July 16 issue

The L asso Keeping you in the loop since 1914

Student-run newspaper | Never a dull moment

Wednesday, July 16, 2014 | Vol. 101, No. 15

Fit and Rec | Maintenance

Denton community fights to keep outdoor pool afloat After years of deterioration, the TWU outdoor pool was temporarily closed this summer. With the pool now confirmed as closed for good, the community petitions to save the pool

Photography by Shelby Baker

Monica Alcaraz Contributor malcaraz@twu.edu Normally on a hot day, the plan is to sit in the A/C, drinking iced tea and later venturing out for a dip in the pool.

Community members and students alike seeking relief from the heat at TWU’s outdoor pool were disappointed, as the sign

“Pool Closed” barred any from entering.

Only recently has it been announced the pool is closed for good.

According to Director of TWU Fitness and Recreation Center John Cissik, the pool has been experiencing serious deterioration during the 12 years that he has been working at the university. Built in 1938, the pool

Abandoned this summer, TWU’s outdoor pool will be permanently closed due to the cost of renovations and overall safety concerns. has been a part of TWU history for decades, with the last renovation done in the 1980s. Fit and Rec staff worked in the spring on preparing the pool for opening, but within three months the staff was refilling the pool close to a 24-hour rate. This was not only a waste of water, but made

maintaining the chemistry of the water difficult, which in turn made the conditions unsafe.

Upon investigation, a hired contractor did not find any definite holes or cracks in the pool, but deduced that the walls of the pool had become porous, releasing water from within.

According to Cissik, in 2009 the cost to renovate the pool was $700,000, and now with inflation costs will be closer to over $1 million. The money would come from the student Fit and Rec fee, which does not currently have ...

Continues pg. 3

Faculty

New chair arrives on campus Dr. Olsen joins History and Government starting this week Shelby Baker Editor-in-Chief sbaker3@twu.edu After 35 years and 17 awfully cold winters, Dr. Jonathan Olsen has returned to Texas to take up residence as History and Government’s new Department Chair.

One would never know from his Wisconsin accent that he grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. Previously teaching at the University of WisconsinParkside, he decided to look for a new career direction while coming back to Texas.

Taking on his new position, he plans to meet with the faculty to create a collective five to ten year vision for the department. He also hopes to grow the

Photography courtesy of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s website

Dr. Jonathan Olsen department not just through student and faculty, but by expanding in theoretical and geographic political science.

“We want students to broaden their intellectual horizons,” Olsen said. “Not only set them on a path to job success, but help them find a passion. I know when I went to college, it opened up a very different world I hadn’t thought of before.”

Olsen received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Texas in 1983.

In 1988, he earned his Master of Arts in Soviet and East European Studies from Kansas University. After spending two years studying in Germany, he received his Ph.D. in 1997, his dissertation being “Nature and Nationalism. Right-Wing Ecology and the Politics of identity in Contemporary Germany..”

Continues pg. 3

Photography by Tammi Paul

Above: Clowns and Dentonites came out in droves for the annual Fourth of July celebration on the historic Denton square earlier this month.

Denton Independence Day pg. 4

Follow The Lasso Non-traditional Students twulasso.com

Veteran’s center receives funding and space Local businessman donates to support fellow veterans at TWU

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Opinions

Shelby Baker Editor-in-Chief sbaker3@twu.edu

News sources for the students....2

News Hickory Street construction..........3

Community Denton Fourth of July....................4

Some people advertise through billboards, commercials or ads in papers. Not Jason Weir, owner of 5W Collision Repair.

Instead, his advertisement plan

is donating to the community.

This month, TWU received $7,000 to establish a Veterans Center, a goal Director of Commuter & Non-traditional Student Serivces Amy O’keefe has been working to achieve.

Weir and his wife normally split the donation between

veteran’s groups and women’s groups. Because TWU is both a women’s campus and has a veteran population, Weir decided to completely fund the center.

“The way I look at it, veterans get misplaced and they don’t get the help they need,” Weir said. “I spent 5 years in the Navy and got

out right after 9/11. Before that, I had a job lined up but since 9/11 hit, I didn’t have anything. I had to move in with my parents and start from scratch. I struggled a lot and now that I am successful I want to ...

