Films by Oscar winner and Taiwanese-born director Ang Lee, left, will be screened and discussed during International Education Week, Nov. 16-20. The films selected for the festival are all part of Lee’s exploration of generational and cultural conflicts among Taiwanese parents and their Americanized children.

International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Departments of State and Education, celebrates the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide by promoting programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attracts students from other nations to study in the United States and exchange experiences with U.S. students.

A panel discussion will follow the Nov. 20 film, Eat Drink Man Woman. Panelists will be Harry Benshoff, associate professor of radio, television and film; Kevin Heffernan, adjunct faculty at UNT and associate professor of cinema-television at Southern Methodist University; and Don Staples, professor emeritus of radio, television and film. 

These films will be shown at 7 p.m. in the University Union, Lyceum:

• Nov. 16: Pushing Hands (Tui shou) — In this 1992 release, a retired Chinese tai-chi master moves to New York to live with his son's family. His presence leads to a family struggle between cultural tradition and the modern American lifestyle.
• Nov. 18: The Wedding Banquet (Xi yan) — This 1993 flim features a gay Taiwanese-American man whose parents pressure him to marry, so he marries a Chinese girl who needs to marry an American citizen to obtain a green card. Complications arise when the young man’s parents arrange a huge banquet to celebrate.
• Nov. 21: Eat Drink Man Woman (Yin shi nan nu) — Released in 1994, this film focuses on a chef in Taipei with three adult daughters. Life revolves around the ritual of an elaborate dinner each Sunday and the love lives of all of the family members.

Lee also has directed Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hulk and Brokeback Mountain, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director. 

Contact UNT-International at 940-565-2197.

(Photo courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.)

A new football stadium is about to become a reality. Plans for the stadium passed their final hurdle today (Oct. 29) when the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the proposal.

A public groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled Nov. 21, prior to the Mean Green-Army game, and the Mean Green will move into the new facility for the 2011 season.

The stadium, rendering, right, will replace 57-year-old Fouts Field, and will be the first collegiate football stadium designed by award-winning HKS Inc. Architects, the firm that designed the new Dallas Cowboys stadium. The university will be seeking Gold LEED certification, one of the highest levels of sustainable achievement. UNT likely will be the first college football stadium with a Gold LEED designation.

“If you look at America’s great universities, you’ll see that they all have the three A’s in common: great academics, great arts and great athletics. All are key to a vibrant alumni community and continued growth. And all require great facilities,” says President Gretchen M. Bataille. "I am committed to ensuring that UNT, like many of the nation's best research universities, strives to be excellent in everything we do.”

• Learn more about Mean Green football.
• Buy tickets to the Nov. 21 game versus Army/U.S. Military Academy.
• Learn more about all Mean Green sports and athletes.

American Book Award winner Janisse Ray, left, will give a free reading at 8 p.m. Nov. 10 in the University Union, Silver Eagle Suite A.

Ray’s 2000 award winner,  Ecology of Cracker Childhood, combines memoir with natural history in an examination of the complex relationship between rural communities, poverty and ecology. Ray, a Georgia native, is the author of another memoir, Wild Card Quilt: Taking a Chance on Home and Pinhook: Finding Wholeness in a Fragmented Land.

Ray’s visit is part of the Department of English Visiting Writers Series and the 2009-10 One Book, One Community program. The program is an annual yearlong reading discussion focusing on a theme. This year’s selection is Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future by Jeff Goodell, who spoke at UNT Oct. 6. 

Contact Corey Marks or 940-565-2126 or Ruby Al-Qasem, creative writing assistant, or 214-240-5682.

(Photo courtesy of Milkweed Editions, MInneapolis.)

UNT has more finalists in the prestigious Siemens competition that any Texas high school. Eighteen students enrolled in the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science are finalists or semifinalists in the 2009 Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology, the nation’s leading original research competition in math, science and technology for high school students.

In 2008, TAMS led Texas with 14 semifinalists.

In 2009, four TAMS students are finalists and 14 are semifinalists.

Finalists are:

• Sai Achi
• Somak Das
• Peter Hu
• Sahil Khetpal

Semifinalists are:

• Smitha Janardan
• Brandon Kiasaleh
• Matthew Krenik
• Jesse Lou
• Ruobing Lu
• Alex Mentzelopoulos
• Eva Ng
• Navaneeth Ravindranath
• Jay Shah
• Rena Sheng
• Katheryn Shi
• Tian Tian
• Kathy Wang
• Amruth Venkatraman
  

Zombies are trendy this fall. In fact, the ghouls were seen on campus on Oct. 23, just in time for Halloween. Two other staples of the festival, spooky music and scary movies, are back, too.

“There’s a primal desire for many people to be scared and thrilled in a safe zone. You want to be shaken and stirred,” says Harry Benshoff, left, associate professor of radio, television and film.

He says that Hollywood continues to make and remake horror movies and produce countless sequels, partly because of economics.The movies are “cheap and easy to make and have a built-in audience."

“They skew toward younger people. Then five or 10 years go by, and studios can remake the same movie, or release another sequel, for a new generation of teenagers,” says Benshoff, who says the appeal of horror movies “is like the appeal of a roller coaster.”

