September 5th, 2018 WEDNESDAY VOL. 104, NO. 11
Campus | Update
TWU receives record-setting donation
By LACEY CUTBURTH On Aug 9, 2018, the TWU Denton campus received its biggest donation of all time. Mary L.A. Stanton of Frisco gifted the university $10,001,901. Stanton is a TWU alumna who, while working towards her MBA at TWU, found herself working for H.T. Ardinger & Son, a Dallas-based wholesale import company. Her career at the company took most of her time, which halted her education. Stanton is still grateful for the degree she does have. “Without my degree, I don’t think I would be where I am today,” Stanton said. According to the TWU news website, Stanton continues to manage 10 other businesses in fields ranging from oil and gas to medical research since the passing of her late husband Horace Ardinger Jr., who ran the company. Stanton and her current husband, Bob Stanton, are strong supporters of education and are proud to be giving back to TWU. While attending TWU, Stanton commuted to campus and was a working
Campus | Student Life
Mary L.A. Stanton and Chancellor Carine M.Feyton
single parent. In an article from the TWU website, she said, “I hope my gift will provide students with a campus experience I was not able to enjoy myself.”. Stanton earned her bachelor’s degree from the university in 1989. Also quoted in the article, Chancellor Carine M. Feyton said, “Mary is a smart
businesswoman who serves as a role model for many.” Stanton wants her donation to go towards TWU’s new residential village opening in fall of 2019. The village will be geared toward TWU’s sophomore class and will be able to house 875 students. Aside from housing, the
Photo Courtesy of Office of University Advancement
village will also contain classrooms, a fitness center, exploratory learning areas and recreational spaces, according to TWU news. TWU news stated, “This is TWU’s first major housing development since the opening of the Lowry Woods Community in 2005.” Since this is such a big production,
the new village will also incorporate 30,000 square feet of dining space for all TWU students. The university Board of Regents has voted to name the new building the Mary L.A. Stanton Hall, or Mary’s Hall for short, according to the Denton Record Chronicle. $1,901 of the donation will go towards the launch of
the “1901 Society” inspired by Stanton. The name comes from the year TWU was founded, 1901. This society is for those who have donated at least $1 million to TWU in their lifetime. “Her thoughtful and generous gift will transform student housing at TWU, and I am pleased to see Mary leading the charge to inspire others to give to Texas Woman’s University” Feyton said. The donation received attention from NBC DFW (Channel 5), KRLD Radio, Philanthropy News Digest and a Denton RecordChronicle story published in the Dallas Morning News. “Ninety-nine percent of them [students] will never meet me or know me, and that’s fine. But they’re going to know that a woman was successful” Stanton said. She noted to NBC that it’s rare to see a woman’s name on a building and she hopes to serve as a role model to students. “It sends a message to our students that if you work hard, you too can be successful,” Feyton said.
Hoo’s Hoo on the new mascot
By KATELYN GARST Last year’s announcement of TWU’s new owl mascot sparked school spirit and led student life and faculty to want to put a face to the name. After auditions this summer, a mascot was sworn into secrecy and his/ her identity could only be revealed to the Pioneer Pride Dance Team and their coach, Allison Fields. The mascot debuted at the Block Party on Friday, Aug. 24 and has already made an impact to the game day atmosphere. “We already got compliments from the coaches and from the athletic director,” Fields said. “They appreciate having the extra spirit there and representation. So far, the mascot’s been to one
game, the volleyball game on Saturday night, and they all came up. Just having support really helps them out a lot and gives them a lot of empowerment.” Fields believes that TWU Student Life and Athletics did a great job of choosing a mascot that represents our school best and thinks highly of the student behind the mask as well. “I think our mascot has a lot of school spirit. That’s the most important thing, for sure,” she said. “This student comes up with great ideas. It’s great to have someone who takes initiative, and not something where the student has to be told what to do. They know what the student body needs.” Though she knows our current mascot does a great
Pioneer Pride Dance Team and the new mascot
job, Fields recognizes that it is a lot for one student to handle the job alone. She hopes that auditions for more student mascots will be held at the end of September, but no official dates have been released. The spirit team is also in need of handlers to accompany student mascots. Information on both of those details can be found on the Fitness and Recreation website in the next few weeks. Additionally, the voting on the name for our owl mascot has officially begun. 300 name suggestions were originally sent in over the summer, and those 300 have been narrowed down to four: Dub, Maroo, Oakley and Spirit. To vote, look on Texas Woman’s social media to find the link.
Caitlyn Laky / The Lasso
TWU’s new mascot
Caitlyn Laky / The Lasso