03 08 2007 by The University Star

MUSIC

OVERDOSE

The I-35 corridor will be full of music as San Antonio hosts SA Indie Fest, Austin hosts SXSW SEE TRENDS PAGE 6

SERIES SPLIT

Bobcat softball trades shutouts in home games against St. John’s SEE SPORTS PAGE 12

DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911

WWW.UNIVERSITYSTAR.COM

MARCH 8, 2007

THURSDAY

VOLUME 96, ISSUE 64

Wide receiver considering finishing football career elsewhere By Chris Boehm The University Star Chase Wasson said to a group of students Wednesday he is planning to pursue graduate school, and his collegiate football career, at another institution. Wasson, Texas State’s leading wide receiver from the 2006 football season, said he has been accepted for graduate school next year but would not name the institution. The communications studies senior, who graduates in May, has one year of eligibility remaining to play collegiate sports, but may not get the chance to. He is looking at getting a waiver from the NCAA to play at the institution where he would be-

gin a graduate program in intercollegiate sports administration. Wasson said he could not pinpoint when he began thinking Wasson about playing somewhere else, but the issue arose when he researched graduate programs. Texas State does not oﬀer a graduate program in his desired ﬁeld of study. “I don’t know what the future has in store,” Wasson said. “The institutions I looked into all had the graduate program. I left athletics out of it.”

Wasson said he was not granted a leave of absence by Brad Wright, as indicated by the new head football coach earlier this semester. Wright told The University Star Feb. 16 Wasson entered his oﬃce Feb. 12 and asked for the leave on the basis of ‘personal matters.’ “He’s an outstanding young man, and I’ve given him the time it takes to make decisions in his life,” Wright said in February. Wasson said Wednesday he did not ask for the leave and was dismissed from the team. Wright had no comment on the issue when contacted by The Star. Athletic Director Larry Teis said he could not comment about Wasson’s future.

“That’s between Brad and Chase,” Teis said. Wasson said Wright has not spoken to him since their Feb. 12 meeting. Wright became head coach Jan. 22 following the departure of David Bailiff, who was hired as Rice’s head coach. “I’ve always had a good relationship with Coach Brad Wright,” Wasson said. “I’m sure it’s changed. There was a bond broken between us.” Wasson said the coaching change was not a factor in his decision. The football program’s staff has undergone sweeping changes in wake of Bailiff’s departure. Only Wright, co-offensive coordinator Travis Bush and co-defensive coordinator Kyle

Tietz remain from the previous coaching staff. “I haven’t talked to (Wright) as far as coming back (to the team),” Wasson said. “I haven’t been a part of this regime.” The NCAA would have to grant Wasson an eligibility waiver before he could play football at another institution. Wasson said his new school is responsible for filing the waiver, which has not yet been received by the NCAA. “The appeal process hasn’t started yet,” Wasson said. The NCAA’s bylaws state athletes transferring from four-year institutions generally are not eligible to play at another four-year school until they have fulfilled a residence requirement of one academic year, meaning two full

Bill could reduce punishment for marijuana possession By Jeﬀery D. Hooten The University Star

The penalty for possession of small amounts of marijuana could be reduced if a bill in the Texas House of Representatives is passed. House Bill 758, introduced in January by State Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, is currently being reviewed by the Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence. The bill would reclassify possession of up to one ounce of marijuana from a Class B to a Class C misdemeanor. Class C misdemeanor offenders do not receive jail time for a first offense, and instead would only be required to pay a fine. The current law states possession of up to two ounces is considered a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a maximum fine of $2,000. “I feel the (current) penalty exceeds the crime,” said Giancarlo Pearson, head of the Texas State chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Pearson, Spanish senior, said he believes the bill could reduce the number of inmates in Texas’ over-crowded prisons. “I think it would reduce unnecessary incarceration in county jails,” he said. According to statistics released by the FBI in September 2006, approximately 88.5 percent of the nearly 800,000 marijuana related arrests in 2005 were for possession only. Officer Otto Glenewinkel of the University Police Department said arrests for marijuana on campus are common. “We see (marijuana violations) almost daily,” Glenewinkel said. He estimated as much as 75 percent of individuals arrested for marijuana violations at Texas State are in possession

Jesus de la Teja, professor and history chair, was recently appointed the first Texas state historian by Gov. Rick Perry. Larry Oaks, executive director of the Texas Historical Commission, said de la Teja is a great historian with a wide range of qualifications. “His background and training, as well as his vigorous interest in promoting Texas history, not only in teaching, but in serving on various boards and committees throughout the state (qualifies him),” Oaks said. “A lot of folks fell into that category, but he has helped folks on the local, regional and statewide areas.” Jerry Drake, archives and records deputy at the Texas General Land Office, earned his masters in history under de la Teja’s tutelage. Having a state historian raises Texas’ past to the same level of importance as other disciplines, he said. “It’s going to raise the profile of

Monty Marion/Star photo illustration FROM B TO C: Under a proposed law in the Texas House of Representatives, possession of up to one ounce of marijuana could be lowered to a Class C misdemeanor, meaning offenders would not receive jail time for a ﬁrst offense.

of an ounce or less. He said it would be impossible for UPD oﬃcers to completely control marijuana use at Texas State. “We can’t devote 100 percent of our oﬃcers’ time to drug violations,” Glenewinkel said.

history in Texas,” Drake, adult professional and community education doctoral graduate student, said. “To have a person with whom the Texas story is embodied is going to be something that allows us to raise awareness of history.” Part of the job is to be an advocate for all parts of Texas history, de la Teja said. He already began fulﬁlling the speaking portion of the job requirement and said he looks forward to making sure the topic is properly addressed in the state’s educational curriculum. “Hopefully, I will be involved in the textbook adoption process to make sure that the textbooks are where they need to be in terms of meeting the needs of a 21st century diverse and increasingly urban population,” he said. In the legislation creating the position, the Texas Historical Commission and Texas State Historical Association are in charge of nominating a Texas

Today’s Weather

Mostly Sunny 75˚/49˚

See WASSON, page 4

City Council passes Alamo Street parking ordinance By Zach Halﬁn The University Star

He predicted the passage of a bill reducing the penalty for minor marijuana oﬀenses would not signiﬁcantly increase the amount of marijuana use in Texas. He said he believes many are more concerned with the idea of breaking the law than with the actual penalties.

“You have people who use marijuana and people who don’t,” Glenewinkel said. Despite this, he said he did not support the bill. See MARIJUANA, page 5

History chair chosen to be Overpayment results from error, state’s first official historian Faculty Senate discusses solution By Bill Lancaster The University Star

semesters or three full quarters. Section 14.1.9.1, of the operating bylaws state “a graduate student athlete who is enrolled in a speciﬁc degree program in a graduate or professional school of an institution other than the institution from which he or she previously received a baccalaureate degree may participate in intercollegiate athletics, provided the student athlete has eligibility remaining and such participation occurs within the applicable-ﬁve year period set forth in Bylaw 14.2.” Wasson led the Bobcats in receiving yards and touchdowns last season, with 380 and 12, respectively. The senior entered

Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 55% UV: 7 High Wind: SSE 9 mph

See HISTORIAN, page 5

Two-day Forecast Friday Mostly Sunny Temp: 77°/ 53° Precip: 10%

Saturday Partly Cloudy Temp: 82°/ 53° Precip: 10%

By Scott Thomas The University Star Nancy Nusbaum, assistant vice president for finance and support services, spoke to the faculty Senate Wednesday about a payroll malfunction that started from a staff error last week. Several staff members employed by the university were overpaid because of the error. When the university realized the mistake, it took the money out of overpaid professors’ bank accounts, which resulted in some people having checks bounce and paying overdraft fees. “I think what we’ve got is a sequencing problem, where some banks may process deposits after they process withdrawals,” said William Stone, chair of the faculty Senate. “(The university) is used to Wells Fargo and Wells Fargo does it the other way.” The error was contained within the College of Education, though for unknown reasons. “By being contained it was a very good thing,” said Nusbaum. She said the department was prepared

think what we’ve “I got is a sequencing problem, where some

banks may process deposits after they process withdrawals.”

—William Stone chair, Faculty Senate

to reimburse any fees, such as overdraft charges, that might have accrued because of the error. “Apparently it didn’t happen in very many cases, we know of two events, though there may have been others,” Stone, criminal justice professor, said. Nusbaum said 53 faculty members were overpaid, though not all experienced overdraft fees. She said the staﬀ member who committed the error, who went unnamed during the meeting, now knows better. See FACULTY, page 5

The San Marcos City Council passed an ordinance Tuesday to restrict parking on the 1400 block of Alamo Street between 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The ordinance is to prevent drivers from parking on Alamo Street and walking to campus. The emergency ordinance was passed on second reading. Residents of the street are concerned with parking and safety in their neighborhood. They requested the city address the large amount of people using the street for parking. Kenneth Dees, Alamo Street resident, has been attending city council meetings since November to push the council to amend parking regulations on his street. “I appreciate the council’s willingness to work quickly to relieve this parking situation,” Dees said. “Make sure that you continue to act as quickly as you did with our neighborhood and act quickly to work with the university so that we can alleviate the base of the issue as far as in terms of parking in San Marcos. We need to give our streets back to our residents and help the university ﬁnd solutions to its larger parking problem.” Many neighborhood residents met with city oﬃcials in February to discuss what options were available to control parking on Alamo Street. Options ranged from no limitations to a resident-only parking permit system. Residents opted for timelimited parking. ‘No parking’ signs were put up at that time until the council had the opportunity to adopt a new city parking ordinance for Alamo Street. Originally, the proposed ordinance included a ‘tow away’ penalty for anyone found parking during restricted hours, but Chris Jones, place 4 councilman, suggested an amendment changing the punishment from towing to a citation. Jones said towing in San Marcos has become ‘outrageous’ and the city should use the parking violations as an opportunity to gain funds.