Continues pg. 4

2

Opinions

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

twulasso.com

National | Food labeling

The devil you know: We need GMOs labeled Knowledge is power and the people of the world are being disempowered by food providers Shelby Baker Editor-in-Chief sbaker3@twu.edu Consumers have a right to know what they are buying and supporting. We have a right to information regarding our food, be it allergy labels, organic, health risks associated and whether or not something was tested on animals.

Those labels should include GMOs, which have no such requirement.

For those who don’t know, GMO stands for genetically modified organisms. According to Popular Science, what this

entails is taking a seed, like soybeans, and injecting the DNA of other organisms carrying a desired trait into the embryo. This can be done by shooting a metal particle covered in the new DNA into the plant tissue or placing them under stress and invading them with a bug carrying the new genes.

Basically playing mad scientist with nature.

There is so much controversy surrounding GMOs, with opinions coloring different sources and information that finding the facts takes about as much time as actually growing the plants.

ENDA for some, not all Two steps forward, 60 steps back

Judicial activism just took on a frightening new meaning.

Following President Barack Obama’s health care mandate, numerous businesses and organizations took “moral” issue with the birth control provision. Several cases were taken to the Supreme Court. On June 30, the first of these cases (Burwell v.

Hobby Lobby) was heard.

The court ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby, reasoning that the owners’ religious beliefs exempted them.

With the case decided, the disturbing ramifications remain to be seen.

Now that businesses have been granted religious freedom regarding birth control, business owners will likely explore other areas in which to claim their freedom is being impinged.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is a bill intended to protect Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer individuals from discriminatory hiring practices. Already been significantly weakened to allow for religion-based exemptions, and the bill will likely face additional legal opposition in the wake of the Hobby Lobby case. In one fell swoop, the Supreme Court seems to have unintentionally negated numerous advancements made by LGBTQ activists and supporters over the past

- Shelby Baker, Lasso Editor-in-Chief

However, this means that the side effects of such practices are largely unknown.

I know America operates under innocent until proven guilty, but when it comes to our food and our health, we can’t take chances. The Food and Drug Association, in charge of protecting and promoting health, has done

nothing to assure the public about the safety of GMOs besides turning a blind eye.

Therefore, nothing is being done to restrict or label the use of GMOs in food.

When selling in Europe, the ingredients are nonGMO or labeled “most likely contains GMO.” Why the special treatment?

Because the U.S. is one of the few countries that does

several decades.

In the court case, the owners of Hobby Lobby took issue primarily with forms of birth control they consider akin to abortions, including versions of the “morning-after pill” and intrauterine devices.

However, conservative firebrands and owners of other businesses have drawn attention to the matter of the birth control mandate itself. In their narrative frame, “birth control” now serves as a stand-in for “abortion-causing drugs” rather than “hormone regulation,” itself a primary reason many women use birth control.

Businesses are entities, not people; as such, they should not be granted the freedom of religious beliefs.

Is every Hobby Lobby employee a Christian?

Probably not. Should nonChristian employees be forced to follow Christianity and its values solely because of their employer’s religious beliefs? Absolutely not.

Would business owners who claim religious freedom look down on employees who apply for welfare or another form of government assistance? Likely so.

Americans are sharply divided on the issue, given its association with abortion, religion, equal rights and freedom. The biggest issue, however, is an enforcement of “morals.” After all, when did employers ever earn the right to morally police their employees’ lives?

Apparently, on June 30, 2014.

Observer: yes. Blitz: no.

Some news sources fit TWU’s population well, and then there’s Blitz Weekly.

Alex Ancira Contributor aancira@twu.edu To those new to the TWU community, welcome! In your freebie bag, you will find access to an incredibly well kept library, fitness and recreation center and a student excellence center among other things. Sadly, TWU either cannot or will not offer you much in the way of news sources.

To put it bluntly, you can count available new sources on one hand, and that’s including the ones you have to pay for.

I remember quite fondly picking up an issue of USA Today and The Dallas Morning News every day my freshman year. Imagine my shock when the next year neither of those were available for my daily perusal, replaced instead

by The Dallas Observer, Fort Worth Weekly and The Greensheet. Free publications replaced the subscription sources in a rough economy on campus. I totally get it, and those three examples totally fit what the students might be reading. What I do not understand is the addition of Blitz Weekly to the publication choices in the dorms.

