02 05 2013

VOLUME 102, ISSUE 50

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FEBRUARY 5, 2013

GO NE ONLI NOW

A Higher Plain The monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery performed sacred music and dance at Evans Auditorium as part of their weeklong visit to Texas State. To learn more, visit UniversityStar.com.

Review leads to route cancellations, potential bus fee increase

By Caitlin Clark News Editor Changes are in store for the Texas State bus system next fall.

A review of the transit services provided by the university has led to the cancellation of Bobcat Tram Interurban services, effective Aug. 26.

Transportation Services officials additionally are asking students to pass a referendum that would increase the bus fee from $78 to $95 per semester for fall 2014. The proposed fee is based on the same review that eliminated the interurban services.

Nancy Nusbaum, interim director of transportation services, said the department has been looking at ways to improve local services after experiencing frequent issues with buses

this year. She said the Texas A&M Transportation Institute was requested to conduct a cost and benefit and risk assessment of the current bus services in November.

“The students were saying we needed to improve our services in town. So, rather than making the decision to eliminate something, we decided to have (the institute) come in and do an analysis for us,” Nusbaum said.

Part of the analysis was a survey conducted with interurban passengers of both the Kyle/Austin and New Braunfels/San Antonio routes over the course of two days.

According to the executive summary of the institute review, 25 percent of survey respondents said they could not make the trip to campus at

all if the service was not available.

Of 419 student riders, about 105 said they may not be able to attend the university next semester as a result.

Alejandro Cuevas, finance junior, said the interurban service is the only reason he is able to attend Texas State. Cuevas said he doesn’t earn enough money at his job to afford a car. His parents drop him off at the Highland Mall bus stop in Austin in order to ride a tram to San Marcos. Cuevas said he was scared when he found out the service he relies on will be cancelled.

Austin Humphreys, Photo Editor “To be honest, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to finish my de- An assessment of Texas State’s transit services has led to the cancelgree,” Cuevas said. “Now it looks lation of the Bobcat Tram Interurban service. Bus fees may also be increased.

READ buses, PAGE 3

RISING RATES

$2 million gift creates master’s in nursing

By Karen Zamora News Reporter

Austin Humphreys, Photo Editor

Parking Services officials are looking to increase fees for all parking permits in fall 2013. Some fees may increase by $10, while others might be raised by as much as $330.

Parking permit costs may be raised to cover debts

By Beth Brown Editor-in-Chief Convenient parking will come at a price in the fall—more than twice what it currently costs, in some cases.

Parking permit prices will increase across the board in the fall, with costs for passes increasing between 8 and 135 percent. Nancy Nusbaum, interim director of transportation services, said the increases would make up for Parking Services’ diminishing reserves and allow them to get out of debt.

“With change sometimes comes pain,” Nusbaum said.

The proposed changes are not final, but residence hall and campus apartment permits would experience the biggest increase in prices under the proposal, more than doubling from $245 to $575. The passes were as low as $30 in 2001, but Nusbaum said the proposed price increases were justified based on the convenience and location of those spaces.

Other permits would be increased by lesser amounts.

Restricted permits will increase from $265 to $335, and commuter and motorcycle passes will increase from $105 to $115. Reserved parking spots would cost $825, up from

Current Fall 2013* Increase

Permit Type Residence Halls Campus Apartments Restricted Perimeter Reserved Bobcat Village

$245 $245 $265 $105 $650 $245

Motorcycle

$105

$575 $575 $335 $115 $825 $265

135% 135% 26% 10% 27% 8%

$115

10%

*proposed plan, subject to change

READ permits, PAGE 3

Austin man stabbed to death at local party Taylor Tompkins Assistant News Editor Police are investigating a stabbing that resulted in a 20-year-old Austin man’s death early Sunday morning, officials said.

According to a press release from the city on Sunday, Arthur Martinez died from stab wounds after being transported at around 1 a.m. to Central Texas Medical Center. Martinez was at a party in the 700 block of Allen Street when an argument broke out between him and another man, said Asta Hanson, psychology freshman.

Hanson said she was at the party

with her roommate and two of their friends when a crowd gathered around the men arguing. Hanson said she couldn’t hear what the argument was about and the group that had gathered around the pair to watch the dispute scattered.

“We were shoved up against the wall,” Hanson said. “People were yelling, ‘He got stabbed.’ We just got out of there.”

San Marcos spokesman Trey Hatt said the police had no new information and the investigation is ongoing.

Hatt could not confirm whether or not the victim was a Texas State student.

Jon Zmikly, journalism and mass communication senior lecturer, said

when he arrived home near the site of the incident around 12 a.m., cars were lining the road and people were walking around. Once his roommate arrived at their home around 1 a.m., Zmikly decided to call the police with a noise complaint.

