Each year, our amazing staff members work hard to make the UNT community better. News media stories that showcase their dedicated efforts can be found here. Click here for the previous year's archive of news media stories.

Read below for the stories from the 2024-25 academic year.

Four image collage of the staff members being interviewed and the toys at the UNT UnionGiving Santa a helping hand through Toys for Tickets and Santa's Helpers

For the past 17 years, UNT has been a strong partner with WFAA's Santa's Helpers toy drive -- helping to raise toy donations for families who need some extra support during the holiday season.

On Dec. 10, WFAA sent a reporter to campus to talk to the UNT Police Department about their work in organizing UNT's Santa's Helpers drive. Sgt. Scott Windham has participated in helping with the drive from its beginnings as an initiative with UNT Staff Senate. Cpl. David Causey, who is partnered with the K-9 community service dog Clover, was also on hand for an interview about Clover and the importance of her work here on campus. Assistant Director of Parking Nikki Sparks was interviewed about her department's Toys for Tickets campaign. Toys for Tickets is a special campaign held each fall semester that allows most citations to be reduced if you bring in a toy for the Santa's Helpers toy drive.

Nearly 50 students from UNT's Center for Fraternity and Sorority Life were also on hand to cheer for the camera and help with the toy drive.

Chief Ramona Washington being interviewed by a TV reporter at the eventPicture Yourself Behind the Badge, a 30x30 Initiative event

In early 2024, UNT Police Chief Ramona Washington had an idea for an event to help educate and recruit those interested in law enforcement careers. This event, she thought, would tie in nicely to the 30x30 Initiative. That initiative is a nationwide move to recruit more women into the field of law enforcement. Only about 12 percent of law enforcement officials are women even though studies have shown they have fewer complaints made against them and fewer incidences of excessive force. 

She enlisted the help of colleagues at the FBI Dallas office, with Denton Police Department, and other local agencies and together they created the Picture Yourself Behind the Badge event, held on Sept. 12 (National Police Woman Day). More than 100 people attended this event, which was open to anyone interested in learning more about the skills and educational requirements needed for jobs in federal, state and local law enforcement positions.

 

black lab puppy sitting on a wood floorUNT Police Department's new community service K-9

A new type of K-9 is coming to work with the UNT Police Department. Coming to UNT as a puppy in mid-September, she is a black lab who was chosen for her friendly and calming nature. Her work will be very differt from that of explosives detection K-9 Watson (see below for news coverage on him).

The puppy, who was named Clover following a public survey that garnered more than 4,000 votes, will be used by the department's community engagement team. She will be available for UNT community members to visit and interact with during events such as Coffee with Cops, campus presentations, UNT Police Department open house events and more. She will also be available to comfort victims of traumatic crimes who may be more relaxed and able to open up with her in their presence.

Community Engagement Cpl. David Causey will be her handler. Her name was announced at the Sept. 7 UNT home football game at DATCU Stadium.

Officer Cioffi walking with K9 WatsonMeet K-9 Watson, new to the UNT Police Department

The UNT Police Department retired explosives detection K-9 Keegan in May 2024. With such an important role -- safety checks at UNT home football games and major events on campus, meeting the public and patrolling campus, being on-call to assist other law enforcement agencies -- the department knew they needed to find another K-9 to fill the role.

In June 2024, Ofc. Cioffi was assigned as the next K-9 handler and spent several weeks training with the department's new explosives detection K-9, Watson. Watson is trained in Vapor Wake detection. Rather than wait to be told to search, he is always "on," moving continuously to detect scent.

K-9 Watson has a very calm and friendly demeanor. When he's on duty, he will wear a vest alerting folks to not disturb him while he works. But, there will also be times when he can interact with the community -- he loves giving kisses and smiling at everyone.

items from the Wild Women's time capsule laid out in a gridWild Women of Clark Hall

In 1982, the self-proclaimed "Wild Women" were a group of friends who lived in Clark Hall while attending UNT. They gathered on campus for a reunion during Homecoming 1992 and, to commemorate the occasion, put some sentimental items into a storage bin which they then buried near Clark Hall.

On July 10, 2024, a UNT Facilities work crew was repairing a sanitary waste pipe when they discovered the bin. The items in the bin were dirty and worn from years of being underground, but the inscription  was still intact. A post on social media led to the discovery of the Wild Women and items from the bin have been archived by UNT Libraries.

Please note: UNT does not recommend burying your own time capsules. With the growth our campus is experiencing, digging on the grounds may disrupt utility lines. We do, however, encourage life-long friendships with those you meet while attending UNT!