02 13 2007

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FEBRUARY 13, 2007

TUESDAY

VOLUME 96, ISSUE 53

Texas State to make presence known on Capitol grounds

By Jason Buch The University Star Representatives of the Texas State University System and its component schools will spend Valentine’s Day at the state Capitol as part of the first ever Texas State University System Day. Patricia Hayes, TSUS vice chancellor for governmental relations and educational policy, said she brought the idea to the chancellor because this is an opportunity both the University

of Texas System and the Texas A&M University System have had for some time.

“Most systems have a day that allows alumni, students and friends of the system to make an appearance at the Capitol and let legislators know a little about the system,” Hayes said.

Texas State alumni, administrators and student government representatives are expected to attend. University President Denise Trauth will also be testifying at the legislature Tuesday and Wednesday.

“It’s not a part of Texas State System Day,” said Bob Gratz, special assistant to the president. “But coincidentally during this same time we have senate finance committee hearings and house appropriations committee hearings with all the system’s schools’ presidents.”

Gratz has been acting as Texas State’s liaison to the system office. He said one official part of the system day will be a kiosk on display in the Capitol rotunda providing information about the schools in the TSUS.

Gratz said this is a chance for legislators to get an idea of the important role TSUS plays in Texas’ higher education.

“With over 70,000 students in the Texas State University System, a lot of students get education opportunities through the system,” Gratz said. “I think the Capitol is just giving the opportunity to recognize the contribution of those components and raise the visibility of the contributions of this system.”

Hayes said State Sen. Jeff

Wentworth, R-San Antonio, authored a Senate resolution making Wednesday Texas State University System Day. Wentworth represents District 25, which includes Texas State.

Texas State’s student government will also have a presence in the Capitol Wednesday. Sam McCabe, ASG legislative coordinator and mathematics sophomore, said the organization’s representatives will be focusing on issues that affect the entire system.

He said representatives from

student governments of other schools in the system will be on hand to help educate lawmakers about the system.

“When we come together with other universities in our system, (discussion) tends to be about things like tuition,” McCabe said.

He said tax-free textbooks will be the No. 1 issue ASG will be promoting and initiatives such as Wentworth’s bill creating an athletic service fee would take a back seat to issues affecting the system as a whole.

‘COAL IS DIRTY’

ASG tables Senate bill on reformation

Protesters fired up about power plant construction

Cotton Miller/Star photos CLEAN ENERGY WOMAN: Dressed as “Clean Energy Woman,” Rebecca Wahlberg (left) and Texas State alumnus Arthur Schoenig, representing coal pollution, stand Sunday at the Capitol steps with fellow protesters.

GOING GREEN: Calling for a stop to the proposal to build at least 15 coal plants in Texas, protesters gather Sunday outside the Capitol building to voice support for clean energy alternatives.

By Nick Georgiou The University Star As the issue of global warming creeps into the forefront of the American consciousness, the proposal to build more than 150 coal plants nationwide has sparked a massive outcry.

In Texas, at least 15 coal-fired power plants are projected to be built, and hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the Capitol Sunday to show their opposition.

“We are united by an understanding that the emissions from dirty coalfired power plants threaten our health and our prosperity and contribute to global warming,” said Ann Drumm, chair of the Dallas Sierra Club chapter.

The protest was headed up by the constantly growing Stop the Coal Rush coalition, which is comprised of more than 50 organizations. The group has increased their visibility

in recent weeks with a million-dollarplus advertising campaign. The ads, featured in major publications and newspapers, show a close up of a lone face smudged with a black substance to resemble coal. At the bottom of the ad, it reads: “Face it. Coal is dirty.”

The coalition’s current goal is to urge the Texas legislature to back a moratorium, or delay, on Gov. Rick Perry’s executive order to fast-track the process of obtaining permits to build the coal-fired power plants.

House Concurrent Resolution no.

43, filed Jan. 24 by State Rep. Charles Anderson, R-Waco, seeks to impose a 180-day moratorium on the permits.

Anderson was quick to dispel the resolution as a partisan matter.

“It’s not about (being) Republican or Democrat, and it’s not about moving left or moving right,” Anderson said. “This is about moving forward or

As students walk through The Quad, most are unaware of the number of students around them who grew up with alcoholic parents. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Web site, 53 percent of men and women in the U.S. report that one or more of their close relatives have a drinking problem.

To help children of alcoholics and call attention to their emotional and physical needs, the Hays Caldwell Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse has joined “A Celebration of Hope and Healing” called National Children of Alcoholics Week.

“We serve every school in Hays and Caldwell Counties,” said Sue Cohen of the Prevention Resource Center, Region 7. “We work really closely with the kids and with the public schools.”

Cohen said the Prevention Resource Center is just reaching the tip of the iceberg. She said they are still trying to reach all the children that need help.

“When I was younger, I was constantly embarrassed and didn’t want to bring my friends over,” said Clay Smallwood, premass communication sophomore, who struggled with an alcoholic mother since middle school but could not pinpoint exactly when it started. “I wish she didn’t drink and that she was a normal mom capable of doing the things that normal

Today’s Weather

Partly Cloudy 61˚/34˚

Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 52% UV: 6 High Wind: N 16 mph

Two-day Forecast Wednesday Mostly Cloudy Temp: 50°/ 29° Precip: 10%

Thursday Mostly Cloudy Temp: 48°/ 27° Precip: 10%

moms do.”

“I’m emotionally detached from her,” he said. “She’ll always be my mom. I still love her and wish her well but there’s nothing I can do to fix things.”

Dalton Hamilton, pre-theatre sophomore, said both of his parents were alcoholics but were sober by the time he was born.

“Because my family (members were) addicts, I was brought up like black and white,” Hamilton said. “If I drank, I’d be kicked out of the house. I was too scared to drink.”

According to the NIAAA Web site, nearly 17.6 million American adults are alcoholics or abuse alcohol. Also, scientists have found that having an alcoholic

The Associated Student Government voted Monday to table legislation that would reapportion the Senate body. The Senate Reformation legislation would increase the current number of seats from 40 to 60 and allow for representation from off-campus, on-campus and at-large students.

Senator Rebecca Quillin withdrew authorship of the bill after a brief recess and a raging debate.

“This is ensuring that we will have dialog,” Quillin said. “Ultimately we want this to get to the Senate and hopefully something will be done.”

Some senators expressed concern about adding seats to a Senate that is composed mostly of appointed members. Senator Jeremy Kuykendall favored reapportioning seats without adding new ones.

“I didn’t want this to die, we could see that something needs to be done and I want to make it work,” he said.

See ASG, page 4

Arnold Hall left with cold water after pipe breaks

By Christine Mester The University Star

family member makes it more likely for someone to become addicted to alcohol if he or she chooses to drink.

“I grew up with a bunch of rules about drinking because of my parents’ past,” Hamilton said. “Once it was time for me to make my own choices, I knew how to handle it.”

Cohen said the Prevention Resource Center is a tremendous resource to the community and has a variety of programs for adults as well as children.

“People usually do not know the Prevention Resource Center exists until they need it,” she said.

Heavy drinking can increase the risk

Residents of Arnold Hall could be spotted walking around campus with towels and shower caddies in hand when a pipe leak left the dorm without hot water for four days last week.

The shortage of hot water, starting Feb. 5, forced hundreds of its residents to travel to nearby dorms in order to shower.

“It just sucked,” said Manuel Medina, chemistry freshman.

“Everybody was upset with the inconvenience. I had to go to Smith Hall to shower. I went late at night to avoid the crowds.”

It took four days for workers to isolate and repair the leak. Joe Ellis, supervisor of work control at the Physical Plant, said the old piping system at Arnold was to blame for the delay.

“The old inner pipes are enclosed in a casing, so to find the leak, (workers) had to dig up the pipe and cut the outer sleeve,” Ellis said. “That type of piping system makes it hard to trace the leak and complicates the job.”

The hot water was back on Friday but some residents of the dorm experienced additional inconveniences after bulldozers, working to fix the leak, left giant holes throughout the dorm’s

See SUPPORT, page 4

See WATER, page 4

See COAL, page 4

Support, education available to family members of alcoholics

By Christina Kahlig The University Star

By Paul Rangel The University Star

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PAGE TWO February 13, 2007

Tuesday in Brief

starsof texas state FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Texas State student Katya Kostetskaya, international studies junior, shattered the school’s 800 meter indoor record with a time of 2:03.58 in the olympic development event held in conjunction with the Tyson Invitational at the University of Arkansas.

Kostetskaya defeated a field of top collegians and unattached runners including LSU’s LaTavia Thomas who placed second in a time of 2:06.44.

