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TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS
www.UniversityStar.com
MARCH 21, 2006
TUESDAY
VOLUME 95, ISSUE 63
Students set sights high with help of Upward Bound By David Rauf The University Star
pward “U Bound was there and helped
First-generation students and low-income Hispanic high school students from the University of Texas-Pan American Upward Bound Program recently gained firsthand college experience during a tour of Texas State. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Upward Bound provides fundamental support to high school students preparing for college. Upward Bound conducts campus tours to expose students to an authentic college environment where they can learn about the student body, the admissions process and the cost of tuition from their own perspective. “I, myself, am a first-generation college student,” said Nick Theodosis, temporary coordinator for the Texas State Upward Bound program. “It’s difficult David Racino/Star photo knowing what’s available as far WELCOME TO COLLEGE: Jose Laird, associate director of admissions, speaks to visiting students as financial aid and what your from Upward Bound, a program for first-generation and low-income Hispanic high school students, options are as far as schools go. about the Texas State admissions requirements on March 10. A lot of it is very motivated kids don’t necessarily have the information available to them readily
me get through the process … and that’s the only reason that I’m here right now.”
— Samantha Gonzales undecided freshman
to be able get through this process.” Theodosis, school psychology graduate student, said that the purpose of this event is to expose high school students to Texas State. “Other kids get the opportunity to say ‘Hey Mom and Dad, let’s check out this campus, let’s go check out this other campus,’” he said. “This is a wonderful way for these kids, who maybe have never been to San Marcos or the area, to come up here and see what the school’s about, see that it is an institution that is going
to be friendly to them.” The event commenced at noon as the group of 30 high school students from six Rio Grande Valley high schools converged in the LBJ Student Center. Beula Flores, counseling specialist for the Upward Bound Program at UTPA, and three UTPA Upward Bound instructors accompanied the students on their trip from Edinburg. Flores said that the goal of the trip was to give students a “broad-band” to compare and contrast different universities, allowing them to see what is actually available to them by means of an education. “I think it will broaden their vision, broaden their horizon,” Flores said. After eating lunch, the high school students were ushered down the hall of the LBJSC and into the bookstore, where students had a few minutes to peruse the selection of stickers, hats, backpacks, key chains and various other forms of memorabilia. Bea Rodriguez, a junior at See BOUND, page 3
UPD officers, staff members give input on AALC afterparty incident By Jason Buch The University Star University Police Department officers and staff members said the events on the morning of Sept. 11, 2005 could have been less detrimental if student leaders had worked with police to disperse the crowd and calmed attendees of the African American Leadership Conference gathered in the parking lot in front of the LBJ Student Center.
“The group could have taken better leadership of the event,” said UPD Officer Brandon Hale about the student organizations hosting the AALC afterparty. “Friends of theirs that visited from outside campuses, they could have addressed them and said, ‘Listen, this is our school,’ take ownership in it and help us disperse the crowd.” UPD staff and officers met with members of the Houston consulting firm Brown Group
International on March 9 to further the company’s investigation into the events at the AALC afterparty that ended in the use of a Taser on one student and several students’ arrests and detainment. The university hired BGI in January to conduct an independent investigation of the incident. BGI invited UPD employees to appear in an open forum to talk with representatives from the firm without Chief Ralph Meyer present.
