2006 Homecoming Issue

HOMECOMING

2006 Supplement to the NT Daily

GAME impact pg10

TAMS dance pg15

schedule

of EVENTS

pg8

October 6, 2006...

October 6, 2006...

The NT Daily has an interesting history and some tales worth the telling. In 1916, the University of North Texas was North Texas State Normal College, and the predecessor to the NT Daily was the Campus Chat. Early issues carried an article exhorting students to read and discuss the paper and some headlines to grab your attention. One headline read, “Faculty Treats Many Students Unmercifully.” Rather than starving or whipping the students, the university had not canceled Sunday after-noon activities, preventing students from attending the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Another said, “Normal Football Men Enjoy Banquet and Smoker.” The occa-sion was when the team had its annual lunch and cigars at the Elks Hall. Campus Chat had an annual sub-scription charge of $1.25. The college had around 1,500 students then. Today’s paper is available to more than 32,000 students, faculty and staff. The experimental early editions docu-ment campus news, sometimes touched by world events. Former students are killed in the First World War and warning is given against Spanish flu. With such a small student body, the paper could detail who had gone home for the weekend and who was ailing or recovered. Coverage of chapel and sport-ing events was prominent. The sports coverage is still strong and world events are reflected in the opinions of students. Keith Shelton, who was instrumental in the development of the NT Daily from 1970, tells his favorite stories. “During the Vietnam War protests,” he said, “there were ex-marines and hippies, for and against the war. The editor ran a piece saying that the university needed to keep an eye on the ex-marines, as they were potentially violent. The day the column came out, a group of ex-marines converged on the Daily office and threat-ened to ‘beat the hell’ out of the editor.”

The potential for violence was not fully realized, however. Editors rarely serve for more than one year, which means there have been more than 80 editors of the Daily. Many have gone on to work for other news organiza-tions. The first editor of the NT Daily, fol-lowing the name change, was Terry Kelly. He now works for the Dallas Morning News. Several editors went to The Dallas Morning News, including Marilyn Pippin, Scott Parks, Steve Blow and Leona Allen. Sarah Pagones joined The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, and was on the staff when it won the Pulitzer for Hurricane Katrina coverage. Other Pulitzer winners who started as Daily editors include Howard Swindle and Joe Murray of the Lufkin News. Murray wrote a series on the death of a young man at a marine training camp and prompted reform of training methods after a congressional investigation. Howard Swindle won three Pulitzer Prizes while working for The Dallas Morning News and returned to teach at NT before his death from cancer in 2004. Ray Moseley has been distinguished by the award of Member of the British Empire by the Queen of England. His war reporting took him to the Middle East for the Six-Day War and the Iranian Revolution. He also covered such diverse areas as Moscow and the Vatican. Journalists who worked for the NT Daily have gone to Time Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press. Mike Cochran, a crime reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, won a place in history when he was one of the few reporters covering the funeral of Lee Harvey Oswald. There weren’t any pall-bearers, and the former Daily editor was drafted to carry the coffin of the most famous assassin in U.S. history. This is not part of the career path gener-ally recommended to NT graduates but, as every journalist knows, being in at the right place at the right time makes a story appear in print. The NT Daily has often proved to be the right place to start. Happy Birthday to NT’s college paper, and long may the print run.

NT Daily celebrates 90

years of news

Story By

Sarah Whyman

1901

1916

1920

1937

1964

1965

1970

1995

1998

2006

The Journal starts

Chat gets named

The Chat in the 20s

All-American Chat

Awarded Pacemaker

Format Changes

Chat goes Daily

Daily gets color

Daily goes digital

Friday’s change

The North Texas State Normal Journal was established 11 years after the University started. It was a monthly edition that acted as newspaper, magazine and annual for fi ve years. In 1906 the staff took a vote to make the May issue an annual called the Yucca. In 1909 the Journal was asked to join the Inter-Collegiate State Press Association.

As the University grew the so did the Normal Journal. In 1916, the university was at degree-granting status and wanted an offi -cial student newspaper. The fi rst issue of the Campus Chat came out Oct. 25, 1916. Students payed $1.25 per year to receive the paper.

In the 20s the Chat was experimenting. The Nameplate changed fonts a few times and more attention was given to headline placement. In 1924 the total budget of the Chat was $2,333.46 compared to $645,000 today.