“I went outside and I saw all these people running away from the house,” Zmikly said. “I wasn’t really sure what they were yelling about, but I assumed it was just because the police were there. Kids were running behind our house trying to get away or hide behind it.”

Zmikly said he did not know the neighbors, and they don’t usually have parties at the house.

or recently mar�ied?

The St. David’s School of Nursing at Texas State announced a monetary gift Monday that will assist in plans for a new master’s degree.

Marla Erbin-Roesemann, St. David’s School of Nursing director, said St. David’s Foundation donated $2 million to help Texas State create a Master of Science in the nursing field. The gift will provide funding for hiring faculty, recruiting students and developing the curriculum for the next five years.

“It is a very substantial gift,” said Associate Provost Cynthia Opheim. “It means recruiting topnotch faculty and having the kind of facilities you need for this level of program.”

The $2 million gift is contingent on the university receiving approval of the master’s program from the Texas Board of Nursing and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The Texas State University System Board of Regents and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board have already approved the program.

The master’s program will be a five-semester plan lasting 21 months for registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees. Erbin-Roesemann said the plan is to enroll 40 students this fall in the master’s program and graduate 38 nurse practitioners with a master’s degree per year.

Erbin-Roesemann said the theory portion of the master’s curriculum will be conducted online. She said the clinical component will include 600 hours of one-on-ones with nurse practitioners and physicians outside the classroom.

The program will have a focus on integrative nursing that includes acupuncture, herbs and other other non-traditional medicine, Erbin-Roesemann said. She said there are only three comparable master’s programs in the country that include these skills because most of what they will learn is included in doctorate plans.

“You typically don’t study these things, and these are skill sets they can use,” Erbin-Roesemann said. “More and more patients are asking for these practices.”

University President Denise M. Trauth released a statement that said St. David’s School of Nursing was founded to help address the shortage of nurses in Texas. She said the new Master of Science in Nursing program will help Texas State address one of the state’s most critical issues: a shortage of healthcare providers.

Texas has 95.6 primary care physicians per 100,000 people, as opposed to the national average of 121 per 100,000, the university said in a statement. The state is 42nd in the nation and would need an additional 6,387 primary care physicians just to reach the national average, Erbin-Roesemann said. However, Texas graduated 667 nurse practitioners in 2010.

Erbin-Roesemann said family nurse practitioners, such as those who will graduate with the master’s degree, can fill the gap because they can perform many of the responsibilities of a primary care physician. She said nurse practitioners can see patients with ear infections and strep throat, and do women’s health exams.

The St. David’s Foundation donated $6 million in startup funding for the nursing school in 2010, which graduated its first class in May 2012 with 82 nursing students. The nursing school is equipped with labs simulating critical care, medical, surgical and other units. Erbin-Roesemann said there are plans for a doctorate program in the 2015 fall semester.

Earl Maxwell, St. David’s Foundation CEO, said in a statement that “It has been a labor of love” to work closely with Texas State.

“We are very, very grateful to the St. David’s Foundation,” Opheim said. “This program would have been much more difficult to implement without their gift.”

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2 | Tuesday February 5, 2013 | The University Star

OPINIONS

For more viewpoints or letters to the editor, e-mail staropinions@txstate.edu

Lara Shine, Star Illustrator

Shop local to preserve unique businesses on North LBJ

I

f residents want to preserve the unique flavor of San Marcos’ small businesses, they must be prepared to deal with the inconvenience of construction and continue shopping local.

Local businesses along one of downtown San Marcos’ busiest streets are being crippled by construction. The stretch of North LBJ Drive from The Square to campus is densely packed with some of the city’s most unique storefronts, yet poorlytimed construction has left it in a state of stagnation. The closing of Dan’s Discount Bookstore can be partly attributed to the slow-moving construction, and its neighbors Emeralds, Paper Bear and Rhea’s Ice Cream have reported noticeable declines in sales as well.

Dust, confusing detours, a lack of parking and fear of getting towed all contribute to

the drop in business in the downtown area.

The construction’s final result may benefit surrounding stores in the long run, but at its current rate, some of those shops might not be the same ones there now. Had the city completed the projects over the summer months, the downtown businesses would be ready for the yearly influx of students with new and improved infrastructure. However, construction is pushing well into the new year, leaving surrounding shops with another presumably slow summer following its eventual completion.

It definitely affects small businesses more dramatically than it does larger chains and franchises, though construction is not likely to completely ruin surrounding stores. This issue is evident around LBJ Drive, where parking spaces near local shops are sparse, and nearby chains such as Jack in the Box and Chipotle are relatively unaffected by the construction. The situation adds insult to injury for owners of small businesses who already face difficulty competing with

national brands.

