Journalism: From a Unique Perspective By Daniel Sanchez

Final Project: Mean Green Maniacs & personal impact

"The Maniacs have given me so many friends and gotten me closer to my fellow bandmates. I love the fact that they're able to engage with students more with the theme nights this season. Last year there was no one at the Super Pit and look at it a year later, where the first game of the season, we had 1200 students show out to it. I really think that the Maniacs can grow to a comparable size." -Ryan Dempsey

"If I was to tell you that there was going to be a student section that was rowdy and loud the whole game, I would have called you crazy, considering the type of university we are here at North Texas. This has provided an outlet for me to escape my problems, even if it is for a couple of hours. I am really looking forward to what is to come here with the Maniacs." -Landon Flesher

The Maniacs have done so much here at UNT, as they've created an amazing environment which has been so nice to see firsthand. I've only been here for a few months but they've been so cool to those of us that attend games, even when there's almost nobody at the Super Pit." I really am going to miss them as I move on to bigger and better things." -Erin Waters

I think it's brought a whole different environment since I got here. Last year, there was hardly anyone here and most of the students weren't really engaged. It was a sad sight to see, but as time went on, more people started to come around & be engaged with the team and the section. The chants are also pretty funny. I truly do think this group can grow with time." -Chris Pregmon

"The Maniacs have given me a lot, from the energy at the basketball games to the pregame tailgates. That has been the most fun I have had since coming to UNT & I hope this continues. With this group, I've been able to make so many friends and cheer on the Mean Green as best as I can." -Karan Kandanala

"The Mean Green Maniacs have given me something to look forward to each and every November all the way through March, with the group being here at North Texas for a little over a year now. With all the success within the basketball programs recently, plus the partnership with the UNT Athletics department as well as Biggest Fan Consulting, it has truly been an awesome experience. I was taken aback when I, along with the Maniacs, took a trip to Arlington for an away game featuring the men's basketball team. We had over 50 students show up and be loud and it truly showed how much of an impact we've made on the students on campus. I know there's a long way to go but this shows that we can do this." -Justin Ballou

While I can't comment on how the Maniacs have changed the atmosphere around basketball since all I know is the Maniacs, I can see that it has created a more unified energy among students. There is still plenty of work to do since there are only around 20-30 hard-core Maniacs, and I'm sure the atmosphere will only get better. With me being a transfer student who started last semester, the Maniacs have been a great way for me to get involved around campus. Most of the friends I've made in my short time at UNT have been through the Maniacs. And even outside of basketball, the people I've met through the Maniacs gave me an easy place to hang out during football season." -WIll Hoditch

"I think with the Maniacs now having been around for a year, it has established a new atmosphere for North Texas Basketball home games. In the first year of the Maniacs, especially early on, a lot of people didn’t even know who we were. But towards the end of last season, we began to make our mark on campus and a little bit nationally. Fast forward to the very first men’s home game of this season and we had over 1200 students alone attending the game. With the continued support of Biggest Fan Consulting and UNT Athletics, the student section atmosphere at North Texas Basketball games will only get better. For me, the Maniacs are truly something special. I’m grateful for many things in my life, especially family, friends, and sports. The Maniacs are all three of those wrapped up in one. I have met a ton of great people and made a lot of friends through working with the Maniacs. Getting to know more people from the university has brought me closer to the student body in general where I consider the Mean Green Maniacs community a second family. When you include the fact that I get to be involved with sports with UNT Athletics in a tremendous atmosphere generated by the Maniacs, it’s truly an awesome experience." -Connor Hibbett

"The Maniacs have affected the Super Pit’s atmosphere by fostering an environment for students to let loose and go as crazy as possible while cheering on UNT’s basketball team. The Maniacs have helped to provide me with some great memories, from watching last year’s C-USA Championship Tournament to helping bring the Super Pit’s largest crowd since the 1980s. The Maniacs are the best student section in the conference and are only able to get better from here!" -Adam O'Day

" The Maniacs change the atmosphere so much. The games are more fun and energetic. And it really shows an effect on the players. The players are now more into the fans, and vice-versa. I’ve been part of them as a student for about a month now. And it’s incredible. The Maniacs are very welcoming. And they are really funny. And being down there and watching the game with them makes the experience ten times better." -Caleb Scott