Blitz is a weekly arts and entertainment tabloidstyle newspaper focusing on sports, tech, “lifestyle” and attractive models. Yes, you heard that right — models.

Blitz’s tagline, of all things, is “Smarter, Sharper Men.” Remember that this is being distributed on a primarilyfor-women campus. See the discrepancy?

The quality of Blitz Weekly is a moot point, and I would waste six or seven more words than I should by fighting that stance.

The fact here is that TWU isn’t even close to Blitz’s target market, so it makes zero sense that students are offered the magazine on campus. From the story choices (primarily sports and men’s lifestyle) to the advertising (strip clubs and bars, something that TWU doesn’t allow The Lasso to advertise), to the pure content with women in bikinis on the cover and a weekly “Page 12 Girl” that is basically a gigantic photo of a half naked model for your titillation, Blitz fits our campus like a clown shoe.

Photo courtesy of Blitz Weekly’s website

While there is journalistic merit to Blitz’s content, does a cover with a drinking hip-hop Santa and a model really represent TWU’s student interests? I’m not quite sure.

You almost wonder if the distributors thought that this was UNT or something. More than anything else, this is a bad case of mistaken identity and an administration that isn’t paying attention to either its vendors or its students’ interests. Moving from subscription papers to free publications doesn’t mean that we have to gut the campus of all hard news

The fact here is that TWU isn’t even close to Blitz’s target market ...

- Alex Ancira, Lasso contributor

Graphic Designer -

The Lasso staff Shelby Baker • sbaker3@twu.edu

Contributors

Alexander Ancira • aancira@twu.edu Tiffany Lam • tlam6@twu.edu

sources except The Lasso.

Besides, we can’t inform students of everything as a weekly publication.

A student might only pick up a paper around campus once, and if it’s Blitz, they might take that content as representative of all publications around campus, including The Lasso. A campus worth its weight in tuition fees would be concerned about that kind of problem, lest all of those paper carriers around campus transform into receptacles for cardboard trash and trashier flyers.

Let’s just hope it’s not already too late.

The Lasso is Hiring!

Newspaper and web design Want to advertise?

Editor-in-Chief

They control labeling requirements. They say pass and fail products. According to fda.org, their job is to help “the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to maintain and improve their health,” yet they have done nothing despite petitions and political movements.

Who are we to play God with nature? The earth has survived millions of years without our meddling and tinkering with DNA. Health problems have been on the incline for years.

At some point, we have to make a change.

Campus publications

National | Women’s rights

Matt Olson Contributor molson3@twu.edu

How is a known side effect any better than an unknown or unexplored one?

not require GMO labeling.

Europe recognizes labeling as a tool for informed consumer choices. It is completely voluntary at the moment in the states, with few, like Whole Foods, planning to label products.

How can that be upheld if companies and the government aren’t forthcoming with the possible health risks and unknown consequences prevalent in people’s food?

How is a known side effect better than an unknown or unexplored one?

If we want results, we have to make the FDA pay attention and take action.

Matt Olson • molson@twu.edu Monica Alcaraz • malcaraz@twu.edu Tammi Paul • tpaul1@twu.edu

The Lasso is excited to offer online classified ads to Texas Woman’s University and the City of Denton. TWU students and faculty can post free online classified ads through the twulasso.com website by clicking on the classifieds tab.

Contact team@campusave.com for technical difficulties.

This week’s issue

Letters from Readers The Lasso

Vol. 101 No. 15

Email lasso@twu.edu Website twulasso.com

Mail

Stoddard Hall Rm 311

Advisor

Rhonda Ross• rross7@twu.edu

All rights reserved. The Lasso is a weekly student publication of Texas Woman’s University, written and produced by students and printed at DFW Printing. Editors develop their own editorial and news policies. The presentation of news and editorials and the personal opinions expressed in The Lasso are those of Lasso staff and writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the faculty, staff, students, administration or the Regents of Texas Woman’s University.

We value reader submissions. As a university newspaper we have certain criteria that limit what we will place inside our newspaper. Please limit letters to 300 words.

