North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 98, No. 55, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 1, 2011 Page: 8 of 10

Page 8
iews
hursday, December 1,2011
Ian Jacoby, Views Editor
ntviewseditor@gmail.com
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GujJ-
Do you plan
on attending the
UNT football game
this weekend?
"No I dont, because, no offense
to you football players out there,
but UNT footballs kinda like
watching a good high school
game. You know, nothing
exciting. And besides, Bedlams
this weekend, and I'm gonna be
watching that!
Fixuuuze. ^reskjKcux.
No, I m not really into sports.
I just have never followed
the sports program here
or anything; I'm more into
the music and the arts and
everything."
SoraJv. l^cfarLoA^
ClaxUo, *eLeU.sto<v_ aiui. HLfA
j6ufU.or
W
&
This Saturday? Sure, why not?
I've only been to one of the
football games cause of my
schedule, but I had a lot of fun
whenever I was there and it was
pretty exciting cause I had never
been to a football game ever in
America. So it's pretty cool to
see it. I probably will, hopefully
CkrisHtuz PoLf^a<v_
Dra.«Jc(v_^ aW. pauMiru^
sopkjoflvore
LET US KNOW!
Visit NTDaily.com every Friday to
vote in our weekly poll. We'll post
the updated results here daily.
Should UNT create designated smoking
areas?
Yes. It's a good compromise. (36%, 56 votes)
No. Ban smoking on campus. (35%, 54 votes)
No. Keep the smoking policy as-ls. (29%. 46 votes)
Total Voters: 156
The Editorial Board
and submission policies:
Josh Pherigo, Amber Arnold,
Valerie Gonzalez, Sean Gorman,
Jesse Sidlauskas, Sydnie Summers,
Stacy Powers, Ian Jacoby, Carolyn
Brown, Drew Gaines, Cristy An-
gulo and Berenice Quirino.
The NT Daily does not necessar-
ily endorse, promote or agree with
the viewpoints of the columnists
on this page. The content of the
columns is strictly the opinion
of the writers and in no way reflect
the beliefs of the NT Daily. To in-
quire about column ideas, submit col-
umns or letters to the editor, send an
email to ntviewseditor@gmail.com.
Staff Editorial
Don t get exploited by your unpaid internship
In the current college landscape,
many degree plans require a semes-
ter-long internship in the field of
your major. Given today's economic
climate and the state of labor law
enforcement, there's a good chance
that you'll put in hard work free of
charge.
Wesleyan University graduate
Alex Footman's class-action lawsuit
against Fox Searchlight pictures
has brought unpaid internships
to the forefront of debate in recent
weeks.
Footman, an intern on the hit
movie "Black Swan," claims the
studio had him do menial work
that should have been done by
paid employees and that they did
not provide an educational experi-
ence, something labor laws would
require of an employer who isn't
paying an intern.
The U.S. Department of Labor
has six criteria for determining
the legality of an unpaid intern-
ship. Footman claims that two of
those criteria were violated by Fox
Searchlight.
Fie says he was a crucial part of
the workforce, which would mean
the employer gained immediate
advantage from the intern's employ-
ment, something the Department
of Labor doesn't allow.
Secondly, he was upset by the
lack of an educational environ-
ment, another necessary part of
unpaid labor.
This should force us, as college
students, to ponder our own
worth.
The popular perception of an
intern often involves a stressed-out
20-year-old sprinting between
offices, delivering coffee or
performing some other mundane
task. It's hard to see how mind-
less filing or delivery services are
supposed to train you for success
in the business world.
In a New York Times article from
February 2010, a spokesman for
the Oregon Department of Labor
said they found numerous cases
of unpaid interns displacing paid
employees and working unsuper-
vised in an education-free environ-
ment, two major violations of our
current labor laws.
These kinds of abuses are a sign
of the times. Employers are looking
to cut costs in any way possible,
even if that means opting for free
labor despite the lack of an educa-
tional environment. With an uncer-
tain job market and the frightening
prospect of post-degree unemploy-
ment, college students are more
desperate for work and experience
than ever, and that makes us easy
to exploit.
