Two autism researchers highlight UNT’s third annual Adventures in Autism conference Nov. 14-15 at Gateway Center. The conference will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 14 and from7:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Nov. 15.

The conference, sponsored by the UNT Autism Intervention Program in the Department of Educational Psychology, features an address by Travis Thompson, a professor at the University of Minnesota and author of Dr. Thompson’s Straight Talk on Autism and Making Sense of Autism at 8:30 a.m.Nov. 15.

The Nov. 15 luncheon address will be given by consultant and Texas State University professor, Jo Webber, who wrote Autism: Teaching DOES Make a Difference and Educating Students with Autism: A Quick Start Manual.

UNT has announced plans to invest at least $25 million in six interdisciplinary research clusters, including autism disorders. The cluster currently has 17 faculty members from four different colleges working together to develop treatments and understanding for those affected by autism.

The conference will offer a variety of presentations and workshops by local and national experts, and is intended for parents, teachers, professionals and others interested in learning more about autism and effective interventions for schools, homes, and other settings.

Registration fee is $25 for Nov. 14. Fee is $95 for Nov. 15, which includes lunch, by Nov. 1. Fee is $105 after Nov. 1. Find a schedule and registration information.

The UNT Autism Intervention Program consists of a master’s degree in special education with a specialization in autism, or a six-course Graduate Academic Certificate in autism intervention. More than 130 students have graduated from the program since its inception in 2002. The program recently was awarded a new federal grant to provide online courses for those who teach in rural school districts. The grant, known as Project DART, Distributed Education for Autism Personnel in Rural Texas, will fund 25 students per year for four years to complete the master’s or certificate program in autism intervention online.

For additional information, contact Debbie Farr at debbie.farr@unt.edu or 940-891-6766.

Fire safety training is available for any interested department from the Fire and Safety Department of Facilities Maintenance and Housing Maintenance. Training includes information about:

• how fires are created
• how to most effectively respond to fires
• what to do if trapped by fire
• operation of a fire extinguisher and fire alarm panel
• safety tips

The Housing Department is in the process of certifying each residence hall staff, but training is available to departments. A small fee is charged per person, usually $5 each, and varies depending on the number of people involved, says Keith Wiedower, fire systems supervisor. Wiedower conducts training with the help of technicians William Hernandez and Ryan Paris.

The department now uses the BullEx fire safety training program, which allows indoor training without an open flame and without fire extinguisher discharge cleanup. 

The training session goal is to give participants certificates in fire safety education in accordance with the state fire marshal’s office and the National Fire Protection Association.

To schedule fire safety training, contact Wiedower at 940-565-8024 or keith.wiedower@unt.edu.

 Everyone in our university community has watched the economic downturn throughout the country, a situation that has manifested itself in many states by affecting higher education budgets. Texas is fortunate to have an economy that most recently has been based in oil and gas, commodities that have kept our state solvent in difficult times. But two devastating hurricanes, an increase in the need for insurance reserves, and increased Medicaid costs have taken a toll on the state’s reserves. Now, the housing market and fluctuations in the price of oil and gas are beginning to affect the Texas economy.

The purpose of this communication is to bring you up to date regarding UNT’s budget. As many of you are well aware, UNT has been fiscally conservative and we have been excellent stewards of our resources, whether from the state, from tuition and fees, or from donors. Even though UNT has not been funded at the same level as some other universities in Texas, we have lived within our means. Our level of debt is much lower than it is at other universities, and we are proud that our bond rating is now AA3, improved from A1 this past year and for the first time in 14 years. Our endowment, which reached a high of nearly $94 million has gone down with the market; however, the Foundation has invested in a broad portfolio that will help to minimize the losses. The university’s funds are in the Commonfund, a solid investment vehicle that weathers the ups and downs of the market. In both cases, we are confident that we will not suffer huge losses over the long term.

 Governor Perry recently issued a request to all state agencies to report on measures being taken to control expenses, particularly with regard to travel. As you know, UNT has in place a travel policy that requires supervisory approval for travel, and I have asked all administrators to more closely monitor travel requests to ensure that travel that is approved is critical to the university’s mission. Additionally, we are encouraging the use of videoconferencing to reduce travel costs where technology can help us achieve savings. Many of the search committees began using video conferencing for candidate interviews nearly two years ago, and that practice has reduced the cost of many search processes. Because of our concern for the environment, UNT has achieved savings through recycling and through the use of less-expensive and more climate-friendly paper goods and cleaning supplies.

While I cannot predict the future, at this time UNT continues to hold a reserve of funds to begin to address the salary inequities that may be revealed by the compensation and classification study for staff. We have not put a moratorium on hiring, nor have we initiated any overall policies that are restrictive of any particular expense. I am asking, however, that each of you consider the ways in which you and your unit can conserve funds, can reduce costs by avoiding discretionary spending, and can ensure that, most importantly, we continue to maintain the services that meet the needs of our students. I am confident that UNT has in place the policies and a fiscally conservative philosophy that will enable us to continue to serve the state by providing a quality learning environment for our students and a supportive work environment for our faculty and staff.

In light of all that is going on elsewhere in the country and the world, Texas is a good place to be right now, and in comparison to what is going on with higher education budgets elsewhere in the United States, UNT is an excellent place to be employed.

Thank you for all you do every day to support our university.

With green pride,
Gretchen M. Bataille
UNT President

Sujay Lama, a native of Nepal, has built the UNT women’s tennis team into a Sun Belt Conference power. He also coached successful teams at Florida and Illinois universities. Lama says his motto is “Simple living, High Thinking.”

What is your title and department?
I am head tennis coach, women’s tennis.

How long have you worked at UNT?
Three years.

Describe your areas of research or study.
Coaching young people for over 15 years is research in itself.

What do you enjoy most about coaching?
Motivating young people and bringing out their best. I love the competition and the challenge to become the best.

How do you define success?
Success for me is being passionate about the process and continually developing as a competitor and person. At the end of the day, if my students work hard, enjoy the camaraderie of the team and strive for excellence -- that is success.

How do you spend your free time?
Most of my free time is spent with my family. I have a beautiful daughter, Priva, who is 8 years old, and a handsome son, Siddhartha, who is three. I love to stay in shape and of course love watching sports and CNN on TV. I also have a project in Nepal that helps sponsor 73 orphans to go to school. www.supportprojectnepal.com. This also happens to be a mission of my life.

Who are your heroes?
Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Teresa.

What is something that no one knows about you?
I would like to redo our wedding because my wife and I were sick on the day of our wedding. It sure did not go according to the plan. Our wedding took place in Nepal. That is close to a 30 hour trip with all the connections and time spent in different airports. Lynne and I got the flu a few days before we flew and we got progressively worse. By the time we landed in Nepal, we were in bad shape. My brother who was supposed to have planned everything for the wedding had to go to the hospital because his wife was prematurely giving birth to their second child. We had to do a lot of running around to get everything ready. The day of the wedding, Lynne and I were pretty much dead from exhaustion.

What is your favorite food?
Spicy Asian food. Lion City Cafe in Plano for Malaysian food and Temptations in Irving for Nepalese food are two places we visit often. Lynne cooks a mean curry, too. Ultimate Asian food is the curry, rice and lentils my mum made for us when she was alive. God bless her soul.

