10-14-09 Edition

VIEWS:

NEWS:ARTS & LIFE:

Free tree registration goes onlinePage 2

Clinics aim to reduce students’ stressPage 4

SportsRunning back names Sun Belt player of the weekStory on Page 3

Affirmative action does not foster equalityPage 5

The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texasntdaily.com

News 1,2Arts & Life 4Sports 3Views 5Classifieds 6Games 6

Wednesday, October 14, 2009Volume 94 | Issue 28

Stormy79° / 65°

Volume 94 | Issue 28

BY BROOKE NOTTINGHAMIntern

In the season known to treat North Texas to cool sunshine and colorful foliage, students have woken up to alternating days of chilly drizzle and swampy fog for the past several weeks.

Parks have turned into flood plains and streets into rivers. Leaves that would be crisp and bright instead hang limp and exhausted from the rain, heat, rain, humidity and more rain pattern.

Students trudge around campus in the same fashion, squelching in wet shoes or rain boots. Some carry umbrellas while others sit in class damp, wondering what happened to the seasons of clear autumn sunshine.

According to the National Weather Service, students should get used to the wet weather.

The cooler temperatures and frequent rain is expected to stay throughout the season because of the El Niño cycle. Warmer

w inds that are genera l ly pushed to the Pacific around this time of year are creeping to the coastlines along North Mexico and South America.

“When that happens, warm air expands and has more moisture content, causing more rain,” said Kenneth Iles, of the geography department. “We’re under the influence of a subtropical jet stream that brings moisture and usually gives us a milder, wetter winter.”

An excess of moisture in the air with the kind of instability that comes with a cold front produces heavy rainfall.

Because of the unusual air patterns, North Texas has seen warm fronts and cold fronts in the past few weeks, which has also contributed to the soggy campus.

“The rain waters the grass. The trees are happy. The birds are happy,” Iles said. “Only students are aggra-vated because they don’t own umbrellas.”

However, students are upset

for a number of reasons. “This was going to be my

season to get in shape and start running, but now I can’t,” said Brooke Koslan, a political psychology junior.

The rain isn’t just keeping students inside, but also a

number of potential customers, leaving students in the service industry strapped for cash.

“Shoppers aren’t willing to visit stores, in addition to restaurants,” said Karolina Stewart, a server and merchan-dising senior. “Servers are dependent on tips. The rain has definitely put a dent in my wallet.”

For those who venture outside, they have to plan extra and practice caution. Rain can cause hazards for bicyclists who are more likely to lose control

on the slick pavement. “It’s dangerous. When the

sidewalk’s all wet, it’s easier to slip or hit people,” said Keaton Stevens, a language arts freshman. “I accidentally hit someone the other day who was walking slow because of

all the puddles.”Francesca Martinez, another

bike rider, said she walks to class when it rains. “There’s no way I can carry an umbrella on a bicycle, and I don’t want to get wet.”

Although hoofing it keeps her dry, it has also made her late to class.

Despite these complaints, Iles advises students to adjust to the wet weather.

“All I can say is, if you don’t own an umbrella, you need to buy one,” he said.

North Texas adjusts to El NiñoPHOTO BY RYAN BIBB/ INTERN

Umbrellas get plenty of use from students walking to class Friday. They have needed their umbrellas almost every day this month.

BY JOSH PHERIGOStaff Writer

Those who traverse t he UNT campus regularly may have not ic ed t he mu lt i-c olore d k ne e -h ig h f l a g s a nd spray-pa inted a rrows accent i ng t he g ra ss a nd sidewalks for the past two weeks.

The abundance of neon-colored utility markings is part of an ongoing project to determine the route and depth of underground utility lines, said Charles Jackson, executive director of facili-ties.

T h e c ont r a c t e d f i r m , Teag ue, Na l l and Perk ins, Inc., wil l place the under-ground utility system on a computerized geographically based grid.

Jac k s on s a id t he g r id would simplify the process of f inding uti l it y l ines for future university construc-tion projects.

“The project will focus on t he centra l main campus, and will not be taking place at Discovery Park,” he said.

Before this project, if there was a need for digging on campus, many agencies had to be notified to identify each utility line.

T he ne w s y s t e m w i l l centralize the information to a l low speci f ic l ines to be found and avoided more easily.

The project w il l require e x t e n s i v e m a ppi n g a nd boring to identify the exact route a nd dept h of each line.

“The contractors will bore holes i nto t he g rou nd at various locations throughout campus to determine l ine depth,” Jackson said.

Shannon Rogers, an Eagle A mbassador i n t he Eag le Student Services Center, said she has noticed the brightly colored markings for weeks but was unawa re of t heir purpose.

“I was just ta lk ing w it h my tour group about it,” said Rogers, a hospitality manage-ment and business economics sophomore. “I told them that I imagined it must be impor-

tant if they’re turning our green grass so pink.”

