Releases : Business

Earlier today (Thursday, Aug. 10), British and U.S. officials announced the arrest of 21 suspects in a plot to blow up passenger jets flying between the United Kingdom and the United States. The plot involved hiding masked liquid explosives and detonators in carry-on luggage.

As you continue your coverage of this developing story, consider these University of North Texas experts who can discuss terrorist groups and other topics.

Dr. Bernard Weinstein, professor of applied economics and director of UNT's Center for Economic Development and Research, says the U.S. airline industry may feel the financial effects of the foiled terror plot for some time. He says he is one of the thousands of travelers impacted by the overnight changes in airport security imposed by the Department of Homeland Security today.

"I'm currently in Austin and will probably drive back to Dallas rather than fly because I don't want to hassle with security delays," he says. "I will probably also cancel a trip to the UK scheduled for next week, again because I don't want to deal with the hassles. I'm sure thousands of other people will have the same reaction and the overall impact on the airlines will be negative for some time."

Weinstein can be reached via cell phone, 214-707-1834.

Dr. Geoffrey Wawro, director of UNT's Military History Center and the Major General Olinto Mark Barsanti Professor of Military History, can discuss al-Qaeda and other Middle East terrorist groups.

The foiled plot, he says, "was potentially the biggest atrocity since 9/11." He compared it to a 1999 plan by Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, one of the coordinators of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, who had planned to detonate bombs on 11 airplanes traveling over the Pacific Ocean.

Wawro says the specifications of the current foiled plot – using laptop computers to detonate liquid explosives -- "means that it's probably not a copycat Islamist cell behind it."

"You need the expertise of al-Qaeda scientists to plan that," he says.

A professor of strategic studies at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., before joining the UNT faculty last year, Wawro is the host and anchor of the History Channel and History International programs Global View, Hardcover History, Hard Target, History's Business, and History versus Hollywood. He is writing a book called "Quicksand: America's Pursuit of Power in the Middle East from the Balfour Declaration to the Bush Doctrine."

Wawro is traveling, but can be reached by cell phone at (214) 514-7224.

Dr. Emile Sahliyeh (ee-MILL s-LAY-yuh), professor of political science, can discuss Middle Eastern terrorist groups. He is the author of "The PLO After the Lebanon War;" "In Search of Leadership: West Bank Politics Since 1967;" and the forthcoming "The Predicament of Democracy in the Arab World." He has also written chapters in several anthologies on Middle Eastern politics. A former Brookings Institute fellow in Middle Eastern studies, Sahliyeh has presented invited papers, lectures and workshops at the Brookings Institute, Defense Intelligence College, Harvard University Center for International Affairs, U.S. State Department and Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. A Jerusalem native, Sahliyeh is frequently quoted by the media in regard to incidents in the Middle East, Israel and Palestine.

Home phone number: (940) 320-2020 (first option)
Office phone number: (940) 565-2314

Dr. Dee Knight, an assistant professor in the School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management, says new flight restrictions banning liquids and gels as carry-on items might be an inconvenience, but the tourism industry and travelers themselves will find ways to adapt without too much trouble.

"Americans are very innovative," says Knight, an expert in customer service, consumer behavior and retailing. "I don't think this is a huge inconvenience, frankly."

Instead, the carry-on restrictions could be a boon for makers of some products, she says. "Retailers have the chance to provide on a wider scale some products -- for example, leak-proof containers," she says. The containers, which keep liquids and gels from seeping into clothing in checked luggage, had been hard to find in stores before the new restrictions, but could begin to be more widely available through traditional retailers, as well as online.

Luxury hotels could use the opportunity to step up service for repeat customers by providing each customer with his or her favorite brand, she says. But she does not expect travelers to leave their toiletries at home with the intention of buying toothpaste and shampoo at their destination. "Most consumers are time deprived," she says. " They want convenience. They like to shop when they get there, but they don't want to shop for that kind of thing."

