August 2020 - On The Move

August 11, 2020
Greetings Trailblazers,
We’re less than two weeks from the start of the Fall 2020
semester and, almost unthinkably, we’ll enter the new
academic year well into a sixth month of living with COVID-
19.
The virus has not left UNT Dallas unscathed. We were
relieved at the recovery of alum and graduate student Chris
Marshall, and heartbroken at the passing of our dear friend
and longtime colleague Jorge Rodriguez from Custodial
President Bob Mong
Services. I know many of you have experienced your own
emotional and challenging situations during this time,
whether it be illness of a family member or friend, or unexpected economic hardship.
I have said often throughout this time that we do not choose our crises, but we can determine
our response. The pandemic has pushed all of us to strengthen our resolve as a university to be
as prepared and responsive as possible, to provide all the tools necessary for our students to
succeed and our seniors to graduate, and to do it in the safest, most responsible way.
We made the decision for Fall 2020 to continue to deliver most courses through a virtual learning
format. We have worked to provide technology to all students who do not have access to a
laptop and/or WiFi at home. We have asked professors to be as visible as possible by devoting a
portion of their weekly office hours to video conferencing. We have made available multiple
contact points – hotlines, email addresses, real-time chats – so all of our student services are
easily accessible, effective and efficient.
For our faculty, staff members and student workers who will soon return to their campus offices,
we are requiring return-to-campus COVID-19 online training. To make our campus safe for our
students who will attend face-to-face classes, we have carefully implemented protective
measures such as social distancing protocols and mandatory face coverings.

These are truly uncertain times, and there is nothing easy about it. Yet, through our continued
commitment, determination and optimism, we will chart our course to success.
Stay smart. Stay strong. Stay safe.
New CYD program starts with
virtual summer camp; soon to be
housed in Emmitt Smith real estate
redevelopment on Lancaster Road
UNT Dallas' latest community-centered project is teaming up with one of Dallas' most famous
names, Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher. These days, Smith is running a real
estate company, E Smith Legacy, that's leading the way on the redevelopment of a 30,000-
square-foot building on Lancaster Rd. The project is bringing in community-focused tenants
that are committed to providing services and jobs to the local community, including Cedar
Valley Community College and Guru Financial. UNT Dallas' Community Youth Development
(CYD) Rising Blazers project, funded by the Texas Department of Family and Protective
Services, will house a portion of its program in the development.

READ MORE
Website gets a makeover with
lots of easy access points to help
students get answers fast
These are challenging times, and one thing that doesn't need to be a challenge is
navigating our university website. Plenty of time and thought have been put into the
redesigned site that now offers more points of access for students, prospective
students, faculty, staff and others to find important information quickly. Just look at the
home page for starters: With one click, students can land on the page to register for
fall classes, navigate to our new Fall 2020 information page, connect with their advisor,
check their financial aid, connect directly with a UNT Dallas representative using the
chat tool, and peruse our COVID-19 Knowledge Center that includes student and
faculty/staff FAQs, links to resources, training and more. Throughout, you'll find a
sleeker, slicker and more user-friendly site. Take a look.
GO TO UNTDALLAS.EDU

Volunteers make it possible for
UNT Dallas, NTFB to bring relief
with needed mobile food pantry
Community connectedness is one of our values as a university, and we don't take it
lightly. We pride ourselves on being able to serve our neighbors, and especially in a
time of great need. Our volunteer effort at the July 28 North Texas Food Bank campus
event speaks volumes about our commitment. We've held numerous NTFB events on
campus with the support of the Texas National Guard. That was not the case for the
July event. We had 25 UNT Dallas volunteers on campus at 7 a.m. to get the job done.
That meant leaving the safety of their own homes, putting on a face covering and
helping those in our community who need it most. Thank you to Eronia King for
leading this effort, and to all of our volunteers.
LESLEY GUERRA
Interdisciplinary Studies (EC-6/Bilingual),
2018

