North Texas Daily - 4/06/17 by North Texas Daily

VOL. 109 No. 11

A new normal college experience

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

NTDAILY.COM

A speaker presents at the bimonthly city council meeting on Tuesday, April 4. A new board will be elected May 6. Keeley G. Briggs, far right, is the only current member running for re-election. Samantha Hardisty

Rep. Lynn Stucky’s drafted bills focus on Denton

By Kyle Martin He starts to see customers file in, sporadically, around 11 p.m. Most nights, he listens to sitcoms in his headphones to pass the time. Tonight, he’s got “Seinfeld” on his mind. Because he works the cash register from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. six nights a week at two different gas stations in Denton, regular customers walk or stumble through the storefront and remember his face, just as he remembers theirs. They’re here to buy sugary and salty snacks, energy drinks or beer before midnight. Most commonly at this time of night, people buy cigarettes, and now he just does the math in his head, having memorized most of their prices. This particular international graduate student’s identity, now to be referenced as The Student, is kept anonymous in this story because he attends the University of North Texas on a F-1 Student Visa, and on scholarship. The Student’s wife and child live with him under F-1 Dependent visas, immigrated from their home country in Southeast Asia to Texas so that he may pursue a graduate degree. With the degree, he hopes to provide a better future for his family — better than anything that was there for them in their home country. “If someone finds out, they will deport me. Definitely,” he said. He is here in the U.S. on an F-1 Student Visa and by law is not legally allowed to work outside of his campus employment. However, with a wife and a five-year-old son to provide for, he and his family cannot afford school and living expenses for their one bedroom, 750-square-feet apartment on just what he makes from the university working for $22 an hour for 20 hours a week on campus. On top of school and his campus job, he averages around 50 hours a week as a cashier for the two different gas stations in Denton. “I didn’t want to go [to America] without [my family],” he said. “It doesn’t make sense.” Because of his odd schedule, he said he only gets to see his family for about 10 hours a week, sometimes less. “Take a job, that’s the only plan,” he said. “Nothing else. Yesterday I spoke with someone, a customer at the other store. He comes there all the time. His step-father has a

SEE STUDENTS ON PAGE 7

By Julia Falcon

A guide to May’s Denton city council election By Julia Falcon With Spring in full swing and the city council election only a month away, candidates are preparing for the home stretch of their respective races. On May 6, residents will vote to re-elect certain candidates or pick from a number of local names. With applications closed since Feb. 17, Keely Briggs of District 2 will begin her second term in her position after the election. But others face tougher battles. The last day to register to vote is tomorrow, April 6. Here is a guide of the candidates for Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4:

District 1 Frances Hawes, Gerard Hudspeth and Emily White are running for District 1, which opened up after Kevin Roden finished his third and last term. He was first elected in May 2011 and cannot run again. Transparency, an ethics ordinance and infrastructure are the main things Hudspeth plans to fix if elected. “We are guaranteed three new council members,” Hudspeth said. “It will be very important for someone to step in those roles. It will be very important to have someone to understand those seats, I think my time in the planning and zoning committee has helped me

SEE ELECTIONS ON PAGE 2

SEE STUCKY ON PAGE 4

Balancing tacos and music with break ins and renovations By Nina Quatrino From an outside perspective, the restaurant looks like an average, residential house and can easily be mistaken for one. But if you happen to stop by on a Monday morning during lunch hour, or a loud Friday night, you’ll never think twice about the little white house on the corner. Nestled in the residential area of Scripture and Bryan Street sits Killer’s Tacos, a local taco joint by day and live music venue by night – very fitting for the city that is commonly referred to as a “mini-Austin.” Having just recently celebrated their one year anniversary, Killer’s Tacos prides itself on serving the Denton community with fresh fish, lean chicken and crazy combination street tacos while

also representing themselves as one of the few music venues left around Denton. Many of the Denton locals who visit Killer’s Tacos come specifically for the food. The menu is all original creations by owner Jeff Seley, who said everything has his own slant to them. “I put things on tacos that I like, like BBQ and bacon,” Jeff said. “The meats are very lean. We use white chicken breast – it cost more but it’s better for you. We use fresh fish, fresh vegetables and cheese.” This unique combination of this Americana-Mexican inspired cuisine is the product of the Seley family, a father and son duo. Jeff says that he and his son, Joseph “Joey” Seley,

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NEWS

Domestic violence pg 3 There have been 126 charges of domestic disturbances reported to the Denton Police Department in the first months of 2017.

Killer’s Taco owner Jeff Seley and his son Joey Seley, 21, stand in front of the menu of custom tacos. Jeff says he wouldn’t have started the business without his son. Samantha Hardisty

UNT Sports clubs pushing through recruiting problems By Samantha Morrow

ARTS & LIFE Denton Community Market pg 5 The Denton Community Market is in its seventh year. The market has experienced growth over the years, now with 120 vendors.

SPORTS Mean Green spring football pg 9 UNT football players will compete against each other in the annual spring football game on Saturday.

OPINION The Future of the EPA pg 11 Columnist Gabriela Macias discusses Scott Pruitt as the head of the EPA and the agency’s potential future under his leadership.

understand some of these changes.” White, who received her bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. from Texas Woman’s University and is now a professor at North Central Texas College, said she wants to be involved with the decision making. “I think that serving our city council will be the ultimate volunteer opportunity,” White said. “I teach rhetoric and argument, and I think it would be good for my students to see me living the political life that I talk to them about in class with being leaders in their community and being effective communicators.” Hawes, a caretaker who has lived in Denton

Since the Texas state legislature convened on the second Tuesday in January, the newly elected Texas House representative Dr. Lynn Stucky of District 64 has been busy authoring or co-authoring 15 bills. He was involved in drafting bills he said would “benefit Denton County,” like one aiming to count the number of middle school drop-outs in order to avoid further dropouts, another that will allow judges to carry firearms into a courtroom and one that will help along rapid development in Denton with a hotel occupancy bill aimed at promoting more tourism for the city. Stucky said he and his staff are working diligently on getting those bills to pass legislation and get it to the governor’s desk. He said the hotel occupancy tax bill will benefit the City of Denton for promoting more visitors to the fast-growing area. He said he’s making sure everyone involved is heard in order to perfect the language. His goal is to be transparent, effective and helpful for him to feel like it benefits district

Men’s and Women’s rugby team practice every Tuesdays and Thursdays evenings at Sports Recreation Complex, which is next to Library Annex Recreational Sports Equipment, 1001 Precision Drive in Denton. Koji Ushio

For NCA A sports at UNT, the recruiting process is one that is guaranteed. High school students across the nation are courted by various programs and some are offered scholarships as added incentive. But recruiting for club sports is an entirely different ballgame that presents an uphill battle every season. Unlike their school-sponsored counterparts, club sports push through the strain of bringing in new players year in and year out. They do not have the luxury of a list of athletes who are trying to play college sports or any added bonuses to entice players. Instead, clubs are forced to sit on their hands and wait, hoping students join their team. “An actual athletic team is allowed to hand out scholarships,” senior executive sports club council member Josh Fuller said. “They are allowed to go recruit in homes of high schoolers. We aren’t really allowed to do that.” One of the problems facing club sports and recruiting is simply finding players willing to suit up.

While most NCA A athletes have an idea of what sport they will play, students that rely on club sports are often undecided or unsure of what they will participate in. Clubs that are not traditional sports have an even larger strain recruiting than some of their well-known counterparts. “Bigger teams like hockey, lacrosse, rugby — a lot of people know we have those,” Fuller said. “But people may not know that we have these more niche teams like archery, sailing and powerlifting.” Most teams try combating this issue with information tables on campus during the Mean Green Fling or Sports Club Fair at the Pohl Recreational Center. The men’s lacrosse team has even taken an extra step to get the word out about their sport by adding a recruiting section to their website with a survey for prospective students to fill out. This helps the club gauge the interest of new students and a way to reach out to potential new players. “We can’t really help out a lot,” junior lacrosse

SEE CLUBS ON PAGE 8

NEWS Page 2

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD Trump calls Syrian chemical attack an “affront to humanity” President Donald Trump condemned the killing of dozens of civilians in northen Syria on Tuesday after an apparent chemical weapons attack by the Syrian air force, the BBC reported. According to the UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 20 children and 52 adults were killed in the chemical incident in Khan Sheikhoun. Trump said, “When you kill innocent children, innocent babies, little babies...that crosses... many lines.”

Centrist French presidential candidate’s lead narrows Emmanuel Macron’s lead in France’s presidential election has narrowed, but he is still predicted to win by most polls, Reuters reported. Macron would win 25 percent of the April 23 first round vote while far right leader Marine Le Pen was seen getting 24 percent, according to a report published Thursday by a Harris Interactive poll for France Televisions. They both lost 1 percentage point, but are on line to even the run-off vote with their current polling numbers.

State Counselor of Myanmar denies ethnic cleansing of muslim minority Aung San Suu Kyi denied the ethnic cleansing of Myanmar’s Muslim minority, the Rohingya, after the UN rights council agreed to investigate allegations against the country’s army, Agence France-Presse reported. She said, “I don’t think there is ethnic cleansing going on. I think ethnic cleansing is too strong an expression to use for what is happening.” Almost 75,000 people have now escaped the border state of Rakhine for Bangladesh, where the minority comes from.

Colombian authorities call for investigation into mudslide Colombia has ordered an investigation into a deadly mudslide that swept through the southwest town of Mocoa on Saturday leaving 290 dead, the BBC reported. More than 300 people are still missing and about 2,700 residents of the town are now living in shelters. Some areas remain without water and electricity, and police have been reinforced in order to deter looters.

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

Mayborn School of Journalism will move into Sycamore Hall this summer By Celeste Gracia The Mayborn School of Journalism will be relocated indefinitely to the second floor of Sycamore Hall this summer with newly updated classrooms, labs and office spaces. The school of journalism has been located at the bottom floor of the General Academic Building since it split into its own department from under the College of Arts and Sciences since the late 2000s. Manager of campus planning Thanh Kim Nguyen said moving into this new space will create room for the school to grow. Currently, Sycamore Hall is under renovation to create these new spaces for the school. David Reynolds, associate vice president of UNT facilities, said plans show the floor will be organized into three corridors: one for advising, one for classrooms and one for faculty. Nguyen said demolition for this project started late last summer; construction began late last semester, and will continue through May. Expected completion is the first two weeks of June, with the school moving into their new space at the end of the month. Stephanie Garza, senior undergraduate advisor at the school of journalism, said by the start of next fall semester, the dean’s office, undergraduate advising office, graduate school and a large part of the rest of all administrative and faculty offices will be moved over to Sycamore. Some of the biggest improvements Dorothy Bland, the dean of the school of journalism, is looking forward to include having more natural lighting

Sycamore Hall is currently undergoing renovations to make space for the transfer of the Mayborn School of Journalism, its graduate program and the Department of Sociology to the building. The first floor of Sycamore Hall is currently home to the Eagle Commons Library. Jake King available in rooms and have most faculty consolidated in one area. “It will be a bonus to have most faculty on the same floor in terms of communication opportunities,” Bland said. “Most of our faculty have been in the basement for years; they will now have light. From an environment perspective, that’s a bonus.” There will also be an upgraded lab and classroom space in order to have more room for students to function, said Garza. Reynolds said many of these upgrades include new technology like monitors and digital displays. “A lot of these [areas] are being