Office: (940) 565-2433
E-mail: dknight3@unt.edu

Note to editors and reporters: The UNT News Service is working to identify experts for more angles to this story. You should receive additional media advisories today and tomorrow.

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- The director of the Center for Economic Development and Research at the University of North Texas says the shutdown of British Petroleum's Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska may not lead to the price hikes at Texas gas pumps seen during the fall 2005 hurricane season.

Dr. Bernard Weinstein says, "With some modest conservation on the part of American businesses and households, plus making oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve available to refiners, the impact of the BP shutdown on gasoline prices should be minimal."

BP is shutting down 16 miles of pipeline in the Prudhoe Bay field because of corrosion. The field produces about eight percent of the nation's oil output--400,000 barrels of oil per day. It is the largest oil field operation in the United States, and it could be January, 2007 before all repairs are completed.

The higher energy prices will be felt most heavily in California and other western states, but Weinstein says everybody could indirectly feel it through higher prices for goods and services. "To the extent that they can, businesses will pass on the costs of any higher energy prices," Weinstein says.

However, Weinstein says the situation remains volatile. He says, "We are nearing the end of the summer driving season, so prices will start to head down soon. What could be serious is if tensions in the Middle East disrupt those supplies, or if we have another devastating hurricane in the Gulf Coast. If you combine any of those factors with the Prudhoe Bay shutdown, a significant jump in gasoline prices would certainly occur."

Weinstein has authored or co-authored numerous books, monographs, and articles on the subjects of economic development, public policy, and taxation. He has been a consultant to many companies, non-profit organizations, and government agencies, and he testifies frequently before legislative, regulatory, and judicial bodies.

Dr. Weinstein can be reached via cell phone, 214-707-1834.

As you plan your coverage for the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001, consider these University of North Texas experts who can discuss a variety of topics related to the event.

Economic Impact of 9/11:

Dr. Bernard L. Weinstein, professor of applied economics and director of director of UNT's Center for Economic Development and Research, is an expert on public policy, business and economic trends. He has often been quoted in The Dallas Morning News, The New York Times and international publications as an economic forecaster for the U.S. and abroad.

Cell phone number: (214) 707-1834 (first option)
Office phone number: (940) 565-4049
E-mail address: budw@scs.unt.edu

Talking to children about 9/11:

Dr. Sue Bratton is the director of the UNT Center for Play Therapy, the largest play therapy training program in the world. The center counsels children dealing with difficult situations by helping them to express their feelings through toys. Bratton is also an associate professor of counseling at UNT. An internationally renowned expert and respected lecturer, she has extensive experience in individual and group play therapy, activity therapy, and filial/family play therapy. She served on the Association for Play Therapy board of directors for six years and is a past president. Dr. Bratton is also co-author of the textbook, "Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT): A 10-Session Filial Therapy Model," and the CPRT Treatment Manual and CD-ROM, and "The World of Play Therapy Literature," as well as numerous research publications and book chapters on the topic of play therapy.

Office phone number: (940) 565-2063
E-mail address: bratton@unt.edu

Dr. Garry Landreth, Regents professor of counseling, development and higher education, is the founding director of the Center for Play Therapy and is a licensed professional counselor.

Office phone number: (940) 565-2916

Emergency response to 9/11:

Dr. David McEntire, an associate professor in UNT's emergency administration and planning degree program, traveled to New York City two weeks after Sept. 11 with two other faculty members in the program to study the activities of private businesses in responding to the attacks on the World Trade Center. They determined that although more than 2,800 people in both World Trade Center Towers died, thousands more exited safely before the towers collapsed, thanks to emergency management plans set in place for businesses following the 1993 bombing of the center. They also studied the significant role that private businesses played in responding to the disaster by donating office space, increasing security, restoring communications and providing food for search and rescue teams.

