03-28-2024

By Ryan Claycamp Senior News Reporter

The Texas State University System (TSUS), which oversees the university, approved the construction of a new computer science and mathematics building after Texas State announced it in November.

The approval means the building, located on North Street and Vista Street, will begin construction in June 2024. According to Gordon Bohmfalk, Texas State's architect and the director of Facilities Planning, Design and Construction, construction is scheduled to finish in June 2026 and classes will begin in the building by fall 2026.

"It was a pretty typical process," Bohmfalk said. "I don't recall any questions being asked [by TSUS]. The project went up for a vote and was approved."

Bohmfalk said planning included months of work, such as hiring consultants, engineers, architects and more.

"We advanced the design into the development phase and then did a cost analysis of the project, then we submitted both the drawings [of the building] and a rough cost," Bohmfalk said.

According to Bohmfalk, the project's approved budget is $138 million. This budget includes the $100 million contract with the development firm Skanska, as well as any other developmental costs.

Bohmfalk said the new building will have an area of 167,000 square feet and will be eight stories tall, which could make it the largest building on campus by square footage, beating Ingram Hall which is 166,000 square feet.

SEE CAMPUS PAGE 3

By Lucciana Choueiry Assisstant News Editor

As spring graduation looms over Texas State, a stark contrast emerges: while many students prepare for the milestone, the graduation rates of Black students are disproportionately lower than their peers.

In 2010, Texas State attained Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) status with Hispanic students comprising at least 25% of its population. Fast forward

San Marcos closes four trails for endangered bird

By News Staff

Four natural area trails in San Marcos are closed to protect a rare endangered species of bird until May 31. The golden-cheeked warbler is a small bird that only nests in Central Texas, including San Marcos. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW), the bird migrates to Texas in March to nest and leaves

Black graduation rates lowest among TXST students

to fall 2023, the university has an increased diverse landscape, with Hispanic students at 40.7%. While their graduation rate stood at 52.97% in 2022, Black students, constituting 10.77% of the population, had the lowest graduation among all students with a rate of 48.82%.

Terrence McClain, director of the Student Success Center, said there is a disconnect among Black students within the community, contributing to increased dropout rates.

SEE UNIVERSITY PAGE 3

Exhibit highlights artists for Women’s History Month

By Marisa Nuñez Life and Arts Editor

From the beginning of March to April, “The Female Gaze: How We View the World” art exhibit will be open at the Price Center. The sixth annual International Women’s Day exhibit showcases over 100 female artists, 12 women-related events and six art pieces commissioned by the Price Center.

The showcase originally started with Debangana Banerjee, who curated an art show celebrating International Women's Day titled "A Room of One's Own" in 2019 at the San Marcos Public Library. Clay DeStefano, executive director of the Price Center, offered to host the showcase for a longer period of time.

“It was beautiful and powerful,” DeStefano said. “I was here at the time already so afterward, I reached out to the [Bangerjee] and said, ‘This was really beautiful. Would you want to bring it to the Price Center in the future because we could do a longer show. We can leave it up and on display.’ She was delighted, and that led to our first one here.”

Banerjee continues to help plan the exhibit and the complementing events in December every year. What started with about 20 local women in the community has now become the Price Center's largest exhibit of the year, with over 100 artists’ work on display from cities such as Seguin, Canyon Lake, New Braunfels, Wimberley, San Antonio and Austin.

SEE ART PAGE 6 New STEM building approved for construction

around July to spend the winter in Mexico and South America.

“Golden-cheeked warblers nest only in central Texas mixed Ashe juniper and oak woodlands in ravines and canyons,” the TPW webpage stated. “Warblers eat insects and spiders found on the leaves and bark of oaks and other trees. They use long strips of cedar bark and spider webs to build their nests.”

First female sports medicine director serves as role model

By Hope Monte Sports Contributor

Aidan Poole, Texas State's first female director of sports medicine, is a leader for athletes, coaches and athletic trainers, and creates a relatable experience for female athletes at Texas State.

Poole, a Texas State sports medicine alumni and Weatherford, Texas native, stepped into the position in November 2023. Poole accumulated five years of previous training experience and a master’s degree from Stephen F. Austin University before returning to Texas State after she earned the Head Softball Athletic Trainer role in January 2023.

