North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 90, No. 60, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 25, 2006 Page: 1 of 8
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NORTH TEXAS DAILY
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS
Volume 90 I Issue 60
ritdaily.com
Sunny
44° / 65°
Fraternity friends
Life page 3.
Softball
Sports page 6.
• Student Life, 3
• Arts,4-5
• Sports, 6
• Views, 7
• Classifieds, 8
• Sudoku, 8
NT, SGA consider new tuition plan
Plan encourages
students to graduate
faster, with fewer
hours
By Mason W. Canales
Staff writer
Students across campus may
find themselves figuring out
a new NT tuition plan as early
as next semester. The Student
Government Association's Web
site first mentioned the possible
change on Dec. 30.
According to the SGA Web
site, the tuition change would
be imple-
mented to try
and encourage
students to
graduate with
fewer semester
hours.
The average
NT student
has f53 hours
upon gradua-
tion, while the statewide average
is f48, said David Hall, SGA pres-
ident.
The SGA and the NT adminis-
tration started compiling data on
other universities' tuition plans,
Hall said. They have looked at
UT Austin, UT Arlington, Texas
Hall
A&M, UT El Paso, Texas Tech and
the University of Houston.
The only fair tuition plan for
part-time students is that of Texas
A&M, Hall said.
"It deserves ver y serious consid-
eration and that Texas A&M had
a very clear impact on students'
decision on whether or not to
take more than twelve hours,"
said Phillip Diebel, vice president
for finance and business affairs.
"More so than UT Austin or UT
Arlington's approach."
According to Hall, A&M's plan
is a flat rate plan where full-time
students who enroll between 12
and f8 plus hours pay the same
amount for school tuition. Part-
time students who are taking
under 12 hours pay what they are
spending now.
"There are a number of
reasons for that, one is that they
I the students] acquire less debt,
another is that they make it into
the business community faster
..." Diebel said.
The state legislature is respon-
sible for implementing the change,
Hall said.
" [The state] have asked that we
try and encourage a more rapid
graduation," Diebel said.
By working together, the SGA
and the NT administration strive
to find or create a metho d that will
work for NT students.
"We are looking at options that
we can explore to help students
take more hours during the
semester in order to graduate
early," Hall said.
The SGAhopes for students help
with possible tuition change.
"We are going to offer a series
of town hall meetings," Hall said.
"We are soliciting feedback on
our campus forum. And we are
putting together a power point
with Phil Diebel... which will go
on our Web site."
The meetings have yet to be
confirmed, but the first one will
be in early February, Hall said.
Also, the tuition change has a
long way to go if we decided to do
anything at all, he said.
"We are going to make a prelim-
inary presentation at February's
Board meeting," Diebel said. "I
will be making part of the presen-
tation then I will ask David Hall
to speak about the student's
perspective. He will talk about
some of the issues that students
will be concerned about."
According to Diebel, the tuition
plan must first meet the approval
of President Norval Pohl and
Chancellor Lee Jackson before
being submitted to the NT Board
of Regents.
The final plan will hopefully
be done prior to March when the
board meets again, Diebel said.
NT student
appears on
tal show
Discussion about the
transgender community
By Amberlee Sterling
Staff Writer
Andrew Jones, Lake Dallas senior, appeared on
a taping of TheMontel Williams Show Tuesday at 2
p.m. A viewing was held in the University Union
411, where Jones attended and answered questions
from the audience afterward. Being a transsexual
gay man, he was invited to appear on the show to
share his experiences as a transgender youth.
Dan Emenheiser, director of diversity educa-
tion, said The Montel Williams Show found Jones
by searching for transgender education on the
Internet. The show contacted Emenheiser, and
he contacted Jones.
"The goal would be transgender acceptance,"
Emenheiser said about yesterday's event. "Without
information people react on misinformation, and
that's not helpful."
Jones is the first recipient of the Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual, Transgender and Ally Scholarship in
Honor of Mary Finley. Sue Young, NT adminis-
trative assistant, funded and named the scholar-
ship after Finley who helped co-found NT's Ally
program in 1999.
Mary Finley, assistant director of the University
Union, said the show viewing was a benefit.