Inside News ..............1-5 Trends .............6-9 Crossword ......... 9 Sudoku .............. 9

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

Comics .............. 9 Opinions .......... 10 Classiﬁeds ....... 11 Sports .............. 12

PAGE TWO Thursday in Brief

March 8, 2007

starsof texas state

Seven biochemistry students at Texas State received travel awards from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, which will fund their trip to an international forum April 27 in Washington D.C. The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology recipients are Mikki Boswell, Sandra Becerra, Cory Holland and Jennifer Summers. The Federation for

American Societies for Experimental Biology recipients are Kacie Waiters, Candice Gonzales and Valerie Valencia. Each student will present his or her research ﬁndings in Washington D.C. The conference is set to provide a forum for the discussion of the latest research in most areas of biochemistry or medical related research. —Courtesy of Media Relations

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

THURSDAY Protest and Dissent: Juilliard Joins Texas State for A Common Experience at 8 p.m. in Evans Auditorium. Performing artists from the Juilliard School, directed by Wayne Oquin, will perform with the Texas State Symphony under the direction of Howard Hudiburg. This is a free event. The Philosophy Dialogue Series presents “International Women’s Day: Jane Addams at the Hague,” 11 a.m. in the Psychology Building, Room 132. The Philosophy Dialogue Series presents “Women and Politics in Latin America,” with Magda Hinojosa, political science professor, 2 p.m. in the Psychology Building, Room 132. The Rock - Praise & Worship will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Catholic Student Center chapel.

meeting 8:30 p.m. in Old Main, Room 320. There will be worship, teaching and prayer. Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, call (512) 557-7988 or e-mail mail@texasstatechialpha. com.

March 3, 10:07 p.m. Medical Emergency/Elliot Hall An officer was dispatched for a report of a medical emergency. A student had fainted after feeling ill and refused transport to Central Texas Medical Center. March 4, 2:24 p.m. Information Report/ Brogdon Hall An officer was dispatched for a report of suspicious circumstances. A student reported having found a purse that had a strong odor of marijuana. The Officer confiscated the purse and a report was generated for this case.

The Texas State open track meet will be all day at Bobcat Stadium.

SATURDAY Texas State softball will play Central Arkansas 1 and 3 p.m. at Bobcat Field.

SUNDAY Texas State softball will play Central Arkansas 12 p.m. at Bobcat Field.

The Catholic Student Organization will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the CSC lounge.

Texas State softball will play Texas Tech 3 and 5 p.m. at Bobcat Field.

The Healthy Relationships Group will meet 3:30 to 5 p.m. For information and screening, call the Counseling Center at (512) 245-2208.

Texas State baseball will play Nicholls State 6:30 p.m. at Bobcat Field.

Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship will hold its weekly

University Police Department

FRIDAY

THURSDAY

Overeaters Anonymous will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the First Lutheran Church, 130 W. Holland St. Call (512) 3572049 for more information.

CRIME BL TTER

Extended deadline for Bobcat Build. Participation forms are available at www.bobcatbuild. txstate.edu and on the fourth ﬂoor of the LBJSC at the Campus Activities Front Desk and at the Community Relations Ofﬁce at the River House.

The Stations of the Cross will be at 6 p.m. in the CSC chapel.

Meditation and Contemplation will be from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Campus Christian Community Center. For more information, e-mail Micah Robbins at mr1235@txstate.edu or call (512) 878-2036.

Taking it Easy

FRIDAY

SATURDAY Texas State baseball will play Nicholls State 2 p.m. at Bobcat Field.

SUNDAY Texas State baseball will play Nicholls State 1 p.m. at Bobcat Field. For information on ofﬁces open during spring break look online at www. startxstate.edu

Bridgette Cyr/Star photo Kimberly Bozeman, advertising senior, and Corrie Nelson, history senior, take advantage of the warm weather Monday afternoon by going on a hike at the undeveloped Prospect Greenspace, located at the end of Prospect Street off Bishop Street.

March 4, 10:03 p.m. Property Damage/Bobcat Village An oﬃcer was dispatched for a report of damaged property. Damage to a student’s vehicle had been reported.

Library Beat Bill Wittliff and his wife Sally, founders of the Alkek Library’s Southwestern Writers Collection and Wittliff Gallery of Southwestern and Mexican Photography, will receive a 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award from the Texas Cultural Trust at a gala awards ceremony April 3. Wittliff will receive the Multimedia Award for his accomplishments as a photographer, screenwriter, film producer, director and publisher. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a past board member of the

Sundance Institute and a board member of the Austin Film Festival. Wittliff is a past president and Fellow of the Texas Institute of Letters and a recipient of major awards for writing, filmmaking and book design. He continues to work on photographic projects, is editor of the Wittliff Gallery Book Series with University of Texas Press and is currently completing a motion picture script about Lieutenant General Claire Chennault and the Flying Tigers. Established in 1995, The Texas Cultural Trust works to raise public awareness and private

funds in support of the Texas Commission on the Arts and art education initiatives. Texas’ current public investment in the arts is less than $.18 per citizen, placing it last among the 56 U.S. states and territories. The national median for state funding is over eight times that amount. Held every two years, The Texas Medal of Arts Award ceremony is the organization’s signature event, honoring citizens who have achieved greatness through their creative talents as well as those whose philanthropic generosity has opened

doors to artistic opportunity for Texans of all ages. Past recipients have included Tommy Lee Jones, Willie Nelson, Sandra Cisneros, Lyle Lovett, John Graves, Flaco and Santiago Jiménez, Tommy Tune and Jose Cisneros. This year’s recipients are Walter Cronkite, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Paul Baker, Sandra Brown, Ornette Coleman, Judith Ivey, Jesús Moroles, Bill and Diana Hobby, Neiman Marcos and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation. — Courtesy of Alkek Library

Spring 2007 Associated Student Government Referendum Amendments to the Associated Student Government (ASG) Constitution I. The ASG proposes adopting and placing the following statement, to be called the Reservation of Rights and Responsibilities, in the ASG Constitution after the Preamble: “The Associated Student Government reserves the right to legislate, take up, and act upon any issue aﬀecting any student of Texas State University for any reason. We aﬃrm this as responsibility in the name of the students and for the purposes of fair, honest, and dutiful representation.” O Yes. I support amending the constitution to adopt this statement and have it placed after the Preamble in the ASG Constitution. O No. I do support amending

the constitution to adopt this statement and have it placed after the Preamble in the ASG Constitution. II. The ASG proposes amending Article I, Section 2 of the ASG Constitution so that it states: “The Associated Student Government (ASG) shall be the primary official recognized forum of student opinion and represent student interests and concerns to the administration and beyond.” O Yes. I support amending Article 1, Section 2 by substituting the word “official” for the word “primary” and by inserting the words “and beyond” to the end of the clause. O No. I do not support amending Article 1, Section 2 by substituting the word “official” for the word “primary” and by inserting the words “and beyond” to the

end of the clause. III. The ASG proposes amending the two following clauses of the ASG Constitution: 1) Article II, Section 2 (A) of the ASG Constitution so that it states: “The Senate shall be composed of a maximum of forty sixty students, excluding ex-oﬃcio members.” 2) Article II, Section 2 (B) of the ASG Constitution so that it states: “Senate seats shall be determined by apportionment of the student body by academic colleges, with each academic college and each class, excluding freshman, having a minimum of one senator the elections in the following four categories: 1) Sixteen seats from academic colleges with each college having two seats, 2) Fifteen on-campus seats, 3) Fourteen oﬀ-campus seats, and 4) Fifteen seats at large from the entire student body.” O Yes. I support amending Article II, Section 2 (A) and Article II, Section 2 (B) which increases the number of senate seats from forty to sixty and dividing the seats according to the four categories listed. O No. I do not support amend-

ing Article II, Section 2 (A) and Article II, Section 2 (B) which increases the number of senate seats from forty to sixty and dividing the seats according to the four categories listed. IV. The ASG proposes deleting Article II, Section 2 (E) of the ASG Constitution which states: “In reapportioning, the Election Commission shall determine a base figure for representation by academic colleges in the University while adhering as nearly as is practicable to the doctrine of “one person, one vote.” O Yes. I support deleting Article II, Section 2 (E) which requires reapportionment of senate seats based on academic college figures. O No. I do not support deleting Article II, Section 2 (E) which requires reapportionment of senate seats based on academic college figures. V. The ASG proposes amending the two following clauses of the ASG Constitution: 1) Article II, Section 2 (D) of the ASG Constitution so that it states: “There shall be scheduled reapportionment every oddnumbered year. The Election Commission shall complete and

submit a reapportionment plan to the Senate on or before the last Senate meeting of February. Students will o nly qualify to run for Senate in one of the four specified categories.” 2) Article II, Section 2 (F) of the ASG Constitution so that it states: “Determination of membership in an academic college shall be based upon the University Registrar’s official twelfth class day figures for the spring semester of the odd-numbered year. Student classification for the Senate candidacy in one of the four specified categories will be determined by the Election Commission in consultation with the Dean of Students Office, the Registrars Office, and the Department of Residence Life.” O Yes. I support amending Article II, Section 2 (D) and Article II, Section 2 (F) which requires a reapportionment plan be submitted by the Election Commission in February of every odd numbered year and that the Registrars official twelfth day class figures be used as a basis according to academic college figures. O No. I do not support amending Article II, Section 2 (D) and Article II, Section 2 (F) which

requires a reapportionment plan be submitted by the Election Commission in February of every odd numbered year and that the Registrars official twelfth day class figures be used as a basis according to academic college figures. VI. The ASG proposes deleting Article III, B (5) of the ASG Constitution: “The President must have served at least two complete semesters or is serving his/her second complete semester as a student body Senator or ex-officio member, where a complete semester is defined as the Senator’s being confirmed and sworn in before the fourth meeting of a semester.” O Yes. I support deleting Article III, B (5) which requires that any student running for ASG Presidency has to have served at least two complete semesters in the ASG Senate as a senator or ex-officio member. O No. I do not support deleting Article III, B (5) which requires that any student running for ASG Presidency has to have served at least two complete semesters in the ASG Senate as a senator or ex-officio member. — Courtesy of ASG

NEWS

Thursday, March 8, 2007

The University Star - Page 3

Department of State warns of heightened risks in Mexico for spring-breakers By Molly Berkenhoﬀ The University Star The U.S. Department of State issued a list of advisories and announcements for those planning to travel in Mexico during Spring Break. The statement is more serious and speciﬁc than similar reports in previous years. The announcement primarily discusses behavioral caveats, especially in dealing with alcohol consumption, drug use and other conduct that may result in legal trouble with Mexican authorities. Of the more than 100,000 students and young adults who travel to Mexico each year for Spring Break, most return without incident. The government reports, however, several students die, and hundreds are arrested. A majority of these occurrences involve alcohol or drugs. “My trip was pretty uneventful compared to some,” said Sarah Brunson, family and child development freshman who traveled to Cancun for Spring Break in 2005. “I think its just important to remember to not get so caught up with having fun that you forget to be smart about what you’re doing.” The announcement focuses heavily on awareness of laws and statutes when traveling in any foreign country. U.S. citizenship does not prevent full prosecution in the Mexican criminal justice system, and does not exempt those tried from punishment following conviction. In crimes dealing with the importation, use, possession or purchase of drugs, more

“A

mericans are usually surprised that their citizenship doesn’t serve as a get out of jail free card.”

