01 24 2007 by The University Star

CHUCK’S CHAMPS

GRAMMYS GALORE

Houston caps Norris’ World Combat League season with inaugural title

Professor Cynthia Gonzales is nominated not once, but twice

SEE SPORTS PAGE 8

SEE TRENDS PAGE 4

DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911

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JANUARY 24, 2007

WEDNESDAY

VOLUME 96, ISSUE 44

Minimum Wage Act awaits Senate approval By Bill Lancaster The University Star When Texas State student Jayme Starrak picks up her paycheck, it pays her rent and nothing else. As a Coffee Pot barista, she uses her tips to buy food and other expenses. But relief may be in sight for workers like Starrak in the form of a minimum wage hike. “My base pay is going to be much more,” said Starrak, prehealthcare administration junior. “I will be able to take more classes (and) I will only have to work ﬁve days a week instead of six.” The U.S. House of Representa-

tives passed the Minimum Wage Act Jan. 10, which will, if enacted, raise the minimum hourly pay rate from $5.15 to $7.25. The minimum wage has not increased since 1997. U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, DTX, said in an e-mail that approval of the Minimum Wage Act is a positive development for America and gives pay raises to 1.7 million Texans. “It makes up for a loss in purchasing power that has depressed the minimum wage to its lowest level in 51 years,” Doggett said. Now the bill awaits approval in the Senate. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-TX, said in an e-mail that it is im-

Former professor court case nearly settled

portant to package the increase with tax cuts and regulatory relief for small businesses that are most likely to be impacted by increased costs. Likewise, Janie Loftus, spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, RTX, said the senator supports the increase in minimum wage as long as it is coupled with tax relief. “So, the good news is that here in the early parts of Congress that Republicans and Democrats seem to be working together to try to solve the nation’s problems,” Cornyn said. The bill that passed in the House and is being debated in the Senate raises minimum wage

to $5.85 60 days after it is enacted, $6.55 one year after that and $7.25 one year later. Starrak said $7.25 is the perfect minimum wage even though it will take two years to get the full increase. “I think it needs to continue to rise with the economy,” Starrak said. “Raise it, see what the economy does, and if the corporations still have all the money, raise it again.” Will Edgar, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, said the vote in the Jennifer Williams/Star photo Senate could come as early as this week or as late as next week. WORKING HARD: Jayme Starrak, international studies junior, works at The Coffee Pot making cappuccinos for minimum wage until almost midnight six times a week. See SENATE, page 3

University receives HSI grant

BLOWN OFF COURSE

Chilly blast puts some faculty behind schedule

By Chelsea Juarez The University Star

By Nick Georgiou The University Star It appears the case of Rudnicki v. Texas State University System is in the midst of reaching a settlement deal after the third rescheduled trial was passed on by attorneys Jan. 16. Both sides had said previously that they were confident they could win the trial. “I thought they should have taken it to court,” said University Attorney Bill Fly. Rudnicki said in an e-mail that a settlement offer was made to his attorney Jan. 12, four days before the third rescheduled trial was set to begin. He said Terry Thomspon from the attorney general’s office, who is representing the university, made the offer. “Since it arrived so late, my attorney is opting to postpone the trial while we study the offer,” Rudnicki said. “We have two weeks. If the details can be worked out, we will have a settlement. If not, the trial will be rescheduled.” Fernando Gomez, vice chancellor and general counsel for the Texas State University System, confirmed a settlement offer had been made but could not provide any more information. “There has been some settlement discussions and I’m not at liberty to say where those are,” Gomez said. Ryan Rudnicki, a former tenured geography professor was fired in 2001 after receiving three negative annual evaluations. Rudnicki and his attorney, Doug Becker, sued the university claiming Rudnicki did not receive full due process of law — meaning rules and regulations that set forth the proper procedures for dismissing a faculty member were not followed. At the center of the debate was the controversial post-tenure review process, which was mandated by the state legislature in 1997. Post-tenure review calls for another layer of tenured professor evaluations, even though university rules and regulations already stated conditions under which a tenured professor could be fired. Legislators, however, wanted to increase accountability and eliminate the public perception that tenured professors could not be fired. Fly, who is assisting the attorney generals office, could not shed further light on the status of the case, saying he had been kept out of the loop. “I know the insurance company was going to pay some money and the university was going to pay some money,” he said. With four parties involved including the university, the attorney general’s office, the insurance company and the plaintiff and his attorney, these issues can get complex, Gomez said. He said the insurance company may not want to risk its money, and may prefer to settle the case outside of court. “There’s an insurance company involved on the university’s part so they’re going to want their say,” Gomez said.

Today’s Weather

Partly Cloudy 94˚/70˚

Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 57% UV: 9 Very High Wind: S 15 mph

Monty Marion/Star photo

PLAYING CATCH UP: Professor Richard Warms talks to his Economic Anthropology class Tuesday in the Evans Liberal Arts building. Texas State professors will have to crunch this semester to make up for lost time caused by the two missed days of class. By Christina Kahlig The University Star

now days are not a normality in Texas, so when the ice comes, everyone seems to slip up a little. Luckily the two days off last week were a mere schedule delay for professors and students. “My classes are designed so I can adjust my material and concentrate on making sure I’m efﬁcient with my time until I am caught up,” said geography professor Byron “Doc” On the other hand, anthropology professor Richard Warms said he has more information than he can cover in one semester so these class days were a signiﬁcant loss. “The class follows a regular schedule and if we lose an hour, there’s no way to make it up,” Warms said. “Something else has to squeeze.” He said the university did the right thing by closing, however, because on Thursday morning roads were still icy. “I didn’t work particularly hard those days,” Augustin said. “I got up, drank coffee and read the newspaper. I used the extra time to read data I brought home about the book

I plan to write. It was nice because I wasn’t forced to ﬁnish anything.” Warms spent the icy days indoors with his family. “My family was in town so we hung out and rented some movies,” Warms said. “It was nothing special, but probably the same thing a lot of people in San Marcos were doing.” Around campus, students slid around on the ice, throwing snowballs at one another. “I went up to the Woods Street Parking Garage with a blow-up raft and attempted to slide down, but when that didn’t work we ended up throwing snowballs and making different things with the snow,” said Sarah Porter, pre-radiation therapy freshman. She said it has only been about a year since she was out of school for her last bad weather day. “We don’t seem to be behind in my classes,” Porter said, “so I’m not worried about it.” Although Texas temperatures continue to rise and fall, no more extremely cold weather is expected soon. “It was nice to have the extra days,” Augustin said, “but I am glad to be back at work.”

The Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation awarded Texas State a $224,379 grant last semester in an effort to help the university’s goal of becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution. The donation will be used toward the Making Access and Participation Successful project, which helps Hispanic students bridge the gap from high school to college. The MAPS project is derived from the organization Engaging Latino Communities for Education, or ENLACE. The Texas ENLACE ofﬁce operates out of the college of heath professions, under Dean Ruth Welborn. In Spanish, “enlace” (which is pronounced en-LAH-seh) translates to “link” or “weave together.” This is the primary initiative driving ENLACE and its MAPS project, which is designed with four unique segments that together act as stepping stools. The segments, called the ENLACE Pathway, connect the different parts of attaining an education so students may continue from one step to the next. The project highlights the support of Hispanic students in their pursuit of an education and development of a path toward graduate school. Philip Ramirez, health and administration graduate student and research assistant, has kept busy designing segment four. In this last segment, Ramirez will facilitate groups of 26 seniors who intend to pursue graduate school at Texas State. Ramirez said he would ensure the students graduate with a bachelor’s degree and See GRANT, page 3

President Bush addresses hostile Congress By Ron Hutcheson McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Facing a Democraticcontrolled — and hostile — Congress for the ﬁrst time, a politically weak President Bush bowed to political reality in his State of the Union address Tuesday night by focusing on domestic policies that he hoped might win bipartisan support. Little was apparent, however. The president proposed to boost alternative fuels, reduce auto emissions and offer

a tax break for buying health insurance — unless your employer buys an expensive plan for you, and then Bush would make you pay tax on it. On the dominant issue of the day, the president was unyielding on Iraq and his plan to send 21,500 more U.S. troops there, despite bipartisan congressional opposition and polls showing that a large majority of Americans are against it. The war is so divisive it may overwhelm chances for compromise on anything, despite Bush’s invitation to try. “We are not the ﬁrst to come

Two-day Forecast Friday Mostly Sunny Temp: 98°/ 77° Precip: 10%

Saturday Isolated T-Storms Temp: 96°/ 72° Precip: 30%

here with government divided and uncertainty in the air. Like many before us, we can work through our differences, and achieve big things for the American people,” Bush told a joint session of Congress in the packed chamber of the House of Representatives. The president said he’d considered “every possible approach” in Iraq before deciding to deploy 21,500 more troops. “In the end, I chose this course of action because it provides the best chance of success.” Democrats reacted with skepticism and, on some is-

sues, outright hostility. On Iraq, “the majority of the nation no longer supports the way this war is being fought; nor does the majority of our military. We need a new direction,” said Sen. James Webb, D-Va., delivering his party’s ofﬁcial reaction to Bush’s speech. On health insurance, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said: “Punish people because they have good insurance? I don’t think they would agree with that. Taxing people who have health insurance doesn’t make sense to me.”