Columns submitted should be no longer than 600 words. Please include your name, address, phone and email. Your contact information will not be published. Unsigned submissions will not be published. All submission are also edited for length and clarity.

Submissions become property of The Lasso.

News

twulasso.com

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

3

Outdoor pool is permanently closed, contrary to signage Continued from pg. 1 enough funds to support renovations.

As a result of news of its closing, members of the community began an online petition addressed to the new Chancellor and President, Dr. Carine M. Feyten. The petition, which can be found on change.org, asks that students and other community members sign for the pool to be kept “alive and well” for community members to utilize and enjoy. So far, the petition has reached over 200 signatures out of a goal of 600.

“We have met with the Chancellor; she has been briefed about the history and the money it will cost to renovate, but it is ultimately Dr. Feyten’s decision,” Cissik stated.

“The creators and primary supporters are mostly lifetime fitness members from the community, and these same community members that wish to preserve the pool feel that it is the responsibility of the students to pay for its renovation.”

The spending of student money for the outside community is not

Photo by Tammi Paul

Above: A sign that is outside of the check in area of the outdoor pool, informing students and members of the community that the pool is closed indefinitely. something that he feels is fair — especially when the student fee is meant to be used to focus on the student’s needs and not the community’s.

According to Cissik, the university attempted to have a fundraiser for the necessary renovations, but with less money than it began. With fewer than 30 people on average visiting the pool seasonally, it did not bring in enough revenue to fund its own

renovations.

The revenue acquired by the outdoor pool reached a few thousand dollars, not enough to fix the pool. Need for repair sent the pool’s prices climbed and even surpassed the costs at the Civic Center Pool just down the street.

The Civic Center pool did play a part in outdoor pool’s closure. Located within walking distance of TWU, it provides a

low-cost option for the Denton community. Also within driving distance is the Denton Natatorium, with prices starting at $3-4 for Denton residents.

“Students have complete access to the indoor pool. The closing of the outdoor pool has no effect,” Cissik said.

“Services have not been diminished. With only an indoor pool, there won’t be any tanning opportunities, but it’s not my job to

provide tanning.”

The indoor pool is also available to community members at a higher price, but concerns about sharing the facilities with student hours have led to student and staff exclusive use hours, 2-7 p.m. each day.

The reason, Cissik shared, is that since all funding for the Fit and Rec equipment and establishments come from the students, it is the students who should benefit and receive the

Department chair Board of Regents announce Continued from pg. 1 promotions and tenure As an undergraduate, Olsen took German as a foreign language, beginning his long lasting association with the country. Travelling to Germany as a Fulbright Scholar, he spent time at two different universities.

His second year there, he witnessed history in the making when the Berlin Wall came down.

Today, he tries to visit Germany every other year, having not only taught at a couple of different universities, but he also lived in the country for extended periods of time four times. He has developed a lot of contacts there as well as a second home outside of the U.S., hoping to revisit next year.

On a more personal note, Olsen is no stranger to the music scene. Since high school, he has held an on and off relationship with music, beginning with clubs and parties in high school before quitting and coming back to it multiple times.

“The coolest gig I ever played was at Buddy Guy’s (Blues) in Chicago,” he recalled. “We weren’t the only ones on stage because there were a lot of bands that night, but that was the most memorable.”

Over the course of his years here, Olsen hopes to internationalize the department and university, help students find their passion and better serve the world.

Alex Ancira Contributor aancira@twu.edu Earlier this month at the Board of Regents quarterly meeting in Dallas, campus promotions and tenure recommendations were approved across all three campuses.

According to the press release from TWU’s Marketing and Communications department, Drs. Anne Koci, Ann Medley and Parakat Vijayagopal were promoted to professor and granted tenure.

Associate professors promoted to professor are as follows: Dr. Sheri Dragoo, Dr. Kimberly

Miloch, Dr. David Rylander, Dr. Richard Shuster, Dr. Shannon Scott and Mark Sandel, according to the press release.

A number of associate professors were granted tenure as well, including: Drs. Cynthia Evetts, Holly Hansen-Thomas and John Nugent. Assistant professors were also promoted to associate professors at the meeting, in addition to being granted tenure. This group includes Drs. Husny Amerih, Tamby Allman, Pei-Fen Chang, Laura Green, Gretchen Hoffman, Shanil Juma, Jyutika Mehta, Kimberly Parker, Sandra Westmoreland and Jian Zhang.