By Robert Warren The Mean Green fund purchased enough credits through the Denton Municipal Electric’s Green Sense Renewable Energy Program to allow UNT to have 100 percent renewable energy for a year through both wind and solar power. The fund is able to buy these credits through a tuition service fee of $5, which allows any student or faculty to submit proposals to help make UNT more environmentally friendly. “There are so many people that care about the environment,” UNT sustainability coordinator Gary Cocke said. “We all know we are dependent

on a healthy Earth in order for our existence, but to very few people will that affect meaningful change.” Adam Briggle and UNT students lead the 100 percent renewable energy program to its one-year renewable energy goal. Cocke is the advisor of the We Mean Green Fund that picked up the project. “The student-majority committee consists of 10 students and three faculty members which are the evaluative body,” Cocke said. “It is students that brought this idea to reality.” About 8,000 residences are enrolled in the Green Sense program today, but Cocke said the enrollment

Business

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completely redesigned to suit the needs of our students,” Garza said. Student media organizations, such as the North Texas Daily, S.W.O.O.P and Hatch Visuals, will also be moving into Sycamore Hall. Garza said the layout of the new offices will offer more flexibility with movable furniture and more open, dedicated space to help in collaboration among students. The TV studio will remain in the first floor of the GAB and so will the faculty offices related to broadcast. “There’s some adjacency issues [in the radio station and broadcast lab] that we need to be mindful of and that’s why

they’re staying in the GAB,” Bland said. “Faculty offices related to the broadcast facility will stay in the GAB. Ultimately, I would like to see a new studio built.” Reynolds said the budget for this project, as approved by the board of regents, is $3.3 million, which covers the design of the project, demolition, construction, furnishings and other details. There are no further plans to move the school of journalism anyplace else in the future. “It’s planned to be a permanent move into Sycamore,” said Reynolds.

@Celllyg

UNT will be 100 percent powered by renewable energy for one year

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Reece Waddell | Sports Editor

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Gary Cocke, UNT sustainability coordinator and We Mean Green Fund advisor. Amber Nasser

used to be only about 165 to 170 residence homes. Kinesiology junior Tyler Gallegos said it’s important that we look into not leaving a carbon footprint; someone has to start the initiative so others may follow. Computer science graduate student Samuel Cumings wants to focus on fossil fuel dependency and global warming. Renewable energy, Cumings said, is important to reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and prevent the serious issues climate change could bring. “Global warming is a real thing,” recreational sports junior Ivan Castaneda said. “We don’t want to add to that.” Castaneda said that the Mean Green fund that does projects like the 100 percent renewable energy project is worth investing a $5 fee in. “Students seem to understand the importance to reduce climate change,” Cocke said “Addressing how we get clean energy and addressing water are of immediacy.” The project is allowing UNT to have 100 percent renewable energy right now, Cocke said. It is something he would suggest to other colleagues. “We hope to be a leader in our community,” Cocke said. “And hope to enroll more.” Cocke wants students to know that

the Mean Green fund that helped this project is here for everyone at UNT. The next thing Cocke would like to address is food waste at UNT. “So the proposal has been approved with a one-year time frame,” he said. “They will present at the end of one year what they find and propose it be extended for four more.” Cocke said he feels students get an opportunity to have an impact at UNT when they work through the We Mean Green Fund. He said it helps them understand how they can have an impact on the environment. “With project leadership,” Cocke said. “Sustainability like anything else we need to be able to demonstrate our successes and our value and why we need to continue to have these projects and have more of them.” Cocke said the Green Sense program is making it possible for the project to continue and perhaps get more enrollments. “We need to think more about the future than what we want now,” Gallegos said. “I think it is important for UNT to do it [100 percent renewable energy project] because we are a college and our slogan is we mean green.”

@Robofthunder

A breakdown of Denton’s cit y council candidates ELECTIONS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 for over 10 years, could not be reached for comment.

improving quality of representative government. I am working hard to set a higher expectation for elected officials and citizen engagement in that regard.”

District 2 Keely Briggs is the incumbent for the District 2 seat and will run unopposed for this year’s election. A graduate of UNT, Briggs was first elected to her seat in May 2015, and is currently in her first term. Briggs said she wants to focus on businesses, the environment and neighborhoods, and she has the ability to focus on these issues fulltime. “You have to answer every call. You have to read every letter. You have to open every email. You have to communicate consistently and openly with people and community stakeholders whether you agree with them or not,” Briggs said. “I want this community to have an ever

District 3 Jason Cole, Don Duff and Paul Meltzer are vying for the District 3 spot, which was left open by Kathleen Wazny who decided in December that she would not run for another term. Wazny was first elected onto city council in May 2015, but said she needed to focus on spending more time with her family. Meltzer said he wanted to take a stand on issues facing Denton, and then decided to run for the seat. His goals for this election and the city of Denton include smart growth, fiscal discipline and building community consensus. One of his biggest concerns is to review plans for the new gas plant.

“My interest began when council voted to repeal the fracking ban rather than defend it,” Meltzer said. “Then later I didn’t like it when council voted to borrow $265 million to build a gas plant, the biggest single expenditure in city history, and knowing there would be opposition found a way to finance it without giving the citizens a vote. Seeing no one else running to take a stand in my district, I realized I should do it myself.” Duff, who said he was encouraged to run by his friend Wazny, has goals for council that include getting an ethics ordinance and to spend money wisely. “We will go into a new phase, there will be a number of changes,” Duff said. “I can tell you I am coming in this with a great deal of background, [Wazny] will be my mentor and advisor throughout this.” Jason Cole, whose family has

been rooted in Denton for the past 100 years, is also in favor of an ethics ordinance, more transparency and communication within the government. Cole said that living in District 3 his whole life has given him the know-how to run for the seat. “We’re about to experience a monstrous amount of growth, and I want it to be easier for small businesses to grow,” Cole said. “We have the longest permit waittime. We have a real rigorous code enforcement.” District 4 John Ryan and Amanda Servis are running for this seat, which is being left open by Joey Hawkins. Hawkins faced a recall election for his vote to overturn the fracking ban in Denton last May. He will not be running again in this election. Ryan, a former council member, said many fellow community

members have encouraged him to run again, and he wants to continue giving back to the community. “On the long-term planning, water is a resource that you can’t just generate or produce more of,” Ryan said. “We need to watch the future. Projections are in the quarter million in the next 20 years. It’s starting to get off the ground at this point.” Servis, owner of Lucky Locks Beauty Bar in Denton, has roots that run deep in Denton, too. Her grandparents are Pat Cheek, who ran for city council four years ago, and Phil Cheek, who owns part of the Jagoe Construction company. “I feel that communication is key,” Servis said. “I have been a student here, a working single mom, so I feel like I am connected in every way.”

@falconjulia22

TRENDING @ntdaily @thedose_ntdaily @ntd_sports

#SteveBannon

Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump’s chief strategist, was relieved from his National Security Council position Wednesday.

#Facebook

Facebook said it would increase efforts to combat revenge porn, The Hill reported. It will allow users to flag suspected “intimate” images.

#InvaderZim

Nickelodeon has approved a TV movie based on the Invader Zim television series that aired in the early 2000s, Deadline reported.

#Pepsi

Pepsi pulled a controversial ad after backslash, NBC News reported. The ad had Kendall Jenner handing a police officer a Pepsi at a protest.

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 3

Campus recources available for students with spring-time allergies By Anna Orr It’s that time of year again. The pollen storms that the South are known for are wreaking havoc on students’ immune systems. And with tests, quizzes, projects and more, students have to take on preventative measures to make sure they’re not out sick from school. Over 50 million Americans handle allergies every year, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. At UNT, it’s the Student Health and Wellness Center’s job to provide students with ways to deal with their allergies and sicknesses. Located in Chestnut Hall, the SHWC provides students with guidance and medical assistance to help them combat allergies. Assistant director of outreach at the SHWC Kerry Stanhope said that before they buy any medicine, students should first figure out what is causing their allergic reaction. “It could be seasonal allergies, maybe rhinitis or hay fever, which is from the plants,” Stanhope said. “If a specific animal or person with a pet triggers it that shows it could be pet dander or maybe some sort of perfume. They also could be allergic to dust or mold.” The first step students should take to combat their allergies is to try over-the-counter medications such as Allegra or Zyrtec. Benadryl is a common

antihistamine; students should be warned to take it later in the day since it has been known to cause drowsiness. The pharmacy at SHWC carries prescriptions for antihistamines as well as decongestants. Stanhope recommends that students take both an antihistamine and a decongestant to better fight off allergies. “Antihistamines may stop the reaction of your immune system to the allergen that’s coming into your body,” Stanhope said. “That may help with the watery eyes and the runny nose, but it may not help with the congestion of your nasal passages.” Students can be reluctant to purchase expensive allergy medicine due to high prices. Over-the-counter medication can be expensive, and often out of the budgets of most students. Stanhope recommends offbrand medicines, saying that basically, they are identical. Allergic rhinitis is also known as hay fever, caused by mold, pollen and animal dander. However, students may also be having allergic reactions to food or perfumes. If students are unsure of what is causing their allergic reaction, Stanhope said they should visit the nearest allergy specialist. An allergy specialist will be able to help the student find what is causing them to have an allergic reaction. They conduct a series of tests which will

help the students learn what specific allergens they should avoid. If students decide to visit the allergy specialist, they will go through a process where they are exposed to various types of objects that could be triggering their allergies. Once the trigger is singled out, they will create a formula that treats the student’s allergies specifically. According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, it’s common for people with allergic rhinitis to be” prone to itchy, watery eyes (from allergic conjunctivitis or eye allergies) and they may be more sensitive to irritants such as smoke, perfume or cold, dry air.” Stanhope said that some cities, such as Denton, form a “bubble,” trapping pollen and other allergens within the city. The allergens blow through the air until rain or windy weather removes them. If students are interested in getting in contact with a doctor on campus, they can go to the SHWC. Appointments can be scheduled ahead of time online or by calling the SHWC at 940565-2331.

