UNT professor Angie Cadena to run for Democratic County chair PAGE 3
VOL. 111 No. 6
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017
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AD Wren Baker Trump Jr. event over freedom of speech bars media resolves dispute By Sarah Sarder and Kayla Davis with ESPN, Michigan State Donald Trump Jr. | File
By Matthew Brune After using the trademarked nickname “Mean Green” to describe Michigan State prior to their upcoming game against Michigan, North Texas athletics director Wren Baker filed a cease and desist letter early Wednesday morning. As a result, ESPN has taken down the commercial and will be changing it. Just for security of the trademark though, Baker had to send the letter to ensure their copyright is protected.
SEE DISPUTE ON PAGE 8
Bradley emerges as reliable goalkeeper By Matthew Berger
UNT declined to issue press passes to the North Texas Daily and the Denton RecordChronicle for a Kuehne Speakers Series event featuring Donald Trump Jr., son of President Donald Trump. The topic of Trump Jr.’s speech on Oct. 24 is freedom of speech. A copy of the executed contract between the university and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the 2016-2017 season shows the contract permitted local media to report on the event but not to record audio. “The Kuehne Speaker Series has historically been open only to the guests of table sponsors,” UNT spokesperson Kelley Reese stated in an email to the Daily on Monday. “This year’s series events will be no different.” In response to attempts from the Daily to contact department heads and deans who contributed to the Kuehne series last year, university staff said they had been directed not to speak with the media. According to documents acquired by the Daily, 23 UNT departments contributed
SEE TRUMP ON PAGE 4
Music and technology joined in harmony
In soccer, no position is more important than goalkeeper. The goalie not only has to make spectacular plays blocking shots, but must instruct defenders to be in the correct position in order to stop opposing attacks. The goalie is also tasked with helping ignite a counter offensive through passes and goal kicks. Having a goalkeeper you can trust to make the saves needed to protect a lead or preserve a scoreless tie is a priceless commodity.
SEE SOCCER ON PAGE 7
Andrew May, associate professor of composition for the UNT College of Music, performs and explains his new computer music program to a student. May has also served as director of UNT’s Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia (CEMI) since 2005. Sara Carpenter
By Amy Roh
Junior Brooke Bradley runs drills with her coach during practice on Sept. 29. Bradley is a goal keeper for the women’s soccer team. Cameron Roe
Against a heavy black curtain, a fluffy-haired violinist plays his music. To a listener’s surprise, the computer in front of him plays back. “One of the great ways to find out how great and sophisticated the
‘Tell me why you’re stressed’ By Anna Orr Every Wednesday, psychology junior Scott Sellers dedicates his time to sitting outside the Union and holding an arranged blue, yellow, red and green-lettered sign that says, “Sit down and tell me why you’re stressed.” Sellers has been holding this sign every Wednesday since fall 2016. With the message on his sign originally written in Sharpie, little to no people approached him at first. However, as time progressed, more students were intrigued by his welcoming memo — enough so that Sellers decided he had to make it a weekly ritual. Even on this Wednesday in the blistering heat, Sellers is committed to his routine, no matter if people choose to sit with him or not. On this Wednesday, he is joined by biology sophomore Legacy Paris, a new friend of his. She holds a large umbrella to shield herself and Sellers from the sun. “This is the first time I’ve actually sat down with him,” Paris said. “We only met [recently].” One of the students to stop and talk to Sellers and Paris is criminal justice freshman Brandon Odell, whose struggle with time management was particularly causing him stress that day. Odell said he’s having trouble juggling fraternity life, UNT’s club ultimate team, two flag football leagues and school. “My major isn’t that stressful yet, it’s just classes and things,” Odell said. “I feel like talking to a stranger and getting some stuff off my chest is better sometimes than just talking to some friends.”
SEE STRESS ON PAGE 5
things that people really are, is to try to get a computer to do them,” said Andrew May, an associate professor of composition. May is a part of UNT’s Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia (CEMI), where technology meets art. The program, which is housed under
the division of composition studies, focuses on blending music with diverse modes of technology. Some of its projects include interactive computer music and virtual reality instruments. “If you just have acoustic instruments, there’s going to be a limit to how much you can communicate, at least in that language,” lead creative programmer Stephen Lucas said. “But when you have computers and video, it’s easier to have different ideas and concepts.” In 1963, UNT composer Merrill Ellis founded a tape music studio in an old Denton home. Over the years, they experimented with modern technology and “mixed media” projects. Since then, students and professors of CEMI have pushed the boundaries of music further into the future. “It makes you more aware of what performers actually do, which is amazing,” May said. “The kinds of things we’re able to do to synchronize with each other, tune to each other and react meaningfully to shape music together as an ensemble, we take for granted.”
SEE MUSICAL ON PAGE 5
Denton County red light camera tickets no longer withhold vehicle registrations By Julia Falcon Last month, Denton County reversed their policy of withholding vehicle registration for those who have not paid their red light camera tickets. The decision was made by Michelle French, the tax assessor collector of the county. Since 2012, the “scofflaw” has been in effect at the Denton County Tax Office. Any vehicle owner who had not paid their red light ticket in 91 days has their vehicle registration withheld. French said her office has received many complaints about the red light cameras, but it wasn’t the only issue considered. “Several factors led to my final decision to not honor the red light camera law anymore,” French said. “Various departments helped me with the final decision.” However, if a resident were to get a ticket from the North Texas Tollway Authority, that ticket is to be honored. Talks of reversing this policy have been on the table in Denton County for years now. Read King, former House District 64 candidate, said he has been an advocate since the beginning. “Some would argue it is only $75,” King said. “It’s not enough for most people to fight it and it’s easier to write a check as opposed to dealing with it, which helps the revenue come in. But if you look at the lower income, it hurts them
because they can’t take off work or afford the $75.” To renew vehicle registration, vehicle owners would first need to pay the $75 fee for the red light violation and another $25 for fees. Now, as of September, the scofflaw is no longer observed by Denton County government. “The few people I heard from were really happy we went through with this,” French said. “They were very appreciative of this.” What used to be considered a criminal act is now a civil proceeding, as well as a civil suit. Now a warrant cannot be placed and the ticket cannot be reported to credit bureaus. King said he thinks that if yellow lights are longer, it could save time, money and lives. “The reality is that there have been documented cases across the United States where the yellow light is shortened and revenue increased,” King said. “If the light is longer by one second, you dramatically reduce the number of accidents in the area.” The City of Arlington ended the holding in 2015 and the City of Richardson followed suit in 2016. This past July, Tarrant County Tax Assessor Ron Wright also said he wanted to end red light camera ticketing.
IN THIS ISSUE
SEE TICKETS ON PAGE 2
UNT Refugee Summit discusses humanitarian crisis By Grace Cottingham, Joshua Cassidy and Julia Falcon The UNT Refugee Summit 2017 was held Monday in the University Union. The summit, a one-day workshop, hosted researchers and government representatives to discuss issues and experiences of refugees as well as how students can help those impacted. The summit was funded by a grant from the Council on Social Work, a national association that represents social work education in the U.S. The opening keynote speaker Donna Duvin, executive director for the Texas offices of the International Rescue Committee, spoke about the number of refugees in the world and the challenges they face as their treatment becomes increasingly politicized. “We are in a time of the worst humanitarian crisis of our lives,” Duvin said. “There are over 65 million people forcibly displaced across the globe. Of these, 22.5 million qualify as refugees.” Duvin went on to describe the growing refugee crisis going on throughout the world, notably in the Middle East and specifically Myanmar. On a final note, Duvin said the U.S., due to its vetting process and the decisions made by President Donald Trump’s administration, has recently reduced the number of refugees accepted by more than half. Duvin said the U.S. accepted 110,000 refugees a year under former President Barack Obama. Trump’s plan is to accept 45,000 refugees a year, an all-time low. A video detailing refugees and their struggles in the U.S. followed Duvin’s speech. Several of the subjects in the video joined moderator Christopher Cambises in a panel discussing what it means to be a refugee, challenges facing them and services available.
SEE REFUGEE ON PAGE 4
Hala Halabi speaks on a panel at UNT’s Seeking a Safe Haven Refugee Summit. She is the refugee services director for ICNA Relief USA. Mallory Cammarata
NEWS
ARTS & LIFE
SPORTS
OPINION
DACA petition gathers UNT support pg 2 Over 100 UNT faculty and students signed a petition opposing the phase-out and removal of the DACA program.
Cutting edge pg 6 Denton Knife Works is a local business that creates handmade, high-quality, custom and everyday knives. Take a look into owner Brad Vaughn’s craft.
What makes coaches at North Texas stand out from the crowd pg 8 From intimidating flexes to binge-drinking Diet Coke, coaches at North Texas have a variety of signatures that make them stand out from the crowd.
Addressing America’s gun violence problem starts with the Second Amendment pg 10 The editorial board calls for an open discussion on the issue of gun violence in America. Change must happen, but it will not be swift. So what can we do?
NEWS Page 2
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017
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North Texas Daily UNT’s enrollment at all-time high Denton County Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Reece Waddell @ReeceWaddell15 ReeceWaddell@my.unt.edu News Editor James Norman @JamesTNorman_WL JamesNorman@my.unt.edu Arts & Life Editor Abby Jones @abbyfjones28 AbigailJones3@my.unt.edu Sports Editor Brady Keane @BradyKeane BradyKeane@my.unt.edu Visuals Editor Colin Mitchell @CJHMitchell ColinMitchell@myunt.edu Opinion Editor Clay Massey @Clay_FC ClayMassey@my.unt.edu
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By Sean Riedel Staff Writer UNT’s enrollment total hit a record high for the fall 2017 semester, surpassing 38,000 students, as well as having the school’s largest-ever group of incoming freshmen. The school’s class of 2021 is the largest in the university’s history with 2.8 percent growth over last year and is part of a student body totaling 38,121. UNT’s enrollment total last year was 37,979. The 2015 fall semester saw the university welcome 37,231 students. This year’s new high is representative of a steady increase in the number of students who choose UNT as their home. At the State of the University address, UNT President Neal Smatresk talked about the growth of the university in the past year. “This year our enrollment topped 38,000, but more importantly our freshman class continued to grow,” Smatresk said at the address. “Once again the biggest class we’ve ever accepted. Their qualifications were wonderful. We have more students in the top 10 percent. We have more students with high SAT scores. They jumped six points this year.” Smatresk also said the university increased its number of National Merit Scholars to 55. “We brought in 26 National Merit Scholars this fall,” Smatresk said. “To bring in 26 is an amazing feat that puts us on par with the best universities anywhere and proves once and for all that the University of North Texas is a first choice institution. We have National Merit Scholars from all over the country, taking almost every kind of major.” Smatresk added the enrollment at the UNT New College at Frisco’s is 1,200 after its first year. “Eight hundred of those students are uniquely enrolled at UNT at Frisco,” Smatresk said. “And came there because of the new spirit, the dynamic new programs and the energy that folks like Brenda McCoy and many of our deans are putting into this program.”
