TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
TransGeneration will raise questions and provide some answers SEE TRENDS PAGE 6
MAVERICK MENACE
Men’s basketball hosts Texas-Arlington in Southland showdown Saturday SEE SPORTS PAGE 12
DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911
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FEBRUARY 1, 2007
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THURSDAY
VOLUME 96, ISSUE 49
Proposal could ban alcohol in parks along Guadalupe River
THE SYSTEM
By Alysha Mendez The University Star The New Braunfels City Council will make its final decision Feb. 12 regarding the ordinances proposed to limit alcohol use on the Guadalupe River. The first reading was approved Jan. 22, and if at least four out of the seven council members approve the second reading, the ordinances will become law. The proposals would only allow smaller, six-pack sized coolers on the river. No open containers in city-owned entrance or exit park areas would be permitted and tubes would be limited to one per person. “We want to send a message that we’re proud of our river and what we really want is for everyone to come have a good time while obeying the laws,” said Bruce Boyer, mayor of New Braunfels. District 3 Rep. Gale Pospisil voted against the smaller cooler sizes after the first reading. “I think the six-pack size is too small,” Pospisil said. “But I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have a size limit in general.”
However, Pospisil voted in favor of banning open containers in Cypress Bend, Prince Solms and Hinman Island parks, including the last tuber exit along the Guadalupe River. When floating past the parks that may ban open containers, a tuber may still have alcohol in the river, just not on land. “We can’t do anything to control or ban alcohol on the river,” Pospisil said. “I did vote for banning open containers in park areas. I think that something has to be done.” Pospisil is also not in favor of limiting the number of tubes a person can have on the river. “Originally, I thought it wasn’t a bad idea,” Pospisil said. “But as I talked to more and more families, I realized that it’d be difficult for people to manage — having to carry coolers on their laps.” What many do not know is that the Guadalupe runs from Canyon Lake, so a majority of the river is not in the New Braunfels’ city limits. “There are definitely issues See GUADALUPE, page 5
SMU faculty expresses opposition toward proposed Bush library By Ross Frazier Brown Daily Herald (Brown U.)
Monty Marion/Star photo Workers lower a replacement section of an aging condensate pipe into place Wednesday afternoon at the corner of Pickard and North Guadalupe streets. The pipe carries steam, which can often be seen rising through manholes, throughout campus for heating. Scheduled to be completed Feb. 14, the construction will disrupt all bus routes that run directly from The Quad to LBJSC.
(U-WIRE) PROVIDENCE — The faculty at Southern Methodist University has been less than enthusiastic about news that the school may host the George W. Bush Presidential Library and its accompanying museum and public policy institute. At first, some liberal faculty members at the Dallas school were opposed to SMU hosting any part of the proposed $200 million facility, but many of those have more recently said they are concerned only with the institute. Coverage of the faculty’s objections originally centered on a Nov. 10 opinion published in The Daily Campus, SMU’s student newspaper, in which two professors argued that the library would associate SMU with a president who unnecessarily took the country to war. The university will ultimately regret hosting a library commemorating a president whose policies are immoral and veiled in secre-
cy, argued William McElvaney, professor emeritus of teaching and worship, and Susanne Johnson, associate professor of Christian education. “Unless the Bush library philosophy is radically different from the already proven track record of insolation (sic), the library will be little more than a center for the preservation and protection of privileged presidential papers,” McElvaney and Johnson wrote. “What would that mean for academic integrity based on open inquiry?” That opinion ignited much of the debate surrounding the location of the Bush library at SMU, but the current nature of professors’ objections is much more nuanced, said SMU Faculty Senate President Rhonda Blair, theatre professor. “There are substantial concerns about the institution and its relationship to the university, but different faculty have different concerns and different ideas See LIBRARY, page 5
Texas State plans forensic anthropology facility San Marcos site to be one of few in nation; location not yet determined By Emily Messer The University Star More than a month after Texas State announced its plans to build an openair forensic anthropology facility, the university has not found a site for the building that could potentially help law enforcement officials solve crimes. “The concept began almost when I first arrived,” said Jerry Melbye, forensic anthropology professor. “The hardest problem has been trying to find suitable property. Most university David Racino/Star feature photo property is already set aside for other research.” PROGRESS STALLED: More than a month after Texas State announced its plans In December, an anonymous threeto build an open-air forensic anthropology facility proposed by Jerry Melbye, fopage flier depicting the potential facility rensic anthropology professor, the university has not found a site for the building, as a “body farm” was distributed on the southeast side of San Marcos. The flier which could potentially help law enforcement officials solve crimes.
Today’s Weather
AM Showers 65˚/41˚
Precipitation: 40% Humidity: 71% UV: 4 Moderate Wind: W 11 mph
Two-day Forecast Friday Mostly Sunny Temp: 67°/ 34° Precip: 10%
Saturday Mostly Cloudy Temp: 51°/ 33° Precip: 10%
warned the facility would attract predators who could carry cadavers off the site. The flier claimed the facility would be too close to homes and businesses. However, Melbye said the flier was an inaccurate portrayal of a facility, which could solve murders that rely on forensic anthropology research. The facility would be located beyond the city limits and away from residential neighborhoods. Guards, a prison-like fence topped with razor wire and security cameras, would secure it. The facility would be used to research post-mortem interval (PMI), or time since death, which is critical when a body is found. Law enforcement agencies need to know the amount of time a body has been decomposing, but regular autopsies cannot determine the ex-
act time of death. The Texas State facility would be one of a handful in the country. Melbye said different factors that affect the decomposing body are environment, insects, location and entomology. Flies are attracted to the body only seconds after death. It is an inviting place to lay eggs and produce maggots. This facility would teach forensic analysts about the effects the Texas climate has on bodies. Many factors can affect decomposition levels, such as placement in a shallow grave, deep grave, above ground or on the surface or in a pond. Different plants integrated with a decomposing body can give forensic researchers clues See FORENSICS, page 5
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