— Anne Harris U.S. consulate representative

severe penalties can be levied, including imprisonment without bail, lasting up to a year before a case is tried, followed by the possibility of several years in prison in the event of a conviction. “Americans are usually surprised that their citizenship doesn’t serve as a get out of jail free card,” said Anne Harris, U.S. consulate representative in Cozumel. “People can land themselves in very serious situations that can aﬀect their whole lives just because of silly mistakes made during their vacation.” The statement emphasizes the importance of being well aware of surroundings. Drug-related crime is on the rise in areas such as Acapulco and the border cities of Nuevo Progresso and Matamoros. Matamoros, located near the popular vacation spot South Padre Island, is currently experiencing rival drug traﬃcking gangs battling for control of narcotics smuggling. While the violence is not directed at tourists, vacationers are advised to exercise caution, and to stay with a group in well-traveled

areas, preferably during daylight hours. The statement warns of a rise in crimes such as rape and molestation in destinations such as Cancun and Cozumel. Often these incidents involve the use of alcohol or drugs. Reports of these crimes occur frequently though not exclusively in the later hours, and many are said to take place in a nightclub atmosphere. It is suggested weapons, especially any type of ﬁrearms, be left behind. If an arrest should occur, the possession of so much as a pocketknife can result in an additional weapons charge in Mexican courts. Travelers should ensure their vehicles are free of all ﬁrearms and ammunition when crossing the border, as the possession of only one bullet can incur severe penalties. “I think its good to be careful, but there probably isn’t a whole lot to worry about,” said Ashley McKenzie, pre-international studies sophomore, who is planning a trip to Mexico in the coming week. “As long as you’re using common sense, staying out of trouble isn’t much of a problem.” In the event of legal trouble while in Mexico, the announcement encourages travelers to contact the U.S. embassy in Mexico City, the U.S. consular agency or a U.S. consulate. While consulates cannot arrange for the release of U.S. prisoners, they can visit detained American citizens, share knowledge of the Mexican legal system and provide a list of Mexican attorneys. For a list of U.S. consulates and their contact information, visit www.travel.state.gov/travel.

Michael E. Perez/Star graphic

San Marcos, Texas State cooperate to build bike lanes By Zach Halfin The University Star The trip should be much smoother for bicyclists who ride to class in the near future. Currently, the university and the City of San Marcos are in the early stages of building sections of a major bike route system for students to travel across town — a route that has become infamous for its difficulty. The overall goal of the cross-city route is made possible through the completion of a number of smaller projects. The planned projects, some still unfunded, range from simple road-shoulder bicycle lanes to completely new bicycle paths. Nancy Nusbaum, assistant vice president for finance and support services, said the university based their bike paths on the city’s 2002 transportation master plan. “When San Marcos did their transportation master plan it had all of the bike paths that they were recommending that dead ended at the university,” Nus-

baum said. “We used that plan and we started our bike paths so that they connected to the city’s paths.” Proposed city bike paths should meet up with university routes at Ranch Road 12, N. LBJ Drive, Tomás Rivera and at least one route connecting on the south side of campus. Jason Sanders, agricultural business junior, said as a cyclist he faces many challenges riding around town and to class. “The biggest challenge riding around town is dodging cars on these narrow roads around curves with no bike lanes,” Sanders said. He said safety was a main concern for bicyclists in San Marcos, and those risks might be keeping others from using bicycles for transportation. “A bike path would help 100 percent with increasing bike trafﬁc,” Sanders said. “That helps the safety of all cyclists. People would feel a lot safer and they would ride more if they knew they had their own bike lane.” The proposed bike paths will

stretch from Aquarena Springs Drive to Wonder World Drive, and from Ranch Road 12 connecting through campus to downtown. Nusbaum said construction of a campus-wide bike route will occur slowly with the progress of other capital improvements, and certain segments of the route still need funding. “The city and the university are both approaching this the same way — as we put in projects we will include bike routes and the city is essentially doing that too,” Nusbaum said. “For awhile, things won’t be very connected.” She said, however, she has been meeting with various university and city officials to figure out where the bike paths will go. “We identified what projects would help put bike paths in and where we might have to go to try to find other funding in order to finish out the bike paths in a particular area so we don’t have partial routes everywhere,” she said. Andy Alarcón, chief planner for the San Marcos Downtown

Master Plan, said the city is still in the preliminary stages of planning bike and pedestrian paths downtown. “We will look to see what the university has done in terms of pedestrians and general circulation improvements and see how we can match up with that,” Alarcón said. He said because the university and city are using the same consultant, he expects cooperation in the future design of bike routes.

“If the university is planning something, we want to look at what is happening there,” he said. Currently, the city and the university are undecided as to where new routes will be established to connect downtown to central campus. Laurie Anderson, environment and engineering director, said improvements on N. LBJ Drive will start with the design process this year, but is uncertain when all of the project will start.

“I would like to tell you we have a strong plan and that we know exactly what we want to do, but we don’t,” Anderson said. “This is kind of a new concept to the city.” Nusbaum said she hopes the campus bike paths, along with the rest of the 10-year master plan, will be ﬁnished and connected by 2015. “It would be nice (to see it ﬁnished), but I can’t guarantee that,” Nusbaum said. “Our goal is to get in as much as we can.”

Page 4 - The University Star

NEWS

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Lobbying group will host ASG president in Washington, D.C. By Philip Hadley The University Star Members of the Associated Student Government will head to Washington this weekend to attend the American Israel Public Aﬀairs Committee’s annual policy conference. Jennifer Cannata, spokeswoman for the organization, said this year’s policy conference will be the largest ever, with more than 6,000 people participating. Consistently ranked as the most inﬂuential foreign policy lobbying organization in Washington, the political committee is an American membership organization that seeks to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Israel. “Over 1,200 students from 391 campuses in 50 states will be attending the conference,” Cannata said. “This is one of largest gatherings of pro-Israel lobbyists. It is also a great opportunity for student leaders to meet with members of congress, and to network with other young leaders.” Cannata said the organization picks students to attend who are involved in collegiate activism and interested in expressing their pro-Israel views.

“The conference will have a strong representation of student government presidents and members from schools in all 50 states,” Cannata said. Headliners this year will include Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Vice President Dick Cheney and Tzipi Livni, Israel’s foreign minister, will also address the conference. The conference will include speeches, panels and forums covering a wide range of issues, which include Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, and the future of the Middle East. ASG President Kyle Morris said he and Sam McCabe, legislative relations director, will depart Saturday. “This trip is being funded privately by AIPAC, not by ASG,” said Morris, economics senior. “I am looking forward to hearing the perspectives of the organization on American and Israel relations.” McCabe, mathematics sophomore, said he is interested in being educated on U.S. and Israeli relations. “I plan to be very open minded when attending the conference and considering the views of the organization,” McCabe

said. “This conference is a very important social gathering of young activists.” Recently, the committee came under scrutiny when an FBI investigation claimed that Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, lobbyists for the group, were conspiring with Larry Franklin, Department of Defense intelligence analyst, to leak U.S. secrets in an apparent effort to influence U.S. policy toward Iran. The organization has since dismissed Rowen and Weissman, a move that has dissociated the organization from the scandal. “The organization is no longer under investigation, and I am looking forward to the great opportunity to attend this conference,” Morris said. McCabe said he is aware of recent controversy in the lobbying division of the organization, but was not knowledgeable enough on the issue to comment on it. On the final day of the conference, thousands of the committee’s delegates will participate in over 500 meetings with members of the House and Senate, focusing on American policy in the Middle East and strengthening the relationship between U.S. and Israel.

’ve been a “I quarterback all my life, and I’d

When that’s taken away you get a different perspective.” Before redshirting his first year at Texas State in 2003, Wasson won a Class 5A state title his senior season at Carroll High School in Southlake, leading the team to a 16-0 record. He was named the Class 5A Player of the Year for his 2002 performance, which included Texas high school records of 4,822 passing yards and 54 touchdowns. In 2004, he started four games as quarterback, throwing for 477 yards and four touchdowns. His most notable moment came against Stephen F. Austin in a 1714 win, when he ran 41 yards for the game-winning touchdown. Wasson backed up Barrick Nealy at quarterback during the team’s run to the DI-AA playoff quarterfinals in 2005.

WASSON CONTINUED from page 1

the season as the starting quarterback before moving to wide receiver during a Sept. 16 game against Northern Colorado at Bobcat Stadium. Bradley George replaced Wasson in the loss. Wasson said he would prefer to give quarterback another shot, should a waiver allow him to play next season. “Hopefully, I’d be at quarterback, but I haven’t gotten into those talks,” Wasson said. “I’ve been a quarterback all my life, and I’d like to give that another try.” Wright said in the Feb. 16 interview Wasson would be a starting wide receiver if he played at Texas State next season. “There’s not a time line on it. It’s not an indeﬁnite,” Wright

like to give that another try.”

— Chase Wasson communication studies senior

said Feb. 16. “It’s not a question of if it’s going to be a week, two weeks, a month or two months.” Wasson has not been working out with the team since his departure, but said he continues to train on his own. “It’s been diﬀerent,” Wasson said. “You spend two to three hours the past four years seeing your best friends everyday.

