore, is enthuprivate donations to the sia st ic about t he university. changes. “ [ Vo e r t m a n ] h a s “ I t ’s a w e s o m e ,” a lways been ver y Hodgson said. generous,” Scott said. “Everyone’s going to Starting in October, have a good space to there will be prev iew practice and play in.” performances and a free Bot h Scot t a nd t h ree-pa r t inaug u ra l G eorge Papich, t he concert series Nov. 3, director for chamber Nov. 5 and Nov. 7. music studies, agreed The first night w ill the acoustics were a be a mi x of students major improvement. a nd fac u lt y play i ng Papich said they were A mer ica n cha mber “almost perfect,” and music spa n n i ng t he they will give the hall last 300 years, Papich “a different f lavor.” s a id . T he Na t ion a l “ We’v e t r i e d t o Endowment for the Arts push our limits and will fund the concert have had d i f ferent w ith a $20,000 grant, t y pes of groups like according to the nea. the One O’ Clock Lab org website. Band and even an a T he second n ig ht, cappella group sing Papich said, will feature to test out the sound,” music from Jake Heggie, Scott said. t he composer of t he T h e Vo e r t m a n opera “Moby-Dick” and Concert Hall now has PHOTO BY BERENICE QUIRINO/STAFF PHOTORAPHER artist-in-residence. The adjustable pa nels final night of the series for t he acoust ics to The Paul Voertman Concert Hall will seat as many as 380 people for smaller performances, like student and faculty recitals. will be a faculty recital accom modate t he d i f ferent t y pes of per for- Performing Arts Center is so the ha ll a better space for Voertman, the original owner and will kick off with a large ma nces t hat w i l l be held large, it makes sense to have student and faculty recitals of Voertma n’s Book Store, fanfare. Scott said the Voertman a smaller performance hall, and more efficient in accom- because he has been one of there. Denton’s distinguished resi- Concert Hall will host more modating smaller crowds. The revamped hall will host Scott said. T he col lege decided to dents for years, Scott said. performances than any other The seating in the hall went smaller performances. S i n c e t h e Mu r c h i s o n from 625 chairs to 380, making na me t he ha l l a f ter Pau l He said Voertman was also space on campus.