“I'm probably one of the youngest directors of sports medicine in the country,” Poole said. “Not only that but being a female, I think the position that I've ended up in I would have never been ready for without the things that I have gone through.”

Sophomore catcher Karmyn Bass said having Poole in the position creates a more relatable experience for female athletes.

"She's someone that we can look up to," Bass said. "It's refreshing to be able to see her and know that she is in a high leadership position and does what she can for us."

Poole said her predecessor, David Gish, is an inspiration for her drive to continue the legacy he left on Texas State athletics.

SEE SPORTS PAGE 7

Local residents take a stroll through Purgatory Creek Park Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in San Marcos.

Price Center committee member Margaret Adie stands in front of her artwork, Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Price Center.

PHOTO BY MANDALYN LEWALLEN

Texas State Fall 2021 graduates stand before the start of the commencement ceremony, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, at Strahan Arena.

STAR FILE PHOTO

PHOTO BY MARISA NUÑEZ

McCoy to introduce new courses to prepare students for professional world, workforce

By Hope Monte News Contributor

The McCoy College of Business is forming a new required course plan for the fall for incoming freshman and transfer students to prepare them to securing jobs.

The new plan consists of three courses: "BA (Business Administration) 1310: Introduction to Business", "Professional Development I: Preparing for Personal Success" and "Professional Development II: Preparing for the Corporate World."

According to David Wierschem, associate dean of McCoy, this new route is meant to help students find their path of interest, gain professional skills and acquire internships before graduation.

“One of the perspectives that we're taking is that our world is changing and so we have to change along with it and better prepare our students to be successful,” Wierschem said.

Starting in the fall, freshman business majors will take BA 1310: Introduction to Business, a class built to expose students to all fields of study and guide them in finding the business major that best suits their skills.

The current freshman course for business students, BA 2310: Introduction to Business in a Global Environment, focuses on "the interdependence of the business functions in a global environment," according to the Texas State

FROM FRONT ENVIRONMENT

According to the San Marcos Parks & Recreation webpage, the Porcupine, Roadrunner and Grey Fox Trails are closed in the Spring Lake Natural Area and the Paraiso Trail is closed in the Purgatory Creek Natural Area. This is because of the types of trees that grow along the trails.

“The golden-cheeked warbler is an endangered species of bird that breeds only in central Texas and nests in the Ashe juniper and oak trees found in some of our natural areas,” a March 1 Parks & Recreation statement stated. “In an effort to protect these rare birds, certain trails are closed from March 1 to May 31, annually.”

Niki Lake, a specialist at The Discovery Center which upkeeps the trails, said the bird is important to the San Marcos ecosystem despite its small population.

“[The golden-cheeked warbler] benefits us in many ways,” Lake said. “They are a part of [San Marcos’] ecosystem. They eat beetles and caterpillars and spiders they get off of hardwood trees.”

Lake said the golden-cheeked warbler uses only the Ashe juniper bark, which is present along the closed trails, for nesting materials and only spider webs in the trees to hold their nests together. The closures of the trails are to protect not only the bird but the trees as well.

course catalog. The new class will allow students to get an idea of all potential majors instead of just business.

“We don't want [students] taking hard courses they're going to flunk and have to pay debt on and delay them getting into different majors,” Wierschem said. “That will help with retention and that will help with them with their success, academically, as well as when they're trying to find a job.”

William McDowell, professor and chair of the department of management, is working with Wierschem to develop the classes.

“We're going to actually have set time for [students] to either pivot or persevere," McDowell said. "So [either] they're in the right major, they feel confident after getting all the information or they can pivot at that point and maybe change to a different major within McCoy."

During their sophomore year, business students will take a one-hour credit course potentially called Professional Development I: Preparing for Personal Success, according to Wierschem.

Wierschem said the course will teach students skills such as writing a resume and how to dress and practice interviews to set students up for applying for internships their junior year.

"Employers hire 70% of their entrylevel through internships," Wierschem said. "Internships happen between the junior and senior year, which means as

The golden-cheeked warbler has been listed as endangered since 1990. According to San Marcos Parks & Recreation, habitat loss and parasitism are the main causes of its decline.

Lake said climate change and overdevelopment are also a large reason the golden-cheeked warbler is classified as endangered.

