Festival of Flight
NT Daily editors chosen for summer, fall 2010 NEWS: New Page 2 Softball team takes two of three against Trojans SPORTS: Page 4 Alum to students: Do what you love VIEWS: Page 5
Pakistani Student Association’s kite festival welcomes new season Page 3
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
News 1,2 Arts & Life 3 Sports 4 Views 5 Classifieds 6 Games 6
Volume 95 | Issue 49
Cloudy 74° / 55°
System announces interim president
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
BY LISA GARZA
“He spoke with considerable confidence and authority The former Washington State from having [been presiUniversity and University of dent] twice and done it well,” Memphis president is preparing Jackson said. “He is respected to become the next UNT interim as a collaborative leader, not an autocratic one, someone president. V. Lane Rawlins was selected with firm opinions and who by the UNT System Board of can reassure any concern Regents and will begin his about whether UNT would term on May 14 with a one year drift or lose its direction.” Part of his job is to ensure contract. Rawlins will replace Phil that everything is in place for Diebel, who has served as his successor, Rawlins said. “That w ill be my f irst interim president since March priority, to make sure 1, following Gretchen the house is in order Bataille’s February so that I can describe resignation. to the next president “I’ve missed being what the job is,” he around the students said. — they are the reason Diebel said he was I got into this business “fortunate” to have in the first place,” said already spoken briefly Rawlins, who retired V. LANE with Rawlins. from Washington RAWLINS “I believe he is a State in 2007. “It looks like UNT is in the position to great fit for the university and make some wonderful steps as the right person at the right time,” Diebel said. an even greater university.” Rawlins said he is aware of Rawlins said the circumstances surrounding Bataille’s UNT’s push for reaching Tier sudden resignation caused him One status but that it is too to be hesitant to accept the posi- early to comment on exactly how he will contribute to that tion. “In some sense, [Bataille’s goal because he has not seen resignation] did, yes,” Rawlins the research statistics. “I just want to make sure said. “On the other side, I don’t know much about that situa- those things don’t get sidetion and I’ve asked people not tracked, that we don’t take a to tell me very much about it year and not do anything,” because I don’t want to spend he said. However, Rawlins said that time looking in the rearview his one year term will not mirror.” Rawlins said he respects include changing the major Bataille’s contributions to the direction of UNT. “I’m just there to stabilize university, but his intention is not to “fix anything or blame things, to strengthen it,” he anyone.” He said he is deter- said. mined to help UNT reach its goals. Term begins “Let’s make sure that the Next month’s Board of students, the faculty and the Regents two-day meetings community move forward in begin May 13 — the day before a progressive way,” Rawlins Rawlins takes office. The main said. topics of discussion will be the budget and research plans. Jackson said he encourSelection process aged Diebel and Rawlins to Chancellor Lee Jackson cited Rawlins’ experience at the two consider those two days as campuses as one of the main the transition period. ” T h e y ’ l l s p e nd t i m e factors that secured him the together, they’ll go to meetposition. “Both of those campuses ings together,” Jackson said. were going through significant “But by the 14th, we’ll be changes, so we actually got to presiding over commencesee the groundwork for strategic ment and looking into the planning, the implementation future, and it’s appropriate and the results,” Jackson said. to have our longer term presi“He also has a realistic attitude dent in place,” Jackson said. of what can be accomplished in an interim year.” Jackson said Rawlins asked See RAWLINS on Page 2 questions about UNT’s quality See the Daily’s editorial of planning and the consensus on this subject on Page 5 on campus. Senior Staff Writer
PHOTO BY AUGUSTA LIDDIC/PHOTOGRAPHER
Bubba Turner of Denton’s Big Daddy Alright, a jump blues and swing band, kicked off the festivities at the 49th Annual University Day on Friday.