What was your first job?
Tennis coach at the world renowned Van Der Meer Tennis Center in Hilton Head Island, SC. Working at Van Der Meer Tennis Center was a wonderful experience. I moved up the chain very quickly because of my work ethic and the passion I had for tennis and life. I travelled all over the world eight months out of the year with professional players on the WTA tour. It was a dream come true to be working in all the grand slams -- Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S Open. Many doors opened for me because of my time at the VDM Tennis Center.

Who would you like to meet?
Tiger Woods and Barack Obama

(The team finishes fall play with a tournament at UNT Nov. 6-9. Sun Belt Conference play resumes in January. Learn more about Mean Green tennis. Learn more about  the Nov. 21 Nepalese Family Night at UNT.)

(Interview by Megan Beck, student assistant, University Relations, Marketing and Communications)

To allow for more efficient, convenient and easy-to-use solutions to handle student financial disbursements of financial aid and school refunds, the university is partnering with Higher One, Inc., a financial services company focused entirely on servicing higher education institutions. Students will now be able to select one of three options for delivery of their refunds. They can elect to:

• have refunds deposited directly into their checking or savings account by automated clearing house or ACH 
• receive a check by mail
• or choose to have the funds applied to an “Easy Refund” card serviced by Higher One that is a Debit MasterCard®.

Students that have previously signed up for automated clearning house will need to “re-enroll” through this new process.

At the end of November, students will automatically receive the Higher One Debit MasterCards cobranded with UNT at the mailing address currently listed with the university.

To ensure refund timelines are met during this transitional period, it is critical that students provide their most current mailing address to the university before the cards are mailed. 

“All refund information from Higher One will be sent to this address and students will not be able to access their refund money until they have current information on file with Higher One,” says Kayle Godinez, left, director of student accounting.

Students should take a couple of minutes to log on to my.unt.edu to update their current local address information. Students responding by Nov. 13, 2008 will be entered in a contest to win a $50 iTunes gift card. For instructions on how to update your student addresses, click here. 

While the reimbursement choice is the students’, the preferred "Easy Refund" method will be the fastest and easiest way for students to gain access to their refund money--literally the same day UNT releases it. Students may also opt to use the full potential of the card by enrolling for the One Account as they would any other banking institution checking card.

The One Account Debit MasterCard is not a credit card. There are no monthly fees or minimum balances and the card may used at ATM machines worldwide as well as being FDIC insured. For more information call the Office of Student Accounting at 940-565-3225. 

 

Congratulations these winners selected in last week’s InHouse Fun Fact, concert and sports ticket giveaways. 

• Ashly Henson, administrative assistant , Recreational Sports
• Andy Brockett, assistant director, Student Accounting
• Lucille Hammons, accounting technician, Library Technical Services
• Connie Havis, assistant for business services, Facilities
• Linda Velasquez, assistant director, Financial Reporting
• Rachel Reyna, student assistant, Office of the Dean, College of Public Affairs and Community Service
• Nora Martinez, library specialist, UNT Libraries
• Amy Fox, financial aid counselor, Student Financial Aid
• Philip Aguinaga, accounting clerk , Purchasing and Payment Services

You, too, can win a UNT T-shirt gift pack, and free tickets to concerts, sports and other campus activities. Read InHouse, the electronic newsletter that is always online and is regularly updated with news about events and strategic activities at UNT. The formatted version is e-mailed to faculty and staff each week, usually on Wednesdays.

InHouse photos and graphics should be clearly visible in your Outlook e-mail. If you cannot see photos and graphics, be sure to set the View to HTML to see the newsletter’s color and photos. If you have difficulty, ask your department’s system administrator for assistance. Click on headlines, which link to continuously updated postings, to find the complete article on http://inhouse.unt.edu.

Tickets and prizes are generously provided by event sponsors and departments. Winners are randomly selected from all e-mail responses.

Carved pumpkins were displayed Oct. 28 in the University Union. Voters picked favorites with donations. Proceeds will benefit the State Employee Charitable Campaign, which ends Oct. 31. The university's goal is to raise $190,000 for the campaign, which benefits nonprofit organizations in Denton and around the state. Above, a ghost-busting pumpkin, and, left, James Larabee puts the finishing touches on his handiwork. (Photos by Michael Clements)

Judea Pearl, below, father of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, spoke at UNT on Oct. 20 as part of f Daniel Pearl World Music Days, honoring the reporter and musician, on screen at left, who was kidnapped and killed in Pakistan in 2002. Pearl’s topic was “Carving a Dialogue between Muslims and Jews.” The College of Music dedicated its October concerts to Daniel Pearl World Music Days, a network of concerts across the globe to promote tolerance and humanity through music. More than 60 countries have participated. (Photos by Michael Clements)

The College of Music hosted a three-day conference for the official inauguration of its new Richard Ardoin - Paul Voertman Concert Organ built for Winspear Hall in the Murchison Performing Arts Center by the celebrated builder Hellmuth Wolff. Above, James Scott, dean, welcomes conference attendees. Left, James David Christie plays the instrument with the UNT Baroque Orchestra. Learn more about the organ. (Photos by Michael Clements).

Legislators recently toured Discovery Park to learn more about UNT's research efforts. From left, seated, Rep. Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham; President Gretchen M. Bataille; Harold Strong, director of Discovery Park; Rep. Geanie Morrison of Victoria; Rey Rodriguez and Jack Morton, UNT governmental affairs; Andrew Harris, vice president for finance and administration; and, Rick Reidy, chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. (Photo by Michael Clements)

UNT and its Emerald Eagle Scholars program and Education is Freedom have formed a partnership that guarantees that Dallas’ academically talented, but financially needy students will have access to a college degree.

President Gretchen M. Bataille and Marcus Martin, president and chief executive officer of Education is Freedom, co-signed a proclamation forming the partnership on Oct. 28.

Education is Freedom is a nonprofit organization designed to eliminate the barriers to higher education and promote equality of opportunity in college attendance. UNT’s Emerald Eagle Scholars program is designed to help Texas' academically talented undergraduates with high financial need get the best chance at achieving their goal of a college education. The program is one of about 30 such programs in the nation and is a leading program in Texas. Left, Bataille met with 2007 and 2008 Emerald Eagle Scholars at the September welcome reception.

The proclamation states that Dallas high school students who complete the Education is Freedom curriculum will be automatically admitted to the Emerald Eagle Scholars program, which began in 2007, assuming that they are academically and financially eligible. The new partnership, which will take effect in Fall 2009, is projected to admit 250 students to UNT as Emerald Eagle Scholars during the next four years. Each Emerald Eagle Scholar will have at least $28,000 in tuition and fees covered during their college career; thus, it is estimated that this partnership will result in a $7 million benefit to Dallas ISD students graduating from high school between 2009 and 2013.

The campus will return to Central Standard Time at 2 a.m. Nov. 2. Personal clocks should be set one hour earlier to return to standard time. As the mnemonic says, “Fall back in the fall … and spring forward in the spring." Daylight Saving Time, or DST, will return at 2 a.m. March 8, 2009.

Daylight Saving Time ends the first Sunday in November. The time period ended the last Sunday in October until 2007, when the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed the dates to give us -- and trick-or-treaters -- another week of more daylight.

Hawaii and Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) are the only states that do not observe DST. Territories Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands also do not use DST. 

Learn about DST from the U.S. Naval Observatory, the official timekeeper for the United States. 

Election Day is Nov. 4, when American voters will choose from Democrat Barack Obama, Republican John McCain and a variety of other independent, Libertarian, Socialst or other party candidates to elect the 44th president of the United States. Which presidential candidate received an honorary degree from UNT?