To understand what transgender means, Jones
said that people should understand the difference
between gender identification and sexual orien-
tation, which do not have to coincide.
According to Jones, gender identification is "how
you identify yourself either as male, female, neither
or both and sex is your physical body at birth."
Sexual orientation is who you are attracted to,
Jones said.
Jones was born physically female, but really real-
ized at 16 that his gender identity did not match
his sex. A short time after turning 17, he realized
he was gay.
"I had to be comfortable with my gender, before
I could even consider my sexuality," Jones said.
Transgender Care: Recommended Guidelines,
Practical Information and Personal Accounts
define transsexuals as, "Individuals who feel an
overwhelming desire to permanently fulfill their
lives as members of the opposite gender."
"They may or may not choose to physically tran-
sition," Jones said. "It depends on their comfort
level with their body."
Jones said he did not always know he was a
transsexual gay.
"I had to go through the separation of gender
identity, mannerisms and sexual orientation,"
Jones said. "I'm more comfortable living my life
as a male, and that's who I am."
At the viewing, Jones received a certificate of
appreciation for "promoting diversity and social
justice." Mariela Nunez-Janes, co-director of ethnic
studies program, presented the certificate on
behalf of the anthropology department.
See Transcending on page
Liliana Castillo/NT Daily
Sherene Abraham, Carrolton senior, speaks to Charlene Hughes, Fort Worth graduate, Dani
Pellet, Dallas senior and Sara Causey, Dallas senior, at the third practice for the upcoming
"Vagina Monologues." The play will take place Feb. 17-18 in the main performance hall in the
Auditorium Building at 7 p.m.
agina Monologues
Controversial play honors
'V-Day,' stirs student reactions
By Mindy Butler
Intern
NT's Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance
is preparing for the sixth annual production of
Eve Ensler's, "The Vagina Monologues," a series
of sometimes poignant, and often humorous
monologues about the relationship women
have with their vaginas.
"Monologues" is performed each year
around Valentine's Day in accordance with
an anti-violence movement nicknamed "V-
Day." According to the V-Day Web site, since
its inception in 1998, the day has sought to
be, "a catalyst that promotes creative events
to increase awareness, raise money and revi-
talize the spirit of existing anti-violence orga-
nizations."
Of the play and reactions to it's somewhat
controversial subject matter, production
members agree.
"Yes, it's shocking," said Sherene Abraham,
Carrollton senior and this year's director.
"We use terms that society has deemed
inappropriate, pornographic and malicious.
Be prepared. We will be in your face. We will
get you really riled up. If art doesn't provoke
you to do something, it is not doing its job.
The Vagina Monologues encourage you to do
something."
Substantial proof to support the claim arrived
in the form of attendance of approximately 2,000
people and approximately $14,000 raised last
year. The production has raised $64,000 over
the last 5 years.
Ten percent of the proceeds from this year's
event will go toward the Global V-Day Campaign
for Justice to 'Comfort Women,' a euphemism
used for females who were forced to offer sexual
services to the Japanese troops during World
War II. The remaining proceeds will be divided
between the causes of The Women of Iraq and
the Parkland Rape Crisis Center in Dallas.
Last September, Parkland Rape Crisis dedi-
cated its new play, "Therapy Room," in appre-
ciation of FMLA's $9,000 donation from the
proceeds of the 2005 production.
Reactions to the controversial play have not
always been positive. The 2005 production was
the subject of protests by two campus activists
groups The Young Conservatives of Texas and
Student Action initiative of North Texas.
Michele Connole, Lewisville senior and
executive director for the young conservatives,
said that though there are no plans for another
protest at this time, the chapter is teaming with
the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute for its
See Monologues on page 8
NT kicks of pedestrian sa ety campaign
7®
Courtesy photo
NT students gather at the Library Mall on Tuesday to learn
about bike safety awareness programs hosted by the NT Police
Deptartment. Ricky Olivarez, Crime Prevention Officer, helped
hand out t-shits to students.
NT Police and housing
departments team up to
make campus safer
ry:
Staff Writer
NT police and the housing depart-
ment initiated the "Be Green, Be Seen"
campaign to promote pedestrian and
bicycle safety on campus.