Smatresk also said UNT’s Ph.D. enrollment grew, and the university graduated more students than ever before this past year. Anam Iqbal, assistant director of freshman recruitment at the Office of Admissions, said in an email UNT and Denton continue to strive and grow for the better. “I think this is very exciting and speaks to the quality of UNT’s programs, many of which are among the nation’s top 100,” Iqbal stated in an email. “The Denton community has also been rated among the nation’s best college towns, which I believe is also attractive to students and their families.” Iqbal said the university’s diversity has improved and so have UNT’s efforts to attract students from all around. “We are also constantly growing and adding new programs catered towards our diverse student body,” Iqbal said. “I believe UNT is continuing to build its reach not just in DFW but all over Texas and is attracting some of the brightest students around.” Overall, the university’s diversity increased over last year. The student body consists of 53 percent women and 47 percent men. There was a 4.8 percent increase in the number of Hispanic students (8,805), a 4.4 percent increase in the number of Asian students (2,732) and a 2.1 percent increase in the number of African American students (5,433). There was also a 2.7 percent decrease in the number of American Indian students over the last year, bringing this year’s total to 570 students. Freshman business student Gisselle Benitez said UNT’s diversity was important in making her decision to come here. “There’s strength in numbers,” Benitez said. “That’s why I chose a minority-serving institution like UNT because I felt that I belonged here and that I could be comfortable here.”
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reverses red light camera ticket policy
A photo enforced sign at the intersection of Carroll Boulevard and Oak Street warns drivers to avoid running a red light and the $75 fine that follows. Sarah Schreiner | Staff Photographer TICKETS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In April, the Texas Senate passed a bill to ban the use of red light cameras at intersections. Following the ban, they passed a bill to stop state and local governments from withholding vehicle registrations because of red light tickets. On the Facebook page Cam-Free Texas, residents have expressed their opinions and concerns over the past few years about vehicle registrations being withheld due to not paying red light tickets. In July, a Denton County resident posted on the Cam-Free Texas page that she had the money to pay for the ticket and registration, but it is the principle behind why. “The fact is this crosses any political line,” King said. “Those on far left sharing positive things as well as those on the far right. This is one of the issues that brings people together saying this isn’t right. We need to keep our people safe the right way and this isn’t it.” The Texas Department of Transportation website states red light cameras are not there to make money. “The objective of red light cameras is to improve intersection safety,” according to the site. “Fines collected through red light camera violations are used to pay for the installation, operation, administration and maintenance of the photographic enforcement system. Camera equipment costs vary based on the type of camera, the complexity of the intersection, and technical requirements. A red light camera system installation can cost more than $100,000. A portion of the revenue from the installation over and above costs is required to be directed to the regional trauma account and local traffic safety programs.”
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UNT students walk in and out of the Union. UNT is made of 53 percent women and 47 percent men. The school has seen an increase of students this year. Zoee Acosta | Staff Photographer
UNT faculty DACA petition gathers over 100 responses By Devin Rardin Staff Writer Over 100 UNT faculty, alumni and students signed a petition urging the U.S. Congress to protect students in the consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The petition was released on Sept. 8 before being sent to House Rep. Michael Burgess and Sen. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn. Political science professor Idean Salehyan wrote and distributed the petition. “We are doing this in support of our students here at UNT but also around the country,” Salehyan said. “We want to make sure they can succeed in this country they call their home.” DACA gives undocumented immigrants, who were brought to the U.S. as minors, eligibility for a two-year work permit and allows them to defer their deportation. On Sept. 5, President Donald Trump announced the repeal of the program. If Congress does not approve a replacement program before the sixmonth phase-out period of the program, those undocumented immigrants will lose their ability to renew their DACA status.
The DACA administrative order, signed by former President Barack Obama, could have been rescinded by any president. Salehyan hopes Congress will come up with a permanent solution. He wants legislation, similar to the Dream Act of 2017, that will allow binding status for people brought to the U.S. as children. Salehyan said it is important to act because many UNT students are benefiting from the program. There are over 400 DACA recipients enrolled at UNT, according to a UNT Faculty Senate Meeting on Sept. 13. He claimed there is “overwhelming support” on campus in favor of protecting students enrolled in DACA. “They have dreams and aspirations of earning a college degree, getting jobs and starting families here in the United States,” Salehyan said. “They don’t know any other home but the United States.” The petition was distributed via a Google document and was up for a week. Salehyan passed it out to anyone at UNT that he had contact information for. Those people were encouraged to share the petition with their colleagues. It received 134 signatures. “I don’t think we reached everybody but we reached a good number of
faculty,” Salehyan said. Patrice Lyke, a senior lecturer in the English department and the undergraduate faculty advisor for English majors, signed the petition. “I’ve taught DACA kids,” Lyke said. “They have been great students. They’ve contributed. I totally believe in the DACA program as a place for these students.” Lyke said the criteria for the DACA program is difficult to meet and some people born in America would not be qualified. She added the students in the DACA program are met with a lot of scrutiny even though they passed the criteria necessary for the program. Lyke thinks it will be difficult to change the minds of anyone who has a predisposed belief that immigrants are bad. “I don’t think it will change minds but at least it is a reminder that not everybody is falling in line with the current notion that these students, these people, have no business being in America,” Lyke said. Alicia Egger, assistant professor for studio arts and the program director for sculpture art, said some of her students have been affected by the issue. The petition gave her the opportunity to
show those students that she is on their side. “It’s helpful for our students to know where our faculty stands because often times we are not able to communicate that in the classroom to a certain degree,” Eggert said. “It’s important that I can have opportunities to express my personal opinions.” Trump’s announcement led to a rally to save DACA at the Denton Square. One of the speakers, Clayton Cummings, advocated for the Bridge Act, which is a modified Dream Act. He encouraged attendees to call their representatives about it. Several others spoke at the rally where around 100 people attended. UNT President Neal Smatresk also released a statement in support of DACA on Sept. 6. He said the repeal action will “blow the aspirations” of thousands of Dreamers including many at UNT. “I want to make clear that I unequivocally support DACA, undocumented and other students who are overcoming significant barriers to educational attainment,” Smatresk stated in the release. “These students aspire to a better life and are doing what our society asks of them.”
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CONSTRUCTION AROUND CAMPUS College of Visual Arts and Design Parking lot 50 and the sidewalks along the east side of the College of Visual Art and Design Building, located on 1201 W. Mulberry St., will be closed and under construction. The new CVAD building is being built in this area and is scheduled to be complete Oct. 29, 2018. The sidewalks along the west side of the art building will be closed due to infrastructure improvements for the new CVAD building.
Track and Field Complex South of the Waranch Tennis Complex, located on 1499 S. Bonnie Brae St., will be obstructed. The sidewalks will be blocked to pedestrian traffic due to the building of the new track and field complex. The construction start date was Oct. 1, 2017 and is scheduled to finish on Sept. 30, 2018.
Interstate 35 Expansion Interstate Highway 35E and the frontal roads along its side will be closed until late December 2018. The realignment of the frontage roads and the interstate are currently under construction due to the widening of the North Texas Boulevard overpass.
Hickory Street Various streets and sidewalks between Hickory, Bonnie Brae and Carroll streets will be closed due to infrastructure improvements and road reconstruction in the area. The Hickory Street Capital Improvement is said to be complete by Jan. 30, 2018.
By Jackie Guerrero
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017
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Denton ends landfill mining program before it begins to save money By Kayla Goode Staff Writer The Denton City Council voted to end the landfill mining program on Tuesday, Sept. 19, which was in place to remove recyclables from the city landfill. They will sell the materials. Landfill mining is the process of digging up solid waste for valuable materials in landfills used before household recycling programs were put into place. By removing this old waste, recyclable materials can be discovered and potentially sold, and the land space can be used for new solid waste. For Denton, mining in the city landfill could not begin before addressing financial and operational concerns. Other factors the council considered included risks such as equipment failure and lack of manpower for the project. According to Ethan Cox, Denton’s new general manager of solid waste, the program would cost taxpayers $1.4 million annually. “At best, this is a 15 to 20-year project we would be taking on,” Cox said. “[By ending the program], we can cut about $2 million off our expenditures this year and immediately recognize $500,000 in savings.” An investment of $4.56 million was initially approved by the city council and $3.51 million was already spent before the program stopped for further investigation. During Tuesday’s work session, Cox gave a short briefing over the program and the problems that have risen before the mining could begin. “With this project there are some things we know, but there is also a lot of unknown,” Cox said. The city was first told the program would net around $16 million over 10 years. This includes the recyclable materials and recovered space in the landfill. When the program was initially approved, neither the city council or Denton’s Public Utilities Board had seen the detailed financial analysis. “In doing research on this, we really can’t count on material revenue making a financial difference,” Cox said. Previously, the cost of recyclable materials and value of recoverable space were overestimated. This led the Solid Waste Department to expect a loss of $14 million on the project if continued. Along with the financial problems, operational challenges arose as well. Though a small amount of methane is released from the area, how
to capture the gas when it does release came into question according to a memo sent to the city council. Methane is a greenhouse gas that ranks second next to carbon dioxide. According to the United States Environmental Protection Program this colorless, odorless, compostable gas accounted for 10 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by human activity in 2015. The program was one of two permitted landfill mining operations in Texas, with the other being located in Houston as a redevelopment program. Since Denton’s landfill has waste from before many recyclable efforts were in place, the potential for finding recyclable materials were high. Investigating the landfill composition began in 2014, digging 50 feet deep for every 10 feet across the landfill, which is about 30 acres. The investigation determined high levels of recyclables. An unusual amount of dirt made the area extremely dry and producing low amounts of methane. The mining would have been in the part of the landfill that filled from 1985 to the end of 2000. Vance Kemler, the former general manager of
Denton’s Solid Waste, said the area was estimated to gain 60 percent more space after removing recyclables and usable dirt. Matthew Udenenwu, team leader in Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s municipal solid waste permits section, stated even with the predetermined and classified buried materials, unexpected problems can arise with proceeding with the process. Council member Sara Bagheri noted the materials found in the mining would have to equal $10 million to meet original projections. According to Cox, the city is working to expand the landfill, having already bought land that would extend the life of the site up to 70 years. Currently, without any mining being done, the landfill has enough space to bury trash until 2030. “We’ve already started diverting resources,” Cox said. “We’re not landlocked by any means. There’s easier ways to divert waste than digging it up.”