Unpaid internships aren't evil,
and if you've participated in one
you shouldn't automatically feel
cheated, but don't be a victim of
the system. Research your intern-
ship and make sure it's going to
provide a positive experience that's
worth your while. No one wants to
enter a job hoping to gain experi-
ence and leave with nothing more
than coffee stains and a sore filing
wrist.
Columns
Mc arney: Help
UN inish exciting
season on high note
This week we close out what
has been an exciting year for the
North Texas Mean Green foot-
ball program.
With the opening of beautiful
Apogee Stadium and the tremen-
dous support of our students and
season-ticket holders it has been
a historic year.
With a 3-2 record at home, we
have already won as many home
games as they did in the previous
three years combined.
With your help this Saturday
we can improve to 4-2, which
would be the best home record by
a Mean Green team since 2004.
We are also just 12,143 people
away from breaking the overall
attendance record for home
games.
You can be a part of history
and help make 2011 the year to
beat when it comes to attendance
records!
There will be 27 seniors who
will be playing their final game
for North Texas Saturday and we
hope that you can help make it a
special sendoff for them.
They have put a tremendous
amount of effort and energy into
representing your school with
a sense of pride and we want
to make their farewell game
one that they will remember
forever.
There is also a chance that
running back Lance Dunbar
can become the school's all-
time leading rusher, which is a
remarkable accomplishment.
It is one of the most presti-
gious individual records that
any football player can hold at
a school and Lance is very much
deserving of it.
We have only six opportuni-
ties a year to play in front of our
students and home crowd and
we cherish each and every one
of those occasions.
This is the final game for 2011
and the last time that you can
help support Mean Green foot-
ball in Apogee until Sept. 8,
2012.
I, my coaching staff and this
football team can't thank the
UNT students enough for making
this a special year.
We hope that you come out
one more time Saturday to put a
fitting end to what has been an
incredible first season.
Go Mean Grean!
Dan McCarney is head coach
of the UNT football team. He
can be reached at mari.hardin@
unt.edu.
Campus smoking ban
referendum should
come this spring
As president of the Student
Government Association, I plan to
bring forth a petition in the spring to
allow students to vote on whether or not
the smoking policy at UNT should be
changed . I'm confident this petition will
gain the requirednumber of signatures
to bring the issue to a student vote.
I think the SGA recognizes this
is an important vote and we would
like to hear from as many students as
possible. That being said, I believe the
proposal that was considered by the
student senate this semester was well
researched. To be completely clear,
the proposal I will bring forward in
the spring of 2012 would not at all limit
tobacco use on campus; it would simply
restrict students from being able to
smoke on campus.
Each of the supporters of this
proposedpetition, including myself, has
carefully considered the ramifications
and extensively talked to our constitu-
ents before agreeing to sponsor it. While
I cannot speakfor the others who spon-
sored this proposal, I can tell you that
I signed onto it because I believe we
have an obligation to protect those who
do not wish to be around secondhand
smoke. Secondhand smoke, some-
times called passive smoking, is a real
problem and needs to be addressed on
this campus. I wholeheartedly believe
students at UNT have a right to breathe
clean, fresh air and t he current smoking
policy prevents this.
For me, this proposal is a matter
of protecting those students who do
not wish to be subjected to the effects
of secondhand smoke. When I ran
for this position last spring, I made a
promise to listen to my constituents
and consider their concerns carefully,
and I believe taking this proposed ban
to a student vote does just that. To those
concerned that implementing this ban
is not feasible, I would ask them to
look at the at least 586 other univer-
sities nationwide that have already
created smoking bans. In fact, the
University of Texas-Arlington, Texas
State University and Midwestern State
University have already implemented
no-smoking policies on their campuses.
If these schools in the state of Texas
have been successful in implementing
such a policy, there is no reason why
UNT should not be able to follow suit.
Additionally, if UNT would like to "Go
Green," this is a logical step in the right
direction. I encourage continued and
informed discussion on this matter, as
it could have a lasting impact on this
university. If you would like to discuss
this with me in person, I would be more
than happy to meet with you.
Blake Windham is a biology senior
and president of the SGA. He can be
reached at blake.windham@my.unt.
edu.
9HENEMAN
TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICE?
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