In comparison, the collegiate women’s 800 meters at the Tyson Invi-

tational on Saturday was won by Texas’ Temeka Kincy in a time of 2:08.81 while Albany’s Jessica Ortman won the women’s 800 meter championship event in a time of 2:08.12.

The top USA Indoor Track and Field mark was 2:05.89, set by Francis Santin of the Santa Monica Track Club.

—Courtesy of Texas State Athletics

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

Fixins for Free TUESDAY Texas State women’s tennis will play St. Edward’s 3 p.m. at the Tennis Complex.

There will be a free lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the CSC lobby.

A scripture presentation with special guest speakers will be from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Catholic Student Center.

There will be a CEO meeting 5 p.m. in McCoy Hall, Room 127.

Women’s Personal Growth Group will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The group offers an opportunity to receive feedback and affirmation from other women while exploring common experiences women face. For more information and a screening, call the Counseling Center at (512) 245-2208.

Photographer Matt Herron will be in the LBJ Teaching Theatre at 7 p.m. to share a slide show of his work and discuss his experiences photographing scenes from voter registration efforts in the South.

Facing the Fear - Anxiety Group will meet from 3:30 to 5 p.m. For more information or to register, call the Counseling Center at (512) 245-2208.

Hispanic/Latino Issues in Higher Education will hold a “Hispanic Demographics in Texas” session from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. in LBJ Student Center, Room 3-6.1 Career Services will conduct “A Virtual Internship Fair” online at Jobs4Cats. For more information, call Jonathan Pliego at (512) 245-2645 or e-mail jp55@txstate.edu.

On this day...

1542 - Catherine Howard was executed for adultery. She was the fifth wife of England’s King Henry VIII. 1633 - Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome for trial before the Inquisition.

Overeaters Anonymous will meet at 12:30 p.m. at the First Lutheran Church, 130 W. Holland St. For more information, call (512) 3572049.

1635 - The Boston Public Latin School was established. It was the first public school building in the United States.

1741 - “The American Magazine,” the first magazine in the U.S., was published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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 Chris Harris, Tennis Club President, at ch1282@txstate.edu.

San Marcos Toastmasters Club will meet from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Lone Star Café at the Prime Outlet Mall (Interstate-35 exit 200 at Centerpoint Rd.).

Optional dinner will be at 6:30 p.m.

Visitors and guests are always welcome. Practice speaking, listening and thinking skills; boost self-confidence and develop leadership. For additional information, call Ren Linér at (512) 353-0217, email smtoastmasters@yahoo. com or visit www.sanmarcos. freetoasthost.org Students interested in becoming involved with the community, making business connections and learning leadership skills can attend the Students in Free Enterprise meeting at 4:15 p.m. in McCoy Hall, Room 113.

1875 - Mrs. Edna Kanouse gave birth to America’s first quintuplets. All five of the baby boys died within two weeks.

Jeannie Yamakawa/Star photo Rosie Gonzalez, family and child development junior, waits for her dog, Tito, at the EmanciPET mobile spay and neuter clinic at the corner of Hutichison and Guadalupe Saturday morning. EmanciPET is sponsored by Pet Prevent a Litter of Central Texas, which made services available at no cost to Texas State students.

1889 - Norman Coleman became the first U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

CRIME BL TTER University Police Department Feb. 5, 4:09 p.m.

Theft under $1500/Flowers Hall An officer was dispatched for a theft report. A non-student reported items taken without consent. This case is under investigation.

Feb. 6, 12:29 p.m.

Graffiti: Pecuniary/Blanco Garage An officer was dispatched for a report of criminal mischief. Upon

further investigation an unknown person was found to have spraypainted a marking on a wall. This case is under investigation.

Feb. 6, 7:07 p.m.

Displaying Handicap Placard of Another/Taylor-Murphy parking lot An officer observed a student’s vehicle displaying handicap placard of another person. The student was issued a citation.

1880 - Thomas Edison observed what became known as the Edison Effect for the first time.

Feb. 6, 10:54 p.m.

POM/PODP/Clear Springs Apartments An officer was dispatched for a report of a suspicious odor.

Upon further investigation a student was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana. The student was issued a citation, arrested and transported to Hays County Law Enforcement Center to await magistration.

1900 - The Anglo-German accord of 1899 was ratified by Reichstag, in which Britain renounced rights in Samoa in favor of Germany and the U.S. 1914 - The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (known as ASCAP) was formed in New York City. The society was founded to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members.

Researchers identify cancer preventing protein COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. — A decades-old cancer mystery has been solved by researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

“We not only found a critical tumor suppressor gene, but have revealed a master switch for a tumor suppressive network that means more targeted and effective cancer therapy in the future,” said Alea Mills, CSHL associate professor. The study, headed by Mills, was published in the February issue of Cell.

Specifically, Mills’ discovery identifies CHD5, a protein that prevents cancer, as a novel tumor suppressor, mapping to a specific portion of chromosome 1 known as 1p36. When CHD5 is not doing its job, the machinery within cells that normally prevents cancer is switched off.

The ability of CHD5 to function as a master switch for a tumor suppressive network suggests that this gene is responsible for a large number of diverse forms of human cancers.

“CHD5 functions like a circuit breaker that regulates the tumorpreventing power in our cells.

When it blows, cancer occurs,” Mills said.

Modulation of CHD5 activity may provide novel strategies for better design of more effective cancer therapies. This gene has remained a mystery until the discovery by Mills’ team.

After they located the region where the tumor suppressor resided, the Mills team sought to identify which genes in that area were responsible for tumor suppression. Their results showed that reducing expression of a single gene — CHD5 — made cells that had been rendered slow-growing by adding an extra copy of the region grow like normal cells.

The findings of Mills’ study will influence the future of cancer research. The study shows that deletion of a part of 1p36 causes cancer and increased “dosage” of CHD5 triggers extra tumor suppression. One extra dose,

or copy, caused cells to either stop dividing or to undergo cell suicide by switching on a battery of potent tumor protective machinery. This work indicates that pharmaceuticals that switch on CHD5 may provide a way to treat many types of human cancer.

To extend the research to human cancer, Mills collaborated with Stanford University researchers Hannes Vogel and Markus Bredel to study whether CHD5 also functioned as a tumor suppressor in humans. They discovered that glioma, a specific form of brain tumor, frequently had deletion of CHD5, demonstrating the important role of CHD5 in human cancer.

This research and discovery was funded largely by private sector donations, which are important to support state-of-theart research and discoveries that may not traditionally be funded by the government.

-Courtesy of Nightingale Communications

NEWS

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

The University Star - Page 3

Bilingual ability sharpens brains overall, study says

By Carrie Peyton Dahlberg McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) SACRAMENTO — After school, Carlos and Carmen Nguyen shuttle between two sets of grandparents in happy bursts of English, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

Their parents love the way languages open their children’s eyes to the family’s heritage and to other cultures.

Yet when they began their multilingual journey, they never imagined that Carlos and Carmen, now 6 and 9, also might be developing brains especially adept at ignoring distractions and better able to withstand aging.

“This is incredible,” said the children’s mother, Irene BersolaNguyen, a child development lecturer at California State University, Sacramento, who has been trading delighted e-mails with friends and colleagues about the latest study on the bilingual brain.

A team of Canadian researchers who studied people being treated for dementia found that those who regularly used two languages reported their first symptoms of a fading mind about four years later than those who used only one language.

That work, published in February’s edition of the journal Neuropsychologia, follows a 2004 study that found older bilingual people were better at paying close attention despite distractions.

“Language pays off big-time,” said Ellen Bialystok, lead researcher on both studies and a scientist with the Baycrest Research Centre for Aging and the Brain in Toronto.

Bialystok and others cautioned that so many factors contribute to healthy aging, it would be premature to say language skills definitely delay dementia. Still, growing indications that bilingualism may deliver lifelong benefits in cognition have captured the attention of educators and researchers.

“Ellen Bialystok is a pioneer in this field, and she’s generating quite a buzz,” said Tamar Gollan, a University of California, San Diego, psychiatry professor who studies bilingualism. “People all over the world are replicating her findings for some of her earlier work.”

Few places in the United States have more at stake in understanding the bilingual brain than California, where a staggering 42 percent of people age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home. In Sacramento County, it’s 29 percent.

With the immigrant population and the proportion of those who are fully bilingual both expected to grow, California could be a living laboratory for examining the impact of what can be gained — and lost — from speaking more than one language.

There are clearly losses as well as gains, said Gollan, whose own research probes the subtle deficits of bilinguals. Yet when she weighed them, she came down soundly on the side of raising her own small children with two languages.

Bialystok, who began studying bilingual kids decades ago, believes one key to their special brainpower lies in the way they must constantly decide which language to use and which to suppress. For people who use two languages daily, “every time you want to speak one language, the other language is activated” in the brain as well, she said.