Small businesses across San Marcos, particularly ones on North LBJ Drive, need support. In return they can provide unique goods and services nearly impossible to find anywhere else, but only if sustained by local dollars. Granting property tax breaks to businesses whose parking spaces are destroyed by construction would be a reasonable show of support from the city. The task of keeping these businesses around ultimately rests on consumers’ money and storeowners devising new means to keep customers interested.

Residents should take advantage of services like the Go Local Card to provide further incentive to visit local businesses. Many bars, restaurants and entertainment outlets offer special discounts for cardholders. In addition, several Go Local Card participants in San Marcos are located in the same areas that have been plagued by construction for the past few months. A discount is more than enough to make up for spending the few extra minutes to find a parking spot on

The Square.

Shops in the downtown area need support now more than ever. National chains are closing in on the city, and though they provide valuable goods and services, they do not belong in the heart of downtown San Marcos. Downtown construction is also destroying the hopes of many local small business owners, especially with the recent closing of Dan’s Discount Bookstore. The only way to keep local business alive and the city unique is to continue shopping local, even when faced with inconvenience.

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 University-San Marcos.

Resources help students obtain employment

By Ariella Hannon Opinions Columnist

S

tudents expecting to graduate in the coming months must take advantage of the university’s resources to prepare for the competitive job market and work hard to stand out among other alumni.

Although unemployment rates have fluctuated between 3.2 and 7.1 percent over the past decade in the Austin metropolitan area, it is difficult for some recent graduates to find a job with reasonable pay.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Texas is the 16th best state to find a job in, with a seasonally adjusted Dec. 2012 unemployment rate of 6.1 percent. In 2010, the average unemployment rate for the San

Marcos, Austin and Round Rock areas was 7.1 percent compared to an estimated 5.76 percent in 2012, according to the same statistics.

Texas State students are fortunate enough to have Jobs4Cats, which is a search engine on the university’s website that can provide the tools to help set them apart from other jobseekers. Some Texas State alumni have even been offered careers through Jobs4Cats upon graduation. Many employers are looking for something that makes students stand out from the thousands who apply for employment every day, and Jobs4Cats can give a student that added push.

After graduation, a lot of students may be nervous or unsure about securing a professional career. With the goal of aiding these students, Career Services at Texas State has a list of jobs available to students based on their degrees to help guide them in the right direction. Career Services offers students resume advice 24 hours a day and tips for obtaining a job after graduation.

Not all universities provide their students with the opportunity to allow a professional

to review their resumes before applying for job positions. Furthermore, students need to take advantage of these resources before they head out into the professional world.

It seems as though a student will be more likely to find a job if he or she looks good on paper through a resume. Students stand out by learning how to target a resume to a particular job position. In addition, it is easier for a student to find employment if they can tailor particular gifts and abilities to a job application more efficiently.

It is easy for some students to give up after searching for jobs and receiving no callbacks or interviews, but it is important to be persistent. According to statistics from College Prowler, 65 percent of students who graduate from Texas State will be employed within six months.

On a June 15, 2012 post on the Texas State official blog, alumni were interviewed and gave advice about life after college.

“Be obnoxiously persistent. Applying for 10 jobs a day isn’t as good as applying for 20, and 20 isn’t as good as applying for 30,” said alumna Kathryn Gisi from the

Texas State 2011 graduating class on the blog post.

On the same post, Joe Koenig, alumnus from the graduating class of 2010, said students should not panic if they do not have a job secured right after graduation “An unfathomable amount of students graduate in May,” Koenig said. “You, your friends, your respective college, 10 universities in your area, et cetera are all interviewing for similar jobs. Be patient and differentiate yourself.”

Thousands of students graduate every semester. Because of Texas State’s proximity to other universities, not every student will be able to find their ideal job right away.

Students should not be afraid to broaden their horizons upon graduation. Graduation is the perfect opportunity to go new places and end up somewhere unexpected.

Use the tools that the university provides, but more importantly, do not give up on finding the ideal job, even though it may be difficult.

--Ariella Hannon is an English senior.

Scholarship awards should be based on merit and financial need

By Savannah Wingo Assistant Opinions Editor

S

cholarship applicants should be primarily selected based on need and merit with little to no focus placed on factors such as race and gender.

Increasingly, college degrees are becoming a requirement in the American job market. In an age where students struggle to pay for an education, they are becoming reliant upon scholarships to help pay their way. With competition at an all-time high, schools should focus on offering scholarships to the most qualified applicants instead of making special concessions to gender or race.

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The most important elements for selecting scholarship recipients should be financial need and merit. Students with financial need should be given first priority for grants. They may not be able to attend school without the money. A degree is vital in today’s job market, and those who cannot afford to attain one may be confined to lower-paying jobs, which can create an inescapable cycle of poverty.

Merit is another important aspect. Even if a student demonstrates financial need, if he or she does not show a willingness to succeed and become valuable to the work force, the scholarship may serve better elsewhere.