Nicole Cocco, v ice-pres-ident of t he Nor t h Texas Energ y a nd Env i ron ment club, said she has also noticed the neon-markings.

“I t h i n k t he colors a re obnoxious,” Cocco said. “But, if they’re temporary and will prevent future more intrusive activities, then it’s definitely a good thing.”

Cocco also said she hopes the boring of holes will be completed in the sma llest and most environmentally friendly way possible.

Teague, Nall and Perkins, Inc. could not be reached for comment on the extent and process of the boring.

Jackson said the project shou ld be completed by November.

He also indicated that all markings w il l be removed after completion.

“It’s all just a temporary thing,” Jackson said. “The spray-pa int shou ld easi ly wash-off, and the f lags will be picked up.”

PHOTO BY KHAI HA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Flags and writings mark the paths of underground utility lines across campus. The information will be used to create a geographic grid of the lines.

Neon-colored markings show campus digging sites

BY AMBER ARNOLDSenior Staff Writer

UNT’s combined budget has exceeded $1 billion for the first time in its history.

The combined budgets of the university, the health science center, UNT Dallas and the system headquarters make up this number, said Andrew Harris, vice presi-dent for finance and admin-istration.

“You can all be very proud of the contributions you’ve made that have made this possible,” he said.

Harris said universities are divided into two basic g roups : t hose t hat have reached a budget of more than $1 bil lion and those who haven’t.

This is quite an accom-pl i sh ment for U N T, he said.

Harris delivered the news at the division of f inance and administration’s town hall meeting at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in t he Si lver Eagle Suite.

Jean Bush, associate vice president for finance, elabo-rated on the financial situ-ation of the UNT Denton campus.

I n add it ion to U N T’s increased budget, it has also seen an increase in its credit rating for the first time in 14 years, Bush said.

“We’ve had a really steady climb in net assets,” she said.

The tuition from UNT’s grow ing student popula-tion has contributed to the grow t h of t he universit y financially.

Bush a lso added t hat tuit ion has seen a steady rise but not the significant jumps that other universi-ties have experienced.

“We have basically locked

in mandatory fees other than the slight increase in union fees,” she said.

Ot her business during the meeting included infor-mation about UNT’s Hertz Connect program, which was launched in August.

The program is the newest form of alternative transpor-tation, said Joe Richmond, associate director for trans-portation services.

UN T tea med up w it h Connect by Hertz to create the program aimed at UNT’s faculty, staff and students without transportation.

“This is great for interna-tional students who want to explore the metroplex,” Richmond said. “You don’t need a car to come to school here at UNT. We can get you to campus, and we can do even more now.”

The program provides four cars intended for personal use, wh ich a nyone who is accepted for the Hertz membership card can rent.

The meeting concluded with Donna Keener, assis-tant vice president of human resources, discussing the ne w c l a s si f ic at ion a nd compensation program.

C l a s s i f i c a t i o n a n d compensation refers to the positions of faculty and staff and their pay, she said.

However, it is more than just job titles and pay raises, she said.

The new program will be competency-based with a new philosophy of ta lent management, Keener said.

Keener said the univer-sity will be an advocate for employees by advancing and promoting within the UNT community.

To view the finance and administration town hall meeting, please visit http://web3.unt/vcstream/.

To read the full NT Daily story about Hertz Connect please v isit: http://ntdai-l y d a t a b a s e . c o m / i n d e x .php?s=hertz.

UNT budgets pass $1 billion

“All I can say is, if you don’t own an umbrella, you need to buy one.”

—Kenneth IlesGeography professor

New programs contribute to record budget

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NewsPage 2 Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Shaina Zucker & Courtney RobertsNews Editors

[email protected]

BY CAROLYN BROWNSenior Staff Writer

Pre-law students don’t need to worr y about f inding an internship in the legal profes-sion for their resumes, a new study found.

K apla n Test P rep a nd Admissions recently released the results of a survey that found taking an internship or job in the legal profession may not help law school appli-cants get into their chosen schools.

“There is no magic formula

as to what makes you look bet ter or more compet i-t ive,” sa id Jef f T homa s, Kaplan’s director of pre-law programs.

Thomas sa id some law school applicants try to do internships at law firms or other related fields to boost t hei r resu mes. However, working in the legal field does not automatically make appli-cants look better, he said.

The study’s f indings are part of the company’s annual survey of law school admis-

Pre-law internships, experience may not help students

Tree giveaway continues online pre-registration

PHOTO COURTESY OF MENDIE SCHMIDT

Keep Denton Beautiful will give out 1,000 trees this year to Denton residents at the 11th Annual Community Tree Giveaway on Oct. 24.

BY CYNTHIA CANOIntern

Denton County taxpayers are now able to pay their motor vehicle registration and prop-erty taxes online or by phone using a debit or credit card.

