Stormy 65° / 47°
Redbud Reign
Denton celebrates its 19th annual Arbor Day event SCENE | Insert
Friday, April 20, 2012
News 1, 2 Sports 3 SCENE Insert Classifieds 4 Games 4
Volume 99 | Issue 51
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
Police investigating terroristic threat
Kung fu fighting
DAVID L ANDER
emerges. “I f a d a ngerou s t h re at were to come in, we would The UNT Police Department i s w or k i n g w it h f e d e r a l not hesitate to call in other authorities and the Sheriff’s departments – local, state and Department of Greene County, federal, as well as emergency Va., to uncover the identity of vehicles,” Reynolds said. Eag le A ler t, wh ich a lso a caller who made a terroristic threat on the afternoon w a r n s of h a r sh we at her, fires and other catastrophes, of April 2. UNT Police traced the call relea sed a test voicema i l back to Greene County, Va., Thursday afternoon. but because it is out of their jurisdiction the department cou ld not relea se f u r t her informat ion rega rding t he case, including whether or not the caller was a current or former UNT student. “It’s sa fe to assume t he G r e e ne C ou nt y She r i f f ’s Department jurisdiction is where the threat originated from,” Deputy Chief of Police Ed Reynolds said. —Ed Reynolds The caller allegedly made UNT Police Department ot her t h reaten i ng c a l ls to ot her pa r ts of t he U.S., including a call to California. It remains unclear whether or not the string of calls was Emergenc y Ma nagement intended as a prank. C o o r d i n a t o r L u i s Ta p i a UNT’s Risk Ma nagement encou r aged st udent s a nd S e r v i c e s u s e s a n e m e r- faculty that did not receive gency mass-communication the voicemail to update their system called Eagle Alert to contact information on their wa rn students of potentia l my.unt.edu. risks on campus. The system “The system is only as good delivers voicemail, email and as the contact information we text messages when a threat have,” Tapia said. Intern
“We would not hesitate to call in other departments ...”
PHOTO BY PATRICK HOWARD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Theater arts sophomore Jarret Berman (left) and behavioral analysis junior John Carter make an attack and freeze in the final round of Ninja, sponsored by the Kerr Residence Hall Association outside the Library Mall on Thursday. “It revives the whole idea of fighting, but it’s more fluid,” said Berman, who won the final bout among the winners in nine groups. The game was assembled in hopes of topping the world record of 112 players, set at the 2011 VidCon conference in Los Angeles, Calif., but only about 70 students were present.
COURTESY PHOTO
A chalked campaign slogan is seen on the southern wall of the Business Leadership Building. The UNT Police Department is analyzing the extent of the damage. If it is determined the markings did damage, potential charges could follow.
PHOTO BY PATRICK HOWARD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Juniors Hilbert Jackson (left) and Brelan Chancellor (right) perform drills during the Mean Green football practice Wednesday. UNT will compete in its Green/White Spring Game on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Apogee Stadium.
Chalked message leads Roster spots up for to police investigation grabs in Spring Game BEN PEYTON Staff Writer
Campaign signs dotted the campus during the UNT Student Government Association’s elections earlier this month, and one marking in particular could lead to graffiti or criminal mischief charges from the UNT Police Department. A UNT police officer discovered a “Vote Justin + Rudy” chalk marking on the southern wall of the Business Leadership Building on April 7. The message was in support of SGA presidential and vice presidential candidates Rudy Reynoso and Justin Wood. UNT police referred the incident to UNT Facilities for an $80 cleanup effort, which found no indications of permanent damage, Structural Services Manager Luke Taylor said. If further analyses by the UNT Police Department reveal any damage caused to the building, potential charges such for criminal mischief or graffiti could be
filed, said Corporal John Delong of the UNT Police Department. Reynoso said he and Wood did not notice the message at the Business Building but cleaned up various campaign stickers, posters and chalked areas following the election, which ended the Friday before the incident. “We would have been willing to clean it up, but they [UNT Facilities] went ahead and cleaned it anyway,” Reynoso said. The chalking incident was brought to Reynoso and Wood’s attention by a representative from the Business Leadership Building, and they still do not know who wrote the message. Wood said various people wanted to support his and Reynoso’s campaign. “What we did was give some of those people chalk just to write across campus ‘Vote for Rudy and Justin,’” Wood said. “The reason we did is because chalk is very easily washable, so we did not ever anticipate it being a big deal
because it is very, very, very easy to wash off.” Deciding whether or not the chalk message should be considered vandalism has been discussed by the department and university. Nothing may be posted on campus except in designated areas, according to UNT policies 8.3 and 6.8.1.7. “You’re running a slippery slope of ‘what is vandalism?’” said Maureen McGuinness, dean of students and assistant vice president for academic affairs. Wood said the SGA election board was also confused about the policy concerning chalking. “It [campus policy] has not been made well available to students,” Reynoso said. While Sergeant Chris Denton of the UNT Police Department said no further investigations into the chalking incidents are expected, campus policy concerning chalking is staged for future review, McGuinness said.
Football BRETT MEDEIROS Senior Staff Writer
Mea n Green footba l l players will try to move one step closer in securing a roster spot when the team plays the annual Green/White Spring Game on Saturday at Apogee Stadium. “This game matters. We want to come out here and put on a great performance, and put all the things we learned throughout the whole spring and put it all together,” junior linebacker Zach Orr said. The game, which marks the end of spring practice, is an inter-squad scrimmage that will divide the Mean Green into two teams: the Green Team, which consists of the first and third string players, and the White Team, which is the second and fourth stringers.
“I would like to see the Green Team put up a lot of points. That’s my team,” redshirt junior quarterback Derek Thompson said. “Overall I just want to see everyone come out of the game healthy.” The game will consist of four 12-minute quarters and a 15-minute half. The White Team will also start the game with a 20-point lead. “In a game like this, you can’t waste any possessions,” head coach Dan McCarney said. “Put the players in a hole, come out there focused and go execute. It sounds like it’s going to be a beautiful day, so hopefully we get a nice turnout.” Kickoffs, punt returns and tackling the quarterback will be off-limits. Other minor adjustments to the game will also be added to protect the health of players. Going into the game, no one’s spot on the team is locked up,
McCarney said. One of the biggest positions to watch in the game is the battle for the starting running back position. For the first time since 2008, the Mean Green will be without its running back Lance Dunbar, who is preparing to enter the NFL Draft. Dunbar finished his UNT career last season as the school’s all-time leading rusher, with 4,224 yards. McCarney said the job is anyone’s for the taking right now. “There really is no inside track right now,” he said. “If we play LSU Saturday, it would be running back by committee, which really isn’t a bad thing at all.” After the game, Austin-based country music band Reckless Kelly will give a free, 90-minute concert. The stage will be in the West stands of Apogee Stadium. The game will start at 2 p.m.
Inside Questions abound over on-campus statue News | Page 2
Men’s golf team prepares for SBC tournament Sports | Page 3
Record Store Day harmonizes with local talent Scene | Insert