YouTube Captions to video

FIFA World Cup Group B results infographic

Daniel's Version

Original Version

Facebook Live: ESPN's College Gameday from Austin, TX on 11/12

ESPN's College Gameday in Austin, TX for Texas-TCU Saturday night

Live Blog: North Texas vs Southern Nazarene Men's Basketball Game on 11/7

Final score from the Super Pit

FInal score from the Super Pit

Close game: 1:07 left score update

Live score update: 5:00 left in game

Live score update: 10:00 left in 2nd half

Maniacs providing noise & support

Live score update: 16:00 left in 2nd half

Halftime score from the Super Pit

Live score update: halftime

Live score update: 5:00 left in 1st half

Live score update: 10:00 left in 1st half

Live score update: 13:00 left in 1st half

The crowd at 15 minutes before tipoff

Atmosphere in The Super Pit

Preview of UNT men's basketball game

Midterm Project: UNT enrollment & its effects on students

"As someone who works with students on a daily basis, I hear some chatter about how tough it can be to find housing. It is saddening but with an enrollment of this size, it is bound to happen. I think UNT should be held accountable and either build more dorms or lots." -Keaton Kalfus

"It didn't really affect me as I moved here from the Midwest, but from what I can tell, it has been tough on some as they have had a hard time finding a place to live. I also believe that UNT can improve the situation on its hands with more lots and housing." -Lauren Walter

"It sort of affected me heading into my senior year, as I had a place to live all set but for my friends, it was tough as they had to scramble to either commute from home or try to find some sort of housing. I think UNT really needs to raise the admissions process either by GPA or whatever metric necessary." -Colleen Shaw

"It didn't really stress me out personally, as I didn't have to do much but the friends that I have on campus said it's really hard to find housing for the upcoming year. What I think they should do is either have the freshmen that live close by get commuter exemptions to accommodate those that live far or place the upperclassmen farther out from the campus. I know this sounds cruel but if that were to happen, I do think it'll happen eventually." - Daniel Rodriguez

It was really hard for me to get housing in my sophomore year. The main reason I was able to get in was that I got on the housing portal early and I was eligible to live in the Honors College Hall. This year I’m in an apartment, but that whole process was very difficult as well. I don’t have a car so I had to deal with the very limited number of units within walking distance of campus. I’ve seen a number of universities in recent years tearing down their old tower-style dorms to build communities with multiple new dorm buildings, as well as food and/or retail options. (USC Village, Lakeside/Centennial Villages at U of Miami) I think UNT would do well to follow suit by getting rid of Kerr Hall to make space for a similar build on campus." -Asa Nero

"It honestly has not affected me too greatly. I have not had much trouble finding housing so far. I did have to commute to campus last year, and the parking situation was almost always a nightmare. UNT needs to keep expanding the appeal for commuters to attend UNT. Denton is only so big, so housing can’t be added exponentially. So, UNT should focus on making parking easier for those who commute to campus." -Josh Hubbard

"The increasing enrollment at UNT affected me a lot in my senior year. I had to secure my fall living situation in early March of last year and by then, many apartments had reached full capacity. I’m glad I got out of dorm living because I know that’s where the overcrowding was most prominent. I think UNT has to at least initiate the building of new dorms or student apartments. Either new construction must take place or UNT needs to seriously consider raising its standards for student enrollment, whether that be on a GPA or SAT score basis. From a current student perspective, it would seem as though the university is prioritizing increased enrollment profit over student well-being and the campus environment." -Julia Hooper

"Personally, it has not affected me since I do live in a house off campus, but I’ve heard from multiple people that housing space is an issue that UNT should address. I also park on surrounding streets outside of campus because I did not purchase a parking pass, but it is very difficult to find a spot because of how many students we have and I usually have to walk a pretty large distance to get to class." In terms of solutions, They should probably limit the number of freshmen and transfers they admit because each freshman class has been larger than the one before it. I think trying to purchase more land for parking/housing or allowing freshmen to live off-campus would help with the issue." - Jenna Gargotta

"For me, it has created a housing shortage. Especially now that UNT isn’t doing upperclassman dorms. It has in my opinion pushed apartments to raise their rents more than usual. I think they need to be building more housing on campus and perhaps some on the free land at Discovery Park in order to help students better find cheaper housing." -Hunter Alford

"With the enrollment at 44,000 students, I guess that's a large amount of them for the size of UNT's campus. It makes it that much tougher to find parking spots, as I pay to park in certain lots, but luckily there's an overflow lot so that hasn't been a problem for me." -Sarah Shoun