Affirmative action is meant to create a level playing field for historically repressed groups such as women and African Americans by providing more opportunities to attend college. The program is also meant to combat higher poverty rates among minorities. According to State Health Facts from 2010-2011, 34 percent of Hispanics

Editor In Chief................................................Beth Brown, stareditor@txstate.edu Managing Editor............................Lee Moran, starmanagingeditor@txstate.edu Letters..................................................................................starletters@txstate.edu News Editor...................................................Caitlin Clark, starnews@txstate.edu Trends Editor............................Hollie O’Connor, starentertainment@txstate.edu Opinions Editor..........................................Liza Winkler, staropinion@txstate.edu Photo Editor.......................................Austin Humphreys, starphoto@txstate.edu Sports Editor..........................................Cameron Irvine, starsports@txstate.edu Copy Desk Chief......................Thomas Glasebrook, starcopychief@txstate.edu Web Editor.............................................Cayla Green, starwebeditor@txstate.edu

and 31 percent of African Americans fall below the poverty line in Texas, compared to 12 percent of whites.

However, students should not receive more opportunities for scholarships solely based on their racial or ethnic backgrounds. All applicants with financial need should be considered, regardless of race, gender or any other feature. All students should be offered the same opportunities to attend college, even if discrimination and prejudice are still prevalent in some aspects of society.

Applications should be reviewed blind to race, gender, name and other specific information that could be used to unfairly distinguish candidates. Applicants should be considered based on their, merit and need alone.

According to a March 10, 2011 University Star article, an organization called the Former Majority Association for Equality offered a scholarship exclusively for Caucasian men. People may be offended

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by the idea of a Caucasian male-only scholarship, but the controversy it created among some groups highlights the double standard in our society. While other groups, such as black people, may have a higher poverty rate and a higher percentage of applicants in need, there are also Caucasians who cannot afford school and need grants. This does not mean that we should offer a separate scholarship for every race or ethnicity. Instead, awards should be offered to all students who truly need them and demonstrate the ability to succeed.

As tuition rates continue to soar, students will continue to need scholarships.

Instead of turning students away based on race, gender or other factors, all students who need money for school should be given an equal opportunity to get the aid they need.

--Savannah Wingo is a mass communication sophomore.

The University Star is the student newspaper of Texas State University-San Marcos and is published every other Wednesday in the summer semesters. It is distributed on campus and throughout San Marcos at 8 a.m. on publication days with a distribution of 6,000.

Printing and distribution is by the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.

Copyright Tuesday, February 5, 2013. 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.

The first five issues of each edition of the paper are free. Additional copies of the paper can be purchased at 50¢ per copy.

Contact The University Star office at (512) 245-3487 to purchase additional copies.

Visit The Star at www.UniversityStar.com

The University Star | Tuesday February 5, 2013 | 3

NEWS

buses

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

like I’m going to have to take out $10 to 15 thousand in student loans so I can finish my senior year. I’m going to be graduating with debt.”

Jonathan Alba, exercise and sports science junior, said he rides the Kyle/Austin interurban route four-to-six times per week and is angry about it being cancelled.

“I’m going to drive (once the service is eliminated). I have the means to, but other people don’t, which is why I’m upset,” Alba said. “I feel really bad because this is the only way to school for some of these kids.”

Alba said he is upset because interurban passengers were not told what the survey was for when it was given to them. He said the surveys were conducted during finals, so the buses were more empty than usual.

Interurban passengers account for 4.1 percent of all Bobcat Tram

permits

riders. Interurban operating costs are 20 percent of the total annual expense to operate all Bobcat Tram services, according to the study’s findings.

Money from ticket and cash sales from those using the service accounts for 46 percent of the cost of the interurban services. The remainder is paid from the student bus fee, which could increase in fall 2014 if a potential student referendum is passed.

Nusbaum said increasing the current $78 bus free to $95 is based on the institute report and is believed to be the best rate per hour to receive in a new bus contract. Texas State’s current bus contract will expire at the end of fiscal year 2013.

Under a new bus contract with the fee increase, Nusbaum said Texas State would receive a new

fleet of trams costing approximately $13 million. A “point-to-point” bus service from The Quad to the Mill Street parking lot would also be established.

The cancellation of the interurban services allows Texas State to reassign five buses to local routes, three of which will be used for point-topoint service, Nusbaum said. The point-to-point buses will transport students from the Mill Street perimeter lot directly to campus with no stops.

Parking permit fees are also proposed to increase for next fall. More commuters may be forced to drive to campus as a result of the interurban services ending. Nusbaum said it is not related to the permit fee increase because “the money from buses doesn’t go to parking.”