In 1937 the Campus Chat gave its fi rst year of issues to the State Historical Col-lection and College Museum. The Chat was submitting entries in the Associated Colle-giate Press competition and won the second highest rating. In April 1940, the Chat won its fi rst All-American. Texas Intercollegiate Press Association awarded it fi rst place, Division 1 in 1947.

As years past, the Chat established itself as a leader in student newspapers and won the American Newspaper Publishers Association Pacemaker award in 1964. The paper has won a total of six Pacemaker awards, the most recent being in 1990. In 1965 Chat editor Craig Hines decided

to take the paper a step into the future. The normal eight column format at the time was changing to six. This gave the editors more freedom in design and made the paper more readable.

In 1970, The Campus Chat was changed from a weekly paper to a Daily and given a new name, The North Texas Daily. C.E. Shuford, chairman of the journal-ism department, felt the increase of deadlines and responsibility would give students a better idea what a real world paper experience is like.

After years of using only spot color, the NT Daily moved to full color in 1995. The NT Daily was also inducted into the Asso-ciated Collegiate Hall of Fame in 1990.

The history of the NT Daily is just beginning for ntdaily.com. In 1998, following media trends, the NT Daily started posting its con-tent on the Web.

The NT Daily changed its Friday format to a tabloid called Scene. In April 2005 the NT Daily won Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper from the Society of Professional Journalists.

Aging with Grace

Journal staff 1906

Nov. 1, 1916

Aug. 12, 1927

Feb. 18, 1937

Feb. 6, 1970

Jan. 20, 2006

As the annual homecom-ing game rapidly approaches, many students begin to wonder why exactly NT celebrates this particular game with so much passion and enthusiasm. To the average student, this game is just like any other. It is, after all, just a football game, right? Wrong! The homecoming traditions have been rooted deep in NT history ever since the very first freshman parade in 1927. Over the years many things have changed – from the name of the mascot to the location of the spirit bell – but one thing remains the same:

No matter what the outcome of the game, NT students will continue to demonstrate pride and respect for the Mean Green Eagles. Since its first flame in 1935, the NT Homecoming bonfire has become a memorable tra-dition for both students and alumni. The Talons, who serve as the official spirit and service organization of NT, build the bonfire entirely by hand start-ing a week before the home-coming game. At 40 feet wide, 40 feet long and 25 feet tall, creating the wooden structure is no small feat. “Bonfire is awful and great at the same time,” said Shea Rodgers, vice president of Talons. “You’re exhausted and go to maybe one class the

week that we build. Splinters are stuck everywhere on your body. It is utterly miserable, and yet, when it’s all over, you’re sad that it’s over.” After kicking off the home-coming festivities, the flame burns for hours on end until being extinguished around 5 a.m. Once the flame of the bon-fire goes out, there isn’t much time to prepare for the day’s next festivity – the homecom-ing parade. The homecoming parade is the oldest tradition in NT his-tory, dating back to 1927. It too has evolved over the years, now serving as a showcase for the week’s biggest celebrities: the Mean Green football team. With the football players sur-rounded by cheerleaders, danc-ers, band members and fans, the parade weaves up and down the familiar streets of our campus with only one goal in mind – getting the crowd ready

for the game. “It is such a great intensity,” said Gerald Ladner, former NT cheerleader. “It is an awesome feeling being surrounded by so many other people with so much pride in this school.” Pride is never lacking on the NT campus. Whether it is a ‘Mean Green’ T-shirt, an NT bumper sticker stuck proudly on a car, or even the eagle soaring across the front of a notebook, pride can be found almost everywhere students look. Scrappy the Eagle, the official mascot of NT, plays a memorable role in the experi-ence many students have at any football game, especially homecoming. “Scrappy was always so much fun on the field,” Ladner said. “It was always easier for us to pump up the crowd with the help of a huge eagle than just trying to yell by our-selves.”

PAGE 4 October 6, 2006...

Students demonstrate

Mean Green Pride

Story By

Madison Swicegood

Homecoming traditions carry-on

Photo By Jason Kindig

Fans cheer on the Mean Green.

October 6, 2006...