According to the Marketing and Communications press release, assistant clinical professor Kimberly Mory, Dr. Anne O’Donnell and Nola Schrum were “promoted to associate clinical professor.” Clinical instructor Deborah Nolan from the Dallas campus was promoted to assistant clinical professor as well.

A number of newly hired faculty members were also named professor with tenure, including Drs. Shane Broughton, Sharon Denham, Anita Hufft, Celia Lo and Jonathan Olsen, according to the press release.

Landon Dickerson first elected male president Monica Alcarez Contributor malcarez@twu.edu TWU will be welcoming Landon Dickerson to the position of Student Government Association president for the 2014-2015 school year.

Dickerson is the first male elected to be SGA president in TWU’s 113 years, though he had no clue this was the case. He

was the only one to run for the position. However, Dickerson is not the first male to have held the position. In Spring 2005, Russell Marriott was appointed to the position.

Landon Dickerson has been involved in the SGA for two years at TWU, previously holding the position of treasurer.

“I am truly honored to have been elected as the first male Student

Government Association president at Texas Woman’s University,” Dickerson expressed. “I am glad that the student body put their trust in me. I will be sure to not let them down.”

While the university is co-ed, men are a minority at TWU, and the fact that Dickerson has found success as a man in a university primarily full of women has gained

recognition in the DFW area. Though Landon did not run against anyone to be elected SGA president, he had a lot of support from fellow SGA members and friends.

“I plan to effectively convey the issues of my fellow students to the administration,” Dickerson said. “I hope to increase the visibility of our SGA and maintain the trust of our student

body to be their voice.”

Dickerson conveys a positive outlook for his position and looks forward to representing the student body this upcoming year.

For a comprehensive list of the SGA members and executive board members, visit http:// w w w.t w u.edu/st udentgovernment/ or call 940-898-3626.

most focus.

“The master plan for the area where the outdoor pool currently sits is for a potential parking garage and housing,” Cissik said.

“This plan has been shared in numerous presentations by the university with students in attendance.”

Attendance prices for the indoor pool for nonstudents is $15 per visit, giving access to the pool and the gym. Students who are registered for classes in the fall and want access to the indoor pool are welcome to pay the $73 Fit and Recreation fee for the entire summer instead.

According to Cissik, the loss of the outdoor pool will not affect TWU’s connection with the community.

The community has other outlets for involvement with the university, including the golf course, the Fit and Rec and different events during the academic year open to the community.

For more information regarding the outdoor pool’s closure, contact Director of Fitness and Recreation John Cissik at 940-898-2901.

Campus Blotter Lost Property A report of lost property was made July 15 at the Dallas campus. No arrest was made.

Suspicious Circumstances A report of suspicious circumstances was made July 14 at the Human Development Building.

No arrest was made.

Criminal Trespass An arrest was made July 11 at Lowry Woods Community on the charge of trespassing.

Fire Alarm A report of a triggered fire alarm was made at 604 Administration Dr. No arrest was made.

Criminal Trespass An arrest was carried out July 8 at Austin Place Apartments on the charge of trespassing.

Burglary of habitation A report of burglary was made June 25 at Lowry Woods. No arrest was made.

Graffiti A report of graffiti was made June 22 at Marketing and Communications. No arrest was made.

Harassment A report of harassment was made June 14 at Department of Public Safety. No arrest was Made.

Trespass An arrest was carried out June 14 at Fitness and Recreation on the charge of trespass.

Hickory Street construction moves into parking revamp Alex Ancira Contributor aancira@twu.edu The East Hickory Grand Street Project has continued to progress in its longest stage, with the parking lot improvement phase being awarded to local contractor Jagoe Public Company, according to the news release from the City of Denton.

The project’s first phase began on June 23 and will involve demolishing and

reconstructing the Wells Fargo/Williams Trade Square public parking lot.

As the construction and demolition takes place, no more than one half of the lot will be closed at one time.

