MULTITUDE OF MUSICIANS Bands, fans will flock to Austin for next week’s SXSW SEE TRENDS PAGE 7
TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS
www.UniversityStar.com
MARCH 9, 2006
THURSDAY
VOLUME 95, ISSUE 62
Real race realizations SMPD free of racial profiling, new report says
play a role in law enforcement’s actions. “Our policies prohibit racial profiling,” Williams said. “You simply cannot take enforcement action against people based on their race or ethnicity. That’s not acceptable.” Hassan Tajalli, a statistician and associate political science professor, reviewed the data for SMPD. “Basically, what we want to know is if whether the proportion of ethnic groups in the data that was provided to me is significantly different than the proportion of ethnic groups in the general population,” Tajalli said. According to the report, 7,026 traffic stops were cited by the SMPD last year. Of those stopped, 4,360 were white, 132 of whom were searched and two of whom were arrested. Police stopped 2,318 Hispanics, conducted 104
By David Rauf The University Star Data released by the San Marcos Police Department indicates officers did not use racial profiling when making traffic stops in 2005, but did search Hispanics more often than whites or blacks. SMPD Chief Howard Williams issued the department’s annual racial profiling report last week. The report evaluated the total number of traffic citations issued, Armando Sanchez/Star photo searches performed and arrests made related to those searches RACIAL REPORT: A recent report regarding racial profiling in the San Marcos Police Department during 2005. The purpose, Wilfound that officers did not participate in racial profiling. However, it also found that if pulled over, Hisliams said, is to evaluate whether panics were more likely to be searched than other ethnic groups. race, ethnicity or national origin
Presentation of new GRE test postponed from Fall 2006 until Fall 2007 semester By Carl Norberg The University Star The introduction of the newly reconstructed Graduate Record Exam will be postponed until Fall 2007. Originally scheduled to debut in October 2006, the Educational Testing Service has delayed the unveiling of the new GRE for another year, saying it will allow more time to develop the new Internet-based testing system that will take place of the current test, thus allowing a smoother transition. “Once we had made the decision to delay the test a little bit, we decided that we just had to wait an entire year,” said David Payne, executive director of the
GRE Program at ETS. Receiving its largest modification in 57 years, and the single largest change of any standardized test, including the SAT, the new GRE is a primary requirement for admission to the majority of graduate programs across the country, including Texas State. According to a Feb. 8 ETS press release, “higher education and graduate communities are excited about the revised GRE.” Experts at The Princeton Review said changes in testing format are financially motivated. Liz Wands, national director of Graduate Programs at The Princeton Review said ETS will only makes changes that will help the
organization financially. “It’s a shame that ETS is masking these changes — student interest is not at heart,” Wands said. The new test will take approximately 90 minutes longer and contain a largely different testing format than the current GRE’s variable format, in which a computer chooses test questions based on how well previous questions were answered. While ETS feels the current format is highly efficient, it is also very unfamiliar to test-takers. Each section of the new test will contain approximately 50 questions, but the exact number is still yet to be determined. “We just collected our last set
San Marcos residents expressed approval of city services, according to the findings of a recent survey. The city service survey, distributed in randomly selected utility bills, rated the city’s services and listed the priorities of San Marcos residents. Political science associate professor Hassan Tajalli worked with the city in compiling the survey results. Tajalli has worked with the city on the surveys for six years and said the results are “very scientific.” “We randomly sent out the questionnaires and collected them,” Tajalli said. “We test
tudents broke Sopinions from the of non-
students in several categories, but most notably in their opinion of local police.
them for statistical significance using chi-square.” The chi-square test measures the significance of statistical data. Tajalli said writing the surveys was a cooperative effort
between himself and city officials, but the officials did most of the work. Surveys were mailed to 2,716 utility customers in November and 11.8 percent of residents that received the survey responded. Library programs, garbage pick-up, fire services and parks and open spaces services received the highest scores on the five-point scale. Perpetual poor performers continued to be street maintenance, traffic signs and signals and downtown parking. Texas State students made their voices heard through the surveys; 22 percent of the total respondents indicated they were enrolled at the univer-
See RACE, page 3
Company to oversee conference center project selected by City Council
of pilot data, and we’re in the process of making final decisions as to the number of items,” Payne said. The new testing format will be linear, and all test-takers, on any given day, will receive the same set of questions. They will also be able to go forward to preview questions, as well as backward to view previous questions and their answers. “It’s a more familiar format,” Payne said. According to a press release, The Princeton Review has challenged the array of questions used in the new testing format. “We suspect that the new test,
By Clayton Medford The University Star The San Marcos City Council approved an agreement with Broaddus and Associates to act as the city’s eyes and ears throughout the construction of the San Marcos Conference Center project at Interstate 35 and McCarty Lane on Tuesday. The $20 million project will connect to a 10-story luxury Embassy Suites hotel to be built by John Q. Hammons Hotels. Representatives from JQH Hotels; Lohmeyer-Russell, the architecture firm that will design the project; and Broaddus and Associates were on hand to field questions from council members. Broaddus will receive no more than $482,400 in the course of 25 months from funds allocated to the construction of the conference center, according to the contract. City Manager Dan O’Leary said the city is required by law to hire a firm to oversee the construction of the project on the city’s behalf. “We’re using what’s called a design-build concept, and that’s the way we are constructing this conference center,” O’Leary said. “The procedures for constructing that way are lined out for us in the state law, and state law requires that we
See GRE, page 4
Non-students happier than students with city services By Clayton Medford The University Star
searches and made three arrests. They stopped 321 blacks, conducted 11 searches and made two arrests, while 26 Asian Americans were stopped with one search and no arrests. Based on the analysis of the raw data, Tajalli answered two questions for the SMPD. When it came to traffic stops there was no discrimination against blacks, Hispanics or others, Tajalli said. In fact, the report showed that fewer ethnic minorities were stopped. “We came up with two different conclusions,” Tajalli said. “With regards to stops, there was no racial profiling against minorities. As a matter of fact the opposite was correct — whites were disproportionately pulled over.” Tajalli said there was no racial profiling against blacks and that
sity. Students broke from the opinions of non-students in several categories, but most notably in their opinion of local police. Only 45.5 percent of students gave their approval of the police, while 60 percent of all respondents approved of the police service. Students also split with non-student residents in their disapproval of the city’s environmental protection and garbage pick-up and students were slightly more disapproving of the city’s street maintenance than non-students. According to the city’s press release, the information collected through the surveys “helps See SERVICES, page 3