“There’s a big problem with climate change surrounding birds and habitat loss with so much development happening,” Lake said. “When birds aren’t doing well then it’s probably a sign things are not going to go well for us either, so they’re kind of an indicator species.”

According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the Ashe juniper tree is targeted for removal in areas of large concentrations, like San Marcos, as it contains pollen that can irritate people with allergies. The removal of this tree directly impacts the habitat of the golden-cheeked warbler.

According to the Bird Conservatory of the Rockies’ Avian Conservation Assessment Database, there is an estimated 110,000 breeding population of the bird. Additionally, the bird is rated 18 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, meaning it has a high concern score.

INFOGRAPHIC BY MADELINE CARPENTER

a student, you need to have your resume and experience with interviewing done by the end of your sophomore year."

The third class is a one-hour course unofficially named "Professional Development II: Preparing for the Corporate World". The class will prepare students for internships in their respective fields.

“The hope is that we're going to have those [courses] targeted within the majors," Wierschem said. "So when you have that accounting internship, there are things that you're going to need to know that are different than your

marketing internship. There are different expectations in the different career fields."

The second and third classes have a plan for curriculum but won't officially be added to the course catalog until a later date.

According to McDowell, the hiring process for professors teaching these classes is in progress. Some candidates will come from an academic background, while many will be experienced in the business world.

History:

Visit

Editor-in-Chief:

News

Sports Editor: David Cuevas starsports@txstate.edu

PIR

Director: Laura Krantz laurakrantz@txstate.edu

Managing

Life & Arts Editor: Marisa Nuñez starlifeandarts@txstate.edu

Multimedia Editor: Kobe Arriaga starmultimedia@txstate.edu

Digital Products Developer: Sri Naga Sri Govvala starweb@txstate.edu

Design

Opinions Editor: Rhian Davis staropinion@txstate.edu

Engagement Editor: Hope Monte starengagement@txstate.edu

Creative Service Director: Jen Nguyen starcreative@txstate.edu

FROM FRONT CAMPUS

Crystal Ukandu, a mechanical engineering sophomore, said she believes the new building is necessary to improve the STEM program and the building's size will benefit students and faculty.

Ukandu also said it will be easier to get to class, especially during the warmer seasons, since the new building is located closer to the other STEM buildings, like the Ingram School of Engineering and Supple Science Building.

"I think it is a struggle to walk [to class] especially when your bus drops you off at a different place," Ukandu said.

The first four stories will mainly include classrooms, whereas the top four stories are primarily for faculty

offices. The additional office space provided by the new building will allow mathematics and computer science faculty to have offices under one roof instead of being spread out in various buildings around campus.

"You might notice that [the math department] is in multiple buildings around campus," Susan Morey, chair of the mathematics department said. "So you may have a professor in [Math Computer Sciences (MCS) building], or Elliott or in Derrick, so we're not even all located together."

Ukandu hopes the new offices are bigger than the ones in MCS, as that would allow a better experience for students during their professors' office hours.

"My math teacher's office is kind of small," Ukandu

MAP BY DEVON CREW

FROM FRONT UNIVERSITY

“The population of the Black student community is so small compared to the larger community that it is easy to feel invisible... it makes it harder to make connections and therefore they end up missing out on a lot of resources that can help them succeed,” McClain said.

Treasurer of Texas State’s Black Women United and Black Student Alliance Kierra Ward, a computer information systems senior, said she has yet to have any Black or female professors.

Ward said this lack of representation in the university’s faculty is disheartening because Black students are not able to see role models who look like them for guidance.

“If I had a professor who was a Black woman, or just if I had a professor who was a woman that would have helped me way more than any of my other professors... that is very beneficial for people who don’t think college is for them; seeing themselves in their professors,” Ward said.

As of fall 2023, Texas State has zero Black faculty in the computer science department and 270 Black faculty members in total, which is almost ten times less than white faculty at 2,900.

Associate Vice President for the Division of Student Success Michael Preston sees a hindrance in graduation among Black male students specifically. A reason for the disparity is male students face issues with socializing with the campus community, according to Preston.

“Another thing is [with] male students when they get to college, in some cases, lag behind their female counterparts in some of the preparation pre-college so they might struggle early on and that is then reflected in graduation rates,” Preston said.