NEWS

Thursday, March 8, 2007

The University Star - Page 5

Gates to Congress: Economy is hurt by education policies MARIJUANA: Under proposed By William L. Watts MarketWatch WASHINGTON, D.C. — A lackluster school system and onerous immigration policies threaten to undermine United State’s ability to compete in the world economy, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates warned a Senate panel Wednesday. Gates, appearing before the Senate Health, Energy, Labor and Pensions Committee, said he felt “deep anxiety” about the nation’s ability to keep up with foreign competitors unless it takes steps to boost high-school graduation rates and entice more students to study for advanced degrees in math and science-related fields, while also doing way with immigration policies that drive away the world’s “best and brightest” workers. “When I reflect on the state of American competitiveness today, my immediate feeling is not only one of pride, but also of deep anxiety. Too often we as a society are sacrificing the long-term good of our country in the interest of short-term gain,” Gates said. Gates urged lawmakers to pursue programs designed to double high school graduation rates and to re-tool curriculums toward math and science-related careers. Gates argued that the U.S. education system remains stuck in the past, geared toward

Chuck Kennedy/MCT Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, testiﬁes at a Senate hearing on American competitiveness Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

an economy based on manufacturing and agriculture rather than digital technology. Gates called on lawmakers to re-authorize the No Child Left Behind education program, boost incentives for top teachers, and set a goal of doubling the number of math and science graduates by 2015 while recruiting an additional 10,000 science and math teachers a year. Gates also praised the “early

college high school” program, which has received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The program aims to recruit struggling students to attend high schools that require enrollment in college courses. Students graduate with a highschool diploma and two years of college credits. On immigration, Gates repeated tech industry complaints that H-1B visa restrictions and other measures are choking off the supply of highly skilled workers. Gates said the H-1B visa program, which deals with skilled workers, is outmoded. For fiscal 2008, H-1Bs are expected to run out next month, the same month in which they first become available. “For the first time in the history of the program, the supply will run out before the year’s graduating students get their degrees,” Gates said. “This means that U.S. employers will not be able to get H-1B visas for an entire crop of U.S. graduates. We are essentially asking top talent to leave the U.S.” Gates also said it makes “no sense” to require foreigners who apply for student visas to prove that they don’t intend to remain in the country once they receive their degrees. “Why drive them away just when this investment starts to pay off for the American economy?” Gates asked.

HISTORIAN: De la Teja also new Texas

State Historical Association president CONTINUED from page 1

State Historian. The governor then makes the appointment. The Texas Historical Commission is given the duty of protecting and promoting Texas history, while the Texas State Historical Association’s Web site says they are “ensuring the vitality of Texas history for generations to come.” De la Teja is also the new president of the association. De la Teja said his best work as a historian was his contribution to the Houghton-Miﬄin college textbook, Texas Crossroads of North America. The ﬁve chapters covered everything from the dinosaurs to 1821. He said

he liked the textbook because when dealing with such a large block of time, he had to think about his perspective and how it would be useful to students and the general public. “History is explained inversely proportional to time,” he said. “The further back you go, the less that gets explained.” De la Teja worked as a graduate assistant while earning his master’s and bachelor’s in political science at Seton Hall University. Larry Green, history professor at Seton Hall, said de la Teja was an excellent scholar with an interest in Latin American history. “We’re proud of him,” Greene said. “It indicates that he is

quite good and that our program is quite good.” After Seton, de la Teja came to Texas and earned his doctorate at the University of Texas, where he worked as a research assistant for Texas author James Michener. Before coming to Texas State, de la Teja taught Latin American history at Austin Community College and worked for six years in the Texas General Land Oﬃce, where he became the director of archives and records. “His prestige is going to raise the value of my degree, and he will chart a course in history,” Drake said. “He is going to be one of the premier historians in Texas.”

law, offenders could face charges similar to traffic violations CONTINUED from page 1

“I can’t say what the ramifications would be — an ounce of marijuana can be quite a bit,” Glenewinkel said. “(Legislators) don’t know what they’re getting themselves into.” He said an offender of a Class C misdemeanor — such as those found in possession of an ounce or less of marijuana under the proposed bill — is issued a citation and forced to sign a statement promising to appear in court. This would be similar to what occurs with traffic violations now. Glenewinkel said depending on the way the proposed law is worded, an officer would have the option of making an arrest, but this would not be mandatory. In most circumstances, the citation itself would be recognized as an arrest. John Yum, communication design sophomore, recently

“W

e can’t devote 100 percent of our oﬃcers’ time to drug violations.” —Otto Glenewinkel oﬃcer, UPD

had a friend arrested for possession of less than one ounce of marijuana. “I think (the current laws) are too harsh,” Yum said. “Texas should follow the lead of other states that have decriminalized marijuana.” He said he did not believe a change in marijuana laws reducing the penalty of small amounts would aﬀect usage on campus. “I don’t think it would change that much — you could still get ﬁned,” Yum said.

FACULTY CONTINUED from page 1

“She feels really bad about this,” Nusbaum said. The Senate discussed the possibility of getting more university employees on the SAP NetWeaver Portal, including custodial staff. Ultimately, the custodial staff would do more personal-type paperwork, such as timekeeping. “Think of it as the electronic version of a punch box,” Stone said. The issue of whether some members of the custodial staff were able or willing to access a computer was brought up. “The man who cleans out the building is a real hard worker, but he only has a sixth grade education,” Stone said. Another topic discussed was if each college should have more committees. Under the current system, only budget and curriculum committees are required. “Other universities are creating faculty and advising committees,” Stone said.

TRENDS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

weekendhappenings Thursday

Friday

Lucy’s San Marcos — Burden Brothers

Lucy’s San Marcos — The 1945’s

Triple Crown — Clay Nightingale/ Boone Graham

Triple Crown — Buck Jones & the Haggards

Cheatham Street Warehouse — Brandon Rhyder/Jason Eady

Saturday

Cheatham Street Warehouse — Brian Andrew Lee/Monte Montgomery

Lucy’s San Marcos — Jared Francis Band/ Bernie Calcote Band Triple Crown — Scott Biram Cheatham Street Warehouse — Tony Taylor/ Nathan Daniel Band

Thursday, March 8, 2007 - Page 6

Trends Contact — Maira Garcia, starentertainment@txstate.edu

SA Indie Fest provides less expensive alternative to SXSW ed the help of friend, co-founder and creative director Robin Lambaria. The two embarked on what the San Antonio News-Express called an “ultra ambitious” undertaking. “So really, we’ve been working really hard on it for two months,” Gunning said. “It’s crazy. Crazy is the word.” Placement of the festival was purposely slotted in between the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo and Fiesta San Antonio, to boost tourism and economic development, she said. She hopes to give the people of San Antonio more pride in their city. Gunning recalled a friend hanging her head when telling people she was from San Antonio. She believes many people feel San Antonio is not as cool as Austin. French by birth, but a San Antonio resident for 14 years, Gunning believes in her city. “People really aren’t proud of the city — they’re not,” Gunning said. “San Antonio is so spread out. I think it’s really going to help the city regroup itself.” Through her connections at Cotton Miller/Star file photo the Red Room and working in the music industry for over a SAN ANTONIO BOUND: Eleven Fingered Charlie will be one of the five San Marcos bands to play in decade, Gunning’s brainchild the newly created SA Indie Fest, which will be held at three bars and will feature 170 bands. quickly became her pet project. By Clara Cobb Three bars will host 170 bands tival, came up with the idea to “Fifty bands had been hired The University Star from Wednesday to Tuesday, at- host a San Antonio festival five because of the Red Room,” she tracting local and international months ago. said. “That’s when I started seeSan Antonio’s Broadway Street artists. “San Antonio is a big city and ing the size of this thing. Now we is getting plugged into the indewe just felt like it was time for us have 170 bands.” pendent music scene. A festival is born to start something special,” she Literally. said. Not the corporate machine SA Indie Fest is the first maDelphine Gunning, owner of When she relocated the Red jor indie music showcase in the Red Room and founder of the Room two months ago, Gunning According to the festival’s city. San Antonio Indie Music Fes- began to get serious. She enlist- MySpace page, a social net-

working site, SA Indie Fest was originally dubbed South by San Antonio. The festival changed its name “due to a request by the people at SXSW an in order to avoid an ugly legal battle.” Gunning welcomed the change. “I didn’t think it was very creative,” she said. “We consider ourselves to be very creative women and we wanted something that better represented our city.” She said she hopes to use the momentum of the Austin festival, but does not want to lose her original vision of highlighting local talent while featuring musical acts from around the world. “When I started, the idea was to have a festival during or near SXSW,” she said. “Austin is so saturated. I thought we could deﬁnitely use that to give artists another outlet, so SA Indie Fest was born and we like it.” Gunning said she remembered when SXSW was more about independent artists being able to network within the music industry while providing entertainment. She hopes to keep the independent part of the SA Indie Fest close to her heart. “I am not saying we want to be a corporate machine,” Gunning said. “We don’t want to be SXSW. We want SA Indie Fest to bring back a more mellow, accessible festival.”

Looking toward the future SA Indie Fest will include ﬁve San Marcos bands: Olive Street, The Archibalds, Dr. G and the

Mudcats, Lomita and Eleven Fingered Charlie. Eleven Fingered Charlie is composed of two current Texas State students, one former student and an alumnus. Alumna Stepahnie Briggs will be playing at the festival, as well. Travis Damron, lead vocalist and guitarist for Eleven Fingered Charlie, and will play 11:45 p.m. Thursday at the Red Room. Damron, nutrition and foods senior, said the band does not play San Antonio frequently, nor does it play many festivals. “It’s always good to get exposure and stuﬀ like that,” he said. “We’re looking forward to it, sure, but it’s work without pay — like an internship. I hope it will be good. (Festivals) help, but we gotta pay the bills.” Gunning said she felt the same way. “It’s amazing. We’re like taking a crash course,” she said. “We had no idea what to do when we started and it’s been insane. We need at least 4,000 people to show in 7 days. I don’t have any more space on my credit cards.”