hire an owner’s representative to oversee this project.” James Broaddus, owner of Broaddus and Associates, described a part of his firm’s duties. “There will be a point when you reach the design development stage where there will be a guaranteed maximum price set for the project,” Broaddus said. “You’ll want to be sure that that guaranteed maximum price is a fair price and includes everything that you are looking for in the project, and we are quite skilled at doing that.” Council members questioned Broaddus about the nearly $500,000 price of his firm’s services. “This project isn’t a fixed amount for $482,000 or $400,000. We are charging our services on an hourly basis —that’s a not-to-exceed price,” Broaddus said. “So every hour we spend on this job will be accounted for at the rates that have been specified in the contract.” Council member John Diaz asked the consultant for specifics of the firm’s responsibility to the city in the case of problems with the project. “If you’re asking whether we are replacing the architect’s See CITY, page 3
SPRING CLEANING
MtvU wants to turn Spring Breakers into action-makers By Ashley Richards The University Star The typical college Spring Break has been painted in the minds of young people for more than a decade based on documentaries from MTV’s Cancun getaways. Venturing from that stereotype, mtvU, the network’s university-affiliated station, will be following students next week as they spend their break time in Austin at workshops during the third annual Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break, hosted by Texas Students Against the Death Penalty. “(MTV is) interested in the
Spring Break alternative,” said Hooman Hedayati, TSADP president. “They were interested to come to see what other students are doing rather than spending their time at the beaches. It’s going to be kind of like a reality show.” From March 13 through 17, high school and college students are welcome to participate in the anti-death penalty event for free, Hedayati said. However, to make organizing the event easier, he asked that participants pre-register online. “I think a lot of students are interested in doing things that make a difference in the world,”
Today’s Weather
Sunny 80˚/48˚
Precipitation: 20% Humidity: 22% UV: 7 High Wind: W 22 mph
said Scott Cobb, Texas Moratorium Network president. “They’d like to have that fun, like at the beach, but they’d like to use their time for something more meaningful. We’ve noticed there’s a demand for things.” If students require housing for the week, they can register to pay $25 for five nights in a residence hall on Guadalupe Street, across from the University of Texas campus. “It’s just five days where we have activities about the death penalty, workshops on media relations, resolutions, student government and how to organize direct action,” Hedayati
said. Hedayati said his organization started several months ago, so the Texas Moratorium Network, which put on the event the first two years, decided to transfer sponsorship of the alternative Spring Break to TSADP. “It’s definitely been a successful event,” Cobb said. “We started out having just Rice University students, just as an experiment, and we’ll probably have about 50 participants this year.” Cobb said Hedayati attended the event last year while he was a See BREAK, page 3
Two-day Forecast Friday Sunny Temp: 87°/ 58° Precipitation: 0%
Saturday Partly Cloudy Temp: 90°/ 59° Precipitation: 0%
Brynn Leggett/Star photo SPRING CLEANING: Accounting junior Robin O’Hara (right) and finance junior Cynthia Klein, members of the Chi Beta Delta sorority, help remove water hyacinth, an exotic species living in Spring Lake, at the Aquarena Center on Saturday.
Inside
TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS
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To Contact Trinity Building Phone: (512) 245-3487 Fax: (512) 245-3708 www.UniversityStar.com © 2006 The University Star
PAGE TWO The University Star
March 10, 2006
Thursday in Brief
starsof texas state Bobcat senior forward Tamara Thompson was named first-team All-Southland Conference on Sunday. Thompson, a preseason All-SLC pick, leads her team in scoring with 16.8 points per game, which ties for second best in the league. She finished third among the conference in rebounding with 7.9 boards per contest. The senior from Tyler Junior College is currently tied with UTSA’s Vivian Ewalefo and Northwestern State’s Shenise Milliner with six doubledoubles on the season. The 2005 SLC Newcomer of the Year
posted solid numbers under the basket as she shot 45.3 percent from the field. In addition, Bobcat sophomore forward Joyce Ekworomadu was named to the league’s second team. The Star congratulates Thompson and Ekworomadu for their accomplishments and their contributions to a stellar women’s basketball season at Texas State. — Courtesy of Media Relations
News Contact — Kirsten Crow, starnews@txstate.edu
Calendar of
House hunting
STARS OF TEXAS STATE POLICY Do you know someone at Texas State who has recently celebrated a great achievement? Nominate your choice to appear in The Star as a “Star of Texas State.” Write an e-mail to starletters@txstate.edu with the subject line “Stars of Texas State,” and include your nominee’s name, his/her relationship to the university, contact information for yourself and your nominee, and a brief description of the achievement. Also include a photo of your nominee if available. Accepted nominees will be featured at the top of Page Two.
EVENTS Clubs & Meetings Thursday Earth First, a campus environmental group, will hold its first meeting at 4 p.m. in Evans Liberal Arts Building, Room 312.
Events
Texas State Faculty and guest artists will perform a Contemporary Music Concert at 8 p.m. in the recital hall. Admission is free. Friday The Music Lecture Series will host professor Charles Ruggiero of Michigan State University on “Creative Collaboration: A Composer’s Perspective” at 2 p.m. in the recital hall. Admission is free.
Thursday The CSC will have The Rock Praise & Worship in the CSC chapel at 7:30 p.m. Dr. David E. Hayes-Bautista will hold a presentation on culturally competent research on Latino health at 2 p.m in the LBJ Student Center, Room 3-14.1. The event is hosted by the College of Applied Arts and the department of family and consumer sciences. Tuesday The Catholic Student Center will have a free lunch for all students from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Arts & Entertainment Thursday The Texas State Wind Ensemble and guest artists will perform their Modern Music Concert at 2:30 p.m. in Evans Auditorium. Admission is free.
Campus Sports
Saturday Top agility teams consisting of one human and one dog will be gathering in San Marcos at the Hays County Civic Center for the Austin K9 Xpress Agility Trial. Competition will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Spectators are welcome at no charge. Vendors will be present. Sunday The Austin K9 Xpress Agility trial will continue from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Miscellaneous PAWS Preview will be accepting applications for the position of PAL and P2 Crew until Friday. Applications are available in the CASO office LBJSC, Room 4-11.1. For more information about the position, e-mail ls1097@txstate. edu or call (512) 245-3219. The Bobcat Build registration deadline has been extended. Forms are due by Friday, March 10 to the CASO Front Desk or River House. Forms are online at www.txstate.edu/community. CALENDAR SUBMISSION POLICY Calendar submissions are free. Send submissions to Calendar of Events at starcalendar@txstate. edu or call (512) 245-3487 for more information. E-mailed press releases will not be accepted. If using e-mail, please submit as a simple bulleted list of essential information. Submissions are on a first come, first served basis and notices for weekly meetings need to be submitted every week they will take place. The University Star reserves the right to refuse entries or edit for libel, style and space purposes. Deadline: Three working days prior to publication.
WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES
The photo titled “Swinging for the fences” on the front page of Wednesday’s issue should have been attributed to Monty Marion, not A.D. Brown. Also in Wednesday’s issue, the staff editorial on page 6 said that the ASG election on
the five fraternities suspended in 2004 called for the university to “reinstate” them. The bill actually calls for the relevant offices to “review, revisit, reanalyze, and reassess” the cases to determine if reinstatement is appropriate.
On This Day... 1454 - Amerigo Vespucci was born in Florence, Italy. Matthias Ringmann, a German mapmaker, named the American continent in his honor. 1788 - Connecticut became the fifth United State. 1860 - The first Japanese ambassador to the U.S. was appointed. Stephanie Gage/Star photo Wyatt Graves of The Exchange apartments promotes the complex on Wednesday during the Off Campus Housing Fair in the LBJ Student Center Ballroom.