@anna_orr2

126 Domestic Violence cases in first three months of 2017 By Julia Contarelli In the first three months of 2017, a total of 226 charges of assault were reported by the Denton police in the Community Crime Map. Out of those, 126 were domestic disturbances. On Jan. 21 a total of seven assaults were reported, this being the highest number, followed by March 15 when six assaults were reported. February had at least one case per day, other than Feb. 9, when an assault did happen but it didn’t involve a family. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, “domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another.” When Denton police receive a 9-1-1 call for a domestic disturbance, two officers are normally sent automatically. These calls are classified as “priority” and in cases when the line gets interrupted, another office is responsible for calling back to try and reach the victim. “We got a 9-1-1 call, the operator heard a female scream and then the line disconnected,” Denton police spokesman Shane Kizer said when describing one of those domestic abuse cases. Interruption of an emergency call is a crime, with a usual bond of $2500. In this case, the call came from a cell phone, not a landline. The officers didn’t have an automatic

Julia Contarelli

address or a description of what was happening. “If it is on a cell phone, it gets a little trickier but they got to where they pin the towers and it gets pretty close to the address,” said Kizer. “Often times too, with that person’s phone, it will bring a name and an address.” When the police arrive at the scene of a domestic disturbance case, if the crime has just happened, they can arrest the aggressor. If they arrive and only the victim is at the scene, the officers take a statement and search the neighborhood for the criminal. “When we are making an arrest it has to be on site, or the officer sees it or it is freshly after and we have credible witnesses there to articulate that the events did occur, or there has to be a warrant,” Kizer said. The second step for the officers in this situation are photos of the victim to show any injuries. They also make a report of what happened, with details from the victim story and what they see in the scene. The officers advise the victim to contact them if the aggressor comes back. If they are contacted a second time, police protocol is to control the situation, isolate both parties in different areas, and get a statement and photos from the supposed criminal, which are attached to the victim’s file. If the supposed criminal alleges no aggression from his or her part, the police do not have the legal right to make an arrest. Visual evidence of the victim being hurt does not prove, by law, that the

supposed criminal was the one who caused it. In this situation, the officers make sure one of the parties leaves the residence. In case the jury finds the supposed criminal guilty, the officers receive a warrant for the arrest and the victim is notified. “What oftentimes happens with domestic abuse, the women will go back to them because they don’t have a way to support themselves,” Kizer said. “Especially when there are kids involved.” A social worker hired by the police then provides free services for the victim, like a place to stay or help in connecting with family or somebody who can give the victim support. For financial support, Kizer said, “we may set her up with resources to help.” Denton County Friends of Family is an organization available for victims of domestic abuse. According to Friends of Family’s website, their purpose is to “provide compassionate, comprehensive services to those impacted by rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence, while partnering with our community to promote safety, healing and prevention.” The site also states that 1 in 4 women will experience some sort of domestic abuse. The organization has two 24 hours crisis lines, 940 382-7273 and 800 572-4031.

@ContarelliJ

From left to right, Lisa Bloom, Valeria Sofia Ozuna Yrizar, and Jennifer Sheppard pose for a photo by the UNT music building. Jake King

UNT’s married students juggle priorities By Anna Orr UNT students of all walks of life have to find ways to pay for school, whether that’s applying for student loans, grants or other governmentsponsored programs, or getting by on their own. But whereas traditional students often have a choice, there are currently no available scholarships or grants for being a married student, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships said. The married students of UNT have relied on themselves and their spouses for support, they have learned to juggle work and family with their academic responsibilities. The UNT Women’s Chorus, an elective worth one credit, provided several married students with the opportunity to participate in music while pursuing their degree. The chorus allows female UNT students to have 50 minutes dedicated to music Monday through Thursday. Junior Lisa Bloom, a music history and literature double major, also has her Associate’s in Music from Kansas City Kansas Community College and transferred from University of Missouri-Kansas City to UNT when her husband’s job moved to Texas. “I was definitely never the person who was going to get married,” Bloom said. “I met my husband around Christmas of 2008 and then around Easter we decided we wanted to get married.

Since I was so young, I waited until I was 21, since I didn’t want to have a terrible bachelorette party.” On top of being a full-time student, Bloom is employed full time. She says that working, being married and being a full-time student is “crushing,” but she’s able to handle it. “I go into work at 6 in the morning and leave when it’s time to go to class, to then go back to work afterwards,” Bloom said. The financial aspects of being married are something Bloom has considered, both the good and the bad. “Something that I didn’t consider is that you as a student understand your own amount of student debt,” Bloom said. “But when you get married that person also has debt.” Bloom continued to say that having two incomes makes the debt much more manageable, but it’s nothing that should be considered when dating someone. Jennifer Sheppard, a public affairs and community service junior, is another married student who has learned to balance her education along with raising her son. “I was 24 when I got married and the situation was, we just found each other, and we already had our son together and we had been living together for a while,” Sheppard said. Sheppard and her husband live in north Dallas. Every day she drives a half hour to get to

UNT after dropping her son off at school. She is thankful to have her husband, who appreciates her and works around her schedule even when he’s busy with his own job as well. “It can be a very difficult juggle,” Sheppard said. “Having to go to school and manage your time and studies, and giving time for my husband and time for my son isn’t easy.” Valeria Sofia Osuna Yrizar, a music senior with a concentration in viola, transferred to UNT from Richland College in 2013 to further pursue her passion for music. Both Osuna Yrizar and her husband are string musicians, they met and bonded through orchestra. “I was just starting to figure music out professionally. I had the opportunities to explore different types of music,” Osuna Yizar said. “There was so much exposure to different types of cultures.” Osuna Yizar says that her husband is supportive of her. She believes that women should be fully entitled to themselves before anyone else, and that marriage should not label a woman as an extension of their husband. “I think the way society projects its idea of marriage on women in the 21st century is antiquated,” Osuna Yrizar said.

@anna_orr2

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 4

21st annual Texas Higher Education Law Conference focused on Trump-era legal issues

Westheimer New Venture competition brings a “Shark-Tank” environment By Haley Yates

Attendees at the Annual Higher Education Law Conference. Administrators, staff members and sponsors are among the attendees at the event. Jackie Torres

By Robert Warren With the election of President Donald Trump and the legal questions around his policies, the 21st annual Texas Higher Education Law Conference focused mostly on key issues facing undocumented students, campus carry and other future legal issues like drones. But for the most part, the event is used as a networking opportunity for those wanting to enter the legal field. “This is a good way for people to find people to network with,” code director for the event RoyAnn Cox said. “To help them do better and connect with legal presenters in the state.” Speaker John Wesley Lowery from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania lectured on “legislation and regulation in a time of turmoil and uncertainty,” hitting on topics such as regulatory reform, immigration, sanctuary campuses, along with sexual assault on the federal and state levels. He also covered Title IX issues and the issues transgender students face on

campus, Clery Act implication, guns on campus, the first amendment and marijuana. One student felt the talk on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals left him with feeling of sympathy for those affected. “I learned there is a lot of compassion when considering the students,” MBA Graduate student Toby Wilkerson said. “It is important.” Cox said the goal of the event was to present the latest legal material on contemporary issues. Drones, for example, face many legal issues involving surveillance law and aerospace law among others. Cox said it’s important for people to understand current laws and the way they shape our world, as well as the implications of current laws on the future. North Central Texas College Provost Andrew Fisher said it was the talk of undocumented students and campus carry that was the biggest and most important at this year’s conference. Cox said the presenters are experts in the

field and that some of the big topics are chosen because of their recent prominence. She added the conference is important to help the administration understand how to stay out of legal trouble. “There are a lot of diverse jobs represented here to make sure that students get what they need to succeed,” Wilkerson said. “Students, policer officers, educators.” Wilkerson said that it is important that people do not trust assumptions or bias media but rather read the laws for themselves. He also said to go straight to the source to stay informed. Cox said she hoped people would leave the event with a better understanding of the practical aspects of law. She added the conference is important to keep talking about civil rights and the laws that protect them, since they affect everyone all over.

@Robofthunder

Students with innovative business ideas can pitch their proposals to a panel of business professionals in a “Shark-Tank”like setting at the Westheimer New Venture Competition on April 28. Created and funded by UNT alumnus Jerome ‘Bruzzy’ Westheimer, the competition is open to students from all colleges, sophomore year and up, including graduate students. Up to three students can collaborate on a team and must submit a professional proposal by March 31. Bruzzy will be donating cash prizes to the top three places, $10,000, $5,000 and $1,000 respectively. Because he knows the teams that don’t make it to the top three work just as hard, he said he is offering $100 to each participant. “I’m just a person that wants to give back,” Bruzzy said. “I have this motto I use sometimes with the scholarships I give: A student should not be denied a lack of education because of a lack of money.” Participants that make it to the final round will professionally present their proposals in the College of Business Dean’s boardroom. They will be expected to interest the panel of judges, which will consist of business professionals, some of which are close childhood friends of Bruzzy’s. Bruzzy said he was extremely timid when he attended UNT, and

it wasn’t until after he graduated that he overcame that shyness. After landing a job at a bank in downtown Dallas, Bruzzy met many people who recognized his last name and knew of his father. He started making more connections after joining Crime Stoppers in his hometown of Ardmore, Oklahoma. Through Crime Stoppers, Bruzzy said he was forced out of his comfort zone to meet new people and make connections. That is his hope for students that participate in the competition, that they will interact with the judges and share ideas they are passionate about. “I was so shy in college, I was afraid to hold up my hand in class,” Bruzzy said. “Once these students go out in the real world, if they hadn’t learned these skills, they will not learn.” Proposals will be judged on quality and originality of the idea, depth of supporting research and justification for the project, impact of the proposed idea, professionalism of writing and return on investment. The top three teams will also receive a six-month membership at Stoke Denton, a non-profit facility that helps entrepreneurs build their ideas. Members can use the space to work alongside local professionals and hold conferences. Heather Gregory, director at Stoke, heard about Bruzzy’s contest through the College of Business’ website and wanted to be involved. She said Stoke has many supporters

Newly elected Lynn Stucky gets to work STUCKY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 64.” What you’re doing more than anything is getting to know members and the rules, you’re also getting feedback from your

Jimmy

constituents,” Stucky said. “You start slow, which is good, and I needed that to get into the swing of things. It took the same amount of time to get up to par as fast as anyone else and get into session.” District

representatives

Texas get paid $600 a month, which is the main reason Stucky said he comes home to focus on his animals, and because the process of every other year for

Stucky drives back where his

the 140 day session was meant

veterinary practice is in Sanger

to be there for people who work

to work with his patients for

in their community who want to

the weekend and go to church

give up 5 months of their time to

with his wife. It’s his veterinary

represent their district.

knowledge that lead him to work

“Most of us can’t live on $600

on HB 3451, relating to the study

a month. I can’t live on $600 a

and approval of lethal pesticides

month, I still have my business,”

for feral hog control.

Stucky said. “Even while session

“I see a lot of sick dogs and

is on, I come back and go on some

cats that eat poisonous bait,

ranch calls.”

they bleed internally and need filing

a blood transfusion or they

begins at the committee process,

die,” Stucky said. “The Texas

where public testimony is taken.

Department

Then, the bill is taken to the

has released it to be used on

House f loor, and is debated and

hogs, they have not studied the

voted on by the Texas House of

impact of that on species and

Representatives. Then if it is

the environment.”

The

process

bill

TO FIND THE LOCATION NEAREST YOU VISIT JIMMYJOHNS.COM

Agriculture

Stucky said that the hogs that

where it goes through the same

consume the poison could be

process over again. If the bill

shot and eaten by humans and

makes it to the end of the process,

harm them, too.

it is sent to the governor’s desk

As for his time in Austin and

and is signed into law, or vetoed.

his new position, he said it has been an honor.

Thursday nights, and goes into

“Throughout the session I

the wee hours of Friday morning,

have had the opportunity to

if needed.

meet with hundreds of people

“Even though the process is

from UNT, TWU, NCTC, the

grueling and long, they work

cities I represent and across

through until the bill is passed,”

other states on a number of

Stucky said. “They don’t want to

issues,” Stucky said. “When I

stop and start. They want to stay

came into office my goal was to

there and keep working until

represent their interests, and I

they agree what is in the best

believe I have accomplished that

interest of the people.”

to this point.”

After the House f loor closes and

passed, it goes to the Senate,

The House f loor debates on

WE DELIVER!