T h i s i n it iat i ve be g a n on Oct. 1 because of the repeated requests made by Denton County taxpayers for a system such as this, said Steve Mossman, Denton county tax assessor and collector.

“People have been requesting this service for as long as I’ve been in off ice,” Mossman said. “That is seven-and-a-half years.”

Denton resident Tony Blanco thinks this will be convenient

because it will be easier to keep track of credit card payments as compared to writing and keeping track of checks.

“I would use it, provided t here a re no processing charges,” Blanco said.

But convenience comes with a price.

Mossman said the county it s el f c a n not ch a r ge a merchant or processing fee when ta xpayers use their credit or debit cards to pay, but Denton County has contacted Vita lCheck, a Lex isNex is company that processes credit card payments for government entities, and they will charge the service fee.

Mossman said taxpayers

would have to pay $2.50 for every debit card transaction. When paying with a credit card, taxpayers could pay up to 4 percent of the actual trans-action, which can add up to $50 in service fees alone.

“I believe it is going to make it more convenient,” Mossman said. “But I don’t recommend it because of the service fee.”

Dining Services employee Teresa Oliva rez sa id she would not use this new service because she is satisfied with her current method of paying property taxes.

“The service fee seems a little high,” Olivarez said. “I use ESCRO, it doesn’t cost me anything.”

ESCRO is a n accou nt taxpayers set up with their mortgage company to deter-mine how much they will have to pay for homeowners insur-ance and property taxes based on the amounts from previous years.

“I like using ESCRO because the money needed to make those payments is already set aside,” Olivarez said. “You don’t have to come up with large amounts of money at the end of the year.”

Denton resident Billi Gravely said she thinks this form of payment is a bad idea because people are not going to think about their means and may rack up their credit card bills.

County gives Denton taxpayers payment options

BY CALI A. THOMPSONContributing Writer

The Keep Denton Beautiful orga nizat ion is using t he Internet to help make “going green” easier for Denton resi-dents.

Instead of waiting in line for a free tree during the organi-zation’s community tree give-away on Oct. 24, residents are asked to pre-register online before Oct. 16.

“Even by the time we got there to start setting up, there was a huge l ine of people wanting trees,” said Emily Fr it t , a sociolog y sen ior. “Pre-registration should make it easier for people getting the trees.”

Fritts volunteered with the organization in 2005 for the tree giveaway at the City of Denton Municipal Landfil l and said she recalled how busy t he g iveaway cou ld get.

The purpose of the online pre-registration is to relieve work on the day of the give-away.

As of Oct. 12, almost 700 residents had already pre-re g i stere d, s a id Mend ie Schmidt, event and outreach coordinator.

T h e p r e - r e g i s t r a t i o n process proved successful in 2008, which prompted the decision to continue it this year, Schmidt said.

Last year during the event,

the organization gave away about 1,100 trees to about 500 residents. This year, the orga-nization plans to distribute 1,000 trees to the commu-nity.

The online pre-registra-tion also gives the organiza-tion demographic informa-tion about residents receiving trees. It allows the group to geographically track where the trees are going throughout Denton, Schmidt explained.

Members of the organiza-tion said they hope to keep in contact with tree recipi-ents. The organization plans to develop a “Me and My Tree” program to share stories and pictures with the community, Schmidt said.

The tree species in t he giveaway are native Texas hardwoods, including Bald Cypress, Bur Oak, Cedar Elm, Live Oak, Pecan, Red Oak, Redbud and Sweetgum.

The trees stay in a nursery for two to three years before they are matured enough to be given away, Schmidt said.

The cost of ra ising t he sapling trees to adequate maturity level for giveaway runs about $10 each, which is paid for by the organiza-tion.

“That means that we give away more than $10,000 worth of trees each year,” she said.

To encourage more residents to sign up for the free trees,

the organization promotes the benefits of having tree-filled neighborhoods.

Program manager Aimee Dennis said trees lower air pollution, help with storm water runoff, increase prop-erty value for homes and busi-nesses and can help insulate

buildings. “The trees themselves also

add to keeping Denton green and beautiful,” she said.

Ben Huttash, a geography junior, said he always planted trees his mother collected through the giveaway event.

“She a lway s pick s t he

m a j e s t i c - l o o k i n g o a k s because of the soil and sedi-ment in the region we live in,” he said. “I find the whole process of Mother Earth very interesting.”

Keep Denton Beaut i f u l members sa id t hey look forward to distributing the

trees at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 at t he Cit y of Denton Municipal Landfill, at 1100 S. Mayhill Road.

Trees will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Those seeking trees must pre-register online at www.kdb.org.

“People have been requesting this service for as long as

I’ve been in office.”-Steve Mossman

Denton County tax assessor and collector

“It could have a negative effect,” Gravely said. “Using a credit card to pay property taxes could be a problem.”

