MotherToBaby North Texas
Winning team announced for UNT 8th Annual Quiz Bowl tournament
Having earned the top score of 2,265 points, team ‘Join Quizbowl Club!’ have won the tournament and will walk away with $200 worth of prizes.
The team will split the prize between the four of them. As members of the UNT Quiz Bowl club, they encouraged other participants to join their team and compete against others in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.
There were five other teams who participated in the tournament: Ok boomer., The Grandmasters, The Gordons, Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies, Spare Strike, and Third Times a Charm.
Ok boomer. won second place with a score of 1,320 points. Spare Strike won third place with a score of 1,010 points, and the Grandmasters won fourth place with a score of 855 points.
Points scored by each team member were also accounted for. In fourth place, Samuel from Spare Strike scored a total of 265 points. In third place, Tyler from the Grandmasters scored a total of 275 points. In a tie for first place, Henry from Ok boomer. and Roman from Join Quizbowl Club! both scored a total of 355 points.
For this year’s tournament, a “round-robin” technique was used to determine the final winner as opposed to the standard elimination tournament. Teams continuously played against each other despite their losses. At the conclusion of the tournament, the number of points scored by each team per round were tallied up to reach their final score.
The tournament started promptly at 4 p.m. on Friday, November 15 and ended at 8 p.m. In BLB 070, a total of six rounds were played throughout the day. At around 6:30 p.m., volunteers and quiz bowl competitors were given a dinner break. A meal of sandwiches, chips, cookies, and drinks were provided for everyone participating.
For day two of the tournament, breakfast was served at 9 a.m. and the rounds began at 9:30 a.m. Volunteers and competitors were provided with breakfast tacos and drinks. The game started promptly at 9:30 a.m. and ran until 11:30 a.m. It ended earlier than anticipated due to one team leaving the tournament early.
Once the final round ended, Asiah Claiborne, coordinator of student organizations, tallied up the total number of points earned by each team to determine the winners. The results were announced shortly before noon.
How the game works is that both teams are asked a toss-up question meaning anyone can give an answer. They must hit their buzzer before answering and are given two seconds to answer before time is called.
Teams earn ten points for answering a toss-up question correctly. When a team correctly answers a toss-up, they are given three bonus questions which they can discuss with their teammates before answering. Each bonus question is an additional ten points. When teams are split between answers, the captains must decide what’s final.
UNT'S 8th Annual Quiz Bowl tournament will encourage students to embrace academia
The UNT Student Activities will be hosting the 8th Annual Quiz Bowl tournament this upcoming weekend, giving students the opportunity to show off their knowledge in this competition for $200 worth of prizes.
Asiah Claiborne, one of the coordinators of student organizations in student activities, oversees this event. She has held this role for three months and brings a new perspective to the table by recommending new ideas for this tournament to encourage student involvement and participation.
This year, a new “round-robin” technique will be used so teams can continue to compete against each other despite losses. This offers organizations the chance to continue participating and lengthen the time of the event.
In previous years, Quiz Bowl would use a double-elimination process where teams would be eliminated after a certain number of losses.
“It was upsetting seeing teams that were new to the realm of Quiz Bowl get out after the first round,” Claiborne said.
One winning team will be announced at the conclusion of this tournament. Judges will examine every individual student’s scores collectively and whoever the top scorer of each team is will be encouraged to move on to nationals and compete with the UNT Quiz Bowl team.
Students who’ve participated in Quiz Bowl tournaments rave about how much it helps them build teamwork, collaboration, and friendships.
“We want to reach out to the students who aren’t necessarily going to homecoming, or things of that nature, but want to be more on the academic side of things,” Claiborne said. “They can share their wealth of knowledge and get others to see that academia is fun.”
The tournament empowers students by building their confidence and helping them feel more connected to campus.
Seven teams, comprised of four individuals, will be participating this year. The tournament will be held Friday, November 15 from 3PM-8PM and Saturday, November 16 from 9AM-12PM. The rounds will be 18 minutes long and split into two nine-minute halves.
The tournament rooms will be in the Business and Leadership Building in rooms 055 and 070.
SeizureFirstAid Infographic
The influence of minimizing student debt in the 2020 election
For most students and young adults, student debt is a serious issue because of the large impact it has on those affected. When asked how the issue of minimizing student debt will influence their decision in the upcoming 2020 election, most said it would play a large factor.
