UT Arlington, UNT to throw send-off parties for basketball teams

by Blair Lovern

UT Arlington has a pep rally Wednesday at noon for the women's team. UNT to charter a bus to New Orleans and host a reception there Thursday night.

The University of Texas at Arlington will hold a pep rally at noon Wednesday at the Hereford University Center. Everyone's gonna cheer on the 2007 Southland Conference Champion women's basketball team as they head into the NCAA tournament.

The Mavericks will open the tournament on national television against 16th-ranked Texas A&M at the new Galen Center on the campus of the University of Southern California at 1 p.m. (Central) this Saturday. The game will be on ESPN and will be the first game of the day at USC.

Meanwhile, below is from a letter to UNT students, staff and stuff from university president Gretchen M. Bataille:

Many students -- and even some faculty and UNT friends -- have suggested we cancel classes on Friday. I have given serious thought to this request and have discussed this with others on campus as well as looked for precedents at other campuses. There are certainly reasons to do so; however, I have concluded that canceling classes is not in the best interest of the institution. Besides, Friday is the day before spring break and it is likely that faculty already have made decisions about their classes that day.

BUT!

For those reasons, students who want to leave Thursday to attend the game Friday morning may ride on a bus the university is chartering. To reserve a spot on the bus, students should register before 1:30 p.m. Wednesday (March 14) at the Information Desk, University Union, third floor.

I would guess the class attendance at UNT the Friday before spring break and the day of the school's first NCAA tournament appearance in about a generation would be outrageously high, wouldn't you? I can't imagine anyone skipping class that day.

Dr. Bataille, head coach Johnny Jones and Rick Villarreal will host a reception at the Astor Crowne Plaza in New Orleans, the official team hotel, on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $10 at the door. Admission includes one drink ticket and appetizers.