Andrew M. May, right, associate professor of music, says spooky music is caused by extremes of high or low register, dissonant or unusual harmonies, particularly those that slide chromatically between keys or abruptly out of key. Unfamiliar timbres and sudden contrasts, such as a quiet, tense harmony broken by an explosion of sound, also seem scary.

May directs the Center for Experimental Music and Media at the College of Music. He composes chamber music in which some of the performers are invisible computer systems, which May sometimes calls playing with ghosts.

May considers the organ to be the eeriest of traditional instruments. He describes organ sounds - the staple of classic silent horror movies such as 1925's original Phantom of the Opera - as “coming from all around the space” around the performer. “We hear a colossal sound, magically disembodied and magnified from the human who controls it,” he says.

A prime example is Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in d minor, prominently featured in Phantom of the Opera. Find a YouTube video of German organist Karl Richter performing Bach’s classic. 

See Extended Entry to learn more about scary music and movies.

The annual campus partnership with WFAA Santa's Helpers Toy Drive, a program that helps brighten the holidays for as many as 50,000 North Texas children, begins on campus Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 9. Santa's Helper is one of the many Denton area programs and services supported campuswide by the UNT community.

The toy drive is sponsored by the Staff Council, Faculty Senate and the Student Government Association. Toys can be donated at the brightly wrapped collection boxes located at many locations around campus beginning Nov. 1 and will be collected beginning at noon Dec. 9. After meeting the toy needs for the children of Denton County, the remaining supply of toys will be delivered to the WFAA drop off in Southlake.

Contact Scott Windham, chair of Staff Council, or Rhonda Acker, vice chair of Staff Council.

Find toy donation boxes at the locations below (some are available until 10 p.m.). All donation boxes were donated by Little Guys Movers.

• Administration
• Student-Athlete Academic Center
• University Union
• Eagle Student Services
• Marquis Hall
• Chilton Hall - College of Public Affairs Dean's Suite
• CITC - UNT Discovery Park
• CITC - Information Sciences Building
• UNT Discovery Park - College of Engineering Deans Office
• UNT Services Building - Purchasing and Payment Services
• College of Music - Front Office
• Crumley Hall
• Traditions Hall
• Clark Hall
• Legends Hall
• Victory Hall
• Honors Hall
• Maple Hall
• McConnell Hall
• Santa Fe Square
• Mozart
• Kerr Hall
• College of Visual Art and Design - Student Services Office - Room 111
• College of Business - Dean's Suite - Room 257
• GAB - Mayborn Journalism Office - Room 207
• Facilities
• College of Education
• Gateway Center - Development Office
  

The Human Resources Department will be hosting a second Retirement Savings Investment Fair for individuals who were unable to attend the first fair.

UNT SYSTEM-SPONSORED OPTIONAL RETIREMENT PLAN (ORP) & THE TAX-SHELTERED ANNUITY (TSA) PLAN

EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT SAVINGS INVESTMENT FAIR
WHO: Open to all ORP & TRS retirement-plan eligible faculty and staff members
WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009
WHERE: University Union, Golden Eagle Suite
TIME: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (come-and-go)

DIRECT ACCESS TO INVESTMENT REPRESENTATIVES:
The Retirement & Retirement Savings Investment Provider Fair is your opportunity to meet representatives of the companies providing the UNT System-sponsored Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) and Tax-Sheltered Annuity (TSA) plans. Representatives from FIDELITY, ING, TIAA-CREF, and VALIC will be present to discuss the investment options and funds available to meet your retirement savings goals.

REMINDER: If you are an Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) participant you will need to select one of the four UNT-System plan providers by Nov. 25, 2009. If you are not currently enrolled with one of the approved providers and do not complete the necessary paperwork by this deadline, your contributions will be invested in an age-appropriate Fidelity Freedom Fund until you redirect the funds to another provider and/or account. You may transfer out of the default Fidelity account at any time with no penalty.

TAKE TIME TO PLAN FOR YOUR RETIREMENT SAVINGS NEEDS:
Are you on track to live the life you want after you stop working? Most retirees find that income from their employer-sponsored retirement plans and Social Security is not enough to maintain the standard of living they would like to enjoy during retirement. Most people also will need personal savings. Representatives of the UNT-System sponsored retirement savings program will be on hand to visit with you about the benefits of enrolling in a Tax-Sheltered Annuity (TSA). A TSA is a voluntary program in which you may make pre-tax contributions to retirement savings.

GREAT DOOR PRIZES! Some very nice door prizes have been donated by the Human Resources Department. You do not need to be present to win, simply register during the fair.

QUESTIONS: Please contact Pat Morgan, Benefits Coordinator, at 940-565-4129 or email your questions to HRRetirement@unt.edu

Early voting for the Nov. 3 election is under way now and will be available through Oct. 30.

You likely are aware that the ballot includes the opportunity to vote on Proposition 4 to establish the National Research University Fund. This fund would provide a dedicated and independent source of funding for Texas’ emerging research universities, including UNT.