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Trash is sorted at ECO-W.E.R.C.S. Resource Recovery Park, the city’s landfill. The Denton City Council decided to end the city’s landfill mining program before it even began. Paige Bruneman | Staff Photographer
UNT professor to run for Denton County Democratic party chair acknowledged Wolper’s ability to keep the party running and is appreciative that it is still alive. She also mentioned a Democrat was never elected while Wolper was county chair. “Phyllis has been there since 2009 and we haven’t made any changes,” Cadena said. “For the last 10 years, we have not had a single Democrat elected to a state, county or a federal office.” On top of being the current Democratic county chair, Wolper serves on the Denton County elections board and redistricting board. She has been working on the 2020 plan. This plan is designed to turn the state of Texas Democratic by 2020. Wolper has spent time in Austin with representatives and county entities to prepare the 2020 plan. “Anyone coming into the party at this time does not have that background and has not been involved,” Wolper said. “I am looking forward to seeing this through to the end of 2020 and changing Texas government.” Mathew Eshbaugh-Soha, professor and chair of the
political science department at UNT, said the dream of increasing Democratic candidates can be done if the party thinks longterm. “It’s going to be an uphill climb until the demographics of Denton County and Texas change,” Eshbaugh-Soha said. “If the Denton County Democratic party is thinking longterm then they can certainly work to increase their changes. However slight they may be.” Cadena says she is trying not to have a divisive campaign and believes that division can get in the way of productive policies. “It’s been too divisive between Democrats and Republicans,” Cadena said. “If we really look at the issues themselves instead of trying to see how we are different, we can see how we are alike. That way we can come up with better policies for everyone.”
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Dr. Angie Cadena explains why she’s running and what difference she wants to make for the Denton community. Cadena is a professor at UNT and running for Denton County Democratic Party Chair. Kelsey Shoemaker | Staff Photographer
By Devin Rardin Staff Writer UNT professor Angie Cadena is running against incumbent Phyllis J. Wolper for the Denton County Democratic party chair. The Democratic chair holds primary elections and recruits candidates for the party. They organize key events and are the primary contacts regarding local and state elections. Cadena’s campaign mantra is “DentonCountyForward.” She hopes to turn Denton County blue. “I want to see more Democratic candidates on the ballot and I want to see them get elected and not have to hide the fact they’re Democrats to do that,” Cadena said. Cadena has taught finance at UNT for three years and has been teaching at the college level since 2004. She plans to continue her job at UNT. Cadena became active in the Democratic party while living in San Antonio. She served as the cochair of the finance committee, the precinct chair and member of the communications committee while working for the Democratic party in Bexar County. Cadena moved to Denton in 2015 and got involved
with several Democratic clubs, including the House District 64 Club, Stonewall Democrats, Latino Democrats and Progressive Leaders Toastmasters Club. She has been the treasurer for many candidates and organized the 2016 candidate forum. A group of activists approached Cadena about running and she accepted the offer. The group was comprised of leaders from different Democratic clubs. “Everybody needs to step up their game,” Cadena said. “I’ve seen it happen and it’s my time to step it up. [The county] is stuck in a rut and we need to do something to jumpstart it.” While working in Bexar County, Cadena saw the Democratic party grow and she hopes the same will happen in Denton. Cadena said Bexar County saw a full slate of Democratic candidates and they won. Most of the positions in Denton are empty and she wants to change that. Cadena said people agree with the Democrat’s values but are afraid of that label. “We’ve got Democratic-leaning candidates but they don’t go under the Democratic title,” Cadena said. “That to me says our values are good because people are willing to elect us – it’s just the title that is wrong.” She will be running against Phyllis J. Wolper, who has been the party’s chair since 2009. Cadena
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UNT Refugee Kuehne Speaker Series event prevents press from entering Summit covers global crisis TRUMP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
REFUGEE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 During the refugee service providers panel, Lance Rasbridge, medical anthropologist and coordinator for Parkland Hospital’s Refugee Outreach Program, said his goal with the program is to go out to refugees and help them in their time of need. “[I want] to make sure the program is both accessible logistically and physically,” Rasbridge said. Rasbridge said he feels like the humanitarian thing to do is go out to the refugees and help them get on their feet ultimately to integrate into society. “Greatest success I see is refugees who come in as children and get jobs as lawyers and doctors,” Rasbridge said. “This is an important concept.” Federal political challenges could also threaten this program and similar ones. Psychology doctoral student Laura Captari and anthropology professor Andrew Nelson said resettlement has a huge effect on the mental health of refugees. They added many refugees in the U.S. are often stereotyped as criminals or dangerous, but are coming to seek freedom and a new way of life after many years of torment and harsh conditions. Captari and Nelson believe it is understandable how refugees can develop mental health issues when they are often judged and tormented in addition to what they went through before resettlement. “We cannot go back and undo what happened to them in another culture,” Captari said. “But we can be intentional about advocating to change the climate they are experiencing now from one where they are viewed more as an asset rather than a threat.” Nelson said refugees are looked at negatively by so many Americans, they cannot remain positive when they don’t receive the freedom they are seeking. “Students and the community need to understand the difficulty of transitioning from the United States,” Nelson said. “They are in refugee camps for 15-20 years not allowed to do anything. They are placed in the middle of a city and told they have three months to get a job and learn a language and get kids in school. It is a lot to figure out and understand.” Nelson makes weekly visits to areas in Dallas-Fort Worth where many refugees reside. He related his visits to the way they interact in Nepal. “I see a lot of interesting forms of urbanization,” Nelson said. “I see people outside their homes hanging out. It is usually these apartment complexes. People interact with each other and walking out and speaking with each other and it feels much closer to life in Nepal rather than in Texas.”
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a total of $132,500 to the 2016-2017 Kuehne Speaker Series. The season’s contributions totaled over $1 million. While the university did not disclose names of individuals or organizations which donated, the highest donation was $125,000 from an individual. Reese said the contributions from UNT came largely from discretionary funds. The series has raised $40,000 so far for the 2017-2018 season, with a total of $395,000 currently pledged. A Dallas Morning News article published Wednesday cited emails between UNT President Neal Smatresk and faculty in which Smatresk revealed he was making an effort to stop Trump Jr. from speaking. “While it is part of our educational mission to present speakers having various viewpoints and beliefs, it isn’t surprising that some members of our faculty have strong opinions about the selection of this speaker and chose to express their viewpoints,” Smatresk said in relation to his emails. Cost of Speakers Trump Jr. is being paid $100,000 for the event, more than double the fee for the speakers in the 2016-2017 season. Speaker contracts obtained by the Daily show Giuliani spoke in the series for $35,500 in October 2016. Fox News and Business journalist Melissa Francis and Fox Business journalist Charles Gasparino spoke for fees of $30,000 and $29,500, respectively, in 2017. Emails obtained by the Daily between organizers show the series spent $50,000 on Richard W. Fisher, CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas, in 2015. The Washington Post reported in September that Trump Jr.’s $100,000 fee would be double what he received before his father became president. Over 100 UNT faculty members have signed an open letter denouncing the event and calling for the UNT Board of Regents to rescind Trump Jr’s invitation. The letter states Trump Jr. does not represent the values of UNT and the community.
Faculty Senate Resolution The UNT Faculty Senate Executive Committee passed a motion to bring up a resolution concerning the selection of university-wide branded speakers at next week’s faculty senate meeting. This proposed resolution, which has not yet been passed, comes in response to Trump Jr. speaking as part of the Kuehne Series. The resolution focuses on making the process of selecting speakers more transparent and involved. The motion passed with a 6-1 vote. Faculty Senate Vice Chair Sheri Broyles said the resolution is not meant to shut down one side of the conversation, but aimed to protect UNT’s reputation. The committee maintained throughout the meeting UNT encourages and supports diversity and free speech rights. If discussed and adopted by the full faculty senate, this resolution will stand for all speakers who are associated with the university brand. About the series The Kuehne series is named after UNT alumnus Ernie Kuehne, and has a history of inviting conservative speakers. Tickets to the Kuehne series event are only available as sponsorships, with the lowest cost being a $5,000 annual sponsorship for an eight-person table. “The Kuehne speaker series is not designed as a speaker series for students,” Leliaert said. “It’s designed to raise money for student scholarships, so it is funded and attended by the donors and table sponsors.” UNT spokesperson Deborah Leliaert said the series has raised $1.65 million to support student scholarships since its inception. Starting this year, the Kuehne series will contribute $50,000 toward UNT scholarships for National Merit Scholars. Staff writer Celeste Gracia contributed to this report.
@sarderrr @kaylajeann19 Credit: Sarah Sarder
2017 Innovator Awards go to faculty, undergrad and doctoral student By Banin Fatima Staff Writer UNT’s Department of Research and Innovation announced three winners for the annual 2017 Innovator Award in August. The winners included faculty member Narendra Dahotre, graduate student Roberto Aguilar Ayala and undergraduate student Ryan Girardot. This is the second year UNT has participated in recognizing members of the university. The recognition is awarded for finding creative innovations, which can help the economic or technological issues in today’s society. The award also offers incentives which include cash rewards and scholarships. UNT President Neal Smatresk encouraged the innovator award in a press release from the university. “Our university is working to expand its multi-disciplinary research and offer faculty and students opportunities for them to bring innovation to light,” Smatresk stated in the release. Dahotre is an interim associate vice president for research and innovation, as well as a university distinguished research professor of engineering. His innovation of laser technology called “Laser-Assisted Machining of Hard Tissues and Bone” would allow surgeons to use the laser to abate bones instead of orthopedic surgery tools. The use of laser instead of “carpentry” tools — as Dahotre describes them — will reduce complications after surgery, be less painful for the patient and speed up the recovery time. “Laser is a very modern tool, which can help do this and help to build upon that understanding,” Dahotre said. “That has led me to various applications.” Dahotre has been working with laser material interaction for the last 30 years. His laser research and development took 10 years. Ryan Girardot is a marketing senior, as well as the CEO and co-founder of Player’s Revolution Sports. His app EPLAY allows basketball players of all leagues, ages and skill level to record their performance statistically. At 13 years old, Girardot ran an adult basketball league in his driveway in Forney, Texas. After high school, he decided to convert his passion for basketball into a sports business, which immediately found success from the beginning. The EPLAY app gained more than 1,500 users in Dallas and Fort Worth in the first two weeks of its launch in app stores. Girardot won the innovator award for a feature on the app called the E-Score, which allows each player to build a digital profile of their basketball performance. ”The big idea is to digitize the sports lives of every basketball player and records those stats,” Girardot said. “E-Score’s skill-assessing algorithm then takes those stats and weighs them against other players in the system and competitively cross-matches you.”
The third winner of the 2017 innovator award is Aguilar Ayalaa, a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry and biochemistry. According to the Office of Research and Innovation, Aguilar Ayala is innovating how UNT graduate students approach their academic studies and how their research can be used in the industry through technology transfer. His creative innovative research approach allows for commercial engineering to create a viable product for clinical, research and forensic practitioners. Aguilar Ayala was unavailable for comment. “Our faculty discoveries help move science and society forward and allow the university to play an even more significant role in economic development for our region and state,” Smatresk stated in the release.