“That means you need a mechanism so that you’re only drawing from the right pool (of words),” she said. “It’s going be a mechanism that works extremely fast … while you’re producing sentences. It’s way below your radar for detecting what’s happening.”

So bilinguals get far more practice than monolinguals in using the part of the brain that focuses our attention, helping us sort through conflicting information and ignore distractions. Using two languages seems to bolster rapid decision-making, multi-tasking and perhaps memory.

To measure the effect in older adults, Bialystok used one of the many psychological tests designed to confound us, because we have to respond to information with conflicting cues. It may be a picture that requires you to move your left hand, which shows up on the right side of a computer screen. Or it may be the word “green,” written in red letters.

In such tests, bilingual people in their 70s did noticeably better than monolingual people. With lots of practice, the one-language speakers eventually caught up.

Fergus Craik, a senior scientist

Hector Amezcua/Sacramento Bee BUDDING BILLINGUISTS: Ayla Maria De Jesus, 9, and classmate Carmen Nguyen, 9, talk during class at the Language Academy of Sacramento, Feb. 2.

at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute who collaborates with Bialystok, said ongoing research seems to point to memory advantages. Bilingualism may bolster the kind of memory that lets us recall specific things that happened to us or recognize a person out of context, Craik said.

Both researchers suspect that bilingualism may delay dementia in the same way that other intense mental activity is believed to, whether it’s playing an instrument or solving puzzles.

Not everyone is convinced the “use it or lose it” strategy for maintaining a healthy brain has been proven, but it’s something “we’re all thinking about,” said Dr. Charles DeCarli, a University of California, Davis neurology professor who heads the UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

“To the authors’ credit, they’re not saying that learning a language at age 50 is going to help

you. In that regard, they’re very cautious,” DeCarli said.

While he wouldn’t discourage anyone from studying a language, he recommends exercise, eating right and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol as surer bets for adults who want to delay dementia, based on what is known today.

DeCarli suspects further research may eventually trace the greatest brain-boosting advantages of bilingualism to childhood, between birth and ages 14 to 18, when crucial connections in the brain are being forged. When kids grow up speaking multiple languages, the same word juggling that helps them fend off distraction also exacts a price — on vocabulary and on speed.

“For every single object or concept, if you’re bilingual, you have two labels, and it takes additional time to learn twice as many words,” University of California, San Diego researcher Gollan

said. “It doesn’t come for free.”

Using their strongest language, bilingual people take just the tiniest bit longer — about 8/100th of a second more — to name an object when they’re shown its picture, Gollan said.

When they’re asked to rattle off lists, such as all the words you can think of in one minute that start with “S” or all the animals you can think of, they can’t list as many. The difficulties that bilinguals have in their best language follow the same pattern as the difficulties that monolingual people with Alzheimer’s have on such tests — somewhat weaker with letter lists and more impaired with categories such as animals, Gollan said. Most of the effects are so slight a bilingual person would probably never notice, she said, but they’re still important to understand.

“In the world, it’s probable that bilinguals outnumber monolinguals,” Gollan said, yet most of

the research into language processing, cognitive skills and aging is done on monolingual subjects.

One cognitive problem that bilingual people might notice, Gollan added, is that they’re likelier to struggle with that “tip of the tongue” sensation, when they know a word but for a fleeting moment can’t produce it.

So far, that hasn’t bothered Carlos and Carmen Nguyen of Sacramento, although both admit they fumble the most in Vietnamese. Their best language is English, their mother said, with Spanish a close second because they attend a dual-language immersion school.

The kids like the way languages let them reach out to cousins, grandparents and friends. And Carmen, who just took third place in a national essay contest about bilingualism, isn’t ready to stop at four.

Next, she plans to learn French.

University students on alert after HIV-positive prostitute visits dorms

By Christine Olley and Diana Huynh Philadelphia Daily News (MCT) CHEYNEY, Pa. — Cheyney University is on edge after the arrest of a woman who school police said had been soliciting students for sex and indicated to cops she is HIV-positive.

Sakinah Floyd, 36, of Upper Darby, Pa., was arrested Thursday by university police on pros-

titution charges, according to Joseph Brielmann, spokesman for the Delaware County district attorney’s office.

A statement from Cheyney University said the woman visited two dorms — Truth and Yarnall halls — on the school’s Delaware County campus.

While in police custody, she indicated that she is HIV-positive, something that has students all over campus very nervous.

“We’re just worried that it

will cast a negative light on the university, and we are especially worried about the welfare of the people here on campus,” said one female student, who didn’t give her name.

The woman, a resident of King Hall, said all the students in her dorm are taking advantage of the free testing.

“Safe sex is always the best sex,” the female student said.

“I feel bad for everybody else though, especially for the fe-

males on campus with boyfriends who may have been creeping around — there is no way for them to know.”

A male student, who declined to give his name, said tension was very high among his classmates after news spread quickly Sunday, some students — angered over the negative publicity surrounding the incident — yelled and cursed at reporters.

“Everybody is scared right

now, but really to be honest, what I would like to see is more unity and more intelligence when people make decisions because it’s bad and it really makes us look bad,” said the male student.

Students said they learned of the incident Thursday through fliers that were passed out on campus.

Campus officials are urging anyone who might have had sexual contact with the woman to seek medical treatment and

HIV/AIDS testing, which the university is offering at no cost.

Brielmann said Floyd has been charged with two counts of prostitution, aggravated assault, open lewdness, recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct involving at least two Cheyney students.

Floyd is being held at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility on $30,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is expected this week.

NEWS

Page 4 - The University Star

COAL: Pollution expected to cause approx. 240 premature deaths a year

f

Cotton Miller/Star photo COVERING UP: Damon Jones, a protester, uses a gas mask in place of signs to voice his disapproval of the proposed coal-burning plants Sunday afternoon in Austin.

CONTINUED from page 1

moving backward. There’s always a chance, even in Austin, Texas, that common sense can prevail.”

Anderson said he wants to give experts and officials more time to gather and analyze information so they can correctly gauge the effects the coal plants could have on the region. The executive order cut the amount of time for hearing the cases from 18 months to six months — not nearly enough time to analyze the massive amount of data, critics say.

“Nobody knows what the cumulative effects of these plants will be,” Anderson said. “The Environmental Protection Agency

sent a letter to the (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) saying they didn’t look at the cumulative effects of (the coal plants) before they approved the permits.”

Considering the state already has a pollution problem, with Houston, Dallas and its outlying areas consistently ranking in the top 10 of the most polluted cities in the U.S., opponents of the coal plants say the environmental and health impacts will be even more far-reaching.

According to www.dirtymoney. org, 11 of the coal plants, which are projected to be built by Texas Utilities Co., TXU, will emit “78 million tons of additional carbon … into our atmosphere every

year for the next 50 years ... This is like adding 14 million new cars and SUVs to our roads every year — for the next 50 years.”

In June 2006, Texas was also labeled as No. 1 in the nation for the largest overall increase in carbon dioxide emissions, at 178 percent, between 1960 and 2001.

Cars and power plants were listed in the Environment Texas study as leading contributors to the increase.

Despite the EPA’s recognized impact of increased carbon dioxide emissions on the ozone, the governmental organization does not officially acknowledge it as a pollutant. A decision regarding whether or not the EPA can regulate carbon dioxide emissions is still pending in the Supreme Court.

Greg Scheff, a family practice physician and vice president for the Austin chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility, said the coal plants could also pose a major health risk for Texans.

“Patients with asthma and chronic lung disease crowd the waiting room of my clinic and emergency rooms across our state,” Scheff said. “Already, pregnant women and young children are advised against eating fish from many Texas lakes and the Gulf of Mexico due to mercury poisoning from our coal plants. Some say that more coal plants will help our economy, but they are not factoring health care costs into that equation.”

According to a Texas Public Citizen news release, “pollution from the proposed power plants will cause approximately 240 premature mortalities per year and 11,993 premature mortalities over the expected lifetimes of the plants.”

Rachael Harif, freshman at Westwood High School in Round Rock and member of the school’s environmental club, put the mortality figure in a different perspective.

“That’s 1,000 people per gubernatorial term,” she said to the crowd of demonstrators.

Perry defended his position in a Sept. 17 Dallas Morning News column titled, “Gov. Rick Perry: Why did I cut the red tape?” He said he issued the executive order to deal with the increased

need and rising cost for electricity in the state.

“This order maintains every current environmental standard, so the proposed TXU coal plants won’t be approved unless they are safe for our air,” Perry said.

Perry’s press office would not return The University Star’s phone calls.

Anderson tried to take some of the blame away from the governor, saying Perry made a ‘very prudent’ decision at the time because of Hurricane Katrina and Rita and the high demand for electricity.