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Texas State University-San Marcos is a member of the Texas State University System

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Environmental groups called Bush’s ideas on energy independence and global warming insufﬁcient. “In fact, the president’s proposals are more likely to make the problems worse,” said Carl Pope, the executive director of the Sierra Club. Even some Republican lawmakers seemed hard-pressed to cheer. “He’s facing a legislative body that’s changed as a result of his policies, in large part because of his way of running the worldwide war on terror, especially in Iraq,” said Rep. George Radanovich, R-Calif.

PAGE TWO

January 24, 2007

Wednesday in Brief

starsof texas state A Texas State student ad team mock-up will be featured on The Early Show scheduled to air on CBS Wednesday. Texas State students Lyle Jenks, Jason Dominguez and Antonio Banos participated in a competition sponsored by Chevrolet in which student teams from around the country submitted proposals for a Super Bowl ad marketing Chevy cars and crossover vehicles to younger buyers. Submissions

came in from all over the nation. Chevy and ad agency executives selected ﬁve ﬁnalist teams this fall. The Early Show was interested in seeing and sharing the other submissions with the general public. The Texas State team submitted its mocked-up ad in December, and it was selected for broadcast on The Early Show. —Courtesy of the University News Service

News Contact — Nick Georgiou, starnews@txstate.edu Texas State University-San Marcos is a member of the Texas State University System

Fraternity Maaascot WEDNESDAY The American Marketing Association will have an Informational Meeting with guest speaker Denise Smart, Dean of the McCoy College of Business. The meeting will be at 5:30 pm. in the LBJ Student Center, Room 3-14.1. Free food & drinks available starting at 5:15 pm. Bring a friend - All majors are welcomed to attend. For more information, go to www.business.txstate.edu/AMA Relay For Life-Team Captain Meeting will be at 8 p.m. in Evans Building, Room 114. For more information, contact Stacy Whittaker at sw1172@txstate. edu.

Jan. 19, 12:27 a.m. Driving While License Invalid/ Corner of Edward Gary & Concho Streets An officer initiated a traffic stop, upon further investigation a student was driving without a valid license. The student was arrested and transported to the Hays County Law Enforcement Center to await magistration.Upon further investigation a student was found to be under the influence of alcohol and was issued a citation.

Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship will hold its weekly meeting at 8:30 p.m. in Old Main, Room 320. There will be contemporary worship, relevant teaching and prayer. Everyone is welcome. Contact (512) 557-7988 or email@texasstatechialpha.com.

The Tennis Club will meet from 6 to 8 p.m. at the tennis courts on Sessom Drive, behind Joe’s Crab Shack. All skill levels are welcome. For more information, contact Tennis Club President Chris Harris at ch1282@txstate. edu.

The Organization of Student Social Workers (O.S.S.W) will meet at 12:30 p.m. in the Health Professions Building, Room 234. All majors are welcomed to attend.

Texas State Men’s Basketball will be playing Stephen F. Austin at 7 p.m. in Strahan Coliseum.

Jan. 18, 8:29 p.m. Burlary of a Motor Vehicle/Strahan Coliseum An oﬃcer was dispatched for a report of a burglary of motor vehicle. A student stated items were taken from her vehicle without consent. This case is under investigation.

Simple Silent Sitting Group will meet from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Campus Christian Community Center.

An on-campus Alcoholics Anonymous meeting will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. For more information, call the Alcohol and Drug Resource Center at (512) 245-3601.

THURSDAY

University Police Department

Relay for Life-Team Captain Meeting will be held at 8p.m. in Evans Liberal Arts Building, Room 116. For more information contact Stacy Whittaker at sw1172@txstate. edu.

The Earth First organization will hold its weekly meeting at 4 p.m. in Evan Liberal Arts, Room 314. For more information, contact Bogan Durr at bd1132@txstate.edu.

The Alcohol and Drug Resource center will hold its weekly “The Network” meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. in the LBJ Student Center, Room 3-6.1.

CRIME BLOTTER

Students interested in becoming involved with the community, making business connections and learning leadership skills can attend Students in Free Enterprise at 4:15 p.m. in McCoy Hall, Room 113. Every Nation Campus Ministries will meet at 7 p.m. in Centennial Hall, Room G-02. There will be free food, fellowship and a relevant message.

Monty Marion/Star photo Buddy the goat, mascot of the Texas State Phi Delta Theta fraternity, spends Tuesday afternoon in The Quad with Brandon Smith, wildlife biology junior, and James Koenig, marketing senior.

Coalition says TRCC not helping homeowners A coalition of consumer advocacy organizations, including the Texas Public Interest Research Group (TexPIRG), Texas Watch and Home Owners for Better Building, are calling on the Texas Legislature to enact legislation to relieve the plight of Texas homeowners. According to these groups, Texas homeowners are facing pressure from a poorly functioning government bureaucracy, exploitative homeowners’ insurance rates and predatory mortgage lending. These problems, the coalition says, are turning the dream of owning a home into a nightmare for many Texans. The groups released a report this morning entitled Homeowners Rights in Texas: What the Legislature Must Do to highlight the issues. “Texas homeowners are hurting,” said Jeﬀ Brooks, Advocate for TexPIRG. “Owning a home is not only a key part of the Ameri-

can dream, but it is also a critical element of a person’s ﬁnances. The problems faced by Texas homeowners are intolerable and the state legislature must step up to the plate to enact the necessary reforms.” A key problem, says the coalition, is the Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC). Ostensibly intended to help homeowners and builders resolve their disputes without going to court, the TRCC is actually little more than a barrier protecting the building industry by preventing homeowners from taking legitimate legal action against incompetent and unscrupulous builders. Presently, homeowners are legally forbidden from taking legal action until they have completed the State-Sponsored Inspection and Dispute Resolution Process, in which the deck is stacked decisively against the homeowner and in favor of the builder.

“The TRCC is denying the citizens of Texas their basic constitutional right to make full and fair use of the legal system,” Brooks said. “We didn’t put up with that when Santa Anna tried it, and we shouldn’t put up with it now.” The coalition is calling for substantial reforms to the TRCC, beginning with making the dispute resolution process voluntary rather than mandatory if a citizen wishes to take legal action against an unscrupulous or incompetent builder. The members of the coalition also believe that fees paid by citizens to the TRCC should be abolished, stringent conﬂict-ofinterest provisions should be enacted and that measures should be taken to ensure a voice for consumer protection is present on the TRCC board. -Courtesy of the Texas Public Interest Group

ASG Beat

ASG announces open Senate, Election Commisioners seats

The Associated Student Government is the official voice for students at Texas State University. Meetings held at 7 p.m. Monday evenings in the LBJ Student Center, Room 3-14.1 and are open to the public. Anyone wishing to address the Senate is welcome to speak during public forum. Those interested should talk to Amanda Oskey, the Student Body Vice President. ASG completed a petition drive for tax-free textbooks Tuesday at local college bookstores. The drive was in support of Senate Bill 49 that calls for a tax-free textbook holiday. Student body elections will be held in the first week of April. ASG is looking for interested parties who would like to serve as official Election Commissioners. The parties are paid for approximately three to four weeks of work and are appointed by the Student Body President. Please email asg@txstate.edu for more information. ASG’s official sponsored program for fundraising, Mobile Campus, is seeking student employees. Mobile Campus is located in the first floor of the LBJSC. Please call (512) 2457726 for more information.