They kicked off the campaign with a
two-day event beginning yesterday and
continuing today with free food and give-
aways from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. between
Wo oten and Matthew Hall.
After noticing a large number of near
accidents in high-traffic areas like the
crosswalk outside of Crumley Hall,
Maureen Clouse, NT assistant director for
student leadership and judicial affairs for
housing, said she worked with Ricky
Olivarez, NT police crime prevention
officer, to find a way to bring awareness
to safety issues.
"I talked with Ricky [Olivarez] after we
started having problems with resident
pedestrians outside of resident halls,"
Clouse said. "The campaign just grew
from there when other departments who
care about pedestrian safety joined in."
With the growing campus population,
there will always be close calls, according
to Olivarez, which is why they want to
educate both students and drivers about
safety precautions like wearing clothing
they can be seen in.
The campaign will include posters
being placed around campus and small
stop signs being put in front of resident
halls, reminding students to look where
they are walking before they cross.
See Campaign on page 8
Bell attacks
Perry policy
Candidate concerned about
jobs, tuition, textbooks
By Leslie Wimmer
StaffWriter
On Monday, Chris Bell, democratic candidate for
governor, accused incumbent Rick Perry of using
the Texas Enterprise Fund as a "slush fund."
[Perry's] Enterprise Fund is more of a political
slush fund than anything," Bell said.
A "slush fund" is a fund for bribing public offi-
cials or carrying on corruptive propaganda on
behalf of special interests.
Robert Black, spokesman for Perry, disagreed
in an interview on Tuesday.
"The Texas Enterprise Fund is responsible for
creating more than 36,000 jobs," Black said. "Chris
Bell has no plan for creating jobs."
Perry was unavailable for comment because he
was on a trip to Iraq, office officials said.
The Texas Enterprise Fund is a $295 million
account. According to Perry's Web site it is a "deal-
closing fund." The Web site explains that the fund
is used for infrastructure and community develop-
ment, job training and business incentives.
Bell said his plan to increase work opportu-
nities in Texas puts job training hand-in-hand
with his plan to lower the cost of tuition at public
schools.
"We need to keep the drop out rate down and
make college affordable or the state won't be an
attractive place for new businesses," Bell said.
Bell said his
Bell
Born: 1959 in Abilene,
Texas
Journalism degree from
UT Austin, 1982
Law degree from South
Texas College of Law,
1992
Served on Houston City
Council, 1997
Elected to Congress,
2005
plan to make
the cost of
public univer-
sities afford-
able involves
tuition regu-
lation, or
reversing
House Bill
3015, signed by
Perry in 2003
and passed
by the Texas
Legislature.
HB 3015
explains
in section
one that, "a
governing
board of an
institution of
higher educa-
tion is autho-
rized to charge
... any student
an amount designated as tuition that the governing
board considers necessary for the effective opera-
tion of the institution."
On top of the tuition that students pay, public
universities also receive government funding.
Section 17 of the Texas Constitution says that
$100 million of the money coming into the state
treasury is to be given to the 26 colleges and univer-
sities listed in section 17 as eligible institutions.
NT is one of those institutions.
Bell said his overall goal is to bring tuition down
and raise the amount of state funding.
"I don't expect [universities] to stop charging
so much without the state appropriated funding,"
Bell said.
Another issue on Bell's ticket is to create a tax-
free textbook weekend. It would be similar to the
sales tax holiday that allows families and students
to buy items, mostly clothing, tax-free.
"It's a small but worthy step," Bell said.
Bell also discussed his position on controversial
issues like abortion and gay marriage.
Serving as a Democratic member of the House
of Representatives from 2003 to 2005, Bell had a
pro-choice voting record.
Bell also said that sex education in public schools
should include information about birth control.
"It's a controversial but important first step. You
can be taught the age appropriate medical infor-
mation, but schools choose not to," Bell said.
Bell voted against Proposition 2 in fall 2005. He
said he is against gay marriage but believes a move
toward civil unions is a good idea.
Election Day is Nov. 7, 2006. Bell is currently
running against Democrat Bob Gammage in the
primaries. Primary elections will be on Tuesday,
March 7.
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North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 90, No. 60, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 25, 2006, newspaper, January 25, 2006; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth145295/m1/1/: accessed June 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.