Gravely, who a lso uses ESCRO, said her property taxes range from three to four thou-sand dollars a year and paying a processing fee would only add to the interest rate she pays.

“Even if I didn’t use ESCRO, I would try not to pay with a credit card,” Gravely said. “That could get out of control real quick.”

sions officers. Officers from 152 law schools across the nation participated in the survey, according to an Oct. 6 Kaplan press release.

Less than half of them said internships or jobs in the legal profession give applicants an advantage in the admissions process.

Of those who answered, 4 percent said legal experience offers a “great advantage”, and 36 percent said it offers “some advantage,” according to the press release. Almost one in five officers said it offers appli-cants “no advantage at all.”

Admissions off icers said they also want to see students

follow their own passions and make a difference in their c lubs a nd com mu n it ies. However, Thomas said the survey should not discourage students from doing intern-ships.

Such experience can help people decide whether they rea l ly want to attend law school, he said.

Pre-law adviser Barbara Kirby said although appli-cants’ Law School Admission Test scores and grade point averages are the most impor-tant admission factors, she encourages students to do internships if they f it into their schedules.

A lthough the LSAT and GPA take precedent, it is still important for pre-law students to be well-rounded people, she said.

“With all of the applicants to law school, you’re going to be competing with a lot of people who have the same numbers that you do,” she said. “Therefore, you have to have something that separates you from the others.”

Internships can also provide important networking oppor-tunities, she said.

Law schools tend to look more closely at internships and extracurricular activi-ties based on their rankings.

Highly ranked schools tend to emphasize LSAT scores and GPA’s, and lower-ranked ones tend to more closely consider the other parts of the applica-tion as well, Kirby said.

Er i n Cleg g, a pol it ica l science senior, is applying to eight law schools, and did an internship for a law firm last spring, she said. Although she said she doesn’t think it will give her a great advantage in the admissions process, she did benefit from the experi-ence.

“It did give me great insight about what I would be experi-encing in law school and after I get my degree,” she said.

Read the editorial on tax payment options on page 5

BY ERIC JOHNSONSenior Staff Writer

La nce Dunba r took t he field Saturday night for his first start in a Mean Green uniform, embarrassed the Ragin’ Cajun defense, and wa l ked of f t he f ield w it h 224 yards, four touchdowns and the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week Award.

Dunbar’s four touchdowns tied a school record, and he now leads the team with 385 ya rds r ush i ng a nd seven touchdow ns. T he sopho-more running back does it a l l with an ear-to-ear grin that he wears each moment of the day.

“ T h at k id i s a l w a y s smiling, you can’t get him to stop,” defensive captain Tobe Nwigwe, a sociology senior, said. “If he continues to work as hard as he does, no one can match his explosiveness. I have not seen anyone with that kind of skill set. There is no doubt on my mind that he can play on that next level and star on Sundays.”

The success so fa r t his season is nothing new for Dunbar, as he grew up excel-ling on the peewee fields of Louisiana. At 5 years old, a nyone watch ing Du nba r knew he had a bright future as a football player.

“From t he moment he started playing you could tell he was going to make some-thing of himself,” Dunbar’s mother Patricia Jones said. “He was not even supposed to start playing for another year, and he went out there and out played the older kids.”

Forced to moveAfter spending his youth

and starting high school in New Orleans, Dunbar and his fa mily were forced to leave their home because of Hurricane Katrina.

In the fall 2005, they moved to Ha ltom Cit y, near Fort Worth, in time for Dunbar’s junior year.

Despite leav i ng a l l h is friends and the life he knew behind for a new environ-ment, Du nba r made t he

transition without a single complaint.

“He made the move so much easier on me,” Jones said. “He handled it with such matu-rity, and set a great example for his younger sister. I am so proud of the man that he was and still is today.”

During his two full seasons at Ha ltom H ig h School, Dunbar shined as a two-sport star, lettering in track in addi-tion to football.

On the track he honed his speed for football, running the 100- and 200-meter dashes and leading the charge for the speed relay teams.

On Friday n i g h t s , Dunbar made a l iv i ng by t e r r o r i z i n g District 3-5A, r ush i ng for o v e r 1, 0 0 0 yards in each of h i s t w o seasons.

D u n b a r earned f irst t e a m a l l -d i s t r i c t h on or s f or his final two c a m p a i g n s at Haltom High School, and was the team’s most valuable player his senior season.

“Lance is one of the most rema rkable ta lents t hat I have ever seen,” Haltom head coach Scot Haf ley said. “He makes a coaches job so much easier because of his talent and work ethic. He kept us in a lot of games that we could not have won without him.”

Choosing UNTW hen c ol le ge c oache s

started down the recruiting t ra i l, Ha ltom Cit y wa s a premiere destination because of Dunbar’s distinguishing talent.