Audiogram: Ryan Demsey's Expectations for Austin FC in 2023 MLS season

Policing & Student Social Media Accounts

"I feel like there should be a balance between the students being able to have their freedoms and also having the police on occasion keep an eye out for the protests or actions that might start getting violent." -Monserrat Martinez

"Everyone on campus deserves to be safe and valued. There's a balance between too much oversight because unless they had a reason & it was being reported, I don't think that police should be able to access anyone's social media because there are private things and privacy laws for a reason. I think there's a balance to it, for the police to do anything regarding social media. They shouldn't have free reign over whatever they see as a threat." -Ryan Dempsey

"I’m not a fan of surveilling accounts on campus due to the implied right to privacy. However, I can understand the benefits of doing so. It can help with police investigations and other campus investigations." -Alec Rapp

"I don’t think student social media should be monitored on campus. At the end of the day, it’s none of the school's business what students do in their free time." - Madison Mills

"I believe in free speech and the right to privacy. Period. Would surveilling social media accounts probably stop a lot of planned crime and bullying? Yes. However, I believe it will cause even more problems. Surveilling social media isn’t any better than the government and Facebook listening to our phones and computers, which I am not okay with. We all deserve the right to privacy and the ability to express ourselves, no matter what." - Jaque Reyes

Voices From the Union

" I have mixed feelings about the technology, with all the school shootings going on as of late. At least here they have the capability in-house. It stops the suicidal students but it also opens up a Pandora's Box to overreach, such as at protests. At the same time, the idea that the student body could be monitored at all times is not a pleasant one. Coming from a small town, I can understand that the government could use this technology, but when are they eventually going to abuse it eventually? There are infinite ways to abuse that, it is disconcerting in the government's power is good until they abuse it. I understand it has benefits and drawbacks. I think alternative situations that could be used are student emails, direct messaging, message boards, and maybe coded language if it gets that far. -James Carroll

"I recently found out about the article about the technology used to monitor student social media on Reddit, I believe it was Tuesday. I'm not fully educated on it but I'm reading about it as the developments come in. I don't know whether to be worried about it. It's relatively new so I don't know what to think at this time. As far as monitoring social media posts from students, bots hovering over your social media accounts might be a bit of a violation of privacy, but I don't really see it having that big of an effect this early on. As I said, it's a little early to tell, I need to read on it more before I can make an accurate judgment." -Colin Housknecht

Profile Story: Connor Hibbett

Whether it is college football or the weather, Connor Hibbett has found a way to find his passion and run with it. However, it always wasn’t easy for him through his early years in grade school. Although he says it wasn’t bullying, it was more of not him fitting in and being able to socialize with the other kids. As he went on throughout middle and high school, he found his way to fit in with the others. He did it by embracing himself as who he was and not letting himself compare to the others, as so much of society tends to do nowadays with social media and the like. As is with everything else, he says that we should take things with a grain of salt and look inwards for our positivity and away from the negative things in life. “Social media has been and will always continue to be there, we just have to find a way to limit the exposure and flip the mindset around,” he goes on. He likens adversity to how college basketball teams are better prepared for conference play and eventually, NCAA tournament play by scheduling tough non-conference teams so that it helps them see what they did wrong and what they can do in order to improve. “We should all embrace that type of mindset, as it teaches us how to handle whatever the problems may be that we have in this thing we call life.” -Connor Hibbett

HUMANS OF DENTON

I think being adventurous means being open to new experiences, wanting to try new things, getting out of your comfort zone, and I think a lot of it involves spontaneity. For example, my friend had a birthday dinner and she invited me a few days ago. I had to drive an hour away to downtown Dallas, and I was like "Ooh.. after classes, I don't have to do this, but since it is my friend and I'm trying a new restaurant and new food, why not?" So I said yes to that on-the-spur moment. I also see some of that adventurous spirit in my friends and a couple of mentors that I've had in my life, particularly when it comes to travel. They've been around the world, and I'm like, "I want to try that." So I followed them and their lead and that lead to me to go to Italy this past summer.. –Madelyn Wibbenmeyer

Created By

Daniel Sanchez

Appreciate

Credits:

Created with an image by karamysh - "Majestic mountain lake in Canada. Lightning Lake in Manning Park in British Columbia."