UNT celebrates University Day BY K RYSTLE CANTU
Denton Mayor Ma rk Burroughs declared April 16 University Day at UNT for this year. St udent s won d i f ferent prizes for participating in these events, such as candy, ring compasses, stressballs and a one gigabyte flash drive. Packer said this year’s attendance beat last year’s attendance by at least 5,000. “This is our largest University Day event our campus dining prepared food for 10,000 people today,” he said. “Last year we
had only 5,000 to 6,000 that attended.” UNT Interim President Phil Diebel said he was pleased with the turnout. “We’re i n a wonder f u l com mu n it y a nd had a wonderful turnout to celebrate this great day,” he said. “We’re here for the students, we’re here for our faculty, we’re here for our staff. It’s just a wonderful day to celebrate what we do and what we’re all about.” Burroughs praised UNT for its fantastic energy and the partnership that it brings to Denton. “Today is a celebration of this institution and where it is and it’s right here in the heart of Denton,” he said. “It needs to be recognized and a celebration like this does that. It’s a fun time for all because there’s so much energy that comes from the university.” Adria Johnson, an interdisciplinary studies junior who also works for the UNT graduate school, was a coordinator for the boat races. This was her first time being involved directly with University Day, but she has always enjoyed the past celebrations that she has attended over the years, she added. “I think it’s a great opportunity for students to get a break and express their school spirit along with the rest of the faculty and students on campus,” she said.
Garcia said. “Texas Tech did a superb job and went beyond our expectations.”
Thirteen universities competed from the Institute’s region five, said Cameron McCord, an
Staff Writer
Crowds of students munched down on free brisket sandwiches and chips Friday and cheered as the UNT fight song bla red in t he backg round during UNT’s 49th annua l University Day. Bo ot h s f r om d i f fer ent student organizations, activities and causes lined up at the celebration, which was sponsored by the Office of the President, Business Services, UNT Dining and the University Union, and ran from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Library Mall. “University Day is a traditional part of this campus,” University Day chairman Mark Packer said. “I think it’s important for us as an institution to continue with these traditions and to celebrate where we are today and look forward to the feature.”
A celebration
PHOTO BY AUGUSTA LIDDIC/PHOTOGRAPHER
Paige Curtis, a elementary education sophomore, and JT Pellettieri, a political science freshman, race remote control boats in the fountains in the Library Mall at the 49th annual celebration. For a cause Among the festivities held during the day was a bone marrow drive in honor of Rhonda Christensen of the research science faculty. Christensen received a bone morrow transplant through the “Be the Match” program, where registered potential morrow donors
are matched by DNA to help save the lives of cancer patients. This drive has been going on at the main campus and Discovery Park for the past week in conjunction with cancer awareness week, Christensen said.
See STUDENTS on Page 2
Electrical engineering students compete for awards BY SHEA YARBOROUGH Senior Staff Writer
Time was of the essence Saturday as students raced against the clock in the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Design Competition at Discovery Park. UNT’s Todd Crocker and Jeremy Llewellyn, electrical engineering seniors, had four hours to create a switch to turn off the lights of a building at the sound of a whistle. Their goal was to win, Crocker said, but they fell short of the mark. “We wanted to win,” Crocker said. “We didn’t win.” Texas Tech University won first place and $500, Oklahoma Christian University placed second and the University of New Orleans placed third, said Oscar
Garcia of the electrical engineering faculty. “It was a tough competition,”
PHOTO BY AGNES WYSOWSKI/PHOTOGRAPHER
Two UNT students came up shorthanded in a competition Saturday where they had to design a switch to turn off lights at the sound of a whistle. In these cases lie the necessary resistors, integrated shapes, bread bulbs and other substances to put a light bulb together.
electrical engineering graduate student and president of UNT’s Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers chapter. Louisiana, Colorado, Kansas and Texas were all represented. “We’ve grown,” McCord said. “Last year we only had six teams.” Llewellyn said that being critiqued by the judges was the most memorable part. “They seemed interested and appreciative of our work,” he said. “It was a taste of a real engineering job would be like.” LED lights, compositors and resistors were the components given to the students to create the switch, but it was a specific sound McCord said he remembered from the day. “All day long we heard students
whistling at random times, testing their switches,” he said. Crocker also said that intimidation was not a factor, though some of the universities had well established engineering programs. Moreover, Crocker said that he and Llewellyn were surprised at the lack of knowledge from some of their competitors. “We looked at each other and said, ‘Wow, how do they not know that?’” he said. The dynamic of the team was one of the most important aspects, Crocker said, which was no problem for his team because he and Llewellyn have worked together before. “Jeremy and I work really well together,” Crocker said.
See ELECTRICAL on Page 2