✯ SA Indie Fest For more information, go to: www.saindie.com myspace.com/redroomsa myspace.com/sabysw (210) 218-3442 Ticket Pricing: Full week pass — $75 Single day pass — $18 Single-day, Single-venue pass — $10

South by Southwest invades Austin Text, instant messages changing the face of slang By Jessica Sinn The University Star

Austin’s annual South by Southwest festival will be in full swing Friday to March 18. Hundreds of bands, filmmakers and high-tech programmers will showcase their talents during the festival for industry professionals, record labels, investors and fans. Conferences featuring celebrity speakers will begin the film festival Friday. Prospective horror filmmakers submitted their two-minute “grindhouse trailers” to be judged by acclaimed horror and action film director Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez will screen a sample of the best trailers at a special Sunday presentation titled “Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse 101.” “Ultimately, a grindhouse film is something that fans are usually attracted to because they are very genre specific,” Dentler said. “They’re usually heavy on gore and obscene nature. It’s the sort of a film that really puts itself out there and takes no prisoners.” Matt Dentler, SXSW Conference and Film Festival Producer, said the event celebrates Rodriguez’s upcoming film Grindhouse. He said over 100 entries from all over the world were submitted in hopes of impressing Rodriguez, and to capture the true essence of the grindhouse genre. Dentler said the films would be created after the trailers were produced. He said filmmakers must balance a short trailer with a sufficient amount of entertaining information. “Creating a trailer that exists on its own is a tough thing to do,” Dentler said. “You’re essentially creating a two minute short film, and it has to stay true to what a trailer means. But at

the same time, it has to stand on its own two feet and be chock-full of enough content and richness to be entertaining.” Coinciding with spring break, the music festival launches Wednesday. Mainstream and independent bands make Austin their destination during SXSW. The festival is a major networking event for up-and-coming musicians. Ben Mills, manager and drummer for She Craves, said he’s looking forward to networking with new bands and record labels. “I’m always trying to find new bands to play with in different cities, and to hear new music ourselves — we’re fans as much as we are musicians of all different kinds of music — so it’s a great opportunity to hear a bunch of new music and meet many new people,” Mills said. Formed by a fusion of various musicians from Bag 100, Nooner and Zoo Seventeen, She Craves originally began as a side project. Mills said he believes the alternative rock band’s energetic stage show will generate a steady fan-base during the music festival. “Our live shows are going to be better than everyone else’s — and I’m not boasting,” Mills said. No wristband? No worries. She Craves will perform free shows at The Dizzy Rooster Tuesday and Friday. There is a $3 cover for Saturday’s performance at Nunos Attic. Mills said he believes the band will impress music artists and record labels. “We’ve put a focal point on trying to write really energetic, catchy rock songs,” Mills said. “We’ve taken songs from our previous bands and messed with them a little bit to fill out the set. I just believe that a lot of other

bands are going to want to follow (our style).” Social networking Web site www.reverbnation.com will launch its official SXSW party at Dirty Dog Bar March 16. The party will feature performances by various bands and two winners of the ReverbNation SXSW contest, Bennystrange and Red Collar. Indie-pop band Bennystrange will make its first trip to SXSW this year. Lead vocalist Avi Brown said he’s excited to experience the music festival. “We’re like a barrel of monkeys ready to flock at the Dirty Dog Bar,” Brown said. “We couldn’t be happier; we’re really excited not just to play, but to check out a lot of the great bands.”

✯

What you need to know about SXSW

For up-to-date information, log on to 2007.sxsw.com/ SXSW Film Film passes are $65 at Waterloo Records. Wristbands are currently sold out, but a limited number will go on sale Wednesday. SXSW Interactive Check out all the latest games and technology for free by visiting the ﬁrst ScreenBurn Arcade. The event will be held from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at the Austin Convention Center. SXSW Music With so many bands, where do you go to see whom and at what time? The SXSW Toolbox, 2007. sxsw.com/toolbox/, can help you get organized.

By Hayley Kappes The University Star For those whose cell phones are practically another appendage on their body, text-messaging lingo is down to a language of its own. Robert Tally, English professor, said text lingo has had minimal adverse eﬀects on the English language. “There has always been slang as well as formal written English,” Tally said. “The boundary between these sometimes shifts, and there is some overlapping, but one does not overpower the other.” Tally said there is a problem with students who are poor at spelling and grammar, but text messaging is not the cause of it. “Spelling and grammar are not being taught anymore, or not enough,” he said. “The main problem I encounter is that students do not read for pleasure. This is how people improve their writing, through active reading.” According to www.textlingo. com, an entire subset of dialogue has sprung. Abbreviations for many common words and phrases have taken hold of the way we write, according to the Web site. For frequent text message user Holly Boggess, psychology senior, using text lingo is a handy technique to quickly send messages to her friends or boyfriend. “Whenever I text, I just abbreviate words,” Boggess said. “Text messages are usually short, so abbreviating is out of convenience.” For some people though, text lingo has taken longer to catch on. Justin Koso, management junior, said he rarely bothers ab-

Pat Stark/Star illustration

breviating any words. “I don’t use abbreviations; I type out the whole word so it makes sense. I hate when I get texts that don’t make sense,” Koso said. Koso said the main reason he sends text messages so much is because he and his guy friends usually don’t have a lot to say to each other on the phone. It alleviates any awkward pauses that may arise in conversation. For a generation that has cell phones that can do pretty much anything, text lingo has had an affect on modern slang. “I don’t think it’s going to ruin English, but I think people’s social skills won’t be as good because hardly anyone is talking on the phone as much,” Koso said. Boggess recounted an incident in which she overheard a group of girls using text lingo with each other during their conversation. “I thought that was pretty ridiculous,” Boggess said. She said the main problem with text lingo is people are becoming bad spellers. “I can’t stand it when people

misspell common words in messages,” Boggess said. Nick LaLone, applied sociology senior, said abbreviating words or intentionally altering the spelling of words in text messages creates problems for children growing up in a technological age. “Pretty soon, elementary school teachers will have to distinguish proper grammar with what is acceptable in text or instant messages for students,” LaLone said. LaLone explained he does not use text message acronyms because instant messaging was before his time. “Once instant messaging over the Internet became popular, texting vocabulary came about and it has just transferred over to cell phone text messages,” LaLone said. Tally said at most, text lingo has one eﬀect. “I do think texting encourages laziness, which will adversely affect spelling and grammar,” he said. “On the plus side, it seems to give the thumbs plenty of exercise.”

TRENDS

Thursday, March 8, 2007

The University Star - Page 7

New Web site features student forum, area info By Laura Jamison The University Star Chris Albano claims he isn’t web savvy. Although, he did happen to pull 3,500 hits on his new site, www.mytxstate.com, last week. The site’s main feature is a forum in which students and community members can post under anything from “Rate a Prof” to “Music Snobs” or “Gym Rats.” Albano came up with the idea while he was in class. “One day in class I was thinking about the Web site 78666. com and how it never got the attention it deserved,” Albano, a pre-mass communication junior, said. “It was not geared towards students. So I made (mytxstate. com) and I tried to spread the word.” Albano has used viral marketing campaigns to promote the site. He said he has been caught drawing www.mytxstate.com on dirty buses, wearing a costume Monty Marion/Star feature photo in The Quad and leaving fliers in high traffic areas all over camFORUM FOUNDER: Chris Albano, pre-mass communication junior, has created a new student-orientpus. “I made fliers and one of them ed site, www.mytxstate.com. Albano hopes to create a place for students to gather online to communisaid ‘more underground than cate and share information about campus and San Marcos life.

a ground hog,’ with a picture of a ground hog,” Albano said. “Then we put these unique fliers in high traffic areas. I went to Costumed Occasions. I rented a cow costume with a body of a cow and a head of a dog. Holding a banner with advertising for the Web site, I walked through The Quad.” The site is geared predominately toward students. Albano said it provides students with an outlet to voice their opinions. “It is helpful, too, because we have apartment ratings and people can voice their opinions about that. It is better to hear the truth from a fellow student,” he said. “Rate a Prof” is one of the forum topics Albano said he would like to see grow. “I also want professor reviews,” he said. “It is a nice goal to have every single professor listed so when people are looking for classes, we have four or five points of view.” He said he wants the Web site to be the source on San Marcos. “The end goal is for it to be specific to San Marcos,” Albano said. “I want it to be a flagship

to San Marcos. Down the line I hope we can get a big chart of all the bars with their drink specials or maybe a featured bar.” Albano said he hopes to garner more student attention for the Web site. “The site’s true potential has not been opened yet,” he said. “The forum is running the whole thing and as we get more posts it could double. Students can help it grow because it is completely composed of students.” Connor Duﬀy, advertising senior, said this Web site answers questions about the school and the city. “It is a good idea because there is nothing out there like it,” he said. “It is better for younger people who don’t know anything about the city.” According to Duﬀy, even community members can utilize the site to check movie reviews and drink specials. Sadye Silva, nutrition and foods science sophomore, said the Web site is a helpful resource for students. “It is a convenient way of accessing information about the city and school,” Silva said.

and jumped in after he ﬁnally unlocked the doors. The two fell into their seats, shut the doors and looked at each other, both a bit damp from their sprint to the car. The two of them burst into laughter, and Adam started the car while Jamie tried her best not to make anymore eye contact. She didn’t realize how hot he looked like that.

Adam drove off. She stood there watching, shaking, and hating herself. Why couldn’t I… he was right there… And then, against all common sense, she threw her backpack underneath the porch and ran after him, down the street and across the bridge to Thistlebrush. She ran through the rain, her blue t-shirt turning a dark shade of midnight as it stuck to her body. She was soaked to the bone, but for some reason, she didn’t care. Only one thing mattered at that moment, and that was finding Adam. She knew the street, and she knew the car, so it wouldn’t be hard to find the house. She was caught by surprise, though, when the car she was looking for was found pulled over on the other side of the bridge, and a familiar figure was standing on the edge. “Adam?”