It takes a lot of hard work, dedica-tion and talent to perform out on the football field, and this work ethic doesn’t apply to just football play-ers. With new routines and plenty of fans, the NT Dancers bring enter-tainment full of school spirit to the sidelines and halftime as the dancers leap and turn out on the field. “We normally have 60 to 80 girls tryout,” said Captain Tara Richmond, Tyler sophomore. “It’s a lot of com-petition. Even being a returning member, I have to try out for my spot. Just because I was on the team last year doesn’t mean I’m going to make it.” Jennifer Cloutièr, director and choreographer, said auditions for the team are usually the first of May. Girls auditioning will learn a jazz/hip-hop routine, the fight song and practice technical elements across the floor on Saturday. Then on Sunday, the girls will perform for a panel of

judges and are told if they made the team that same day, Cloutièr said. Team members wishing to return have to try out again as well as inter-view with her, Cloutièr said. She said only about 20 girls make the team. “They’re both nerve racking, but I think it was more nerve racking giv-ing the interview because you have to give your opinions on how the team should be for next year,” said Co-Captain Caris Tschauner, Odessa sophomore, comparing her first and second year auditions. Both Richmond and Tschauner said they were extremely honored to be chosen as captain and co-captain. “It was amazing,” Richmond said. “I was so proud. The dance team is held in such high standards and for my team to think that I was good enough to lead the team … that made me feel really good.” Cloutièr said the team practices a couple of times in June and July and has “boot camp” the two weeks before school starts. “Boot camp is essential for the dancers,” she said “That’s where they learn the fight song, all the traditional band chants and cheers,

everything that they need to know to prepare them for football games and pep rallies.” During these two weeks, the dancers meet with a trainer in the mornings Monday-Friday at Fouts Field for conditioning. The team also meets for two hours in the evening for dance rehearsal, Cloutièr said. During football season the team practices for two hours, two to three times a week working on sidelines, short routines that the team per-forms while the band plays during the game, and “perfecting half-time” routines, said Hailey Ganez, public relations officer and Desoto sopho-more. The team also performs at pep ral-lies, every men and women’s home basketball game and also does com-munity service like play with children at Mean Green Village before football games, Cloutièr said. “I like everything [about being a dancer],” Ganez said. “Definitely performing in from of a crowd, I love football games and basketball … practice is practice but I love performing.”

Richmond said her favorite part of being a part of the team is the girls she dances with. “They are absolutely the best group of girls,” she said. “I was really lucky to walk into the girls I was with. They’ve definitely made my schooling at North Texas worth it … They’re like sisters to me now.” Cloutièr said the team has also competed and won cham-pionship titles in the past. Although dance team does take up time, Richmond said Cloutièr stresses that school and fam-ily come first. “They are so ded i ca t ed

a n d

love the dancers [so much] that they are willing to give up their time … it’s truly amazing,” Cloutièr said. “They are an elite group of ladies that have a great deal of commitment to the dancers, and not only to the dancers, but to me. They respect their title, and they respect my title. And I

think that’s truly what makes them fantastic. That what makes them an incredible dancer.” For more informa-tion on the NT Dancers visit http://www.unt.

edu/untdancers

Practice pays off for NT Dancers

It takes a lot of hard work, dedica-

Story By

Mary Pharris

Photo By Anthony Davila

October 6, 2006...

October 6, 2006...PAGE 7 October 6, 2006...PAGE 7 October 6, 2006...

One of the biggest events of NT’s Homecoming is the annual bonfire. Last year’s bonfire was canceled because of a Denton County burn ban, increasing the excitement for this year’s bon-fire. Taylor Stephenson, Lucas senior, gave his thoughts on the return of the bonfire. “I think it’s great, and I’m very excited that it was not canceled again this year.” Stephenson said. A lot of preparation goes into an event like this, and it is not completed overnight. Shea Rodgers, bonfire chair for Talons, described the process of building the fire and what precautions are taken during the building. “The bonfire structure itself is usually about 40 by 40 feet,” Rodgers said. “But due to the burn ban only being lifted on Sept. 19, the bonfire will be scaled down to about 25 by 25 feet for this year’s celebration.” The design of the structure con-sists of a square made up of four telephone poles with one more pole in the center. From there more wood is laid across to the center pole, making sort of an “N” shape. The structure tends to take about a week to construct with students constantly working on it throughout the week. To insure the safety of the stu-dents who are participating in the building of the bonfire, there are supervisors on the site 24 hours

Bonding By

This 25 ft CUBE will

take an ESTIMATED 2812

paletts to build!