NEWS

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

The University Star - Page 3

SENATE: Students, others support wage increase CONTINUED from page 1

Reid had introduced the bill into the Senate. “We expect it to pass,” Edgar said. “We think this is long overdue and (the bill seems to have an) overwhelming support of the American people.” After passage in the Senate, Edgar said the bill would go to a conference committee because it includes some tax breaks for small businesses, which differs from the version passed by the House. The conference com-

mittee will resolve differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill. The Department of Labor Web site shows Texas as one of 20 states that either has no minimum wage law or have laws that keeps pace with federal regulations. Most states have their own minimum wage laws that exceed the current federal standard of $5.15 per hour. Thirty states have minimum wage rates that already exceed the ﬁrst increase to $5.85 per hour and most already exceed

GRANT: Organizers look to transfer students from community colleges CONTINUED from page 1

apply and get accepted into graduate school. “There is a focus on academic and financial (success) as far as acquiring the funds necessary to attend (graduate) school,” Ramirez said. “We don’t want students to graduate with thousands of dollars in debt.” Segment one will concentrate on identifying high schools participating in Region XIII, an education service center, and with low percentages of college-bound students and focus on potential first-generation college students. Region XIII works with 16 counties and about 59 school districts, including those in Hays County. Marco Montoya, executive grant director, said the ultimate goal behind segment one is to establish a sense of importance in high school students to apply and attend college. One of the major goals is to provide accessible information in regard to the application process, available resources and financial aid. Financial aid workshops and orientations for parents and students are also a part of the agenda. “Consequently, the lack of money and access to information discourages students from attending college or graduate school,” Montoya said. Adam Salcedo, who is also involved in MAPS, said he believes that socio-economic status is an obstacle for Hispanic students who want to attend college. In his own personal experience, most parents who did not go to college were left leery about the unknown four-year establishments. “If we get to the meat and potatoes of it, we are attacking the problems that foster a lack of inspiration,” Salcedo, biochemistry junior, said. MAPS will also identify a key

student leader, such as a senior class president or student council president. The students will assist in identifying leading problems in Hispanic collegebound students as well as become more college-savvy. They will then refer back to their high schools and shift the agendas to familiarize others with the transition to college. In segment two, MAPS hopes to create a higher number of transfers from community colleges, mostly from Austin Community College. Seven seniors from every college within the university will reach out to students from the community colleges and relay as much information as possible through student interest groups. The goal is to reach as many students as possible and provide a source of additional help and support for those who want to transfer to a four-year establishment, Montoya said. “Two out of every three Hispanic students start off in community colleges,” he said. Passing what is referred to as the gateway course, or college algebra, is the focal idea in segment three. MAPS intends to provide tutoring services to enrolled college students in two ways: either with one-on-one sessions or online through system discussion boards. Montoya recognizes the struggle some students have with the course and said MAPS will ensure help is provided to pass this graduation requirement. All efforts operate toward the eventual objective: a constant ﬂow from high school to college and then on to graduate school. “This is such a great opportunity,” Ramirez said. “It’s a shame that people don’t take advantage of them more often.” There are three ENLACE ofﬁces in Texas one in Austin, Laredo and San Marcos.

the next bump to $6.55. Travis Bourne, construction technology senior, said raising the minimum wage was a good idea. “Before I started working, I thought (the minimum wage) was higher,” he said. Bourne makes a little more than minimum wage at his work-study position but does not think he could get by on just that. “I get loans and grants and my parents help me out, but if that were it, there’s no way I could

make ends meet,” he said. Ann Goodman, English senior, is in a similar position as Bourne. She has worked minimum wage jobs and said it is not enough to pay for basic expenses without some other form of income. “A lot of people work constantly for minimum wage just to make rent,” Goodman said. “Minimum wage didn’t cover my expenses. Mom paid for school.” The Department of Labor also shows the ﬁrst minimum wage was enacted as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.

WASHINGTON—In a stinging Democratic Party response to President Bush’s State of the Union address, freshman Sen. James Webb, D-Va, said Bush “took us into this war recklessly” and “we are now as a nation held hostage to the predictable and predicted disarray that has followed.” Webb, whose Marine son is serving in Iraq, said Bush has lost the support of the majority of the country and the military. Webb called for “not one step back from the war against international terrorism, not a precipitous withdrawal that ignores the possibility of further chaos, but an immediate shift toward strong, regionally-based diplomacy, a policy that takes our soldiers off the streets of Iraq’s cities and a

formula that will in short order allow our combat forces to leave Iraq.” The Democratic-led Senate and House of RepresenWebb tatives plan to pass nonbinding resolutions opposing the president’s troop buildup, but as of now they aren’t threatening to withhold funding for it. Before Webb was a Vietnam War hero, or President Reagan’s Navy secretary, or a best-selling author, or the Republican-turnedDemocrat who beat Sen. George Allen last year to give Democrats the last seat they needed to take control of the Senate, he was a boxer at the U.S. Naval Academy. Tuesday night he delivered his

current minimum wage but less than the ﬁrst increase of $5.85. “It’s about time this happened,” she said. “If Congress doesn’t raise minimum wage, then they shouldn’t be allowed to raise their own pay.” Doggett said a CEO earns in two hours what working people earn in a year on minimum wage. “After years of doing nothing for the hardest workers,” said Doggett in his ﬂoor speech, “Let’s approve at least this modest increase.”

Bill introduced to halt profiting from use of foreign sweatshops By James Rosen McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Tuesday aimed at preventing American companies from profiting from the use of foreign sweatshops and other unfair labor practices abroad. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., joined four Democrats and independent Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont in sponsoring a bill that would allow U.S. firms to sue competitors that they believe are selling imported products made in overseas sweatshops. “Believe it or not, ladies and gentlemen, there’s a world out there where people are exploited-sometimes literally to the point of death-just to make a buck,” Graham said at a news conference in the Capitol. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said free-trade agreements between the U.S. and other countries have fueled the growth of sweatshop production in recent years. Dorgan cited China and Jordan as major offenders, saying their factories employ workers as young as 5, often in long shifts, brutal conditions and for little or no pay. In many cases, he said, the foreign countries violate their own poorly enforced labor laws. “There is no reason for the United States of America to allow the sale of products made in slave-labor-like conditions,” Dorgan said. About 250 million children worldwide, ages 14 or younger, work in factories, many in deplorable conditions, he said. If it becomes law, the legislation could have a major impact on large U.S. retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target, which contract with foreign firms to produce many of the products they sell to Americans. Dorgan said Wal-Mart and Target have taken steps to re-

Chuck Kennedy/MCT

STOPPING THE SWEATSHOPS: Sen. Lindsey Graham R-SC talks to reporters before the weekly policy luncheon meetings September 19 on Capitol Hill in Washington. Graham, along with five other Senators, is pushing a bill aimed at stopping American companies from benefiting from sweatshop labor. duce their sale of such goods. In one instance, he said, WalMart canceled its contract with a Chinese factory after delivering three warnings that went unheeded. The Chinese firm then hired a consultant who helped it secure phony documents that falsely showed that the company had eliminated its sweatshops. Dorgan moved similar legislation last year, but it drew only five co-sponsors, all Democrats, and died in the Republicancontrolled Congress. Dorgan predicted that with Graham on board — and Democrats now running Congress — the measure has better prospects. “This is a pretty weighty co-sponsor,” Dorgan said of Graham as the two senators laughed. “I mean, we’re not talking about an insignificant co-sponsor. This is a big deal to us.”

Freshman senator sends hard-hitting blows to Bush after State of the Union address By Margaret Talev McClatchy Newspapers

The rate was 25 cents an hour and only covered employees engaged in some form of interstate commerce. “The last time the minimum wage was this low, Elvis was singing Heartbreak Hotel,” said Doggett in a speech to the House. “But these days it is the poor working folks who have the heartbreak when the minimum wage is not even close to being a living wage.” Starrak said she is looking forward an increase in pay. She presently makes more than the

harshest blows against the war in Iraq. But he also jabbed at other openings, saying that now that Democrats control Congress for the ﬁrst time in Bush’s presidency, they’ll hold him to deliver on promises to improve public education, health care, the plight of Hurricane Katrina survivors

and economic conditions for the working class. Invoking the legacies of two past Republican presidents— Theodore Roosevelt for taking on corporate robber barons and Dwight D. Eisenhower for ending the Korean War — Webb challenged Bush to follow their examples.

Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Robert Byrd of West Virginia and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin joined Dorgan, Graham and Sanders in backing the bill. The measure would allow an American firm to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission alleging that one of its competitors was selling products made in sweatshops. If the FTC determined that the complaint was valid, the agency would issue an order prohibiting the import of products from the offending foreign firm. U.S. customs agents would enforce the law, assessing violators fines of $10,000 per offense. American companies also could sue competitors in federal court to seek injunctions blocking such imports, along with punitive damages. Graham said many U.S. firms are trying to foster fair labor

“I

f you’re a business person engaged in exploiting people to build up market share, I hope you get ﬁned, I hope you get sued.” —Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

practices abroad but those that encourage sweatshop production should be punished. “If you’re a business person engaged in exploiting people to build up market share, I hope you get ﬁned, I hope you get sued,” Graham said. “That’s not the way to build up an economy. That’s not the way to have global trade, and it’s not in the best interests of America.”

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TRENDS

Billboardcharts

THE UNIVERSITY STAR

THE BILLBOARD 200

ROCK

2. Akon Konvicted

2. Beatles Love

1. Soundtrack Dreamgirls

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - Page 4

1. Daughtry Daughtry

COUNTRY

INDIE

1. Rascal Flatts Me and My Gang

1. Jim Jones Hustler’s P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment) 2. Carrie Underwood 2. Jason Aldean Some Hearts Some Hearts

Trends Contact — Maira Garcia, starentertainment@txstate.edu

Professor

Substitution

Faculty changes roles, features pieces in art exhibit By Maira Garcia The University Star

he professors in the department of art and design do more than teach students about art. They create it as well. In an eﬀort to showcase to students the faculty’s work, art of various mediums has been displayed in Galleries I and II of Joann Cole Mitte Art Building. Mary Mikel Stump, gallery curator and lecturer, said the exhibition is important because it allows students and the university community get an inside look at the creative works being produced by professors. “It serves as a frame of reference because these are the people critiquing students’ works,” she said. “It is important for professors to develop these relationships and show students what they are doing.” Stump said each faculty member brings a piece that is representative of his or her most current work. Stump spent six hours arranging the art. She said the pieces connect because the faculty members unconsciously inﬂuence each other. “Unlike a lot of shows where I curate and know what will be displayed because I selected it, I have no idea what’s coming,” she said. “Still, there are relationships with the works because there seems to be some sort of collective consciousness.” Lecturer William Tolan submitted his c-print photographs “Playing Doctor” and “Untitled” for the exhibit, the latter part of a series titled “Grampa”. Much of Tolan’s work concerns images of his family members and the relationships among them, according to the artist’s statement.

“I am a documentary photographer and photographer of real life. I hope it speaks to the experiences and emotions that as human beings we all experience,” he said. The aptly titled “Playing Doctor” shows his niece surrounded by other children as they investigate her plastic cast. “My niece Alice was being a good little patient, holding her left arm and hand. She was concentrating on the medicine — which was a vial of orange juice — they were about to give her,” Tolan said. Stump also submitted her own work, titled “nest [home reconstructed]” which she describes as symbolization of home. “I had a bunch of old windows when we bought a house in the historic district (of San Marcos) and I didn’t know what to do with them. I started taking them apart — I thought I would use the glass for something— and I saw what was left,” she said. “I deconstructed the windows and reconstructed them into this form put together by nails.” The result was a diﬀerent sort of bird’s nest; one made from the pieces of another home. “I was really interested in how birds use just about anything to make their homes and then I saw these pieces reminiscent of home.” The faculty exhibition will be on display until Feb. 15. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Cotton Miller/Star photo FACULTY EXHIBITION: Kristin Underwood, communication design senior, looks at professor Neal Wilson’s acrylic painting “Vail of Isis” Monday at the JCM Gallery. The exhibition will be on display until Feb. 15th.

Texas State professor member of two-time Grammy-nominated group Conspirare By Todd Schaaf The University Star The choral ensemble Conspirare, one of the country’s premiere vocal groups, has been nominated for two Grammys including Best Choral Performance. Cynthia Gonzales, assistant professor in the school of music, is a member. The Austin-based ensemble began in 1991 as The New Texas Festival. The group then began performing annually and in 1999 started performing yearround. Photo courtesy of Cynthia Gonzales Gonzales became part of Conspirare in 2004 and can be heard on the WORKING WITH MASTERS: The Texas State group’s latest release, the Grammynominated Requiem. In addition to Best Choir will perform alongside Conspirare, of Choral Performance, the album was which assistant music professor Cynthia Gonnominated for Best Engineered Album, zales is a member, at the Grammy-nominated Classical. Requiem was recorded at the group’s festival this weekend in Austin. Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in downtown Troy, N.Y. “When they built the building they put a music hall on the second story, and it’s known for its wonderful acoustics,” Gonzales said.

The acoustics did come at a cost, however. “During the day we couldn’t record because some street noises could ﬁlter in. So we would arrive at the bank at about 4 o’clock, do a little bit of rehearsal, wait for the evening traﬃc to go, and then record from about 7 to 1 or 2 o’clock,” she said. Gonzales said she is passionate about singing. “Choral music is about community. To me there is something about the music that is communicating something beyond just ‘that’s pretty,’” Gonzales said. Recently Conspirare was chosen by the National Endowment for the Arts to host a festival as part of its American Masterpieces program. The festival will begin this weekend in Austin and include many workshops and events throughout the week. Weston Noble, nationally acclaimed conductor of the Nordic Choir of Luther College, will also visit Texas State. Noble will give a workshop from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday in the Music Building. The festival, titled Crossing the Di-

vide: Exploring Inﬂuence and Finding our Voice, will feature Conspirare as well as the Texas State University choir and two other collegiate choirs. Performance junior Will Hearn said he looks forward to performing with Conspirare. “They get to work with the director of Conspirare, Craig Hella Johnson, all the time. To me, it’s like ‘what a treat — what a privilege it is to work with musicians like that.’ It’s an honor; you don’t just get these kinds of opportunities. I think that’s what separates our school from some of the others,” Hearn said. The Texas State choir will perform between 6:30 and 8 p.m. Friday with several other regional choirs. Conspirare will perform from 8 to 10 p.m. at the festival on Saturday. Both ensembles will also sing at the Saint Matthews Sanctuary in Austin.

✯FYI To find out more about Conspirare or its festival, Crossing the Divide, visit www.Conspirare.org.

Charges against students pirating music becoming more frequent By Eric Stern McClatchy Newspapers College students who illegally download music and movies have been sued. They’ve had Internet access shut off or threatened, and they’ve been warned to never do it again. But the threat of a letter in a permanent file doesn’t hold as much sway as it used to. Complaints of copyright violations remain steady at campuses across California — and are even going up in some cases. “As far as illegal goes, it’s not really a concern for most people — it’s like buckling up or not buckling up,” said Meghan Moyle, a UC Davis student from Reno. The culture of downloading music without paying for it is so pervasive that two-thirds of college students say they don’t care if the music is copyrighted, according to a 2006 study by the University of Richmond law school. The study concludes that the “confrontational approach” is not working. Moyle said she has paid for about 60 percent of the music on her iPod. The rest of the tunes came from friends. “You don’t know who got it first,” added Rex Pham, a UC Davis student from