Hometown: Dallas (Oak Cliff)
Employer: Dallas Independent School District
Position: Elementary school teacher (2nd grade)
Position responsibilities: I teach reading, language arts
and social studies.
Alumni Q&A
How did UNT Dallas prepare you for your
professional career?
UNT Dallas allowed me to have hands-on experiences in the education field as well as
learning from professors who were previously teachers and shared their knowledge
and experiences.
How did you decide to become a teacher?
I have always aspired to be a guide for children and foster in them a desire to learn,
explore and challenge themselves.
What was the defining moment of your UNT Dallas experience?
The defining moment for me was when I was able to go out and recruit students to
come to UNT Dallas and be a part of the School of Education.
What advice would you give an incoming student?
Have an open mind and take advantage of every opportunity because every
opportunity will help you learn and grow. Most of all enjoy the process.
How do you plan to stay connected to UNT Dallas as an alum?
I would like to be able to help students who are just starting their journey at UNT
Dallas.
Alumni Fun Facts
Favorite quote: "Speak what you seek until you see what you've said." -- Marshawn
Evans Daniels
Favorite part about living in Dallas-Fort Worth: The people, the diversity and
simply the feeling of this being home.
Life motto: Take the risk or lose the chance
ATHLETICS RECRUITING IS HEAVY IN
DFW, EXTENDS THROUGHOUT THE STATE
AND BEYOND: Women's basketball coach
Rodney Belcher has assembled his inaugural
squad which will consist of 14 to 16 players.

Ten of the student-athletes are from the DFW
area, including players from Duncanville, Red
Oak, Dallas Hillcrest, Plano East and Plano Sr.
High, where Belcher won the Class 6A girls
state championship a couple of years ago. The
women's team has 22 games currently on the
2020-21 schedule with hopes of scheduling up
to 28 games. Opponents include Paul Quinn,
Langston University, LSU Shreveport, Arlington
Baptist and Texas Wesleyan. Men's
basketball coach Josh Howard has 14
student-athletes on his inaugural roster with one spot up for grabs once school starts.
Coach Howard has assembled a transfer-heavy roster of players, many of whom have
roots in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Two of his former players at Piedmont
International University in Winston-Salem, N.C., are following him to UNT Dallas. Other
out-of-state recruits include a player from Minneapolis and one from Natchitoches, La.
The men's squad currently has 18 games scheduled, highlighted by matchups against
Tulsa, UT-Arlington, LSU Shreveport and Paul Quinn. Cross country and track coach
Kenneth Royal has assembled a squad of 13 women and 15 men. About half were
recruited from DFW high schools, including in Dallas, Arlington, Mesquite, Seaogoville,
Fort Worth and McKinney. His recruiting reach extends to Port Arthur, Fort Bend County
(southwest Houston), San Antonio and Beaumont. Three recruits are transfers from
Missouri Southern State, Coffeyville Community College (Kansas), and Johnson &
Wales University (Rhode Island).
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION STUDENT WINS SCHOLARSHIP: Congratulations to
future teacher Meranda Aguirre, the winner of TeachDFW's $1,000 COVID-19 response
scholarship. "As a first-generation college student, coming up with adequate funds to
continue and succeed in school has proven difficult at times," Aguirre said. In this
generation, we need teachers who strive to inspire every child." Students can apply for
the TeachDFW scholarship by clicking here.

TRAILBLAZER SHOUTOUTS: We love when our UNT Dallas
faculty, staff and students receive the recognition they deserve.
It put a smile on our faces to see world languages and
linguistics assistant professor Robert Tinajero get a spread in
SHOUTOUT DFW. He provided the website with a colorful Q&A
in which he spoke about what makes him happy -- his family
and being a professor at UNT Dallas -- shares his favorite
Dallas food and lounging spots, and gives a shoutout to those
he believes deserves a little exposure.
UNT Dallas alumna Olivé Kinga, now a graduate student at the
University of Geneva in Switzerland, was interning at the Dallas
Foundation and made a lasting impression on a gentleman
while discusssing homelessness and poverty in the United
States. That gentleman, David Gruber, penned a blog post for
Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance titled, "You were right, Olivé!
Homelessness makes no sense and we are going to end it."
Kinga is now working on her second master's degree at the University of Geneva.
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