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Doubling Up Food For Thought Softball team wins second series of 2012 Sports | Page 7
Library holds edible book festival Arts & Life | Page 3
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
News 1, 2 Arts & Life 3, 4 Sports 7, 10 Views 8 Classifieds 9 Games 9
Volume 99 | Issue 41
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
Hoodie march held to honor Trayvon Martin HOLLY H ARVEY
Senior Staff Writer More than 300 people clad in hoodie sweatshirts marched from the University Union to the Denton MLK Jr. Recreation Center on Sunday in protest of the killing of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old boy who was killed in Florida. The case has attracted national attention to Florida’s “Stand Your Ground Law,” which allows residents to defend themselves if they feel their life is endangered. Martin was wearing a hoodie and was unarmed when he died Feb. 26. Rally organizer Bredric Berry, an accounting junior, said the purpose of the rally was to bring attention to problems in the justice system. “Someone shouldn’t have to die to make people aware of problems,” Berry said. “We have
to make sure that this tragedy isn’t forgotten.” Hoodies became a symbol of Trayvon Martin after news personality Geraldo Rivera said Martin’s hoodie was just as responsible for his death as suspect George Zimmerman was, said rally organizer Troy Elliott, a music education freshman. Protesters also clutched bags of Skittles, the candy that was found on Martin. The rally started with a brief prayer, and organizers urged the crowd to sign letters asking for new police leadership in Martin’s case. As they marched down past the Union protesters chanted, “What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now.” Marchers displayed signs such as “Justice for Trayvon,” “Racism has no place in 2012” and “Murdered for being black.”
Elliott said the rally reached across racial boundaries. “This issue is not a racial issue,” El liott sa id. “It’s a human rights issue.” Denton resident Evely n Agen i koko had a “You ng, black, suspicious?” sign and said that rallies across the country were needed to show support for change. “If we want justice, we have to stand together,” Agenikoko said. E l l iot t sa id t he ju st ice system needs to be changed and that the community was coming together through the use of social media websites s u c h a s Fa c e b o o k a n d Twitter. “We can’t sit back and say this tragedy is OK,” Elliott sa id. “We’re show ing t hat students are not apathetic, and we care.”
PHOTO BY HOLLY HARVEY/SENIOR STAFF WRITER
PHOTO BY HOLLY HARVEY/SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Students march past the University Union on their way to the Denton Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, carrying Sociology senior Natalie Johnson protests in support of Trayvon Martin. More than 300 students marched past the Union signs in support of Trayvon Martin. The march attracted more than 300 people. Martin was killed Feb. 26 in Florida while to protest how his case was handled by Florida police. Martin was unarmed and wearing a hoodie sweatshirt when he walking home through a neighborhood in a hoodie sweatshirt. was killed Feb. 26 while walking home.
UNT community mourns Polls open for SGA elections, loss of student, entertainer student vote on new Union HOLLY H ARVEY
NICOLE B ALDER AS
Senior Staff Writer UNT student Shaun Chapa – k now n a s “DJ Chapa” – died early Monday morning, according to a Tarrant County medical examiner report. The official cause of death has not yet been released, but friend Jorge Rivas, a 2011 UNT g raduate, sa id Chapa died from pneumonia. He is survived by his daughter. In Chapa’s Facebook posts on Saturday, he said doctors weren’t sure if he had bronchitis or pneumonia and were treating him for both. His final Facebook update on Saturday said he was going to play a show at a club that night, though he was sick. Chapa, a 32-year-old graduate student, was a member of Lambda Theta Phi fraternity and a member of the League of Un ited L at i n A mer ica n Cit i zens at UNT. He a lso performed as a DJ at loca l venues a nd at UNT’s 2012 Union Fest. “He w a s a w o n d e r f u l server of our community, a great leader, a friend and a family-oriented man,” friend Christina Hernandez said. He worked as a community leader on UNT’s campus, Rivas said. He was particu-
approve or deny the building of a new Union. “Students need to approve Vot ing bega n Monday i n t h e U N T S t u d e n t the referendum in order for Government Association a new Union to be funded,” elections for next yea r’s Un ion Di rector Za ne Rei f president, v ice president sa id. “I f t he referendu m and senate, and on the refer- doesn’t pass I think we will endum for t he proposed do an assessment of why it didn’t pass and then go from new University Union. T he SG A voted ea rly there.” If the referendum passes, t h is mont h i n favor of t he referendum, ca l ling the student Union fee, which for a student-wide vote to is $51, would increase by no Senior Staff Writer
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHAPA FAMILY
Shaun Chapa, 32, was a UNT student and DJ. Chapa died early Monday morning of undetermined causes. larly involved in the DREAM Act, wh ich work s towa rds a l l o w i n g u n d o c u m e nt e d workers conditional permanent residency. “He was a devoted political activist for the Latino population,” Rivas said. “Although we were on opposite sides of t he DRE A M Act, he would always hear you out.” Wall postings from some of his 4,350 friends on Facebook ca l led h i m a “Lat i no role model” and “an inf luential
indiv idua l who foug ht for what he believed in.” C hapa w a s en l i ste d i n the Marine Corps from 1997 to 2001, accord i ng to h is Myspace account. He graduated from UNT with a bachelor’s degree in 2008 and was working towards a graduate deg ree in applied a nt hropology. “He had a tough exterior, but he was a really nice guy,” Rivas said. “He did a lot of community work.”
more than $115 per semester beginning fall 2014. “I think [the fee increase] is important,” human resources freshman Jennifer Downum s a id. “Ot her u n iver sit ie s have really big Unions, and it is somet h i ng t hat get s more students to go to them. Especially if we’re trying to get Tier One status, this is important.”
See ELECTION on Page 2
Aston expected to be named next Longhorns head coach BRETT MEDEIROS
Villarrea l could be reached for comment. According to a report by Ju st t w o w e ek s a f ter f or m e r Te x a s w om e n’s t he A mer ica n-Statesma n’s basketball head coach Gail Suzanne Halliburton, the UT Goestenkors resigned, the Systems Regents voted unanLonghorns will introduce imously Monday to aut hoU N T w o m e n’s b a s k e t- r i z e U T At h let ic Di rec tor ba l l he ad c oach K a ren Chris Plonsk y to negotiate Aston as her replacement, a contract w ith Aston. Bay lor women’s ba skett he Aust i n A mer ica nS t a t e s m a n r e p o r t e d ba ll coach Kim Mulkey told the American-Statesman on Monday. Neither Aston nor UNT Saturday that Aston texted A t h l e t i c D i r e c t or R i c k her w ith the news that she Senior Staff Writer
ac c epte d t he Te x a s he ad coaching job. Aston was an assistant head coach for the L ong hor ns u nder Ha l l of F a m e KAREN c oac h Jo d y ASTON C o n r a d t from 1998-2006.
See ASTON on Page 7
Inside Candlelight vigil held for Chapa News | Page 2
Student group gets mitzvah on Arts & Life | Page 4
SGA presidential candidate grades Views | Page 8