Office phone number: (940) 565-2996
Home phone number: (940) 321-2440

Dr. James Kendra, coordinator of UNT's emergency administration and planning degree program and an assistant professor, traveled to New York City two days after Sept. 11 with a colleague and a field team at the University of Delaware's Disaster Research Center, where he was then a researcher. He and his former colleague recently received a three-year $350,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to research the successful evacuation of 300,000 to 500,000 people from lower Manhattan via water transport to New Jersey, Staten Island and Brooklyn. He also studied the reestablishment of New York City's emergency operations center, which was located in the World Trade Center and was destroyed on Sept. 11.

Office phone number: (940) 565-2213
E-mail address: jmkendra@unt.edu

Terrorism:

Dr. Robert Taylor, professor and chair of the UNT Department of Criminal Justice, is currently a consultant to the U.S. Department of Justice on the State and Local Anti-Terrorism Program and the U.S. Department of State Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program. He is internationally known for his knowledge on terrorism and lectures extensively throughout the United States and the world. His specialty is the Middle East and Southeast Asia, concentrating on the al-Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiya, Hezbollah and HAMAS groups. He is a former police officer and major crimes detective and has several leading textbooks in the discipline. He has conducted numerous international and national media interviews.

Office phone numbers: (940) 565-4475 or (940) 565-2562
Cell phone number: (972) 529-7890

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the Middle East:

Dr. Adrian R. Lewis, associate professor of history and chair of the UNT Department of History, is a former infantry officer and instructor at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He retired from the Army with the rank of major and is the author of the forthcoming "The American Culture of War: World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom." He is also currently writing a book about the Mediterranean Theater during World War II.

Office phone number: (940) 565-2288
Home phone number: (972) 317-3992

Dr. Geoffrey Wawro, director of UNT's Military History Center and the Major General Olinto Mark Barsanti Professor of Military History, can discuss al-Qaeda, U.S. policy and strategy in the Middle East and current capabilities of the U.S. military. A professor of strategic studies at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., before joining the UNT faculty last year, Wawro is the host and anchor of the History Channel and History International programs Global View, Hardcover History, Hard Target, History's Business, and History versus Hollywood. He is writing a book called "Quicksand: America's Pursuit of Power in the Middle East from the Balfour Declaration to the Bush Doctrine."

Cell phone number: (214) 514-7224

Dr. Emile Sahliyeh (ee-MILL s-LAY-yuh), professor of political science, is the author of "The PLO After the Lebanon War;" "In Search of Leadership: West Bank Politics Since 1967;" and the forthcoming "The Predicament of Democracy in the Arab World." He has also written chapters in several anthologies on Middle Eastern politics. A former Brookings Institute fellow in Middle Eastern studies, Sahliyeh has presented invited papers, lectures and workshops at the Brookings Institute, Defense Intelligence College, Harvard University Center for International Affairs, U.S. State Department and Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Sahliyeh is frequently quoted by the media in regard to incidents in the Middle East, Israel and Palestine.

Office phone numbers: (940) 565-2314 or (940) 565-2276
Home phone number: (940) 320-2020

American foreign policy related to 9/11:

Dr. James Meernik (MIR-nick), professor of political science and chair of the UNT Department of Political Science , is the author of an article on domestic politics and the political use of military force by the United States that appeared in Political Research Quarterly, and an article on public opinion and support for U.S. presidents' foreign policies that appeared in American Politics Quarterly.

Office phone number: (940) 565-4233

The Patriot Act, Constitutional rights and military tribunals:

Dr. Kimi Lynn King, associate professor of political science, researches civil rights and liberties, constitutional law, the American presidency and foreign policy issues. She is a former fellow at the Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Office phone number: (940) 565-4984
Cell phone number: (940) 597-4802

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- How does a company market itself after completely changing the way it does business? That's the question facing executives at the internet service America Online, following news it will cease to market its subscription service in favor of a Web-based business supported by advertising.

Dr. David Strutton, chair of the marketing department at the University of North Texas, says AOL management had no choice. Their current business model simply wasn't working.

"Something should have been done two or three years ago. This restructuring is an effort to make the best of a bad situation. They couldn't continue to do what they had been doing," Strutton says.