A. George W. Bush
B. Lyndon B. Johnson
C. H. Ross Perot
D. Ronald Reagan

The correct answer is C. H. Ross Perot received an honorary doctorate of education and leadership in 1987. UNT Chancellor Alfred F. Hurley and Perot led the processional at the May graduating commencement. Photo, C. Dean Davis, left, chair of the 1987  Board of Regents, and Perot.

Enter to win a UNT T-shirt gift pack. Send an e-mail to inhouse@unt.edu by 5 p.m. Oct. 31 with “Ross Perot” in the subject line. Winners are selected at random from all e-mail responses. 

Perot was a Reform Party candidate for president in the 1992 and 1996 elections. In 1992, Perot received 19 percent of the vote making him one of the largest third party vote recipients since Theodore Roosevelt in the Progressive or Bull Moose Party in 1912. Perot was defeated by Democratic Party candidate President Bill Clinton, who also defeated Republicans George H.W. Bush in 1992 and Sen. Bob Dole in 1996. Perot’s campaign was based on his success in business and his stated ability to manage national finances and deficit reduction. He was perceived as a Washington outsider, but he had extensive government business and political contacts.

Perot is a native Texan, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the founder of Electronic Data Systems, a Dallas-based technology services and applications company. The company is now part of the Hewlett-Packard Development company. Perot owns Perot Systems which provides electronic data services to clients around the world.  

(Photos courtesy of University Archives with assistance from Jana Dean, assistant to the dean, College of Engineering.)

Football legend Archie Manning, left, will deliver the keynote address at the annual BDO Seidman, LLP Leadership Luncheon to benefit UNT’s Murphy Enterprise Center.

The luncheon will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov.14 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel, 2001 Stemmons Freeway in Dallas. Tickets are $175 per person or $1,500 for a table of 10. Sponsorships are also available at the $5,000, $10,000 and $15,000 level. Proceeds will go to a scholarship fund for students pursuing entrepreneurship. Call 940-565-2848 or visit www.murphycenter.unt.edu.

The Murphy Enterprise Center opened its doors in 2000 with a $1 million donation from Ken and the late Shirley Murphy, founders and owners of The Mail Box. The center encourages entrepreneurship by providing students with business counseling, mentoring and training opportunities that help them turn ideas into viable business entities.

Manning may be best known today as the father of National Football League, or NFL, quarterbacks Peyton and Eli, both previous Super Bowl most valuable players. He was an all-American quarterback at the University of Mississippi, received numerous awards during his NFL career and has received awards for his work with civic and charitable activities.

In addition to Manning’s address, real estate pioneer Trammell Crow will be awarded the Murphy Award, which is given to an individual who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to entrepreneurship. Crow built his first commercial development in 1948, a warehouse in the Trinity Industrial District near downtown Dallas. By 1970, Crow had developed the Trammell Crow Company into a nationwide organization, an innovation in a field that was dominated by local builders.

Winners of the New Venture Creation Contest, a contest that provides seed money to students to fund their entrepreneurial business plans, also will be announced. 

UNT scientists received a multi-million dollar government contract to study the causes of jet engine failure and how to develop stronger, more durable engines, congressional and university leaders announced today, (Oct. 22), at a news conference at Discovery Park. Photo from left, Hutchison, Burgess and President Gretchen M. Bataille.

The university received $2.2 million this year and will receive an additional $6.36 million next year from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory in Ohio to fund the new Institute for Science and Engineering Simulation, or ISES. The project was made possible through congressional appropriations.

Under the direction from the Air Force, professors and researchers from UNT’s materials science and engineering and chemistry departments will use modeling, simulation and experimentation to study the performance of aircraft materials.

“With wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a great deal of stress is being placed on the country’s aircraft,” said Raj Banerjee, right, director of ISES and associate professor of materials science and engineering. “The research at UNT will help maintain and extend the life of aging aircraft, prevent catastrophic engine failure and aid the Air Force in developing better materials for the next generation of aircraft.”

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville, who helped secure the funding, said the partnership with UNT and the Air Force would be beneficial to both parties, as well as the entire country. 

One of the country’s top engineering professors and researchers will join UNT as a full-time professor. Alan Needleman, left, who has been at UNT as a visiting professor since spring 2007, has accepted an offer to remain at UNT as a professor of materials science and engineering. He will retire from Brown University, where he has worked since 1975.

Needleman, who is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, was elected last year to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Other members elected last year include former Vice President Al Gore, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and New York Mayor and Businessman Michael Bloomberg. Needleman also has honorary doctorates from The Technical University of Denmark and Ecole Normale Superior de Cachan (France).

“UNT’s commitment to growing our research productivity rests on successfully expanding our faculty ranks to include additional nationally recognized scholars. Bringing Dr. Needleman full time to UNT’s College of Engineering is an important step in fulfilling our commitment,” says Wendy K. Wilkins, provost and vice president of academic affairs. “As a member of the National Academy of Engineering, Dr. Needleman is among our country’s best scholars, and I am proud that UNT’s engineering students and faculty colleagues will benefit from his ideas and expertise. And I know that our College of Engineering is thrilled to have UNT’s first national academy member among its faculty.”

Needleman’s main research interests are in the computational modeling of deformation and fracture processes in materials over a range of size scales from the nano to macro.

He will be heavily involved with UNT’s new Institute for Science and Engineering Simulation, which is a contract with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to research the performance of jet engines and assist the Air Force in developing stronger, more durable materials for planes. UNT received $2.2 million this year and expects to receive an additional $6.36 next year.

Joining other campus sustainability efforts in the “We Mean Green” campaign, the Homecoming Committee this year is encouraging student organizations to build environmentally-friendly Homecoming parade floats for the Oct. 25 parade.

Students will use recycled materials or create a sustainable theme in conjunction with this year’s Homecoming theme, “Vote Mean Green Nation.” Students will compete in a new category for judging, the Mean Green Award and its $300 prize.

This is a great opportunity to encompass sustainability issues says Trapper Pace, director of the Student Activities Center. “Our school colors are green, but for the first time, we really are going green.” Photo, float from Homecoming 2007.

The parade begins at Welch and Hickory, goes around Denton’s town square and ends at Highland Street. Find a map of the parade route.

In coordinating student organization registrants this year, Pace says he has encouraged students to think outside of the box in designing their floats and using recycled materials. Some of the options students are creatively using include:

• cornstarch and water instead of spray adhesives
• recycled paper
• chicken wire
• toilet paper for pomping
• cardboard boxes paper towel rolls for design and support elements
• plastic bottles
• aluminum cans
• broccoli heads for a punch of UNT green color

UNT has received $268,000 from a private corporation to study a dietary supplement that could reduce symptoms of attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder, known as ADHD, in elementary school-age children.

Patricia Kaminski, associate professor of psychology, and Trent Petrie, professor of psychology, will test the use of the supplement, a combination of amino acids and B vitamins, in approximately 200 third- through fifth-graders at 11 elementary schools in the Denton Independent School District.

Children with ADHD, a neurobehavioral developmental disorder, have trouble concentrating in school, may have significant difficulty sitting still and often have high levels of impulsiveness, which interferes in their learning and relationships with others. Up to 7 percent of elementary school-age children have the disorder, which occurs more than twice as much in boys as in girls.