The wooden palets used

every year are DONATED by

MILLER and PETERBUILT

DO N

OT fo

r-

get y

our T

ETAN

US

shots

. No

one i

s al-

lowed

to w

ork w

ith-

out t

hem!

In order to keep at

least TWO poeple ON-

SITE every day for a

week, we CAMP here at

TENT CITY.

The fire is lit at

8:3o p.m. and BURNS

for six HOURS until

the students put

it out with CUPS OF

WATER.

The AUDIENCE is

seperated from

the fire by a fot-

ball field sized

pond that is RU-

MORED (though

unlikely) TO BOIL

during the event.,

LATER in the semster

the talons will come

back to the site and pick

up any DANGEROUS MA-

TERIALS, like nails, left

from the burning and

CLEAN THE SITE for next

fall.a day to watch the building process and make sure everything is being setup properly. Rodgers explained other pre-cautions taken during the building. “In addition to the monitoring of the building everyone who participates in the construction is required to receive a

tetanus shot and there is no drinking or smoking allowed on the site.” he said. This year’s homecoming bonfire cel-ebration will be taking place on Friday. For more information about the bonfire contact Rodgers at [email protected].

Design by JESSE gomez

Illustration by BRYAN kelly

The FireAnnual bonfire requires

specific safety measures

Story By

RYAN Birgelaitis

1:00 - 2:00 P.M. Parade

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THE STUDENT YELL CONTEST. LOCATION: EAGLE POINT

(ADJACENT TO THE RADISSON HOTEL).

ON HICKORY THROUGH CAMPUS), LEFT

ON NORTH TEXAS BLVD. TO HIGHLAND. PARADE

ENDS AT HIGHLAND AND AVENUE D.




4:00 - 5:30 P.M. Department of

Economics Tailgate Party

PARKING LOT OF FOUTS FIELD. FOR ADDI-

TIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT NANCY BOYD

940-565-2251 OR STEVE COBB 940-

6:00 P.M. Homecoming

Football Game





PARADING AROUND

While the homecoming parade is not until Saturday,

organizations have already begun to plan and construct

their floats, some acting in secret while others choose to be open

about the process. “Our float will definitely be very

spirited in a way that hasn’t been seen in a while,” said Robert Middaugh,

president of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and a senior from Oak Point.

Alpha Phi, Brothers for Christ, Phi Kappa Sigma and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia are join-

ing forces for a four-fraternity float. While Middaugh could not go into details regarding

the design of the float because of the competitive-ness of the parade, he was able to reveal that each organization will have its letters on the float and the design involves a ring. Middaugh noted using four fraternities rather than just one hasn’t been an issue but rather has made the experience easier. With four fraternities as opposed to one, Middaugh said they have a better chance at speeding up the construction schedule of the float.While Alpha Phi and Phi Kappa Sigma have worked with other fraternities in the past for the parade and other events, this is the first time all four organiza-tions have worked with each other at such a large

scale. The groups hope to win the Scrappy Trophy, awarded based on “Yell like Hell” participation and float decoration. On the other end of the spectrum, the journalism department has been recruiting help and spreading the

theme for this year from the beginning. Since the Daily is celebrating 90 years of publication, the theme of the float will be a birthday cake to mark the occasion. Students will walk along the parade route in costumes from different eras passing out candy to the crowd, occasionally breaking out to the tune of “Happy Birthday” on kazoos. “It’s not just about the award,” said Nancy Eanes, career development specialist and program coordinator for the journalism department. “The real purpose of the award is to connect students to alumni.” The journalism department has won the presi-dent’s trophy four times out of the past five years they have participated in the event, missing out on the award only in 2003 to Texas Academy Math and Science. Eanes said their success is because the turnout they have from students. The event serves not only to unite the entire journalism department for one event but also allows students to network with other students and alumni. A panel of faculty, students and community lead-ers, who serve as judges, awards 12 trophies. Some awards are strictly based on the float, while others are split in half between the “Yell like Hell” partici-pation and float or spirit wall and float. Categories a parade entry can be placed under include greek organization, departmental, independent campus organization and non-university organization. Each trophy has a cash prize awarded to the organization with the coveted trophy being the President’s Trophy for the best overall entry. The winners are decided before the parade and awarded a banner to carry during the duration of the parade.