Library Beat State government documents available at Alkek Tax time is not far off. Looking for that quick refund, but need information on the tuition tax credit to complete your filing? What about that special, hard-to-find tax form to declare all those dividends you made this year? And Spring Break is just around the corner. Planning an epic backpacking trip to Big Bend, but need that one topographic map to keep you headed in the right direction and on the right trail? If you’re searching for information and answers to any or all of these questions, Government Documents Collection can help. Located on the fourth floor of the Alkek Library and online from the library’s homepage at www. library.txstate.edu/ref/gov-doc/index.asp, GDC collects, manages and provides access to a host of government information and cartographic resources.
1949 - The first all-electric dining car was placed in service on the Illinois Central Railroad.
The collection consists of more than 610,000 titles (representing more than one million individual items) of U.S. government and state of Texas documents, including books, serials, pamphlets, maps and state-adopted textbooks. This large collection includes items in print, electronic and microfiche formats. During scheduled hours, the GDC public service desk offers reference assistance, maps and online services for numerous specialty databases. Individual consultations with a government information and maps librarian and subject specialist are available upon request, as well as e-mail reference and customized bibliographic instruction for courses. So whatever you’re looking for — the goods on your candidate, that special tax form, or the perfect map — visit GDC on the fourth floor, check out the Web page or call (512) 245-3686. — Courtesy of the Alkek Library
NEWS
Thursday, March 9, 2006
UCLA professor to discuss research methods in studying nutrition, health By Ashley Richards The University Star Well-known professor and researcher David Hayes-Bautista will give a speech at 2 p.m. in the LBJ Student Center, Room 3-14.1 about research methods for studying health and nutrition behaviors among Hispanic populations. Hayes-Bautista’s lecture, “Culturally Competent Research on Latino Health,” is sponsored by the College of Applied Arts and the department of family and consumer science nutrition program. The lecture will be supplemented with his extensive research on Latino nutrition habits as well as information about the accessibility of healthcare to Hispanics. “His lecture is going to be about research methods —
how you can study this area,” said Betty J. Friedman, chair of the department of family and consumer sciences. “We’re finding out when we look at diverse population that you can’t use the same approach with everybody. When you look at Hispanic populations, you can’t use the same approach.” Jaime Chahin, dean of the College of Applied Arts, said Hayes-Bautista is knowledgeable about the health status of Mexican-Americans, their nutritional patterns as well as common diseases that affect that population of people. “He’s a medical sociologist professor at the School of Medicine at UCLA,” Chahin said. “He’s a nationally renowned scholar in his field.” Hayes-Bautista is also the director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health at
SERVICES: Parking, trash common complaints CONTINUED from page 1
city officials as they set priorities and make decisions about where to direct community resources.” City council member John Thomaides said the information gives a “window into the minds of citizens.” “It really gives us an insight into the way citizens feel about the city in a way we don’t get to hear,” Thomaides said. “A lot of people don’t come to City Hall.” Thomaides said the regional breakdown of data, based on the four utility billing cycles, is the most helpful aspect of the surveys. Communications studies senior Amanda Broussard said her biggest issue with the city is the lack of parking downtown. “It’s usually me and another friend and you can’t park anywhere on The Square on weekend nights,” Broussard said. “It can be pretty scary when its just two girls walking through a dark alley.” Broussard also questioned the motives of those students who gave an unfavorable opinion of the police. “It’s students who get the noise complaints that don’t approve of the police,” Broussard said.
UCLA’s School of Medicine. Friedman said she and other professors in the department have completed research and continue to work on projects that focus on health and nutrition among Hispanics. Friedman said they interviewed Mexican-American women at the Women, Infants and Children Clinic in San Marcos to find behaviors among them that might lead to obesity. “We’ve also done some work with Hispanic school students and their parents on improving their fruit and vegetable intake in public schools,” Friedman said. “We found if children were exposed to fruits and vegetables at school, then they were more likely to eat them at home.” Another project researchers in the department are working
on is a three-pronged approach for helping obese Hispanic women in the area lose weight based on a healthy diet, exercise and a support system. “Some of the women are losing weight, but the more significant thing is they’re starting to feed their children differently,” Friedman said. Chahin and Friedman said the free lecture is open to the entire campus, and students involved in related programs, such as the nutrition and foods or family and child development programs, may find an additional interest. Friedman said because he is an expert in this field the information he can present will be helpful to people interested in social and health services. “Since nutrition is such an important part of health it’s a good fit,” Friedman said.
CITY: Council hears proposal for downtown parking garage CONTINUED from page 1
responsibility on the project or the designer’s responsibility or the contractor’s responsibility, the answer to that is no,” Broaddus said. “Where we come into play is we greatly reduce your risk in this particular project — the risk of going over budget, the risk of going over schedule, the risk of not getting what you want — by the services we provide.” Construction of the conference center is scheduled to begin in Summer 2006 and should be completed within 18 months. The council heard a presentation from Main Street Advisory Board member Scott Gregson on a proposed downtown parking garage to be built on the site of the soon-to-be vacant central fire station on Hutchison Street. San Marcos residents recently approved the construction of a new central fire station.
Gregson said the construction of the four-story, 360-space garage will be a significant start to solving what he called a 30-year-old parking problem in downtown San Marcos. “If you look at the fact that over the last eight years there’s been $24 million spent, about $6.4 million in public funds and the balance from private funds, there’s been a lot of money spent downtown to improve the look, feel, character and economic background there,” Gregson said. “Unfortunately, it’s almost like we’ve bought the hoses, but we forgot to buy the fire truck; if people can’t get down there, they can’t use it.” The garage will face Hutchison Street between South LBJ Drive and Guadalupe Street and will occupy a parcel of land currently owned by the Texas State University Support Foundation. Gregson said the $3.6 million garage is still in the early development stages.
The University Star - Page 3
BREAK: Event to include panels, trip to Huntsville, time to meet other students CONTINUED from page 1
senior in high school, and shortly after he helped create TSADP, a statewide organization with about 20 local branches at various colleges. For the first time, participants in the anti-death penalty Spring Break will take a bus trip on March 15 to Huntsville where the group will protest the execution of Tommie Hughes, Hedayati said. While in Huntsville, participants will also visit the Texas Prison Museum and listen to a talk from the Rev. Carroll Picket, a former death row chaplain who witnessed 95 executions between 1982 and 1995. Cobb said the trip to Huntsville and the talk with Picket is going to be an important experience. He said Picket will tell stories about his experiences being in the chamber during nearly 100 executions, where he heard last minute confessions and pleas. They will also have a panel of murder victims’ family members who oppose the death penalty. Hedayati said the panel includes Audrey Lamm, University of Oregon senior, whose mother was murdered when she was young. The killer was sentenced to death but shortly before the scheduled execution Lamm and her father protested and stopped it. The killer is now serving a life sentence and does not face execution. Also on the panel will be Christina Lawson, whose father was murdered when she was a child, and in July 2005 her husband was executed. Hedayati said the unrelated events that exposed Lawson to death from both angles give her a unique perspective. After the panel discussion, participants in the alternative Spring Break will join in lobbying against the death penalty for the day. “We hope people will go back to school to start their own antideath penalty group,” Hedayati said. “We’re trying to grow stu-
dent participation on the issue.” Hedayati said the organization is thinking of coordinating a mock execution to take place during the alternative Spring Break as well. “It’s to get a sense of how it feels and the process of the people that get executed,” Hedayati said. The Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break is open to students of all ages and majors. “They don’t have to be against the death penalty, if they want to come just see our point of view,” Hedayati said. He said a misperception of the alternative Spring Break is that it is full of scheduled workshops and activities with no free time. Hedayati said participants will have plenty of free time to meet new friends and see the sights of Austin. “At the same time they’re having fun, they’re doing something positive,” Hedayati said. “Take action on one of the issues that’s important in Texas.” Cobb said while there are other noble alternative Spring Break options, such as helping clean disaster areas struck by Hurricane Katrina or building with Habitat for Humanity, the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break is the only human rights Spring Break event known to him. “The historical parallel is what happened in the 1960s when people came down to the South during the Civil Rights Movement to help people register to vote, what they called freedom summers,” Cobb said. “I think this is very similar to what was going on back then, but here the issue is the death penalty.”