San Jose, who estimates 70 percent of his music was passed along by friends or online forums. Super-fast Internet connections in the freshman dorms at Davis made it even easier to share music, Pham said. “It takes a second to send a song. It takes three minutes to get a whole album,” he said. Amanda Morgan, a UC Davis student from Sacramento, recalled how dorm residents swapped music by setting up file-sharing programs on internal dorm networks dubbed “ourTunes,” a play off of Apple’s iTunes. “It’s very easy to stay under the radar,” she said. Hundreds of the students ate lunch one recent afternoon around the Memorial Union at UC Davis — a good half of them wearing the ubiquitous, corddangling iPod earbuds. For now, the kids may have a leg up on the adults. But the media industry takes copyrights seriously. Record companies, movie studios and video game companies routinely scan the Internet for their stolen wares and send complaints of alleged copyright violations to universities. Federal law requires universities to cut off Internet

access of students who get caught for repeatedly downloading and passing along copyrighted material. University of California campuses received more than 1,500 notices last year. California State University, with fewer students living in dorms, draws at least 700 copyright violation notices a year. UC Davis fielded 310 complaints in the 2005-06 school year and is on pace for more than 400 this year. “We’re on track to shatter the record,” said Jan Carmikle, an attorney and former programmer who oversees copyright issues for UC Davis. University and industry officials said the number of copyright violations could reflect more aggressive monitoring. However, no one thinks that illegal downloading is dropping off. “This isn’t a situation that’s going to change overnight,” said Rich Taylor, a spokesman for the Motion Picture Association of America. He said there’s still a naive sense of invincibility that you can’t be caught, but the good news is that he sees a very low rate of recidivism when folks are caught the first time. Nearly all complaints are resolved

with a warning to students, UC and CSU officials said. In 2005, four unnamed UC Davis students were snared in a copyright lawsuit by the music industry, accused of copying and distributing songs from the Smashing Pumpkins to Smash Mouth. Songs by Eminem, Ja Rule, Linkin Park and Usher also were spotted by the recording industry’s Internet watchers — even some oldies by Pink Floyd and the Eagles. The claims against the UC Davis students were dropped a few months later, after the students presumably settled for several thousand dollars, campus officials said. “They were very frightened,” said Jeanne Wilson, director of student judicial affairs at UC Davis. Kenneth C. Green, a visiting scholar at Claremont Graduate University who studies campus computing issues, said the targeting of students as “digital pirates” is misplaced. College dorms used to be one of the few places with high-speed Internet, but now millions of households can just as easily swipe music and movies through broadband connections provided by cable and telephone providers, he said. “This effort to constantly villainize

college students as the only culprits is just off the mark,” Green said. But college administrators remain under pressure. Faced with waves of increasingly Web-savvy students, they continue to ratchet up information campaigns about campus-downloading policies. And they’ve brokered deals with legitimate downloading services that offer free music to students. UC Davis and California State University, Sacramento, partnered with the Cdigix downloading service last fall and are beginning to make it available. Students can download music to a computer for free but not to a portable device like an iPod without paying for it. Movies and TV shows are not included. The California Research and Education Network, the state’s fiber optic backbone for K-12 schools, community colleges and public universities, also inked deals late last year with Cdigix and Ruckus to encourage legal downloading, said Janis Cortese, a spokeswoman for the network. “The best way for us to address the issue is to redirect students’ behavior,” said Kris Hafner, a technology official at University of California system headquarters in Oakland.

TRENDS/DIVERSIONS

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

The University Star - Page 5

Arab-American rapper seeks social change By Kelley L. Carter Detroit Free Press DETROIT — It was almost genetic for Will Youmans to be socially conscious when he’s up on stage, spitting out lyrics to an audience. Youmans, 28, and a native of Detroit and Dearborn, Mich., grew up in the kind of family that got involved. With a Palestinian-born mother, as a kid he was always going to protests or helping recruit members for Arab-American organizations. And as a hip-hop artist, he brings that to his music. “Whatever you’re used to becomes what you expect. It was shocking for me to ﬁnd out there were families that didn’t talk about politics at dinner and watch the news and yell at George Bush back then,” Youmans said of his childhood, speciﬁcally speaking of the Gulf War in the early ‘90s. “My parents never really gave me strong political views to have, but somehow being in that environment and being around it, I tended to adopt that general outlook toward life. It gave me a sense that things going on in the world should matter. I did the day-to-day things that a kid does, but I had these other things on my mind.” Youmans — in the music world, he’s known as Iron Sheik — has taken his message and his music to ears domestically and internationally, performing hip-hop

that talks about issues that affect young Arabs, especially in America. “My music fundamentally is educational and focuses on issues that need to be discussed more in this country. For example, U.S. foreign policy toward the Arab world and toward the Arab-American experience, toward stereotypes in Hollywood movies, toward problems with Arab rulers,” he said. “I think it’s important that American culture reflects the diversity of the people who are living in this country. And Arab Americans do live here and should have a voice in American music and American culture and should participate in that as well.” Youmans purposefully chose his hiphop moniker Iron Sheik, a reference to the handlebar-mustached professional wrestler best known for his ‘80s-era stint with the WWF, who the rapper said contributed to Arab stereotypes. Youmans said he is using the name in an empowering way — to give it a new definition and fresh life. He moved to Washington, D.C., and works there for an immigrants-rights organization. Since 2003, Youmans has moved more than 4,000 CDs, largely through his Web site, www.ironsheik.biz, and at live shows. “By its nature, it appeals to a smaller crowd than what the mainstream demands,” he said. “But that’s the price

you pay for having control over your content.” Marc Lamont Hill, an assistant professor of Urban Education and American Studies at Temple University, said Youmans is one of the most visible figures in Arab hip-hop. “He has a very profound understanding of his own cultural context and he allows that to inform his music performance. What’s so beautiful and special about what he’s doing — even if you like the music or not — is that it’s coming at a moment where hip-hop is at its least political. People are more interested in making profits and selling commercialism and sex and violence. But he’s really bringing a message,” Hill said. “He’s a real throwback to the late ‘80s, where political consciousness was the format. There were guys like Public Enemy and Sister Souljah out there. In many ways, Iron Sheik is the same way.” Youmans is also telling a “profound truth” about the Middle Eastern political situation, Hill said. “He’s offering a pro-Palestinian point of view. He’s offering a critique of something that is highly contested … so for him to offer this kind of critique is courageous. He’s following that tradition of Regina H. Boone/Detroit Free Press righteous resistance to social injustice. And he’s done it and he’s put it to music and he’s able to connect with a genera- MIDDLE-EAST RAP: Will Youmans sits in the Arab American National Mution that would otherwise be disengaged seum’s auditorium in Detroit, Michigan Jan. 13. Youmans is a hip-hop artist with global politics.” known as Iron Sheik.

SU DO KU

✯Star Comics

Complete the grid so that every row, column, and 3-by-3 box contains every digit from one through nine inclusively.

Tuesday’s solution:

OPINIONS F RAISING WAGES

onlineconnection

THE UNIVERSITY STAR

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Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - Page 6

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Opinions Contact — Emily Messer, staropinion@txstate.edu

Letters to the Editor

THE MAIN POINT

or the past three years, members of the U.S. Congress receive annual cost-ofliving pay raises unless they vote to not give themselves more money. They have never voted against these pay raises.

Low interest loans better than tuition freeze Unlike Sen. Wentworth and Rep. Rose, I see deregulation as returning to the free market system (along with that nasty profit motive). Tuition costs have most likely risen because costs the university bears are no longer subsidized by the government. Instead of freezing tuition, which will cause the university to cut expenses by offering less, can we not finance the cost of an education through low, or better yet, no-interest private-party or government loans? It certainly seems to me that this would be a worthwhile investment in this country’s future.

Low-income paychecks need to be indexed

It’s unlikely Congress would support such a constant increase in pay for minimum-wage workers. The last time the minimum wage was raised was 10 years ago. It’s commendable that the House of Representatives passed a bill that would raise minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.15 an hour. But there needs to be a solution to help low-income workers pay their bills. Congress needs a long-term fix for this; it needs to index the wage so it rises with inflation. Government contractors receive larger paychecks if the cost of fuel rises. Elderly people receive more money each year in their Social Security paychecks. Why shouldn’t the people who cover the cost of Social Security receive a similar increase? Congress has rewarded itself an annual $3,400 pay increase since Jan. 1, 2004. Members now receive more than $170,000. If the nation’s wealthy lawmakers can create a swell in their own wallets, then they should be able to give a similar 2 percent raise to the nation’s lower-income workers. McClatchy Newspapers reported Tuesday that Marc Morial, former New Orleans Mayor and president of the National Urban League, has been unable to find a member of Congress who supports indexing the minimum wage. It may be worth mentioning that when President Bush suspended provisions in the Davis-Bacon Act that guaranteed government contractors the “prevailing wage” after Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Labor Department had to remind contractors to pay at least the federal minimum wage. Louisiana does not have a state minimum wage. The minimum wage increase was much needed. Anyone who has delusions about the ability to support oneself on $5.15 an hour should read Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed. Ehrenreich chronicles her attempts to live on the lowest wages in the cheapest housing. At times she works for as much as $7 an hour, but that is not enough to get by in this day and age. Granted, if Congress had indexed the minimum wage when they increased it in 1997 it would only be $6.88. But that probably proves that the increase to $5.15 was not enough. And that’s little comfort to those who have been trying to scrape by on less than $6.88 for the past 10 years. A plan to protect working-class U.S. citizens is necessary. Democrats may be able to push through this current increase, but it’s probably not enough now and in a few years it certainly won’t be.