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(Left to right) Narendra Dahotre, Roberto Aguilar Ayala and Ryan Girardot are the winners of the 2017 UNT Innovator Award. This is the second year the Office of Research and Innovation has recognized faculty and students for finding creative solutions to today’s most pressing issues. Courtesy |Gary Payne
UNT establishes new professorship in Jain Studies By Sean Riedel Staff Writer UNT professor George A. James has been named the first Bhagwan Adinath Professor of Jain Studies after the university received a $500,000 endowment from the Jain Education and Research Foundation (JERF) earlier this month. The foundation established the first Jain
professorship in the U.S. in 2010 at Florida International University. The professorship, titled Bhagwan Mahavir, is named for the most recent Tirthankara, which is a spiritual teacher of the dharma, or righteous path. Jainism is an ancient religion that originated in India and has been practiced for thousands of years. The principles of Jainism are nonviolence, nonabsolutism and non-possessiveness, as well as loving
Pankaj Jain, associate professor at UNT sits with students. Jain has taught many classes at UNT that incorporate Jainism. Courtsey | Pankaj Jain
all living beings. James said he has been involved in the negotiations for the professorship for the last three years. “This endowment was the result of a long process with the Jain Education and Research Foundation,” James said. “This will provide funding to have annual public events highlighting Jain philosophy, Jain religious traditions and Jain values.” James joined the UNT faculty in 1983 and includes Jain studies in the courses on South Asian philosophy and world religions that he teaches. He will begin to incorporate Jainism into his course on ancient religions. James said he began studying Jainism many years ago. James has also traveled to India multiple times to study environmental movements in the nation, as well as to consult with Jain experts. UNT professor Pankaj Jain joined the university in 2010 and has taught several classes at UNT that incorporate Jainism, including one titled “From Mahavira to Mahatma Gandhi: The Jain People and Cultures of Non-Violence.” Mahavira was a teacher of philosophy in the sixth century BCE and a contemporary of Buddha, Dr. Jain said. Dr. Jain’s course has also expanded to include more recent material, including the nature of Dr. Martin Luther King’s civil rights efforts. “I connect Jainism and non-violence with Dr. Martin Luther King because he was the biggest proponent of non-violence in this country,” Jain said. “Before he launched his civil rights movement in this country, he actually went to India, visited Mahatma Gandhi’s home in Mumbai and he saw non-violence in action.” As part of the non-violence characteristic of
Jainism, nearly all practicing Jains are vegetarians, which Dr. Jain said has become easier here at UNT since the opening of Mean Greens Café. “As a Jain, I’m very happy that I can go to a cafeteria here that serves no animal products at all,” Dr. Jain said. “So I often go to Mean Green Café.” Another aspect of non-violence is forgiveness, which is practiced with their annual festival called Kshamavani, or Forgiveness Day. “Jains have an annual Forgiveness Day, on which we ask for forgiveness from all santient beings in the universe,” Dr. Jain said. “So knowingly or unknowingly, consciously or unconsciously if I ever hurt you by my actions, my speech or my thought, I ask for your forgiveness.” Despite originating in the Indian subcontinent, Jainism has a home in the U.S. There are numerous temples in Texas alone including locations in Houston, Cedar Park and Dallas. The temple in Dallas is called the Derasar and is organized by the Jain Society of North Texas. Dr. Jain said the Derasar has a membership of about 300 families. David Holdeman, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, said in a UNT press release that he as well as many faculty members and students are interested in cultural and social issues pertaining to India. “We hope that the Jain professorship will help to foster additional discussion not only of Jainism in particular but also of Indian religion and culture more generally,” Holdeman stated in the release. “We are excited and grateful to be able to launch this new professorship.”
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ARTS & LIFE Page 5
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017
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Radio show illuminates all aspects of Denton’s artistic vibes By Ashlee Winters Staff Writer Imagine a radio show where music is the least-covered form of fine art. The Denton Vibe is an online radio show which provides a medium through which every kind of art can be found, and music is unexpectedly the minority. At 8 p.m. every Tuesday night, Ellie “Diva Girl Ellie” Gonzalez hosts the Denton Vibe on DentonRadio.com, focusing on all forms of art ranging from photography to drawings to poetry. “My main focus is art, writing and poetry with just a little sprinkle of music,” Gonzalez said. Gonzalez chose this focus for her show because of her personal connection with art and poetry. As founder of the Lost Poet Lounge poetry group, she wanted to share this as well as other types of art with the community. “When I first started at Denton Radio, they gave me a choice of what I wanted to do my show about,” Gonzalez said. “Because art is so important to me, I chose to cover art, writing and poetry. I wanted to share all the different mediums and talents that aren’t so mainstream here in Denton.”
While music does have its place on the show, Gonzalez focuses more on other artistic talents. She wanted to come up with something different for her listeners that would make her stand apart from the average radio station. “I couldn’t leave music off my show, but at the same time, I didn’t want music to be the big focus,” Gonzalez said. “Everyone else had a music-related show.” Gonzalez wants to bring to light all the local artists the public may not be aware of and share their creativity with the community. “One of my mission statements is to highlight people who don’t typically get much attention, but are just as talented as those who do,” Gonzalez said. “So many people have such a rich talent, and no one would ever know this otherwise. I think this show is a great platform to give people props on their talent and share it with others.” Her goal to cover lesser-known artists not only helps them gain a larger following, but it also makes listeners feel more connected to them because the people on her show are locals who simply want to show the public their talent. “I’m highlighting people that you see on an everyday walk
Computers composing music with new program MUSICAL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 May, for example, uses computer algorithms as a part of his ensemble. He “teaches” the computer to listen to sounds and even improvise its own notes during a performance. “It’s a game of sound and a game of relationship,” May said. “And I love to play it.” The center focuses heavily on computer music, but it houses other projects like the Initiative for Advanced Research in Technology and the Arts (iARTA), which blends art, engineering and cinema into the fold. Projects like iARTA and CEMI aim to change how students think about performing music with modern technology by not just using it as a tool, but shaping it into its own creature. “You get to decide how you’re going to approach it,” Lucas said. “You get to design your own process and computers are expensive, but there’s so much you can do with just one.” CEMI was created to not just change performance, but to change perspective. Since computer music can create all kinds of unique sounds, Nelson said there is a lot more room in how an audience can view the music. “I might ask someone to listen to a recording of a jackhammer,” Nelson said. “But in a way, maybe when they hear a jackhammer out in the real world, they would consider that it could possibly be music.” But this new mindset regarding music has been a long time coming. Professors in the department who have been in the field for years always recall what it was like when music was evolving, but technology was still playing catch up. To produce any kind of music, a musician would have to book it to an institution that had one and pray it wouldn’t botch the file. “Let’s say you want to generate one minute of music,” Nelson said. “You ask the computer to compile it and come back the next day after 20 hours, hoping it’s done.” Computers were behemoth machines with wires and clunky software, not ideal for a composer. Nelson said things have changed dramatically. Technology has evolved at a dizzying rate in a short period of time. In turn, this has impacted the way the electronic music is conducted both in the industry and at CEMI itself. “You can do things in real time, so as composers, you can listen to things as you’re prototyping and do sophisticated projects that used to take days to process,” Nelson said. Nowadays, people are wired to multiple channels of technology. Even though everyone has access to platforms of music production, Nelson said CEMI is wholly different. It has compiled years of research and expertise that allow them to break ground in all areas of performance. “It makes it accessible for lots of people, so now anyone and their pet dog can do computer music,” Nelson said. “But is it interesting? Is it mixed well? Does it incorporate interesting techniques?” That distinction is what has fostered a hub of innovation within CEMI and its counterparts. Nelson said the school itself has encouraged eccentric music styles and research. “[UNT] is a place where the composition program has embraced doing things that are different and not necessarily traditional or customary,” Nelson said. CEMI’s research wants to open eyes and ears to the wonders of its music and possibly make it an instrument that every student can play. “Hopefully that means the tools for doing computer music are much more available to many more people,” Nelson said. “Hopefully it becomes another kind of instrument that [performers] can use.”
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around Denton,” Gonzalez said. “They’re not a band who’s super popular, and they’re not some city official who’s always at public forums. They’re everyday people with normal lives that just want to share their art with others.” Kimberly Bien, owner of Salted Sanctuary Soap, had the opportunity to be a guest on Denton Vibe and inform the community of not only her business but the unique craft of making soaps. Guests like Bien help educate and inspire the public, and motivate other artists in their own specific craft. “Another artist who heard my interview was very inspired by it, and now he is scheduled to be on the show as well,” Bien said. “I enjoyed the experience and love how The Vibe is highlighting unknown artists in Denton.” People like Bien are the reason Gonzalez made the sole purpose of Denton Vibe to show the public all the local artisans they would not know about otherwise. “There’s this big melting pot of talent, and I’m very fortunate to have so many diverse artists willing to come on the show,” Gonzalez said. “There are college students and senior citizens that each have a unique, beautiful
Ellie Gonzalez has been a DJ at Denton Radio since July. She hosts Denton Vibe, a show focusing on various forms of art aside from music. Sasha Calamaco | Staff Photographer talent to share.” Media arts sophomore Julian Carter, a frequent listener of Denton Vibe, enjoys the variety of the show’s coverage and has developed an interest in several of the featured guests. “I love tuning in to Denton Vibe,” Carter said. “I’ve learned about some amazing local artists
and bands because of it.” Gonzalez hopes that her listeners are not only entertained by the artists on her show, but that they are inspired to explore their own creativity as well. “I hope that anybody who tunes in is interested in becoming a more creative human being,” Gonzalez said. “I want them to feel
encouraged to come out of their comfort zone and try something new. I’m learning so much myself from each of these artists, and there’s so many things I want to try now because of them.”