Today, Anderson said, the state is not facing an immediate crisis.

TXU, the largest manufacturer of electricity in Texas, has been receiving particular attention, not only in the state media, but nationwide. The company and the coal plant situation in Texas have been featured in recent publications like the Wall Street Journal, Fortune and Rolling Stone magazine.

“Just as mainstream America is finally starting to see and believe the effects of global warming, when our policy makers are finally starting to drop some legislation to curb global warming, when new businesses are popping up even outside Austin and San Francisco that are profiteering from clean air technologies, that TXU is not only standing in the way of progress, but will literally take us back years and years in our fight to stop global warming,” said Julie Wolk, organizer for the Rainforest Action Network.

RAN is focusing their energies on the financial side of TXU’s project, which is an estimated $11 billion, or $1 billion per plant. Wolk said her organization is working on discouraging the three leading financers of the project — Citibank, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley.

“We want to show them this investment is just too toxic to touch,” she said.

If the funding can be cut off, Wolk said, then the project can be stopped.

“They’re getting scared, we’re making them nervous,” she said.

“In fact, 20 banks have already told us they won’t touch TXU.”

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

SUPPORT CONTINUED from page 1

for certain cancers, especially those of the liver, esophagus, throat and larynx. It can also cause liver cirrhosis, immune system problems, brain damage and harm to the fetus during pregnancy.

“I know there’s nothing I

can do for (my mother) and I have my own life to worry about now,” Smallwood said.

“It’s hard but it has to be done.

People need to know that it’s not their fault.”

For counseling or information, contact Texas State’s Alcohol and Drug Resource Center at www.adrc.txstate.edu.

ASG CONTINUED from page 1

Senators Enoch Castleberry and Kuykendall will assume authorship of the legislation.

As authors they will be able to make changes to the proposed piece of legislation.

“It is too important of an issue to be voted down or killed,” Castleberry said.

The bill will come back on next week’s agenda as old business, however, it will still continue as Senate Reformation. Changes could be made to it, Quillin said.

If the bill is not passed at the next meeting, then it will not be able to come back up for debate until the fall of 2008.

President Kyle Morris strongly supported the legislation in his presidential address.

He said it would provide student empowerment and give ASG the voice it needs.

“Student government is going to grow,” Morris said. “The legislative branch is the most diverse and would give them the opportunity to seize the day.”

Howard Williams, San Marcos police chief, also spoke to the Senate.

Williams briefly talked about making off-campus students aware of noise ordinances and creating a compromise between the students and the community.

“The number one 911 emergency calls are noise complaints,” Williams said. “Out of all the calls we receive, one third of them will receive citations while the other two thirds have no action.”

He also mentioned outreach programs being created for sororities and fraternities to make them aware of noise ordinances in addition to solutions to ease complaints from San Marcos residents. Information for students moving off campus is provided by Texas State. The university provides pamphlets explaining common issues for new off-campus residents.

Ruben Becerra, owner of Gils Broiler, addressed the Senate on parking issues at Nelson Center and announced that he was running for the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees.

New Senate appointments included Brandon Schawe of the McCoy College of Business, Sarah Stone of the College of Liberal Arts and Emily Trepanier of the College of Fine Arts and Communication.

Senior Leigh Gibson was also appointed to the Scholarship Selection Committee for the ASG scholarship, where an estimated $280,000 is available to be awarded to students.

WATER CONTINUED from page 1

courtyard.

“The residents all love hanging out in the courtyard — it is such a nice, relaxing place,” said Lauria Womack, interdisciplinary studies junior and resident assistant at Arnold. “(The workers) dug a bunch of holes trying to find the leak and after all the rain and humidity, the courtyard is like a giant mud field.”

The old pipe system at Arnold has caused problems in

the past. Last semester, the leaky pipes left the residents without hot water, making the commute to shower at neighboring dorms a familiar ritual.

The Physical Plant is working throughout campus to update the piping systems. Ellis said Old Main was without water Saturday as workers installed additional valves to better isolate future leaks.

“We are working around campus,” he said. “Arnold Hall is a good candidate for total restoration.”

TRENDS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

releasesof the week West — Lucinda Williams

music

Spectres and Some Enchanted Evening — Blue Oyster Cult

Van Morrison at the Movies: Soundtrack Hits — Van Morrison

dvd

The Departed — (R) Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon

The Prestige — (PG-13) Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale

The Infernal Affairs Trilogy — (R) Andy Lau, Tony Leung

Tuesday, February 13, 2007 - Page 5

Trends Contact — Maira Garcia, starentertainment@txstate.edu

‘Only art will save us’ Mexican Americans get belated time to shine at symposium

By Maira Garcia The University Star Hecho en Tejas wasn’t made in Texas, but that’s only the beginning.

The Southwestern Writers Collection celebrated the launch of Hecho en Tejas: an Anthology of Texas Mexican Literature Saturday with a symposium featuring music, food, panels and readings from writers such as Sandra Cisneros, Christine Granados and Arturo Madrid. The book is the first to compile writings of Texas Mexican-American writers, musicians and spoken word artists.

In addition to celebrating the launch of Hecho en Tejas with over 350 guests, English professor Dagoberto Gilb, who edited the anthology, announced that the Texas House of Representatives declared Feb. 10 as Hecho en Tejas Day. Resolution H.R. No. 285 was proposed

by Rep. Roberto R. Alonzo and recognizes the significance of the book as preserving the voice of Mexican-Americans.

Gilb said the writers in the anthology are part of the Mexican-American cultural legacy that is ignored by the dominating culture in Texas. He said he tried to provide an in-depth view of all the aspects of Texas Mexican-Americans.

The book is segmented into decades to reflect the variety of voices from different eras. “(Hecho en Tejas) is organized like a family in that the writers are not talking about the same subject. You get different things from different writers and see a 360 (degree) aspect of the culture,” he said. “I tried to find things that would teach younger Mexican-Americans about their culture because there is zero recorded history and I’m talking about even from the past 30 years.”

Gilb said Hecho en Tejas is a tool to teach younger generations of MexicanAmericans about their history that he believes they are eager to learn about.

“When you see those kids out there that look like the janitors and your gardeners, they’re getting an education and they want to know about their culture. They’ll be interested in their culture and be proud of their culture,” Gilb said.

Cisneros expressed her anger at not having the book published by a Texas press, but instead by the University of New Mexico Press. She said it has to do with Texas’ subtle racism and the state’s inability to recognize MexicanAmericans as important cultural contributors.

“This book ought to make Texas ashamed. Deben de sentir vergüenza.

Look at how fat this book is. It’s got hecho en Nuevo Mexico,” she said.

“What does that say about Tejas? We couldn’t get (University of Texas Press) to say, yes this is important.”

While Cisneros said she would have like to seen such an anthology materialize sooner, she said she was glad it was finally here.

“This is a start, a late start. It should give the readers a sense of shame and sadness that this wasn’t done sooner, but we’re glad this is here at last,” Cisneros said. “We have to do a lot of work to educate a very colonized community.”

Tony Díaz, director of Nuestra Palabra and English professor at Houston Community College, moderated the first panel in which he tried to place the anthology in a historical context.

“This anthology could have been published 10, 20, 30 years ago, but the intense part of it is that the players were only in place now, such as Dagoberto Gilb (and) Texas State. It took the writers that were around to have that audience for this to exist now,” he said.

Now that the anthology has been created, Díaz said the next step for MexicanAmericans is simply to continue writing.

“They summed it up: only art can save

Jon Clark/Star photo ARTISTS GATHER: Arturo Madrid (left) talks with Sandra Cisneros Saturday, prior to the Hecho en Tejas panel discussion on the seventh floor of Alkek Library.

us. That’s really it. This whole project started out by saying we have important voices, our stories matter and we will pursue that,” Díaz said. “They’re right, it is a revolution, because in the end if you don’t write, nobody cares.”

Granados, who graduated from the Masters of Fine Arts creative writing program in 2005, has her short story “Pecados” in the anthology. She said she did not know of any Hispanic writers growing up.

“This book to me is very important because I grew up in El Paso, I went to high school there and I didn’t read a single Latino writer until I was in college,” she said.

Macarena del Rocio Hernández, who is also included in the anthology, said

she noticed the lack of interest by students when it came to their studies when she taught high school remedial English.

“I found this disengagement and it really troubled me and it’s something we should all be concerned about whether we’re black, brown, white, yellow because Texas is changing and we are losing a lot of our kids especially Latino kids,” she said. “I was looking at the curriculum and I thought ‘God this crap is so freakin’ boring.’ I don’t want to teach it. If I can’t teach it, these kids are not going to want to learn it.”

Hernández said when students don’t see themselves in the literature they read they will not be interested.

