North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 90, No. 29, Ed. 1 Tuesday, October 18, 2005 Page: 1 of 8
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NORTH TEXAS DAILY
Tuesday, October 18,2005
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS
Volume 90
BLACK TIE OPTIONAL
Mormon missionaries travel globe to spread gospel, Student
Life page 4.
Hard Win
Eight FIU turnovers fuel much-needed
13-10 victory for Mean Green, Sports page 5.
94764° Hot I INSIDE: ■ Arts, Web ■ Classifieds, 8
Student Life, 3
Sports, 5
Views, 7
N student battles for Miss Seventeen title
Michael Hernandez
Staff Writer
Move over, Jessica Simpson.
There is a new Texas girl tackling
reality television on MTV, and her
name is Savannah Armstrong,
Grand Prairie senior.
"It's really weird," she said. "It
is so funny being a part of [MTV]
and watching a show and, 'Oh,
there's my face.'"
Armstrong is one of 17 girls
vying for a paid internship at
Seventeen magazine, a cover
shoot for the publication and
a scholarship on the new show
"Miss Seventeen," which premi-
ered on MTV Monday night.
Atoosa Rubenstein, Seventeen
magazine editor in chief, will
pit the girls against each other
in weekly challenges that will
put their character and abilities
to the test.
"I don't want to say that I'm the
only person for this job because
all the women on the show are
amazing," Armstrong said.
The girls' resumes include star-
ting a magazine, deans' lists and
a U.S. House of Representatives
internship.
"I kept telling myself if nothing
else happened from this expe-
rience, I got the chance to learn
and grow from all these women,
who've done so much with their
lives," Armstrong said.
Armstrong's resume is not too
"It was like you re a local celebrity in these
pageants ... if youre Miss Texas or Miss
America, its the same as being the president
to these people."
—Savannah Armstrong, Grand Prairie senior
shabby.
"I'm a proud papa," father Ed
Armstrong said. "She's still the
same old Savannah. We're real
proud of what she's done on her
own. She really buckles down
until she gets it."
Armstrong's ambitions led to
starting a nonprofit organiza-
tion, Jumping Jack Kids, in 2002.
The organization was created to
fight childhood obesity.
She goes to schools to educate
students on exercise and healthy
choices in terms of smoking and
drugs, Armstrong said.
"I just feel like there's this need
and so many kids are unhealthy,"
Armstrong said. "I feel like no
one's doing anything. I just have
this weird drive to make this
happen, to make this impact."
Armstrong also had the drive
to fulfill one of her life ambitions
as a beauty queen.
She was crowned Miss Tarrant
County and Miss Ellis County in
2004 and 2005, respectively.
"It was like you're a local
celebrity in these pageants,"
Armstrong said. "You have your
groupies and your fans who come
out to cheer for you. If you're Miss
Texas or Miss America, it's the
same as being the president to
these people."
Armstrong competed in the
Miss Texas competition last year.
She had to bow out of the Miss
Texas competition this year due
to filming of "Miss Seventeen."
"It was sort of bittersweet,"
Armstrong said. "I had been
preparing to compete in the Miss
Savannah Armstrong
Texas pageant. When I got the
phone call [from MTV], I was
ecstatic, but, on the other hand,
I had to make another series of
phone calls to say I couldn't do
the pageant."
See NT on page 2
Howdy!
Michael Clements/NT Dally
Big Tex greets visitors at this year's State Fair of Texas in Dallas' Fair Park. The State Fair of Texas closes this
Sunday.
Activist recalls time
with esar Chavez
Bryan Shettig
Staff Writer
When Cesar Chavez fought for the
Californian farmer's rights in the '60s,
one small mother was at his side, also
struggling for Latinos. That was Dolores
Huerta, labor activist and co-founder of
the United Farmworkers of America.
Huerta was the keynote speaker for the
16th annual Latinos in the 21st century
conference Friday in the Lyceum.
Huerta said Latinos in Texas still faced
poverty and were not participating in
local politics.
"In Texas, we still have to explain to
people what a union is. They think they're
bad for business," she said. Huerta said bad
publicity marred the image of unionized
labor in the Midwest and South, but many
workers still have low minimum wage.
"Here we are, many decades later, and
farm workers are still in poverty in this
country," Huerta said.
Latinos are not receiving the educa-
tion they need because their parents
do not have unemployment insurance,
she said.
Huerta said workers need the employ-
ment protection more than their corpo-
rate employers.
"This is backwards, the way some
things are run now," Huerta said. The
amount of influence corporations has on
politics and society today is bordering on
fascism, she said.
Huerta recalled the pressure of working
with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm
Workers of America's five martyrs who
died protesting peacefully for farmers.
She said the racism she faced in the '60s
and '70s is still affecting how minorities
Huerta
live today.
"We took the
[American Indian's]
land. Did we ever say
thank you?" she said.
She also said that
minorities "built this
country," but are still not
receiving reparations or
recognition.
She calls the situation the "prison prep-
aration program."
Playwright Luis Valdez participated
in the conference, with selected films
screened on Thursday His work with the
Teatro Campesino was a direct influence
on many followers of Cesar Chavez and
Dolores Huerta and he worked to get his
plays financed with the activists.