To register for the event, go to www.texasabolition.org, and click on the Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break icon.
Page 4 - The University Star
NEWS
Thursday, March 9, 2006
GRE: Students encouraged to take test early to avoid delayed results CONTINUED from page 1
with all its esoteric question formats and longer test time, will continue to create massive disconnects between many students’ performance on the test and their ability to succeed in graduate school,” the press release stated. Payne agrees that the question style may be unfamiliar, but they are not completely uncommon to the standardized testing industry. “Some of the item types that we’re using have been used in other standardized tests in their basic form. What we’re doing is making them at the appropriate difficulty level for a graduate applicant population,” Payne said. “We’re going to test the same basic skills; we’re just doing it in a different way. It’s a test of reasoning. It’s verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning and writing.” While not available for comment about the delay of the new GRE test, Texas State Graduate College Dean Mike Willoughby was interviewed by The University Star in Fall 2005 regarding the new testing format. “The overall response to the new test has been positive,” Willoughby said in the Nov. 1 article. When questioned about the rising concerns of the new test, Willoughby said he felt ETS had taken care of the issues. Although the GRE is an important factor in the admissions process to the Texas State graduate program, Graduate College professor Dean Paula Williamson assured students that the scoring of the GRE is not used as a sole criterion for admission to the program. Admission to the Texas State Graduate Program requires a GRE score ranging from 900 to 1150 depending on individual programs. According to Williamson, some programs may also accept a lower GRE score if the student has a higher GPA. “We don’t want to admit or turn students away based on the results of one standardized test,” Williamson said. Wands said the restructuring of the GRE will allow ETS to write fewer questions, charge students more to take the test and administer the test in larger testing centers with fewer paid individuals to oversee testing, all at an increased
“S
ome of the item types that we’re using have been used in other standardized tests in their basic form. What we’re doing is making them at the appropriate difficulty level for a graduate applicant population. We’re going to test the same basic skills; we’re just doing it in a different way. It’s a test of reasoning. It’s verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning and writing.”
—David Payne executive director, GRE Program Educational Testing Services
profit. While the cost of the new test has not been announced, Payne confirms that there will be an increase in the cost of the new test, but not to the financial benefit of ETS. “We are a non-profit organization. We’re not allowed, legally, to generate a profit,” Payne said. “We’ve just invested over $20 million in the new test at no expense to the test-takers.” Both The Princeton Review and ETS urge students who are planning to apply to a graduate degree program for Fall 2007 to take the exam before the new changes take effect, as there will be no grading scale available until after the new test debuts. According to Payne, the first three administrations of the new test will be used to gauge a grading scale. The testing results will not be available for six weeks, after a sufficient grading scale has been created. “We’ll be using those (testing) administrations to set the scale. The last scale lasted 50 years, and we expect this one will last similarly,” Payne said. Wands and others at The Princeton Review fear the delay in results may not allow students who have taken the test to meet deadlines scheduled by university admissions offices. “We have always viewed ETS with skeptical eyes,” Wands said. She also feels the overall delay of testing will be better for students, allowing them more time for preparation. “We’re sensitive to the fact that we don’t want to hold up anyone’s
graduate admission or funding decisions; and so we’re going to try out best to let schools and students know there is going to be this lag that’s predicated on setting the new scale,” the ETS press release stated. The Princeton Review, which provides students with a large number of resources for testing, admissions, scholarships and career placement, said it spends millions of dollars each year in research and development to aid students in their scholastic endeavors. Claiming to have revolutionized the testing preparations industry, the organization’s Web site says The Princeton Review raises GRE scores an average of 210 points with its preparation material for the current test. GRE testing preparation materials are also available from ETS. Payne said he feels that test familiarization is critically important to receiving a competitive score. Any student who is interested in taking the GRE will have two sample tests available to familiarize themselves with. No practice test is available for the new GRE format; however, some sample questions are available on the GRE Web site. More resources for the GRE can be found in the Student Learning Assistance Center on the fourth floor of the Alkek Library, from The Princeton Review at www.princetonreview.com/grechanges or from ETS at www.ets.org.
NEWS
Thursday, March 9, 2006
RACE: Hispanics disproportionately more subject to search CONTINUED from page 1
whites were disproportionately less subject to searches. Of those who were stopped, Hispanics were disproportionately more subject to searches. Tajalli concluded that the number of Hispanics searched was statistically significant. “The difference is not due to chance. It represents a reality out there,” he said. “That means that in reality, Hispanics are subject to more search.” Michael Olivares, studio art senior, said he has been pulled over by the SMPD six times since 2000. His car has been searched on three of those six occasions. He said that he never felt like he was being targeted or that racial profiling was the cause of any of his citations. “ I never felt it was unjust,” Olivares said. Williams said the one issue that disturbs the SMPD is the fact that they are searching Hispanics considerably more than they are searching whites or blacks. “We have already started working on looking into why that is,” he said. “We’re trying to gather up all of our numbers.”
“O
ur policies prohibit racial profiling. You simply cannot take enforcement action against people based on their race or ethnicity. That’s not acceptable.”
— Howard Williams SPMD Chief
SMPD’s numbers, however, are stuck in electronic limbo. The San Marcos Municipal Court keeps the statistics for the SMPD, and for more than a year they have had a software glitch that prevents them from determining how many consent searches had been conducted during traffic stops. “We can’t pull the numbers out. It’s the vendor’s problem,” Williams said. “We’ve been trying to work with the vendor since last year to fix the software or write a report that can pull this data out for us so we can look specifically at what officers are doing what.” Williams anticipates that the SMPD will get the data that they have “been looking for” in the next few weeks. This week, he said, they will test the program they wrote to extract the data.