In a memorandum sent from Nus-

baum to the President’s Cabinet on Jan. 11, she said “more students would likely purchase perimeter permits if reliable point-to-point bus service to the Mill Street and Coliseum lots was provided.”

Nusbaum said transportation services would like for students to vote on the bus fee increase at the same time as Associated Student Government elections. She said ASG will have a first reading of what the student body will vote on this spring.

There will be a second reading the next week, and if the bus fee referendum is approved to be part of the ballot, students will vote on it April 2 and 3, Nusbaum said.

Saturday and night routes could be eliminated if the bus fee referendum does not pass. Other routes would also be modified to use fewer buses and offer less frequent service hours.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

$650. The smallest increase, 8 percent, will be for parking at the Bobcat Village apartments. They would increase from $245 to $265.

The decision to increase parking permits came from the need for the auxiliary service to operate debt-free.

Mounting debt services for parking garage construction, a decrease in available residential parking spots and less revenue from parking tickets and permits led to the money crunch.

“I think (university officials) knew this was coming, but they wanted to try and hold the fees as much as they could because there was a time when faculty and staff were not getting any salary increases, and tuition was going up for students pretty drastically,” Nusbaum said. “So, I think they were trying to hold the line on other fees.”

The university built the Speck Parking Garage in 2008, the Matthews Street Garage in 2009 and the Edward Gary parking garage in 2011. According to the Parking Service Profit and Loss Statement, the department was paying more than $3.7 million in debt service for the construction of parking garages in fiscal year 2011, and ended with a profit of $3.3 million.

However, the debt service on the

three parking garages will total to $4.5 million by the end of spring 2013. Parking Services is expected to end the fiscal year in debt by $312,325, necessitating an increase in permit prices, Nusbaum said.

Compounding the problem is the decrease in purchased parking permits.

Nusbaum said 58 percent of Parking Services’ budget comes from permit sales, with an additional 16 percent from violations and 26 percent from paid parking garages. Both violations and permit sales are down this year, she said.

“We have nice fund balances, but we’re drawing them down because we haven’t been charging enough,” Nusbaum said. “When we were selling more permits in 2006, 2007, we were able to build up reserves. But when we started building up garages and having to make the debt payments, that’s when we started drawing down our reserves to nothing.”

Many students are avoiding purchasing a permit by finding downtown or neighborhood parking and walking from off campus. There are plans to establish a neighborhood permitting system where permanent residents would be given permits for their private ve-

hicles and unpermitted vehicles along those streets—presumably belonging to students—will be ticketed.

“We’re working with the city for those unrealized revenues, because if we can get you back on campus, it will be better for the city and the ultimate financial figure,” Nusbaum said.

“I don’t know if rates can go down—I don’t know if that’s ever going to happen—but if we could stabilize them, that would be good.”

Stephen Prentice, assistant director of Parking Services, said at Monday night’s Associated Student Government meeting that he parked just off campus to avoid purchasing parking permits when he was a student at Texas State. He said there are available spaces in perimeter lots such as Mill Street.

“I’ve been where you’ve been. I’m with you,” Prentice said. “I understand. But if we go out and count parking spaces, we will never see less than 1,500 open spaces.”

Nusbaum said they will not oversell residential parking passes next year, which would guarentee a spot for everyone who purchases the $575 pass.

If there are green passes left after oncampus residents finish buying permits, they will open up to anyone who

is willing to purchase one.

The proposed increases in parking permits were reviewed by the President’s Cabinet, made up of administrative leaders, which has left student leaders frustrated from being left out of the original discussions.

“Anyone who takes a look at the fiscal situation can probably agree that (parking permit increases) need to be done,” said Cody DeSalvo, special assistant to ASG President Nathan McDaniel. “The problem is that students have not been able to participate in these decisions that have real weight and legitimacy. It’s hard for students to retroactively include themselves.”

McDaniel sent out a memorandum Monday stating that ASG’s participation in the process was limited to only being notified of the increase.

“This time frame did not give our organization enough notice to solicit even the opinions of student Senators much less any segment of the student body affected by the increase,” McDaniel said.

Nusbaum will be presenting the proposal to the Residence Hall Association, Staff Council, Faculty Senate and the Non-Traditional Student Organization in the coming week.

4 | Tuesday February 5, 2013 | The University Star

TRENDS

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Sand ceremony symbolizes destruction, renewal

By Hollie O’Connor Trends Editor After four days of hard work and painstaking attention to detail, Tibetan Monks on Texas State’s campus finished colorful artwork made entirely of sand that spanned about 2 feet in diameter.

Then on Friday, they destroyed it.

The artwork, a traditional Buddhist mandala, is a symbol of the universe. The monks are from Drepung Loseling Monastery near Atlanta, Ga. and created the mandala as part of this year’s Common Experience program. Lobsang Dhondup, one of the visiting monks, explained the ceremonial destruction of the symbol to a crowd of more than 100 people in the LBJ Student Center.