Strutton says while it's often difficult for large companies to change the way they do business, there are notable success stories.

"Several years ago IBM leadership committed to making a change (moving from hardware to a business services corporation) and it was successful," he says. "J.C. Penney has been able to change their business model. But, on the other hand, look at the big three U.S. automakers. They have struggled to change their business model, and the results show."

Strutton says the key for a business trying to re-invent itself is to control costs.

"AOL needs to control its costs in order to be successful. By not spending the money to retain customers, that will be a cost savings. But, I don't think they will be able to recapture its halcyon days of market dominance. Consumers have so many more choices out there than when AOL was dominant," Strutton says.

Following the dot-com bust of the late 1990's, businesses were wary of relying on Internet advertising as a revenue stream. But Strutton says the market has stabilized, and AOL is right to consider it. "The e-model is a viable one," he says. "In a fragmented market, advertisers have to spend money somewhere, and if they set precise targeting they will be successful."

Strutton can be reached at (940) 565-3123.

On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina became the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history when it hit parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. The impact of Katrina, which was the third-strongest recorded hurricane to make landfall in the U.S., is still being felt almost a year later.

As you plan for coverage of the first anniversary of the storm, consider these University of North Texas experts who can discuss a variety of topics related to Hurricane Katrina and to the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1 and ends Nov. 30. Office telephone numbers and e-mail addresses and, for some, home and cell phone numbers are provided.

Long-term recovery of communities from hurricanes, response to hurricane warnings, mobile home residents and hurricanes:

Dr. Nicole Dash, UNT assistant professor of sociology, says the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and other 2005 hurricanes shows why those who will be most vulnerable if threatened by a hurricane -- the elderly and the poor -- need to know what resources will be available from the local government.

"Will transportation be available to help with evacuation? Where are evacuation locations? What should you do if you don't have the financial means to gather supplies for a hurricane? Asking questions now and planning early may be the difference between survival and tragedy for the most economically marginal," she says. "We have yet to find out whether the public and governmental agencies have learned the lessons of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma."

Dash has analyzed property tax data and census data for Miami-Dade County from 1990 to 2000 to study the recovery of communities impacted by Hurricane Andrew, which became the most costly natural disaster in U.S. history when it hit Florida in August 1992. She is a Florida native who was a graduate student at Florida International University in Miami when Hurricane Andrew hit. She discovered that areas with large minority populations recovered slower than areas with predominantly Caucasian populations, and African-American areas fared far worse than Hispanic areas, which were predominantly Cuban. She has published a book chapter of some of her findings in "Hurricane Andrew: Ethnicity, Gender and the Sociology of Disasters," published by FIU's Laboratory for Social and Behavioral Research.

Office phone number: (940) 565-2230
E-mail: dash@unt.edu

Redeveloping urban areas after natural disasters:

Dr. John Baen (pronounced BAIN), UNT professor of finance, real estate and law, is the co-author of a new paper titled "Urban Functionality and Extreme Natural Disasters; The New Orleans-Katrina Case for New Federal Policies and Programs for High Risk Areas." The paper is available at http://www.coba.unt.edu/firel/Baen/urban_functionality.pdf.

While debate rages on how to rebuild areas in Louisiana, Mississippi and southeast Texas after Hurricane Katrina, Baen says it's not in the best interest of the public to encourage either development or redevelopment in high-risk disaster areas like those hit by the hurricane.

Baen says current federal policies have encouraged urban growth in areas with a high risk potential for recurring natural disasters.

"The best way to prevent these losses is by not doing it any more. We have to refuse to support rebuilding in high-risk areas," he says.

Baen says politics are in part to blame for the continued rebuilding. He is also critical of federal programs which perpetuate the urbanization of areas that are at high risk of damage from hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Sixty percent of the U.S. population lives along the coastal zone of the nation.

"In New Orleans, the government is giving homeowners $150,000 to rebuild, as long as they raise their homes 3 feet above where they had been built. However, during Katrina, the storm surge reached 22 feet. It doesn't make any sense," Baen says.