“Last year, I thought I was going to get my data, and I never got it,” Williams said. “We’re kind of at the mercy of the vendor.” SMPD did not collect data on arrests in connection to traffic stops until 2004, resulting in missing arrest data “for a year or two.” Williams said there was a “screw-up” in the department. “There was some data that we were not collecting, which was inappropriate,” he said. “We dropped the ball.” The Texas racial profiling law, passed in 2001, requires law enforcement officials to collect data on traffic stops resulting in citations or arrests. Currently, the law only requires data collection on citations where a ticket is given, excluding verbal warnings where no ticket was issued. “The law is so defective,” Wil-
liams said. “If I really want to pick on students, or I want to pick on blacks, or I want to pick on Hispanics, or I want to pick on little green guys from Mars … if I just decide to pull them over, stop them, search them, see if they got anything and never write them a ticket, there’s no requirement to even report that stop.” Williams said the current methodologies for collecting and reporting racial profiling data need to be reformed to develop consistent standards and a uniform policy across the state. The current method, he said, produces “incredibly shoddy results” with no way to compare them from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. “Everybody just shotguns the approach and does whatever they ought to do to file the reports with City Council,” Williams said. “There needs to be regulation in how the data is collected.” Williams said he contends the way the racial profiling law is currently written because it makes it almost useless for the purposes of trying to answer the question: is there racial profiling? “It’s useless. Does it answer the base question, no. It simply can’t,” he said. “We’ve got to find
The University Star - Page 5
PET OF THE WEEK
Spencer Millsap/Star photo PLAYFUL POOCH: Shaye is a female German Shepard mix looking for a caring owner to adopt her. If you would like more information or would like to adopt Shaye, please contact the San Marcos Animal Shelter at (512) 393-8340. Remember to mention Shaye’s identification number — 30278.
a better way to collect our internal stats; the state of Texas has to find a better way to set up a standardized way of recording this information.” In the past two years, SMPD has received only one formal racial profiling complaint. Any residents who feel they have been mistreated by SMPD can file a complaint with the main admin-
istrative office at (512) 753-2110. “If anybody feels like they have been racially profiled, or officers have used excessive force, or officers were rude or unprofessional … give us a call and let us know,” Williams said. “It is the policy of this department that anytime we receive a complaint of misconduct on the officer’s party, it will be investigated one way or the
Page 6 - The University Star
Primary Election Results
NEWS
Thursday, March 9, 2006
OPINIONS THE UNIVERSITY STAR
quoteof the day “They are not there to militarize the border. We are not at war with Mexico.”
”
— Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano after ordering National Guardsman to the border in an effort to combat illegal immigration. (Source: The Associated Press)
Thursday, March 9, 2006 - Page 11
Opinions Contact — Joe Ruiz, staropinion@txstate.edu
THE MAIN POINT
With the onset of Spring Break, most college students have their sights set on some much-needed leisure, with the main focus on the age-old tradition of binge drinking and late-night frivolity. However, some people might want to take this time to give a little something back to the community. The choice may not be all that simple when you compare a trip to a hot vacation spot like Lake Havasu, Fort Lauderdale or our very own South Padre Island to lending a helping hand. For some, the traffic is enough to keep them away or some people may just not have the money to take a trip like that. Whatever the case, if you happen to find yourself around the central Texas area there are several things you can do to pass the time and maybe gain something even more important: a sense of gratification from the fact that you spent your Spring Break helping to make someone else’s life a little bit easier. Volunteer-sponsored organizations like the United Way of Hays County, a partner of the American Red Cross of Central Texas, can be a good place to start. But within the city of San Marcos, there are several local outreach programs in which residents may participate. Students can volunteer their time with the HomeSpun Early Childhood Intervention program or the Southside Community Center, leading children’s activity programs. Some may wish to participate in something more proactive like contributing to the efforts of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which will be actively represented at a number of Gulf Coast party spots. Animal-lovers may find joy devoting time at the San Marcos Animal Shelter for a few days, helping with some of the day-to-day chores, helping to take care of the animals. Those who wish to take a more subdued angle on community service might try to help out by cleaning up in their own way: Spend the week collecting aluminum cans and bottles. At least that way you get a little bit of cash for your efforts. For the avid sports fans who happen to know a little about the game, try volunteering as a Little League Baseball or soccer coach, helping youngsters learn some necessary skills in the sports, or helping them have a good time while staying off the streets. Traditionally, Spring Break has been designated as a week of partying. However, for the socially conscious college student, it can be a time to dedicate to the livelihood of your community, and those in it. There is no greater feeling than knowing you are making a difference in someone’s life. So instead of boozing it up on the slopes or going to Cancun to be on MTV, try helping out in your community. Ten years from now, you won’t regret giving away that time on the beach.
Kelly Simmons/Star illustration
While taking a break, consider helping others
A salute to the nice guys Ah, spring, look for things that that wonderful matter. They were and zesty time raised with values of the year when and standards. This thoughts turn to does not mean they love. If you look are prudes by any around campus, stretch of the imagiyou can see it nation. It’s just a SEAN WARDWELL in people’s eyes. nice guy knows its Star Columnist There’s been a lot better when there’s more open affecsome feeling behind tion on campus lately. it, and that some things might I like to see that to be honbe worth a longer wait. est with you. Humanity screws Before anyone thinks this is up a lot, but we seem to get a solicitation of pity, allow me love right most of the time. to point out that a nice guy But I have to single out a does not need that. If a nice group of people who usually guy really didn’t want to be get slighted, but not malithat way, then they wouldn’t. ciously so. Theirs is a unique I’m just pointing all this out challenge, for they are a because sometimes, when it unique breed. They fight the comes to sex, men are seen as last holding actions of chivalry little more than a penis with every day. They are the few, basic reasoning skills. they are the proud and it’s Some men are more than about time they were shown happy to fill that role, and some respect. more power to them for it. Nice guys of Texas State, I It’s a big world, and it takes all salute you. kinds. I’d like to think a recurI think everyone knows the ring theme in this cornucopia kind of guy I’m referring to. of sarcasm I sometimes call a I’m talking about the kind of column is that we all need to guy women could tell almost live our own lives as best we anything to yet has all the sex can. So folks, freak however appeal of a flat brown rock. you want to freak. Nice guys, That’s OK though because however, just need something a nice guy isn’t really on the else, and that’s where the difproverbial prowl. Nice guys ficulty sometimes set in. are significance junkies. They The ancient legend of
Tantalus (from where we get the word tantalize) told of a king who was punished by the Gods by having to sit in water under an unbearably full fruit tree. Every time he reached up to grab a piece of fruit, it ascended out of his reach. Whenever he knelt down to try to drink the water vanished. So walking around this campus and seeing so much, um, fruit, yet seeking that deeper experience can be somewhat frustrating. A nice guy might be tempted to turn from their ways and dive straight into hedonism. Many have. Yet there will always be those who, despite frustration and the shifting winds of culture, remain committed to the idea that some emotions are meant to be big and complicated, and not toyed with lightly. Since I have made tribute columns kind of a thing this semester, I wanted to point these guys out. As I said before, they don’t need pity or sympathy. However, it shouldn’t be seen as unusual that a man might not just want to leap in the sack for reasons that have nothing to do with religion. All of this cultural contrarianism is offset by one very
important thing though, and it winds up making all the difference. The nice guy is loyal. You don’t have to worry about where a nice guy is after dark. You won’t find anyone else’s lipstick on the collar of a nice guy. Adultery does not come easy for significance junkies. Usually when a nice guy looks at the person they have chosen to be with all they can think of is making that person’s day better. I’d like to think that counts for more than doing Jell-O shots off the navel of a woman who you have never seen before and will probably never meet again. So here’s to the guys who don’t mind being “just friends.” Here’s to the guys who get to keep all the cool secrets. Here’s to the seekers of significance who live in a world where pointing and grunting is considered high seduction. Gentlemen, and I mean that literally, this Bud’s for you. Oh, and by the way. I’m just guessing about all this. I have no idea what it’s like to be one of those guys. Seriously … I get more tail than a toilet seat. I’m just writing this for, um, a friend of mine. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Oscars give ‘em something to talk about
A.D. Brown/Star file photo MASTER GARDENER: Sophomore geography major James Thomas volunteers at a National Association of Environmental Professionals xeriscaping project last year outside the Evans Liberal Arts Building.
