What I Would Like To See Change On UNT's Campus

PlummMeanGreen · August 3, 2002

I would love to see the athletic dorm's (Santa Fe House) peach colored spanish tile roof be painted dark green. Now that would look nice if you can just picture it. Wonder how much that job would cost; that is the paint and labor?

Traditions: I like what we have already and what we do have will be enhanced 100% when we start winning some football games on a regular basis. Hide--watch--and see!

AND YOU? What would you like to see change on the UNT campus; that is, cosmetically and/or our traditions?

Zeke · August 3, 2002

Ok, mine is a pretty big task..............but I would like to see the administration building to be taller. Much taller. When the Talons march over to it and light it in a spectacular green, I want all of Denton to know it. I want everybody driving by on I-35 to say,"well, looks like the Mean Green got'em again". The tower should be the exact one we have right now just placed on top of many , many stories (much like TWU's towers).

Next, I would want to completely tear down the area between Clark Hall and The Pit. A lot of that whole area is an eyesore. The tanning place behind IHOP makes the place look bad too.

Ohh yeah, and a new football stadium too

NT80 · August 3, 2002

#1 - A NEW Football Stadium along I-35. 200,000+ people a day would pass by it and say "Wow"!

#2 - More greenspace and more landscaping for the UNT campus. Many people's first impressions of a school are made within the first block of the campus.

# 3 - Goldplate the dome on the Admin. Building. Someone tried to make it look like faded copper, but it's looks instead like light green, faded paint.

Ibleedgreen · August 3, 2002

Or repaint the dome dark green. Faded green isn't cool.

UNTFan23 · August 3, 2002

Next, I would want to completely tear down the area between Clark Hall and The Pit. A lot of that whole area is an eyesore. The tanning place behind IHOP makes the place look bad too.

I think both those apartment complexes are on their way out. One of them has been totally shut down, and the other doesn't look like there are all that many people living there. I think in the very near future, those 2 buildings will be coming down. Question is, what will be done with all that real estate that has been cleared?

Personally, I'd love to have a 'grassy knoll' across from Clark. Second, A new Stadium where Fouts is. Third, some more freakin residence halls. These are the people that make things happen at UNT. More people on campus would translate into more participation. Fourth, a newer and bigger Business building. Cury Hall is nice, but I hardly have had any classes in the COBA building. I even get to step foot into Matthews the semester, since one of my BCIS classes is in there.

GreenEggs&Ham™ · August 3, 2002

When I was a student back in the 80's, North Texas tried to clean the dome on top of the Administration building to remove the green copper corrosion. I think it worked but it came back I guess. But what the hell do I know, I haven't stepped foot on campus in 8 years.

I would like to see more trees and and a unique, eye catching, maybe a little bit cooky football stadium.

NT80 · August 3, 2002

GE&H, you need to come back and visit the campus for homecoming, it's had alot of change. The Ave. D exit off I-35 (newly named North Texas Blvd.) now curves north by the Fouts parking lot. That whole area with a new entryway sign, the new Performance Hall, Gateway Center, and Superpit is really very nice. The only eyesore left there is Fouts (hope soon it'll be modernized too!!). I think the current administration is placing more emphasis on landscaping and greenspaces, they've cleaned up many areas and have plans for more.

Cerebus · August 3, 2002

Or repaint the dome dark green. Faded green isn't cool.

A friend of mine who works in the admin building told me that that *IS* paint. He told me that the copper was supposed to have a nice dark green patina on it, but that when it came in, the patina was very light, so they painted a color over it, which has now faded.

I have no idea if this is true, so take it with a grain of salt.

. <_>

3XNTGRAD · August 3, 2002

The tower cupola was not made of copper, but some other sort of metal. It had an old, gray stained appearance before they painted it the current green.

I was in graduate school at the time they painted it. I thought it looked cheap in the first place (shiny green just didn't go with the rest of the building) and would look bad later (ergo the faded green we now have). I complained to the administration about it at the time.

My first choice for a redo of the tower cupola would be to "paint" with a stone mix that makes it look like it is made of stone. That would tie it in well with the rest of the building and look good for a very long time. My second choice would be a true copper cover. It wouldn't end up "North Texas" green, but it would still be green eventually.

Elsewhere on campus, an updated Fouts would be great. I'd also love to see some of the huge parking lots replaced with parking garages that are well integrated architecturally with the campus -- with some of the remaining old streets removed in the process (such as on the north and south of Bruce Hall) to create more greenspace.

While we are on this subject, I must point out that the campus has increase 1000% in overall condition since I started at North Texas in 1983.

GT(N)T · August 3, 2002

I agree about the improvements on campus over the last 20 years or so. A big part of the improvements have involved closing down streets and getting traffic off campus. I would like to see that continued so that all campus streets are killed and made into 'greenways'. Parking should either be in the form of parking garages or distance parking with shuttle buses bringing people from the lot to campus.

God bless Texas!

Reb UT '70 · August 3, 2002

I don't know the campus well enough to make suggestions, I will offer a comment, which will surprise no one who knows me, as lack of knowledge has never been a barrier to my comments.

Several students went to North Texas last spring from the Georgetown area, including some athletes who might be of interest to North Texas. They didn't announce they were coming, and didn't make contact with anyone who could show them around. They only saw what they did by driving around campus, and the area around it.