President of Black Men United, Jaden Campbell, said Senate Bill 17 (SB 17) is another reason Black students are struggling to find a community at Texas State and he believes this could lead to more students dropping out.

SB 17 disbanded Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) offices at public universities like Texas State’s Division of Inclusive Excellence (IE) which the university discontinued in August 2023.

The hard part for some is justifying how to support one group without supporting another in the same way but sometimes it comes down to some groups suffer more than other groups, and that is what needs to be recognized,"

Terrence McClain Director of the Student Success Center

“Specifically, there used to be a diversity lounge on the second floor of LBJ that is now gone, and that used to be a place we felt at home and while we can still hold events there, it does not feel like it’s ours anymore,” Campbell said. “A lot of Black students I know use places like that for support so not having that can really affect their path to graduation here.”

McClain said SB 17 not only impacts Black student organizations but also limits the ability of faculty to spearhead initiatives aimed at supporting minority students.

“The hard part for some is justifying how to support one group without

said. "The [offices] can really only fit two or three students, so it would be better to fit more."

According to Bohmfalk as part of the 2025-35 Master Plan, the university is considering a partial demolition of Derrick Hall, which currently houses the Department of Aerospace Studies and the Center for International Studies and most of the math and computer science classrooms.

"I think Derrick Hall is a very old building," Ukandu said. "So a partial demolition isn't too bad, especially if they're building a new building for a better experience for students."

TIMELINE BY ITZIE PULIDO

INFOGRAPHIC BY ABBY FUNDERBURK

supporting another in the same way but sometimes it comes down to some groups suffer more than other groups, and that is what needs to be recognized to address [the low graduation rates],” McClain said.

McClain said both Success Center programs and professors' efforts are vital in supporting Black students. He emphasized the importance of simple gestures, like engaging with students who may feel overlooked, which can be the difference in making a student feel welcomed.

In hopes of addressing the needs of students with discrepancies in their academics to potentially address graduation rates, the university is launching a program called Navigate Texas State for

incoming freshmen in time for New Student Orientation on June 4 and current students in the fall.

“With Navigate Texas State we’ll be able to do a lot of inquiry into seeing which students early on in their academic plan are either taking too few hours, not getting to class as often or any early on-set issues for all students," Preston said. "Because really our four-year insecure graduation rates need improving across the board.”

Mandatory shuttle fees are not fair to students

By Nikita Arefiev Opinions Contributor

The Texas State shuttle system is plagued by issues that affect its popularity among the student body, such as a lack of stops on west campus and the Texas State app regularly crashing or not showing any bus routes.

These issues pale in comparison to one far more important. Every student, regardless of how many classes they're enrolled in or how often they use the shuttles, is charged a $95 shuttle fee every semester.

Because not every student uses the shuttles, it feels cruel for the university to charge every student a fee for the shuttles, especially when the existence of this feeand a number of others - is hidden so deeply within one's billing statement, and is so rarely mentioned by the university itself, that one can't help but think it was hidden on purpose.

Nicholas Tapscott, a biology freshman and current Student Government senator, said he doesn't believe there should be a mandatory shuttle charge.

“I think it's kind of stupid, being charged for something I don't even use. I don't see the purpose in that. It's not fair to us students to be undermined like this,” Tapscott said. “It’s also kind of outrageous, the fact that I'm only learning now that I'm being charged $95 a semester for the bus when I don't even use it."

Charging every student for services seems unfair to those who do not need them. To combat this problem, the shuttle system should operate like Booksmart, where students can opt out of the fees, or Metrocard, where students who use the buses regularly pay for an unlimited bus pass attached to their student ID.

Some students, however, fear that instituting an opt-out system would significantly harm their ability to use the school's transportation system as they need.

“[I use the shuttle] every day,” Edie Koggerson, a civil engineering freshman, said. “It's helpful to have everybody come together to [pay for the shuttles], like taxes for healthcare… it's a community thing. Making that kind of [opt-out] system would mess everything up because some students will be paying a lot more in tuition just because other students don't wanna help them out a little bit.”

Despite the positive aspects for some students, changing the system to be like Booksmart could result in a major loss of funding, but how much funding is required for the program to begin with? Things like maintenance, gas, insurance and salaries add up. But to have 40,000 students pay $95 each semester for just 45 shuttles is excessive and unrealistic, especially considering additional money the shuttle system makes from advertisements.