Oklahoma State University, a nd t he u n i v er s it ie s of Colorado and Virginia were all selling their programs, but it was Dunbar’s former high school coach a nd current Mean Green wide receivers

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SportsWednesday, October 14, 2009 Page 3

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BY JONAH KUEHNEContributing Writer

The last t r iat h lon of the season will be Sunday at 7 a.m. in the Denton Nat ator iu m . T he r ac e consists of a 250-yard swim, 16 miles of rolling hills on a bike and a three-mile run on a closed road.

In the spirit of the season, the Monster Two Triathlon will give competitors the option to wear costumes. The Mean Green partici-pated in the event last year, so the participants know what to expect in this race of ghouls and vampires.

“I l ike the natatorium course and I actually prefer it just because the roads are so smooth,” said Corey Den n is, a n u ndecla red sophomore. “The hills are just an obstacle that you have to deal with. I’m not worried about it.”

Dennis, who is going to do more races outside of the club, is choosing not to go with the Halloween theme.

“This is my last triathlon race of the year,” Dennis said. “So I’m just going to go out and race. I don’t want to worry about wearing any kind of costume.”

Club president Amanda Poland said only a select few of the racers in the NT club are going to dress up,

and the majority is going to concentrate on the race.

Denton has seen a lot of rain in the past month and the competitors might have to deal with it in the upc om i ng r ac e, a long with the possibility of cold weather.

According to Poland, the temperature could actually factor in on her decision to wear a costume or not.

“If it’s going to be warm, I probably won’t wear a costume because of the heating and cooling of the body,” Poland, a kinesiology senior, said. “If it’s going to be really cold, I might dress up, but at the same time, if you’re having extra clothes, it’ll interfere with the tran-sition and it may impede your bike and run split.

Ben Drezek, a histor y senior, won the Denton’s Old College Triathlon when it ran at UNT and placed in the Stonebridge Triathlon in the 30 to 34 age group. Drezek says he looks forward to whatever the race brings, especially the cold.

“I prefer the cold,” Drezek said. “A lot of people really hate it, but I don’t mind it at all. Losing all feeling and going numb means you don’t feel the pain. In the heat you feel everything, but some people do better in it than others.”

Triathletes scare away competition

Athlete of the Week: Smiling football star Lance Dunbar

Funning back Lance Dunbar threads his way through the defense during practice Tuesday. Dunbar, an undeclared sophomore, was named the Sun Belt Conference O� ensive Player of the Week for his 224-yard game against the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns.

Triathlon member Chris Krueger crosses the � nish line at the Old College Tri in Denton on Sept. 13.

PHOTO BY AUGUSTA LIDDIC / PHOTOGRAPHER

PHOTO BY DREW GAINES / PHOTOGRAPHER

Lance Dunbar

coach, Clayton George, that reeled in the top-50 Dallas-Fort Worth ranked recruit.

“I rea l ly t r usted coach George,” Dunbar said. “We had a really good relation-ship during high school, and I really wanted to come here a nd have a n oppor tunit y to play and help turn this program around.”

Earning playing timeW h i le mo s t f r e s h men

were busy being redshirted, Dunbar proved to coaches and teammates that he had the talent and determination

to make an impact from the start.

“ F r o m d a y o n e w a t c h i n g h i m , y o u knew he was a big play g uy,” head coach Todd Dodge said. “He pushes himself, he loves what he does and he will be a big pa r t of what we do here for a

long time.”As a true freshman, Dunbar

gained 229 total yards and s c or e d t w o touc hdow n s despite getting limited carries behind incumbent starter Cam Montgomer y, a post-graduate senior.

T h e 5 - f o o t - 9 - i n c h , 200-pou nd l ig ht n ing bolt worked ha rd over t he of f season, proving to his team that he would do what was necessary to get better and help it win football games.

That attribute was noticed by his suite-mate and current start ing quarterback Ri ley Dodge.

“The guy is unbelievably mot ivated,” R i ley Dodge, t he u nde cla re d re d sh i r t f r e s h m a n , s a id . “He i s a lways ta lking about foot-ball, always working to get better. He really understands the game and will have a lot

to do with us winning games in the future.”

The green blur that has b e e n r u n n i n g t h r o u g h opposing defenses the last two games is Lance Dunbar, proving that he is a complete running back. Back-to-back games with more than 100 yards and multiple touch-downs is what Dunbar expects from himself.

“This is the standard from now on,” Dunbar said. “I will not allow myself to play to any other level. I came here to help win football games and that is what I will drive myself to do.”

Off the fieldHe has been an honor roll

student during every level of grade school and continues to excel in the classroom at UNT.

Off the field, Dunbar is a humble person who enjoys spending time with his team-mates and his family, and always keeps an upbeat and positive attitude.

“He is always laughing and smiling and putting everyone around him in a good mood,” Riley Dodge said. “He is just a goofy guy, who is a lot of fun to be around.”