“It is the inevitable path that so many college students have to take simply because they can’t afford to pay for college. Finding a way to minimize it would provide a huge leeway for college students because not only would it help them get out of debt, but it would also allow and motivate them to continue their education.”- Giselle Garcia
“Now that I'm a bit older and student debt is becoming more of an immediate issue, I’m looking at candidates who have a plan/solution that is beneficial to me. I'm also looking for a candidate whose plan is plausible and can have a real chance of being put into motion.”- Justin Howard
“While I’m not currently in student debt, I know it affects a large amount of people I know. It doesn’t affect me now but it could later. By voting for someone who is interested in minimizing student debt, it could benefit me in the long-run.”- Ruben Olivares
“I think students pay too much to go to school, it's not the classes but the extra school services we pay for that I find useless. I will most likely vote for someone who is trying to minimize student debt as much as possible, even if I'm not in school anymore. I don’t think future students should have to pay that much just for them to have debts.”- Scarlet Hilario
Even though the following three respondents are not currently students, they still believe this issue will influence their decision in the election.
“What is the point in all the debt if you’re not able to pay it off with the jobs you qualify for? There’s no return on the investment at that point. I’m not even in college and my vote will be highly influenced by this topic. It feels like young people today were dealt a bad hand.”- Giavanna
“With the cost of education and rising prices on housing and basic necessities it’s becoming near impossible for our younger generations to survive on their own with a decent education. If candidates are vowing to attempt to cut education costs it could be taking necessary first steps to better the youths and future of our country.”- Dustin
“I got lucky the amount of debt I have is low, but some are not as lucky and can’t get a good job since intern is the new entry level and mid-level is the new entry level.”- Hunter
While the following three students believe minimizing student debt is an important issue, they also think it’s important to take into account other factors when making a decision in the 2020 election.
“The idea of minimizing student debt is one that I feel can be in a way too good to be true, because usually when we take a bit of debt away from one area it tends to result in the addition of debt to a different area. So although I love the idea of minimizing student debt I feel like I would really have to look into what changes would possibly take place after the 2020 elections.”- Rosa Hercules
“Minimizing the cost of education is important, however, if there were other viable options the students could have taken then they are in debt because of their choices, even if the debt is unreasonably high. That being said Democrats are the way.”- Valentin Lopez
“Although I’m very adamant about minimizing student debt, because clearly it’s an issue we’re all concerned about, I personally don’t think it will affect my decision in the election only because I have a hard time differentiating between what the candidates actually say or promise to us and what they actually do once they’re in office.”- Margaret Leos
Deep Ellum Creative Market
This event ran from Saturday, Nov. 9- Sunday, Nov. 10 from 1 PM to 8 PM on both days. The art fair was located in Deep Ellum behind the Case Building. It was a free event where local businesses and independent creators showcased their work. In this video, I focus on two sisters who are promoting their clothing brand, Noni Dee Neen. The two ladies create 100% handmade purses and accessories, made from authentic blue jean and wool.
UNT bonfire marks the end of homecoming week
NOV. 01 9:00 PM: Until next year... 💚 #untmojof19
NOV. 01 8:50 PM: Fireworks are going off while bonfire is being lit 🎇 #untmojof19
NOV. 01 8:41 PM: It's lit 🔥 #untmojof19
NOV. 01 8:20 PM: The Talons are about to light the bonfire!!! #untmojof19
NOV. 01 8:18 PM: UNT homecoming court is currently onstage. Be at the game tomorrow to see who will get crowned! #untmojof19
NOV. 01 8:15 PM: President Neal Smatresk is now onstage thanking the Talons for their hard work as well #untmojof19
NOV. 01 8:11 PM:First performance of the night #untmojof19
NOV. 01 8:06 PM: The president of the SGA is starting off with a speech thanking the talons for all ther hard work. Now for the festivities to begin! #untmojof19
NOV. 01 8:03 PM: The band is playing the fight song now to kick off the bonfire #untmojof19
NOV. 01 7:52 PM: The band just showed up and the cheerleaders are onstage, ready to perform. Less than 10 minutes until the bonfire starts! #untmojof19
NOV. 01 7:49 PM: Talons are currently setting up and people are already gathering at the field #untmojof19
NOV. 01 7:21 PM:They're passing out free goodies! Get here before they run out! #untmojof19
NOV. 01 7:16 PM: We made it to apogee! Bonfire starts in just 45 minutes 💚 #untmojof19
NOV. 01 7:00 PM: annnnnd the spirit march has begun! Heading towards Apogee for the UNT bonfire 🔥 #untmojof19
New UNT biomedical engineering building encourages hands-on learning experience
The University of North Texas biomedical engineering department opened their brand-new building earlier this year, granting current and future engineering students with more resources to use throughout their college career.