Cisneros said Hecho en Tejas was an

act of defiance by Mexican-Americans.

She said the Mexican-Americans have been treated like slaves and are finally breaking the chains.

“This book is part of an anti-slavery act against slavery. It’s an act of resistance. It’s the place where we get to educate people to tell our story,” she said.

“We didn’t just move here, we’ve been here a long time. There are our papers for a community sin papeles.”

Gilb said he wants the anthology to be a resource for Texans and MexicanAmericans.

“I want it to be a community object.

Everyone in the book has been enthusiastic,” Gilb said. “I can’t imagine anyone would have a negative complaint. It makes me very proud.”

Civil rights photographer, hero presents work on campus Small Texas town drowning in

By Jeffery D. Hooten The University Star

“It brought back memories for me,” Miller said. “The younger generation is sometimes unMatt Herron’s photography aware of this part of our history, brought some of the first imag- and it was an outstanding prees of the civil rights movement sentation.” to the nation’s coffee tables, Prior to the reception, Hermaking those issues tangible ron spoke in Dave Nolan’s vifor American society. sual communications course in Herron Alkek Teachspoke Moning Theater. day at a He outlined reception the distinchonoring his tion between work, which photojournalis on display ism, social in the Lampadocumentar y sas Building. photog r aphy Herron’s and photographotographs phy as propaof the strugganda. gle for votHerron ex— Matt Heron ing rights in plained his civil rights photojournalist Mississippi motivation for during the going to the mid-sixties — South at the featured in such publications as beginning of his career in 1963 Life, Look and Time — are con- was to give his work social relsidered by some to have been evance. instrumental in the civil rights “The action was all in the movement and passage of the South,” said Herron. “You’ve 1965 Voting Rights Act. got to be where the action is.”

At the reception, Herron preHerron also described the sented photos not in the exhibit relationship between photograand described his experiences pher and subject, and the guidein the South during the time of lines he established for himself social upheaval. during his work in Mississippi.

“Mississippi was the crucible “When the situation gets for the social change that oc- hot, you can move right in — no curred in the decades later,” one stops you, they’re all too Herron said. wrapped up in what’s going on,” Herron also detailed the Herron said. “Sometimes you role of nonviolent resistance in can tell the story without any the pursuit of equality in civil people at all.” rights.

Later in the evening, Herron “I think the civil rights move- gave another presentation in ment was the first movement the Alkek Theater. He discussed in this country to consciously specific events in the civil rights adopt a policy of nonviolence movement including the marchand carry it out,” said Herron. es from Selma, to Montgomery, “Nonviolence involved very pub- Ala. led by Dr. King among othlic suffering and then broadcast- ers. ing that suffering to the rest of “Selma was a great time in the nation.” my life,” said Herron. “I spent Harvey Miller, who in 1963 five days walking 50 miles filed suit for integration of backwards shooting the whole schools in Georgetown, at- thing.” tended the reception. Miller’s During a question and answer collection of magazine covers segment at the conclusion of and articles depicting Martin the presentation, Herron said Luther King, Jr. are also part of that he was bothered by the apthe exhibit. athy of students today during a

spent “I five days walking 50

miles backwards shooting the whole thing.”

time when he sees a huge need for a strong social movement.

“Our civil liberties are being trespassed on big time,” said Herron. “I think right now is the most dangerous time for democracy that I’ve seen, and people should be out in the streets.”

Reagan Pugh, English junior, attended the reception and presentation later that evening and said that he agreed with Herron’s sentiments.

“It’s easy in retrospect to say it’s good that they stood up and said those things then,” Pugh said. “Unfortunately (apathy) is embedded in our culture right now.”

Following the presentation, an installment of the Eyes on the Prize documentary series was screened.

Herron’s photography will be on display until Feb 24. in Lampasas, Room 407.

FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT: Civil rights photographer Matt Heron gives a talk Monday in the Alkek Teaching Theater about his photographs documenting the struggle for voting rights in the South.

Monty Marion/Star photo

media after Anna Nicole’s death

By David Tarrant The Dallas Morning News MEXIA — The convoys of TV trucks, bristling with antennae, started rolling into this small town as soon as the news broke last week. Reporters were desperately seeking someone, anyone, with the slightest connection to Anna Nicole Smith.

The 39-year-old starlet, who collapsed and died suddenly, always claimed that the rural East Texas community, 90 miles southeast of Dallas, had played an essential role in the story of her life.

She fled Mexia in her late teens for a new life as a bigcity bad girl. In Houston, she became a topless dancer, a Playboy centerfold, designer

jeans model and bride of an oil billionaire more than 60 years her senior.

But many of the 6,700 residents of Mexia (pronounced Muh-HEY-uh) appear to be just as desperate to put a distance between their city and the celebrity.

They want no part of this passion play.

Mexia, like many small towns, would like to attract more attention — but not this kind. Residents would like to see more businesses moving in.

Young people would like more things to do. Everybody would like to feel that life isn’t passing him or her by.

See SMITH, page 6

TRENDS/DIVERSIONS

Page 6 - The University Star

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

✯Star Comics

Photo courtesy of American Idol HEADED TO HOLLYWOOD: Jimmy McNeal, music-sound recording technology senior, will be auditioning for a spot on the final live competition of American Idol.

An Idol of our own:

Jimmy McNeal official finalist

By Clara Cobb The University Star Jimmy McNeal, FCA president and resident assistant has added another title to his résumé— American Idol finalist.

McNeal, music-sound recording technology senior, was the last to audition and the last accepted finalist for Hollywood after a San Antonio audition, which aired Wednesday. Idol judge Simon Cowell compared McNeal, who sang a medley of Sam Cooke’s “Cupid” and “Another Saturday Night,” to Ruben Studdard, season two winner, calling NcNeal a “fun little Ruben.”

Following the audition, in an interview with American Idol host Ryan Seacrest, McNeal called the audition “amazingly beautiful.”

Today, San Marcos and Texas State can tune in again to see how Waxahachie native McNeal fares in Hollywood and if the audition process there will be as beautiful for the 23-year-old student.

Since the San Antonio audition, McNeal’s MySpace.com page has been flooded with con-

gratulatory comments and support. Texas State students have created a Facebook.com group, “Vote for Jimmy!!!,” which currently has 2,268 members. Several watch parties have been arranged, including one 7 p.m.

Tuesday at the LBJ Student Center Teaching Theater, reserved by the school of music.

Bobby Arnold, sound recording engineer, is one of McNeal’s instructors. He said McNeal just needs “to be Jimmy” to have a strong presence in the competition.

“He’s a wonderful human being and obviously very talented,” Arnold said. “I have to say we’ve been proud of Jimmy long before this ever happened. He really is a fine human.”

This is the sixth season for the popular Fox television show, which has launched the careers of Kelly Clarkson, Kellie Pickler, Studdard, Taylor Hicks and Carrie Underwood, who won two Grammy awards Sunday.

American Idol was not the first to recognize McNeal’s talent. In 2004, he won first place in the Student Association for Campus Activities annual homecoming talent show in the indi-

vidual category.

Mark Erickson, director of recording arts, said in addition to having a great voice, McNeal is also a very good piano player.

“I’ll be glued to my TV,” he said. “There’s no guarantee you’ll even see him, but I’m cheering for him. So far it’s been really exciting.”

The school of music has posted flyers around campus to raise awareness and give McNeal support as he auditions once again.

Of the 172 hopefuls performing in the Hollywood audition show today and Wednesday, 24 will make the final live competition on the show.

“He’s just a really nice young man,” Erikson said. “Everybody knows him, everybody likes him.

He’s got a contagious attitude you just wish everyone had.”

✯FYI Watch American Idol / Jimmy McNeal LBJ Student Center Teaching Theater 7 p.m. Tuesday

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

Thursday’s solutions:

© Pappocom Thursday’s solutions:

OPINIONS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

Tuesday, February 13, 2007 - Page 7

onlineconnection Do you agree with Provost Perry Moore’s recommendation to remove philosophy from the core curriculum but keep university seminar and speech communication exempt from consideration? Go to www.UniversityStar.com to vote in our online poll. Results will be published in Thursday’s issue of The University Star. *This is not a scientific poll

Opinions Contact — Emily Messer, staropinion@txstate.edu

THE MAIN POINT

F

ebruary is Black History Month, a time set aside for U.S. citizens to acknowledge the integral part African-Americans had in building this country and shaping its culture.

Black History Month generally results in a media frenzy to bring recognition to black figures in our history and our communities. The University Star makes no exception to the mainstream media standard of only providing coverage of African-American culture during February. This is something The Star needs to change, as does almost every other media outlet in the nation.

Black History Month is an important time for our country. European colonists brought Africans over as slaves, and those slaves were crucial to the creation of our country.