Establishing the fund will not involve raising new money or increasing taxes. The fund will be created by redirecting monies from the existing Higher Education Fund. If the fund is established, Texas universities must meet the qualifying criteria laid out in HB 51 to receive support.

If voters approve Proposition 4, there will be significant state funding available for the qualifying institutions to support major research initiatives and generate greater economic activity.
Proposition 4 is “The constitutional amendment establishing the national research university fund to enable universities in this state to achieve national prominence and transferring the balance of the higher education fund to the national research university fund.”

If you would like additional information regarding Proposition 4, check out the following resources:

• Text of HB 51: www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB51
• Texas Secretary of State: www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/whatisontheballot.shtml
• League of Women Voters nonpartisan summaries: www.lwvtexas.org/votersintro.php

As with all elections, employees are encouraged to exercise their right to vote and university policy grants a reasonable period of time off during the regular work day for voting when it is not possible for an employee to vote before or after regular working hours. To receive leave for voting during work, employees must first get supervisor approval and present a voting slip upon return to work.

Find your polling location:
team.sos.state.tx.us/voterws/viw/faces/SearchSelectionPolling.jsp

With green pride,
Gretchen M. Bataille
President

Beginning fall 2010, a program will be offered by the College of Business for students interested in a career in aviation. Texas students will no longer have to go out of state for an affordable four-year degree. The program was approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in October and UNT will be the first Texas public college or university to offer a bachelor of science in aviation logistics.

Two tracks will be offered - one for students interested in becoming commercial pilots and another for students interested in careers related to passenger and freight movement. Terrance Pohlen, left, associate professor and director of the Center for Logistics Education and Research, says that the combination of aviation and logistics will give UNT graduates a much broader perspective than they would get from aviation programs offered at other universities.

“The flight crew, while an important and highly visible part of aviation, is just the tip of the iceberg. Every time an airplane takes off, literally thousands of dedicated people help put it in the air—from those who manage the airports and run the air traffic control system, to those who schedule flights and many others who do the jobs that need to be done,” says Pohlen.

Students in the program will gain the education and the experience needed to pursue career opportunities in all facets of the aviation industry.

“The creation of this new major at UNT is in response to the density of aviation-related businesses and career opportunities in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. DFW International is the fourth largest passenger airport in the country. The area also is home to Dallas Love Field, Fort Worth Alliance airport, American Airlines, Bell Helicopter and Lockheed Martin, just to name a few,” says Steve Swartz, assistant professor of logistics.

Learn more from the  Department of Marketing and Logistics at 940-565-3120.

The campus will return to Central Standard Time at 2 a.m. Nov. 1. Personal clocks should be set one hour backward. As the mnemonic says, Fall back in the fall … and spring forward in the spring. Standard time will return March 7.

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.
• Calculate time in each time zone in the United States.

TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM OF TEXAS (TRS) GROUP BENEFIT AND RETIREMENT PRESENTATION

Planning for Retirement - Retiring can be a simple process if you plan ahead.

All UNT, UNT Dallas Campus and UNT System employees and their spouses are invited to attend a group benefit and retirement presentation conducted by a TRS representative.

This informative session will focus on a number of details on the retirement process and the forms that must be completed by members. If you are considering retirement during the 2009-2010 academic year, you should plan on attending to help you to make a smooth transition to retirement.

WHO: Active members of TRS
WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 5
TIME: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Room 255, Eagle Student Service Center

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED: Registration is available on-line through the “What’s New” page of the TRS web site located at www.trs.state.tx.us. On the “What’s New” page scroll down to the 2009-2010 TRS Benefits Presentation link and click on it to complete the on-line registration process. Or, you can call TRS toll-free at 1-800-223-8778 to register with a representative. Seating is limited to 224. Reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis.

This event is sponsored by UNT Human Resources Department and Teacher Retirement System of Texas.

For more information about this presentation, please contact Pat Morgan, benefits coordinator at 940-565-4129 or email your questions to HRRetirement@unt.edu.

The annual State Employee Charitable Campaign continues throught Oct. 31. A Celebrity Waiter Event is scheduled Oct. 22 and 29 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., University Union, Avesta restaurant. Regularly-priced meals will be served by faculty and staff, with tips donated to the campaign. Peyton Foster Roden, Regents Professor of finance, insurance, real estate and law, and a coordinator for the 2009 campaign. collects tips on Oct. 15, left, from College of Music Dean James Scott and diners.  (Photo by Mike Woodruff)

Fashions from the 1920s are displayed at UNT's Fashion on Main, Dallas, through Dec. 18. Left, President Gretchen M. Bataille with Inarose Bogen, niece of designer Regina Kobler, whose photos are part of the exhibit. (Photos by David Porter) 

President Gretchen M. Bataille, left, presents a personal donation to Jacqueline Quintero, alumna and  development associate/phone-a-thon manager. Bataille attended the September Call Mean Green phone-a-thon sponsored by the Division of Advancement. Students telephoned UNT alumni, donors and potential donors to encourge support of the university. (Photos by Michael Clements)

Jeff Goodell, author of Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America’s Energy Future Behind America’s Energy Future, spoke at a panel discussion Oct. 5. Goodell's book is the 2009-10 selection for the university's One Book, One Community program.  (Photos by Michael Clements)

Mariangela Vacatello, 2009 finalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, taught a master class, then performed in concert Sept. 30 with the UNT Symphony Orchestra, directed by David Itkin. (Photos by Gary Payne)

(Elizabeth Hinkle-Turner supervised the transition from student EagleMail to EagleConnect in spring 2009. She’s also a nationally recognized composer of electroacoustic music and holds a brown belt designation in karate.)