Representative Lynn Stucky poses in front of his desk at his veterinary practice in Sanger, Texas. Katie Jankins

his

Thursday

Monday work

week

through ends,

@falconjulia22

that volunteer as mentors, and working alongside people who are possibly doing something similar could open up opportunity for students. Stoke also offers halfpriced memberships to students, honored until one year after graduation. “I have strong interest in connecting more with the universities,” Gregory said. “Particularly students in business or tech wanting to start their own business.” Business marketing senior John Michael Davis was walking by a digital kiosk in the Business Leadership Building his sophomore year when he saw and ad for UNT’s IDEA Competition. Hosted by the Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship, the nowretired competition had students give two minute pitches to a panel of judges for a $250 prize and the opportunity to have dinner with the panel of judges. Davis was interested in pitching a plan, but missed the deadline for the contest. When he heard of the New Venture Competition, Davis saw another opportunity to compose a proposal. “Personally, I’m not going to determine my success by placing in the competition or not placing,” he said. “I just want to submit quality work. And besides, we’re all going to walk away winners. The experience of preparing a business plan and then maybe presenting it to a panel of professionals is invaluable.”

STUCKY’S BILLSs 2445: Relating to the use of municipal hotel occupancy tax revenue in certain municipalities. 2486: Relating to restoration of the position of public employees when relieved of duty from the Texas military forces or a similar unit. 2519: Relating to a study on dropout prevention and recovery before the ninth grade. 2565: Relating to the powers and duties of the Big Sky Municipal Utility District of Denton County; providing authority to issue bonds and impose fees and taxes. 2566: Relating to the creation of the Denton County Municipal Utility District No. 9; granting a limited power of eminent domain; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose assessments, fees and taxes. 2654: Relating to the personal liability of certain elected officials under local government programs to fund water and energy savings improvements through assessments. 3451: Relating to the study and approval of lethal pesticides for feral hog control. 3922: Relating to the places where an active judicial officer may carry a handgun if the officer is licensed to carry a handgun. 150: In memory of Tyler Barnes Foster of Era. 189: Recognizing March 1, 2017, as Denton County Day at the State Capitol. 645: Congratulating Micah Pinson of Shady Shores on his selection as one of the top two youth volunteers in Texas by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program. 977: Commending Jim Davenport, Jimmy Marquez and Alan Johnson for their work with Student Veteran Services at the University of North Texas. 1375: Relating to treatment and care provided by licensed medical professionals to animals in certain facilities. 2817: Relating to the punishment for the offense of criminal mischief involving the death of a head of cattle or a horse. 485: In memory of Lewisville City Council member Leroy Vaughn.

ARTS & LIFE Page 5

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

The Denton Community Market turns seven By Taylor Crisler It’s 9 a.m., and a familiar sight for this time of the year presents itself. Around the corner from jars of golden zucchini jam adorned by fair ribbons, past the child cowboys roping calves made of PVC plastic with harsh red painted eyes, stand three generations of women. Red metal and colorful beads are humbly arranged behind them in the half light of an awning. Musicians form in the market’s heart, with a bass drum and obscured violin providing background music to the women’s conversation. The women are meticulously organizing pieces of handmade jewelry, displaying them to catch the eye of anyone who walks by. It’s a breezy Saturday morning and the first of many over the next few months where they’ll be standing proud in front of their work. It’s one of their favorite parts of spring. “I mean, we got a steady increase,” Heather Deaton said, looking around at the people walking around. “The market itself has

increased in size enormously because there were,” Rachel Windsor said before being cut off. “Maybe a dozen booths in 2012,” Eileen O’Neill adds to her daughter’s statement. “Well, more than that,” Windsor said. “Well, maybe 15 [or] 18,” O’Neill said. “But no more. So each year, it’s gotten bigger.” “This year there’s something like 100 booths,” Windsor said. This year, there are 120 booths. And the women of Tranquility Artisans are just one of the many local vendors showcased at this year’s opening day of the Denton Community Market. Tranquility Artisans is a local business which, having seen the past five of seven years of the Denton Community Market, has witnessed a staggering growth. Windsor and her mother, O’Neill, have been crafting jewelry at the DCM since 2012, joking that the business was mostly a way to support their jewelry making habit. Deaton joined the collective in 2013, contributing her illustration work. As their own business became more sophisticated, so did the market. Starting this

year, the DCM is one of only two community markets in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to participate in the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, extending the means-tested welfare program for women, infants and children out from the usual multinational grocery stores to local agribusiness. Not all community markets are the same. Windsor, for example, likes that the wares for sale at the DCM must be handcrafted and locally made. Tranquility will sometimes sell at school fairs where vendors will sell mass produced jewelry online for $2 a piece, which is a “different kind of competition,” she notes. Keeping things producer-owned keeps it more egalitarian. “We’re trying to be a little bit more organized,” said Kiara Soller, a DCM employee and UNT integrative studies graduate. This includes limiting items to increase variety, encouraging farmers by offering lower exhibition fees and unfortunately having to turn some vendors away when the DCM reaches capacity. Not only are the vendors all producer-owned, but all produce is sourced within a 100-mile

radius. These are the standard localist arguments of food production, which you can peruse by Googling any variation of “buy local” — stronger community bonds, better quality goods and more sustainable business practice. This yearning for communalism or social cohesion is shared by pretty much everyone at DCM, from the employees to the producers to the customers. “It’s really nice to have that relationship and that connection with people,” Soller said. DCM first timers Kristin and John McKee’s business, Babylove’s Farm. They bring their fresh product from their farm to share it with people all over the Denton community each Saturday morning. “We’re trying to grow our own food so we feel like, you know, we’re growing 100 percent,” John said. “So we want to sell somewhere where everyone’s kind of on the same playing field.” While the McKee’s have only been farming their one-acre plot for the past three years, they know the score. Large-scale family farms account for only two percent of all farms, but 35 percent of production. Small-

NTDAILY.COM

Opening day at the Denton Community Market featured 120 vendors and four musical acts. This is the DCM’s seventh year in operation. Taylor Crisler scale family farms account for only 26 percent of production but represent 90 percent of U.S. farms. “We’ve sold out of a lot of things already, which is just amazing,” Kristin said, an occupational therapist and TWU graduate. “We were surprised, we really didn’t know what to expect here.” Most of these small-scale operations, like Babylove, are thus not only “producer-owned,” but “worker-owned.” Most farmers at the DCM also don’t have the “temporarily embarrassed millionaire” attitude one might find in other sectors. While the romanticism of the rugged individualist farmer certainly persists, the optimism you will find here is more practical. “The first market we came to I think we had about three dozen eggs to sell, and now we came here today with about 40 dozen eggs to sell,” said DCM veteran Erin Tran, who farms as part of the Denton Farmer’s Cooperative. They’ve been toiling for the past three years since inheriting a Sanger farm, moving from California and starting off with just chickens, ducks and sheep.

Erin also tends to reflect on the national average. In 2012, farmers were reliant on income sources outside the farm to make up 80 percent of their household income. Most of the Trans’ income comes from her husband Sondi’s IT job in Fort Worth, while the profit from the market goes to help pay for the farm. “It’s pretty tight, I think, for farmers generally,” Sondi said, comparing their respective careers. “I sell my chicken eggs for $5 and the costs that go into making a carton of eggs is a little more than $4, so it’s pretty slim margins.” While it can be difficult to sell farm fresh products when grocery stores around the area sell similar products, the Denton Community Market provides an opportunity for something fresh and new. “I mean the main reason is [that] you’re supporting your local economy,” Soller said. “You’re supporting real people that care about the community and you’re not supporting like a giant business that doesn’t necessarily value you as a customer.”

@taylorbcrisler

Steampunk Ballroom transforms old into new By Amy Roh At her stand at the Denton Community Market, Dee Kautsch sports a pair of Steampunk goggles decorated with jutting pieces of steel and copper. She looks like an industrial Willy Wonka, inviting customers to a factory of Edison lightbulbs and vintage hybrids. It’s an odd sight to see, but not enough to simply walk away. The Denton market is one of the places Dee and her husband, Ed Kautsch, sell their unique products to the locals. Together they operate The Steampunk Ballroom, a small business where their items boast a mix of vintage and futuristic elements. “We just both love the combination of old and new,” Dee said. “We already loved vintage antiques and loved the cool modern twist we can put on it as well.” Steampunk is a genre that combines elements of the Victorian era and the Industrial Revolution with futuristic and science fiction settings. The Kautsches launched the business in 2014 after falling in love with the aesthetic and the process of making old things new. “[People] love the fact that they can relate to the vintage mechanical wind-up watches [we make] since they are the ones they grew up with,” Dee said. “They

love the fact that I’m taking the ones that can’t be fixed and doing something new with them.” Ed crafts lamps and the famous Steampunk goggles while Dee makes various types of jewelry. Shortly after their children went to college, the two converted their empty nests into work spaces. Now, half of their time is spent scouring flea markets, estate sales and salvage yards for vintage pieces that reflect the steampunk look. “Using items that would otherwise be thrown away and creating something with a new function is so important to us,” Dee said. In fact, The Steampunk Ballroom originated from Dee’s unlikely introduction to recycled jewelry. Nearly 15 years ago, Dee suffered a head injury after falling backwards over a gas hose and hitting her head against the concrete. The injury caused her to lose most of her memory in the process. “It was a freak accident,” Dee said. “After a few days, I completely lost my memory except for my name, my kid’s names and my sister’s names.” At the time of the incident, Dee was in her 30s and was working in the mortgage business. Bits and pieces of her memory returned, but it was never the same.

Although she tried to continue in her job, her everyday work life suddenly felt daunting. “There are so many regulations and things that you had to know, that I could never go back,” Dee said. “I tried at a much slower level, but I still couldn’t do that. So I decided to start my own business instead that was more on the artistic side instead of something that had numbers or office-type work.” Dee turned to making jewelry, which then stemmed into an interest into the steampunk genre. Ed, too, used his skills to create customized lamps and various light fixtures. Since their launch three years ago, The Steampunk Ballroom has grown along with its burgeoning number of curious customers. “Usually when they walk by, they do a double take and then they’re drawn into it by the oddity of the look of the items,” Ed said. “It goes back to the oddness of something. That, or I’ve added a piece to a lamp that their grandma might have had a long time ago and I’m using for a totally different purpose now.” At the market, customers linger and stare at the detailed watches, the necklaces or the odd lights. Dee estimates that hundreds of customers in total come by. Like junebugs to a flame, Ed would say.

Lamps with industrial light bulbs draw in customers at The Steampunk Ballroom’s vendor booth for the Denton Community Market on Saturday, April 1. The market featured a variety of businesses and artists selling their unique crafts, as well as food vendors and other small businesses. Katie Jenkins Aside from the markets, the couple also sell their products online at their Etsy store. Dee says that customers even bring their broken-down items to them to get them customized into steampunk pieces. Kay Turner, one of their customers, brought in a watch that no longer worked after she had worn it past college and her wedding. Dee redesigned it into

a necklace for Turner, which she considers to be the best part about the job. “She was just so happy with it and I put more time into it than what I was being paid, but it made me so happy,” Dee said. “I knew how much that meant to her, how long she’d worn it and how special it was to her.” Like Dee and Ed, steampunk has given the community a small piece

of nostalgia everywhere they go. “Not everybody in my generation is sentimental about things, but I am,” Turner said. “And it’s just a way of remembering the past and reusing something that otherwise would just take up space or end up going to the dump.”

