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february 12, 2009
thursday
Volume 98, Issue 50
Students begin pre-campaign efforts for future ASG positions By Amanda Venable News Editor ASG President Brett Baker said student leaders are already beginning underground campaigns to fill his position next year. The student government elections will be March 31 to April 1. “I guarantee you at the stage right now people are trying to get others to come on their ticket and support them,” Baker said. “Last year, I didn’t think four people would run for ASG president. I didn’t know if one would. I bet I know of at least three people that want to run this time around.” The student body president serves as the head of ASG, can veto legislation, sits on and appoints people to various university committees, and serves as the representative for Texas State when working with administrators and legislators. Landing the position is no easy task. Past candidates say fundraising is key. The Courtney Strange / CJ Morgan ticket raised more than $8,000 from about 26 donors in last year’s ASG election. More than $5,500 went to 30-second cable TV commercials, push cards, T-shirts and table tents. According to the ASG Election Code, senators who support a particular candidate can choose to bundle their $250 spending cap with those running for president and vice president. An unlimited number of senators can support a candidate, which can theoretically translate to the removal of a spending cap for the ticket. Baker said he made the decision to run for president the beginning of his junior year. Baker believed he was prepared for the position, but said it took him until mid-October to “get into the groove of things.”
David Schmidt/Star photo The San Marcos Municipal Airport has a library and museum showcasing World War II airplanes from the ’40s and ’50s that still are operational. See full story page 6
Flying History
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Springwood Mall City Council remains undecided on extending bar hours may be redeveloped for entertainment venues, revenue By Theron Brittain Senior News Reporter
By Brigette Botkin News Reporter San Marcos may become an entertainment mecca. Peter Lamy, a developer in Austin, has plans to change Springtown Mall into an entertainment destination. Steve Metcalfe, Lamy’s Attorney, said the redevelopment of the mall is intended to draw crowds to San Marcos. “We’d like to create a venue that pulls people in,” Metcalfe said. “We want to make it a destination for people outside of town to come to.” Springtown Mall is the shopping center between Thorpe Lane and Interstate-35 containing Blockbuster and Target. The center recently lost tenant shops because of store expansions. Best Buy relocated to a larger store, and construction on new sites for Bealls, J.C. Penny and Target is underway. Metcalfe said 35,000 of the 200,000 square feet area is vacant. He said 80 percent of the mall will be empty by the end of the year. Amy Madison, economic development director, said the project would be good for San Marcos. “It will have a significant impact on the city,” Madison said. “Empty buildings are eyesores. We hope this will bring viability back to this location in a use that will be positive for the city.” Metcalfe said the redevelopment is the best option for the complex and city. “An empty center doesn’t produce any revenue,” Metcalfe said. “We believe (an entertainment center) is the best revenue generator we can create.” The new center would contain a sports retail center, a retail core containing various shops and an “entertainment district.” Metcalfe said restaurants, family venues, sports bars, a movie theater and bowling alley have been considered for inclusion in the center. He said nothing has yet been decided because the project is still in a “concept stage.” Metcalfe said the developer wants to make few changes to the existing buildings. “We’re not going to rip down all the buildings and start from scratch,” Metcalfe said. “We’re See SPRINGWOOD, page 3
Students hoping to be first to take advantage of longer bar hours in San Marcos may have to wait a while longer. An extension of the bar hours to 2 a.m. may not occur until summer 2009. A task force reviewing the matter has not reached a decision, nor have they discussed a definite launch date, according to Melissa Millecam, communications director for the city. “When the City Council first discussed this in December, they were anticipating if they do in fact decide to go forward with extended bar hours it would not happen until well into the summer,” Millecam said. She said the council will approach the issue cautiously. “The decision still has to be made by the City Council,” Millecam said. “The goal is to look at as many ramifications of extending the bar hours as they can identify. At this
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See BAR HOURS, page 3
conclusion on the extended bar hours, which may be postponed until summer.
Rosters include student GPA, picture By Gabrielle Jarrett News Reporter Faculty might have had preconceived notions of their students before they ever meet them. A new version of the roster, which included the option to print pictures alongside the students’ name and GPA, was implemented in August, leaving individuals with ethical concerns. Matthew Bailey, marketing freshman, said he was surprised teachers had access to his grade report. He said he was not notified GPAs would appear on the rosters. “I knew my student I.D. number would be on the sheet,” Bailey said. Bailey is worried faculty will judge a student on his or her past rather than looking at the work being produced. “I’m afraid teachers will play favorites and show more leniencies toward students with better grades,” Bailey Lindsey Leverett/Star photo illustration said. “By not being notified about the STUDENT INDENTIFICATIONS: The new change, I feel betrayed. I just want to rosters at Texas State include students’ know the point.” Registrar Lloydean Eckley said the GPA and photograph along with their name new roster is “a way for faculty to put
names and faces together.” “GPAs have been on the Web version of the rosters since 2000,” Eckley said. “GPAs are not on the rosters used by faculty via TRACS.” Eckley said the decision to provide faculty with students’ GPAs was made during the time the project was being developed and implemented. “(Including photos with the rosters) is a project our office and Robert Smallwood, the former associate vice president of academic affairs, have wanted since 1999,” Eckley said. “We have goals and we depend on Technology Resources to make it happen with their programming skills.” Mark Hughes, assistant vice president of Technology Resources, said including GPAs on class rosters was a decision made before he was employed at the university. Hughes’ department is responsible for the coding the information, not for the decision to disclose grade reports. Eckley said she did not think faculty’s access to student GPAs would predispose their actions toward the students. “Texas State has a great faculty, and
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point, there is no implementation schedule and no final decision to do so.” Millecam said she was not aware of significant opposition to the measure, but the task force would give the community time to offer input. The task force will update the City Council March 3. Councilmember Chris Jones, Place 4, is one of the city officials heading the task force. He suggested a Spring trial period might provide the city with a better idea of how the town and the university will adjust. Downtown bars owners would see the biggest increase in traffic, and some are optimistic about additional revenue. However, some said extending bar hours in the middle of the semester could be difficult. “My conservative estimate is that business would go up 25 to 30 percent,” Lindsey Goldstein/Star photo illustration said Brian Scofield, owner of Barfish UNKNOWN HOURS: The City of San Marcos has yet to come to a
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I feel their main concern is to help the students receive a good education,” Eckley said. However, some faculty said knowing their students’ GPAs can lead to preconceived notions. “If students want to volunteer their GPA, then that is a different story,” said Claudia Brown, senior lecturer in the department of psychology. “I don’t see a use for that roster. I think the pictures are wonderful, but the GPAs have no use.” Brown said she does not think faculty could use the roll sheet as a way to develop his or her lesson plans to help those with lower GPAs. Brown said she looks at the Technology Resources’ roster once before creating a new one without her students’ GPAs. Brown said viewing a student’s grade report prior to meeting them could lead to prejudging individuals in classes and placing additional expectations on the faculty. For example, a teacher could feel like a failure if a student with a perfect GPA received a C in the course.
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