@ashwinters221
Denton County LOSS Team lends a life-saving hand to people affected by loved ones’ suicide By Ashlee Winters Staff Writer The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention says that over 44,000 people in the U.S. commit suicide each year. The number of people whose lives have been affected by a loved one committing suicide is incalculable. The Denton County Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) team provides help for anyone grieving the loss of friends or family members to suicide. LOSS was established in Denton in 2015. The first LOSS team was created by Frank Campbell in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1998. Since then, LOSS teams have developed all over America and internationally in communities from Ireland to Singapore. “We would love to see a LOSS team in every community, as well as continued growth for those already functioning,” said Landon Dickeson, Denton LOSS team coordinator. A main goal of the LOSS team is to prevent intergenerational suicides by constantly checking on those who have lost someone to suicide and making sure those people are not experiencing self-damaging feelings. “Our team consistently checks in on suicidal and self-harm thoughts
among the survivors we interact with “Our Touched by Suicide support and provides referrals to the local groups are an invaluable referral crisis line and counseling options in service for the LOSS team,” Ramette the area,” Dickeson said. “We also said. “We want the families to know send out free packets that include two that they are not alone and want to books on grieving the loss of a loved provide them the support they need as one by suicide and a resource guide they learn to live their new life without that includes online resources.” their loved one.” The Denton LOSS team is partnered Ramette and Dickeson agree that with local organizations such as what makes their method of help so Touched by Suicide support groups special is the interaction they have to provide the best resources for with those who need their help. survivors. These organizations make The change they cause in people it clear to those affected that they do experiencing grief occurs through not have to mourn alone. their technique of “postvention.” LaNelia Ramette, president of “We follow the active postvention Touched by Suicide and a member of model, thereby integrating prevention LOSS team, experienced such help and intervention services in the firsthand when she lost her own son to aftermath of a death by suicide,” suicide in 2010. Dickeson said. “We visit with families “As a part of my grief journey, I both on scene and at other times as attended a local Touched by Suicide defined by the survivor’s request, and support group,” Ramette said. we also follow up with phone calls “Although family and friends were throughout the first year.” very supportive, I found the support LOSS volunteer Laura Garrett groups to be impactful because I was joined the team after receiving their surrounded by individuals who also support earlier this year. After losing experienced a loss of a loved one to two friends to suicide, the LOSS team suicide.” greatly assisted her in her time of Both Touched by Suicide and LOSS need. follow the same philosophy when “LOSS helped me when my friend helping someone who lost a loved one committed suicide a few months to suicide, which includes that no one ago and when my roommate’s sister is alone, and they fully support anyone committed suicide a few weeks before who needs their service. that,” Garrett said. “They offer such
compassionate care to those in need.” LOSS holds several fundraising events throughout the year to raise money for their organization and increase suicide awareness. Their most popular event is their Race for Hope, which has been held for five consecutive years. This year’s Race for Hope, which was held on Sept. 9 in recognition of suicide prevention month, included a five-mile race and a one-mile walk. The event raised over $23,000. “We wish for our fundraising events to function not only as an opportunity to donate, but also as an opportunity to raise awareness about suicide in our community and the mental health services available,” Dickeson said. “Moreover, it is our hope that these events are felt as a celebration of life which honors those we have lost.” Dickeson’s main message he wants to send to the community is that the LOSS team is all about hope. Nobody must go through such a difficult time on their own, and there are people who want to help. “Grief is a burden, [but] people are not,” Dickeson said. “It is only when we share the burden of grief with willing others that we find our load more bearable.”
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Student advocates for peers’ mental health, tries to minimize stress STRESS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Sellers said people often go to friends, family or even strangers seeking help with their stress factors, but many people are reluctant to consult the professional help they might need. “There is a stigma towards it,” Sellers said. “People feel like you’re
only supposed to go to a psychologist, therapist or a psychiatrist if you’re really messed up.” Sellers added that some parents enforce the idea of “walking it off” on their kids. This passive effect makes children think their worries are not relevant or authentic. Sellers also thinks it should not be considered a weakness for men
Psychology junior Scott Sellers sits outside of the Union with an invitation to talk through problems with students. Madison Gore| Staff Photographer
to admit they feel sad. Instead of repressing these emotions, they should talk about them instead. “If it’s just some guy with a sign, people really do want to talk since wpsych wards and psychology aren’t associated with it,” Sellers said. Sellers originally had aspirations to become a computer engineer rather than entering the psychology field. After he failed his calculus and programming classes, he realized he should pursue a career that he had been well-suited for since childhood. “I thought, ‘Well, shoot, I don’t know how computer brains work, but I do know how regular brains work,’” Sellers said. From a young age, Sellers would interact with other kids in a way his mom said “couldn’t be taught.” Even today, he is emotionally warm and friendly towards strangers, a trait he believes a lot of people do not have. Since compassion comes easy to Sellers, the hardest part of holding his sign is the weather. The umbrella Paris is holding on this hot Wednesday is helping. Paris participates in a group known as the “Hug Squad,” which congregates outside of the Business Leadership Building. “I’m doing the same thing with the Hug Squad,” Paris said. “We give more physical affection.” Paris said even in the short amount
of time she has been sitting with Sellers, she has already felt positive changes reflecting in her attitude. She enjoys being able to reciprocate that with the people she meets through Hug Squad. “I talked to one person and made them feel better about themselves, so that’s really good for me,” Paris said. “I like sitting here and helping people.” Paris said the transition from high school to college is a change many students are unprepared for. Oftentimes when students are feeling the pressure of college, it is because they are overwhelmed with the amount of independence they have, and they don’t know how to form their schedules around it. “There were no services dealing with the whole change from high school to college,” Paris said. “People are so stressed out and even might drop out simply because they have nobody to talk to.” Overall, Paris said students should just be themselves and not let minor faults define them. “Some of the things we do are wrong and could be done a little bit better,” Paris said. “But if you identify those things and work on what you’re not excelling in, everything will balance out.”
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017
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Cutting edge Local knife company delivers high-quality custom blades By Amy Roh Senior Staff Writer In his dimly-lit garage, Brad Vaughn slides metal against his grinding machine. As fast-moving sandpaper meets steel, sparks illuminate the dark around him. The sound is ear-splitting, but he doesn’t seem to blink an eye. “You develop a physical memory in your body and your hands to sweep that blade on there perfectly straight,” Vaughn said. “It takes practice and years of experience.” Vaughn, owner of Denton Knife Works, specializes in custom knives of all kinds and sells them at the Denton Community Market. “All my life, I’ve been a mechanic, an IT [person] or a machinist,” Vaughn said. “I’ve done a lot of things in my life and working with my hands is something I really enjoy.” After being laid off, Vaughn said he searched for something to keep himself busy. Never one to sit still, he learned the craft from a neighbor who specialized in martial arts training knives. He began selling his knives on eBay and eventually decided it was time to set up shop. “I’ve always been a hobbyist and an opportunist,” Vaughn said. Vaughn’s 20-year relationship with crafting has been distinct. Before knives, it was Native American flutes, and before that were intricate pens. “I’ve been making knives for four or five years, but I’ve been a craftsman all my life,” Vaughn said. “It’s all about applying your craft skills to a different medium.” The knives are made of high carbon steels or aluminum, depending on the type.
DKW often sells knives for everyday use, but for Vaughn, customizing them to a specific dimension and style is an enjoyable challenge that sets his business apart. “It’s nice when people buy an everyday utility knife, but when [the knives] have a specific purpose to them, that’s when they’re fun,” Vaughn said. While there are customers who simply want a knife that fits their exact dimensions, there are others who want a sentimental value to them. “Some of them are made for long-term memories, not just an everyday knife but something that they hopefully keep for life,” Vaughn said. Charley Smith, who also works in the knife business, introduced Vaughn’s knives to the gun show market. Smith said Vaughn’s attention to detail is what made the knives succeed, but it also made Smith a frequent customer of the business. “The things he makes that he puts a lot of time and effort into goes back to a time in America where things were handmade,” Smith said. “And you just don’t get that.” A fair amount of Vaughn’s tools are homemade, too. He constructed his own grinder, which sands metals at 3,200 rotations per minute. He also built his own gas forge, which heats the metal up for easier molding. “Brad invited me to come watch the process from start to finish at his house,” customer Kristopher Trivis said. “I was amazed at the amount of love and craftsmanship he put into every one of his knives.” When used properly, this
Denton Knife Works owner Brad Vaughn shapes a blade using a homemade grinder. Denton Knife Works is a local business that sells all kinds of knives at the Denton Community Market and online. Paige Bruneman | Staff Photographer craftsmanship can be useful and personal. However, Vaughn said there is a sense of respect that needs to be held for the product. “Let’s face it — [what] they’re initially for is a utility blade,” Vaughn said. “Unfortunately, in society today, you’ve got the kind that use it for misleading purposes.” But Vaughn said that could not be further from the truth for DKW. As he walks around his garage, he shows off the numerous pieces he has worked on. He holds up a knife with thin sheets of papers embedded into the handle. Another one with a bright green color is swirled into a marbled pattern. Each one seems to have a story. “It’s like an heirloom that you can pass down,” Smith said. “You look at something that’s handmade that somebody put some blood, sweat and tears into, [that] goes back [in the day] where
people had that work ethic.” And luckily for his customers, Vaughn wants to continue this work for years to come — even during his upcoming retirement. “I was doing it full time, and decided to go back [to work] and make a little more money in the real world,” Vaughn said. “[I’ll] keep this going so that when I retire, I can get some income and just keep myself busy.” In the future, he hopes to teach workshops where others can learn from his expertise. “I have a lot of interest in teaching,” Vaughn said. “People want to learn how to make knives. I’m thinking in the future I might put together some kind of school or workshop.”
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Denton Event Radar October 5, 2017
October 9, 2017
October 6, 2017
October 10, 2017
Paschall Bar Anniversary Party Where: Paschall Bar When: 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Free North Texas Comedy Fest Where: Abbey Underground When: 10 p.m. $5-$20
October 7, 2017
Hispanic Heritage Festival Where: Denton County Historical Park When: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free
Silent Library Where: Syndicate Pub When: 7-9 p.m. Free Loteria Where: Union 333 When: 6-8 p.m. Free
October 11, 2017
National Coming Out Day Where: Union 333 When:6-8 p.m. Free
SPORTS Page 7
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017
UPCOMING GAMES Friday • Soccer: vs. UTEP – 7 p.m. •Volleyball: vs. UAB – 7 p.m. Saturday • Swimming and Diving: Green vs. White (Lewisville, Texas) – 10 a.m. • Men’s Golf: @ David Toms Intercollegiate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) – All Day • Tennis: All American MD (Pacific Palisades, California) – All Day Sunday • Men’s Golf: @ David Toms Intercollegiate (Baton Rouge, La.) – All Day • Soccer: vs. UTSA – 1 p.m. • Tennis: All American MD (Pacific Palisades, California) – All Day
CONFERENCE USA STANDINGS
Conference USA West Team Conf. Overall UNT 2-0 3-2 La. Tech
1-0
3-2
Rice 1-1 1-4 UTSA 0-0 3-0 S. Miss
0-1
2-2
UAB 0-1 2-2 UTEP 0-1 0-5
Conference USA East Team Conf. Overall FIU 2-0 3-1 FAU 1-0 2-3 Marshall 0-0
3-1
ODU 0-0 2-2 WKU 0-1 2-2 MTSU 0-1 2-3 Charlotte 0-0
0-5
BYE WEEK After knocking off Southern Mississippi 43-28, the North Texas football team has a bye this week before hosting UTSA Oct. 14.