BGI Senior Associate C.O. “Brad” Bradford said he met with Meyer earlier in the day and that the afternoon forum held in LBJSC, Room 3-8.1 was an entirely voluntary affair open to the press and any UPD employee who wished to attend. “We wanted to talk to officers from a training standpoint,” Bradford said. “We wanted to lay out our concerns and let officers respond to those concerns and let the officers know that, at
the end, it’s paramount to prevent an incident like Sept. 11 from happening again.” BGI representatives questioned UPD employees about training, interaction between police and students, interaction between UPD and other police departments and what actually went wrong on the morning of Sept. 11. Several officers at the meeting said a number of the problems during the AALC incident
stemmed from students interfering with police. “Basically, if we needed to detain somebody while making an arrest, don’t interfere with that process,” said UPD Sgt. Adam Rodriguez. “I don’t need one, two, three, four students walking towards me asking, ‘Why is this person being arrested,’ when I’m looking out for my safety and the safety of fellow officers. See UPD, page 4
Registered sex offender The year in crime: SMPD reviews 2005 stats found murdered in home By Jason Buch The University Star
By Jacqueline Davis The University Star
Hays County this year.” Hood was a registered sex offender with the San Marcos PoJack LaRue Hood Jr.’s death lice Department, which may or from a single gunshot wound on may not be related to the murMarch 12 marked the first mur- der. He was charged with posder of the year in San Marcos and session and promotion of child the third murder in San Marcos pornography in 2001. in the last four Opiela said months. this evidence Until Nowas “enough to vember 2005, make us look the city had not into it further.” seen a murder “We’re not since 2003. ruling that out, A Hays but that’s not County deputy the primary fowas dispatched cus of the invesat about 11:45 tigation,” Opiela a.m. on March said. “We’re go12 in response ing to retrace to a welfare this man’s steps concern. Upon to find who was arriving at with him and Hood’s home, what he was the deputy doing. We’re — Sgt. Leroy Opiela looking for a discovered the San Marcos Hays County Sheriff’s Office killer — who resident dead killed him and from a single why they killed gunshot wound. him.” Hood lived in the 4800 block Hood was an active member of Trails End, a typically quiet of the San Marcos Chamber of residential area, said Sgt. Leroy Commerce’s Ambassadors Club Opiela, a public relations official before his criminal charges. at the Hays County Sheriff ’s Of- Hood was responsible for the fice. chamber’s hosting of events, ribOfficials at the Sheriff ’s Of- bon-cuttings for local businesses fice would not say if there were and other public relations work. any suspects or evidence of a Chamber of Commerce Presistruggle, as the case is still under dent Phil Neighbors described investigation. Opiela said that so him as a positive asset to the far, all that investigators knew chamber. for sure about Hood was his “He was a friendly, outgoname, date of birth and where ing person when he was in our he lived. ambassador’s group. My recol“We know very little about the lection is that he was an active murder,” Opiela said. “I can tell member and faithful in his reyou that it was the first one in sponsibilities,” Neighbors said.
“W
In 2005, the San Marcos Police Department seized 31.5 pounds of marijuana, 182 marijuana plants, one pound and two ounces of cocaine, one ounce and 2.5 grams of methamphetamines and $40,374 in forfeitable cash. SMPD released this information at their annual year in re-
view briefing, hosted by Chief Howard Williams on Wednesday night. “The first year we did this, we had maybe 80 people show up at the activity center,” Williams said. “Last year we had like, five.” About 10 people showed up to this year’s briefing, about half of whom said they were in attendance to receive extra credit for one of Williams’ criminal
e’re going to retrace this man’s steps to find who was with him and what he was doing. We’re looking for a killer — who killed him and why they killed him.”
Today’s Weather
Sunny 71˚/38˚
Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 29% UV: 9 Very High Wind: NNE 13 mph
justice classes. Williams and other members of the SMPD command staff provided their audience with crime statistics for 2005 and information about department accomplishments during the year. Residents were free to make statements or ask questions during the briefing. The briefing was broadcast on the city’s cable channel. Assistant Chief Johnny James
began the briefing with a review of crime trends and activities. James compared the 2005 data to data from the previous two years. San Marcos saw one murder in 2005. No murders took place in the city during 2004. Twenty-five sexual assaults took place in San Marcos in 2005, up from 18 in 2004. “While that seems like a See SMPD, page 4
ASG adopts new emergency resolution for separate athletics department fee
Bridgette Cyr/Star photo
By Clayton Medford The University Star
COLLEGE CAMPAIGN: 428th District Court judicial candidate Bill Henry speaks to the Associated Student Government during Monday night’s meeting. Henry, who was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry, is running against Anna Martinez Boling.
Two-day Forecast Wednesday Partly Cloudy Temp: 70°/ 39° Precipitation: 10%
Thursday Partly Cloudy Temp: 70°/ 39° Precipitation: 10%
The Associated Student Government adopted an emergency resolution on Monday, urging the university administration to remove athletic department funding from the student service fee and implement a separate intercollegiate athletic service fee. Additionally, the resolution puts pressure on the football program to move to Division 1-A by suggesting a 50 percent cut in the intercollegiate athletic service fee after five years if the entire athletic department is not at that level. The only program in the department not currently competing at the Division 1-A level is the football program. While most of the text of the legislation authored by ASG President Jordan Anderson focuses on the Division 1-A aspect of the referendum, much of the debate
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among senators centered on the fiscal burden the athletic department places on the student service fee. Since the athletic department budget increases with every tuition increase because of scholarship funding, the student service fee increases as well. Communication studies senior and Sen. Cat Reed pushed for specifics of what splitting these fees would mean in terms of student costs. Sponsor and Senate Clerk Kyle Morris urged senators “to look at the big picture.” “In the long run, it pays for itself and it makes athletics selfsustaining,” Morris said. “If we can get our program similar to other big institution athletic programs and really self-sustaining … it saves us money in the long run.” Anderson clarified the intenSee ASG, page 3
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