What is your title and department at UNT?
My position is the assistant director of CITC Academic Computing and User Services. My degrees are a doctor of musical arts and a master’s of music from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a bachelor’s degree in music from Trinity University, San Antonio. I am currently the vice president of the International Alliance for Women in Music, and I just had a piece released on compact disc.

What is new about EagleConnect?
EagleConnect is not just e-mail; it is texting and collaborative learning spaces and calendaring. Also, students can fix it up on their cell phones quite easily. I think that UNT areas should have a much greater presence on both Twitter and Facebook, but I also realize that there may be some security and compliance issues that need to be dealt with first before that is a big possibility.

What are trends in your field?
In my job field, especially the part that involves the students, there is a big emphasis on green computing and computer energy management. Much more work is being done on providing better study and collaborative learning environments for students including more informal computing work areas (couches, wireless connectivity, easy-to-move tables and whiteboards for project work) rather than the more formal lab spaces. Another aspect of my job, research computing, has a heavy emphasis on high-performance computing (computer clusters, grid computing) and data visualization.
In my research area, there is currently emphasis on the preservation of digital art and music objects, including preserving old electronic music - tape pieces, pieces done on old computers like the Amiga - and also web-based pieces, and collecting interviews with pioneers in the field of electronic and computer music.

Family Weekend, Sept. 25-26, featured fun, entertainment and a pep rally.The annual weekend allows parents and families to learn about UNT programs and successes, and to get an up-close view of college life. (Photos by Michael Clements.)

Don't forget to sign up for the Eagle Alert system, the university's notification network. 

Phone numbers must be registered with Eagle Alert to ensure receipt of messages. To register: go to my.unt.edu and log in using your EUID and password. 

Eagle Alert is a network that allows UNT administrators to quickly contact the campus community by phone. The alert system will be used to make the university community aware of any situation affecting the safety and well being of people on and around the UNT campus. The system sends recorded voice messages to land-line and cell phones, of faculty, staff and students who have registered their contact information with the system. Text or SMS (Short Message Service) messages will be sent to registered cell phones numbers by user permission.

Eagle Alert will be used for situations determined by the university president or chief of police, including:

• Severe weather alerts such as tornado warnings affecting the campu.
• Campus closings because of inclement weather.
• Public safety emergencies such as chemical spills, fires or violence.

When a decision is made to close the university, UNT will notify the campus community with an Eagle Alert; provide the information to campus telephone operators; post a message to the university web site; send campus e-mails; and inform news media.

If the university is closed for more than one day, community members should check the UNT web site for the latest information. The university also will provide the information to campus telephone operators, as well as the news media. The university building phone network allows administrators an option to give specific notification to certain areas of campus.

Faculty and staff members are asked to remind students to update their information, so that they may be included in this important campus safety service.

Eagle Alert is tested once every fall and spring semester by sending test messages to the university community. All university building lines will automatically receive the test, but an individual must register with the system to receive the Eagle Alert test, and all actual alert messages.

The UNT Athletic Hall of Fame honored the 1959 football team at its induction ceremonies Oct. 16. What was significant about that team?

A. The team was undefeated.
B. The team was one of the first to be racially integrated. C. The team wore all green uniforms.
D. The quarterback was named All American.

The correct answer is B: The 1959 team was the first at UNT - and one of the first in the country - to be integrated. 

Enter to win a UNT T-shirt gift pack by sending an e-mail with “Fame” in the subject line to inhouse@unt.edu by 5 p.m. Oct. 23. Winners will be selected at random from all responses.

Abner Haynes, left, and Leon King joined the freshman football team in 1956, the same year that North Texas admitted its first African American undergraduate, Irma Cephas. Cephas’ matriculation was without incident, but the football team endured name calling and threats. The players made the varsity teams of 1957 and 1958 among the first integrated college sports teams in the South, a decision supported by President J.C. Matthews. Three Mississippi universities refused to play North Texas and a hotel in Houston refused to allow the team to stay there.

In 1959, when Haynes and King were seniors, the football team won the Missouri Valley Conference championship with a 9-1 record and played in the Sun Bowl in El Paso. (New Mexico State University won, 28-8.) Haynes was drafted by the new professional team, the Dallas Texans which became the Kansas City Chiefs, and was named rookie of the year in 1960. King earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from North Texas State and became a school administrator in Dallas.

• Learn more about Homecoming, including the Hall of Fame breakfast, and find photos from the weekend’s events in the North Texan magazine.
• Learn more about Mean Green sports and athletes, and how to buy tickets.