@rohmyboat

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 6

Killer’s Tacos pushes through break-ins and trouble to celebrate one year anniversary BUSINESS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 have always wanted to open a restaurant together. “It’s always been an idea we’ve had, since I can remember,” Joey said. Russian roulette In 2016, their dream was made possible. With the recent closings of Art Six Coffee House and the White House Espresso Bar and Beer Garden, Seley decided to jump on the opportunity and open the property himself. The recent closings can be discouraging for any potential

buyer. Fortunately for Jeff, he had done his research. “I’ve watched all these restaurants grow [and] some make it, some don’t,” said Jeff, who has been in the restaurant business for over 15 years. “I wanted to spend more time with the kids, no more working late nights. Taco places always seem to be doing great. They’re the next wings. It works well in the area.” He and his son Joey spent three months remodeling their house and had their grand opening on March 14, 2016, popularly known as Pi Day.

Joey, 21, works with his father as a co-owner and a cook in the kitchen. “I do everything: cook, cashier, repairs,” Joey said. “I’m also the one who books the shows.” Joey, who has been by his father’s side since the restaurant opened in 2016, said they have plans to renovate the backyard and potentially buil a stage and string lights to accommodate the summer live music nights. “Originally we didn’t plan on having music at all,” Jeff said. “A little after a month of being open, the bands came to us. We tried to

accommodate by building a stage in the dining room.” Joey does all the booking

when it comes to local bands and artists. The boys were excited to learn that Denton legend

Richard Haskins wanted to perform at the restaurant. He’ll be there April 7, and they expect

Students and graduates reflect on the financial pressures due to college expenses STUDENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 company, I gave him my [curriculum vitae and] we spoke over the phone. If he likes me, I’ll get an internship over the summer. If it’s unpaid, I’ll work it two days a week. I need money.” The Student lives a new normal lifestyle under rising higher-education costs and immigration crackdowns by the Trump administration. He’s in a dangerous predicament working toward his degree: he must either work illegally to provide for his family and risk deportation or don’t work and risk sending his family back anyway because he can’t afford to keep them here. And he can’t go back to his home country, not yet at least, he said, because of what he escaped by coming

Infographic by Julia Falcon

to America. “At the beginning it was tough,” The Student said. “ I was in an accident. One day I came out of a bank, seven people took me into a minivan. Shoulders twisted, torn ligaments. Took all my money. I requested [for them] not to shoot. I was handcuffed.” Reserved, but steady, he recalls being robbed of about $50,000 at gunpoint years ago in his home country. In a third-world country, this amount of money could convert to over a million dollars in local currency. Over there, he said he was a professor at a university. But after the incident, he escaped and is here now as a part of $36 billion contributed to the 2015 U.S. economy by foreign students, according to TIME’s Money

Magazine report from March. He’s here to fight for a better future, just like the hundreds of thousands of other college students in America. He’s also dealing with rising higher education costs just like the rest of them, too, working full-time just to survive school. Finding a financial compass Cole Oliver, a 2016 UNT graduate with a Bachelors of Science in economics, had a much different experience than that of The Student. “I thought it was going to be a nonstop party,” said Oliver, who graduated high school from Northland Christian School near Houston. “I wasn’t treating UNT like Harvard, I was just here for academics.” Oliver comes from a well-to-do family. They were well-off enough to have the means to put him through college out-of-pocket, at least. Graduating with zero student loan debt, he made it through school without living paycheck-to-paycheck and without a family to support. Without student loan and financial aid pressures, which over 75 percent of UNT students are under, Oliver birthed an idea out an economics class project during his junior year that led to him founding CHDR Financial, a demographic-data-driven financial management service he thinks will help curb woes struggling college students face. “I noticed friends who couldn’t do

the things I could,” Oliver said, who served as treasurer of the Alpha Tao Omega fraternity at UNT. “That’s not because I’m insanely on top of my budget. That’s because of my parents. When you’re the treasurer of a fraternity, you’re kind of the de facto guy for all financial questions.” CHDR Financial has executive positions, a board of directors, over 20 advisors and eight investors. Two years, thousands of hours and over $105,000 have gone into developing CHRD into a free phone application. On this app, users will be able to consolidate all of their existing financial information and accounts, including student loans, credit and savings accounts. Using specific algorithms and realtime financial data from an account aggregator, the Envestnet® | Yodlee® Aggregation API, the app will provide users with financial suggestions and records of how, why, on what and when users spend their money. Should the app gain traction and be used successfully by the widespread public, the UNT graduate will have established a sort of “financial compass” for users to help navigate their way through living paycheck-topaycheck, as it will provide reactive, real-time financial statistics, accessed easily and at all times via their phone or mobile device. The app could go on to help students and families better understand their financial situations as they change day-

to-day. It could definitely help families like the Baumann’s. A new normal When Connally Baumann graduated from UNT in 1989, tuition revenues collected by the university were less than $28 million. More recently in 2015, during his son’s sophomore year studying emergency management at UNT, revenues were up 851 percent, sitting at almost $261 million. With his son in the UNT system and his daughter a soon-to-be high school graduate looking to go to college, the Baumann family is feeling firsthand the effects of rising higher education costs. His family is now required and will continue to pay more for a college education than ever before. “I think there’s a debate there on whether you actually need a four-year degree, depending on which direction the kid wants to go,” Baumann, 51, said. He now works for a retail broadband company. After the economic recession in the early 1990s, he went back to school to get a different degree to work in the telecommunications field. “I think a lot of schools are possibly getting greedy,” Baumann said. Baumann said he worked 30 to 40 hours a week while in school, as many do today, but he had no need to take out anywhere near the amount of loans students average while in college now.

Instead, he worked hard and paid for school as he went, graduating debt free with a liberal arts degree. “Instead of keeping things small and manageable, they get too big,” Baumann said. “You get too big and you stop focusing on the student.” For now, the Baumann’s will take their financial ups and downs as the go. His son lives at home to save money by commuting to campus and working part-time on the side, hopefully saving up money to pay off the $7,000 and counting of student loans he already has as a junior. Like The Student, like Cole Oliver and like thousands of other college students across Texas, the Baumann’s will continue their lives under new, normal financial pressures and hope for the best; but financial and economic futures continue to remain uncertain as higher education costs and student loan debts continue to rise, year after year. While times are changing, the requirement to pay thousands of dollars and take out even more in loans will be the new normal for years to come. “I think school have done a great job of misdirecting kids into thinking that there are jobs for them,” Baumann said. “ I don’t think these jobs are really out there.”

@Kye_Martin35

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NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 7

the turn out to be huge. Though Richard Haskins is mainly punk, Jeff said that they are open to all genres of music. “We’ve had jazz, folk, rap, punk, hardcore and even country bands perform,” Jeff said. All good dreams come with nightmares While the taco restaurant turned music venue was an exciting part in the duo’s life, it has proven to be extremely tough, as well. In December 2016, right after the holidays, the Seleys were in complete shock when they returned to work. The taco house had been broken into and destroyed on what Jeff believes was Christmas Eve. “Stolen televisions, iPads, menu boards, broken furniture, money out of the safe,” Jeff said. “[It was] about $15,000 in property damage and stolen items. I had an old ATM machine that wasn’t even in use stashed in a closet, [and] they destroyed that too.” Jeff said the burglars poured concentrated cleaner all over the house, thus ruining the wooden f loors. Just a few months prior to the break in, the restaurant had trespassers just once before. Jeff said those damages were not nearly as bad. “They only stole a little bit of cash and tried to steal the safe” Jeff said. The Seleys closed their doors for a week to complete renovations and construction on all the repairs.

Top: Killer’s Taco’s employee prepares a platter of carnitas tacos. The business prides itself for removing the fat from its meat to provide the best possible quality. Left: A platter of tacos is ready for customers, including a barbacoa street taco, ‘Classic Killer,’ the best selling ‘Bitchin Barbie,’ and a ‘Hot Chick from Buffalo’ (left to right). Killer’s Tacos owner prides his tacos in their high quality lean meat. Samantha Hardisty Left: Killer’s Tacos now has the whole nine yards when it comes to security, including a camera and burglar system. “We took the time to make something good out of something bad, and we recovered just fine,” Jeff said. “You can’t keep a good man down.” And they want their restaurant to prove just that. Joey came up with the name “Killer’s Tacos.” “Killer” is the name of a small yet feisty Chihuahua - the “face” of the restaurant. “We needed a mascot, and we liked the name Killer for a dog, but we didn’t want our dog to be cute and silly [like Taco bell’s dog],” Jeff said. “He needed to be tiny and mean, but smart and edgy. It’s a small place, but it packs a punch.”

Denton community becomes extended family The Denton community report was the most positive response they had received after the break in. With over 22,000 views on their Facebook post about the break in, the boys were more than grateful. “Once they [customers] come in a lot, they’re not even customers any more, they are friends,” Jeff said as he greets a few regulars by first name. “We have lots of good friends that come in, [and we’ve] never had a rude customer ever here. People are so nice and genuine. It’s unbelievable.” Adam Mack, 37, is a regular at Killer’s Tacos. He comes in for his lunch break, and says he loves the prices.

“I’m not that fancy,” Mack said. “I just like tacos. It’s really good food, and the homemade salsa is the best in town.” During the restaurants’ oneyear-anniversary fundraiser, a total of nine bands took the stage, resulting in a great turn out of customers and donations. The same warm feelings that customers and community bring, are also felt by the staff.

“The hours are great, coworkers are even better and the managers are the best,” waiter and UNT alumnus Julian Villalpando, 22, said. “I get to enjoy being around people who enjoy the same food as me.” Through the recent breakins, recoveries and renovations, the changes the restaurant has gone through in its year in Denton portrays the brand in

its entirety, as the name Killer’s Tacos implies. The idea of a little dog with a big ego is exactly what their brand stands for. “That’s us,” Jeff said. “It’s not the size of the dog, but it’s the will to keep fighting.”

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For more info about scholarships and ROTC at the University of North Texas, visit goarmy.com/gx48, email army.rotc@unt.edu or call 940-369-8011.

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SPORTS Page 8

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

NTDAILY.COM

New head coach injecting life into men’s basketball program

North Texas head coach Grant McCasland coaches the team during spring practice. McCasland coached at Arkansas State University last season before taking the job at North Texas. Colin Mitchell

By Clay Massey It’s loud in the Ernie Kuehne Basketball Practice facility. Between the sound of shots ricocheting off the rim and sneakers squeaking on the hardwood, it’s difficult to process everything going on. But there is one person that bellows over the controlled chaos. Even though he is one of the smallest people in the gym, the new North Texas men’s basketball head coach Grant McCasland can be heard barking orders over all the extraneous noise. The energy is palpable. The players seem to be hanging on his every word. McCasland wants eye contact when he’s talking and he wants an understanding of what he is asking. It’s how he’s run practice since he became a head coach. Now with a completely new locker room and university, the learning curve is steep. The teaching has to be hands on. “You’ve got to find a way to play together and really find a way to teach your guys to play,” McCasland said. “They’ve got to understand the game and love the game. You better have guys who really truly believe in what you’re doing as a team. I love what we’ve been able to do so far. Everyone has really bought in, it feels like.” As practice comes to an end,