The University Union also hosted the
Fuego y Alma Latino Art Exhibit and
speeches by Mike Cano, general manager
of Al Dia newspaper; Gloria Contreras,
College of Education professor; and
Sandra Terrell, dean of the Robert B.
Toulouse School of Graduate Studies.
Regent Tom Lazo, President Norval
Pohl, Provost Howard Johnson and Terrell
presented an honorary doctorate degree
to Huerta.
"She was an honor to have here and
she brought such an inspiring message
to us here tonight," Pohl said. Valdez said
Huerta finally received the recognition
she deserved, after "40 years of acting on
her beliefs and working with the people,
in the dust and earth."
Dolores Huerta returns to NT for the
Global Women's Conference on Nov. 11
and 12, and will speak on the recent
kidnappings and murders of women in
Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Health Center prepared lor flu
Kim Cox
StaffWriter
Flu season creeps up like a cat stalking
a canary, but this year, the Student Health
and Wellness Center is getting a jump
on the season by acquiring a stock of flu
vaccinations early.
"We're the first in the county offering
it to people other than high-risk groups,"
said Reginald Bond, executive director of
the Health and Wellness Center. "As of last
week, though they may have it now, even
the county health department didn't have
theirs in. We ordered early."
Bond said the Health Center already
has identified the high-risk population
and sent them reminders about getting
their flu vaccination.
The Health Center only ordered 450
vaccines. Generally, the Health Center
only sees about 400-450 students wanting
a vaccine each year.
The number of students asking for
shots already is approaching 100, said
June Brownlee, administrative director
of the Health Center.
"When it's gone, it's gone," she said.
Bond said the Health Center has nearly
filled up their appointment slots.
Faculty and staff have to wait until after
Nov. 1 to get their shots, and the Health
Center asks that they call around Oct. 24
to check if any are left.
"We take care of the students first,
and the last of the flu clinics are open to
faculty and staff," Bond said.
The Health Center was lucky to even
get vaccines this year. Bond said last year,
one of the two suppliers of the flu vaccine
closed, severely limiting the amount avail-
able to the public.
" [The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention] limited the vaccine to high-
risk population only," he said.
The Health Center was forced to sell
its supply to the county health depart-
ment.
Shara Freeman, Waco freshman, said
she plans on getting a shot soon.
"I get sick really easily," she said.
The Health Center will hold open clinics
(no appointment necessary) from 9 to 11
a.m. today and Oct. 21 and from 2 to 4
p.m. Oct. 19.
The vaccine costs $20, and the Health
Center accepts cash or check.
For more information about the
vaccine, contact the Health Center at
(940) 565-2795 or (940) 565-2333.
NT's Air Force ROTC trades rifles or rakes, gives back to community
Jamaal O'Neal
StaffWriter
The NT Air Force ROTC students
were armed with different weapons
last Friday: shovels, rakes and
gloves.
No, these students were not
engaged in war games - they
were waging war against an over-
grown garden at the Heritage Oaks
Retirement Community at 2501 N.
Bell Ave.
"Part of the ROTC mission is to
prepare for the Air Force, and give
back to the community," said Cadet
Capt. Stewart Young, Jackson, Miss,
senior from Southern Methodist
University.
The sound of raking and shov-
eling was ambient throughout the
community.
Together, the group worked rigor-
ously to restore a weed-infested,
over-grown garden for senior citi-
zens.
More than 12 other university
ROTC students from across the
North Texas region, including NT,
Southern Methodist University, Texas
Woman's University, Midwestern
State University, North Central Texas
College, University of Texas at Dallas
and University of Dallas worked on
the project.
The organization is made of
approximately 80 members from
across the region that commonly
works together on numerous commu-
nity projects.
Young said it is important to help
where it is needed, regardless of
whether students are in enrolled in
Air Force course or not.
"We're helping people that are
not always able to do these things,"
he said. "The grounds crew is pretty
small, and may not have the time to
clean the garden thoroughly."
ROTC is no stranger to this retire-
ment community. They were at the
same location last year. However,
the mission remains the same: to
help people who may not have the
means to help themselves.
"They need a place where they
can sit down and enjoy themselves
without stepping on trash," Young
said. "That's why we're here."
The Heritage Oaks is a subsi-
dized, 140-unit housing complex
for senior citizens aged 62 and older.
The facility opened in 1979, for the
specific purpose to provide indepen-
dent housing for seniors.
LeMaya Evans, Heritage Oaks
manager, said she enjoys the help.
"We love it," she said. "We love to
have volunteer groups come here
from NT."
See ROTC on page 2
Emily Hughes/ NT Daily
Air Force ROTC Cadet Capt. Gene Purgason, Bowie
junior, and AFROTC Cadet Airman Kevin Gleason,
Rockwall sophomore, clean up leaves on Friday at
the Heritage Oaks retirement community.
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North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 90, No. 29, Ed. 1 Tuesday, October 18, 2005, newspaper, October 18, 2005; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth145267/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1&rotate=90: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.