Story By LAUREN Evans


HOMECOMING

Event Highlights

Art By BRYAN Kelly

Design by JESSE Gomez

6:00 PM Sat. - FOUTS field

4:00 PM SAT. - FOUTS FIELD

1:00 PM SAT. - WELCH and hickory

FRIDAY (oct. 6)

8:15 PM - EAGLE point

October 6, 2006...

With the big game against F lor ida In te rna t iona l approaching quickly, NT foot-ball coaches and players are working to deliver the univer-sity the win it truly deserves for homecoming 2006. “Homecoming to me is a pride thing,” said offensive lineman and team captain Dylan Lineberry. “You want to have a lot of pride for your university, and it’s big to get a win because everyone comes to the game expecting a win … If you don’t win homecom-ing, it’s kind of a let down.” Lineberry is a senior criminal justice major from Houston. “Homecoming is a big game for us because we get to play in front of our crowd,” said

Johhny Quinn, team captain and senior wide receiver. “It’s a big deal for the university because it’s something where a lot of fans come out and sup-port, and we want to put on a good show for them … to win this in front of our crowd and to have that be our homecom-ing would be a big deal for us.” Even though the Eagles are working hard toward a home-coming victory, some of the best motivation, Quinn said, are the festivities that flood the week leading up to the game. Events such as parades and the traditional bon-fire make it possible for the players to be directly involved with school spirit. With so many

events being held to celebrate homecoming, the coaches are working hard to keep the play-er’s focus on game day while also allowing them to enjoy the festivities.

“It’s fun to have all the fes-tivities,” Quinn said. “It shows that it’s an impor-tant game, but we do have to stay focused on the goal and that is to get a win.”

Big day brings big hopesStory By

Brittany Bulland senior wide receiver. “It’s a big deal for the university because it’s something where a lot of fans come out and sup-port, and we want to put on a

Johhny Quinn, team captain and senior wide receiver. “It’s a big deal for the university because it’s something where a lot of fans come out and sup-port, and we want to put on a

Johhny Quinn, team captain events being held to celebrate events being held to celebrate “It’s fun to have all the fes-and senior wide receiver. “It’s a big deal for the university because it’s something where a lot of fans come out and sup-port, and we want to put on a

homecoming, the coaches are homecoming, the coaches are working hard to keep the play-working hard to keep the play-er’s focus on game day while er’s focus on game day while also allowing them to enjoy also allowing them to enjoy the festivities. the festivities.

tivities,” Quinn said. “It shows that it’s an impor-tant game, but we do have to stay focused on the goal and that is to get a win.”

A new season is beginning for the Mean Green football team, and for some players this is their first season to play for NTs. These players, how-ever, are not unfamiliar with the game. Some new players on the field this year are quarterback Woody Wilson, Fayetteville, Ark. junior; Kartey Agbottah, Irving, freshman and Antoine Bush, Tyler, freshman. Agbottah and Bush both play defensive back this year. These players seem to have adapted well to their new team. They all expressed the same enthusiasm for the game as well as each other. “I am enjoying it,” Bush said when asked how he liked play-

ing for NT. “I enjoy my team-mates,” Wilson came to NT last spring after playing for Coffeyville Community College. He said he had other offers to play football including Kansas State University, but he chose NT because he had the opportunity to play quarterback. “I love the area,” Wilson said. “I love the team. It’s a big uni-versity and very diverse.” So far Wilson is averaging 17.3 rushing yards per game according to statistics provided on the Mean Green Athletics Web site. Wilson, thus far has completed 81 percent of passes attempted and is also averaging 68.3 passing yards per game. Bush is ranked fifth among the Mean Green defensive lead-ers so far, according to the overall defensive statistics for NT. Bush played for John Tyler High School before coming to NT and was a redshirt in 2005. Bush said he chose to attend NT

because his visit to the campus felt comfortable. Bush is also majoring in kinesiology, he said he has always wanted to teach and coach. Agbottah played for MacArthur High School before coming to NT. Agbottah was also a redshirt in 2005. Agbottah said he has been playing foot-ball since the age of 9 when he joined a city league team called the Cowboys. The game of football appears to be physically demanding. Reports periodically come out about the types of injuries that athletes receive as a result of the game, but the love of the game is sometimes greater to ath-letes. Wilson said the training he received at NT was the same as the training he had received previous years when he played high school and junior college football. “Nothing new, running, hit-ting, it’s the same,” Wilson said.