The Main Point is the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board. Columns are the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the full staff, Texas State University-San Marcos Student Media, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Texas State University-San Marcos.
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FAYETTEFlow, “It’s Hard ELIZABETH ST. JOHN VILLE, Ark. Out Here for a Arkansas Traveler — There are Pimp.” Do you (U. Arkansas) some things in think anyone at life we might the Oscars audinever underence has ever had stand. For example, a thermos a close run in with a pimp and can keep things hot and can was able to discuss how hard keep things cold, but how in his life really is? Except for the world does it know? Or, maybe Hugh Grant and Charhow do they get those allie Sheen, I doubt it. Wouldn’t monds into the little Hershey’s the people employed by the kisses? pimp have a harder life? This year, I’m having King Kong — now there’s trouble understanding the a movie. Not only did it win outcomes of the Academy two Oscars for sound because Awards. we know there had to be great Did you watch the awards dialogue in the movie, but it ceremony on Sunday night? I also won for visual effects. was able to catch some highOne woman I know said she lights. could really feel the love that I was glad that March of the the giant ape had for his, um, Penguins won the documengirlfriend. It was directed so tary feature. If you watched well, she said, that she almost that film, you know that those forgot King Kong was a monpenguins definitely deserved ster gorilla. Yeah ... me too. that Oscar, and they were And Brokeback Moundressed for it, too. tain won Best Writing for a I also saw Three 6 Mafia screenplay that was based on perform a song from Hustle & material previously published.
The two people who came up to accept the award were not your standard Hollywood types. Diana Ossana, who was one of the people accepting the Oscar, was a strange character. She didn’t smile once. You just won an Oscar! Be happy! On the other hand, Larry McMurtry, her writing partner, did smile. McMurtry, who has written everything from Terms of Endearment to Lonesome Dove, sauntered up on stage in a tuxedo coat, shirt and bowtie (which was crooked, by the way) paired with jeans and cowboy boots. Now don’t get me wrong; I wear jeans and cowboy boots all the time, just not to the Academy Awards — and not with the top half of a tuxedo, either. Everybody knows that if you’re going to wear jeans with a tux, you need to wear a string tie, not a bowtie. Jon Stewart, who happens to be my hero, said, “I didn’t
know we could wear jeans.” And then he said he’d wear overalls next year. And how about the winner for Best Motion Picture? With all of the exotic films being considered, Crash seems like a slice of real life. Since when do the Academy Awards celebrate real people in real situations? Even Jack Nicholson, who presented the Oscar, looked and sounded surprised when he announced the winner. But maybe Nicholson has just mastered looking surprised. I must say, though, that as much as I didn’t agree with some of the outcomes at the Oscars, at least I didn’t see anyone dressed up as a swan. It would have been neat, though, to see someone dressed up as a penguin. Maybe Larry McMurtry. This column originally appeared in the Arkansas Traveler on March 8, 2006.
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OPINIONS
Page 12 - The University Star
Thursday, March 9, 2006
Abortion rights are exclusively womens’ body. They are not going to carry a child for nine months, they are not going to endure the trauma of childbirth and they are not going to have to deal with the life-changing physical and mental consequences of my pregnancy. At best, a man can play only a peripheral role in the entire process. Pregnancy is something so intrinsically female that it only seems logical and reasonable that men stay the hell out of the issue, especially when their intent of involvement is to deny women rights. Our government has many responsibilities; not among them, however, is banning abortions. The government should instead keep them monitored and keep them safe. Women are going to get abortions, regardless of whether it’s legal or not; the least they could do is allow sanitary abortions with licensed doctors. Whether you support the right to choose, you must concede that no woman should have to die from painful hemorrhaging thanks to a butchered abortion procedure. Abortion is not a walk in the park. Women who get abortions may feel relieved, but I doubt they ever feel anything resembling happiness. I am very strongly pro-choice, but it still pains me to think of how many women have had to experience something so invasive and emotionally scarring. Just like the pro-lifers, I want to stop abortion. The correct way to do this, I believe, is not through laws banning it, but by making abortion nearly obsolete. Ideally, I want every woman who gets pregnant to have done so intentionally. This ban on abortion will do little, if nothing, to stop the thousands of unintentional pregnancies that occur each year.
ing by any means OXFORD, Miss. CHRISTINE FORSTER that he condones — If you’re a Daily Mississippian rape or incest, but functioning huhis policies are in man being, you’ve (U. Mississippi) no way sympaprobably heard of the recent push for thetic to victims abortion bans that is beginof sex crimes. Some women may be strong enough to love ning to spring up nationwide. a baby conceived through On Monday, the first antirape — others may not. Only abortion law was passed by the women should have the Gov. Mike Rounds in South authority to decide, not the Dakota. This bill prohibits all state of South Dakota or its abortions with the exception governor. of those necessary to save the “But what about God?” mother’s life. These exceptions, however, do not include you may ask. Shouldn’t God be a factor in our decisions? rape or incest. Well, if you believe in God, How dare the government then of course. But since we try to force women into havlive in a secular society where ing children they don’t want, laws are not supposed to be especially when they’ve been based upon religion, what God conceived by horrible means? believes is irrelevant when it The pro-life stance ceased to comes to law making. Isn’t this be surprising to me a long why we consider ourselves to time ago, but this new atbe such a great nation — a natitude of extreme intolerance toward abortions is shocking. tion of freedom — what we’re How can anybody be denied supposedly fighting for in Iraq an abortion after such a trau— freedom to believe in any (or no) God? matic sexual experience? But all those magnets I see In support of the rape/incest on the back of cars that say inclusion in the bill, one pro“land of the free” will mean lifer (a woman, surprisingly) absolutely nothing if we begin was quoted as saying, “God to impose our personal beliefs doesn’t make mistakes,” and “an unborn child shouldn’t be upon the whole of society. If you don’t want to get an aborpunished for the crimes of its father.” tion, then don’t, but please I’m sorry, ma’am, but step don’t assume that this gives down from your pedestal. you the right to take that deciAnyone who has experienced sion away from me. the horror of rape or sexual But let’s move beyond God, assault — approximately one rape and incest and straight in four women — knows what to the issue of abortion itself. an empty statement that is. I believe that any woman A child may not always be should be allowed to have an conceived by two people who abortion within the first 12 to love each other very much, 14 weeks of pregnancy, regardbut it certainly should hapless of how or why she got pregnant. pen between two consensual I also believe this entire ispartners. Rape and incest are NEVER acceptable; I find sue is exclusively female. No them to be among the most man — not my husband, my despicable acts possible. Unboyfriend, my father or least fortunately, this isn’t the senti- of all my governor — has the right to force me into having ment I’m getting from Gov. a child I do not want. It is my Mike Rounds. I’m not imply-