(Photo: Members of the 1956 freshman football team in 2004: from left, back row, Gordon Salsman, Frank Klein, Haynes, Raymond Clement; front row, Bob Way, coach Ken Bahnsen and King. )

KNTU’s founders, past and present station managers, former and current student staff members, and devoted listeners will gather for a 40th anniversary celebration at 6 p.m. Nov. 6 in the Gateway Center Ballroom. Hors d’oevures will be served and the One O’Clock Lab Band will perform beginning at 8 p.m. 

Tickets cost $30 per person and must be reserved by 5 p.m. Oct. 30. To reserve tickets, call Russ Campbell, KNTU general manager, at 940-565-2554.

A few weeks after KNTU-FM began broadcasting at North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas, in 1969, staff members were fielding calls from local residents who complained about receiving KNTU audio instead of TV audio on four channels. The problem was solved after the staff members kept a list of names and addresses of the 30 people who complained, and provided them each with a certain length of cable to filter out KNTU’s audio from their televisions.

The audio interference from KNTU, which was reported in the Denton Record-Chronicle, turned out to be a plus, since the newspaper story raised awareness of KNTU, and the radio station began gaining an audience. KNTU, 88.1, became the only station in the Dallas-Fort Worth area featuring classical jazz, and eventually the strongest university station in the area, with 100,000 watts.

Congratulations to this week’s randomly selected winners who responded to last week’s InHouse prize giveaways.

• Jordyn Talley, student assistant, Research Development Services
• Lorrie Holmen, computer support specialist, Payroll
• Pamela Flint, staff psychologist, Counseling and Testing Services
• Todd Maye, associate professor of history, and director, UNT Oral History Program
• Shirley Bonkowski, administrative specialist, Teacher Education and Administration
• Margaret Hall, administrative assistant, Physics

Winners are randomly chosen from all responses. Prizes include UNT T-shirt gift packs and free tickets to concerts, sports and other campus activities that are generously provided by event sponsors and departments.

InHouse is the electronic newsletter that is always online and is regularly updated with news about events and strategic activities at UNT. The formatted version is emailed to faculty and staff each week, usually on Wednesdays. Click on headlines, which link to continuously updated postings, to find the complete article and its links to related information.

Congratulations to this week’s randomly selected winners who responded to the Oct. 7 InHouse prize giveaways.

• Alan Thornton, athletic program assistant director, Advancement
• Jessica Phillips, librarian II, Libraries – Preservation Unit
• Cassandra Cervantes, gift and record specialist. Advancement
• Joel Gomez, academic advisor I, College of Business
• Shelly Beattie, administrative coordinator III, College of Business Computing Center
• Katy Comer, graduate assistant to the director of special projects and the university program council, Student Affairs
• Barry Ahlbrandt, building maintenance mechanic, Recreational Sports
• Jennifer Herman, computer support specialist IV, Financial Aide
• Peggy McFerrin, purchasing specialist, Purchasing and Payment Services

Winners are randomly chosen from all responses. Prizes include UNT T-shirt gift packs and free tickets to concerts, sports and other campus activities that are generously provided by event sponsors and departments.

InHouse is the electronic newsletter that is always online and is regularly updated with news about events and strategic activities at UNT. The formatted version is emailed to faculty and staff each week, usually on Wednesdays. Click on headlines, which link to continuously updated postings, to find the complete article and its links to related information.

A magazine advertisement for a book that will reveal the meaning of life “for the low price of $9.99” alters the life of an unemployed 28-year-old , although his unusual neighbors, which include a magician in debt and an old man with his disgruntled guardian angel, are less than impressed.

That's the plot of the stop-motion animated film $9.99 based on the short stories of Israeli author and filmmaker Etgar Keret, right.

The Jewish Studies Program will present a free screening of $9.99 at 7 p.m. Oct. 19 in the University Union, Lyceum.

Keret will introduce the film. The screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session and book signing with Keret, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay with its director, Tatia Rosenthal. 

Oh, what’s a little rain?

Head for the One O’Clock Lounge at 11 a.m. for the picnic and pep rally that officially launches Homecoming 2009.

Bring your UNT ID, then enjoy music, free lunch and the Mean Green Spirit.

• Find a schedule of Homecoming events.

• Find a weather forecast – the sun will be back for the weekend!

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, left, will talk about her work in a lecture billed as “part performance, part storytelling — always high energy, with an inspired sense of humor” at 8 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Winspear Performance Hall of Murchison Performing Arts Center,   

Enter to win a pair of tickets to her lecture by sending an e-mail to InHouse with “Suzan-Lori Parks” in the subject line by 5 p.m. Oct. 16. Winners will be selected at random from all responses.

Named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Innovators for the Next New Wave,” Parks was the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for drama for Topdog/Underdog, a play about two African American brothers  coping with life in the inner city and with each other. She also was a MacArthur Genius Award recipient.

Tickets are  $20 for the public; $10 for faculty, staff, seniors, and non-UNT students; free for UNT students with ID. The lecture is sponsored by the UNT Fine Arts Series.

Buy tickets at 940-369-7802 or www.thempac.com.

(Meet Scrappy the Eagle at the 2009 Homecoming Picnic and Pep Rally, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 13 on Library Mall, or during Homecoming weekend Oct. 16-17. He’ll welcome alumni, parents, friends and students to the parade, celebratory events and the football game. Find a schedule of Homecoming activities.)