W h e n asked what the major dif-ference was for them in playing col-lege football versus high school football was, Agbottah said “the speed of the game, back then I had five coach-es, here I have like 12.” “Everybody is talented in college football,” Bush said. Wilson said that’s what makes each player work harder.All of these play-ers apparently love what they do and seem to enjoy play-ing for NT. “It hurts no one wants to lose,” Bushh said “You come back the next week.”

New Players show talent

A new season is beginning

Story By

Maria Rocha


school football was, Agbottah said “the speed of the game, back then I had five coach-es, here I have like 12.” “Everybody is talented in college football,” Bush

Wilson said that’s what makes each player work

All of these play-ers apparently love what they do and seem to enjoy play-

“It hurts no one wants to lose,” Bushh said “You come back the

school football was, Agbottah said “the speed of the game, back then I had five coach-es, here I have like 12.” “Everybody is talented in college football,” Bush

Wilson said that’s what makes each player work

All of these play-ers apparently love what they do and seem to enjoy play-

“It hurts no one wants to lose,” Bushh said “You come back the


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The annual Homecoming Spirit Wall Contest is just around the corner and the theme this year is, you guessed it, school spirit. The Spirit Wall Contest, an NT tradition started four years ago, has a different theme every year that usually promotes the fever of homecoming. The contest targets the 11 residence halls on campus and is open to any student organizations or departments that wish to participate. The Student Government Association took part and

won the contest last year. “We’re definitely planning to win again, of course,” said Diana Palacios, the director of leadership for SGA. “Our freshmen interns are in charge of the spirit wall, and we have a lot of confidence in them. We want to really show school spirit in our interns, and it’s a great opportunity for them to build togetherness.”The SGA interns won first prize for their spirit wall with a huge 3-D Scrappy, the NT mascot, leaping out of it. “In the past, we’ve had pomping walls which are 6 ½ by 8 foot chicken wire filled with tissue paper and spray painted; and painting walls which is a solid piece of plywood to be painted,”

said Lori Burns, special assistant for programming. The end results of the departments’ and organizations’ spirited labors will be displayed across the Willis Library Mall, and the residence halls will dis-play theirs in front of their respective halls through homecoming weekend. “This year we’re judging spirit walls on who promotes NT’s school’s spirit for the football season best,” Burns said. The spirit walls will be judged by various people invited from different departments such as the NT Exes, NT police and the Division of University Relations, Communications and Marketing. The three cash prizes are a $100 each for residence hall win-ner, student organization winner and department winner. The winner will be announced at the homecoming kick-off with the annual picnic and pep rally in the Library Mall and Shrader Pavilion from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 5. Burns said, Santa Fe Square won first prize for the residence hall spirit wall last year. This year the North Texas Daily won it for the student organizations catagory. Homecoming themes are chosen by students casting ballots online, accord-ing to the NT InHouse Web site. Past winning themes have been “There’s No Place Like Home,” “A Blaze of Green Glory,” “Mean Green Back on the Scene,” “Got Green?” and most recently in 2005, “North Texas Hold ’em.”

Students Display

creativity and pride

walls showcase spirit, talent

Photo By Lili Castillo

Bryan Kelly, Gainsville senior, paints the NT Daily’s spirit wall.

Story By

Rana Rizvi

HOMECOMINGSTAFFDesigners

Jesse Gomez

Jacqi Serie

IllustratorBryan Kelly

PhotographersLili Castillo

Michael Clements

Anthony Davila

Jason Kindig

Copy EditorMary Pharris

WritersRebecca Evans

Sarah Whyman

Maria Rocha

Mary Pharris

Madison Swicegood

Nancy Thai

Ryan Birgelaitis

Lauren Evans

Rana Rizvi

Kristin ALlman

Brittany Bull

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Marching band gives student

confidence, leadership skills

Free time can be a scarce commod-ity for a music major. In order to be a successful music student one has to practice, perform, practice, study for classes and not to mention, practice. “The life of a music major is a hec-tic one,” said Stephanie Lee, Powder Springs, Ga., sophomore. When marching band is added to the picture, even more time is taken away. Marching band members know how hours of time on the marching field can cut into studying and social lives. So why join marching band in the first place? “It’s really a great opportunity all around,” Lee said. “Some of your

