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Martyr Stewart
Scalped
Women’s basketball ends season with loss to Lady Indians/Sports/Page 12
Movies up the wazoo
Independents and premieres abound at SXSW Film Festival/Trends/Page 8
Journalism, regulations should be redefined to avoid unneccessary scandal/Opinions/Page 6
WEDNESDAY
VOLUME 93, ISSUE 62 www.universitystar.com
MARCH 10, 2004
T E X A S
S T A T E
U N I V E R S I T Y - S A N
M A R C O S
Round Rock center to receive permanent home By Julie Suenram News Reporter After holding class in portable buildings on the Westwood High School campus for the past seven years, Texas State’s Round Rock based satellite program will have a permanent home in the near future. The Round Rock Higher Education Center will finally receive a permanent facility of its own, beginning with a groundbreaking ceremony on site March 22. In its last session, the Texas Legislature approved the university to issue tuition revenue bonds in order to construct the building, a $27 million construction project. The facility has been approved for 117,000 square feet and is estimated to house as many as 3,500 students. The center is expected to open in August 2005.
“We offer sixteen master’s programs and four bachelor’s degree programs,” said Edna Rehbein, Round Rock Higher Education program director. “We offer a pretty broad spectrum of courses, but freshmen and sophomore courses are only available through the community college.” The Round Rock program is a partnership between Texas State, Austin Community College and Temple College at Taylor. The program only offers courses at the junior or senior level. However, when the center is complete, ACC will offer courses within the facility. “The center intends to deliver all of the work that leads to completing a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree,” said Bob Gratz, Academic Affairs vice president. “The lower division work is completed through work at Austin Community
City Council considers usage rights for facility
By Ryan Coggin News Reporter
The San Marcos City Council considered the request of Kyev Tatum, Mitchell Center president, and representatives from the San Marcos Boys and Girls Club Monday to give each organization the exclusive right to use the facility. The Mitchell Center, which is located in the historic Dunbar neighborhood, serves as a community center. The building was once a wing of the “colored school” of San Marcos. The proposal would give a group consisting of Mitchell Center representatives, the San Marcos Boys and Girls Club and Texas Preparatory School, the city’s only charter school, the exclusive right to use the building. Tatum, who is also president of the Texas Preparatory School, originally requested that the City Council allow the Mitchell Center to use the school for classroom space about a month ago. His request came shortly after he announced his decision to move the school out of facilities owned by the San Marcos Baptist Academy, which had an employee arrested and charged with an improper relationship
I N S I D E
Classifieds......................10 Comics/Crossword........9 Film...................................8 News...........................2,3,5
Opinions...........................6
Sports.........................11,12 Trends...............................7
Today’s Weather
High: 71 Lo w : 45
AM Clouds/PM Sun
Wind: From SE at 9 mph Precipitation: 0% Max. Humidity: 42% UV Index: 8 High Thursday’s Forecast Cloudy 66/45
SOW-PREME BAR-B-Q
g See CENTER, page 5
between an educator and student in January. “A lot of social and economic impact (in the area) is really not up to standard,” said Mark Kerry, an officer of the San Marcos Boys and Girls Club. “We’re asking (the City Council) to go into the center and provide programming for the children in that community, who so desperately need it.” Many community members oppose any one group monopolizing the use of the public community center, which would mainly be used as facilities for the charter school. Ollie Giles, neighborhood resident, said in an article in the San Marcos Daily Record that the Dunbar neighborhood is not a place for a school. “Not any of the children (attending the school) live in the neighborhood,” Giles said in the article. “I just don’t want to see the neighborhood have a school again — it’s residential.” City Manager Dan O’Leary acknowledged the concerns of Dunbar residents but said the supporters of the plan will counter that they will offer the neighborhood services. “I think (the proponents) will g See COUNCIL, page 5
T
Media Relations
An artist’s rendering depicts the what the Round Rock Higher Education Center will look like.
Courtesy of Electro-Fish Productions
Chris Elley films the Sowpremes in Elgin as they take a break from singing their parodies of popular songs that relate to their favorite pork product — sausage.
exas State alumnus Chris Elley loves barbecue. In fact he loves it so much he made a documentary film in which he and his ragtag crew traveled more than 10,000 miles across Texas
searching out the stories behind the flavorful meats that help make up the state’s unique culinary culture. Elley’s film will debut at the South by Southwest Film Festival on Sunday. He hopes he can use
Panel discusses controversy of The Passion of the Christ By Kassia Micek Assistant News Editor Audience members were forced to stand in a packed lobby after the Centennial Teaching Theater was filled to capacity as a panel of scholars discussed Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ Tuesday. Jeffery Gordon, philosophy professor, moderated the panel, which included George Montague, Catholic priest and theology professor at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio; Randall Price, Grace Bible Church co-pastor; Rebecca Bell-Metereau, English professor and media studies interdisciplinary minor program director; Chris Frost, psychology professor; Rebecca Raphael, philosophy
assistant professor and religious studies minor director; and Maxine Cohen, Holocaust Memorial of San Antonio director. The most controversial issue discussed by the panel and audience members was if the film communicated feelings of anti-Semitic sentiment. “I think it was as much of anti-Semitic sentiment as Gibson thought he could get away with,” Bell-Metereau said. She added that Gibson’s father believes the Holocaust never happened and the “Jews just left Europe.” Gibson belongs to a branch of the Catholic Church that has not renounced anti-semitism, which the Catholic Church did renounce it in the 1960s. Montague said Gibson is
not anti-semitic, but a very conservative catholic. Bell-Metereau then explained that Gibson’s version of Christianity is a very antisemitic one and he wanted the controversy over the film so he could make more money. Price stated it was the system, not the Jews or the Romans, that killed Jesus and cited critics’ responses to the film. “Critics said it’s not antisemitic but it could lead to anti-Semitism,” he said. Cohen gave a rebuttal. “Gibson said in an interview ‘This is the film the Jews don’t want you to see,’” she said. She said that the gospels do not treat Jewish people kindly g See PASSION, page 3
SXSW as a launching pad to spread his film and the stories behind Texas’ favorite meat across the globe. Read more about Barbecue: A Texas Love Story on page 7.
Primary elections cement nominations for local, state offices, propositions
By Erin McGowan News Reporter
The adage “every vote counts” was proven in Tuesday’s primary elections, as Nick Icossipentarhos, R-San Marcos, was elected as the Republican candidate for the race for Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace by 14 votes. Icossipentarhos, a SWT alumus, said he was grateful for all of the votes knowing everyone worked hard on his campaign. “I hope to go on to win the election in November,” Icossipentarhos said. “The most important thing that people can do is get out and vote.” Lisa Hanks, Texas State College Republicans president, g See PRIMARY, page 5
Local Election Results Justice of the Peace, Pct. 3 Republican Primary
Nick Icossipentarhos 59%
Dave Bethancourt 49%
County Commissioner, Pct. 3 Republican Primary Ray Kotowski 20% Sam Davis 33%
Will Conley 47%
Data courtesy of Texas Secretary of State