Bob Thompson Residence Life, contract construction administration

Turkey vultures a campus-wide nuisance Why have the Texas State campus and Spring Lake become a regional nesting site for turkey vultures (buzzards)? Recently I counted more than 100 ﬂying at once. Nesting sites around Austin don’t appear to be anywhere near this large. Maybe someone involved with natural sciences could look into creating a new site nearby that could draw some of them away. Do we have any buzzard specialists at Texas State? According to the site www.fsbcanisteo. com/turkey_buzzard_page. htm, turkey buzzards are useful and even honored by the Cherokee. They also have a powerful odor. Most unfortunate is what they symbolize, looking down from J.C. Kellam and Old Main as if they’re waiting for something rotten to exit the building.

Pat Stark/Star illustration

Guy Dore library assistant II, Alkek Library

The Main Point is the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board. Columns are the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily reﬂect the opinions of the full staff, Texas State University-San Marcos Student Media, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Texas State UniversitySan Marcos.

Think you have something to say? Log on to www. universitystar.com and click on the letters link to read old letters and submit new ones.

Stop and think about the far-reaching effects of freezing tuition hen the “W university we attend has

Most college students know the burden of trying to pay for a higher education. We have DANIEL PALOMO a cacophony Star Columnist of gripes about tuition, fees, books and other expenses. We are a clamorous bunch. So much so that the Texas legislature will soon vote on a bill that proposes to freeze tuition rates for incoming freshman. Maybe we should all start cheering and raising our glasses, but I’m not ready to celebrate just yet. Freezing tuition fails to solve students’ plight. I simply will not petition the government for funds regarding my attainment of a bachelor’s degree when there are millions of people who could use government aid much more severely than I. Freezing tuition is dangerous to college students. I would not

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to cough up the cash for a freeze on tuition, we all lose, even if we save.”

want to attend a university that is cutting corners to maintain my tuition costs. With inﬂation, rising student population, advances in technology and the task of raising university prestige, it is easy to justify most of the rising tuition rates. I want to attend a school that is always adapting, adding new technology and renowned professors, not slowly diminishing my opportunities and value of education to make budget. A university that continues to improve, in every aspect,

beneﬁts the student. “Gently resisting change” may work for Gruene, but it won’t work for Texas State. The reality of it is, growth and improvement cost money. Ask an engineering or computer science major if he or she would be OK using the same equipment all four years of their college career. When you walk into a job interview, you will beneﬁt more from having a prestigious university on your diploma rather than having saved a couple hundred dollars every semester. When the university we attend has to cough up the cash for a freeze on tuition, we all lose, even if we save. Even then, freezes in tuition rates won’t really “freeze” anything. They will continue to rise, only this time it will be every four years instead of every semester. So instead of everyone paying a little bit more, the next class will have to pay a lot more; and then the next one and so on. To think that tuition

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rates wouldn’t rise after four years is downright delusional. Even if there were stipulations that allowed the universities to gain adequate funding from the government, while halting rises in tuition, we come back to square one. Where is the money coming from? I think college should be more affordable, but I also feel there are more momentous issues facing taxpayers. Higher education is a privilege that I am, very thankfully, afforded. I am already thankful to have received the first 12 years of education for free. Paying for a bachelor’s degree is difficult, but it is not impossible. Sometimes you do have to take an extra shift at work or take out a bigger loan. They are not a popular alternative, but loans do pay the bills. Like anything else you would take out a loan for, college is an investment. You can make it a profitable one. I cannot stand on the steps

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of the Texas Capitol fighting for tuition money when there are children whose last visit to the doctor’s office was the day they were born. Statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau reported that in 2005 46.6 million people were without healthcare. People’s health and welfare take precedence over my costs of higher education. Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured people, according to the Census Bureau, yet another embarrassment to hang our 10gallon hats on. I appreciate the work that politicians, lobbyists and activists are doing to make college more affordable, but my sentiments do not lie with my fellow college students. Voters need to think about these issues full circle. I’m not advocating people taking advantage of college students, just merely recognizing that higher education is a privilege that I should pay for, not a right to which I am entitled.

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There are those in true need of assistance, and then there are college students, like myself, who want help with paying for a higher education. There are those who use government assistance to help supply their needs, but a college student uses government aid to get what they want. That doesn’t mean that college students are selﬁsh for accepting, or petitioning for, government aid. Students just need to understand the ramiﬁcations of their actions, not only regarding themselves, but others less fortunate. Maybe this is a ruthless world and I should wholeheartedly support freezing tuition, the Machiavelli in me thinks so. But I can’t. We all want to save a buck, but sometimes it’s not what we’re saving, it’s what we’re giving up that is most paramount.

Daniel Palomo is a mass communications junior. The University Star is the student newspaper of Texas State University-San Marcos published Tuesday through Thursday during the fall and spring semesters. It is distributed on campus and throughout San Marcos at 8 a.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with a distribution of 8,000. Printing and distribution is by the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. Copyright January 24, 2007. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The University Star are the exclusive property of The University Star and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the editor in chief.

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HAVE THE SUMMER OF YOUR LIFE at a prestigious coed sleepaway camp in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, 2 1/2 hours from NYC. We’re seeking counselors who can teach any Team & Individual Sports, Tennis, Gymnastics, Horseback Riding, Mt. Biking, Theatre, Tech Theatre, Circus, Magic, Arts & Crafts, Pioneering, Climbing Tower, Water Sports, Music, Dance, Science, or Computers. Kitchen and maintenance positions also available. Great salaries and perks. Plenty of free time. Internships available for many majors. On-campus interviews on Feb. 7. Apply online at www.islandlake.com. Call (800) 869-6083 between 9 and 5 eastern time on weekdays for more information. info@islandlake.com. !BARTENDING! Up to $300/day. No experience necessary. Training Provided. Age 18+ OK. (800) 965-6520 ext. 157. JOHNNY ROCKETS “THE ORIGINAL HAMBURGER” located at Prime Outlet Mall is now hiring for all positions! Have fun at work and be apart of the team that serves fun food with a 50’s ﬂare. Food service experience desired, but not necessary. Please apply in person Monday-Thursday, 3 p. m.-8 p. m. ELECTRICIANS AND HELPERS NEEDED. FT/PT, experience required. Call (512) 842-2233. LOOKING FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT WANT TO WORK ALONG SIDE CARING PROFESSIONALS AND SKILLED, SUPPORTIVE SUPERVISORY STAFF. Our treatment focus is a non-aversive, active and individualized approach in pleasant, home-like surroundings. Work with psychiatric or brain injury individuals. Opportunities in Dripping Springs (25 miles SW of Austin). Shifts available Mon.-Fri. 3pm-11pm, 11pm-7am and weekend opportunities. Candidate must be 21 years of age, have satisfactory driving record. Drug screening and criminal background check required. Pay begins at $8.50, but commensurate with experience and education. If eligible there is a sign on bonus of $150.00. May also qualify for health insurance, PTO, 401K and monthly gas reimbursements. Please fax resume to (512) 858-5104 or call Kerri (512) 894-0701 ext. 219, or email kalvis@brown-karhan.com. Please visit or website at www.brown-karhan.com BE YOUR OWN BOSS! PT-$6,000-$8,000/mo. plus $800-$1,000/mo. Mercedes car allowance. 26 year old business. Beauty, Skin care, Weight-loss products. Contact Brooklynn at (210) 912-3113. www.brooklynn.myarbonne.com PERSONAL ATTENDANT to assist wheelchair user with personal care and housekeeping, 5:45-7 a.m., 3 days a week, days are ﬂexible. Must be available through summer, have own car and be dependable, female preferred. Good pay. Call evenings, (512) 353-1330.