best friends will come from marching band, and it’ll just be a pleasure to see them every day.” Lee, one of three drum majors, leads the marching band by con-ducting each practice and perfor-mance. She said it takes a consider-able amount of devotion to be in the marching band. This devotion includes learning visuals, marching techniques and music memorization and interpretation. “From head to toe, you just have to know what every part of your body is doing,” Lee said. “Everybody on the field has to know their role, and how they fit into the bigger picture.” The “bigger picture” is overseen by each drum major, including Lee. She underwent a great deal to achieve her status as a drum major. This included being judged on a personal essay, a short marching routine, the conducting of pep band tunes and a two-minute piece. But Lee’s drum major responsibili-ties do not include just conducting.

Lee said you have to be there for many people. “If somebody is having a bad day, you have to be the one who says, ‘Hey, it’s OK,’” she said. Lee’s drum major philosophy is seen by other leaders of the marching band. “Stephanie is a leader by word and action,” said fellow drum major Allyson Livengood, Plano junior. “She is a hard worker and an encour-aging person to be around.” Not only does Lee see to it that each member knows their job in the show, but she also lives as a leader, Livengood said. With more than 200 people, Lee has to adjust to each member’s indi-vidual personality. “You accept everyone for who they are without any conditions,” Lee said. For the diverse members of the marching band, the fall semester is filled with performances, including homecoming activities. Traditionally,

the marching band participates in the homecoming bonfire and parade. Lee remembers a memorable experience at the homecoming parade during her freshman year. She said the band stopped along the parade route and played the fight song for a wife of a former band director. All of these performances stem from hours of practice. The marching band practices at least seven hours a week, and additional practices are scheduled for activities such as pep rallies, parades and football games. “Whatever [the practice] is, you get the reinforcement you need to be suc-cessful in the performance situation that we’re typically in,” she said. While time is limited, Lee said she believes marching band is a great chance to perform. “It’s great to see your friends every day,” she said, “but it’s great to know that after two hours, you leave and what you did before is no longer your best. You can do it better now than you could before.”

Free time can be a scarce commod-

Story By

Kristin ALlman

Free time can be a scarce commod-ity for a music major. In order to be a successful music student one has to practice, perform, practice, study for classes and not to mention, practice. “The life of a music major is a hec-tic one,” said Stephanie Lee, Powder Springs, Ga., sophomore. When marching band is added to the picture, even more time is taken

Marching band members know how hours of time on the marching field can cut into studying and social

So why join marching band in the

“It’s really a great opportunity all around,” Lee said. “Some of your


Story By

Kristin ALlman

Free time can be a scarce commod-ity for a music major. In order to be a successful music student one has to practice, perform, practice, study for classes and not to mention, practice. “The life of a music major is a hec-tic one,” said Stephanie Lee, Powder Springs, Ga., sophomore. When marching band is added to the picture, even more time is taken away. Marching band members know how hours of time on the marching field can cut into studying and social lives. So why join marching band in the first place? “It’s really a great opportunity all around,” Lee said. “Some of your


Story By

Kristin ALlman

Photo By Anthony Davila

October 6, 2006...

NT will become a monarchy while students prepare for the battle against Florida International. A new period in NT Homecoming tradition will be ushered in with the crowning of the new homecoming king and queen. Elections for king and queen, sponsored by the Student Government Association, began Monday and ended at 6 p.m. Thursday. The court will be announced at the bonfire today, and the results will be announced at the football game on Saturday. According to the SGA bylaws, candi-dates are required to have at least a 2.5 grade-point average and be in good stand-ing with the university. Candidates must also “file with a partner, one male for king and one female for queen.” SGA bylaws state that candidates can spend up to $300 on fliers, banners and other materials to campaign for votes. Running from the Panhellenic Association and the Interfraternity Council