“Destruction is part of creation,” Dhondup said.

“Destruction comes from construction. Going is the end of coming. Departure is the end of meeting. Life goes that way.”

The ceremony began with a low-pitched chant by the monks as they stood behind the mandala. They would occasionally interrupt the chant by playing colorful instruments, including a drum, bell and large horns that reached the ground.

Eventually, one of the monks began to dismantle the mandala by drawing lines through it. Another monk swept sand toward the center with a brush, making a spiral design.

After the mandala was swept off of the table and the chant ended, the monks distributed sand to members of the crowd. The sand is good for healing and meditation, according to traditions that date back 2,500 years.

“We believe every (grain

of) sand is equally powerful to heal, exactly like the full circle,” Dhondup said.

“There is a great connection there.”

The monks then began a procession from the LBJ Student Center through The Quad to Sewell Park, where they blessed the San Marcos River. They chanted as one of the monks threw flowers into the river, then poured in the remaining sand.

The monks believe the sand nourishes and invokes the river spirit, which becomes a source of healing.

“The river is connected to the ocean and carries the blessing to the millions of beings down there. Then, through evaporation, (it) goes into the air and brings healing everywhere,” Dhondup said.

The ceremony was emotional for some observers and many said they had never seen anything like it before.

Savannah Cohen, communication design freshman, came to the event with her friends.

“It was very beautiful,” Cohen said. “I liked when they tossed the flowers into the river.”

For others, the ceremony was a reminder of the river’s importance in the community. It roused memories of recent drama in which city council members voted to allow apartments to be developed on riverfront property.

“It was amazing and timely considering everything that has been happening with development in sensitive areas,” said Bridget Phillips, San Marcos resident. “I hope that it helps bring peace and connection with city officials and citizens.”

Kristen Lefebvre, Staff Photographer

Lobsang Kunga, a Tibetan monk, sweeps away sand from the mandala Feb 1. at the LBJ Student Center.

Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery bless the San Marcos River Feb. 1 by pouring sand from the mandala. The blessing is meant to bring healing to the area.

Boys and Girls Club hosts Super Bowl festivities

Carlos Valdez, Assistant Photo Editor

Jessica Rogers, art instructor at the Boys and Girls Club, paints the face of Erica Straight, 10, Feb. 2 at the Boys and Girls Club of South Central Texas.

By Randi Berkovsky Trends Reporter The Boys and Girls Club of South Central Texas brought together friends and family Saturday afternoon to celebrate a love of football.

The Boys and Girls Club is a non-profit organization meant to help children accomplish their goals and become more self-confident. The club’s fourth annual Super Bowl Family Fun Party included food, games and crafts for youth of all ages.

The afternoon began with a Madden NFL tournament for children ages 6 and older and was followed by a talent show.

The winners of each of these contests received a cash prize with first place receiving $225, second $150 and third $75.

Parents, volunteers and youth gathered around the stage inside the facility sporting the jerseys of their favorite football teams to see the acts performing for the talent show. For sisters Victoria and Katherine Kolesar of New Braunfels, this was the event they had been waiting for.

Though their mother had put them in the contest only two days before, the duo felt confident about their vocal and keyboard performance of the song “Benny and the Jets.”

“You just have to get in the mode and pretend no one is out there,” said 15-yearold vocalist Victoria Kolesar. “I think we did pretty well, and I hope we place because we are hoping to put the money toward buying a new car.”

There were booths set up at the party that allowed the youth to play different

football-related games. The games include a ball throw, a themed cakewalk and flicking a paper football into cups in order to get in the spirit and win a prize.

Rachel Valdez, public relations representative for Crescent Dental, was one of the volunteers who came out and ran a booth to help teach kids about proper dental health while they were having fun.

She said that just like there are good plays in football, there are good plays in taking care of teeth.

“It’s been a great experience,” Valdez said. “The kids really love the games, and we want to be a part of that. We can remind them that they can take care of their teeth while having fun.”

Along with the contests and games, there was a car show and arts and crafts to keep everyone entertained.

“Everybody loves football,” said Elton Fite, Boys and Girls Club program and operation coordinator. “And what better way to incorporate family than to incorporate it into one of the biggest events of sports, the Super Bowl?”

The University Star | Tuesday February 5, 2013 | 5

SPORTS

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MEN’S BASKETBALL

Bobcats defeated at home by New Mexico State, Denver

Carlos Valdez, Assistant Photo Editor

Joel Wright, junior forward, loses the ball Jan. 31 at the Strahan Coliseum. The Bobcats were defeated 86-72

by New Mexico State.

By Samuel Rubbelke Sports Reporter New Mexico State University’s athletic frontline came into San Marcos and ended the Bobcats’ three-game win streak while extending its own to eight in an 86-72 triumph.