SOULSPEAK: Where the dead live By David Conrad The University Star Editor’s note: Soulspeak is the fictional prose and poetry writings of David Conrad, math sophomore. In an effort to promote creative writing and the arts, Soulspeak will be a regular section in The Star. These are not news stories. Adam Moore 1989-2005 Part II “Adam!” shouted Jamie, as she swam against the steady stream of students coming down the hall. It was her last chance to catch him before the weekend, and then she’d have to wait until Monday to finally talk to him. Glancing to her right, she saw him going the opposite way, so she fought to get over to the hallway. Unfortunately, traffic was bad this Friday, so all she could do was shout. “Adam, hold on!” She finally emerged from the hallway, although emerged is rather light for the scene that transpired. It was like the hall-

way was giving birth to her, and the other two triplets behind her helped push, shoving her out into the real world where she flopped to the floor and lay stunned for a second. Once she realized that she had finally escaped the jungle of students that clogged the passage, she jumped up and started to run after Adam, only to see that he was standing in front of her when she fell. If her embarrassment wasn’t seen before, there was no missing it now. “Oh, hey Adam,” she quietly mumbled as she brushed some stray hair behind her ear. “How ya doin’?” “Not too bad,” he said as they began walking. “Just glad the day’s over.” “I know, me too!” Not wanting to seem overly excited for no real apparent reason, she cleared her throat and went back into noncaring teenager mode. “So, you doin’ anything this weekend?” Adam shook his head and stopped at a nearby locker. “Nope. Not a thing. You?” “I’m just gonna study for the test. Besides that, just relax,

maybe head for the mall. I’ve been needing to get some new shoes,” she replied. “Sounds nice,” he said as he closed the locker and turned around. The two of them walked for the back door of the school, but Jamie stopped when she saw the weather outside. “Aww, when did this start up?” she asked. “Looks like the weatherman screwed up again,” Adam sighed with a smile. “Yeah… now I gotta call home.” “You walk?” “Yeah, both my parents work, and I hate the bus,” Jamie explained. “Always have. Mom should be coming home in about a half-hour, so I’ll just leave a message.” “Why don’t I just give you a ride?” suggested Adam. Jamie looked up at him in shock. Did he just… “Is that okay?” he asked when no answer was given. “I… yeah, is, is that okay?” “It’s no problem,” he replied. “I got plenty of time on my hands. Where do you live?”

She was paralyzed. All she could feel was the frightened, rapid beat of her heart and her bottom lip began to quiver. It was sad, really. How am I gonna tell him how I feel if I can’t even answer him now, she thought to herself. And am I really this pathetic? “Jamie?” “Yes!” she yelped, snapping out of her thoughts. “Yeah, that’s ﬁne. I live on Cherrywood.” “That’s pretty close. I live across the bridge on Thistlebrush. Now, we’re gonna have to run to the car, alright?” Jamie tried to answer, but she again had trouble getting any words out. She simply nodded her head and put her hand on the school door. “Let’s go!” And so the doors ﬂung open and the two made a mad dash to his Nissan in the parking lot

When they ﬁnally made it to her house on Cherrywood, Jamie put her hand on the door and pulled the handle. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later,” she said rather quickly. “Thank you for the ride.” “It’s no problem,” replied Adam. “Have fun studying for the chemistry test.” “Oh, you too,” she chuckled. With that, she shut the car door and stood in the rain as

TRENDS

Page 8 - The University Star

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Common Experience performance art event features Juilliard students By Jeffery D. Hooten The University Star Ten students from the worldrenowned Juilliard School will be featured in the culminating performance art event of the Common Experience. The performance will be a combination of different artistic media directed by Wayne Oquin, award-winning Texas State alumnus and current Juilliard doctoral student. The performers will take the stage 8 p.m. Thursday at the Evans Auditorium. “This was a result of lots of brainstorming among several people,” said Nico Schüler, associate professor of music and co-chair of the Common Experience. “(Oquin is) one of the most celebrated young composers that are there right now.” In keeping with the Common Experience theme of “Protest and Dissent,” the event will include a song cycle by Oquin based on the words of Martin Luther King Jr. and a musical composition written by Olivier Messiaen during his confine-

THURSDAY Lonesome Dove Revisited The exhibit is located in the Southwestern Writers Collection on the seventh ﬂoor of Alkek Library. Exhibit hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Friday; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Call (512) 245-2313 for more information. Hecho en Tejas: Celebrating Texas Mexican Literature The exhibit is located in the Southwestern Writers Collection on the seventh ﬂoor of Alkek Library. Exhibit hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Friday; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Call (512) 245-2313 for more information.

Ojos Para Volar/Eyes to Fly With: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide The exhibit is located in the Wittliﬀ Gallery of Southwestern and Mexican photography on the seventh ﬂoor of Alkek Library. Exhibit hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Friday; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Call (512) 245-2313 for more information. LOYAL OPPOSITION: an exhibition of protest and dissent This exhibit in Gallery I of the Joann Colle Mitte Art Building is relevant to the Common Experience theme

ment in a Nazi concentration camp. “I kept the title of ‘Protest and Dissent’ in mind with the selection of all the pieces,” Oquin said. Oquin additionally composed the opening piece of the performance — inspired by the work of Walt Whitman. The performance will include members of the Texas State Symphony Orchestra, who are under the direction of Howard Hudiburg, associate professor of music. The event will feature the premiere of a choreographic arrangement by two of the Juilliard students. “I wanted this to be an entirely student performance,” Oquin said. “I tried to invite the best performers I could think of — performers I respected as artists.” Oquin said he selected the pieces he did in order to go beyond the traditional style often displayed at Texas State. “I put pieces in this performance that are not played every day on this campus, but

should be,” Oquin said. “(These are) pieces that will raise a few hairs.” Jeffrey Gordon, philosophy professor and one of the organizers for the event, expressed his excitement over the pieces Oquin selected. “I’m expecting to be blown away by at least one or two of the pieces,” Gordon said. “(Oquin) picked edgy stuff for this show. People not into the cutting edge of music are going to be hearing things they’ve never heard before.” Gordon said the artistic aspect of the Common Experience is crucial to developing a complete picture of the concept of “Protest and Dissent.” “Art makes us reflect on a certain theme and articulate it in a way we wouldn’t imagine,” Gordon said. Schüler also emphasized the role of the arts in communicating protest and dissent in a way that transcends words. “Music may have words, and you may then express protest and dissent (through them). But

“Protest and Dissent” Exhibit hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday though Friday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.

Lonesome Dove Revisited

Split Second — Linnea Glatt This exhibit features work by mixed media artist Linnea Glatt. It is located in Gallery II of JCM. Exhibit hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday though Friday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Julliard Joins Texas State Alumnus Wayne Oquin and students from Juilliard School will be featured in the culminating performance art event of the Common Experience. The event will be held at 8 p.m. in Evan Liberal Arts Auditorium. Trombone Studio Recital Students of Charles Hurt will perform at 6 p.m. in the Music Building recital hall. This is a free event. Philosophy Dialogues “International Women’s Day: Jane Addams at the Hague” will be at 11 a.m. and “Women and Politics in Latin America” at 2 p.m. in Philosophy Dialogue Room, Psychology Building, Room 132. Mr. Debonair Male Showcase The Black Student Association will host Mr. Debonair in the LBJ Ballroom at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 presale, $7 at the door and $10 for VIP.

FRIDAY

Photo courtesy of Texas State Media Relations WORKING WITH GREATNESS: The Texas State Symphony Orchestra, under the direction Howard Hudiburg, music professor, will play with visiting members of the Juilliard School in New York for the ﬁnal performance art event of the Common Experience.

sometimes it doesn’t, and (the theme) may be expressed in other ways,” he said. Oquin said the eﬀectiveness

of the message conveyed by the performance lies in the audience’s interpretation. “I did not want to dictate to

the audience what they would and would not think,” he said. “I hope that they come away saying, ‘art is relevant.’”

Fight in the Fields The SACA Film Series will host The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chávez and the Farmworkers’ Struggle at 7 p.m. in Centennial Hall.

Split Second — Linnea Glatt

LOYAL OPPOSITION: an exhibition of protest and dissent

Hecho en Tejas: Celebrating Texas Mexican Literature

SATURDAY

Split Second — Linnea Glatt

Ojos Para Volar/Eyes to Fly With: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide

LOYAL OPPOSITION: an exhibition of protest and dissent

Split Second — Linnea Glatt

Eyes on the Prize Series - Part XIII & XIV Eyes on the Prize, a 14-episode documentary on the American Civil Rights Movement, aired in two parts on PBS. Episode XIII, titled “The Keys to the Kingdom (1974-1980)” and Episode XIV, “Back to the Movement (1979-mid 1980s),” will be screened at 7 p.m. in Alkek Teaching Theatre. This is a free event.

Split Second — Linnea Glatt

SPRING BREAK SATURDAY — FRIDAY Lonesome Dove Revisited The exhibit is closed Sunday and open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Regular hours resume on Sunday, March 18. Hecho en Tejas: Celebrating Texas Mexican Literature The exhibit is closed Sunday and open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Regular hours resume on Sunday, March 18. Ojos Para Volar/Eyes to Fly With: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide The exhibit is closed Sunday and open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Regular hours resume on Sunday, March 18. LOYAL OPPOSITION: an exhibition of protest and dissent

SUNDAY Lonesome Dove Revisited Hecho en Tejas: Celebrating Texas Mexican Literature Ojos Para Volar/Eyes to Fly With: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide LOYAL OPPOSITION: an exhibition of protest and dissent

Denis Johnson Reading The author and Mitte Chair will read his critically acclaimed literature. A book sale and signing follows. The reading begins at 3:30 p.m. in the Southwestern Writers Collection on the seventh ﬂoor of Alkek, followed by a question and answer session at 5 p.m.

Philosophy Dialogue “On B.F. Skinner’s Beyond Freedom and Dignity” will be at 12 p.m. in Philosophy Dialogue Room, Psychology Building, Room 132.

Philosophy Dialogues Freedom, Determinism, and Responsibility will be at 11 a.m., “Biochemistry and Freedom” at12:30 p.m. and “Who will Save the People of Darfur?” at 2 p.m. in Philosophy Dialogue Room, Psychology Building, Room 132.

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

Lonesome Dove Revisited

Split Second — Linnea Glatt

MONDAY Lonesome Dove Revisited Hecho en Tejas: Celebrating Texas Mexican Literature Ojos Para Volar/Eyes to Fly With: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide

Hecho en Tejas: Celebrating Texas Mexican Literature Ojos Para Volar/Eyes to Fly With: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide LOYAL OPPOSITION: an exhibition of protest and dissent Split Second — Linnea Glatt

Hecho en Tejas: Celebrating Texas Mexican Literature Ojos Para Volar/Eyes to Fly With: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide Philosophy Dialogue “On Daniel Dennett’s Elbow Room and Freedom Evolves” will be at noon in Philosophy Dialogue Room, Psychology Building, Room 132.