McCasland’s new team and coaches surround him in a circle. He’s shorter than almost all of them and is forced to look up when he speaks. But when they all stand in a circle with arms around each other, they are one. Especially when they pray. “He’s a God-fearing genuine man,” said sophomore guard Allante Holston. “These guys are really hard working and really good guys. I’m excited to see what they bring to our school.” McCasland was announced as the 18th head coach of men’s basketball in program history on March 13 and replaces former head coach Tony Benford, who was not retained after the Mean Green went 8-22 and missed the Conference USA tournament last season. And McCasland hit the ground running. Immediately after he was hired, McCasland went on the recruiting trail in Texas and New Mexico and had his new coaching staff in place just weeks after he arrived in Denton. He brought over nearly his entire staff from Arkansas State University in associate head coach Ross Hodge and assistants James Miller and Jareem Dowling. It is a complete turnover for the players, but most appear to be enjoying it so far. Things are beginning to change. “I feel like our practices are way more

intense,” Holston said. “Everybody is more focused. We are just looking to get a conference championship and go to the tournament. That’s what we want to achieve.” It has been a homecoming for McCasland, who grew up about 40 minutes down the road in Irving. Most of his immediate family is still in the area. It was there where he cultivated his love for basketball with the help of his father. He played football, basketball and baseball, all with his father as the coach, which helped grow his passion for sports as a whole. “I was very fortunate to have him coach me,” McCasland said. “Very few people are fortunate enough to have their father coach in all sports.” But after riding the pine for the most part in baseball, and tearing his ACL while playing football in seventh grade, McCasland fell in love with basketball. The high scoring games and constant attention to detail caught his eye. “It’s such an involved sport and so competitive,” McCasland said. “It was the one sport I could jump into after tearing my ACL. My sophomore year in high school I moved up to varsity and got a feel that I could possibly play in college.” McCasland went from Irving High School to Baylor University where he was a three-year letterman and a four-

year player before graduating in 1999. He earned his minutes at Baylor after starting on the bench. After finishing college in Waco, McCasland went to Texas Tech University to earn his masters, and became the director of basketball operations for the Red Raiders in 1999. McCasland jumped into coaching young and has stuck around. He earned his first head coaching gig at Midland College when he was just 27 years old. “Playing in the Big 12 was a great way to get introduced to coaching because of the intensity,” McCasland said. “When you get into it as young as I was, you learn quickly if this is what you really want to do. As an assistant, you have a lot of ideas, but as a head coach, you have to really show what you’re about and what your philosophy is.” McCasland went on to win a junior college national title in 2007 at Midland before spending two seasons as head coach of Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls. There, he led the Mustangs to two NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearances. But his stint at DII would not last long. McCasland quickly made the jump to Division I as an assistant at his alma mater – Baylor. There he honed his craft under Scott Drew, with the Bears averaging 26 wins per year during McCasland’s tenure.

They also won a National Invitational Tournament title, and appeared in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. It was at Baylor where freshman guard Ryan Woolridge met his future head coach. “I always got a good vibe from him,” Woolridge said. “The other guys have read that. Our energy has picked up.” Last season, McCasland got his first head coaching position at DI with Arkansas State University, where he turned a 10-win team from 2015 into a 2012 team in 2016. After doubling Arkansas State’s wins in a single season, McCasland got a call from Athletic Director Wren Baker about the head coaching position at North Texas. A short time later, McCasland became the first ever sitting DI head coach to be hired by the basketball program. Now that he’s home, McCasland has to once again lay the foundation just as he did at Arkansas State to spark a turnaround. He knows what it will take, however. He’s done it before. “It starts with a personal relationship, not just on the basketball court with these guys,” McCasland said. “I’ll hold people accountable and come with a new, exciting attitude every day. That’s how I’ll get the most out of these guys.”

@Clay_FC

Recruiting players a roadblock to advancing various campus club sports CLUBS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 club president Jason Felts said. “We can’t offer money. So pitching that joining our team with however much experience you have is worth it is how we complete that first step, which is having men come out to practices.” Getting new players out to the

first practice is not the hard part, however. It’s getting them to return. According to Felts, on average less than half of the people that attend the first practice will continue playing with the program. Senior women’s rugby player Sarah Sober concurs with Felts that the team may have a new player

come to one practice, but most of the time they do not expect her to come back. While both of these sports do not have strong roots locally, the reasons they struggle to retain players is drastically different. For rugby, one reason is that the sport is tremendously physical, and when people come out to a practice

it can turn them away. “When we get people to come out and they realize that we do tackle and it can be off-putting,” Sober said. “We have had moments when we have struggled with having enough people to play and it is hard to get people to come out and stay out.” On the other hand, the lacrosse team has the problem of having one of the highest dues in the entire sports club program at $1,200. For incoming students who may not have played lacrosse their entire lives, asking them to pay over $1,200 can be overwhelming. The Recreational Sports Office tries to help by allocating funds for teams, but in most cases, that money is not enough. “There are programs lucky

enough not to pay anything in dues, but lacrosse as a whole is an expensive sport. At any point you can be holding about 500 dollars in uniform/equipment,” Felts said. “It would be easier if we were to lower dues or have people play for free but right now that is not a feasible goal.” Unlike the lacrosse team, the women’s rugby team pays roughly $90 between dues and insurance to play and the baseball team only pays $200 in dues. Having to pay to play is a factor that prevents many students from wanting to take the next step in committing to a sport. Senior club baseball president Marshall McKee also believes that people may not want to join because of the possible interference with school.

All 32 sports clubs are entirely student run and most of the responsibility for the daily operations fall onto the shoulders of student-athletes. When dues and the sheer time commitment are taken into account, many students are skeptical about taking time away from their studies. “Like any club, people may be shy or afraid to take a leap and tryout, but worrying about interference with class is probably the biggest bar for people,” McKee said. “Personally, I think people like having a competitive baseball team to play for that doesn’t interfere too heavily with school.”

@sam_marrow14

Men’s and Women’s rugby team practice every Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Sports Recreation Complex. Koji Ushio

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 9 UPCOMING GAMES Saturday • Football spring game at 2 pm • Softball vs. Southern Miss at 3 and 5 pm • Track @ Baylor Invitational Sunday •Softball vs. Southern Miss at 1:00 pm

MEAN GREEN QUICK HITS Football North Texas football will host its annual spring game Saturday at 2 p.m. inside Apogee Stadium. It’s the first time the Mean Green have taken the field since their overtime loss to Army in the Heart of Dallas Bowl at the end of December. Softball Softball will look to stay undefeated in conference play at home this weekend when they host Southern Miss. North Texas has yet to drop a game at Lovelace Field in C-USA play, sporting a perfect 6-0 record.

Fundamentals not fireworks

Freshman quar terback Mason Fine throws the ball during a scrimmage. Fine had a total of 1572 yards in 10 games this past season. Sara Carpenter

North Texas football hits the field on Saturday

By Matt Brune The annual glorified scrimmage known as the spring game is almost upon us, and, on Saturday at Apogee Stadium, the public will get a taste of what North Texas players and coaches have been working on for the past several weeks. It will be the first time students and fans have seen the Mean Green on the field since their Heart of Dallas Bowl appearance over three months ago and excitement is high. But, as North Texas puts the finishing touches in preparation for the scrimmage, it’s important to remember one thing. Don’t expect to see the Mean Green tee it high and let it fly. “The spring game is more about fundamentals,” head coach Seth Littrell said. “It usually gets watered down a little bit. We don’t show as much. Spring is more about going out there and

competing.” The competition aspect will still motivate players on both sides of the ball, just as it has throughout the spring. Players fighting for scholarships and spots on the depth chart will lay it all on the line Saturday in hopes of impressing the coaches. But once the scrimmage ends Saturday, North Texas will get most of the spring semester and summer off before returning in August for fall camp. Even though a much-needed period of rest is on the horizon, players still want to make the most of the spring game. “I’m looking forward to it a lot,” sophomore quarterback Mason Fine said. “It’s going to be fun. We’re going to have a great time. It’s our last chance [to play] before fall camp.” For some players, the spring game is the first action they have seen in quite some time. Sophomore defensive tackle Bryce English is one of those players, and has yet to suit

up for the Mean Green after transferring from Kansas State University last season. And he is itching to get back on the gridiron. “It’s the first time my friends and family can finally come and see me play in a college setting,” English said. “I look forward to seeing everybody here and just competing.” English is a part of the unit dubbed the deepest and most talented on the team by Littrell — the defensive line. After lacking depth up front last season and failing to pressure the quarterback, North Texas’ defensive line appears to have the manpower necessary to make an impact in their 3-4 defense. The rest of the defense, however, appears relatively thin, especially at the back in the secondary. Moments after watching his defense get torched in the final scrimmage before the spring game, defensive coordinator Troy Reffett aired his concerns about the defense moving forward.

“The D-line is the only spot where there’s quality depth,” Reffett said. “At some positions we don’t have any competition because we don’t have any depth. Everywhere else on defense we’re so thin there’s not near the competition that I’d like to have.” Entering the spring game, Reffett’s defense will be tested by an offense led by Fine and senior running back Jeffery Wilson, who at times were quite the tandem in 2016. Although Littrell’s goal is to focus on fundamentals, Fine wants to be sure to put pressure on the defense and keep scoring. Especially now that they are on display for everyone to see. “I just want to see us move the ball up and down and keep rolling,” Fine said. “Our goal Saturday is to come here and be more consistent.” For both sides, weekly scrimmages have allowed them to gauge where they are at individually and as a unit — a pivotal part of spring practice

they hope will translate into success come September. To do this, coaches put the team in specific down and distance scenarios to prepare them for anything. From the two-minute drill to being backed up against their own goal line, Littrell throws everything at his team, knowing it will pay off in the long run. “[Scrimmages] put you in different situations,” Littrell said. “Just putting these guys in different situations and being able to go back and teach them on film is always great.” Although it’s lamented as a game, the spring game will be nothing like a regular contest. It will not be broken up into two separate teams of offense and defense, and instead, will just be a continuous back and forth of offense and defense. In an attempt to make the game more fun and intriguing for fans, Littrell has made a few unconventional changes. The defense can earn

Track Track freshman Kristyn Archuleta broke the North Texas school record with a 46.10-meter javelin throw at the Texas Relays this past weekend. Along with breaking the school record, Archuleta also set a new personal career best.

points on things such as turnovers, three-and-outs and negative yardage plays — an installation Littrell hopes will lead to a more competitive vibe. “This year we’ll do a little more of a game atmosphere,” Littrell said. “We’ll have four quarters [and] probably a running clock in the second half.” While the coaches won’t dive deep into their playbook and pull out their bag of tricks, to players like English, none of that matters. The goal is the same as it is in every scrimmage. Win the game and talk some trash to friends afterwards. “Once we get in the locker room, there are bragging rights,” English said. “It’s all about competing. We talk a lot of trash, we get after it, but we’re all family at the end of the day.”