Senior forward Bandja Sy marked his third double-double with a game-high 24 points and 13 rebounds. Sy shot 9-11 from the field, 2-2 from three, and 4-5 from the free-throw line. Sophomore guard Daniel Mullings contributed 22 points and five assists. Mullings shot 10-10 from the foul line.

Freshman center Sim Bhullar scored 10 points and collected nine boards.

“First of all, they have a 7-foot-5-inch guy (Bhullar) that clogs everything up,” said Coach Doug Davalos. “They are very athletic—they start an NBA frontline, sizewise.

They start a 7-foot-5-inch, a 6-foot-10-inch, and a 6-foot-8-inch. Two of them are extremely athletic and one is the hugest, biggest man I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Senior forward Matt Staff ended his

conference shooting slump with his third double-double of the season marking 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Bobcats’ second-leading scorer has taken a dip since WAC play has commenced. Staff has gone from 11.1 average on the season to 6.1 points-per-game in WAC play. His shooting percentage is down to 32.9 percent from 44.0 in non-conference. During WAC play, Staff has five games scoring less than 3 points.

Junior forwards Corey Stern and Joel Wright finished with 16 points and 14 points respectively.

A youth movement took place at Strahan Coliseum on Saturday, led by University of Denver sophomore guard Brett Olson. Olson helped the Pioneers conquer the Bobcats 79-64.

Olson tamed the Bobcats by marking a career-high 22 points and seven assists.

Olson shot 7-12 from the field, 4-7 from beyond the arc and 4-4 from the freethrow line. Olson’s 22 points more than doubled his conference average of 10.4.

Denver has the eighth youngest team in

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Guard ranks fourth all-time in scoring after 1-1 weekend

By Odus Evbagharu Sports Reporter Senior guard Diamond Ford moved up to fourth all-time on the scoring list as the Bobcats split the weekend’s matchup with a win against New Mexico State University and a loss to the University of Denver.

Ford led the team in scoring both games, recording 21 points in each game. The senior guard is the conference’s leading scorer, earning 21.1 points per contest. She has now accumulated a total of 1,706 points in her four years of playing at Texas State.

“It feels great.” Ford said. “It’s a really big accomplishment for me and for the rest of these games that we have. I can just continue to grow up.”

For her career, Ford has averaged 16.1 points per contest. She has led the Bobcats in scoring the past three seasons. Coach Zenarae Antoine has a great appreciation for Ford’s game and all that she has accomplished at Texas State.

“Diamond is a lot of fun,” Antoine said.

“I find opposing coaches and on occasion officials just say ‘Wow, she did great tonight, and we just couldn’t stop her.’ Diamond can get in a zone and hit those tough shots. You know she has that special ‘it’ and just hope that she can go beyond the collegiate level in the future. Kids like that are just fun, and you just marvel at the things they can do that you can’t. I am happy for her and her family.”

Ford went 10-25 from the field in the 58-

49 win over New Mexico State. The team shot 40 percent from the floor and held the Aggies to a field goal percentage of 31.7.

“Our defensive game plan helped us get this win,” Ford said. “We were more aggressive from start to finish, and it helped us finish the game out strong.”

The ball club was able to out-rebound New Mexico State, 44-40. The Bobcats grabbed 15 offensive boards, which led to 14 second-chance points.

“We stayed aggressive on defense the entire game,” junior guard Kaylan Martin said.

“We didn’t want them to get anything easy.

One of our main focuses on the game was rebounding, and we executed that. That definitely helped us get the win in that game.”

On Saturday the team tried to make it two wins in a row but fell short to Denver, 75-62.

The Pioneers grabbed 47 rebounds to Texas State’s 29 boards.

The Bobcats move to 2-9 in conference play and now have an 8-13 overall record.

The ball club currently sits in ninth place in the WAC and is only a half game up on the University of Texas-Arlington.

“The excitement and belief is still there,” Antoine said. “Any coach in America would be happy to coach this team because they just keep fighting. We’ve won all these second halves, but we start off slow and just fatigued. We have been in close games one way or another. It’s just unfortunate we have been on the short end of the stick.”

Twitter: @odus_Outputs

all of college basketball, with an average of 0.85 years of experience per player.

Denver shot 55.3 percent from the field.

The Pioneers are now 5-0 in the WAC when converting better than 50 percent from the floor.

Not only did Denver dominate the offensive side of the ball, its stifling defense held the Bobcats to 33.3 percent shooting in the first half. The Pioneers’ ball pressure made Texas State one-dimensional. Guard play was nonexistent until 5:09 left in the half when Wesley Davis’ lay-up tallied the first basket by a Texas State guard.