Their comments were not very favorable to North Texas. This was based on nothing but the 'look' of the campus. I don't know what I'd do to make the campus more attractive, but more open green space and fewer roads would make it seem nicer. I know that I live here and see this campus every day, but Southwestern is so pretty that it might have influenced those kids on what a campus should look like.

GreenMachine · August 3, 2002

No offense Reb but UT's campus is crammed into half the space that UNT has. I went to your campus when I was a sr in hs and it totally turned me against going to UT.

Reb UT '70 · August 3, 2002

No offense taken, I don't think UT has a pretty campus either, some very nice fountains and a small mall, and some nice buildings, but the whole things is jammed together. As I said I don't have any suggestions on how to make things better... except to agree that there are some junky looking building that appear to be part of the campus that I don't think are. That apartment bld next to Clark for example is a real eye sore right in the middle of one of the nicest areas of campus.

Somone mentioned taking out all of the roads, I liked that idea and I'd remove the parking lots as well. I want UNT to do well, and I would have loved for those students to have had a positive response toward UNT. I'm just reporting what was said.

Ibleedgreen · August 3, 2002

First of all, of the two apartment buildings next to Clark Hall, the one farthest to the west has been cordoned off to be razed, and the other one is soon to follow, I understand. The Sig Ep house is gone and the lot has been smoothed preliminary to a pedestrian mall to be built between the Gateway Center and Willis Library. There is a new parking lot on Highland where the dining hall to the quads used to be...and Chestnut Street has been closed and torn up from NT Blvd past the P.E. building. Hopefully, that will be a green space running between the new student rec. center and the PEB. I've noticed that the tennis courts on NT Blvd are being razed, as well. Anyone know why? Are they repairing them or removing them?

3XNTGRAD · August 4, 2002

Chestnut St., as I understand it, will be reopened. It is currently being rerouted past the new Rec Center to get rid of the strange curve at the intersection in front of the PEB.

Along the ideas for making the campus look nicer for those who drive by, I would think that landscaping between Eagle Dr. and the residence hall parking lots (Kerr, Maple, Clark) would go a long way to making the edge of campus look better to the casual observer. The campus itself is nice, but you've got to pass these paved monsters on every side to get there.

bandgeek · August 4, 2002

I know it may not be the most eye appealing thing on campus, but NT NEEDS more parking. I'd love to see a parking garage down by fouts... It could fit a lot more people down near fouts/the pit/Mercison and could help out with West Halls parking now that the Rec center took a lot.

As far as looks, I think the mall outside of the Library and ESSC needs more trees for shade. And maybe they should make the new space infront of Clark into the new place for the intermurals and stuff... or a fountain might be nice (visible from Ave. C)???

GrayEagle · August 4, 2002

For those of you that may not have seen it, there is a master plan that addresses some of your concerns. Click on the illustrative plan for an overview of what the new campus will look like in 2015.

Other topics will address increased campus housing, landscaping, traffic, etc. There will be some modifications due to the acquisition of the TI property, for example. The research park suggested for the east side of I-35 will now be located at the North Campus.

Anyway, it makes interesting reading and you'll find that many of the suggestions have already been implemented.

My Webpage

EagleChick03 · August 4, 2002

Hi..I just joined the board but I've been reading the posts since last fall during the exciting football season. I am a senior at North Texas, I love the school and I'm a huge promoter of athletics to my friends!

In the last three years I have been at UNT, I have seen lots of positive changes. We have come a long way but we still have a long way to go. I'd like to see a general clean up of campus. The area between Wooten and Matthews is so ugly. It is all over grown and dead, with trash thrown in the middle. The landscaping needs to be cleaned out and redone with flowers or something, anything but what it is!

Also, I love the green banners that line North Texas Blvd that say UNT but what about ordering another set that says North Texas in the design of the football helmets? Maybe this set of banners could be white with green lettering and the two could be switched out for different events like homecoming.

North Texas is a great school with a great future and I'm happy to be part of it.

EagleChick03 · August 4, 2002

Hi..I just joined the board but I've been reading the posts since last fall during the exciting football season. I am a senior at North Texas, I love the school and I'm a huge promoter of athletics to my friends!

In the last three years I have been at UNT, I have seen lots of positive changes. We have come a long way but we still have a long way to go. I'd like to see a general clean up of campus. The area between Wooten and Matthews is so ugly. It is all over grown and dead, with trash thrown in the middle. The landscaping needs to be cleaned out and redone with flowers or something, anything but what it is!

Also, I love the green banners that line North Texas Blvd that say UNT but what about ordering another set that says North Texas in the design of the football helmets? Maybe this set of banners could be white with green lettering and the two could be switched out for different events like homecoming.

North Texas is a great school with a great future and I'm happy to be part of it.

UNTWreck · August 5, 2002

a whole landscaping over haul!

Stan R · August 5, 2002

I'm more concerned about Denton, TX than I am about UNT. I can't understand why there aren't any more signs around town during game week. THat is simply unacceptable. You have to get the word out that we are a program on the rise by paying for billboards and just getting the town to put up schedules, etc.. on all the businesses.

GMG@

Ibleedgreen · August 5, 2002

I understand that there is a new committee of faculty and staff being assembled to study campus beautification. Perhaps thoughts on the subject should be sent to university counsel, Richard Rafes, who is in charge of the committee.