Kaminski, an ADHD researcher, says that although Ritalin, Adderall, Strattera and other medications are common and often effective treatments for the disorder, the success rates of these drugs is not 100 percent, and many parents worry about side effects and their children being on the medication for long periods of time.

Although the exact cause of ADHD is not known, research shows that some children with ADHD are born with genetic differences that affect their neurotransmitters, the brain’s chemical messengers, Kaminski says.

Some medications for ADHD help by increasing neurotransmitter activity, especially in the front part of the brain. Amino acids, which are classified as dietary supplements because they are found in all proteins, may have a role in the treatment of ADHD because the body uses them to make neurotransmitters.

Baby’s Baby, left, UNT’s legendary albino squirrel, is believed to have surfaced in a new home on campus — with a companion, below right.

After weeks of watching for and tracking the pink-eyed little fellow, K.T. Shiue, computer support specialist and webmaster for the university’s North Texas Institute for Educators on the Visual Arts, spotted the squirrel that is believed to Baby’s Baby Oct. 15 at the corner of Avenue A and Eagle Drive. Previously, he resided at his birthplace in the courtyard of Maple Hall. Shiue was surprised to discover two albino squirrels in the trees. The two are the third and fourth albino squirrels found living at UNT since 2000. Photos by Shiue.

Some UNT students consider the albino squirrel an unofficial mascot and good luck charm for those who see it. In 2002, after Thelonius, the first squirrel, was discovered, a group of students founded the UNT chapter of the Albino Squirrel Preservation Society, a collegiate group with chapters in Canada and England as well as the United States. The UNT chapter’s web site lists more than 400 members. 

UNT Libraries sells albino squirrel merchandise – pins, pens and calendars – to support the libraries’ Staff Scholarship Fund. Melody Kelly, associate dean, says more than $700 was raised for the scholarship fund. “Last year, we received orders for the calendar from alumni in Ireland, the UK and Canada as well as the 50 states,”  says Kelly .

Albino characteristics, or albinism, refers to a group of inherited conditions. People and animals with albinism have little or no pigment in eyes, skin, or hair. They have inherited genes that do not make usual amounts of the pigment melanin.

The Class of 1958 will celebrate its 50th reunion Oct. 24 as part of 2008 Homecoming weekend. The Golden Eagles set off to conquer the world without too much worry about the cost of gasoline. How much was a gallon of gas in 1958? 

A. $1.10 per gallon
B. 25 cents per gallon
C. $2.50 per gallon
D. 90 cents per gallon

The correct answer is B. Gasoline cost 25 cents per gallon. A loaf of bread cost 14 cents, and a stamp for first class letters cost 3 cents. Seems cheap, cheap to us now, doesn't it. The average annual salary was $2,992.

Gasoline at 25 cents per gallon inflated to 2008 levels would be about $1.89 per gallon. InHouse wishes it were so. Go to www.minneapolisfed.org/ or to data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl to calculate costs of goods then and now. Learn more about ways to save gasoline at UNT.

Enter to win a UNT T-shirt gift pack. Send an e-mail to inhouse@unt.edu by 5 p.m. Oct. 24 with “Gas Price” in the subject line. Winners are selected at random from all e-mail responses.  

(Also in 1958, World War II hero Dwight D. Eisenhower was president of the United States. The Cold War was heating up, and Nikita Kruschev, who later told Vice President Richard Nixon, “We will bury you," was named premier of the Soviet Union. Hearts were broken when Elvis Presley was inducted into the U.S. Army and his hair trimmed to military standards. Photo circa 1950s, Portal to Texas History, UNT Libraries.)

The State Employees Charitable Campaign continues through Oct. 31. The annual campaign allows State of Texas and higher education employees to donate to more than 400 charitable organizations throughout the state. The campaign began Oct. 1 with a picnic and displays on Library Mall by participating groups in the Denton area. Learn more about the campaign. (Photos by Michael Clements)

The Faculty Profile System, a new database designed to help the university better promote faculty experts and provide faculty members with a way to connect with researchers at other institutions, will launch at the end of October.

The data base will offer faculty new opportunities to collaborate on projects, while ensuring that UNT researchers are gaining the deserved recognition for their work. Additionally, the Faculty Profile System will assist Academic Affairs in meeting internal and external reporting requirements associated with out-of-classroom activities.

“The profile database is an excellent way to market our faculty expertise and give our faculty and staff the means to search for other experts in their fields,” says Allen Clark, left, assistant vice president for institutional research and effectiveness.

All UNT full-time faculty members will be listed in the system and the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness will monitor and maintain the Faculty Profile System. Faculty members will be given the option to input their profile or get assistance from the research effectiveness office.

UNT purchased the profile system from the University of Texas at Arlington where the one-year old system was developed. To date, six other Texas universities have signed up to be a part of the consortium. These are the University of Texas at Arlington, University of Texas at Dallas, University of Texas at El Paso, University of Texas - Pan American, University of Texas at Tyler. UNT’s participation includes the UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth.

Each faculty member will be given an ID and a password to access their information. Clark says that the Faculty Profile System has standard templates for data base entry for each type of faculty activity. The research office will hire two graduate students to help all full-time faculty get acquainted with and enter data into the system.

The system also will provide faculty and staff the ability to access information on research activity, courses taught, faculty areas of expertise, facilities, labs and equipment available at other universities nationwide. The system allows for the database to be searched by keywords in any of these areas.

“Three more Texas universities — University of Texas at Brownsville, University of Texas at San Antonio, and University of Texas San Antonio Health Science Center —are currently evaluating the Faculty Profile System,” says Clark. 
 
Look for a user guide in an upcoming issue of InHouse. Contact Clark at allen.clark@unt.edu or 940-565-2085.

The Zeta Eta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority will celebrate 40 years at UNT with a “40 Year Commitment to the Bond of Sisterhood” anniversary party at 10 p.m. Oct. 25 and other events Oct. 24-26. The anniversary party will be held in the ballroom of the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, 1434 Centre Place Drive. Current and alumni members of the sorority, including founding president Sheila Wheatley Clark and other original charter members, will be in attendance. Then-Wheatley, left, at a meeting, circa 1968.

For more information about the event or the chapter, contact Dalphna Curtis, event organizer, at deedeecurtis@sbcglobal.net or 972-224-9800 or visit http://www.geocities.com/zetaeta@ymail.com/index.html.

The sorority, originally founded as the Alpha Omega Social Club, was organized in September 1967. It followed then-North Texas State University’s mandate that organizations were required to spend a year as a social club before becoming a sorority.

“An entire year was spent lobbying with the university officials, specifically the dean of women (Imogene Dickey), on the value and intense interest in chartering Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,” says Ella Goode Johnson, a 1971 graduate of UNT and 1969 Delta Sigma Theta pledge. The campaign was led by Clark, who would become the founding president of the Zeta Eta Chapter.

On Sept. 29, 1968, the first African American Greek letter organization at UNT was chartered and signed by 19 women. It would become the catalyst for other African American sororities and fraternities to form at UNT, including the first African American fraternity – the Phi Gamma Chapter of Omega Psi Phi, which was formed in December of that year. Learn about Omega Psi Phi's founding and the dedication of a stone marker at the site of the fraternity's first house.

The formation of the Zeta Eta Chapter was not the end of the sorority’s impact on UNT. At a time when few African Americans, with the exception of student athletes, were allowed to live in university housing, the Zeta Eta sorority sisters wanted to live in sorority housing, says Johnson.