Celiac-related lawsuits not a result of laziness Celiac and gluten intolerance and dermatitis herpetiformis is nothing to make light of. Whenever we eat, we have to check to see if every thing we eat is gluten-free. Gluten is in wheat, rye, barley and oats. Imagine having to call up the people who manufacture your food to ask if the food is safe to eat and then being lied to about it. Then imagine that for years you had followed a gluten-free diet and were still getting sick and could not determine how you were getting into gluten when everyone who you bought food from said the food was gluten-free and safe to eat. Then think of how you would feel after hearing that McDonalds had lied and that lie caused illness. Not being able to tell where the contamination came from after going to extreme precautions to stay gluten-free is very frustrating. I had doctors yell at me that I would not have any problem if I stayed gluten-free. I had bone loss from malnutrition while I
As a parting thought, I pose a question to you: Why, if some states find abortion so intolerably immoral, aren’t they doing more to cut the problem off at its root? Better sex education in middle and
high school and more available, affordable contraceptives are the first steps to lessening the need for abortion. Without a more beneficial, progressive strategy, women will continue to get pregnant
and will continue to have abortions, and then everybody loses. This column originally appeared in the Daily Mississippian on March 8, 2006
Mike Wood/Star illustration
Letters to the Editor
was “gluten-free.” I had the villi ripped out of my small intestine from gluten. I had blisters all over my body from the gluten and scars now. This problem is nothing like getting fat from fast foods. This problem is lifethreatening. Gluten can even cause people with celiac to get lymphoma. “It is almost like people are purposely finding more creative ways to get rich quick, to take out their health frustrations and to have an excuse to be lazy,” The University Star columnist Kelsey Voelkel said. I find this to be discriminatory and uncalled for. How can a consumer make an informed decision about the food we eat if a company does not disclose what is in the product? Many people do call the companies and check on the Web sites for the content of the food they eat. I carry a laptop computer when I travel so I can keep up to date on the gluten-free status of the foods I eat. I check the list when I am at home all the time to make sure that the gluten-free status has not changed. I carry a cell phone when I shop to call companies about what is in the food I eat. So to throw the blame of our being intentionally poisoned on us; the consumer is biased
and one-sided. I would say that people with celiac and DH are much more careful about the food we eat than most of the population of the United States. I know McDonalds and other fast food places have food that is not as healthy as it should be. I made the choice to go there and no one twisted my arm to make me. I also made that choice after being told over and over that the fries were safe. I was told that the fries were made in a dedicated fryer that fried nothing but the french fries. I also know that my reaction to this by wanting to sue is not from laziness. Lies are not accepted behavior; and when the lie causes physical harm, then compensation should be given and consequences dealt with. I gave up the cookies, bread, pizza and beer. I gave up everything and eat healthy. But when I wanted french fries, I ate them at McDonalds and shared them with my service dog, because I was assured they were safe. Call me stupid to trust a major corporation, yes! But call me greedy and lazy … NO!
—Patricia Cooper Vermont
s e t o u q
Lawyer disagrees with columnist’s perspective on McDonald’s RE: “America needs to trim the fat off foolish fast food lawsuits,” The University Star, March 8 My name is Thomas Pakenas, and I am the attorney in Illinois who is prosecuting a proposed class action suit against McDonald’s for misrepresentation of its french fries as being gluten-free. Please be advised that your association of our suit with the various “obese” actions completely misrepresents the actual facts of our case. Prior to a change in the law in January of this year, McDonald’s represented its fries as being free of gluten and milk products and safe to eat for sufferers of celiac disease. Celiac disease is not an allergy but a genetic disease, which reportedly affects one in 133 individuals. When its sufferers consume gluten, it damages the small intestine, interfering with the absorption of essential nutrients. This can cause abdominal bloating and pain, chronic diar-
rhea, fatigue, anemia, muscle cramps, seizures and even malnutrition. Since the filing of our suit, I have been contacted by many parents who, because of McDonald’s representations, thought McDonald’s fries were a safe food for their celiacdiagnosed children. Further complicating the matter is the fact that since the fries were one of the few “normal foods” their children could eat; said children ate McDonald’s fries more frequently than typical healthy children. McDonald’s has changed its position many times since the filing of our suit. It has reversed itself and now maintains the fries are gluten and milk free, but also includes the words “(beef, wheat and dairy sources)” and “contains derivatives of wheat and dairy” in it’s “Ingredients Listing for Popular Menu Items.” The bottom line is that I am frequently hearing words like “betrayed” and “undermined” by callers interested in our suit. Your condemnation of our plaintiffs as “greedy,” “lazy,” and “arrogant” cannot be further from the truth. —Thomas E. Pakenas Illinois
Concert reviewer should be more insightful I’m just an average college student supporting Lucy’s. I don’t even go to Lucy’s that often enough to be some sort of hardcore fan; but if you are going to have someone write an article about music performances, you should get someone who has something more insightful to say than something that sounds like, “The first band totally sucked ‘cause I said so, and the other band is cooler,” and also have someone aware of Lucy’s and what goes on there. Instead of bashing the band that performed, why not give credit to artistry, which I’d like to see the writer of this article carry a tune, play an instrument or write a song. And I would just like to point out the fact that students never go out to the bars until around 11 p.m. Why? Beats me, I mean The Square does close at midnight; which is stupid, but that could be a good indicator as to why there wasn’t that many people there for the opening performance. This is of course, is just my opinion. —Lisa Becerra English junior
Compiled by Monty Marion
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“I’m going to Las Vegas with some buddies.” — Scott Brokke computer science senior
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“I’m going to go home, and I’ll try to get a job.” —Christian Merritt undecided junior
“I’ll be working so I can go to Italy this summer.” —Shelly Warford psychology junior
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LANGTRY APARTMENTS- 205 CRADDOCK. Located only minutes from campus and the shuttle route. Great move-in specials on 1/1 and 2/2 bedroom apartments in a quiet community. We offer free washers and dryers in each apartment and we are pet friendly. Get in on the Look and Lease Special and receive $225 off or a FREE IPOD! Call us today at (512) 396-2673. Look for us at the TXState Housing Fair. APARTMENTS NEXT TO TEXAS STATE now leasing for May and August. Beautiful wooden floors, no shuttle or parking worries. Rooms, 1B, 2B, 3B and roommate matching. Free internet, cable and some utilities. $300 - $605 per person. 392-2700 3 BEDROOMS WITH 3 FULL PRIVATE BATHS. Extra large kitchen, washer/dryer, fridge, dishwasher, 3 carports, storage building, and FREE phone-cable-high speed internet. $845. Agent, (512) 665-8788.