Dunbar is undecided on a major, but does enjoy working with kids.

He is t hin k ing about a possible career in coaching, if he does not suit up in an NFL uniform first.

“Obviously I would love to play on Sundays,” he said. “That is something every kid dreams of. For now, I am just focused on my teammates and helping this program.”

Jones has never missed one of her son’s games, and no matter what path Dunbar’s career takes, she will always remember her son’s remark-able performance Saturday.

“I was crying in the stands because I was so happy for him,” Jones said. “I am so proud for the man he has become, and I know with the kind of person and player he is I will be going to games on Sundays one day.”

BY GRACIELA RAZOSenior Staff Writer

For students who believe they are doomed to be night owls forever, the Sleep and Health Research Lab at UNT offers a solution to their problem.

The lab was created in 2004 to research sleep disorders and other risk factors in poor quality of sleep, especially in college students.

Da n iel Taylor of t he psychology faculty began the lab to conduct his research and to give students working toward a career in research a place to gain experience.

The program works through various grants and performs its studies on volunteers.

“We have been very produc-tive research-wise,” Taylor said. “We are one of the only grad-uate programs that is certified to train students in behavioral sleep medicine.”

Students with sleep prob-lems are also seeing the bene-fits of the lab.

Taylor and his team of researchers have done studies on insomnia. They concluded women and those with psychi-atric and medical disorders are most likely to suffer from it.

They are conducting studies to see whether college students with insomnia are more likely to develop psychiatric disor-ders and have worse antibody responses to the flu.

“We’ve shown it is possible to treat insomnia in college students w it h cog nit ive

therapy,” Taylor said. “If students are more evening types, we can make them morning types.”

Taylor said the lab’s research has shown those more active during night hours tend to have more difficulty in school than those more active in the morning.

The cognit ive therapy, known as chronotherapy, is available to students in the UNT Psychology Clinic in Terrill Hall 171.

Taylor super v ises t he students who work at the clinic while they provide solutions to insomnia and other sleep problems.

The clinic provides students with affordable solutions to their sleep problems because fees are paid on a sliding scale based on income and depen-dents, said Courtney Prather, a graduate student who works as a therapist in the clinic.

“Students are under a lot of stress, and sleep is usually the first thing to go,” Prather said.

Prather said apart from therapy, the clinic teaches students how to get a better quality of sleep through controlling their environ-ment.

“Not getting enough sleep can contribute to depression and anxiety, so it is impor-tant to maintain a regular sleep schedule and get enough sleep,” Prather said.

Derrik Diaz, a radio, televi-sion, and film senior, said even

though he gets the recom-mended eight hours of sleep a night, other factor such as his weight and sinus problems prevent him from sleeping well.

“There are times when I sleep enough, and I still feel really tired,” Diaz said. “I just wake up tired, and my body feels as though it’s not getting enough oxygen.”

He would go to the clinic to check if he has sleep apnea, a sleep disorder in which the person pauses to breathe in his or her sleep, he said.

“I think the clinic’s work is very necessary,” Diaz said. “It’s really good, especially for college students because the stress they have will often affect the way they sleep.”

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Arts & LifePage 4 Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Kip MooneyArts & Life Editor

[email protected]

PHOTO BY KHAI HA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

BY LISA GARZAContributing Writer

The UNT Counseling and Testing Center may not be able to make problems disappear, but the new Stress Reduction Group teaches students how to cope.

Students who experience severe an x iet y and panic attacks are welcome to join the group on Mondays from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Chestnut Hall 311.

“College students are expe-r iencing a unique devel-

Group beats stress with animal therapy, discussion

Lab studies sleep issues

Ways to get better sleep:

Maintain a regular sleep • schedule

Don’t drink caffeine or • alcohol before going to sleep

Don’t eat before going • to sleep

Don’t watch televi-• sion or read in your bedroom

Wake up at a reasonable • hour even if you didn’t get enough sleep

Don’t sleep with the • television on

opment a l per iod a ssoci-ated with transitioning from family dependence to indepen-dence, and making choices/decisions that will effect their future,” said Mark Johnson, assistant director of the UNT Neu rot herapy L ab i n a n e-mail.

Counseling psychologist Pamela Flint recommends patients falling into this cate-gory try individual counseling first.

St udent s i nterested i n joining the group must be

interviewed before attending any meetings.

The purpose of this screening is to inform students what to expect and ensure they are compatible with the group environment. They are also made aware of the group’s confidentiality.

“Whatever is said in group is kept in the group,” she said. “It’s private.”

Dakota, a yellow Labrador retriever, is an integral part of the group.

As a certified therapy dog, she assists Flint with putting the members at ease by inter-acting with them.

Flint said students enjoy talking to each other. They can share strategies with each other but are not pressured to participate in group discus-sions.