Office phone number: (940) 565-3071
Cell phone number: (940) 507-0312

Response to hurricane warnings, coordination and recovery operations, evacuation patterns, FEMA:

Dr. David McEntire, an associate professor in UNT's emergency administration and planning bachelor's degree program, calls the response to Hurricane Katrina "deplorable."

"The local and state governments did not prepare adequately and did not have sufficient capability to deal with the disaster. This was especially disturbing since the risk was well known," he says.

While the Federal Emergency Management Administration was blamed for much of the botched response to Katrina, the agency "was actually in Louisiana much quicker than in Florida after Hurricane Andrew," McEntire says.

"The real blame at the federal level lies with the policies pertaining to homeland security. Mitigation for natural disasters has been ignored. The Department of Homeland Security has created policies without sufficient input from those involved in emergency management, and FEMA's budget and decision making authority was eroded," he says. "It was logical that the response would be problematic under these conditions."

As this year's hurricane season continues, FEMA is still struggling to deal with the effects of Katrina, he says, with many of its experienced employees retiring or changing careers.

"It lacks sufficient staff to meet the disaster demands that face us. The same is true of the local and state levels. New obligations have been placed on the shoulders of emergency managers with inadequate human resources," McEntire says.

McEntire studied the impact of Hurricane Georges on the Dominican Republic to identify the many factors that contributed to the disaster and examine the disaster's effects on residents and response operations. He spent two weeks in the nation after the hurricane hit in September 1998.

Office phone number: (940) 565-2996
Home phone number: (940) 321-2440
E-mail: mcentire@unt.edu

Hurricanes and water quality:

Dr. Tom La Point, professor and director of UNT's Institute of Applied Sciences, says homes in harm 's way of a hurricane should be stocked with enough clean water and cleaning supplies for at least three days.

"The waters surrounding communities hit by a hurricane invariably have poor water quality. Often, the sewage treatment facilities are partly or completely inoperable for a few days. In New Orleans, just after Katrina, the major health threats were from fecal bacteria in the floodwaters and the lack of potable drinking water," he says.

La Point advises storing several gallons of water, sufficient for two gallons per person per day, in advance of a hurricane.

"How prepared are we for this season? Not very," La Point says. "I think folks generally play the odds and hope that hurricanes will hit somewhere else."

Office phone: (940) 369-7776
Home phone: (940) 891-4984
E-mail: lapoint@unt.edu

Disaster recovery operations:

Dr. James Kendra, coordinator of UNT's emergency administration and planning bachelor's degree program and an assistant professor, was formerly with the University of Delaware Disaster Research Center, where he managed a number of projects focusing on disasters and emergency planning as the center's research coordinator.

Office phone: (940) 565-2213
E-mail: jmkendra@unt.edu

Economic impact of hurricanes, particularly Hurricanes Katrina and Rita:

Dr. Bernard Weinstein, professor of applied economics, is the director of UNT 's Center for Economic Development and Research. He is the author of "The Economic Aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: A Local, National and Global Assessment." He presented the study to the Indian Regional Science Association in Bangalore, India this past January and will present it again in Scotland this fall. Weinstein's research shows the breadth and depth of the economic effects of the two hurricanes.

Cell phone number: (214) 707-1834 (first option)
Office phone number: (940) 565-4049
E-mail address: budw@scs.unt.edu

From Aug. 4 through 6 (Friday through Saturday), shoppers in Texas will not pay sales tax on most clothing and footwear priced under $100, including items put on layaway, during the state's annual sales tax holiday. Texas Comptroller and gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn has predicted that shoppers will save $49 million in sales taxes over the weekend, including $38.5 million in state sales tax and $10.5 million in local sales taxes.

As you plan for coverage of the sales tax holiday, which has been observed on the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday in August since 1999, consider these University of North Texas experts who can speak on several topics related to the holiday.