are Kasie Jackson, president of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Clint Lee, president of Lambda Chi Alpha. Jackson and Lee said they are going to use their nomination to try to change students negative opinion of the greek community. “You can try and convince someone all day long that we’re not the typical ste-reotypes,” said Jackson, Garland senior. “You’re not going to know until you get to know them and respect them or get them to join a sorority or fraternity.” Jackson and Lee said they plan on using fliers and facebook.com to gain votes from students but will depend on the greek com-munity for the majority of their votes. “I think being homecoming nominees is a good way for people to realize that we do more than party,” said Lee, Allen junior. “We do a lot of stuff around campus, a lot of community service. More than any other organization on campus, I’d say. ” Jackson said the two are competing for more than just the name. “We want to represent the university and let them know what else we’re involved in,” she said. Candidates are elected in pairs, with second place receiving the title of prince and princess, the third place pair duke and

duchess, and the fourth place pair lord and lady. Other homecoming candidates include: Anthony Damico, member of Sigma Lambda Beta, and Maria Martinez, member of Sigma Lambda Gamma; Johnny Quinn, wide receiver for the NT football team, and

Sarah Redmond, Eagle Camp Coordinator; Michael Mangini, SGA senator for the College of Business Administration, and Meghan Vittrup, SGA Director of I n t e r n a l Operations.

lady. Other homecoming candidates include: Anthony Damico, member of Sigma

Michael Mangini, SGA senator for the College of Business Administration, and Meghan Vittrup, SGA Director of Anthony Damico, member of Sigma

Lambda Beta, and Maria Martinez, member of Sigma Lambda Gamma; Johnny Quinn, wide receiver for the NT football team, and

Meghan Vittrup, I n t e r n a l Operations.

Students campaign for seat on NT throne

NT will become a monarchy while

Story By

Rebecca Evans

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students gear up

for annual dance

TAms board Titanic

Story By

Nancy THai

“Near, far, wherever you are. I believe that the heart does go on … ” Celine Dion’s once hit might make a comeback at this year’s Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science homecoming dance on Nov. 4, where the theme is said to be “Titanic.” The location of the dance has been chosen to be withheld, as per request of the committee heads of the TAMS home-coming dance, seniors Teresa Lee and Best Songsangkhan, but information will be released to TAMS students before the date of the dance. TAMS is a two-year long rigorous pro-gram for high school-aged Texas students who exceed well in academia and have an interest in mathematics and science. They reside in McConnell Hall and attend classes taught by NT faculty members while earn-ing dual credits for high school and col-lege. Lee and Songsangkhan have been plan-ning the homecoming dance since May but

will not put together a committee of volun-teers until October. TAMS students can attend as long as they’d like to and come whenever they’d like during the length of the dance, which is from 8 p.m. to midnight. Lee described the dress attire as “dress casual” for the night of the dance. “Guys can wear slacks and a button up shirt while girls can get away with wearing slacks and, like, a halter,” Lee said. Mums and garters will not be filtering through McConnell hallways since tra-ditions of homecoming are not heavily emphasized for these students. “Most people just think that we’re all super smart people who just study all the time and have no social life,” Lee said. “But we’re all just like normal teenagers, and we also like to have fun.” Though they may be holding a home-coming dance, alumni are not typically expected to attend the dance. “It’s not like an actual homecoming because we really don’t invite all the old TAMS students back here,” Songsangkhan said. “Like Teresa said, it’s just another dance for the students.” TAMS students can bring friends from

out-of-town and dates to the dance. But again, former TAMS students are typically not expected to be in attendance. “In the past the purpose is not to have ex-TAMS students attend, but this year we’re thinking about [letting ex-TAMS students attend] more,” Lee said. Since most of the students are academi-cally focused on their studies and courses, some students don’t feel like the dance mat-ters a great deal. “I don’t think that it’s a really big deal,” said Tram Pham, Lewisville senior. “It’s

just another dance that you have to get dressed up for. Basically you go there, dance and go home and study some more.” But Lewisville senior Lisa Jacobs feels like she has got to enjoy her final year at TAMS. Attending the dance will help Jacobs make the most out of her last year. “I expect a dance that I can look back and think of all the good times I had here,” Jacobs said. “I want to make the most of my time here, make the most memories I can with my closest friends so that I’ll have a lifetime to remember them.”

October 6, 2006...

2006 Homecoming Issue

Documents

Transcript of 2006 Homecoming Issue