“There’s something that helps people when they see that other people experience the same thing, and you don’t feel all alone,” she said.

In his ex per ience as a resea rcher, Joh n son ha s observed a frequent cause of stress for students.

“A student may attempt to cope maladaptively and turn to food, alcohol/substance abuse etc,” Johnson said.

Some st udents t u r n to anxiety medication for their stress. While Flint recognizes the benefits of this medicine, she notes the possibility of side effects and cautions against its exclusive use as a treatment.

Medicine will not help solve problems that contribute to stress but it will calm people down, she said.

“I’m not against meds on any level. I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” Flint said. “This is a normal kind of thing to deal with, stress, so I don’t think it has to be pathologized.”

Students make a commit-ment to attend every group meeting but are not penalized if they are unable to make it.

“They kind of laugh when I say: ‘If you miss a group, you don’t have to stress out,” Flint said.

Call 940-565-2741 or e-mail Pam Flint at [email protected] to schedule an interview.

Pamela Flint sits with Dakota, her 3-year-old Labrador retriever. Dakota is trained to help reduce stress.

Got a kidney? Then consider yourself lucky. And compound that consideration if your kidney isn’t failing and you’re not on Medicare.

I make this point to shed some light on a fundamental flaw in one of Medicare’s policies.

Medicare is a federally funded program that provides health insurance for the elderly, people with a disability or those with irreversible kidney failure. The program regularly foots the bill for kidney transplants but stops paying for the anti-rejection drugs after only 36 months.

The drugs, which turn off the immune system, prevent the recipient’s body from recog-nizing the new organ as a foreign body and attacking it.

I nt er e s t i ng l y enou g h, Medicare will kick back in when

the donor kidney fails because of the lack of anti-rejection drugs, paying for $70,000 a year for dial-ysis and even another $100,000 for a kidney transplant.

Obviously, the people on Medicare cannot afford this illogical policy.

Thus far, bills to change the policy haven’t even made it to a vote in Congress because a huge cost is associated with continuing to pay for anti-rejec-tion drugs.

A r e c e nt Ne w Yor k Times article reported the Congressional Budget Office estimated unlimited coverage would add $100 million a year to the $23 billion Medicare kidney program.

However, this cost is a trifle compared to allowing recipients to go without the drugs.

The cost of care for kidney transplant recipients is $17,000 a year, according to the United States Renal Data System. Most of this money is spent on anti-rejection drugs, which cost $1,000 to $3,000 a month.

Compare that to the cost of multiple patients going back on dialysis for years while waiting to receive another kidney when the first transplant fails.

The government’s organ donor site, www.organdonor.gov, lists the wait time for a new kidney as 1,121 days — the longest wait time listed on the site.

The cost benefit is obvious.The Congressional Budget

Office says the federal budget is on an “unsustainable path” because of the rising cost of health care.

Offer your congressman a solution and support a simple anti-rejection drug refill.

C ont ac t C ong re s sm a n Michael Burgess by calling 972-434-9700 or writing to Lewisville District Office, 1660 South Stemmons Freeway, Suite 230, Lewisville, TX 75067.

Kerry Solan is a journalism junior. She can be reached at [email protected].

I have to admit, this column was inspired by a Facebook status I saw the other day. The status read: “When a man talks dirty to a woman, it is sexual harassment. When a woman talks dirty to a man, it is $3.50 a minute.”

Ironically, this is the situ-ation in most parts of the world.

Appa rent ly we bel ieve in equality, so long as the “weaker sex” is kept protected. The very term “weaker sex” as the justification for such poli-cies assumes women are not born equal, hence they need to be protected.

And it doesn’t just stop at gender “equality.”

The justification for affir-mative action is to “provide a fair competitive environ-ment for historically disad-vantaged individuals.” Keep in mind, by 2050 it is esti-mated white will no longer be the majority ethnic group in the United States.

There a re t wo points I would like to bring up here.

First, have we forgotten Ezekiel 18:20? It is a Bible verse wh ich states, “T he person who sins will die. The

son will not bear the punish-ment for the father’s iniq-uity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.”

Indeed if we were to qualify ourselves by what our forefa-thers faced, when will “affir-mative action” end? W hen will the playing field be fair enough to say we can do without it?

This brings me to my second point. Someday the minorities will no longer be minorities — the experts think this will be achieved in 2050. At this point in time, will we be ready to do away with affirmative action or will we start killing over defending a “right”?

The issue with democracy is that we function within i nterest g roups. Interest groups would be happy to gain more “rights,” but after gaining these rights, it would be hard to give them up.

Indeed, the accurate meta-phor of representative democ-racy is of one where everyone tries to grab — and keep —

as much as of the pie as they can.

But is it a “right” in the first place?

The truth is such policies are not inherent rights that everyone is born with. It is a privilege given to “balance out” the unfair playing field.