Shopping behavior, retailers:

Dr. Christy Crutsinger, a professor in UNT's School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management, says that over the past eight years, the first weekend of August has become "Christmas in August" for retailers, who plan for increased traffic that weekend.

"Retailers are offering incentives, similar to those found during the Christmas season, to lure shoppers into stores, such as fashion shows and drawings for gift certificates. Regardless of the season, customers want an exciting shopping experience and expect to be entertained," she says.

However, "while it's reasonable to assume consumers are receiving a bargain" by not paying sales tax, Crutsinger says those who will save the most money are the "savvy shoppers" who have a list of items they wish to buy and have researched the stores that have the lowest prices.

Furthermore, "many shoppers may use the holiday to buy items that they don't need," she says.

"The holiday may give them a false sense that they are saving money," she says.

"Time-impoverished shoppers" may avoid going into stores during the tax-free weekend, Crutsinger says.

"For them, the shopping costs, such as time spent driving to stores and waiting in lines, may not outweigh the tax-free breaks," she says.

Although the Comptroller's Office advertises the tax-free weekend as a back-to-school shopping weekend, Crutsinger says the break applies to a broad range of clothing and footwear for the family.

"The tax-free weekend is a win-win for both consumers and retailers," she says.

Office phone number: (940) 565-3263
Cell phone number: (940) 453-5890

The sales tax holiday and Texas' economy:

Dr. Bernard Weinstein, professor of applied economics, is the director of UNT's Center for Economic Development and Research, and Dr. Terry Clower, assistant professor of applied economics, is the center's associate director. Both are experts on public policy, business and economic trends and have frequently been quoted in the media as economic forecasters for Texas.

Weinstein may be reached at:

Cell phone number: (214) 707-1834 (first option)
Office phone number: (940) 565-4049

Clower may be reached at:

Cell phone number: (214) 202-4692
Office phone number: (940) 565-4049

This weekend, the leaders of eight major industrial nations, including President Bush, will meet at the annual Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg. Global energy security is scheduled to be the main formal topic.

The following University of North Texas economist is available to comment about this topic.

Dr. Michael Nieswiadomy (ness-WHY-doe-me), professor of economics and director of the Center for Environmental Economic Studies and Research, says that because the United States imports 60 percent of its oil and relies almost exclusively on fossil fuels, the nation has become much more dependent on sources of oil than it was 30 years ago, when it imported only one-third of its oil.

"We're just one of the players in the global energy market, where we're subject to the whims of other players," he says. "We're also very vulnerable to disruptions and supply."

The U.S. sends many of its "petrodollars" to parts of the world that are not favorable to the U.S., placing the supply at risk, he says.

"We know that oil stolen in Nigeria is used to finance terrorists," he says.

In creating a global energy policy, leaders should learn lessons from the 1970s, when the U.S. government placed price controls on oil and reduced incentives for production, Nieswiadomy says.

"We need to diversify our energy portfolio and create government policies on energy, but they need to be sound policies," he says.

Nieswiadomy may be reached in his UNT office at (940) 565-2244.

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Even though the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have signed a compromise on the Wright Amendment limiting flights at Love Field, the director of UNT's Center for Economic Development says the pact faces an uncertain future.

Dr. Bernard Weinstein says, "It's not clear what Congress' sentiment will be about this proposal. We really don't have a sense of where this falls among their priorities. However, it is important to note that Southwest Airlines is the thousand pound gorilla here; given their clout and consistent profitability, their input will be strongly considered."

If approved by Congress, the agreement will end Wright Amendment restrictions in 2016, bans international flights from Love Field, and limits that airport to 20 gates.

Weinstein says if the agreement is approved by Congress, immediate connecting flights or "through ticketing" by Southwest to cities currently served by the Wright Amendment may push some fares down.

He says, "Through-ticketing would have a tempering effect on airfares. Some passengers would feel if they could save money by taking a one stop flight, they would consider that an alternative."

Dr. Weinstein is traveling but can be reached via cell phone, 214-707-1834.