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Bradley reclaims starting goalie job SOCCER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 After shuffling around early in the season, the Mean Green soccer team is confident they have that player in place. Junior Brooke Bradley is playing phenomenal for North Texas this season, leading the team with a .857 save percentage and .067 goals against average. She is a key reason why the Mean Green are unbeaten in their last seven matches. Bradley was the starting goalkeeper last year and started 11 games before a hand injury forced her to miss the rest of the season. The Mean Green were 7-3-1 with Bradley in the net. She spent all offseason rehabbing her hand and came into the season battling with fellow goalkeeper sophomore Miranda Schoening for the starting job. Schoening earned the nod early in the season, but coach John Hedlund made the switch in favor of Bradley for the game against Indiana University. The rest is history. “I am healthy now,” Bradley said. “We were both fighting for the position, and I just won it now.” Schoening was playing well herself with a save percentage of .852, but that just shows the type of season Bradley is having. In the last four games, the Mean Green have allowed only one goal as the team has really started to get on a roll. Bradley started five of the last seven, all of which have resulted in the Mean Green walking away with at least a tie. The defense has allowed just eight goals all season with six shutouts on the books. Sophomore defender Dominique James said having a goalie playing as well as Bradley is changes everything defensively. “As defensive unit, we feel more confident as a unit with her,” James said. “At some points as a defender you have to pass back to the keeper, and if they can’t kick it or miss
the ball it puts us in a bad spot, and we feel confident with Brooke.” Communication is key defensively as North Texas continues to get deeper into Conference USA play. One of the reasons the Mean Green have been so effective recently is because of how well Bradley is communicating with her defenders. “She is definitely communicating with us a lot,” James said. “She is defending a lot of shots that we kind of hold our breath on and it is definitely giving us that confidence boost that she has our back whenever we make a mistake.” One of the noticeable changes with Bradley in the net this season is how well she sets up the offense down field. She is able to put the offense in position to make an attacking move, which continues to be important for the Mean Green. “Her goal kicks and her punts go past midfield,” James said. “It is nice to know that our midfielders can flick it on and get our offense into action rather quickly.” Offensive and defensive players have seen Bradley’s growth from her first game against the Hoosiers, when she allowed three goals, to now, where she has only allowed one goal in her last 380 minutes of play. Junior forward Taylor Torres, who is tied
Top: Goalkeeper Brooke Bradley practices for the game against Western Kentucky on Oct. 1. Bradley led the Mean Green to a 1-0 win in that game. Cameron Roe | Staff Photographer Bottom: Brooke Bradley is a goal keeper on the soccer team. She recently reclaimed the starting job just before Conference USA play began. Cameron Roe | Staff Photographer
for the team lead in goals with a career high five, sees from her perspective on offense just how well Bradley and the defense have been playing together lately. Torres, who is roommates with Bradley, tried to motivate the goalkeeper while she was recovering from her hand injury and sitting on the sidelines to start the season. The two communicate with each other to try and help each other out with their games. “While living together, we try to feed each other information about what we see,” Torres
said. “There were times where [Bradley] did not start, and I know I gave her feedback to just keep pushing herself and I told her she would get her job back.” Currently, the Mean Green are 7-2-2 and are rolling through their C-USA competition, thanks in large part to stellar play from their most important position on the field – goalie. If Bradley’s play holds up, the Mean Green will be on well on their way to another conference title. “I feel I can keep it going the rest of the year,” Bradley said. “We’re really trying to work towards that fourth ring, so that is what I want.”
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North Texas’ fiery offense on pace to shatter school record By Matthew Brune Senior Sports Writer Before head coach Seth Littrell and company took over in the 2016 season, the Mean Green were coming off a year in which they scored 15.2 points per game. The offense was anemic and laughable at times, including the time they put up a whopping seven points against FCS Portland State University at home. Starting last year, the offense was no longer a comedy club for opposing defenses. The Mean Green improved their scoring output to 24.8, showing dramatic strides under quarterbacks Mason Fine and Alec Morris as well as running back Jeffery Wilson. But even then, the team had not reached its ceiling. Now, five games into the 2017 campaign, North Texas is putting up numbers many thought were unthinkable two years ago. This season’s offense is scoring 38.8 points per game and appears to be clicking at every level. “I think every group on the offense has improved over the offseason and summer,” Fine said. “It’s another year in the system, so we feel more confident. I think that’s a big thing, confidence. We go into every game knowing we’re going to put up numbers and knowing we’re
better than the guy lined up [across] from us.” The confidence has shown primarily through play calling, trust in Fine and the passing game in general. The Mean Green are no longer afraid to take shots down the field with receivers like sophomore Jalen Guyton, who is in his first season with North Texas. Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell, who is largely in charge of the more dynamic and open offensive play-calling from the booth upstairs, has played a big role in the continued improvement. “[He] is getting much more comfortable,” Littrell said. “Understanding our strengths and weaknesses, putting the players in the best position, he’s done a really good job of that.” As is the case with most strong offenses, the engine of the Mean Green’s ability to light up the scoreboard starts with the offensive line. Although junior Jordan Murray always faces the opposing team’s best edge rusher, he’s been serviceable, and sophomore left guard Elex Woodworth and senior right tackle Riley Mayfield have both had very solid seasons. Pro Football Focus put Mayfield and junior center Creighton Barr on the Week 3 C-USA team of the week and graded their performances against Iowa. Mayfield received a grade of 84.5
North Texas tight end Kelvin Smith (87) stiff arms a University of Alabama at Birmingham player. Colin Mitchell| Visuals Editor
and Barr received an 82, both of which were best in the conference for that week. In his final season, Wilson is the most consistent force for the Mean Green, averaging over seven yards per carry and 133.2 yards per game. He is third in the country in rushing yards through five games. When asked about his success, Wilson always praises the line because he has seen the improvement come with the work they put in. “The way they attack things [is impressive],” Wilson said. “Those guys put in work this offseason like I’ve never seen before, and I’ve been here four years. Those guys put in crazy work so to see it pay off for them is crazy. I love it.” While this offense has increased its output to exciting new heights, its only real protruding issue has been the third-down conversion rate which sits at just 33 percent (24-of-66). Littrell and Harrell have been adamant about remaining balanced on offense, which has shown on first downs. But the troubles come when the offense faces a third and long situation. On third down and nine or more yards, the offense is 4-of-21. They are 20-of-45 on third and less than nine, which inches closer to the 50 percent mark. “We just have to execute better,” Harrell said. “We have to lock in on third downs. If you execute on third downs, good things happen. That’s the biggest place we need to improve and we know that.” The wide receivers are a big piece of what the offense has been able to accomplish so far. The explosive Guyton lines up opposite side of senior Turner Smiley, with reliable options in sophomore Michael Lawrence and freshman Jaelon Darden in the slot. That group’s ability to make big plays is what has opened up the running game, as Fine and the receiving corps keep the safeties from overcommitting to the run. Guyton ranks No. 21 in the FBS in receiving yards and Fine is 11th in passing yardage. The offense as a whole is sixth in the country in total yards. If the Mean Green keep up their pace of 38.8 points per game, they will finish the year with 465 points in 12 games and 504 in 13 games. The school record for most points in a season is 428, which was set back in 1951. “Our ceiling is high,” Fine said. “We haven’t yet reached our potential and that’s a scary [thought]. It should make us feel good about where we’re going to be at the end of the season.”
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North Texas senior running back Jeffery WIlson (3) runs toward the endzone in the game against University of Alabama at Birmingham. Colin Mitchell | Visuals Editor
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Fountain drinks, flexing and faith
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North Texas coaches and their signatures By Matthew Brune Senior Sports Writer In the words of the great Kanye West, “Name one genius that ain’t crazy.” That phrase fits well into the world of college athletics. At the collegiate level, coaches are constantly getting new players to coach and teach their system to while almost always fighting for their job and trying to please rabid fan bases. Coaches have been working their whole lives for this opportunity to coach and compete on the highest level. So if they seem a little different, it’s understandable. There are variances of signature moves or tendencies among coaches that help establish their identity. Just about every coach has something unusual, and sometimes crazy, they do, and their players are the first to see it. Here are seven coaches at North Texas and what makes them stand out: The normal signatures Grant McCasland, men’s basketball As Grant McCasland enters his first year leading the North Texas men’s basketball team, his players have noticed a protruding theme with him in everything the Mean Green do as a team. It’s not too uncommon among coaches, but after every practice and workout of any sort, the team huddles and prays. McCasland’s dedication to faith is evident on his Twitter account and in his home, and his optimism is contagious because of it. It’s something that’s already making an impact on a team that has struggled over the last few years. “Our motto is ‘we believe, we serve, we compete,’” sophomore guard Roosevelt Smart said. “When practice is done he’ll pray for us, for the season and for everyone to stay healthy, so you definitely see [his faith].” Tracey Kee, softball In softball, head coach Tracey Kee wrapped up her fourth season with the Mean Green last year. In games, she can be
seen as the third base coach with her hands behind her back and her visor on – but her players see a different signature from her. It’s something she drinks everyday, both on and off the field. “Diet Coke,” junior utility player Harley Parella said. “She has at least two at practice and three per game. The coaches all have their certain drinks and Coach Kee’s is definitely Diet Coke.” Every game, the ice cooler at the edge of the bench is where Kee stashes her Diet Cokes. At practice, seeing one in the dugout is almost a guarantee. The kind-of-odd signatures Andrew Palileo, volleyball In a similar fashion to Kee, Andrew Palileo needs a specific drink everyday. But his drink of choice is both harder to find and more expensive. Junior setter Karley York sees his tedious drink preference on a daily basis and especially on road trips. “He always has to have an chai iced tea, with whole milk and five extra pumps of chai from Starbucks,” York said. “If we forget it, we have to get him one in exchange to get our stuff back.” The junior team captain thinks it helps him wake up, but his precision in his daily drink is still a unique and comical preference to the volleyball players. Jalie Mitchell, women’s basketball Jalie Mitchell’s desk is never messy. And to be more specific, there’s usually not a single thing out of place while she’s there. As she goes into her third season at North Texas, her players have certainly noticed her unusually high need for cleanliness in everything she does. “I don’t want to say she has OCD [Obsessive Compulsive Disorder] because I’m not a doctor, but she definitely has super neat tendencies,” sophomore guard Callie Owens said. “She loves everything to be perfect and that carries over into practice as well.” From having a shoe cabinet for guests in her house to organizing her movie cabinet alphabetically, Mitchell never stops trying
Head softball coach Tracey Kee heads into her fifth season with North Texas. Kee coached 16 seasons at East Carolina University before coming to UNT. Cameron Roe | Staff Photographer to perfect anything and everything both on and off the court. That may be why she’s one of the greatest basketball players to ever play for North Texas, and she certainly plays a role in the improvement the women’s basketball program has seen over the last few years.
head [in practice].” In games, he’s more locked in so players don’t hear it much. At practice, though, Hedlund will make his players laugh just by saying a random phrase out of nowhere.
