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Theft at the Rec Sports Smarts
Two guests steal six phones in about 20 minutes News | Page 2
Mean Green athletes focusing in the classroom Sports | Page 7
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
News 1, 2 Arts & Life 3, 4, 5 Sports 6, 7, 10 Views 8 Classifieds 9 Games 9
Volume 99 | Issue 33
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
Three file candidacy for mayor
Big music festival rocks the Little D
J B Staff Writer
The March 5 deadline for local election filings has passed, and three individuals have filed their candidacy for mayor of Denton. Former City Councilman Neil Durrance and marketing director Donna Woodfork will challenge incumbent Mark Burroughs on the ballot. The last day for voter registration in Denton County is April 30. Early voting will be held April 30 through May 8 before the municipal election May 12. Denton’s City Council operates under a council-manager form of government, according to the Denton City Charter. Terms last two years, and the mayor is not allowed to serve more than three consecutive terms. Burroughs, who served on the Denton City Council from 1998 to 2004, has chosen to run for a third consecutive term as mayor. He has been Denton’s mayor since 2008. “Denton isn’t going to stop growing, it just isn’t. We’re an old city, 150 years old, just like Dallas and Fort Worth,” Burroughs said. “But Denton is different. Our small town heritage makes residents feel more at home than the metroplex or the urban sprawl south of here.”
PHOTO BY CHELSEA STRATSO/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Dum Dum Girls guitarist Jules performs with the band on the main stage of 35 Denton on Saturday afternoon. The all-female quartet played to a packed crowd that bounced glittery beach balls in the air. 35 Denton, the city’s four-day walking music festival, wrapped up Sunday night with a performance by Built to Spill.
For full coverage, see pages 3 through 5
See MAYORAL on Page 2
Opera Studies receives $1.5 million donation PAUL BOTTONI
Managing Editor
PHOTO BY CAYDEE ENSEY/STAFF WRITER
Ginny Griffin, assistant director of parking and transportation services, speaks at the Parking Town Hall on Monday in the One O’Clock Lounge. Griffin arranged the meeting to push an open-door policy between the students and her department. “Thousands of students, faculty and staff park on campus every day,” she said.
Parking concerns discussed during town hall meeting CAYDEE ENSEY Staff Writer
A group of 25 to 30 students met at the One O‘Clock Lounge in the University Union on Monday morning for a Parking Town Hall meeting with Ginny Griffin, the associate director of parking and transportation services. Tw o i n i t i a t i v e s w e r e discussed during the meeting: removing 318 parking meters from parking spaces on Welch Street and allowing all students to purchase evening parking permits. Genera l permit park ing would take the place of the meters.
“St udents using hourly parking can use the parking garages,” Griffin said. “This would increase space availability and therefore increase the value of your parking permits.” The second initiative will address concerns over evening on-campus parking. Only sorority and fraternity members have been able to purchase evening permits, which cost $5 and allow parking from 3 to 10 p.m. “I don’t see why we can’t make it available to all students,” Griffin said. “We are decreasing the cost of the evening permit to $3, and any student can buy
one, starting now.” The price of parking permits was a concern ra ised by students. However, the price will not decrease in the foreseeable future, according to Griffin. “Costs can only go up, unfortunately,” Griffin said. “We have a multi-million dollar payment on the parking garage we just built, and we get no funding from the university. We are 100 percent self-sufficient.” P r e -p s y c holo g y s en ior Yvon nee Tat u m attended the Town Hall to discuss her concerns about safety.
See PARKING on Page 2
The UNT Opera Studies program received a $1.5 m i l l ion donat ion f rom the estate of the late Bill Winspear, the university announced Monday. The fund established the Margot and Bill Winspear Chair in Opera Studies. Director of Opera Paula Homer was announced as the program’s first chair. The donation will help fund other areas, including opera production costs, financial support for voice students in the program and various opera-related expenses. “This generous gift and the endowed chair in opera provide the stability needed for training aspiring opera singers,” Homer said in a press release. “Our students can look forward to exciting opportunities to perform in full productions, and our patrons can thrill at the topquality singing and acting provided by the best recruits in the nation.” Homer started working at UNT in 1992 and has since directed more than 50 operas, three of which won awards for production from the National Opera Association, according to the UNT College of Music website. “She’s been here for years, and I believe she was here before the music director
PHOTO BY CHELSEA STRATSO/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Vocal performance master’s student Jennifer Youngs plays the role of “Lucia” in the opera “Lucia di Lammermoor” during dress rehearsals Feb. 28. The program received a $1.5 million donation from the Winspear family. came in,” performance master’s student Charlie Kim said. “She really built this thing [Opera Studies] f rom t he g round up.” Winspear, who died in 2007, and his wife, Margot, gave UNT a $2 million donation in 1998 to complete the Lyric Theater in the Murchison Performing
Arts Center. The performance hall in Murchison is named in their honor. The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House in Dallas is also named after the couple, who donated more than $40 million to the hall in 2002.
See OPERA on Page 2
Inside Students get Shakespearean with new club Arts and Life | Page 5
UNT needs parking solutions Views | Page 8
Softball team swept by Ragin’ Cajuns Sports | Page 10