Lou Pelton, left, associate professor of marketing and logistics, has been selected as one of two American delegates to the 2008 Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s Leaders’ Week in Lima, Peru, Nov. 16-23. UNT will be the only American public university represented at the conference.

Pelton, who will serve three years as a professorial delegate, was allowed to select a six person delegation to accompany him to the summit. The delegation includes four UNT students, one alumnus and one individual selected by the World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth. 

The young delegates will be separated into diverse, multi-national teams when they arrive in Peru, as part of APEC’s Voices for our Future program. The program will allow the students to attend the conference proceedings, interview a delegate from one of the group's 21 member nations, and interview a member of the international media.

“This is an unprecedented opportunity for students to actively engage in one of the world’s leading economic and trade forums. They will interact with member economies’ government and business leaders, as well as the international media. It is a living and learning opportunity that cannot be replicated in a traditional classroom setting,” says Pelton.

The group, known as APEC, is described as the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region.The organization was formed in 1989 to further enhance economic growth and prosperity for the region and to strengthen the Asia-Pacific community. The theme for this year’s conference is “A New Commitment to the Asia-Pacific Development.”

The four UNT students selected are from a variety of programs, illustrating the College of Business Administration’s commitment to international education and interdisciplinary collaboration. The four students participating in the conference are:

• Kandace Shepherd, sponsored by the Department of Management, majoring in operations and supply chain management
• Sarah Chincarini, sponsored by the Department of Management, majoring in operations and supply chain management
• Jennifer Mouldin, sponsored by the Department of Political Science, majoring in international studies
• Ashli White, sponsored by the School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management, majoring in fashion merchandising.

Three films produced, written or directed by UNT faculty and alumni will be shown at 7 p.m. Oct. 30 in the Radio, Television, Film and Performing Arts Building, Room 184. Work by Fred Watkins, Andrea Duque, Bob Nagy, Jillian Baldwin, Ruby Barron, William Lockwood and Tania Khalaf will be featured at the free showing. Films include:

• Salsa Y Tango — Selected for the 2008 Chick Flicks Film Festival sponsored by Women in Film.Dallas, the film focuses on a father and his stepdaughter whose hearts and souls are represented by the two dance styles — the traditional tango for the father and the mix of jazz, funk, reggae, hip hop and samba in salsa for the daughter. Produced by Duque, a 2007 graduate; directed by Watkins, lecturer; and written by Nagy, adjunct faculty, and a 1991 graduate.

• Neither a Lender or Borrower Be — In this film, a girl loans her bike to a young man, only to have him put the bike up for sale. Produced by Barron, a 2002 graduate, and Baldwin, a 2006 graduate; directed by Watkins; and written by Lockwood, a 2006 UNT graduate.

• Born in Beirut -- As Israeli forces and Shiite Lebanese Hezbollah forces traded rocket attacks during July 2006, Khalaf wondered when she would be able to return to campus. Khalaf was in her hometown of Beirut to visit her family when the war began and the Beirut airport closed.  Her film depicts war through the eyes of a child and draws on Khalaf’s experience growing up in Beirut during the 15-year Lebanese Civil War.

Students at the University of North Texas voted to add for the first time ever a dedicated athletic fee to help fund a new football stadium and entertainment venue, according to referendum results released today by the Student Government Association.

The official results of this week’s referendum, which was held Oct. 13-17, show that 2,829 (58.1 percent) students voted in favor of the athletic fee while 2,038 (41.9 percent) students voted against the fee. A total of 4,867 (13.9 percent of the student body) students voted in the election that also included races for SGA senators and the UNT Homecoming court.

“I believe the student’s voice was heard and it shows that we care about the future of this university. We understand that this vote was not just about the stadium. It was about our university’s future and our experience as students and alumni, because having a new stadium and entertainment venue will enhance our entire college experience,” said Jeff Kline, student body president. “The students have made an investment in this university by voting yes; we now challenge the alumni of UNT to support their alma mater as well.”

The new $10 per credit hour fee will cap at 15 semester credit hours and will not be implemented until the stadium is complete, which is expected to be in the fall of 2011.

On Dec. 21, 1968, at a time when there were few social outlets for African American students, the Phi Gamma chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. was born at then-North Texas State University. The fraternity joined the small list of historically African American fraternities present on a predominantly white campus in the South.This year, the fraternity is celebrating 40 years at UNT. Delta Sigma Theta African American sorority also was founded at UNT in September 1968, after a year as a social club. Learn about the sorority's Oct. 25 40th anniversary celebration.

In the spring of 1970, two years after the charter of the fraternity, UNT gave the fraternity a home of its own at 1007 W. Prairie St. The house became a gathering place for African American college students throughout the Southwest.

In recognition of the significance of this early gathering place for African American students on campus, the university will present the chapter and its members with a commemorative plaque placed on a stone, above.

The dedication will be at 9 a.m.Oct. 25 at the location of the original fraternity house, which was demolished in 1985. Photos will be taken by UNT’s Division of University Relations, Communications and Marketing. To receive photos, contact Buddy Price at buddy.price@unt.edu or 940-565-2943 or Monique Bird at monique.bird@unt.edu or 940-369-7017.

Charles O’Neal, who attended UNT from1969 to 1974, says that having a fraternity on campus of young, African American men being able to unite was “scary for some people, but a victory for all the students.” He adds that the fraternity house helped its members develop their commitment to community service and that the house itself became a central meeting place for members of the fraternity and other African American students from UNT and other college campuses. 

Joy is a member of the UNT Police Department. In 2002 the K-9 department gathered its first team of patrol, tracking and explosive units, which consisted of officers working one-on-one with K-9s. Soon after, other Texas universities inquired about the program. Today, the UNT K-9 program has expanded to two teams of officers and K-9s. Joy is the newest member of the force.

What is your name, title and position?
My name is Joy. I am a narcotics and patrol K-9 Police officer.

How long have you been at UNT?
I have been here three months.

What kind of K-9 are you?
I am a Belgian Malinois. My breed was named after the city of Malines, Belgium. I am one of four varieties of Belgian sheepdogs. My breed is energetic and is bred to work, whether it is in tracking, protecting, detecting bombs, involved in search and rescue, herding or moving heavy items. Most dogs were farm dogs, herding or war dogs and eventually evolved into modern professions.

What does your job require you to do?
I am involved with narcotics detection, tracking, building searches, suspect apprehension and handler protection. I work with Cpl. Bredger Thomason, right, who in 2003 completed his K-9 training with a German Shepherd named Ben.

What is your favorite food?
I love Artemis Power Formula dog food.

What are your hobbies?
I’m really a workaholic. I enjoy working. In my spare time, I enjoy training and taking brief naps.

Where were you trained and how did you get a job at the UNT Police Department?
I was trained at U.S. K-9 Unlimited in Louisiana. I got the job here because I am very friendly and love to work. I enjoy serving the faculty, staff and students at UNT, and I like keeping the campus safe.

Do you have a favorite toy?
My favorite is a simple piece of PVC pipe. I love to chew on it, chase it and bat it around.

Who are your heroes?
I prefer Under Dog, because, like him, I am a crime fighter.

Do you have a favorite book or movie?
I am particularly fond of Jack London’s Call of the Wild. I like 'Ol Yeller,  and TV re-runs of  Lassie.