The 26,250-square-foot addition to UNT’s discovery park opened for the first time in June 2019. The building provides students with new classrooms, research labs, and brand-new high-tech facilities and instruments. A cellular bio-engineering lab can now be incorporated into the curriculum and undergraduate students are able to perform cell cultures with the new facilities.
Vijay Vaidyanathan, who has a doctorate in biomedical engineering, is the founding chair of the biomedical engineering department. He started the department in Fall 2014 when they had their first class of 45 students. Since then, they’ve grown significantly to a class of 274 students with the addition of five new faculty for this school year. It is one of the fastest growing programs offered at UNT.
“It’s been going up every year, and the amazing thing is that 43% of our student body is women,” Vaidyanathan said. “It’s the highest in the college of engineering.”
The increase in numbers led to a necessity of more space for new labs and resources to accommodate the growing number of faculty and students. Rather than modifying existing buildings, the best option was to add a new building to provide students with adequate space to practice their material. This building has three new classrooms which all departments can use, benefiting the college of engineering entirely. Three new research labs for senior design projects have been implemented as well. These provide biomedical engineering students with much needed space to gather as groups and discuss and work on their capstone projects, which is a requirement of all engineering students.
Justin Howard, a biomedical engineering junior, says how while he is highly satisfied with the amount of resources already offered by the engineering department, he is excited to use the additional facilities the new building provides.
“It gives me space to work on my senior design stuff and be more comfortable with the tools and stuff necessary to be better at my career,” Howard said.
Howard believes the building will greatly benefit current and future students by offering a hands-on experience with the tools they will later use in their post-college career.
The biomedical engineering department has come a long way from when it was first established in 2014. Vaidyanathan ran the department by himself for the first two years, teaching and working in makeshift rooms. Although it was a difficult start, the implementation of this program was important as a healthcare-related engineering program was missing from the department.
“We need a form of engineering that helps improve the quality of life,” Vaidyanathan said. “and biomedical engineering is that.”
Along with the establishment of a new building, the department hope to continue expanding by adding more faculty and a new vivarium lab in the future.
UNT's Game of Life promotes financial responsibility
A UNT student's experience in pursuing law
With a passion for studying law, a student at the University of North Texas touches on his rewarding experience working for the UNT student legal services center.
Starting at a young age, Bryson, a political science senior, was always told he argued too much and should become a lawyer. Over the years, he discovered his true potential after participating in high school debate tournaments and excelling in his law-related college courses.
To gain more work experience, Bryson applied to the student legal services center last semester and was hired as intern. He eventually transitioned into working as a part-time legal assistant, the position he currently holds, as they were impressed with his work.
Bryson has gained a lot of hands-on experience working alongside attorneys during his time at the student legal services center. He handles confidential files, intakes, scheduling, calls, and essentially anything that an attorney would need assistance in.
The UNT student legal services center handles a multitude of cases ranging from landlord tenant issues, DACA/immigration, name changes and even divorce cases. For the most part, any legal matters that a UNT student may need representation for can be taken care of through these services.
Rather than choosing to intern at a law firm off-campus, Bryson ultimately decided to work on-campus and has found himself fully enjoying and appreciating the quality of work offered. UNT provides their students with legal services typically covered through student fees, granting them not only a cheaper alternative, but a voice. This gives students a sense of security and satisfaction knowing that legally, they will be covered.
As a student in the process of applying to law schools, Bryson having this experience under his belt will have him ahead of the game. Since he has begun working so closely with legitimate legal matters, the experience has only solidified his desire to pursue a law career.
Interview: Victoria Berget
Humans of Denton
Credits:
Cynthia Reyes