@mattbrune25

After losing core seniors in offseason, Mean Green soccer evaluating talent in spring practice By Matt Brune Now a junior, goalkeeper Brooke Bradley stood inches from the left post of the goal on a Thursday afternoon. With the sun beating down, Bradley eagerly awaited the next f lurry of shots. As she gazed across the box, she saw assistant coach Fleur Benatar standing 10 yards out to an angle. In an instant, she fired a shot to Bradley’s right. Without hesitation, Bradley extended in a full dive and knocked the ball away. As she hit the ground, sophomore goalkeeper Miranda Schoening tossed the next ball in the air with just enough time to test Bradley without making it impossible. The ball crept below the crossbar until Bradley leapt to her feet and punched the ball over the crossbar and out of play. Then it was Schoening’s turn. The two are competing for the starting goalkeeper spot in the fall, and they approach practice, even in the spring, with a certain sense of urgency – something head coach John Hedlund has come to expect from his team over the years. “[Competition] is everything,” Hedlund said. “It’s what motivates players more than anything.” While the keepers exhaust themselves, assistant coach Daniel Dobson has the remaining players doing drills and other exercises continuously, making sure there’s an enjoyable environment at practice. North Texas has three soon-to-be seniors, one of which is midfielder Katie Gernsbacher. In her second spring season in Denton, Gernsbacher understands these spring practices are both a combination of staying sharp and enjoying the time with the

new faces in the locker room. “The intensity is still there, we just get to have more fun,” Gernsbacher said. “We’re still trying to score [in practice] and the loser is having to do pushups or situps, so everyone is still competitive.” After losing five seniors in the offsesason, the three-time regular season Conference USA champions have been hard at work over the past weeks. Tasked with replacing five players who started at least 10 games last year, Hedlund and the rest of the coaching staff are using the spring to evaluate talent and order the depth chart. In an attempt to regain some of what they lost immediately, Hedlund got three early enrollee transfers from schools including the University of Arkansas and Texas Tech University. The new faces alongside the returners mean new tendencies and habits everyone must pick up on. To aid in building team chemistry, players have been spending time off the field with one another in hopes of being ready to go come fall. “We’re really working on our team chemistry,” senior forward Cat Sebazco said. “We see each other every day, [and] we’ve been working on blurring the lines between our classes and trying to become a family and a team.” The drastic change in personnel has even left Hedlund contemplating changing the team’s formation to a 4-3-3 for the first time since 2012. While a lot of the spring season is experimenting and observing, Hedlund understands the difficulties of regrouping after losing four players who each had three conference championship rings. “It’s obviously different,” Hedlund

said. “We’re going through some growing pains right now and we’re trying to figure out where we are as a team, who are our leaders [and] what formation we’re going to play next fall.” Despite all the changes, it appears as though the raw talent on this team is still enough to carry them to victory while the new players are integrated. So far this spring, North Texas has picked up wins against Tyler Junior College and Baylor University. Hedlund has managed to fill many of the voids with recruiting, but now the competition will come into place. Positions like striker, goalkeeper

and centerback all have uncertainty, and will likely come down to who outplays the competition this spring. “It’s going to be wide open in several positions, starting with the goalkeeper,” Hedlund said. “We should be able to at least double up at every position.” Even though the regular season is over four months away, Hedlund is adamant about implementing competition early. For the final 30 minutes of Thursday’s practice, the team was split up into two sides and the field was shrunk to about 40 yards as Bradley and Schoening took their

Head Coach John Hedlund at practice. Colin Mitchell

respective goals. Hedlund grabbed a folding chair and watched from the sideline, as the two teams of nine went back and forth with the intensity of a fall practice. He loves watching his team go at it. “[The competition] really drives them in every way to be the best player they can be,” Hedlund said. “That’s in conditioning, in the weight room, on the practice field – and obviously in games.”

@mattbrune25

NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 10

North Texas tennis using time off to rest and recover from injuries before C-USA tournament

Senior Alexis Thoma backhands the ball. Kaitlyn Sinclair

By Cesar Valdes Call it a blessing from the tennis gods. With only two matches in a span of 24 days, the Mean Green tennis team will be getting some much needed rest before they finish off what’s been a challenging regular season and enter the Conference USA tournament. And with some key injuries hampering important players, North Texas is welcoming the extended time to get healthy. Sophomore Tamuna Kutubidze is one of those players. Kutubidze underwent ankle surgery this past November and, after months of rehab, is beginning to resemble the player she was as a freshman when she won 13 matches. “My last game I was feeling very good,” Kutubidze said.

“I try to spend a lot of time at the treatment [center] with my athletic trainer. I still think that even though I may say it’s 100 percent, it’s still not 100 percent. I think I’ll be ready for the conference [tournament].” Playing on two-week rest against the University of Memphis, Kutubidze put together her best singles match of the season, defeating her opponent in a 6-2, 6-1 in straight sets. While her mobility may not be completely back, she’s still more confident moving around than she’s ever been this season. Fellow sophomore Minying Liang has also had her runin with injuries. Back in early March, Liang was forced to stop play in her singles match against Texas Christian University due to a left shoulder injury she has been

fighting since late February. Since then, Liang has won three out of her past four singles matches, including her straight set victory against Memphis in singles. “It’s feeling a little bit better, but still not really good,” Liang said. “In Memphis, I felt like during the match my shoulder was more stable. It has less pain and I didn’t really play [my] backhand. I just need to suck it up.” For now, everyone is expected to head into the final quarter of the season feeling healthy enough to play in the tournament. This time off affords head coach Sujay Lama the opportunity to rest his injured players and still build momentum heading into the C-USA tournament. The Mean Green are currently a few spots back of a first-round bye in

the tournament but still have one goal on their mind. “I think for Tamuna, who is actually now healing up at the right time, winning breeds confidence and swagger,” Lama said. “I think those two matches [SMU and University of Texas at Arlington] are going to be huge right before conference. If we can get both of them, we can get three in a row.” Still, keeping his team on edge during these stretches can be a challenge for Lama. “That’s always a really fine line,” Lama said. “You want a competitive edge and you struggle with the rustiness a little bit. I thought that we kind of felt that in doubles against Memphis. We didn’t look like ourselves out there.” Lama also says he plans on

using these last two games to experiment with some lineup combinations and get a last look at some of the past pairings he’s tinkered with earlier in the season. As of today, North Texas has a 7-11 record and would be the 13th seed in the C-USA tournament. The record is more of an indication of a difficult schedule than a team lacking talent. They’ve faced the second most power-5 conference teams, only behind Rice, who are in the mix for a first rounds bye and have won the conference crown four years in a row. Luckily for the Mean Green, the month of April has been a favorable time for Lama’s teams. During Lama’s tenure at North Texas, his teams have tallied a 2710 mark heading into conference tournament play in the month of

April. Unfortunately, since North Texas has moved to C-USA, they have fallen short of a conference title, losing three straight years in the semifinal round. This year’s squad will be Lama’s lowest ranking team he’s ever had going into a C-USA tournament. Despite this, this is also one of Lama’s most talented teams. Headed by No. 63 nationallyranked Maria Kononova, lone senior Alexis Thoma and Kutubidze, expect this squad to make a decent run in conference play. “We’re playing good, but as you can see, we’ve lost a lot of matches,” Lama said. “We need to win.”

@The_CesarValdes

Mean Green softball determined to avoid another conference collapse By Morgan Price This time last season, the Mean Green softball team was close to making history – and not in a good way. That’s because on April 13, 2016, North Texas went on one of the worst losing streaks in program history, dropping 14 consecutive games. The losing skid ultimately cost them a shot at the Conference USA tournament that was being hosted on their own home field. With their season having gone off the tracks, the Mean Green were forced to watch other teams compete for the title in their own backyard. And they are determined to not let history repeat itself. “We’ve really grown as a team,” senior pitcher Jessica Elder said. “Our mental toughness has really been one of our biggest improvements. It allows us to be gritty and go attack other teams.” After 34 games this season, North Texas sports an 1816 record – the same record they had in 2016 after just as

many games. Before the nearly month-long losing streak began last year, the Mean Green had better statistics than most of their conference foes. They were batting .301 as a team, had a run differential of plus 20 and the pitching staff had an ER A of 3.88 compared to their opponent’s 4.26 ER A. Despite stats that showed a strong team, North Texas managed to win only five games in C-USA. A stat that ultimately buried them. “Last year I don’t think [the players] quite understood how it worked in regards to conference format,” head coach Tracey Kee said. “I think now they understand the importance of [playing strong in conference] and that everything up until the first conference game is just a warm up.” Compared to this point last season, North Texas is 6-6 in C-USA as opposed to 3-9. And although they are undefeated at home in conference play, the Mean Green have yet to snag a

victory on the road. Sophomore first baseman Rhylie Makawe believes the difference in play this year is all about how they respond after defeats. “Last season we had rough patches that we just couldn’t seem to get out of,” Makawe said. “I believe we’re getting better at bouncing back after losses. Last season if we lost the first game, everything went downhill from there.” In 12 conference games this season, North Texas has only four losses by three or more runs. In 2016, that total was six, and grew to 12 games by the end of the year. The Mean Green are also plating runs more effectively in 2017. Last year in conference North Texas’ run differential was minus 14. This year the Mean Green have cut that in half to minus seven. This has become vital to their improvement in C-USA play, because unlike 2016, North Texas limits the damage in big innings and does

not let games get away from them. The Mean Green will play four more conference series this season, with two coming at Lovelace Stadium and two coming on the road. Three of the four upcoming opponents have winning records, with the lone exception being Southern Mississippi University, who they play this weekend. And Kee knows just how important it is to protect their home field. “Based on the fact that we’ve been swept twice on the road, [being undefeated at home] is crucial,” Kee said. “It’s all about winning the series. If we could get a little more consistency and

put a couple wins in the win column on the road, we would be in a much better situation.” Finding consistency will be arguably the most important factor if North Texas hopes to avoid another conference collapse. While the Mean Green have rattled off two four-game win streaks this year, those win streaks have been followed with four and three-game losing skids. “We hit spurts where we’re playing really well and then we sometimes just can’t get that clutch hit,” Kee said. “Some days people are like ‘are you ready?’ and I’m like ‘I don’t know, it depends one what team is going to show up.’”

With their season entering the home stretch, North Texas is determined to not suffer another losing streak that costs them a chance to compete for a conference title. Because, come May, the Mean Green want to be on the field – not on the couch. “We try to have them as prepared as best as we can,” Kee said. “This group right now is relaxed, having fun and settling in so hopefully we’ll have some positive results.”

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At the noon softball game versus UTEP on Saturday, March 11, head coach Tracey Kee directs the UNT players that are next to bat. UNT won both of the C-USA opening games versus UTEP, 2-0 and 8-6. Katie Jenkins

OPINION Page 11

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

The Future of the EPA: Scott Pruitt

By Gabriela Macias Scott Pruitt is the head of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump. He comes as a controversial pick to what is already a controversial administration. Pruitt is no stranger to the agency, but he is someone who has shown clear philosophical differences with the agency he was appointed to lead. As attorney general of Oklahoma, he made a name of himself by repeatedly suing the agency, going as far as calling himself “a leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda.” He also spurred a coalition among state attorney generals in their legal challenge to the agency’s Clean Power Plan, a Obama-era policy aimed at reducing U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide from electricity power generation. The plan mainly focuses on reducing emissions from coal-

burning power plants, as well as increasing the use of renewable energy. There was clear opposition from the agency at the time of his

nomination, with many EPA members fearing what it would mean for the agency’s future. But last week after Trump’s executive order back rolled many key environmental policies, many saw a clear depiction of what is to come. It seems that this administration’s, and Mr. Pruitt’s, approach is to roll back many of the regulations proposed by the agency, seeing them as an overreach by the federal government leaving little choice for the states to decide what to do. But in a recent interview, he failed to give Chris Wallace of Fox News Sunday any substance when pressed with the facts on the impact of climate change. Wallace presented Pruitt with a very evident statistic, stating that “the EPA under Obama had set a number of health milestones attainable by 2030.” If the Clean Power Plan happened, he estimated there would be “90,000 fewer asthma attacks, 300,000 fewer missed work and school days and 3,600 fewer premature deaths per year.” After this, Wallace asked a very simple question, “Without the Clean Power Plan, how are you going to prevent those terrible things?” Pruitt had no answer, instead repeating that the GOP was going to “roll back regulatory overreach.” And for many this is the main issue, that there seems to be no alternate plan for what is of grave concern for our health. There has been an intention by this administration to push for “alternate facts” when there is no such thing. Government officials and agencies should not create and manipulate facts to please their own agenda or protect the interest of corporations at the

Illustration by Antonio Mercado

expense of our health. According to the United Nations’ official panel on climate change, it is 95 percent likely that more than half of the temperature rise since the mid20th century is due to human activity. In the U.S., there is an eight-year high concern in global warming, according to the latest Gallup poll. In the poll conducted from March 2 to 6, 64 percent of Americans worried a fair amount about global warming, the highest reading since 2008. In addition, 65 percent blame human activity for rising temperatures. But this seems to be of little concern for Pruitt, even if we take his promise to bring back coal jobs at face value. They are missing a key fact: what has been mainly responsible for the decline of the coal industry are market forces. Natural gas and some forms of renewable energy are cheaper. Even with the rollback of regulations, it is not certain that the coal industry will return, but what is certain is the poisoning of our air and water as a result. It should be made very clear that economic anxiety felt by people who have seen entire towns disappear due to lack of coal jobs is legitimate. Many of us not living in those towns can’t fully understand the frustration and the unfair idea that they have been painted as the enemy. Because they are not, they are people who are separated from the industry, and this industry is especially poisonous for the people working in those mines. This criticism is directed to Pruitt, whose main focus seems to be dismantling the very agency he was assigned to lead. This seems to be a recurring theme in the Trump administration. What Pruitt needs to remember is that he does not work for the big companies, and that it is not the EPA’s job to be friendly with the fossil fuel industry.