What do you hope to accomplish at UNT?
I hope to help my human coworkers deter criminal activity on and around campus and ensure that UNT is a safe place to learn and work.

(Interview by Elizabeth Knighten, student assistant, University Relations, Marketing and Communications)

UNT launched its We Mean Green initiative, a university-wide awareness campaign to discuss and promote sustainability, on Oct. 10-11. President Gretchen M. Bataille and student coordinator  Brandon Morton, gave water bottles to We Mean Green conference attendees. (Photos by Michael Clements)

President Gretchen M. Bataille recently spoke at the American Council on Education Texas Regional Leadership Forum Oct. 8 at Baylor University. Bataille is a member of the organization's board of directors. The council's mission is to  provide leadership of higher education issues and to influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives. (Photo courtesy of Baylor Photography, Baylor University).

Leaders from student organizations enjoyed the annual outdoor dinner at the home of Bonita Jacobs, left, vice president for student development. Jacobs, President Gretchen M. Bataille and university administrators welcomed the 2008-09 student leadership group.Below, Regenia Phillips, director, Dining Services, greets students.(Photos by Michael Clements)

The College of Education will hold its sixth annual “Education: The Key to Success for North Texans” luncheon Oct. 27. Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, left, who has publicly supported education programs since his election in 2007, will deliver the keynote address.

The luncheon is intended to promote the importance of education in the North Texas area, and to raise funds for College of Education scholarships.The event has raised more than $200,000 for scholarships. In addition to ticket sales, the event raises scholarship funds through sponsorships; Verizon is this year’s title sponsor.

The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the Peacock Room of the Hilton Anatole Hotel, 2201 N. Stemmons Fwy. Tickets are $125 per person. Contact Matt Bethea at 940-891-6849 or matthew.bethea@unt.edu.

“The North Texas area is growing rapidly and depends on teachers to provide quality education for area children. The College of Education at UNT is a key provider of quality teachers and school leaders, graduating more than 900 new teachers each year,” says Jerry Thomas, dean of the College of Education. “‘Keys to Success’ provides support for these students to become tomorrow’s teachers and enhances the quality of our teacher preparation programs.”

Leppert has been a major supporter of education in North Texas since he was elected in June 2007. After taking office, he launched the Mayor’s Chesapeake Energy Scholarship Fund, to which he donated $200,000 of his salary. He also launched an early literacy initiative, and he will soon kick off a Mayor’s Intern Fellows program for at-risk students.

Leppert is a graduate of Harvard University and of Claremont McKenna College, where he is vice chairman of the board of trustees.

An initiative aimed at helping departments improve the size and diversity of applicant pools for faculty positions has been instituted by Gilda Garcia, left, vice president for equity and diversity.

“Diverse is not an adjective to use to describe types of applicants,” says Garcia, whose pet peeve is the misunderstandingof the word. One of Garcia’s goals is to help departments learn how to define and attract candidates recruited as academic colleagues. “We are all diverse, all hires bring unique perspectives, all people are diverse,” she says. “A large response of qualified applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds applicants means that the department … attracted an applicant pool that meets their needs.”

Since joining UNT in October 2007, Garcia and her staff have helped deans and faculty improve the effectiveness of recruiting and attracting a diverse pool of applicants. Diversity, says Garcia, is not just a report full of numbers. It is the ability to understand and appreciate the differences inherent in each individual, and the ability to add those differences to our worldview. Diversity awareness also has a practical aspect, too. Knowing how to use the language of diversity helps UNT prepare advertising or recruiting materials that will almost guarantee response from those best suited for the job, she says.

The responsibility for hiring remains with the faculty, she adds, so her task is to help search teams find the colleague best suited for UNT.

Who are we and who do we teach?
Leslie Odom, right, research analyst, helps departments prepare a profile of students, faculty and the number of available doctoral degree holders available in an academic area.

Students will be more successful in a diverse and global world when they learn from those like them and from faculty who represent a wide variety of perspectives, says Garcia. So faculty members need awareness of department demographics when considering new members.

“We’ll give the department information at the beginning of their search to help identify their department profile,” says Garcia. “We ask (department) search teams to plan what they need in terms of scholarship, and also to build diversity.”

The Richard Ardoin-Paul Voertman Concert Organ, left, will be featured at College of Music-sponsored concerts Oct. 20-22. The organ is the modern descendant of instruments built during the time of Alexander the Great. Powerful, beautiful organ music is the result of what engineering process?

A. Fluid flow, the movement of water and air
B. Foot power, the force needed to push foot pedals
C. Dexterity, the ability to move fingers across keys
D. Pulmonary function, the ability to blow into a mouthpiece

The correct answer is A, fluid flow. When organists push a key, air is forced through pipes. The pitch is determined by the length and size of pipes. Ktesibious, a Greek engineer, is credited with finding a way to manage water flow and compressed air, which led to his work with hydraulics and the invention of the pipe organ. There is no water involved in the operation of today's organs, but the flow of air -- and the performers' skill -- create the most powerful musical sound in the world. 

Enter to win a pair of tickets to the 8 p.m. Oct. 22 concert featuring Maitre Jean Guillou by sending an e-mail to inhouse@unt.edu by 5 p.m. Oct. 17 with “Organ” in the subject line. The winner will be selected at random from all responses. Tickets must be obtained at the Will Call window of the Murchison Performing Arts Center.

Here are the $1.5 million Richard Ardoin-Paul Voertman organ’s vital statistics:

• Weight: 8 metric tons
• Height: 34 feet, 8 inches
• Width: 25 feet, 7 inches
• Pipes: 3,801 total pipes, including 93 façade pipes and 42 chamade pipes (horizontal trumpets)
• Builder/installer: Wolff and Associates, Laval, Quebec, Canada.

Learn more about the organ and hear it played by Lenora McCroskey, professor of music.
Find a drawing explaining organ construction.
Watch a video interview with Hellmuth Wolff, who built UNT’s organ. 

Find a schedule of events and concerts Oct. 20-22.

Deadline is Oct. 13 to submit requests to the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development for funding from the Research Infrastructure Support Initiative. The initiative provides supplementary funds to existing research or to projects that may receive new or additional external funding.

More than $1.1 million in supplementary funding -- $580,000 from the research office -- was awarded to UNT faculty in August. Find a list of awards below.

Requests for Fall 2008 infrastructure support may be for purchases and upgrades of equipment, re-usable research materials and space renovations. The fall requests must:

• support research that has external funding potential but does not yet have external funding
• support high-profile research in areas in which external funding is less readily available
• support multi-disciplinary research
• be critical to UNT’s mission

Contact Sarah.Sprinkle@unt.edu or go to http://research.unt.edu/.

Previously awarded grants were asked to improve research productivity and enhance the student research experience. Proposals addressed these criteria:
• serve more than one faculty
• be multi-disciplinary
• be crucial to meeting the goals of existing externally-funded projects
• lead to better and better proposals and new funding from external sources
• be critical to UNT’s mission

Awards granted in August were:

David Itkin made his debut Oct. 1 as director of  orchestras for the College of Music. He succeeded Anshel Brusilow, who was associated with UNT for some 35 years.