TRENDS/DIVERSIONS

Thursday, March 8, 2007

The University Star - Page 9

More reasons why men who devote their lives to gaming are unlikely to impress women It’s been a slow on (it says so in the week. Until I hit South article). By Southwest’s InterHere’s another gem: active spot next week, “If you’re just starting here’s some delighta relationship, don’t ful filler I decided to assume anything about pen after reading an her interest or experiarticle on WikiHow ence with video games. BILL RIX titled “How to Get Some girls love video Star Columnist Your Girlfriend to Play games. Some girls even Video Games” (www.wikihow. love first person shooters. Some com/Get-Your-Girlfriend-to-Play- girls can probably even make Video-Games). you look like a complete moron Bear in mind this article in first person shooters.” somehow made it to Joystiq and Girls, girls, girls. I guess Jay-Z the front page of Digg. That’s wrote this article. While Hova saying a lot, and none of it’s too is correct about not making aspretty. sumptions, he stumbles again in Right away, the article begins the third sentence, positing that with the atypical, isolated male girls might even — might — be gamer trash: “Many men will be skilled at first-person shooters forced, at some point, to part (think Counter-Strike or Halo). I with their beloved game console don’t even have words for this. by supreme order of their feHere’s more sage advice: “If male companions.” you do manage to get your girlIn my experience, this is friend playing video games on true and real. Girls hate video her own, be ready and willing to games. help her through some of the I say “girls” because while harder levels or boss battles.” “women” is a more correct Be ready? Actually, he has a term, the authors and subsepoint here. Since girls obviously quent editors of this WikiHow can’t handle first-person shootpage are imbeciles. ers, can they really be expected They are just too complicatto match up colored pills on Dr. Mario? Come now. Only men ed, right? And of course, games can stand up to such an arduous don’t offer anything to those situation. playing them. Shoe shopping, It doesn’t stop. on the other hand, seems to be “Some Nintendo systems a feat girls are more apt to take

have more intuitive controls which may be useful to just pick up and play without prior experience. This may be a good starting point for new gamers, unless they have prior experience with other systems (sic) controls.” This really strikes a chord with me. I feel so sorry for girls, whose malformed hands cannot grasp the intricate details of an Xbox 360 controller. Thank God Nintendo understands this and caters to those unfortunate enough to be born with a Y chromosome. I can’t relate all of the information on the site to you here. But believe me, it just gets worse and worse. It’s depressing knowing people actually took time out of their day to write such misogynist garbage and then think it’d be a good idea to present it to the public as some sort of useful guide. Gamers have a pretty poor reception in mass culture as it is, so do we really need more hateful rubbish like this ﬂoating around? As long as embittered male teenagers keep positioning themselves as gaming icons, we (gamers) will continue to be set back a couple of hundred years every time some nerd in his mom’s basement gets together with his pals and hypothesizes on the opposite sex. © Pappocom

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

www.UniversityStar.com

Wednesday’s solutions:

OPINIONS T EDUCATION onlineconnection

THE UNIVERSITY STAR

Should Amanda Oskey, Associated Student Government vice president, have dissolved the ASG Graduate House of Representatives? 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

Thursday, March 8, 2007 - Page 10

Opinions Contact — Emily Messer, staropinion@txstate.edu

THE MAIN POINT

exas State is currently hearing the appeal from Winston Bennett, chemistry freshman, who was arrested twice in the span of a month for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

NOT EXPULSION

University’s, nation’s bureaucratic policies are not truly effective

According to university policy, students charged with a second drug offense face expulsion. Though the university has shifted away from the automatic expulsion of students charged with a drug offense, and instead looks at it on a case-bycase basis, it is still a harsh penalty. What good does it do to expel students? Kicking them out of school will not deter any students from their drug habits. The university should take more sensible, proactive steps in helping students with their addictions or drug problems. The university does have the Drug and Alcohol Resource Center, which offers counseling to students, but what is the point if the student is expelled? These bureaucratic policies are simply backward. Only after a student’s third DWI does the university consider his or her expulsion, but a student caught smoking pot in their dorm room for a second time is an expellable offense? Yes, marijuana is classified as an illegal substance, whereas alcohol is not. But alcohol is far more dangerous. Texas ranked second in the nation for the most alcohol related deaths in 2005, at 1,569, which comprised 45 percent of all traffic deaths in the state. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “alcohol is closely linked with violence. About 40 percent of all crimes (violent and non-violent) are committed under the influence of alcohol.” But this information is nothing new. Everyone knows the effects of alcohol, and slowly, the government is recognizing their exaggerated claims on the effects of marijuana. During the early 20th century, the U.S. government labeled marijuana as an incredibly dangerous substance that leads to rape, aggression, violence and suicide — a claim that is almost laughable today. Even today, the government seems to be searching high and low for excuses. It is almost surprising that our government still carries out its War on Drugs. Like it or not, drug use is part of American culture, and as long as there is a demand for drugs, there will be a supply. The best thing for a governmental body to do is to educate and offer counseling and rehabilitation.

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

RE: Main Point, Feb. 28 Students shouldn’t have to choose whether or not to buy a required textbook because of the cost. Contrary to your Feb. 28 Main Point, HB 956 will cut unnecessary textbook costs by ending unfair marketing practices, while leaving the job of selecting textbooks in the hands of faculty, where it belongs. Students are fed up that so many “new” editions of textbooks are almost identical to older versions, just with different edition numbers. They are justiﬁably upset about having to buy a “bundled” CD and workbook that they will never use in order to get the textbook they need. And they want to be able to shop around, as you recommend, but can’t get their book lists early enough to do so, even though the campus bookstore has had the list for months. If HB 956 passes, Texas students will no longer have to bear the costs of these anti-competitive practices. The bill recognizes that sometimes a new edition may be the best choice for a particular course. When that happens, a simple approval by the professor’s department is all that is necessary. But otherwise, students will get the beneﬁt of a market for buying and selling used books. HB 956 is good for Texas students. I hope you will reconsider your position.

Online Poll Results Textbook Bill

aculty Senate voiced its opposition to Texas House Bill 956, which would require university professors to issue textbooks usable for at least three years before being replaced by newer versions. How do you feel about the bill? Kelly Simmons/Star illustration

LEGAL GUY: Careful attention to a lease could save future problems

The University Star

Textbook bill would benefit students, faculty

Scott Hochberg State Representative, District 137

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.

Along with midrepairs in your apartment terms, this is a good unless the problem threattime to start thinkens your health or safety. ing about where you Secondly, be wary of any want to live when clause that would allow your lease is up. If your landlord to keep your you are lucky, you deposit if you do not give will fall in exactly 30 or 60-day notice of your CARSON GUY where you would like intention to move out. In Star Columnist to be. But for most many leases, the landlord students, this is not how things can not only keep your deposit, shake out. Now is the time to but even charge you a sublet fee do that legwork. that could cost you hundreds of Although you should be exdollars. cited about living somewhere If you do ﬁnd any clauses new, there are some very imlike these, or any other ones portant things to take care of that you are cautious of, then before you go and sign a lease. you should visit the Attorney Many of these things are comfor Students oﬃce to get more mon sense, but they fall by the information about them, or you wayside in all of the excitement can talk to a representative at to wrap everything up. the residence in question. First and foremost, you Sometimes just by talking with should always read your lease. the landlord, you can get some It is not fun, because it is not of these clauses removed from supposed to be. But this step the contract. If, however, the is crucial. When reading your landlord will not remove any of lease, keep an eye out for pasthe passages in question, then sages that would allow your fuyou have to decide whether you ture landlord to wait on making are willing to legally bind your-

Letter to the Editor

self to the obligations set forth in the lease or find somewhere else to live. Once you are satisfied with your lease, there are still a few things to do before signing the lease and turning it. If moving into an apartment, then make sure to inspect the unit for any maintenance problems that should be addressed before you move in. This is important. Do not wait to get any problems with your residence fixed till after you move in. Sometimes landlords will even tell you when filling out your Move In/ Move Out form to not mark the area in question, because they will fix it shortly after you move in. Do not do this. Promises like those have a tendency to be forgotten for various reasons. But in the end, you will be held responsible if there is no written proof that the item or area in question was already damaged. If your new landlord does not give you a Move In/Move Out

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

form to fill out, then you can download one from the Attorney for Students Web site. This is one of the most important documents you will fill out, and it should be signed by you and your landlord. Also, if in doubt about whether to list an item as damaged on your sheet, then you should probably list it. Once signed by both parties, you should give a copy to the landlord and keep one for yourself. An often-overlooked part of leasing is renter’s insurance. Many people do not get renter’s insurance and most probably never have any problems. However, if your laptop or some other valuable possession is stolen, you will wish you had it. Typically, renter’s insurance is fairly cheap and can cover you for fire or water damage as well as theft. Do not assume that if there is a fire your landlord will be responsible for replacing everything, because many times they are not responsible. If the landlord did not know about the

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problem, then it is probably not their fault. The most important thing to remember when dealing with landlords is that no matter how small the issue, always submit a complaint in writing and get it signed and dated by your landlord. When it comes time to move out, the only things you have to protect yourself from unfair damages are the documents you submitted and kept.

It would help students save money

71% If passed, it would not be effective

21% I don’t know/ not sure

Carson Guy is a political science senior. His column tackles legal quandaries E-mail questions to Guy at staropinion@txstate.edu. The content and opinions contained herein are in no way meant as legal advice. All information is general in nature. Do not rely on information within this article when trying to resolve a speciﬁc legal issue. All situations are unique and require speciﬁc legal advice from competent counsel.