John Hedlund, soccer On the opposite end of the spectrum is the laid back and established Hedlund, who has led North Texas women’s soccer since 1995. At practices he chats it up with his players and coaches, but he has an unusual tendency that always throws players for a loop when they’re talking to him. “His one word comments would be the biggest thing to me,” senior defender Tori Phillips said. “You’ll ask him a question and he’ll be joking around, and then he’ll say something random completely off topic and you kind of look at him like, ‘What did you just say?’” For example: “We’ll be like, ‘Where do you want us to go?’ and he’ll just say, ‘Hit the Quan,’” Phillips said. “It’s just funny stuff like that. He’ll say anything just off the top of the
Sujay Lama, tennis Lama always has fun with his players and anyone else he encounters, but he’s always professional and cordial. However, once he hits the road, he’s a different person. “The funniest thing is when we have a trip and he spends too much time around us, he starts behaving like a teenage boy,” junior Maria Kononova said. “Especially when we win and he’s in a great mood.” Junior Tamuna Kutubidze added even more to what her teammate said about their energetic coach. His personality usually comes out on the road or at tournaments. “He has this really funny dancing move,” Kutubidze said. “I don’t even know how to explain it.” The energy and humor is contagious to his players and has created a fun culture on this talented team.
“[The problem] is solved,” Baker said. “But we had already triggered a letter to go out. We reached out to our licensing agent early this morning but there’s no reason to pull it back. It’s still a good practice just to make sure that you’re on record.” Baker has already been in contact with the Michigan State University athletic director Mark Hollis as well as people from ESPN on the problem. From what he knows, the error should mostly be placed on the shoulders of ESPN. “I would say this one is [on] ESPN,” Baker said. “I think Michigan State was unaware that was the graphic ESPN was putting together. [ESPN] said it was inadvertent on their part and they were working to get it corrected ASAP.” While the mistake was shortlived, players and coaches on the real Mean Green noticed the
commercial and took exception to it. “I just felt it was a little disrespectful towards us,” junior linebacker E.J. Ejiya said. “We’re the original Mean Green, and I feel like you shouldn’t steal our trademark. Whether their colors are green and white, it doesn’t matter. It’s a sign of disrespect towards us and I didn’t appreciate it at all.” Baker originally found the errant commercial the way most people did – via Twitter. After putting his daughters to bed Tuesday night, Baker went back to check his phone only to see all of the traction this caught on social media. After reviewing it to confirm, he emailed a few people back then released his first comments. The tweet blew up, receiving over 1,600 likes and over 600 retweets in just 15 hours. “I sent the tweet out right after that, not knowing how much
By Matthew Brune Senior Sports Writer
Wren Baker. Courtesy | Mean Green Athletics attention it would get,” Baker said. “While I am very serious about protecting the Mean Green, my tweet last night in some ways was a good natured jab. I think it’s been positive publicity for North Texas and the athletic department.” In the wake of the sent cease and desist letter, Baker tweeted a press release Wednesday morning addressing the situation as a whole. While the mistake appears to have been resolved, Baker saw it as important to take the offensive instead of wait. “It was really ESPN who made the mistake, and people make mistakes,” Baker said. “ESPN did the right thing, they said, ‘This is our mistake, we’ll get it corrected’ and then we moved forward.”
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C-USA Players of the Week Tori Phillips
Jalen Guyton
Senior Defender Forney, Texas
RS Sophomore Wide Receiver Allen, Texas
Senior Tori Phillips was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week after helping lead the Mean Green soccer team to a 1-0 win over Western Kentucky at home. It’s the first time Phillips has been honored with a player of the week award in her four-year career with the team. Phillips, one of the team’s captains, plays a vital role on the backline of the defense. The win was the second-straight shutout victory for the soccer team. North Texas has allowed just eight goals in 11 matches this season. Photos courtesy of Mean Green Athletics
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Bye week analysis: Secondary not living up to preseason hype
Baker reacts to ESPN’s improper usage of Mean Green trademark DISPUTE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
The crazy signatures
Seth Littrell, football Littrell, meanwhile, was a menacing full back at the University of Oklahoma back in his playing days. Even to this day, little has changed in that regard in his second coaching season at North Texas. For a man who does not waste words, his actions on the sideline are his signature. Especially one move in particular demonstrating the strength that led to his successful collegiate career. “When someone makes a mistake, you’ll see the headset come off real fast and he’ll just start flexing,” sophomore quarterback Mason Fine said. “So you know he’s mad because he’s flexing right at you.” Instead of chewing players out and cursing at them, Littrell opts to simply tense up his body before relaxing and talking to his players, something his players appreciate. Senior linebacker Joshua Wheeler summarized coaches perfectly after he finished laughing at his head coach Seth Littrell for his signature move. “Coaches, man,” Wheeler said. “They just love the game.”
Sophomore Jalen Guyton, who transferred to North Texas after spending a year at Trinity Valley Community College, was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week after putting up a monster game in a 43-28 win over the University of Southern Mississippi. Guyton caught a careerhigh 14 passes for 211 yards and a TD, becoming the first player to surpass the 10-catch, 200-yard mark since Carlos Harris did so in 2014. Guyton now has 24 catches for 444 yards and five scores this season.
On the season’s opening night against Lamar University, North Texas held a 31-7 lead with about five minutes left in the second quarter. Lamar quarterback Darrel Colbert Jr. dropped back from his own 32-yard line looking for anything open down the field, and just as the pocket was about to collapse he found what he was looking for. Wide receiver Martell Hawthorne had torched Mean Green junior cornerback Nate Brooks. Hawthorne caught the ball 42 yards down the field and practically walked into the end zone from there. At the time, it did not seem like a big deal as North Texas went on to win the game 59-14. But the early secondary struggles only foreshadowed a more severe problem. The secondary has had issues defending the deep ball five games into the year and that’s been pointed to by coaches as the Achilles heel of the defense at times. “It’s not that the [opposing receivers] are bigger, stronger or faster,” sophomore safety Khairi Muhammad said. “We just need to play smarter football. If we play smarter football we’ll be successful.” Failing to play smart has been the recurring theme of a unit that had the only two preseason First-Team AllConference USA selections on the team in Brooks and senior safety Kishawn McClain. Defensive coordinator and safeties coach Troy Reffett saw these preseason accolades and said they may have played a role in the early miscues in the secondary. “I think what happened was these guys were built up so much by everybody, but us,” Reffett said. “The media built them up like we were going to have a great secondary, and I think they lived off that instead of coming out here and going to work and trying to get better.” North Texas is one of just five FBS teams in the country that has allowed 14 or more passing touchdowns this season. Only Oregon State (15) and East Carolina (16) have given up more touchdowns through the air, and those teams have a combined record of 2-8. While the linebackers and even the defensive line are not without some blame in allowing opposing quarterbacks to make big plays, the secondary has had several blown coverages or mental mistakes that have caused problems down the field. Through five games, opposing quarterbacks are completing just 50.3 percent of their passes. While that number is solid, breaking it down in terms of yardage per completion is more troubling. Of the 94 passes completed against North Texas, 21 have gone for at least 15 yards. Of those plays, 14 have gained more than 25 yards, and six of those have gone for 50 or more. The most glaring of those mistakes came against the University of Alabama at Birmingham when Brooks bit on not one, but two hitch-and-go routes that went for a touchdown. As a result, he was benched in favor of Eric Jenkins and did not start the following game against the University of Southern Mississippi. “[It’s] just understanding football,” head coach Seth Littrell said. “You’re not going to pick off many hitch routes. We have to get back to the basic fundamentals. We have some guys doing some really good things, but we have to play with all 11 and can’t be greedy.” Of the 14 passing touchdowns allowed, seven have been for at least 35 yards and four of those have been
touchdowns of 57 yards or more. And those just account for the completed passes. Against Iowa, quarterback Nate Stanley missed two deep throws to wide open receivers on the sidelines on backto-back plays. While the defense has gone man-to-man plenty of times, there were plenty of cases when the safety was late on his help. Mistakes like these show Reffett an undisciplined secondary – but not one lacking talent. “They’re all playing very greedy,” Reffett said. “Trying to make every play instead of just making the plays they’re supposed to. They’re taking risks and taking chances on plays they’re not supposed to.” Senior Eric Jenkins has done a good job stepping in over the last two games, making the small plays Reffett is referring to. In the second half of the UAB game, he made a few key plays on long passes to show what he is capable of. “He did his job,” Reffett said. “He had three pass breakups on three deep balls, just because he did what he was coached to do. When these guys are back there screwing up, they’re not doing what they’re coached to do, they’re doing their own thing – and 90 percent of the time, their thing doesn’t work.” The silver lining in the struggles is the group knows most of its mistakes can be cleaned up. The bye week should help with that, as the Mean Green prepare for a pivotal Oct. 14 showdown against the University of Texas at San Antonio. With seven games left in the season, the coaches and players know the talent is there for them to turn it around. Now they just have to go to work and execute. “We just need to play smarter football and get our alignment and our assignments right,” Muhammad said. “Get in the film room a little more and know what’s coming, [so we can] anticipate, and we’ll have a great season.”
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North Texas junior cornerback Nate Brooks (9) lines up in the secondary during a game against Southern Methodist University earlier this season. Courtesy | Mean Green Athletics
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Left: Senior Karley York (1), one of the captains of this year’s Mean Green Volleyball team, smiles after winning against UTSA. Madison Gore | Staff Photographer
Right: Senior Karley York (1) awaits the serving of the ball. York is on pace to have one of the best seasons in program history as a setter. Madison Gore | Staff Photographer
Karley York
Setter San Antonio, Texas Season Stats Assists: 714 Assists per set: 11.52 Career Stats Assists: 1,756 Assists per set: 6.70
York’s strong start fueling volleyball success By Griffin Bruce Staff Writer
Since the early days of her volleyball career, junior Karley York has been a standout on every court she stepped foot on. York, who attended Churchill High School in San Antonio, played in a state championship and was a Class 6A All-State selection during her prep career. But that was just the beginning. York spent the first two years of her collegiate career under the wing of Amy Henard, who is one of the more successful setters in program history. Now, York has emerged as the heir to the throne Henard left behind. “Amy is probably one of my
favorite people ever,” York said. “Coming in early as a freshman while she was a junior, I was able to see how she ran things, and how she worked with [head coach Andrew] Palileo. I got to see her different techniques and how she transitioned from high school and club volleyball into college.” Learning from Henard paid off. York is well on her way to having one of the best seasons as a setter in program history, as she is on pace to finish with more than 1,200 assists this year. York has racked up 118 assists in the last three games alone and has 714 on the season. She is averaging 11.52 assists per set, which ranks 14th in the country and second in
Conference USA. After stepping up into the role of the team’s facilitator who can get the ball right where it needs to be on a consistent basis, York took on another key position this season. She was named a team captain as a junior, filling a vital leadership role vacated by Henard’s graduation last year. “She’s in a position right now to be one of the better setters that has come through North Texas,” Palileo said. “She’s worked hard at it. She comes in for extra reps, she watches video, and she makes sure to talk about what we want to do for the game plan.” York’s leadership was put on display in a game against the
University of Oklahoma, when the scoreboard went out for more than five minutes early in the game. While that may have resulted in a loss of momentum for some teams, York helped get the group refocused during the delay. The Mean Green went on to sweep the Sooners in straight sets, and York finished with 33 assists in front of a school-record 719 fans. “She’s the person who is able to tell people the things they don’t want to hear,” junior Alex Janak said. “She’s not afraid to give good constructive criticism.” York’s leadership plays a major role in helping unite the team in tough moments, but she’s also had
an impact on the younger players rising through the volleyball program. After having Henard to look up to as a mentor, York is now passing that same knowledge on to the players who will one day lead the Mean Green. “[She has the] ability to take control of the court,” freshman Valerie Valerian said. “She’s definitely been a leadership figure to me as a freshman, and I definitely look up to her.” The drive and passion she shows as a leader and player not only on the court, but off it as well, has proven worthy to the Mean Green as they continue to dominant midway through the year. The team is off to its best
start in school history, and York has been an important piece in the rapid turnaround from a tough 2016 campaign. She still has time to build on her legacy, but from the looks of it, York is well on her way to leaving a mark at North Texas. “It’s kind of early right now because this is still her junior year,” Palileo said. “It’s a matter of if she can sustain her level of play, and I think if she does that then she’s going to be one of the better setters that I’ve been able to coach.”