Since then, others of African descent have come to the U.S. to help build this country to what we see today. Just this weekend Barack Obama, an African-American who did not descend from slaves, officially announced his candidacy for U.S. President.

It’s important that Black History Month not be considered a penance for evils the U.S. has committed to its black citizens. African-Americans from all backgrounds have contributed greatly to our society, and to treat this month as compensation for past crimes is not appropriate.

It is important that we take this month seriously and remember what black citizens of the U.S. have done.

But this isn’t the only time of the year to do so.

The Star must do a better job of covering all cultures at all times of the year. We need to make an effort to not cover black figures and issues affecting African-Americans only during February. There are many African-Americans who have made a lasting impact on this community, and we need to take the steps to tell their stories without having to be reminded of it by a themed month.

It’s important we do this so that when Star reporters graduate, they take an awareness of other cultures to their new jobs. It’s also important we do this so when Texas State students who read The Star graduate, they are aware of the contributions people from different cultures have made to this country and their communities.

But right now, it’s most important we take the remainder of this month to celebrate African-American culture and the lasting impact it has made on the U.S.

NOT JUST FEBRUARY Black History Month means more than media obligation

Letter to the Editor Black Men United fosters important discussion We are in the midst of Black History Month and I have noticed the articles in the last few issues regarding Black History Month. However, I think it is imperative that we acknowledge the black community here at Texas State.

I am a Caucasian male, and I am on the executive board of Black Men United. At our meetings every Thursday night, we sit and discuss the issues that affect our lives every day and figure out ways to better the community at not only Texas State, but the world. The meeting topics vary each week; some topics have included stereotypes, being successful while growing up in a single-parent home and HIV/ AIDS. The organization does a lot for the black community here at Texas State by having fellowships for the members and special events sponsored by the organization itself, as well as participating in various on and off campus community service activities. I am honored to be a member of this organization, but I feel the campus should recognize the accomplishments of the organization as well as the drive of the organization, which is to encourage diversity. I am sure that there are many other great organizations on campus, and not to discredit any other organizations on campus, but this is what I know.

Ryan Karpel undecided sophomore

Drinking laws prove inconsistent The article on alcohol and Texas State skips the most important question in a discussion of underage drinking: the split majority. I believe that the right to consume alcohol is the only right of adulthood not granted at 18. Either the decision to drink is the most important a person will ever make, needing three more years of maturity than any other privilege, or there is a double standard at work. I have never heard a philosophically sound argument for the split majority. Either the age of majority should be moved to 21 or the drinking age raised to 45 or 50 (when you need it for cardiac health) or lowered again. Positing the decision to drink as requiring more maturity than the decision to sign binding contracts, get married or vote strikes me as ridiculous.

Tom Cuddy history junior

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.

Kelly Simmons/Star illustration

Financial aid plan offers students a double-edged sword plan that cuts it. The price On your of college has continually mark. Get set. increased every year since Graduate. tuition deregulation and the A part of Gov. cost of living has skyrocketed.

Rick Perry’s With the additional expenses new proposal students are now seeing each on mandatory exit exams for STEPHANIE SILVAS year, it is only fair to increase higher educafinancial aid to help low-inStar Columnist tion sounds come families get a higher more like a race to the podium education. than a strategy for success.

The incentives proposed Perry proposed a plan that under Perry’s plan would focus will increase financial aid by on students at risk and students $363 million, award cash incenmajoring in engineering, math, tives to colleges for graduating physical science, nursing, students, implement mandatory computer science, allied health exit exams and require students and math and science teacher who do not graduate within a education, according to the certain timeline to pay back article. Schools will be awarded certain grants, according to for each student who graduates an Austin American-Statesman and receive additional awards article. for students graduating in the It is exciting to see a proposal focus areas. that actually increases governThe incentives will help popument assistance instead of a late fields that lack the numbers

The University Star 601 University Drive Trinity Building San Marcos, TX 78666 Phone: (512) 245-3487 Fax: (512) 245-3708

required to serve the masses.

The incentives will trickle down from schools graduating the students to every citizen who comes into contact with those fields. Our education system will benefit, our medical system will benefit and in turn our families will benefit.

But with all the perks of the proposal, there is a catch. The proposal also includes implementing mandatory exit exams for all graduating students. The exams would not determine a student’s eligibility for graduation, but would determine the amount a school would be awarded upon the student’s graduation.

Standardized testing has always been a controversial issue.

And it should be. A student’s success cannot be determined with a standardized test. Instructors measure a student’s

Editor In Chief...................................Jason Buch, stareditor@txstate.edu Managing Editor.........................Emily Messer, staropinion@txstate.edu News Editor..............................Nick Georgiou, starnews@txstate.edu Trends Editor....................Maira Garcia, starentertainment@txstate.edu Photo Editor...................................Monty Marion, starphoto@txstate.edu Sports Editor..................................Chris Boehm, starsports@txstate.edu

knowledge with several factors including attendance, participation and projects.

It is unclear why the proposal includes such an incentive while it already contains financial awards for colleges that graduate students. Why should schools be awarded for graduating good test-takers as well?

If this part of the plan is approved, we may start seeing the problems in our universities that public schools are having.

Professors who are enticed with incentives will begin teaching the material students need to succeed on the exam instead of the material students need to succeed in their career.

Perry also proposes that students receiving the Texas Technology Grant who do not graduate on time will have to pay back all of the grant, according the governor’s Web site. It

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is frightening to see the proposal shifting in this direction.

Once something like this is approved, it becomes easier to put restrictions on all aid recipients.

The proposal includes an exception for hardships, according to the Web site. However, they are not clarified.

Even with an exception for students who may fall ill or have some extraordinary circumstance, I find it highly irresponsible to include a proposal that would require students to pay back grants.

Most students receive aid because they cannot pay for their education out-of-pocket. The repayment would only snowball into more student debt.

It is also important to understand that students who do not graduate on time are not only those who party too much and choose to make a career out

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of being students, but also students who work extremely hard to better themselves.

Some students work full-time while going to school and are unable to take a full load each semester. Some change their degree plans and need more time to finish school. Others simply need to take fewer courses per semester in order to be successful. To punish students who are struggling to make a better life for themselves and their families is a huge mistake.

Reform for any government aid is necessary in order to weed out those who take advantage of the system. However it is better to give a little assistance to 10 people who may not need it than to deny aid from one person who honestly does.

Stephanie Silvas is a mass communication senior 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 February 13, 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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Check your classified ad for accuracy. Any changes must be made by the second day of publication.

The deadline for all classified ads is noon two business days prior to publication. Classified ads must be paid in advance unless credit has been established. Refunds will only be given when a classified ad has been paid by credit card. The Star reserves the right to refuse, edit, and discontinue any classified ad at any time without prior notification. Classified ads will be edited for style purposes. Classified ads that do not note heading, will be put under the appropriate heading. All classified ads are published free, on-line at www.universitystar.com. Since this is a free service, posting is not guaranteed. While The University Star attempts to screen ads for misleading claims or illegal content, it is not possible for us to investigate every ad and advertiser. Please use caution when answering ads, especially any which require you to send money in advance.

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SPORTS

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

The University Star - Page 9

RECRUITS: Miller one of 17 new Bobcats after National Signing Day

Photo courtesy Ernie Welch/Capitol Photographs STAYING CLOSE: San Marcos high school football star T.P. Miller (33) signed his National Letter of Intent Wednesday for Texas State, enabling him to stay close to home while continuing his career.

CONTINUED from page 10

Nest said. “On offense, we started giving him the ball more and he turned into a playmaker.”

Van Nest’s role in Miller’s recruitment was merely to put together highlight films of him and send them to whichever schools were interested.

“We don’t try to steer kids one way or another,” Van Nest said.

“That’s a decision they need to make with their parents.”

Miller said he has talked to Canady, his former teammate, but was careful to point out he wasn’t breaking any rules by doing so.

“I heard a story about a USC recruit talking to Reggie Bush and now they are under investigation, but it’s different here, because he is a current player,” Miller said.

Miller was named to the District 25-5A First-Team as both a running back and defensive back.

He averaged 10 yards per carry and was a three-year starter on defense. He amassed 1,102 yards on 111 carries in 2006, after struggling at the beginning of the year, according to Van Nest.

Van Nest said Miller’s personality and character shine as much as his statistical accolades.

“He’s a great kid,” Van Nest said. “He’s a good student, he was Homecoming king and his teachers really like him. He’s just an all-around solid guy.”

Miller will join 16 other recruits at Texas State and is one of four newcomers expected to play defensive back. While Miller is still unsure if he will redshirt his first year and whether he’ll live on campus or at home, he is planning big things for the football team.

“My goal is to win the Southland Conference, then go on to nationals,” Miller said. “To do that, I have to start by really working hard this summer.”