FOR RENT-APTS BISHOP’S CORNER AT 1409 BISHOP HAS 1BD FOR LEASE. Water/waste water and trash paid. $405/mo. Privacy Plus. Visit legacyrealestate.biz and call Legacy, (512) 665-3321. NOW PRE-LEASING FOR MAY ‘07 AND AUGUST ‘07. Call Apartment Experts, (512) 805-0123. AWESOME DEAL! 2BD/2BA, 974 SQ. FT. $696. W/D included. Apartment Experts, (512) 805-0123. ALL BILLS PAID! 1, 2, 3, 4 bedrooms available. W/D included. Walk to school. Apartment Experts, (512) 805-0123. MOVE-IN TODAY!!! $785 2/2.5 townhouse, 3 blks. from TSU. Free HBO, Free Road Runner, Full size W/D, Small, Clean & Quiet Community www.windmilltownhomes.com for floor plans & prices. (512) 396-4181. $785 PRE-LEASE NOW FOR 5/20 OR 8/20. 2/2.5 townhouse, 3 blks. from TSU. Free HBO, Free Road Runner, Full Size W/D, Small, Clean & Quiet Community. www.windmilltownhomes.com for floor plans & prices. (512) 396-4181. APARTMENTSTOGO.COM. Free list of apartment prices and amenities or visit our office on The Square! (512) 353-FREE. 4BD/4BA, $350 A MONTH. Internet/ cable w/ HBO/phone/trash pd. Apartment Experts, (512) 805-0123. $575, 2BD/2BA, 810 SQ. FT. $200 OFF 1st month rent. Apartment Experts, (512) 805-0123.

FOR RENTCONDO/TOWNHOMES 736 CENTRE HAS EXTRA LARGE 2BD/1.5BA WITH COVERED PARKING FOR $750. Visit legacyrealestate.biz and call Legacy, (512) 665-3321. NEED FEMALE ROOMMATE to share 2BD/2.5BA townhome, 2 blocks from campus, W/D, includes cable and internet, $395/mo. Call (972) 832-7651. $785 PRE-LEASE NOW FOR 5/20 OR 8/20. 2/2.5 townhouse, 3 blks. from TSU. Free HBO, Free Road Runner, Full Size W/D, Small, Clean & Quiet Community. www.windmilltownhomes.com for ﬂoor plans & prices. (512) 396-4181.

FOR RENT-HOUSES SPACIOUS 3/2.5/1.5. Perfect for 4-5 roommates. 2,400 sq.ft. 10 min. from commuter parking lot. Large, fenced backyard. Pets ok. $1,150/mo. (830) 515-3844. WALK TO TX STATE. Rogers St., 2BD, lg. yard, pets ok, $700/mo (512) 353-3224. FOR RENT: NEW 3BD/2.5BA HOUSE in Kyle at Plum Creek. (512) 422-0903. 2BD/1BA, CENTRAL AIR AND HEAT. Fenced backyard. $650/mo. Available Jan 1. (512) 396-1717

FOR SALE LARGE, UPDATED 2 STORY CONDO 2/2. Tile ﬂooring, fresh paint, newer carpet, ﬁreplace, large closets, patio, fenced, appliances recently replaced. Close to campus! EXCELLENT CONDITION. Call Brenda (512) 393-4752. Randall Morris Real Estate. 1995 CREST RIDGE MOBILE HOME - one owner, 16X80, 3BD/ 2BA, split bedrooms. Open concept. Covered porch, lg. storage unit. $18,000. (512) 357-1403. PIANO FOR SALE. Rogers St. $850. (512) 353-3224.

HELP WANTED GROOMERS/BARN ASSISTANT NEEDED. Kyle/Cedar Creek area. Experience with horses helpful. Brad, (512) 569-6634. STUDY BREAKS MAGAZINE is now hiring account executives/advertising sales. Great pay, ﬂexible hours. (512) 480-0894. TEACHERS NEEDED: NOW HIRING PT TEACHERS. M-F 2:30- 6:30pm. Education major/experience preferred, but not required. Quality Child Development Center in Kyle. (512) 405-3700 or fax (512) 405-3701. EARN $250+MONTHLY AND MORE to type simple ads online. www.DataAdEntry.com ATHLETIC, OUTGOING MEN for calendars, greeting cards, etc. $75-200/ hr. No exp. needed, (512) 684-8296. PT ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT NEEDED. Flexible hours-data entry, phone, etc. Call (512) 357-0015.

HELP WANTED LICENSED REAL ESTATE AGENTS WANTED for the #1 apartment locating service in San Marcos, Apartment Experts. Full and Part time available. Call Greg @ (512) 805-0123. THE UNIVERSITY STAR IS NOW HIRING FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS!! Assistant Trends Editor: Job pays $250 per month. Must be proficient in AP style. Duties include assembling weekly Trends calendar, writing six stories a month, helping edit Trends stories and helping run meetings. Contact Trends Editor Maira Garcia at (512) 245-3487 or starentertainment@txstate.edu. Assistant News Editor: Job pays $250 per month. Must be proficient in AP style. Duties include overseeing Page 2, writing six stories per month, helping editing News stories and helping run meetings. Contact News Editor Nick Georgiou at (512) 245-3487 or starnews@txstate.edu. Columnists: Job pays $15 per published column. Must be proficient in AP style and able to meet deadlines. Duties include developing original column topics, attending weekly meetings and working with editor to develop succinct columnwriting skills. Contact Opinions Editor Emily Messer at (512) 245-3487 or staropinion@txstate.edu. Copy Editors: Job pays $5.15 per hour. Must be proficient in AP style. Duties include editing editorial content, writing headlines and attending weekly meetings. Contact Opinions Editor Sydney Granger at (512) 245-3487 or starcopychief@txstate.edu. The University Star is the 2005 and 2006 winner of Division II best in show, best overall paper and sweepstakes at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association’s annual convention. The Star is a student newspaper, created and edited entirely by students. Employment at The Star provides you with an opportunity to work with motivated and creative students who are interested in journalism and newspapers. This is a must for anyone interested in a career in journalism, and it is an excellent opportunity for students who want to get involved with the university and learn about the world around them. Pick up an application at the Trinity Building or download one at www.universitystar.com. PT POSITION FOR DOCTOR’S ASSISTANT needed for busy medical office. Duties will include preliminary testing and general office tasks. Apply within; no phone calls please. Texas State Optical 1104B Thorpe Ln.

MISCELLANEOUS BOBCATSNEEDJOBS.COM. Paid Survey Takers needed in San Marcos. 100% FREE to join. Click on Surveys. FREE PUPPY! Rottweiler mix. (512) 644-1831.

MISCELLANEOUS 2007 EXPANSION Attention students Positions Available •$13 Base Appointment •Flexible Schedules •Customer Sales/Service •No Experience Needed, will train •All Ages 17+ •Conditions Apply Call today (512) 392-7377 www.workforstudents.com SCHEDULE TWO FOR ONE TENNIS LESSONS AND TAROT READINGS. Chad Brown (512) 945-3016.

ROOMMATES ROOMMATE NEEDED. $320/mo. Spacious 2BD/2BA apt. Call (956) 763-2767.

SERVICES WWW.STUDENTATTORNEY.COM

WANTED USED CARS, TRUCKS, VANS. Any condition, running or not. If you have something to sell please call Willis Mitchell. (512) 353-4511.

WANTED ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE YOUR NAME IN PRINT? THEN WORK FOR THE UNIVERSITY STAR! The Star is currently accepting applications for various positions for Spring 2007. An informational Orientation Session will be held on Sunday, January 28 at 2pm in Old Main 320 for those interested. NOW HIRING IMMEDIATELY FOR: Oﬀ Campus delivery: Will deliver The Star in the San Marcos community three days a week to several locations oﬀ. Delivery must be made between 9 a.m. noon. Requirements: Proof of valid driver’s license and insurance; Must have reliable vehicle; Must have a current university parking permit and be in good standing with Parking Services; Able to lift and carry objects weighing less than 100 pounds. MUST APPLY IN PERSON, DO NOT ATTEND ORIENTATION SESSION. Please call (512) 245-3487 or email stareditor@txstate.edu for more information.