An Oct. 4 march from the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center to the University Union commemorated the enrollment of African American students at UNT in 1954. The march was sponsored by the Phi Gamma chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, the, Multicultural Center and the Trailblazers alumni association, which is comprised of the university’s pioneering African American students. The group enjoyed gospel music at march's end in the union. (Photos by Angilee Wilkerson)

President Gretchen M. Bataille, above, and UNT officials officially launched construction of the Life Sciences Complex with a groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 4. The 87,000 square foot, energy efficient building will open in 2010. From left, Warren Burggren; dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Rich Escalante, vice chancellor for administrative services, UNT System; Provost Wendy Wilkins; UNT System Chancellor Lee Jackson; Bataille; UNT System Board of Regents chair Gayle Strange; Art Goven, professor and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences; Jeff Kline, president, Student Government Association; Richard Miller, principal, Perkins & Will Architects; Keith Muskrat, senior vice president, T.S. Bryne contractors. (Photos by Angilee Wilkerson)

The American Red Cross Shelter Boot Camp will hold two certification course sessions on shelter operations.

• Session 1— 8:30 a.m. to noon, Oct. 18 and Oct. 19 at the UNT Coliseum
• Session 2 — 8:30 a.m. to noon, Oct. 29 at  the Gateway Center and Oct. 31 at the UNT Coliseum 

Pictured left to right, Luis Tapia, UNT emergency manmagement planning coordinator, President Gretchen M. Bataille, and U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess at the UNT Coliseum hurricane shelter for evacuees in September 2008.

To earn course certification, participants must attend and complete both four-hour sessions offered for a total of eight hours each session. All classes will be held at the Coliseum gymnastics room, with the exception of the Oct. 29 class, which will be at the Gateway Center, room 43.

The training is required for volunteers to enter a shelter and be able to assist evacuees with registration, dormitory management, and feeding. The training is open to students, faculty and staff and is applicable to any Red Cross shelter nationwide. To register call the American Red Cross at 940-384-0880.

“It’s important to note that hurricane season is not over yet,” says Tapia.  emergency management planning coordinator.


UNT stepped up and offered shelter space for Hurricane Gustav and Ike evacuees as it did when Katrina and Rita came ashore. A total of 283 UNT students worked through the night to get the Coliseum ready for evacuees when Gustav threatened the Texas coast. 

PJ Blanco, a doctoral student in UNT’s nationally ranked counseling program, is conducting an eight-week study in four elementary schools to determine whether there is a correlation between play therapy and academic achievement.

The project will study the effect of play therapy on 60 first-grade students, who have been designated as “at risk” by the Denton Independent School District. Thirty randomly selected students will receive 30-minute play therapy sessions twice a week. The sessions began Oct. 6. The other 30 students will be a control group, meaning those students will receive play therapy treatment after the eight-week project concludes.

Play therapy is a way for children to express their emotions symbolically through play. The students are supervised and facilitated by trained play therapists in play rooms complete with sandboxes, dolls, tools, matchbox cars and toys. Approximately 10 doctoral students from UNT’s Child and Family Resource Clinic will assist Blanco with his research.The project will be supervised by Dee Ray, left, associate professor of counseling and center director.

“Play therapy allows children to work through their emotional or behavioral problems in their own developmentally appropriate language of play," Ray says. "Children benefit by improving self-esteem, self-responsibility, and coping skills. Although play therapy is not specifically designed for academic achievement, in this study we will explore how play therapy helps relieve children of emotional difficulties that impede learning.” 

In addition to studying the effect of play therapy on academic achievement, the study also will investigate its effect on how the students view themselves and their relationship with their teachers. All of the participating students will receive several assessments before the play therapy sessions begin to establish a baseline for comparison of the group receiving play therapy and the control group.

Blanco is a fourth-year doctoral student in the counseling program. He received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas State University in 2001 and a master’s in counseling psychology from Lewis and Clark College in 2005. Blanco began working as the assistant director of clinical services at the Child and Family Resource Clinic in 2007; he has participated in two published research studies.

The Division of Finance and Administration will host its third quarterly Town Hall meeting for staff to ask questions and discuss activities of various departments. Departments to be discussed include Budget Office and Controller's Division.

Representatives from each department will present information and answer questions. Meetings are scheduled quarterly; the fall meeting is:

• 8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m.
• Oct. 16
• University Union, Silver Eagle Suite A and B 

Continental breakfast will be available. No RSVP is required. The goals of the this session are to:

• provide an overview of the function of the Budget Office, including current and future projects -- 30 minutes
• provide a general overview of the functions of the Controller's Division, which includes Financial Reporting, Financial Systems, Payroll, Purchasing and Payment Services and Student Accounting and University Cashiering Services -- 30 minutes
• open question and answer dialogue and feedback about how Finance and Administration can improve services.

Future quarterly Town Hall sessions will include the following departments:
 • Risk Management, Internal Audit and Treasury

The meeting will be broadcast on the UNT web site beginning at 8:30 a.m. To view the video, go to http://web3.unt.edu/vcstream and link to View Stream.  Real Player is needed to view the meeting, which can be downloaded at http://www.real.com. The broadcast will be available on the Human Resources web page after processing.

In the early days at UNT, Homecoming was tied to commencement or another spring event. Homecoming disappeared entirely for a time, but when it returned, the switch to fall allowed a football game to be included. What year was Homecoming first held in the fall rather than the spring?

A. 1937
B. 1935
C. 1940
D. 1938

The correct answer is A. Two years after a November 1935 conference to establish an ex-student association and a home football game between North Texas State Teachers College and arch rival East Texas State Teachers College, the Campus Chat student newspaper announced that an open house event for ex-students would be held on campus.

To win a free UNT T-shirt gift pack, send an e-mail with the words “Homecoming 1934” in the subject line to inhouse@unt.edu by 5 p.m. Oct.10. The winner will be selected at random from all e-mails received.

A Friday night pep rally kicked off the open house with a bonfire at the end of Chestnut Street. The committee in charge of the open house was headed by J.C. Matthews, president of the Ex-Student Association. Dean B.B. Harris announced that the open house would probably be a biennial event to coincide with the football game between the North Texas State Teachers College and East Texas State Teachers College.

In 1939, the college scheduled a semi-centennial homecoming for ex-students on the campus on Nov.18. The homecoming was a part of a series called the Golden Jubilee Year activities at the college. By 1941, Homecoming Day was beginning to be a campus tradition with many scheduled events in addition to the East Texas State football game.

Some of the scheduled events included: a morning meeting of the Ex-Student Association; a luncheon; a coffee hosted by the Green Jackets; programs to host visiting East Texas State guests; and evening activities with a Homecoming stage and an all-college dance.

Diversity is not just numbers. It’s a way of making people comfortable with differences, and a way of infusing inclusivity in day-to-day interactions. A campus that leverages a wide variety of diverse perspectives is a productive campus that celebrates and values the variety found in individuals.

That’s the view of Gilda Garcia, left, vice president for institutional equality and diversity, who was appointed by President Gretchen M. Bataille in October 2007. Garcia says the administrative commitment to action, to resources and to the elevation of the position to the senior management level told her that UNT was serious about examining societal complexities, increasing inclusiveness and honoring individual and group differences.

“We have a diverse student body, but people tend to group with those with whom they are comfortable, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” says Garcia. But she wants faculty, staff and students to be more aware of how they can contribute to a truly diverse organization, diverse in its thinking as well as its color, gender. religion and lifestyle. “I want to make diversity and inclusiveness a mindset, a way that we approach our work,” Garcia says.

Thinking about diversity
Garcia has asked the campus community to ponder diversity at appropriately named IDEA programs, at regularly scheduled  Café Diversity events and at programs sponsored by the Multicultural Center, now a part of the Division of Equity and Diversity.