✯

Texas State Football 2007 Signing Class

Name

Position

Previous school

Anthony Bell Daren Dillard Gunter Elenburg D.J. Hall Michael Hughes Bryan Iwuji Steven Kenney Derek Lopez Jason Martinson T.P. Miller Ray Parker Patrick Roberts Corey Scott Garrett Vavala Jon Vernon Brian Williams Derrick Wilson

DE/LB QB ATH OL OL LB OL DB WR DB DL DB WR TE OL DB RB/LB

Mansfield Summit High School Lakeview Centennial High School Jacksboro High School Palestine High School Sachse High School Hebron High School Pearland High School South Grand Prairie High School Birdville High School San Marcos High School Chaffey College Fort Scott Community College Cuero High School St. Anthony High School Port Arthur Memorial High School Rice Consolidated High School East Bernard High School

Men’s basketball suffers weekend defeats

By Nathan Brooks The University Star The road to the Southland Conference Tournament seems to be disappearing in the distance for the Bobcats, who suffered a pair of losses to McNeese State and Lamar over the weekend.

The Bobcats fought their way back from a 20-point deficit against McNeese State Thursday night at Strahan Coliseum, only to have the Cowboys walk off the floor with a 67-65 victory amid confusion and controversy.

Texas State forwards Brent Holder and Dylan Moseley sparked a 23-8 run late in the game to tie the contest 63-63 with one minute and four seconds remaining in regulation. But the next 64 seconds became a physical free-for-all, marred by questionable officiating.

After Holder drained the tying threepointer from the right wing with 1:04 remaining, McNeese State forward John Pichon quickly responded with a short jumper of his own, giving the Cowboys a 65-63 lead with 40 seconds left on the clock.

Texas State turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and McNeese State capitalized with an Aldryan Wardell slam dunk, giving them a 67-63 lead with 13 seconds left on the clock.

The Bobcats hurried the ball up the court and sophomore forward Moseley launched a deep three-pointer from nearly 23 feet out but narrowly missed the basket. Moseley was fouled by John Ford and went to the line to shoot three free throws with only six seconds remaining.

He calmly nailed the first two and intentionally missed the last in a desperation move for an offensive rebound and put-back attempt.

The plan worked, with junior forward Brandon Thomas pulling down the rebound on the left block, but the flailing arms of several Cowboys defenders snuffed out his put-back attempt.

But it appeared the game wasn’t over

because an official’s whistle was heard before the clock ran out in regulation.

“They made a call,” junior forward Matt Fullenwider said. “But after their bench cleared, apparently the officials didn’t want to step up and say anything.”

The McNeese State bench quickly headed for the locker room while the officials convened to sort out the call. In the end, no call was made and the game ended with the Bobcats wondering what exactly happened in the waning seconds of regulation.

“I didn’t get an explanation (from the officials),” Coach Doug Davalos said. “It became a free-for-all in the lane. As you saw, it was the most physical six seconds of basketball I’ve ever seen.”

But the officiating wasn’t solely to blame for the loss. A sputtering offense and slow start by the Bobcats also contributed.

Texas State shot just 27.5 percent from the floor on the night, and scored nearly half its points in the final seven minutes and 30 seconds of the game.

“For whatever reason we started sluggish,” Davalos said. “But this team is never going to quit, I can promise you that. I’m not surprised we came back, but I’m surprised it happened so late.”

The Bobcats used the frustration from the McNeese State loss to jump out to an early 14-9 lead against Lamar Saturday in Beaumont, but it quickly fell apart behind hot shooting from the Cardinals.

Lamar guard Darren Hopkins sparked a 17-0 run in the latter part of the first half to build a 50-30 lead at halftime, a lead the Cardinals did not relinquish in a 96-69 route of Texas State.

Brent Holder led the Bobcats with 16 points off the bench. Brandon Bush broke out of a recent slump with 15 points, and Chris Agwumaro scored 14 and grabbed five rebounds.

Up next for Texas State is first-place Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 7 p.m.

Thursday at Strahan Coliseum.

Austin Byrd/Star photo COMING CLOSE: Sophomore guard Brandon Bush drives to the basket during Texas State’s game Thursday at Strahan Coliseum. The Bobcats clawed back from a 20-point deficit against the McNeese State Cowboys in the second half only to lose by two points in a controversial finish.

Softball sees single win in tournament

By Robyn Wolf The University Star Texas State softball was able to come out of this weekend’s CenturyTel tournament with a last-minute win Sunday over Texas-San Antonio, after dropping four decisions Friday and Saturday.

No.7-ranked Alabama punished the Bobcats 9-1 over five innings Friday, in the first-ever meeting between the two clubs. Games are called after five innings if a team has an eight-run advantage.

The Crimson Tide jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning beginning with a pair of RBI singles. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, an error was charged to Bobcat catcher Ashton Peters for not clamping down on a force-out throw to home from first baseman Leah Boatright. Two batters later, with the bags full, Lauren Parker hit a three-RBI triple to right field.

Alabama attacked again in the third, with three runs coming from a second bases-clearing triple. Alabama led 9-0 after three innings.

The Bobcats were able to break the shutout streak with an Alex Newton sacrifice fly to center in the top of the fifth, as Ryan Kos tagged up after a hitting a double and advancing to third with a fielder’s choice from Bobcat outfielder Jetta Weinheimer.

“Anytime you give a team like that six runs in the beginning, you’re in trouble,” Coach Ricci Woodard said. “I feel like we gave them those six runs in the beginning. If you don’t make the plays against good teams then you get beat 9-1.”

Ragan Blake pitched for the Bobcats, giving up nine runs on seven hits, four of them coming unearned.

“We went out there and did what we did, and we’ve got to just progress from here,” Blake said. “I was having an off-day; it wasn’t just the defense, it was the whole team.”

Texas State’s only win of the tournament came in Sunday’s consolation game, against the Roadrunners after losing the first contest between the two rivals. The Bobcats also lost to Oklahoma State and Alabama a second time over the weekend.

Blake earned her first victory as a Bobcat in a 3-0 shutout of UTSA, allowing just two hits while striking out seven.

The Bobcats took an early 1-0 firstinning lead when Ali McCormack singled to score Amy Krueger from second base.

McCormack added to the lead in the sixth inning with her first homerun of the season, a solo shot to right center. Boatright and Weinheimer added back-to-back doubles to give the Bobcats a 3-0 advantage.

“We just showed up ready to play, (and) stayed fired up and intense for the entire game,” Krueger said.

Friday UTSA rallied to edge the Bobcats 3-2. Texas State scored in the top of the second when Newton grabbed her second RBI of the day, on a fielder’s choice that scored McCormack. The Roadrunners answered back in the bottom of the inning with a run of their own to tie the game at 1-1.

Texas State retook the lead in the top of the fifth, when pinch hitter Chelsea Giroux drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Bobcats a 2-1 advantage. The Roadrunners bounced back in the bottom of the inning with two runs, coming off a two-RBI double to the left field wall from Jessica Rogers.

Bobcat senior pitcher Sarah Lancour picked up her first loss of the season, giving up three runs on five hits with four strikeouts.

“I felt good out there today, but we didn’t take advantage of what we needed to do,” Lancour said. “It’s an upsetting loss for us with UTSA being our rivals.”

Texas State trailed 3-1 to Oklahoma State after two innings in its first game Saturday. Despite Boatright’s first career homerun and an RBI from Newton, the Bobcats’ comeback effort fell short, as three Texas State errors allowed the Cowgirls to take the 4-3 victory.

“Obviously we weren’t playing at out highest potential,” Krueger said. “We started playing like a team though, and I think we turned things around by the end of the weekend.”

Blake’s record fell to 0-2 with the loss. The pitcher allowed four runs, one earned, on seven hits in four innings of work.

Alabama advanced to the championship game with a 3-0 win over the Bobcats in game two Saturday. Lancour took the loss.

“We left a lot of runners on base this weekend. But I think we played a great ballgame against Alabama,” Krueger said. “We definitely need to work on timely hits and scoring in clutch situations.”

Texas State will travel to Houston Thursday to take on the Cougars, Southern Illinois, Centenary College, Louisiana State, and Missouri State at the three-day Crowne Plaza Classic.

SPORTS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

racquet rules Texas State tennis won its home opener Friday, taking a 4-3 match over Texas-Pan American at the Texas State Tennis Complex. The Bobcats, 1-1, relied on the strength of singles victories from Ashley Ellis, Lainy Chafitz and Mackenzie Farmer. In doubles play, Chaifitz and Andrea Giraldo teamed up for one of two victories. Sumarie Muller and Ali Gulida picked up a win in doubles play as well. The Bobcats will host St. Edward’s 3 p.m.

Tuesday.