How long have you been Scrappy?
I’ve been Scrappy all my life, but I became the mascot for the University of North Texas in 1971. I took a sabbatical from 1983-1995 to collect my thoughts, then came back to be better than ever. 

What is Scrappy’s role?
My job at sports events is to promote spirit, excitement, enthusiasm and good sportsmanship to the students and fans of the Mean Green Nation. I try to make them excited to be there before the team sets foot on the field or court, so that when the team appears, the players are in awe of how excited the fans are to see them perform to the best of their ability.

Have you met interesting people and/or celebrities?
I have visited with all the great UNT alumni, fans and opponents, but my favorite of all time would of course be our very own “Mean” Joe Greene. 

What’s the best experience Scrappy has had?
I believe being a visible representative of the university experience for all the students would be at the top of my list. The many bowl games, conference tournaments, conference games, the NCAA tournament with basketball, watching all our sports teams excel … helping get to a point where UNT is a household name is the best experience.

Is Scrappy waterproof?
Well, not waterproof considering I’m a bird, but I am water-resistant, and I fight through the rain for the love of the game.

How does Scrappy keep cool, especially at early-season football games?
It’s a secret of the pros. But I will say that this eagle stays hydrated before, during and after all activities. And I eat a lot of fish.

How can people meet you?
I would love for everyone to come join me at Homecoming and at Mean Green sporting events. But being a mascot eagle can be a little boring when we don’t have games. I love attending birthday parties, corporate events and other activities that I can make exciting and enjoyable. If you’d like to request that I attend your event, just e-mail my good friend Sarah (sarah.mccance@unt.edu). 

 (Photos by Jonathan Reynolds)

October 7, 2009

Dear UNT community,

Today I am proud to announce that Rodney P. McClendon, right, acting vice president and chief executive officer for Texas A&M University at Galveston, will join UNT as Senior Associate Vice President for Administration. McClendon will join us Nov. 9.

The appointment is the result of a nationwide search which began in July. Ruthanne Thomas, associate vice president for research and professor of chemistry, led the broad-based 12-member search committee that interviewed and considered a number of top-rated candidates.

McClendon brings a wealth of executive leadership experience to the position with more than 18 years in higher education. He has served at TAMUG since March 2008 as executive associate vice president and chief operating officer prior to also taking on his current role in June 2009. From 2002 to 2008 he served as Chief of Staff to the President at Texas A&M after serving for three years as assistant provost. He also has served in the Department of Multicultural Services and holds an adjunct faculty appointment in Texas A&M’s College of Education and Human Resource Development.

The excitement and green pride is building across campus as UNT prepares for Homecoming 2009, Oct. 13-17. This year’s week of events themed, “Wild With Pride” will kick off Oct. 13 with the Mean Green Homecoming Picnic and Pep Rally in the Library Mall Shrader Pavilion from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. With a valid UNT ID, students, faculty and staff can enjoy a free BBQ brisket burger. There will be fun activities, prizes and the Pep Rally begins at noon.

The week celebration culminates on Friday night at 6:45 p.m. with the Spirit March to the Bonfire and on Saturday when the Mean Green plays the Florida Atlantic University owls. Saturday’s Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Fouts Field, following the parade and tailgating festivities at Mean Green Village. Tickets are available through the Athletic Department. The cost is $20 for reserved seats, $10 for general admission and free for all current students.

For a complete schedule of Homecoming 2009 events or to download parade forms and tent reservation forms, visit the Homecoming web site, or contact Karen Selby at 940-565-3480. Groups or departments wanting to reserve tents in the Mean Green Village have until Oct. 12 to do so.

UNT continues to lead all four-year schools in Texas in its efforts toward creating a carbon neutral campus, according to reports submitted to the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.

Since President Gretchen M. Bataille signed the commitment in April 2008, UNT has met five of the seven tangible actions required. This means UNT is at the forefront of environmental stewardship in the state. UNT’s accomplishment puts it in the top 17 percent of all colleges and universities nationwide, say reports by the presidents' council, or ACUPCC. Right, Bataille introduced energy expert and activist John Hofmeister during a campus visit.

“I’m very proud that in only 18 months UNT has achieved five of the ACUPCC’s requirements,”  Bataille says. “Environmental stewardship has long been a UNT tradition and our achievement is a testament to the success of the array of sustainability programs under way on our campus.”

UNT was the first large public university in Texas to sign the commitment, a nationwide initiative of college and university presidents and chancellors dedicated to counteracting climate change by taking steps to make their campuses carbon neutral. Left, recycling activities during Earth Week 2009.

By signing the agreement, Bataille committed the university to:
• completing a greenhouse gas emissions inventory,
• setting a target date and interim milestones for becoming carbon neutral,
• taking immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
• integrating sustainability into the curriculum and making it part of the educational experience,
• making the climate action plan, emissions inventory and progress reports publicly available.

“We’ve done extremely well to this point,” says Todd Spinks, director of sustainability. “Now we have to develop and implement the climate action plan to achieve our ultimate goal of making our campus carbon neutral.” The climate action plan is expected to be adopted in the spring of 2010.