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Soccer defeats Western Kentucky, remains unbeaten in C-USA By Matthew Berger Staff Writer The Mean Green soccer team (7-2-2) defeated Conference USA rival Western Kentucky University 1-0 (3-7-1) on the road to remain unbeaten in C-USA play Sunday afternoon. The victory is the fifth straight for the Mean Green over the Hilltoppers since 2012. North Texas has opened C-USA play 2-0-1, and has played all of its C-USA games on the road. Head coach John Hedlund knows how fortunate the team is to be undefeated three games into the schedule. “It is never easy to have your fist three conference games on the road, especially against quality opponents,” Hedlund said. “Getting through these three games without a loss will give us confidence as we have five of our last seven games at home.” Junior forward Taylor Torres scored the only goal of the game for the Mean Green with 1:10 left in the first half off an assist from freshman Brooke Lampe on a free kick. It was Torres’ fifth goal of the season. “I feel the offense played well today,” Torres said. “I feel we had a lot of opportunities to score, but we just did not finish them.” North Texas out shot the Hilltoppers 11-9 and had
more shots on goal (4-3) as well. Junior goalkeeper Brooke Bradley stopped three official shots, but was blocking attempts on corners and crosses throughout the game. As well as Bradley played, she and the other Mean Green defenders have continued to elevate their game in conference play. “Our defense played outstanding today,” Bradley said. “The defense did not want them to score no matter what.” The Mean Green usually run a formation with four defenders, but switched it up for most of this game with three players on the back line. Sophomores Dominique James and Brittnye Lawson and junior Carissa Sanders played the whole game, stopping the Hilltoppers from converting any scoring opportunities. The Mean Green have allowed just one goal in their last 380 minutes of play. “We were holding them, our body language and everything was good,” Bradley said. “ The three that I had in front of me were outstanding today.” Next up: The Mean Green host the University of Texas at El Paso at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6.
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Senior forward Cat Sebazco dribbles the ball in a game against Indiana University on Sept. 10. North Texas defeated Indiana University 3-2. Sara Carpenter | Senior Staff Photographer
Mean Green storm back for dominant win over Southern Miss By Matthew Brune Senior Sports Writer With 47 seconds left in the first quarter, North Texas trailed the University of
Southern Mississippi 14-0. Desperately searching for their first first-down of the game, the Mean Green faced 4th and 1 on the Southern Miss 46-yard line and had
North Texas sophomore quarterback Mason Fine throws a pass in a game against the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Sept. 23 at Apogee Stadium. North Texas defeated UAB 46-43. Sara Carpenter | Senior Staff Photographer
almost no choice but to go for it. In need of one yard, senior running back Jeffery Wilson was asked to deliver. He did just that and some. Wilson broke off a 46-yard touchdown run and ignited a pulse into the Mean Green that continued beating until the final whistle. North Texas defeated Southern Miss 43-28 by way of a dominant comeback Saturday night in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The win marked just the third time since 2007 that the Mean Green have won a road game immediately following a home win. “I was really proud of the way our guys played,” head coach Seth Littrell said. “They really bounced back from some things in the first half and started building some momentum and some confidence. I was proud of the way our guys stuck together and dominated the second half.” Dominate is a strong word, but it’s appropriate for what the Mean Green (3-2, 2-0) did to the Golden Eagles (2-2, 0-1) in the second half after being down 21-17 at halftime. North Texas outscored Southern Miss 26-7 in the final 30 minutes of the game.
“It’s a long game,” Littrell said. “This group sticks together. They just grinded. This is a great team with great chemistry and they’re just figuring out we can be a special group.” The offense stole the show, especially after the first half, and ended the game totaling 540 yards of offense while going 4-of-4 on 4th down conversions. Wilson rushed for 148 yards on 30 attempts with three touchdowns, while sophomore quarterback Mason Fine threw for 366 yards on 24-of-40 passing with two touchdowns and one interception. Of Fine’s 24 completions, 14 went to sophomore receiver Jalen Guyton, who obliterated the stat sheet with 211 yards and one touchdown on 18 targets. “[Their chemistry] is really starting to pick up,” Littrell said. “That’s all the work they’ve put in. The more practice you get the better you’re going to be this season. I’m really excited about our depth at [wide receiver] and we’ve been really explosive this year.” In one of its most impressive efforts of the season, the defense settled in after allowing a touchdown on the first two
Southern Miss drives. They were led in tackles by junior E.J. Ejiya and sophomore safety Khairi Muhammad, who finished with 10 each. In the secondary, senior Eric Jenkins started at cornerback for the first time this season. He was part of a Mean Green pass defense which only allowed Southern Miss quarterback Kwadra Griggs to complete 19-of-42 attempts. The reigning special teams player of the week, senior kicker Trevor Moore, went 3-for-3 on field goals and averaged more than 37 yards per attempt. After holding onto their lead last week against UAB and coming back from behind this week against Southern Miss, Littrell said the consistency and will to win is finally there for the North Texas football program. “They wanted it,” Littrell said. “This group has been itching to get in there and finish out games. These are the situations that build confidence and will build momentum through the rest of the season.”
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OPINION THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017
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UNT to buy IHOP land, students will get over it By Rachel Herzer Staff Writer UNT is going to buy the IHOP right next to campus. Everybody stay calm. The UNT Board of Regents authorized the purchase of Lot 27 at 1001 N. Texas Blvd., which is home to the IHOP many UNT students frequent for late night fried food. But it is time to let go. With more and more vegan and vegetarian options popping up in the area and being successful, it follows that Denton is not quite as interested in quick and unhealthy meals as it once was. IHOP itself is an old chain founded in 1958. Customers are ready to venture into cleaner, greener pastures. Media arts freshman Claudia Andreessen would not be bothered by the restaurant’s absence. “We went there once and we didn’t like it,” Andreessen said. “I
don’t know if [that’s because] it’s an old IHOP or something.” The IHOP staff would not mind that much either. Manager Brooke Seymour, 20, said that when UNT gets ahold of the lot, she will just get a job elsewhere. “I would just want IHOP to let us know a little bit ahead of time,” Seymour said. “I’d like to have all my bases covered.” Denton is not lacking in places to eat, not even within walking distance of campus. Chipotle, Chicken Express, Jack in the Box, Subway and more can be reached relatively quickly on foot. If you live on campus, UNT’s state of the art Student Union has probably got you covered in the food department. Denton has quite a few of its own cult classic restaurants such as LSA Burger Co., Seven Mile Cafe, and Hypnotic Donuts. You might spend a little more at these places, but
the difference in quality is undeniable. With great local restaurants like these, you will not be missing IHOP. Chemistry sophomore Teran Nickells prefers other late night eateries to the pancake house. “Dix Coney Island is way better,” Nickells said. Dix Coney Island, another classic Denton restaurant, features similar items and prices as IHOP, and is open for 24 hours a day on the weekend. On Monday through Thursday, Dix’s keeps its doors open plenty late, closing at 4 a.m. Perhaps those finding themselves confused and aimless after IHOP is gone can find solace in Dix. The board of regentshas not disclosed what exactly the land will be used for, but hopes are high that UNT will make appropriate use of it. What if it is made into a parking lot? Doesn’t that sound nice? So when the day comes that IHOP closes its doors forever, remember what good may come, and remember the countless other options you have to fill that late night cheesy craving.
@coolrachdoritos
NTDAILY.COM
Addressing America’s gun violence problem starts with the Second Amendment By The Editorial Board America has settled into a sad reality the last few years. A deranged person with a gun causes a mass casualty situation and the nation predictably argues about gun control. Sandy Hook in 2012: 26 children and educators killed. San Bernardino in 2015: 14 dead. Pulse nightclub in 2016: 49 massacred. We mourn, we get pissed off and then we ask our leaders to stop the madness. Nothing changes. Last Sunday’s shootings in Las Vegas left 59 dead and over 500 injured. Despite the staggering amount of casualties and the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, the sad political cycle begins again. Something must be done. Both sides of the aisle can agree on that. American citizens continue to die in an endless cycle of semi-automatic gunfire triggering another round of calls for gun control. But it feels like neither side will ever reach the middle ground. Some people say banning guns outright would stop the senseless bloodshed. Some people say only a good guy with a gun can stop it. There are cases of both working. A good guy with a gun named Samuel Williams stopped two armed robbers at a Florida internet café. In the case of Las Vegas, however, a good guy with a gun could not have done much from the
crowd to hit the shooter, who was reportedly in a 32nd-floor sniper’s nest. On the other hand, Japan and Australia have both practically banned guns outright. The Japanese can legally own just air rifles and shotguns, and the process to get firearms is much more rigorous than that of America. In 2006, Japan saw just two gun-related homicides. It was a big year when the total jumped to 22 in 2008. Unlike America, however, both Japan and Australia are island nations. It is much tougher to get guns across their borders compared to America’s. Guns move across the Mexican-American border in mass quantity – and it goes both ways. In America, there have been 11,715 gun-related deaths and 273 mass shootings in 2017, according to www.gunviolencearchive.org. It is obvious the solution will not be simple. It will not be universally liked, and that is something we will have to accept as a society. We will not all agree on the gun rights issue because of this nation’s long-held tradition of bearing arms guaranteed by the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment was ratified in 1791 with tyranny in mind. It was about giving the people of America the right to bear arms to defend themselves from the British or any other power that should try to take over. It was a time of single-shot flintlock muskets and the blunderbuss, a predecessor of the shotgun. Times have changed. Weaponry has changed. The change will start with the Second Amendment. Our founding fathers could not have predicted what firearms would be capable of today. As for protection against foreign nations or a takeover of the U.S. government, owning a gun will not help. Sorry, but they have tanks, planes and bombs. The United States has updated the constitution in the past. The nation can do so again. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear we have the political will to change the Second Amendment or pass gun control laws to stop the carnage. But we have to try. Prayers and well wishes only go so far.
All illustrations by Max Raign
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