Account Executive...........................Jackie Pardue, jp1271@txstate.edu Account Executive.....................Krystal Slater, ks1429@txstate.edu Publications Coordinator..Linda Allen, starbusinessoffice@txstate.edu Publications Director..............Bob Bajackson, stardirector@txstate.edu Visit The Star at www.UniversityStar.com

Results compiled from The University Star Web site online poll. This is not a scientiﬁc survey. 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 March 8, 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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All classified ads are charged 20¢ per word. Ads may be emailed to starclassifieds@txstate.edu. 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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FOR RENT

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SPORTS

cajunclassic

THE UNIVERSITY STAR

Texas State men’s golf ﬁnished in a tie for 12th place in this week’s Louisiana Classic, hosted by Louisiana-Lafayette Monday and Tuesday. The Bobcats shot 884 over three rounds, led by sophomore Corey Roberson’s 211. Roberson shot a team-best 68 in round three, improving his total each round to tie for sixth place. The competition was Texas State’s second of the year, and next it travels to Laredo for the Border Olympics, to be held March 16 to 17. — Courtesy Media Relations Sports Contact — Chris Boehm, starsports@txstate.edu

Thursday, March 8, 2007 - Page 12

Bobcats, St. John’s split softball doubleheader By Carl Harper The University Star The Bobcats split a doubleheader against St. John’s Wednesday night at Bobcat Field. St. John’s pitcher Kim Lerch pitched a complete game onehit shutout over the Bobcats to pick up her second win of the season in game one, a 1-0 Red Storm victory. Lerch notched nine strikeouts in the game and gave up one hit to the leadoff batter, Amy Krueger, when she doubled to right-center in the first inning. The Bobcats, 11-12 roared back in game two with an 8-0 run-rule win in five innings. “It was nice to string a few hits together in a ball game and have a good feeling after you leave the ball park,” Coach Ricci Woodard said. Krueger went 2-for-2 with a single and a two-RBI homerun to right field, on a 10-pitch at bat against pitcher Lisa Geer. “It felt really good,” Krueger said. “I saw the ball real well and was fighting off all the pitches she was throwing out of the zone. She finally left one in there. and I attacked it.” With the score 3-0 in favor of Texas State in the second inning, the Bobcats kept the runs coming as Kristina Tello scored on a throwing error from third baseman Loren Anguiano. Shortstop Alex Newton followed up with one of her two doubles on the night after Leah Boatright

walked. McCormack scored from second on the play. Newton went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, sacrifice bunt and an RBI in the two games. “It felt good to finally hit the ball and get on base, because I have been struggling at the plate,” Newton said. “I’ve just got to work on swinging at good pitches.” Freshman pitcher Megan Mikeska made her second appearance of the season, relieving Ragan Blake, 9-6, in the fifth frame. Mikeska finished with one scoreless inning after picking up her first collegiate strikeout. “Anytime you can get a freshman out there in the circle and get them some experience, it will make us better in the long run,” Woodard said. “She throws the ball hard and can throw it hard in the zone.” St. John’s sealed game one when center fielder Shauntaine Harris came through with her second homerun of the year off Blake. Blake relieved starting pitcher Sarah Lancour she gave up a walk and double. “Lancour wasn’t throwing the ball real well, and there was no sense in wasting her arm Cotton Miller/Star photo since things were not working MOVING ‘EM FORWARD: Sophomore shortstop Alex Newton sacrifice bunts to advance runners to second and third bases during for her,” Woodard said. Blake was able end the inning the first game of Wednesday night’s doubleheader against St. John’s. with no runs allowed. Lancour went three and a third innings, giving up no runs on two hits Boatright and Ashton Peters be- ners into scoring position, but Texas State will return to starting at 1 p.m. Saturday with two strikeouts. gan the inning with back-to-back Lerch kept struck out hitters Southland Conference play against Central Arkansas. The The Bobcats had a chance in walks. Newton dropped down a Jetta Weinheimer and Tamara this weekend beginning with a series finale takes place at noon the bottom of the seventh when sacrifice bunt to move the run- Keller to end the game. doubleheader at Bobcat Field Sunday.

So close...

Texas State track and ﬁeld sends two to NCAA Indoor Championships By Scott Strickman The University Star

Andrew Nenque/Special to The Star YET SO FAR: Junior guard, Joyce Ekworomadu, races with a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi player for the ball during the Bobcats’ 76-75 overtime loss Wednesday in round one of the Southland Conference Tournament.

The Bobcat track and field squad races back into action this weekend as the host of the Texas State Open, while two members of the team head off to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships. While most of the Bobcats received last weekend off upon completion of the indoor track season, a few members headed to Baton Rouge to take part in the LSU Last Ditch. The meet offered a final opportunity to improve on past results in an attempt to qualify for the Indoor Championships being held this weekend in Fayetteville, at Arkansas. Abby Ruston took full advantage of the chance and increased her mark in the women’s shot put from 16.06 to 16.40 meters, giving her the victory before a sparse crowd. Her improvement ultimately ensured a provisional qualifying spot in this weekend’s

indoor championships. “I knew I had to get between 16.3 and 16.4 (meters),” Ruston said. “It was nice to get my confidence back. I was in a slump and things weren’t going my way. Doubt was messing with my mind, so it was nice to get back on track.” The attendance, or lack thereof, may have eased the pressure off of Ruston. The meet mostly contained participants from LSU, and, even then, only a few competitors were present for most events. “It was really bizarre to get a throw like that and have only my parents in the stands,” Ruston said. “I was able to get it on my second throw, so I think (the small crowd) may have helped.” Ruston will now join teammate Katya Kostetskaya, who earned automatic qualification in the 800 meters, as they travel to Arkansas this weekend. Kostetskaya posted the fastest time in the nation in the women’s 800-meter event earlier this sea-

son at a time of 2 minutes and 3.58 seconds. She also won the Southland Conference Championship in the 800 meters. “It felt good to win (the 800-meter championship), but it’s more important to win (indoor) nationals,” Kostetskaya said, following her victory. Ruston and Robert Melin both recently received awards from league coaches. Ruston was named the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year after her performance at the SLC Indoor Championships where she won the women’s shot put by more than a meter with her throw of 16.06 meters. Melin, who swept the two throwing events at the conference championships, garnered accolades as the Southland Conference Indoor Track and Field Outstanding Field Performer. Valerie Hancock, freshman, also traveled to LSU to make a last gasp eﬀort at qualifying for the indoor championships in the women’s high jump. Unfortunately, Hancock was unable to im-

prove upon her previous mark of 1.78 meters, settling for a mark of 1.74. She finished in second place behind Auburn’s Raevan Harris, who won the event with a jump at a height of 1.84, good enough for automatic qualification into the indoor championships. The Bobcats spring back into action Friday to start the outdoor track season. Ruston, who competed in the Texas State Open last year, said the rest of the team is excited about being able to enjoy the comforts of home this weekend. “We used to have three-day trips at (Texas) A&M,” Ruston said. “I would feel like a zombie afterwards. It’s nice to have local stuff that doesn’t take up the whole day.” As for Ruston, she will head into the Indoor Championships with a renewed sense of confidence. “I expect to do good. I feel confident,” Ruston said. “I’m just going to try to continue what I’m doing. Hopefully I will get into the finals and improve on my season best.”

Men’s basketball ends season looking forward to next year By Nathan Brooks The University Star

A week ago, the sounds of bouncing basketballs and screeching sneakers echoed through the hallways of Strahan Coliseum as Texas State prepared for its season finale against Texas-Arlington. Today, the sounds of practice have been replaced with sounds of earsplitting construction. The lights that once beamed down from the rafters are replaced with darkness. It’s a stark indication the season is over. The sounds of nail guns and machine saws are a fitting reminder alike the program is under its own construction. The team tripled its win total from a year ago, finishing with a 9-20 record, but the improvement is still not enough for the team. “I feel it was an all right season,” Brandon Thomas, junior forward, said. “We didn’t do as well as we planned … but … it was a great learning experience for all of us.” It’s that experience Doug Davalos wanted to emphasize in his first year as head coach for Texas State. “I didn’t have a wins and losses goal coming into the season,” Davalos said. “The process was

more important than the product. We were constantly moving forward, maybe not at the accelerated rate that I wanted as a coach, but we’re still moving forward.” A big part of the Bobcats moving forward was the improvement and leadership of the three players remaining from last season. Sophomores Dylan Moseley and Brandon Bush improved from their freshman years, increasing productivity across the board this season. Bush led the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Those numbers were enough to earn him all-conference honorable mention this week. “I thought (Bush) really grew as a player and if he continues to grow he can be a Player of the Year candidate in this league,” Davalos said. “But he needs to be more consistent and that’s something that maturity can do.” Moseley finished the season averaging nine points and 3.6 rebounds a game, in 20 starts — a far cry from the 2.1 and 2.4 he averaged as freshman off the bench. The team’s senior, Antwoine Blanchard, finished with his finest collegiate season, averaging 8.1 points and a team-best 3.3 assists per game. “We live in such a ‘grass is always greener on the other side

of the fence’ world right now,” Davalos said. “Anybody who is not happy with their minutes or the coaches looks to transfer. I feel it sends a great lesson because he stuck in here and wanted to be a part of the first step to turn this program back into a championship-caliber program.” One area of need is on defense, where the Bobcats finished the season giving up an average of 85.4 points per game on 50.7 percent shooting. A pair of incoming freshman, Ty Gough and Jonathon Sloan, should provide a stiffer last line of defense for Davalos’ full-court pressure defense. “We were playing six-foot-six (power forwards at center),” Davalos said. “There is only so much you can do when you don’t have a last line of defenders to contest shots.” Gough is a 6-foot-10-inch, 240pound center out of San Juan Alamo High School in Pharr, who should be able to help immediately on defense. Gough averaged over 18 rebounds per game during his junior season. Davalos said he feels Gough could have the same impact former Bobcat and current Indiana Pacer Jeff Foster had in the maroon and gold. Sloan is a 6-foot-9-inch, 230pound forward from Richardson

Pearce High School, and should play a key role on defense. But his impact could be felt offensively, where his array of inside and outside skills could give the Bobcats an offensive boost. Joining them from the high school ranks are guards Cameron Johnson from Lake Highlands High School and Ryan White from Alief Elsik High School. Junior college standout Brent Benson will join the Bobcats from Coastal Georgia Community College where he averaged 22.2 points per game during the 200506 season. The future looks bright for the Bobcats and the one player from the team who won’t be able to be a part of it might just stay around San Marcos a few more years to watch. “I may stick around and go to grad school just so I can see the progress,” Blanchard said. “It was a tough year but I think Texas State is going to be the team to beat very soon.” Like the nails, wood and metal used outside to repair the roof over the coliseum, the blood, sweat and effort poured on the floor of Strahan Coliseum over the past four months has built a foundation for a program looking to bring back not only championships, but also pride and integrity.

Monty Marion/Star file photo MAKING PROGRESS: Texas State men’s basketball Coach Doug Davalos ﬁnished his ﬁrst season at the helm of the Bobcat team with a 9-20 record, better than former Coach Dennis Nutt’s 3-23 season.

03 08 2007

Published on Mar 8, 2007

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