By Tori Falcon Everyone is well aware of the unusual election we had this past year. The political aftermath has thickened lines between parties, and each side is gradually showing their teeth. While the outcome was historic, another factor has proven its impact ever since: Bernie Sanders’ democratic socialist platform against Hillary Clinton’s traditional democratic approach. Sanders’ entrance into the race highlighted many ideals Americans hadn’t heard from a candidate, and he connected deeply. Specifically young Americans were his biggest group of supporters, garnering over 2 million votes from constituents under the age of 30 in last year’s caucuses, according to The Washington Post. Clinton and President Donald Trump combined only gained a little under 1.6 million. The effect of Sanders and the rise of democratic socialism on America’s millennials is not something to ignore. After Sanders’ campaign, membership of the Democratic Socialists of America tripled to 19,000 members and is still Illustration by Antonio Mercado

College sports in this day and age

By Nate Jackson We spend countless Saturdays of the fall in the backyards and living rooms of friends and family members, grilling food, drinking brews and making memories. We indulge in what has become an American tradition: college sports. Whether it be alumni from local, national or our own universities, we schedule our weekends around kickoffs and tip-offs. College sports represents the nostalgia of an unworried time of less financial responsibility. But have you ever stopped to ponder how the NCA A benefits fiscally from giving college sports its platform? If not, what better time to do so than the conclusion of March Madness? There have been lingering arguments over whether or not the NCA A should pay the athletes of revenue generating sports. Some argue that they’re paid plenty, because through athletics they’re able to obtain a world-class education for free. These are the same people who would also argue that they’re playing the game “voluntarily” and that no one is putting the

proverbial gun to their head to force participation. But if we were to use that logic, no one forces you to go to work either, you go to work in order to get paid. So that means just because you showed up to work, you’re entitled to be paid. That logic doesn’t hold water. In no other avenue of life would they accept this. Others are proponents for the NCA A paying the athletes of revenue generating sports. One of the most recognizable advocates involved with the issue is Jay Bilas, ESPN college basketball analyst and former basketball player for Duke University. “In any facet of college life, only one class of people have any financial restriction on them at all and that’s the athletes,” Bilas said. “So the idea that it’s based on education is a lie. No other student is told what they can and cannot make.” I happen to wholeheartedly agree with everything he said. Musicians aren’t told they’re not allowed to release and sell music. Drama students aren’t told they can’t participate and be paid for productions. So why are the athletes being marginalized? History tells us that in America, when the stakes are high, the suspicion of

fraudulence should be higher. Just to give you a little more context as to how big business college sports have become, the NCA A has an 8-year, $8.8 billion multimedia rights agreement with CBS and Turner Broadcasting System. That’s just for the rights to broadcast the Men’s Basketball Championship. So if you think that college sports don’t retain much revenue, think again. This is relevant because there are coaches in this “amateur” profession who are paid quite handsomely. For example, John Calipari rakes in $7,435,376 annually. Rick Pitino also makes an annual killing at $7,769,200. People like to cling to the idea of college sports being nonprofessional. But can you really look at those salaries and tell me those are salaries of coaches of amateur teams? Chill, bro. The NCA A is the only organization that doesn’t compensate the people who produce the product, which has perpetually permitted them to advance their commercial interest. I don’t believe that restructuring the system would be as complicated as NCA A executives make it seem. Honestly, they’ve gotten away with the biggest fraud in modern American sports history. So next season, when you’re in the backyards or living rooms of your loved ones, grilling food and drinking brews, throw a couple back for the disenfranchised heroes of the NCA A.

@Gaby_Mac22

Democratic socialism: Has the far-right met its match? growing. Local chapters are popping up in every state with many more awaiting verification. Because of the age group that is largely a part of this movement, many college campuses are having their own discussions and groups on the topic. Even on this campus, a democratic socialist meeting is scheduled for April 9 at Aura Coffee. For recent rallies at Denton Square, talk of socialism is intertwined with feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration issues and et cetera. This is because of the belief that you can’t talk about any of those issues without acknowledging how the current capitalistic government has impacted the marginalization of each group. Why is socialism so popular among young Americans? If you think about it, it is no surprise. Most of us grew up during the Bush administration and former President Barack Obama’s humble beginnings right after. Whether you liked Obama or not, the resurgence of socialism from Sanders outlined some dilemmas in those years that no one else touched on. Throughout my life, and I’ll even go as far to say our lives, socialism is cast into a negative light and is often associated with the Russian Revolution and communism. So to see socialism reclaim its own name and emphasize its true ideals – which have been ignored for some time – is refreshing. Socialism isn’t bad, it just got the wrong attention during a bad time. As for the current

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politic climate, it seems we may be due for another socialist rise. Historically, socialism sparked during eras of despair and injustice. Many view the ideals of democratic socialism as just that, “ideal,” as if they are only obtainable in an idyllic world. On the DSA homepage, the organization states it is not trying to be a third party, mainly because our two-party system makes it almost impossible for third parties to be successful. They just want to be a strong presence in the Democratic Party, so that their beliefs may actually be accounted for, other than ignored for neoliberalism interests. According to PBS, only five U.S. states have Democraticcontrolled legislatures and governors, and only “25 states have complete Republican control.” With far-right movements picking up speed through Trump’s administration, it appears that the perfect match is not mainstream liberalism, but democratic socialism. Sanders may have lost to Clinton, but this was only further proof that his supporters needed to fight outside the norm. A Fox News poll from March, of all outlets, found that Sanders is the most popular U.S. politician right now. And his favor isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Young Democrats are politically conscious right now, and evaluate the inequalities of race, gender, capitalism, sexual orientation and more. The divide between millennials and older Democrats is evident. Past Democrats toe the line, compromising where compromise shouldn’t be. But democratic socialism is the new way to confront these issues in a stronger, more explicit way where Democrats are not afraid to ask for it.

@falconista

@_NateJackson11

Illustration by Samuel Wiggins

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The first Sexual Assault Awareness Month without Obama By the Editorial Board In 2009, Barack Obama became the first president to officially declare April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, despite activist efforts since the late ‘70s to have the month be recognized as such. From that point on, Obama proclaimed the month annually to prioritize sexual assault prevention in schools and workplaces. Now, President Donald Trump is continuing the tradition this month. “My Administration, including the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services, will do everything in its power to protect women, children

and men from sexual violence,” Trump said in his official statement on March 31. Considering how Trump was caught bragging about grabbing women “by the p---y” in a 2005 video, outrage against him and the irony of his declaration has flooded the internet for the past few days. Another point of contention has been over the 15 sexual assault allegations against him, which date back to the early ‘80s. If anything is positive about these criticisms, it’s that public awareness of sexual assault has greatly improved from where it was in Obama’s inaugural year. While the unearthing of Trump’s past is certainly a cause for that awareness, a combination of

court cases, reports and other public fiascoes has made the subject much less taboo to bring up. One of the most controversial instances of sexual abuse was the incident behind the People v. Turner case of 2016, also known as the “Stanford rape case.” Filed by the Santa Clara County Superior Court in California, the case centered on Brock Turner, a former Stanford University swimmer who raped a drunk, unconscious woman on Jan. 18, 2015. Ten days later, Turner was indicted on “two counts of rape, two counts of penetration and one count of assault with intent to rape,” pleading not guilty from the start. On Oct. 7, 2015,

“THIRTEEN REASONS WHY” Political cartoon by Antonio Mercado

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Judge Aaron Persky dropped the rape charges while ordering Turner to stand trial for the remaining three. In a written statement to Persky in May 2016, Turner blamed his actions on alcohol and partying, arguing that while intoxicated, “[he] just couldn’t make the best decisions and neither could [the woman].” That June, Persky sentenced Turner to a measly six months in jail, followed by three years of probation. Citing Turner’s age and lack of criminal history as incentives – according to The Guardian – Persky said a longer sentence would’ve had “a severe impact on him” and that “he will not be a danger to others.” The victim, calling herself “Emily Doe,” wrote a powerful letter to BuzzFeed about the “severe impact” of Turner’s rape and how sexual assault survivors will never be silenced. According to Glamour Magazine, who named “Doe” a woman of 2016, her letter has circulated over 11 million times and will influence rape cases for years to come. Another site with its own rape history is Baylor University, with 17 women alleging last year that they were sexually assaulted by 19 student athletes since 2011. The women’s lawsuit towards the university led to the firing of Art Briles as football coach and the resignation of Kenneth Starr as chancellor. Starr even admitted to ESPN that his immediate

resignation occurred “as a matter of conscience.” Just when matters couldn’t get worse for Baylor, a graduate sued the university on Jan. 27. In the lawsuit, she alleges that 31 football players committed at least 52 rape acts from 2011 to 2014 – including five gang rapes. Although Baylor claims “integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment” is its key to success, the culture under Briles was anything but celibate. According to The Dallas Morning News, Briles’ tenure allegedly implemented a “show ‘em a good time” policy where underage recruits vacated strip clubs and participated in prearranged intercourse. Even though these recent allegations haven’t been proven, actions of yesteryear taken by university

regents point to a school salvaging the little respect it still has. The Baylor rape scandal succeeded in bringing more attention to university politics, especially to how colleges handled their sexual assault policies. Still, more work must be done in this era of a misogynistic president. Data published by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network estimates that an American sexual assault happens “every 98 seconds” – with “only six out of every thousand perpetrators” going to prison for those crimes. Not to mention that a 2013 analysis from the World Health Organization found that 30 percent of all women have experienced sexual violence worldwide, which is almost a third of the planet. Fortunately, this generation is more privy than ever to immoral dilemmas, and we’re quick to call out any hypocrisy when a perpetrator isn’t held accountable. With public opinion progressively swaying in victims’ favors, it is imperative that we honor Sexual Assault Awareness Month for the rights of victims everywhere.

Illustration by Samuel Wiggins

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