• IDEA is an acronym for inclusion, diversity, equity and access. There are three IDEA sub-teams, one each of faculty, of staff and of students. A larger IDEA team will be comprised of representatives of each team and will serve as an advisor to UNT leadership. Find a list of IDEA team members in the Extended Entry. 

• Café Diversity, monthly meetings for faculty and students, began in spring 2008, to discuss issues such as textbook choices and the efficacy of African American history month and other traditionally promoted diversity events. Café Diversity is scheduled Oct. 8, from noon to 1 p.m. in the University Union, Golden Eagle Suite. 

Planning for equity and diversity
Kevin Carreathers, right,  joined the division as director of diversity planning in June. Carreathers will help develop plans that leverage the value of diversity in an inclusive learning environment, especially as UNT asserts itself as a national leader, says Garcia. He also will chair the IDEA Team, and a super team known as Diversity Champions.

Carreathers previously was assistant to the provost and director of diversity at Salisbury University. He also was associate dean of students at the University of Memphis and director of multicultural services at Texas A&M. He received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UNT and a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Prairie View A&M University.

Carreathers is in charge of preparing a state-of-diversity report. “The report also will discuss what we’ve done well, what could be done differently and what needs to be reinforced,” says Garcia. The report is expected to be completed by calendar year’s end.

Lorre Allen, left, joined the department Aug. 25 as director of equal opportunity. Allen’s responsibilities include monitoring of discrimination, harassment, complaints and compliance regulations and reporting. Allen also will supervise training programs to help faculty and staff understand diversity compliance.

Allen was formerly equal opportunity officer and human resources consultant at Wayne State University, and associate director for human resources at the Detroit Public Library. She is a certified employment law specialist who received a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree from Walden University.

Leslie Odom, right, senior research analyst, has joined the division to assist with faculty recruitment. Odom is responsible for research related to demographics and for data that helps create a statistical picture of departments. Odom completed a doctorate in educational research at UNT in Fall 2008. She also has a master of arts from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a bachelor of science from Texas A&M University.

The Multicultural Center
The Multicultural Center joined Equity and Diversity on Sept. 1, the beginning of the 2008-09 Fiscal Year. “The addition of the multicultural center will let us broaden our vision of the whole idea of diversity,” says Garcia.

The center will continue to organize events such as Hispanic Heritage Month, African American and women’s history celebrations, among other day-to-day services. Cheylon Brown, left, a UNT alumna, remains director of the Multicultural Center.

Garcia, formerly director of equity and access at Texas State University, sees diversity as a progression: “We are on a continuum from compliance to change to engaged,” she says:

• Compliance is a decrease the incidence of behavior that excludes people
• Change creates a welcome environment and increases the population of people, especially students and faculty, who feel welcome at UNT.
• Engaged is when diversity is fully integrated into an organization.

Go to Extended Entry for members of the IDEA team.

Cheryl McQueen, senior assistant to the dean of the College of Business Administration, is the chief events coordinator for the college's activities during the annual State Employee Charitable Campaign, or SECC. When she’s not arranging ethnic food potlucks and baby picture slideshows for charity, she spends time with her daughter and creates stained and fused glass art.

What is your title and department?
Senior assistant to the dean, College of Business.

How long have you worked at UNT?
I have worked a combined total of 15 years for UNT. I actually started out as a student worker in 1980 and was hired full time while still in college as a junior secretary in the Department of Marketing. I then was promoted to senior secretary (don’t you love those old titles!) and worked until 1988. I moved to Memphis, Tenn., and then returned to UNT in 2001 as the administrative assistant III in the Department of Accounting. I was promoted to senior assistant to the dean in November 2006 and have been here since then.

How long have you been involved in shaping the SECC? What drives your involvement with it?
When I came to the Department of Accounting, I was asked to volunteer for one year to be the coordinator. The next year there was no one else to be the coordinator so I did it again. Ever since then I have just continued to be a coordinator. The last year I was in the Department of Accounting we did a raffle for SECC. We had such a good time with the raffle that when I came to the Dean’s Office we decided to do more events. This will be our second year to hold at least one SECC fundraising event each week in October with several contests and raffles planned . We have discovered that we can have great fun while at the same time helping charitable organizations. The support of these fundraisers by the College of Business faculty, staff and students brings the biggest satisfaction and fills my heart with the kindness and generosity of our community.

Do you have any particularly funny or memorable stories about past campaigns?
Last year we had a baby picture contest. It was a lot of fun to try to match up the baby picture to the faculty or staff member. It was a hoot to see Dean (Finley) Graves as a young child dressed up in his cowboy outfit.

Do you do the same events each year? Which do you like best?
Some of the events we duplicate and others we will try to come up with something new. We had a lunch last year that the faculty and staff brought Mexican food dishes and then they could come and donate $5 for a plate. This year we plan to do an Italian lunch one week and a dessert sampling another week. Food is always popular. We also raffled off a stained glass eagle last year which was very successful.

How do you spend your free time?
I am very passionate about working with stained glass and fused glass. I usually set up a booth at the local high school craft fairs during the fall. I also do a lot of volunteer work for fundraising for my daughter’s orchestra booster club at Denton High School. We sell concessions for UNT football and basketball games as one fundraiser for the orchestra.

Who are your heroes?
Single mothers -- it isn’t an easy job to carry the responsibility for raising kids alone.

What is your favorite expression?
“Bless your heart!” My daughter tells me I sound so Southern when I say that.

What is something that no one knows about you?
I rode a donkey across part of Ecuador when I was 16.

What is your favorite season?
I love fall with its cooler weather, because it’s not too hot and not too cold. Unfortunately, the beautiful fall colors don’t last very long in Texas.

What is your favorite food? Where do you like to go to eat it?
I love Mexican food. It doesn’t really matter where I get it, just so long as I can have a weekly fix.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Without hesitation, it is raising my daughter to be a kind, lovely, responsible young woman.

 What is your dream job?
I have always dreamed of owning my own bed and breakfast on the Carolina coast (preferably with a lighthouse) with a gift shop to sell my stained glass and fused glass.

One person you would like to meet?
One of my favorite TV shows was M.A.S.H. I think it would be great to meet Alan Alda.

(Interview by Megan Beck, student assistant, University Relations, Communications and Marketing)

Marcus Martin, left, president and CEO of Education is Freedom spoke at the President's Leadership Breakfast hosted by President Gretchen M. Bataille on Oct. 1. The Dallas-based nonprofit supports programs designed to eliminate barriers to higher education and promote equality of opportunity in college attendance. Martin received a doctorate in applied statistics and urban sociology from Howard University, and a master of public health degree from the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. (Photo by Michael Clements)

Flu immunizations will be available at the Student Health and Wellness Center beginning Oct. 6.
Faculty, staff and students may come to a Flu Shot Clinic at the Student Health and Wellness Center, Chestnut Hall, second floor. Center. Flu shots will be available until supplies of vaccine are exhausted. Hours are:

• Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
• Monday through Thursday, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
• Friday, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

All Flu Shot Clinic patients must be checked in by 11:15 a.m. or 4:30 p.m. to receive a flu shot.

The cost for students is $15 and the price for faculty and staff is $18. 

Call the center at 940-565-2333 or go to www.healthcenter.unt.edu/.  Learn more about flu from the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/flu/.