— Courtesy Athletic Media Relations

Tuesday, February 13, 2007 - Page 10

Sports Contact — Chris Boehm, starsports@txstate.edu

Baseball sweeps weekend series against Prairie View

Bobcats 9-1 at home after win Gabe Mendoza The University Star

Cotton Miller/Star photo TOUGH SLIDE: Junior Elliott Babcock slides into third during Saturday’s game at Bobcat Field. Texas State defeated A&M-Prairie View two games to none over the weekend.

By Jacob Mustafa The University Star The Bobcats continued their winning ways with two five-run victories over the previously undefeated Texas A&M-Prairie View this weekend at Bobcat Field.

The Texas State baseball team put together a strong offensive weekend, with 7-2 and 9-4 victories over the Panthers Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Bobcats, 5-1, were led by right fielder Aaron Garza’s 7-for-8 weekend, as the team as a whole batted .409.

“All things considered, because of all of the guys we’ve lost, I’ve been very pleased with our offense,” said Coach Ty Harrington.

Garza’s weekend included separate 3-for-4 and 4-for-4 nights, allowing him to score four runs and anchor the offense from the cleanup spot in the lineup.

“It’s the beginning of the season and I’m coming back from my wrist surgery,” said Garza.

“And with every game, I’m feeling more and more comfortable at the plate.”

The man who hit in front of Garza, first baseman David Wood, belted the first homerun of the season for the Bobcats Saturday afternoon, sending a two-run shot over the right field fence and creating some breathing room against a Panther team that had cut the Bobcat lead to one.

“It’s something you joke about as a team, saying ‘we got to hit the first one,’” Wood said. “It just felt good to hit the ball that hard again.”

Along with the team’s offensive output, Texas State pitching once again came up in crucial situations. Mike Hart, 2-0, controlled a strong offense, allowing only three hits and one run in Friday night’s victory over an A&M-Prairie View team that had averaged 2.53 runs an inning.

“I wasn’t impressed,” said Hart. “I just took it like every other game and I didn’t really look at them like they were anything special.”

Hart’s hitless streak ended after six-and-two-thirds innings in the second frame of Friday’s match. He surrendered a single to designated hitter Paul Johnson, which was immediately followed by another single to right fielder Brandon Kendricks. The rally also broke Hart’s scorelessinnings streak.

“The first hit they got made me kind of panic,” Hart said. “They

t’s something “I you joke about as a team,

saying ‘we got to hit the first one.’

It just felt good to hit the ball that hard again.”

— David Wood first baseman

got a couple of hits here and there, but they weren’t hitting the ball hard so I wasn’t too mad.”

Kyle Gembler added another strong outing from the starting pitchers Saturday, but the relief was a mixed bag.

Senior Jason Baca picked up his first win Saturday, but Philip Lynch allowed two runs and four baserunners while facing four batters, leaving the game without recording a single out Saturday afternoon.

“Philip just didn’t have great stuff tonight,” Harrington said Saturday. “But I thought Matt Oakes came in and did a great job and minimized damage and (Eric) Weaver did a good job.”

Oakes relieved Lynch and recorded six consecutive outs, quelling a rally for the Panthers, who had previously averaged over 16 runs a game. Weaver finished the game with a one-hit ninth inning.

The Bobcats’ speed is also a prominent reason for the team’s recent wins, as the club had 11 stolen bases on 13 attempts this weekend.

“We have some guys who are capable of running,” Harrington said. “But we’ve been in a lot of two-out situations where we want to get to the next base and create scoring opportunities with two outs. That’s been our reasoning more than anything else.”

The Bobcats have won four games in a row and hope to continue their streak as they go on the road Tuesday against Baylor in the Bears’ first home game of the season. Baylor was in the College World Series last season and is coming off of a weekend in which they went 0-3 at the Houston College Classic.

The Bobcats will finish up their season series against A&M-Prairie View at home Friday.

“Everybody’s doing well and we’re meshing as a group,” said Wood. “We’re rolling right now.”

Whenever the Bobcats steps foot on the court at Strahan Coliseum this year, it seems that they just can’t lose.

The Texas State women’s basketball team improved its record to 9-1 at home for the season in a 69-60 victory Saturday over Lamar. The Bobcats improved their record to 15-8 overall with an 8-3 mark in Southland Conference play.

“The kids really want to protect their home floor,” said Coach Suzanne Fox. “For the rest of February if we can win all our home games we’re going to be sitting pretty but we have to take care of it and play hard.”

The win was their fifth in six games against the Southland Conference East division, where only Southeastern Louisiana has a record above .500. The West features five of six teams that are at least at the break-even point for the season.

Senior forward Erica Putnam led the offensive, scoring a career-high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds.

Joyce Ekworomadu added 18 points and nine rebounds, while Aimee Hilburn notched nine points and 14 rebounds.

For the game the Bobcats dominated the rebound battle, 49-29.

“As much as they were trying to get to us in the post, we wanted to come back and attack them as well,” Putnam said.

The Bobcats came out with an energetic tempo on defense, pressing the Lady Cardinals and forcing tough shots. Most of Lamar’s early offense came in the paint, as the team shot only 34 percent in the first half, including 1-for7 from three-point range. Forward Brittney Williams scored 14 of Lamar’s 26 points by the midway point, but notched only four in the second half.

“She’s an awesome player, but we just tried to run on her in the second half and maybe wear her down a little bit on Bridgette Cyr/Star photo the offensive end,” Ekworomadu said. “I think that helped MUSCLING THROUGH: Senior Erica Putnam pushes for the shot while being blocked Saturday by us actually slow her down on the Lamar defense during the Bobcats’ 69-60 victory. offense.”

The Bobcats led by seven open threes,” Ekworomadu rematch with Texas-Arlington points at halftime, but Lamar said. “That was really our main Erica Putnam hit 10 of 11 in the season finale. Both SFA started the second period by focus and we executed.” free throws to raise her sea- and UTA won their respective cutting the lead to 33-30 before Lamar dropped to four wins son average over 68 percent, games this past weekend. Texa 9-0 Bobcat run gave Texas and six losses in SLC play, but placing her in the conference’s as State lost 79-50 at Arlington State its biggest lead of the still holds second place in the top-20 in that department. The Feb. 2. game, with just over 15 min- East. The Bobcats are current- Bobcats shot a solid 78 percent utes to play. ly in third in the West. from the free-throw line as a Wild, wild West Fox’s team would not allow The Bobcats will hit the road team. the Lady Cardinals to get clos- again Thursday when they With five of the six teams er than six points the rest of travel to Texas A&M-Corpus Good to be home in the Southland Conference the way, and Texas State hit its Christi, before returning home West at .500 or better, much free throws down the stretch to Saturday to take on Texas-San Of the Bobcats five remain- is still to be decided as the close out a game in which the Antonio. ing regular season games, remaining schedule for Texas team never trailed. three will be at home. Two of State pits them solely against “Our main focus was to presthose games will be against the West opponents. Second and Game Notes sure the guards and make them only teams with better stand- fifth place are separated by put it on the floor, rather than ing in the West: Stephen F. just two games in the loss colgiving them a cushion to take From the line Austin Feb. 22, and a March 2 umn.

San Marcos senior signs National Letter of Intent for Texas State

By Travis Atkins The University Star Former San Marcos High School running back and defensive back T.P. Miller got his wish Wednesday, when he signed a national letter of intent to stay at home and play for Texas State.

“I really am a family person,”

Miller said. “I have to have my family nearby.”

Miller said he did take his time, however, in the recruiting process. He considered Angelo State, West Texas A&M and Illinois State before deciding to become a Bobcat. Miller committed the weekend before signing day after visiting the school and touring the facilities.

The Bobcats have had their eye on Miller since his sophomore year. Co-offensive coordinator Travis Bush made several trips to the high school to lure current Bobcats Alvin Canady and Nate Langford, while also talking to Miller about his future.

Miller’s current focus is helping the Rattlers basketball team

make a playoff run, but he is also lifting weights in the morning to prepare for college football.

“The biggest adjustment for the next level is going to be speed,” San Marcos head football coach Steve Van Nest said.

“Everybody is big and physical, but the biggest thing is how fast the game is.”

Texas State coaches have told

Miller, a 1,000-yard rusher in high school, that he is currently listed as a safety on their depth chart, but could move to linebacker if he bulks up.

In addition to playing defensive back, running back and punter for the football team, Miller is a guard on the basketball team and ran the 110-meter hurdles and 4x200-meter relay

for the SMHS track team.

Since Miller played three positions, he was a huge reason why the Rattlers were able to make a playoff run all the way to the state quarterfinals.

“We always put (Miller) on the toughest receiver and said, ‘Hey, take care of that guy,” Van See RECRUITS, page 9