Editor’s note: This was a letter sent by Tom Rufer, left, to university faculty and staff on Oct. 4.

Dear Faculty/Staff:
We need you to tell us what you think.

The University of North Texas is evaluating the status of the University Union programs, services, and facilities to determine the need for improvements. One of the key components of this undertaking is to learn about your use of the University Union—or reasons for not using the University Union—to better meet your needs and those of future students. Your participation in this survey is vital to the success of our efforts.

We would appreciate it if you could take approximately 15 minutes to complete the web-based survey. As a token of our appreciation for your time, you will be entered into a drawing to win one of the following:

• (2) $100 Food Service gift certificate

Once you have completed the survey, you will be prompted to enter your email address, which will make you eligible for the prizes. Winners will be notified by this department once the survey period is closed and entries are processed.

The University of North Texas has retained the services of a nationally recognized independent consulting firm, Brailsford & Dunlavey, to administer the survey. Should you have any questions about this process, please contact survey@facilityplanners.com.

The survey will close on Oct. 13. For your convenience, the survey instrument is provided in web-based format. You have been selected randomly for the entire University of North Texas population. To access the survey please click here. If the survey does not open automatically, please copy and paste the following link to your internet browser's address bar:

http://studentvoice.com/p/?uuid=735e12e67bff406ea85f109625464c95

All information that you provide is strictly confidential. No individual responses will be identified.

I greatly appreciate your taking the time to participate in this important project for the University of North Texas.

Respectfully,
Tom Rufer, Assistant Vice President, Auxiliary Services & Director, University Union

Congratulations to this week’s randomly selected winners who responded to last week’s InHouse prize giveaways. 

• Donna Bowman, accountant, Financial Reporting
• Britney McCartney, student assistant, Risk Management
• MaryAnn Neuroth, program analyst, CITC
• Jana Watkins, administrative assistant, Student Accounting and University Cashiering
• Brandon Robertson, accountant, UNT Payroll Office
• Anita Eugster, student services specialist, Registrars’Office

Winners are randomly chosen from all responses. Prizes include UNT T-shirt gift packs and free tickets to concerts, sports and other campus activities that are generously provided by event sponsors and departments.

InHouse is the electronic newsletter that is always online and is regularly updated with news about events and strategic activities at UNT. The formatted version is emailed to faculty and staff each week, usually on Wednesdays. Click on headlines, which link to continuously updated postings, to find the complete article and its links to related information.

A $310,000 grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will boost the university’s efforts to increase college enrollment among first generation college students. The grant is the largest awarded to the 32 universities that received funding to operate G-Force programs.

Thanks to the Work-Study Student Mentorship Program grant, UNT will be able to hire more students to work for the G-Force program, part of the Closing the Gaps initiative launched by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Closing the Gaps aims to enroll 630,000 more students in Texas colleges and universities by 2015.

UNT G-Force mentors develop and supervise Go Centers at area high schools to encourage more students in North Texas to graduate from high school and go to college. Go Centers are physical spaces in participating high schools that provide prospective college students with information related to college and career options as well as opportunities for financial aid and mentoring. Many of the students G-Force mentors work with are from groups that are underrepresented in colleges and universities.

"The work performed by G-Force mentors directly impacts the lives of the thousands of students that they encounter in the high school Go Centers," says Patrick Vasquez, left, director of the Office of Outreach and Community Involvement. 

UNT has been named to the list of America's 100 Best College Buys® for the 14th consecutive year. The ranking is compiled annually by Institutional Research & Evaluation, Inc.

UNT's cost to in-state students is the lowest among Texas' three "best buy" schools. The other Texas universities cited in the report are Abilene Christian University and Texas A&M University. The average annual cost for an in-state undergraduate student who enrolls at UNT for 30 semester hours in a year and lives on campus is about $14,194, the least expensive of the three Texas schools named in the survey.

To be considered for the designation America's 100 Best College Buys®, an institution must:
• be an accredited, four-year institution offering bachelor's degrees
• offer full residential facilities, including residence halls and dining services
• have had an entering freshman class in the fall of 2006 with a high school grade point average and/or SAT/ACT score equal to or above the national average for entering college freshmen
• have an out-of-state cost of attendance in 2007-08 for three quarters or two semesters below the national average cost of attendance or not exceeding the national average cost by more than 10 percent.

Institutional Research & Evaluation, Inc. submitted survey forms to the offices of the directors of admissions of 1,468 accredited U.S. colleges and universities that met the above requirements. Of those surveyed, 1,152 schools responded.

The Human Resources Department will host a second Retirement Savings Investment Fair for individuals unable to attend the first fair.

EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT SAVINGS INVESTMENT FAIR
WHO: Open to all ORP & TRS retirement-plan eligible faculty and staff members
WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009
WHERE: University Union, Golden Eagle Suite
TIME: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (come-and-go)

DIRECT ACCESS TO INVESTMENT REPRESENTATIVES:
•The Retirement & Retirement Savings Investment Provider Fair is your opportunity to meet representatives of the companies providing the UNT System-sponsored Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) and Tax-Sheltered Annuity (TSA) plans.
• Representatives from FIDELITY, ING, TIAA-CREF, and VALIC will be present to discuss the investment options and funds available to meet your retirement savings goals.
• GREAT DOOR PRIZES! Some very nice door prizes have been donated by the Human Resources Department. You do not need to be present to win, simply register during the fair.