Students ought to be given more clarity on fees they pay each semester, oftentimes without them even knowing they're paying said fees. Most Texas State students know what Booksmart is, what it covers and that they can choose to opt out of it. However, no one seems to know what the Institutional Services fee is or why it costs just short of $150 for every standard 3-credit class we take - and the official definition Texas State provides can, at best, be classified as extremely obscure.

The only reason students are aware of Booksmart is because Texas State sends out four emails regarding it each semester and it's a major subject at orientation. In contrast, the only way anybody would know about the

other fees is by checking the details of their actual statement in the billing section of the Texas State app.

Booksmart, in addition, is only $250, while all other fees for a regular semester total $1,492.80. The fact that students are regularly charged in such amounts without a clearly communicated explanation of what those charges are for is unfair.

Of course, the university is entirely within its right to charge students fees for services it provides. However, students deserve more communication and clarity when it comes to fees, and more options like Booksmart should be considered by university officials.

-Nikita Arefiev is an international relations freshman

Preventative scam workshops should be a priority

By Aili Ortega Opinions Contributor

Scams targeting college students have become increasingly prevalent in recent years. The number of scam victims ages 20 and below have shown the "fastest growth rate in scam losses since 2017."

Texas State students are vulnerable to frauds because San Marcos is located between two of the state's most populated cities: Austin and San Antonio. Many students are drawn to Austin's lively music scene and seek out what appear to be discounted concert tickets, while San Antonio's booming job market serves as a haven for dishonest employment offers.

Scams aimed at college students can take many different forms, such as false requests for concert tickets via GroupMe or the widespread sale of shady items on X. Promising employment emails are frequently used as a means of identity theft, forcing students to buy fake checks or provide private information.

During the summer, Texas State disables external email alerts, resulting in phishing attacks disguised as emails from external users. Although students are taught how to spot phishing emails, there is an absence of understanding for how these frauds get beyond security safeguards.

Sophomore management major Jaymie Ramos said she is an advocate for improved spam filtering in the university's email systems.

"As a college student always seeking additional income, I feel increasingly vulnerable to scams infiltrating my school email," Ramos said.

In addition to being aware of phishing emails, students should use social media as a last resort for making purchases.

However, if it must be done, buyers should keep their guards up.

When utilizing X for any transactions, students should only interact with merchants that utilize PayPal's "Goods and Services" program, which is designed to ensure each transaction is secure. Any pressure techniques used by a seller should trigger red flags right away. It is also important to note that transactions should go through specialized selling accounts. If a seller's name and PayPal details differ, the transaction should be stopped.

For universities to protect students from becoming victims of fraud, preventative steps are crucial. Prominent universities with extensive fraud prevention programs include Texas Tech and Texas A&M. Texas A&M encourages a community-driven approach to fraud awareness by giving students the authority to suggest workshop topics.

Daniela Villasenor, vice commis -

sioner of the Student Government Association's Diversity Commission at Texas A&M, said these workshops are vital for students.

"Students have the opportunity to learn from each other and the diversity office provides a platform for that growth. We [cover] any topic, from career to taking care of your environment, and students get to pick and choose what they want to [discuss]," Villasenor said.

The diversity program at Texas A&M provides courses on themes such as biosafety, graduate school mentorship and dealing with revision comments for writing. These various workshops help students and educators grow academically and professionally while also promoting inclusivity and interdisciplinary education.

Giving students useful tips through a platform similar to the Texas A&M workshops can help strengthen their resistance to fraud.

Awareness about scammers can be raised through specially designed courses that target certain student vulnerabilities. Students at Texas State should suggest the implementation of scam prevention courses to Texas State Involvement using resources such as the Alkek Library Workshop Suggestion page.

In addition, integrating scam prevention modules into orientation programs for incoming students could ensure scam awareness becomes a foundational aspect of their university experience. By incorporating this education early on, Texas State can instill a culture of caution and preparedness among its student body.

Texas A&M also places a heavy emphasis on fraud prevention by providing courses and orientation modules to help students. These programs provide students with tools such as hotlines to assist people who may fall victim to fraud.

At Texas State, modules should provide comprehensive information, including guidance on how to handle bank-related issues in these cases, as well as tips on safeguarding your devices against potential threats.