With the Wells Fargo side currently undergoing reconstruction, the parking improvement project has now moved parking to the Williams Trade Square half of the public lot. Students and Dentonites can expect an

increase in the number of parking spaces, new entry and exit cuts, and updated stripping for both parallel and angled parking spaces after the reconstruction is completed.

This parking project is part of the greater Grand Street Project, which has moved into its third phase, to stretch from March to November.

With utility lines currently being replaced from the Wastewater, Water and Denton Municipal

Electric divisions, the project will shift focus on reconstruction of main street pavements, sidewalks and the general beautification of the area, according to the news release from the City of Denton. Lanes have been closed and detours have been made available by the City of Denton to help alleviate any signs of traffic build-up.

As of July 14, the City of Denton has released a news release about the current

progress of the utility line reconstruction with the end of July through August ending that phase of the Grand Street Project. The utility line construction will affect the area of Hickory from Bell to the railroad, with a large scale installation of a storm drain system. Access to roads will still be available at that time, and any detouring will be provided by the city, according to the news release.

Denton has also

undergone highway closures associated with the 35-Express Project, which is currently focusing on the Lewisville Lake widening project.

For more information on The City of Denton’s progress on the East Hickory Grand Street Project or any of its associated projects, the City of Denton has provided the link http:// www.diglittled.com/ for all updates associated with the progress.

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Community

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

twulasso.com

Photo Essay | Local entertainment

Dentonites come together for the Fourth Tammi Paul Contributor tpaul1@twu.edu

W

hat better way to spend the Fourth with your family than at the Denton Fourth of July Parade? Maybe fireworks — but why not have both? Dentonites gathered again together in the square to enjoy the annual parade before the fireworks came raining down. Photos from the Independence Day parade follow from contributing photographer Tammi Paul.

Right: Denton’s annual Fourth of July Yankee Doodle Parade winds through the Denton downtown square and ends at the Civic Center. An antique Ford truck, here carrying a Denton girl scout troop, is one of many antique vehicles in the parade.

Left: Owner of Frenchy’s Lawn and Tree Service and retired Master Sergeant of the U.S. Air Force Andre “Frenchy” Rheault rides along the sideboard of an antique fire truck.

Above: A member of the Denton Institute of Phrenology Half-Fast Marching Band waves to the crowd while playing a kazoo

Right: Sporting her all-American attire, Solaris enjoys being a part of the Yankee Doodle Parade.

The rescued Great Pyrenees is the 2014 spokesdog for the Dog Days of Denton.

Above: Denton police officers coordinate with each other as they guide the parade, ensuring the safety of all attendees.

Veterans Center to open in Jones Hall in the fall Continued from pg. 1 help.”

The couple is responding to requests from around the community, giving where funds are needed most at the time. Decisions are made based on immediate need and 95 percent of the donation must go to the cause.

O’Keefe and a group of students had applied in the spring for a grant to build the center. When

they were turned down, a chance meeting with Weir opened the possibility. A staff member went into his shop to get her car repaired, and while there, chatted with Weir on his business model and the plans for a veterans center.

Before long, the project was up and running.

“We have been looking at benchmarks for veterans and other universities and one of the check points was

to have a veteran’s center,” Program Coordinator of Commuter and NonTraditional Student Services Jessica Burchfield stated. “Our hope is to provide a community for veteran students.”

Director of Housing Dr. Joe Berthiaume has set aside two rooms, 106 and 107, in Jones Hall to use as the center. Plans for the rooms are to make one a study room with

computers and the other for socializing, complete with a coffee maker.

Once funding was available, the project began with gusto. The two rooms have already been prepped, painted and made internetready. Furniture has been ordered and symbols representing each military branch will be hung on the walls. There are also ideas working on a way to recognize the donor.

The biggest aim of the center is to create an environment student veterans feel is their own.

Before now, they were a group of students that had nowhere they could meet and build an environment for themselves.

“I can’t wait to see the Center,” Weir said. “I can’t wait to see it put to use.

I like seeing what I give create a difference.”

The Veterans Center

will open in early September, with a preview day and reception to be held in mid-August.

For more information regarding the Veteran’s Center, contact Amy O’Keefe at 940-898-3227, or Annie Phillips at 940898-3469.

For more information on 5W Collision Repair, contact Jason Weir at 940383-4334 or email at Jason.

Weir@5WCollision.com.