Once the field is leveled out, however, should we still be granting this privilege? Maybe we should ask if the beneficia-ries of such policies would be willing to give up their share of the pie.

Some might question the r ight of a n internat iona l student to bash American policies. But hold it r ight there! Affirmative action is not something new to me.

In Malaysia, aff irmative action was made available for the economically disad-vantaged in the 1960s. At that point in time, the economy was unequally distributed.

Imagine this: All the auto-mobiles in t he streets of Malaysia were Chinese.

As time passed, however, the policy worked and the playing field is once again fair.

Yet, even after the desired

outcome has been attained, the beneficiaries of affirma-tive action policies claim it is their “right.” And naturally, because it is a right, they are hesitant to give it up.

The policies made to bring about fairness are now the source of unfairness.

As such, being a Malaysian and knowing the possible negative outcome of affirma-tive action, I fear for the future of America.

With these policies, and s t r o n g i n t e r e s t g r o u p s defending them, we should sta rt worr y ing about t he possibility that affirmative action will be the new source of injustice and inequality.

Jamie Chin Han Khoo is a psychology senior. He can be reached at [email protected].

Views Amanda MielcarekViews Editor

[email protected]

Wednesday, October 14, 2009 Page 5

The Editorial Board includes: Andrew McLemore, Amanda Mielcarek, Shaina Zucker, Courtney Roberts, Brooke Cowlishaw, Kip Mooney, Abigail Allen, Sydnie Summers, Brianne Tolj, Christena Dowsett, Justin Umberton, and David Lucio

Want to be heard?The NT Daily does not necessari-ly endorse, promote or agree with the viewpoints of the columnists on this page. The content of the columns is strictly the opinion of the writers and in no way re-flects the belief of the NT Daily.

The NT Daily is proud to present a variety of ideas and opinions from readers in its Views section. As such, we would like to hear from as many NT readers as possible. We invite readers of all creeds and back-grounds to write about whichever issue excites them, whether concerning politics, local issues,

ethical questions, philosophy, sports and, of course, anything exciting or controversial.Take this opportunity to make your voice heard in a widely read publication. To inquire about column ideas, submit columns or letters to the editor, send an e-mail to [email protected]

Note to Our Readers

NT Daily Editorial Board

Charging taxes will increase debt

Medicare policy needs revision

Affirmative action kills equality

Editorial

{{{

Campus Chat

Scott DraperPsychology senior

Eli HartleyGeneral studies senior

Josh EcclestonBusiness junior

Do you think President Obama deserved to win the Nobel Peace

Prize this year?

“I don’t think it was deserved at all, someone who’s done something

fantastic should have won.”

“No, he hasn’t done anything yet, wasn’t he

nominated 12 days after taking office?”

“I don’t know who won last year so I couldn’t really say. I’m a fan of Obama’s,

but I don’t think it’s deserved.”

Thanks to a new payment option that became avail-able on Oct. 1, Denton County residents can now pay their taxes with credit and debit cards.

The county has contracted with VitalCheck to process credit transactions online or over the phone. People who choose to pay with credit will pay a fee for the service.

The new service was intended to accommodate the public’s request to have the option of paying with plastic.

The new option of paying with a debit card is a posi-tive step forward. It allows residents the convenience of paying online or over the phone without compro-mising them in any way.

The new addition of paying with credit, however, is not such a good idea.

The average outstanding credit card debt for house-holds that have a credit card was $10,679 at the end of 2008, according to a Nilson Report published in April 2009.

Allowing residents to pay their taxes with credit will only encourage the accumulation of more debt.

This will especially affect lower income families who think it is a better idea to pay off their taxes little by little, but in the end are forced to deal with the accumulation of even more debt because of interest and fees.

Rather than paying with credit, a more viable option is to pay in partial payments. This will give residents a little more leeway in paying their taxes, though they must still pay any remaining amount by Jan. 31, after which penalty fees and interest will begin to accrue.

As with any big purchase, people should pay their debt all at once rather than putting it off and, in the end, paying more than they otherwise would have.

For more information on paying with credit or debit cards, or on partial payments, visit www.tax.dentoncounty.com, or call the Denton County Office at 940-349-3500.

{Nicole Cooper

International studies junior

“It was a step in the right direction. He’s brought so many people all over the world together, I think he

deserved it.”

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# 1

V. EASY # 1

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V. EASY # 2

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# 3

V. EASY # 3

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V. EASY # 4

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Page 1 of 25www.sudoku.com 24 Jul 05

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5 8 9 2 7 3 1 4 63 1 4 6 9 5 2 8 76 7 2 4 1 8 5 3 92 3 8 7 5 9 6 1 44 6 7 1 8 2 9 5 39 5 1 3 4 6 7 2 81 4 5 8 6 7 3 9 28 2 6 9 3 1 4 7 57 9 3 5 2 4 8 6 1

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V. EASY # 28

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