Additionally, through focused events and efforts, student groups may play a critical role in increasing awareness of scams. Student organizations can hold public seminars, panel discussions or awareness campaigns by collaborating with pertinent school departments and outside organizations.

Texas State should effectively combat scams and prevent students from becoming victims of fraudulent activity by implementing a comprehensive approach that integrates education, teamwork and community participation.

-Aili Ortega is a marketing senior

ILLUSTRATION

ART

“We have 30 new [artists] out of 100 pieces,” Joan Nagel, the Price Center art committee president, said. “We’ve gotten to where we can only take one piece of art per person. Five years ago, [artists] could bring in a couple of pieces, and we were like, ‘Hopefully, we can get enough art.’ Now people come in with two and we're like, ‘No’.

Each piece of artwork follows the theme “The Female Gaze: How We View the World” loosely based on the International Women's Day theme of 2024: "Inspire Inclusion.”

Margaret Adie, a Price Center committee member, has participated in the annual event with Banerjee since 2019. This year, the Price Center commissioned six pieces of art for the event and Adie's was one of them.

“I was honored,” Adie said. “I was happy because I do a lot of assemblage work… I do small assemblage work and large, but it's very difficult for me to find space for my large pieces. It was great for me to be able to do that.”

Assemblage work is an art technique through creating 3D pieces from found objects. Adie used sock stretchers from the late 1800s, bolts and metal machine pieces to create her piece. She said her piece signifies the motion of life and positivity; her take on the female gaze theme.

“I think the women's gaze is of utmost importance, especially these days,” Adie said. “It's really important, especially with the show of all women. It's our biggest show of the year, and women come out of the woodwork for

Guitar professor Mark Cruz strikes a chord as director of festival

By Adriana Villanueva Life and Arts Contributor

The Hill Country Classical Guitar Ensemble Festival, founded and curated by Mark Cruz, a guitar professor, will celebrate a wide range of guitar music in a national competition on April 5-6 at the Texas State University School of Music Recital Hall.

The festival creates a competitive performing ground for students to experience being in ensembles and to improve their performance skills. Students from middle school, high school and guitar majors from colleges and independent studios will come together to celebrate guitar and strive for excellence as they perform music pieces.

"Michael Quantz, who is a guitar professor at [University of Texas at Brownsville] had been putting on a [guitar] festival for years, and he still does," Cruz said. "It's in the same format as this festival. One year, Quantz couldn't do his festival, so I did one myself.

That's how it started."

the show, and it's lovely... [The community] needs to embrace women.”

The events and exhibit were introduced in 2023. Due to a large turnout, the Price Center decided to stick with the events this year. The exhibit has already participated in three events. The opening reception on March 3 was a huge success for the Price Center.

“We had 200 women at the reception on Sunday," DeStefano said. “The energy was really powerful. These women are coming together for the first time, but they walk away friends, and these connections lead to other things throughout the year. That's really our goal, to build community. We see that happening, it's really exciting.”

The Price Center takes pride in being one of the only galleries in San

Marcos and surrounding areas to take in pieces from whoever from wherever to build community. DeStefano said the turnout of the only women's gallery is an unexpected benefit of staying true to its purpose.

“I didn't know going into this that it would be all of that, that it would be so meaningful and important and [we’d] be touching lives as much as we do…There's a lot of time involved in working with artists, but all in a good way…really unexpected but very cool,” DeStefano said.

The exhibit has nine more womenrelated events through the end of March and April.

Female leaders in San Marcos share their paths to success at panel

By Megan Weise Life and Arts Contributor

In honor of Women's History Month, Texas State University's Student Involvement & Engagement hosted a panel luncheon on March 21 in the LBJ Student Center Ballroom, highlighting the women in leadership.

The panel titled "Embracing Your Power" allowed four prominent women in leadership roles in San Marcos to share their stories.

Jessica Gendron

tions, which I think are inspiring to listen to. He is very good at performing his compositions, and I think getting to see him perform is good for students to see as well as getting feedback from judges," Reels said.

Reels believes the festival is a great way for students of all ages to get performance opportunities.

Although Reels enjoys playing finger-style guitar and acoustic, classical guitar is the main style she focuses on.

Reels believes the guest artists who perform classical guitar at the festival can give the music-loving audience a look into the less-known genre of guitar music.