HUGE 3/2, W/D, ETC. 1600 sq ft. $950 per mo. 713-774-5953. LARGE 1B/1B, newly-remodeled house in country surroundings. Free parking next to campus. Available May. Free deer lease, internet, cable, water & garbage. $680 per mo. 392-2700
MANAGED SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE -teleNetwork is currently seeking applicants for positions in the dynamic and fast paced field of Managed Application Services Support. Full and Part Time positions are available with flexible scheduling at our Austin and San Marcos call center locations. Apply online today at http://www.telenetwork.com/careers CLEAR SPRINGS CAFE is now hiring energetic high-volume kitchen help. Full and part time. Must be available for weekends. Apply in person at 1692 Hwy 46 South (3 miles off IH-35 between New Braunfels and Seguin). WANT TO MAKE MONEY WORKING IN AN UPBEAT ENVIRONMENT? Apply in person for waitstaff/host(Ess) at the best place to eat in Gruene Gruene River Grill, 1259 Gruene Rd., New Braunfels 830-624-2300. TECHNICAL SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVE - teleNetwork is currently seeking TSRs to provide technical support for dialup and DSL customers. Full or Part Time positions available with flexible scheduling at our Austin and San Marcos call center locations. More information and online application available at http://www.telenetwork.com/careers BOBCATSNEEDJOBS.COM WE NEED Paid Survey Takers in San Marcos. 100% FREE to join. Click on Surveys. SEEKING WAIT STAFF & ENTERTAINERS with a fun loving attitude who enjoys working in a party atmosphere. AM/PM, PT/FT, flexible schedules. Great $$$! Apply Sugar’s 404 Highland Mall Blvd. E., Austin (near Highland Mall) 512-451-1711
HELP WANTED for Vineyard establisment and maintenance. Basic plant knowledge preferred. Call 512461-1876. CLEAR SPRINGS CAFE is hiring energetic, friendly servers who can handle fast-paced, high-volume sales. All shifts available. Apply in person at 1692 Hwy 46 South (3 miles off IH-35 between New Braunfels and Seguin). !BARTENDING! Up to $300/day. No experience necessary. Training Provided. Age 18+ ok. 800-965-6520 x 157. LEAD TEACHER NEEDED. Full time M-F. 12 mos. - 18 mos. Quality Child Development Center in Kyle. CDA minimum req. Bilingual preferred. Part time teacher positions also available MF 2:30-6:30. (512) 405-3700 or fax (512) 405-3701. www.rockinghorseacademy. com HELP PROTECT YOUR friends, family, and members of your community from identity theft. Good training, great pay. Call Troy (512) 750-7405. D & D FARM & RANCH, full-time position, Excel proficient, G/L & Accounts Receivable, Appointment only. Call (830) 379-7340, ext.115
NEED A ROOMMATE ASAP- Timbers Apartments, 2b/1b, rent $308 plus 1/2 of bills. Free cable, W/D incl, walk to campus, no pets please. Call me at (512) 797-4437 ask for Shannon. ROOMMATE WANTED. $300.00 mo. Walk to campus. Cell 206-660-7921.
FOR RENT-APTS ROOMS NEXT TO CAMPUS free internet, cable, and other free utilities $325-$375 call 392-2700. APARTMENTS FROM $375/MO. Near stadium. Gas, water paid. 353-5051.
FOR RENTCONDO/TOWNHOMES 1/2 MO FREE & FULLY LOADED, like new 3/2.5 townhome, roommate plan, fenced, double garage, all appliances and W/D. $995. 850 Sagewood Trail. (short lease ok) 512-342-9567, 512-8266208 Prime Properties. $785 2/2.5 TOWNHOUSE. 3 blks from TXState. Preleasing for 5/20 and 8/20. Free HBO, Road Runner, full-size W/D. www.windmilltownhomes.com for floor plans & prices. 396-4181.
FOR RENT-DUPLEX FOR RENT DUPLEX 3br/3.5ba 107 Cedergrove (on bus route). Fenced backyard/pets ok. $1050 per month. 512-351-7499. DUPLEX NEXT TO TEXAS STATE. Modern, excellent condition. Large 5b/2.5b; upstairs, $1700. 3b/1.5b; downstairs, $1100. 757-0399 SAGEWOOD DUPLEXES pre-leasing for 6/1 &8/1, bus route, 3/3.5 garage, W/D inc., Call 512-699-9759 1B/1B NEAR WEST CAMPUS. $385 per month 512-396-1717.
FOR RENT-HOUSES 3B/2B, $950/mo.; Washroom, carpet, tile, carport, lg yard, available, March 1. 392-2443.
FOR SALE 2/2 CONDO @ Village of Springtown. New carpet & paint, on bus line. $88,000. (830) 981-2243. 5/3/2 HOUSE FOR SALE quite neighborhood, close to Texas State, immaculate excellent condition, tile/wood and approx. 2700 square feet. $179,000 fenced yard, San Marcos. 757-0399.
HELP WANTED GRUENE RIVER GRILL is hiring for all kitchen positions. Pay based on experience apply in person at 1259 Gruene Rd, New Braunfels, 830-6242300. GET PAID TO DRIVE a brand new car! Earn $800-$3200 a month to drive! www.freedriverkey.com PAPA DOCS now taking applications for cooks, dishwashers, busters, hostesses, and servers. Lake front dinning. Great tips. Apply in person located FM 306 at Canyon Lake Marina. D & D FARM & RANCH full-time position, tack sales associate - English/ Western, and Clothing Sales Associate. Good customer-service applicants need to apply in person. 516 IH-10 E., Seguin, Texas. IMMEDIATE OPENING for dependable person to help clean Neiman Marcus Last Call at the Outlet Mall. Morning hours, 8am, 20 hrs per wk, $7.00 per hr. Call 754-9044 to arrange interview. LITTLE GUYS MOVERS is now hiring for full/part-time movers. Must have current DL, HS diploma, and ability to move things with your mind. Students welcome. Flexible schedules. Apply in person at 205-C W. San Antonio St. in San Marcos. WIMBERLEY’S FINEST STEAK AND SEAFOOD RESTAURANT is now hiring qualified servers. Please call 512-847-1876 and ask for Carol, Kris, or Evo. EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT. FT/PT. www.relocatetexas.com PART-TIME HELP in office and in food and beverage. Canyon Lake Golf Club. Contact (210) 860-3550.
MISCELLANEOUS TUTORING in self-defense, guitar, flying (ground school), writing, and scholarship, etc. Downtown San Marcos. Dr. Reed Harp. 512-787-7855. TANCO TANNING MEMBERSHIP - Gold package-17 mo.; $225 or best offer. Call (254) 292-0926. WE PAY UP TO $75 per online survey. www.cashtospend.com ATHLETIC, OUTGOING MEN for calendars, greeting cards, etc $75-200/ hr, no exp. needed, (512)684-8296.
SUBLEASE SUBLEASE – FEMALE ROOMMATE NEEDED for bedroom B of 2BD/2bath at The Outpost Apartments. Call Meghan at (281) 797-0238, or email MJ1078@txstate.edu for more information. FEMALE ROOMMATE NEEDED for bedroom of 2BD/2BA at The Exchange. Available beginning May through August. $515/mo; all utilities paid, except electric; W/D; on shuttle route; pets allowed with deposit. Call 281814-2489.
WANTED HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE SPRING BREAK! MAKE SURE TO READ THE STAR WHEN YOU COME BACK TO CATCH UP ON ALL YOU MISSED! WANTED: USED CARS, TRUCKS, VANS. Any condition. Running or not. If you have something to sell please call Willis Mitchell. 512-353-4511.