The Pioneers gave Texas State its sixth straight loss at home. Denver started the game with a 9-4 run and led by as much as 12 points during the first half. The Pioneers continued with a 7-0 tear to start the second half. The team’s largest lead was 16 points with 13:28 remaining in the game. Texas State never held the lead.

Junior forward Joel Wright led the Bobcats with a double-double, scoring 33 points and tying a career high with 12 rebounds.

Wright converted 14-18 from the foul line.

Basil Brown provided a spark off the bench and chipped in 9 points. Texas State’s bench outscored Denver’s bench 48-11. “(Wright) had a tremendous game, but at the end of the day, he didn’t get very much help at all,” Davalos said. “He fought, and

we had to ride him the whole game. He was a tough mismatch. He was the only guy who handled his physicality down low. He fought fire with fire the whole game.”

New Mexico and Denver are tied for second in the WAC at 9-2. The Bobcats were beat by double figures and witnessed a shooting display wherein both opponents shot over 55 percent from the field, holding Texas State under 37 percent in both games.

“Denver and New Mexico State are pretty good teams,” Davalos said. “This is the toughest schedule that Texas State has ever played—not just as Division I, but ever. The quality of competition every night is in your face. The teams we face are very talented.”

The Bobcats are 7-16 overall and hold a 3-8 conference record. Texas State is currently ranked eighth out of 10 teams in the WAC. “We don’t have a lot of guys that could play on every team in this league, as much as we want to say it,” Davalos said. “So we’ve got to fight; we’ve got to get stronger; we’ve got to get more physical; and we’ve got to get in the gym. But you don’t oversimplify the fact that good teams are coming in here.”

Players were made unavailable for interview after the game.

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6 | Tuesday February 5, 2013 | The University Star | Sports

INSIDE THE LINES

Anna Hernandez

Senior starter still has leadership left to give

By Odus Evbagharu Sports Reporter Senior second baseman Anna Hernandez is no rookie. Her 167 games in a Texas State uniform reflect that.

Her 166 starts, including 53 her freshman year, prove it.

Hernandez still has plenty to play not only for herself, but for her teammates, even after all the games, starts and wins.

“I try to lead by example. That has really been the motto for me this year,” Hernandez said. “I just try to be a leader off and on the field for these girls. I try to lead not just for the underclassmen but try to be an overall team leader.”

This year will be the first and only season the Texas State softball team will be in the Western Athletic Conference. In a preseason vote in Denver, Colo. on Jan. 29, the conference’s softball coaches selected Texas State to win the conference.

A big reason for the expected immediate success in the new league is attributed to the leadership of the Buda native. The senior second baseman was an All-Southland Conference player last year and was voted to the All-WAC preseason first team for the upcoming season.

As a freshman, Hernandez had a .256 batting average and was second on the team in home runs with seven. The second baseman tallied 41 hits and 27 RBIs and led the team with 29 runs scored.

As a sophomore, her batting average went up to .294. As a junior, Hernandez boasted a .304 average.

Hernandez’s 55 hits in 56 games last season led the team. She has roughly 1,169 hours of playing time in a Bobcat uniform, which adds up to 48 straight days on the field or in the dugout.

“I call Anna a field rat,” said Coach Ricci Woodard. “She’s one of those players who is just at the field all the time. She loves the game and uses her time to coach the other play-

ers. It’s just really easy to play kids who love the game and are passionate about it.”

Since Hernandez’s arrival to the softball program, the Bobcats have won the Southland Conference two out of her three seasons. However, moving into a new conference, Hernandez hopes to accomplish more than leading the team to another conference championship in her last season as a Bobcat.

“We’re here to prove that it’s not just a Southland thing,” Hernandez said. “We are competitors who feel like we can win every time we take the field. We just need to take it one day at a time and get better every day at practice. We have to stay tough mentally and train our bodies to endure this season. This is all in hopes that we make it into the postseason and get past regionals and into the College World Series.”

Hernandez has found tremendous team success at Texas State. She has an overall record of 101-71 in the 172 games she has played in her three seasons as a Bobcat. The Buda native hopes that her success can translate throughout the team to accomplish what they set out to this season.

“Leading by example will be important for me,” Hernandez said.

“We need to strive to be more than just good. I need to come out ready for practice every day, having an optimistic attitude day in and day out. … If I can just do that, I feel like we will have a good chance of getting where we can be.”

There are 46 contests already on the 2013 softball schedule this season. If Hernandez starts in each of the next 34 games, she will make her 200th career start on April 5 against Louisiana Tech University. Whether or not she makes that mark remains to be seen, but expect Hernandez to play a lot more softball and be a key contributor to a stellar year for the Bobcats.

Twitter: @odus_Outputs

John Casares, Staff Photographer

Anna Hernandez, senior second baseman, has started 166 games for Bobcat softball.

Hernandez was also voted an All-Southland Conference player last season.

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