Hispanic groups that organized today's (Monday, May 1) boycott of work, school and shopping by immigrants believe it will demonstrate the importance of immigrants to the U.S. economy. A University of North Texas economist, however, says the day will have little economic impact.

Dr. David Molina, associate professor of economics and director of UNT's Center for Inter-American Studies Research, says the buying power of Hispanics in the United States has increased about 250 percent during the last five years. In Texas, where they comprise 32 percent of the population, their buying power was 93 billion in 2002.

However, he says that if Hispanics stay away from work and do not buy anything today, the economic impact would be similar to a city closing down because of an ice storm or an approaching hurricane -- as Houston experienced last September with Hurricane Rita.

"Millions of dollars in business was lost when Houston closed down, but the state economy didn't fall apart," he says. "A one-day boycott will have an extremely short-lived economic impact."

Molina says the boycott's true impact may not be so much in dollars, but in its symbolism as an important breaking point in the immigration movement.

"It will measure if Hispanics and immigrants are a strong, unified lobbying group," he says. "If it doesn't succeed, it will indicate that Hispanics are not a homogeneous group that can make an impact."

He points out that Hispanics in the U.S. are a young population. While one-fourth of the total U.S. population is under age 18, 35 percent of Hispanics and 37 percent of Mexicans are under age 18. In addition, one out of every five children born in the U.S. is Hispanic.

Noting the large Hispanic student dropout rate in schools, Molina says he doesn't wish to see students cut school on May 1, "but if they are able to help change policy by participating in the boycott, it will give them empowerment and have tremendous implications for the future."

Molina can be reached at:
Office phone: (940) 565-4543
E-mail: dmolina@unt.edu

UNT has several other experts to comment on the ongoing immigration debate and today's boycott:

Dr. Rudy Rodriguez is the director of UNT's bilingual education program and a professor in the UNT Department of Teacher Education and Administration. He says Congress needs "to find a just solution that is humane and serves the economic interests of the country and immigrant groups."

"Moreover, I don't think we can have an effective policy unless at the same time we build in provisions that call for active and genuine negotiations between the United States and Mexico in particular. Mexican President Vicente Fox recently issued an invitation expressing his willingness to enter into negotiations with the U.S. on issues associated with illegal crossings, drug trafficking and border security. This is an important gesture on the part of the Mexican president that is worthy of serious consideration by the policy makers in Washington," he says.

Rodriguez can be reached at:
Cell phone: (940) 391-9764
Office phone: (940) 565-2833

Dr. John Booth, UNT professor of political science, calls immigration reform "incredibly difficult" for Congress "because of all the cross-cutting pressures it arouses, dividing normal allies from one another."

"The Republicans are split among nativist and pro-national security elements who want to exclude people, pro-business factions who like immigrants – legal or not - because the immigrants lower labor costs, and those who seek new Hispanic constituents," Booth says. "Democrats split between pro-labor factions who say open immigration lowers working class wages, and those who believe certain reforms will discriminate Hispanics as a traditional Democratic constituency."

At the same time, he says, Hispanics in the U.S. disagree about whether stricter immigration enforcement "might encourage persecution of Hispanics, and whether immigrants' low-wage competition for U.S. Hispanic workers might be keeping them poor."

"Try to build a working coalition for any particular reform out of that," Booth says.

Booth specializes in Latin American politics and has taught courses on U.S. and Mexico political systems, public policy in Texas and political participation. He is fluent in Spanish, having lived in Spain, Mexico and Costa Rica.

Booth can be reached at:
Cell phone number: (940) 368-9498
Office phone number: (940) 565-2684

Dr. Roberto Calderon, UNT associate professor of history, directs UNT's Mexican-American Studies minor for the Department of History. A leader in the League of United Latin American Citizens and faculty advisor to UNT's LULAC chapter, he participated in the protest march in Dallas on Sunday, April 8.

Calderon can be reached at:
Office phone: (940) 369-8929 or (940) 565-2288
E-mail: beto@unt.edu