I find when people hear classical guitar being played well, they absolutely love it. The festival helps to bring awareness to the style.

Joseph Palmer Texas Guitar Quartet member

What started as a small gathering in 2013 became a highly anticipated event for all musicians. This year is the fifth annual event due to a short pause in the festival in 2019. Starting back up in 2022, the festival has continued ever since. Cruz hopes to make the festival an annual event.

On April 5, there will a competition, vendor fair and masterclasses by Alejandro Montiel, Isaac Bustos and Mark Cruz. Closing the festival on the evening of April 6, acoustic guitar virtuoso Andy McKee will perform extended techniques and compositions followed by the awards ceremony.

Sophia Reels, a sound recording technology freshman, opens the festival alongside peer, Marina De la Cruz-Medrano, a health science senior. Reels and De la Cruz-Medrano have three hours of ensemble rehearsal together every week. Cruz works with the two students during these three hours to prepare for the festival.

On the evening of April 5, Cruz will perform a program of original compositions, followed by the Texas Guitar Quartet featuring Isaac Bustos, Alejandro Montiel, Joseph Palmer and Jay Kacherski. Reels is looking forward to his performance.

"Mark plays his own composi -

The Texas Guitar Quartet is set to perform at the Hill Country Classical Guitar Ensemble Festival. Starting in 2009, the quartet has played in a few music competitions and concerts leading up to the festival. Joseph Palmer, a Texas Guitar Quartet member and performance engagement artist at Austin Classical Guitar, said the quartet first played in the Hill Country Classical Guitar Ensemble Festival in 2019. Palmer said due to the quartet's experience, they are confident their performance will go well.

Palmer believes the festival is one of the few opportunities for students to perform and compete together as an ensemble. He has had students of his own who have worked up at duet or trio with friends to compete in the Hill Country Classical Guitar Ensemble Festival.

"It's nice that you get some of the general public to come to this festival as well as some young students, you get a nice mix of people," Palmer said. "In my experience, classical guitar is not known as the most popular guitar. I find when people hear classical guitar being played well, they absolutely love it. The festival helps to bring awareness to the style."

Cruz’s passion for classical guitar and his commitment to fostering a vibrant community of musicians are the driving forces behind the festival. Cruz created the festival to help students grow as individuals and as musicians, to help them learn how to share music with each other and to get them to interact when playing in an ensemble or duet.

The Hill Country Classical Guitar Ensemble Festival is open to the public and has free admission.

The keynote speaker, Jessica Gendron, is the CEO and president of The Center for Leadership Excellence, a resource for organizations and companies to build leadership and culture within the workplace. Gendron covered her experience as a woman and empowering other women, inspiring her to share her wisdom through her novel "What It Takes to Shatter Glass."

"I started writing [the book] about self-advocacy because I believe with every fiber of my being that if we were better at advocating for ourselves as women, we would be able to be more successful, not just in our careers, but also in our personal relationships, our friendships, our romantic relationships and in our lives," Gendron said.

After some research in 2019, Gendron discovered that a disproportionate number of men wrote books about leadership than women. This inspired her to understand the difference in how women achieved their success and offered an outlet for women to share their stories in a program called "Ladies Leading" where she interviewed successful, everyday female leaders.

While receiving anecdotes from successful women, Gendron realized commonalities throughout their stories and discovered seven female leadership competencies: selfadvocacy, self-awareness, resilience, courage, communication, intuition and relationships. She said these skills, especially self-advocacy, are needed for women to succeed.

Cynthia Hernandez

Panelist Cynthia Hernandez, Texas State's vice president for Student Success, was motivated by her father

Scan the QR code to continue reading.

to become a leader, despite being a woman.

"My dad always said to me, 'If you don't see somebody who looks like yourself in something you want or in a position of leadership, you be the first,'" Hernandez said.

Before working at Texas State, Hernandez worked for the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs at Texas A&M University for 15 years. For ten of those years, she was the only woman on the institution's senior staff. However, Hernandez's first female mentor offered her new lessons and perspectives that impacted her life.

Hernandez now possesses over 25 years of progressive leadership experience. She works to help students meet their academic goals.

"If we help students learn how to navigate, understand the agency they have and then the resources and scaffolding available to help them, then that helps them get... closer to their goal," Hernandez said.