QUESTIONS: Please contact Pat Morgan, Benefits Coordinator, at 940-565-4129 or email your questions to HRRetirement@unt.edu.

Robert P. Smith, left, an independent water resources consultant in Dallas and former staff member with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will discuss climate dynamics and scientific findings related to global warming at a free lecture Oct. 20.

“Real Climate Change: What You Should Know About Global Warming” begins at 4 p.m. in the Business Building, Room 176.

Smith is the author of Energy - Present & Future: Common Sense for Concerned Americans, published this year by Strategic Energy Resources of Oklahoma City.

The lecture, sponsored by the UNT Institute of Petroleum Accounting, is part of the 2009-10 One Book, One Community program, which includes a campus-wide book, guest speakers, films and other events that focus on a specific theme. This year’s theme is “America’s Energy Future,” with Jeff Goodell’s Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America’s Energy Future the assigned book. Goodell will speak on campus Oct. 6.

During his years with the EPA, SMith  worked in training and technical assistance to state and municipal water and wastewater personnel and on technical committees to develop regulations, evaluation of compliance with federal programs and enforcement and corrective action. He established an independent environmental consulting practice in 1984. His practice included training and consulting with industries and municipalities on water and wastewater treatment, environmental compliance and site investigations and cleanups of contaminated soil, water and groundwater.

In 1992, Smith became the manager of the water resources practice in the Dallas office of Kellogg, Brown & Root, now KBR, Inc., the largest non-union construction company in the U.S. His work at KBR focused on oversight and involvement in infrastructure and planning projects, including dams, pump stations, pipelines and reservoirs. Smith retired from KBR in 2006 to become an independent water resources consultant, focusing on water supply planning.

Smith is a graduate of Texas Tech University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, and the University of Texas at Dallas, where he earned master’s and doctoral degrees in environmental sciences with concentrated study in water and wastewater pollution control and treatment. Smith has been a registered professional engineer in Texas since 1987.

Amanda Breaz, box office and promotions manager for the Department of Dance and Theatre, is a UNT graduate who hopes to one day direct children’s theatre. The department’s current production is Moliere’s comedy about love, hypocrisy and affluence,The Misanthrope, on stage in the University Theater at 8 p.m. Oct. 8-10 and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 11.


What is your title and department?
I am in the box office and promotions manager in the Department of Dance and Theatre.

How long have you worked at UNT?
I have worked at UNT for two years, but I also am an alumni of UNT. I graduated May of 2006.

What is your educational background and past experiences?
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theatre and in psychology. I hold an associate of arts degree in drama from Alvin Community College. I have worked as a professional stage manager for Keith & Margo’s Murder Mysteries of Texas, as a freelance director and as a director for McKinney Repertory Theatre.

How did you become interested in theatre?
I had always been a very artsy kid by nature. I excelled in art, music, reading and writing. I had always had an interest in the arts. I wanted to be a writer, a comic book artist, a chef, a symphony conductor and a teacher when I was younger. I always enjoyed all forms of art and personal expression. I constantly was reinventing myself and I think theatre was the perfect avenue for me to enjoy and continue exploring all of my artistic gifts. I was able to build and paint sets, sing and dance in musicals, read tons of plays and theatre literature, use my imagination to direct, create interest and passion for all types of art including theatre by teaching youth in schools and through personal interaction while in or working on plays.

Location, location, location. How is UNT’s campus location described in YOUniversity’s college video tour?

A. Located in a student-friendly college town
B. Located 35 miles north of the nation’s fourth largest metropolitan area
C. Located in a classic tree-lined university setting on 866 acres
D. All of the above

The correct answer is D. Watch YOUniversity TV's UNT college video tour and see how our campus location is described. See the video transcript below.

To win a free UNT T-shirt gift pack, send an e-mail with “UNT tour” in the subject line to inhouse@unt.edu by 5 p.m. Oct. 9. The winner will be selected at random from all e-mails received.

Here's the script:

The University of North Texas is set in the urban setting of Denton, Texas, a student-friendly college town only 35 miles north of the nation's fourth largest metropolitan area, Dallas/Fort Worth. The University of North Texas is located in a classic tree-lined university setting on 866 acres.

UNT works hard to be safe. Eagle Alert sends messages to faculty, staff, and students by email, text or phone to let them know if there's an emergency happening on campus.

UNT is the state's fourth largest university with nearly 35,000 students enrolled from 140 different countries and all 50 states. Thirty-five percent of the student body is of diverse backgrounds, and UNT is one of only nine US universities that enroll more than 4,000 Hispanic students and 4,000 African-American students.

Displays, music and dancing filled the Unviersity Union Sept. 15 to begin Hispanic Heritage Month, which continues through Oct. 15. From left, student representatives of Guatemala and Ecuador. (Photos by Jonathan Reynolds)