SPORTS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - Page 8

missingstar Houston Rockets center Yao Ming said he will not play in the NBA All-Star Game, due to his ongoing recovery from a broken leg. Yao, who has been out since Dec. 23, leads all players with 1,775,413 votes. All-Star Weekend takes place Feb. 16 through 18, the same time Yao plans to begin on-court workouts. Yao has played in 27 games this year, averaging 25.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest. —ESPN.com news services

Sports Contact — Chris Boehm, starsports@txstate.edu

T.O.: Parcells’ ‘old school ways’ weren’t good for Cowboys By Clarence E. Hill Jr. McClatchy Newspapers IRVING — After sometimes going a week or two without talking to Bill Parcells during the season, wide receiver Terrell Owens said the coach’s retirement, which was announced MonOwens day, was best for him and the Cowboys. “I am just hoping his retirement brings promise to what the team has to offer,” said Owens, who is in Miami recovering from surgery on his right index finger. “This past year was a big letdown. Hopefully, the owner will hire a coach to take the team Parcells to the next level.” Owens described the team’s locker room environment, fostered by Parcells’ old school ways, as difficult. “Sometimes change is good,” Owens said. “I think it was needed.” Owens understands there will be speculation that “he ran Parcells out of here” — especially after a season that included injuries, an accidental overdose and complaints about his role in the offense. Owens said that, after everything he had been through in San Francisco and Philadelphia, he initially thought Parcells might be good for him. The receiver’s impression changed when Parcells didn’t offer any encouragement after Owens’ accidental overdose “I still think he is a great guy,” Owens said. “But he is like my grandmother. You love the person, but they are stuck in their old school ways.” He said Parcells’ coaching style “hurt us.” “You don’t know who is doing what,” Owens said. “You don’t know who is calling plays. That is why our offense was up and down. You saw that at the end of the year. It filtered off. We as a team felt the frustration. I felt the frustration. But Bill is Bill.” Owens caught 85 catches for 1,180 yards and had a league-high 13 touchdown catches. But he was undone by a league-high 18 dropped passes. He said hand injuries were to blame for some of the drops, but said not being made the focal point of the offense was the biggest problem. “I was underutilized in the offense,” Owens said. “A new coach can be good for the Cowboys. It’s not just me. But my teammates know I could have done more. I wasn’t used as a number one receiver.” Regarding his surgically repaired finger, Owens said he is well ahead of schedule. A second phase of the surgery is to be performed sometime in the next six weeks. Owens hasn’t been back to Dallas since the end of the season. He said he will be ready to play next season. The Cowboys must decide if they want him back. Owner Jerry Jones said he wants Owens to return, but the new coach might make the decision. Owens is due a $3 million roster bonus in June.

Cotton Miller/Star photos IRISH SLAM: Scotty Mukaddam (left) of the Miami Force takes a hard left jab to the neck from Tim “Irish Pride” Connors of the Houston Enforcers during the World Combat League Championship Saturday at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin.

Enforcers named WCL champions By Chris Boehm The University Star AUSTIN — “Irish Pride” made it two-for-two over the weekend, coming through again when his team needed him. Tim “Irish Pride” Connors won a 15-6 decision in Saturday night’s final fight at the Frank Erwin Center, which hosted the Houston Enforcers and Miami Force in their battle for the World Combat League’s inaugural championship. The WCL, a martial arts league founded by Chuck Norris, completed its first season Saturday, with the Enforcers defeating the Force 139-131 for the league title, on the strength of two wins by Connors. The Los Angeles Stars beat the Philadelphia Fire 144-95 in the night’s third-place contest. “I don’t think there’s any words to describe the feeling,” Connors said. “It’s absolutely exciting.” Connors won an overtime bout against the Oklahoma Destroyers’

Nick Gonzales in September to get his team to the finals, and then delivered again after heading into the final match Saturday with the Enforcers down 125-124. “I was pretty sure I won. I think it was clear,” Connors said. “I was confident I had won after I threw a good left.” In the finale Connors defeated Marcello Bezon, a replacement for Miami’s Scotty Mukaddam. Connors knocked out Mukaddam in the sixth fight of the contest to give his team an 80-68 lead at halftime. Connors ended the fight with a straight left to Mukaddam’s chin. Norris used the event to pay tribute to the military as well. The actor and martial artist recently visited Iraq, and upon his arrival in the U.S. spent time at Brooke Medical Center in San Antonio. “We had Fort Hood come down, and I invited the people at Brooke,” Norris said. “It’s been a great, incredible season.” The Los Angeles Stars ran away with third place after halftime, winning four of five fights, including a knockout by Raymond Daniels in the team’s final match. Daniels won

BOSNIAN BOMBER: Armin Mrkanovic of the Miami Force delivers a high kick to Dusty “The Dream Killer” Miller.

his first match when Stephen Thompson tripped while charging the Stars fighter. “I came out pretty fresh in the second fight because of (Thompson)’s injury,” Daniels said. “The second time I just wanted to give the fans something.” Daniels proved to be a crowd favorite, providing showmanship and swagger upon his entrance. “When the fans show me love I can do spectacular things,” Daniels said. Jason Bourelly stood out for the Fire, winning two fights, one by knockout. Bourelly dropped John Vakidas early in the night with a kick and right hook, performing a crowd-pleasing, gymnast-like spiral after his win. The championship went back and forth, with Houston winning despite

only claiming four victories in 11 matches. Two fights ended in ties. Miami led 111-110 after a 13-all tie between the Force’s Kornelija Numic and Sarah Ponce of Houston. Ponce, who trains in Austin, defeated Numic 14-12 in their first fight. “To win the first title in the history of the league is awesome,” Ponce said. “We’re pretty stoked.” Ben Dauck and Kevin Engel tied at 14 in the next fight, setting the stage for Connors to bring his team the win. “Tim’s our anchor,” said Houston fighter Dusty Miller. “He does a great job and I had a feeling he’d win it.” The WCL has been picked up by Versus for its next season, after the cable channel garnered high ratings from a trial airings in December. The season starts Thursday.

Bailiff shouldn’t have bailed When I first heard that David Bailiff agreed to become the next coach of the Rice Owls, I have WILLIAM WARD to admit I was Star Columnist pretty peeved. I mean he’s a Texas State alumnus. He was the charismatic yet tough dictator the program needed. He’s a great recruiter, not only of high school kids, but also of Division 1-A transfers. I felt betrayed. Even though I never met him and now probably never will, I felt he was a Bobcat just like me. I could relate to him and root for him because this school wasn’t just some stop along the road. He was once a student here and could appreciate this university and city in a way that few other coaches could. But lost in all that was the fact that Bailiff went 21-15 over three years in a watereddown Southland Conference. It became clear that as great of a defensive mind as he was, without a dynamic playmaker on offense — the likes of Barrick Nealy — the wins come less frequently. It also turns out he used Texas State, his alma mater, as a career steppingstone. It’s just business, right? I suppose. Now we know what Coach Bailiff was

really here for. It makes me think and wonder about certain moments in his tenure. I think we all remember the infamous call to take a knee in the semifinals a year ago. We were playing at home, the game was tied, and he was scared to let the most dynamic playmaker at quarterback this school has ever seen do what he did best. So he had our boys take a knee to send it in to overtime. I know in my mind I was having flashbacks of Herman Edwards suggesting that perhaps he should play to win the game. I’ve always wondered what he was thinking, because that bit about the team not looking good in the two-minute drill didn’t cut it. Even then, he was playing for his next job. He looked scared. What Division 1-A school is going to hire a coach who blows it instead of just taking overtime? He made the safe play, and any programs watching would see that and respect it. Taken out of that equation, though, is Texas State, its fans, and the team. And now to make things worse, his replacement is someone left over on the staff. That’s right; in taking all our top coordinators and coaches he must have forgotten someone. There was no search; there was no call across America for the right man. There was a knee-jerk, and then an announced hire. Brad Wright may turn out to be the

perfect man to replace Coach Bailiff, but he worries me. A lot. Athletic Director Larry Teis spoke of keeping the momentum going. If he means repeating a 5-6 season, count me out. Maybe we’ll go 6-5 and refer to it as a huge improvement from last season. I am excited Wright was the running backs coach, because that means we get to see a Texas State team that will do a lot more grinding it out. Hope Bradley George won’t mind handing the ball off 25-30 times a game. Not his problem though. I also want to thank Bailiff for bailing in the midst of the recruiting season. He talked about leaving the team better than he found it, but I’m not sure how many recruits want to be a part of a team he’s not the coach of. Maybe Brad Wright knows of some studs from the New Braunfels area. In closing, I suppose Bailiff was just doing what was best for him and his. I can’t fault him for that. Maybe we all should have known better in expecting someone to want to bring Texas State into to the level of yearly contender. Good business move. I congratulate Coach Bailiff. Give my regards to the Bayou City. William Ward is a political science junior, and can be reached at ww1053@txstate.edu

01 24 2007

Published on Jan 24, 2007

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