Zenarae Antoine

Panelist Zenarae Antoine, the head coach of Texas State Women's Basketball, is the program's all-time winningest coach. Her leadership and coaching skills have set 21 school records and six Sun Belt Conference records.

Antoine's biggest role model is her mother, who immigrated to the U.S. from China after communists invaded the country. From a young age, Antoine's mother gave her books that taught her more about her culture and exposed Antoine to prominent sports figures and scientists.

"The mentorship that I received from my mother, who's my role model, was tremendous in me now seeking out mentorship within my profession and career," Antoine said.

Antoine highlighted the evolution of women's sports through the media and the value of women's participation in team sports, especially at a young age. She believes building leadership skills in women at a young age is best achieved through sports.

"Through sport is where a lot of us learn how to work cooperatively, how to learn under a specific...structure, how to be able to balance those things in addition to our other friends, and then obviously going to school," Antoine said.

Texas State students Marina De la Cruz (Left) and Sophie Reels (Right) rehearse, Nov. 20, 2023, in the Music Building.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK CRUZ

Panelists (From left to right) Cynthia Hernandez, Zenarae Antoine, Bobbie GarzaHernandez and Jessica Gendron speak at "Embracing Your Power," Thursday, March 21, 2024, in LBJ Student Center Ballroom.

PHOTO COURTESY OF STUDENT INVOLVEMENT & ENGAGEMENT

“He put us in a [terrific] place and had great relationships and did things in the way that was right, and that was right by student-athletes and by coaches and by kids,” Poole said. “That alone is a legacy I want to continue to move forward.”

Since entering the position, Poole has formed closer relationships with coaches and student-athletes and her perspective on leadership has a large focus on serving students not only as athletes but as humans.

According to graduate student infielder Sara Vanderford, having Poole as a leader gives Bobcat softball a deeper level of comfort.

"To have someone who not only cares about your development and rehab, but just you as a person, and checks in, it's just been nice and I couldn't have asked [for] anything better from her," Vanderford said.

Poole said there’s nothing more rewarding about the job than building close relationships with the student athletes.

“That's the best part of the job is to get to know these athletes as humans and get to provide for them in a way that helps our teams move forward,” Poole said.

March celebrates Women’s History Month and National Athletic Training Month. The celebrations go together with Poole’s decision to hire Texas State’s first female Head Athletic Trainer of Football, Alison Mitchell.

“I don't think I'd have to look but I don't know [if] there's any other division one school that has a

Poole said a proud accomplishment is growing the athletic training department by hiring five new head athletic trainers for programs that previously lacked them.

Mitchell said Poole's leadership is positively impacting the athletic department and working with her has been a rewarding experience.

"Overall she has created an excellent staff," Mitchell said. "She is really, really dedicated to Texas State, Texas State's sports medicine and making this better than it ever has been. She's just got big hopes and dreams for this program, I feel like me coming in here now I can support her and help her with that."

As a female leader in the sports world, Poole said she encourages women to believe in themselves no matter what their goals may be.

“I think that's the biggest thing, is [to] trust yourself, and understand that you will be ready,” Poole said. "And you'll know when you're ready, even if every day is a challenge.”

Director of Sports Medicine who is a female and a head of football who's a female,” Poole said.

Mitchell said Poole was a reason for her applying to the position as she wanted to be part of a team led by her.

"I think she is a trailblazer for women in athletic training, but [also] women in sports and athletics," Mitchell said. "I said that in my interview too, I really felt that way and that was exciting to me about the potential to come here."

New tailored roster unveiled as spring practice begins

By Sports Staff

The Texas State football team had its first spring practice on Wednesday, March 21. This marks the start of spring training, which will consist of 14 practices and lead up to a spring game that will take place at 11 a.m. on April 13 at Bobcat Stadium.

After a historic season that ended in Texas State’s first-ever bowl victory, starting quarterback T.J. Finley transferred in wake of replacements being added to the team. The Bobcats now have plenty of fresh faces for this spring from players to coaches, adding eighteen new transfers this offseason and two early enrollees from the high school ranks.

Head Football Coach G.J. Kinne said the team had a good day at practice and he has a good feeling about the team as it stands.

“I thought we worked well, for the most part, together," Kinne said. "Especially the offensive and defensive line. There is a lot of stuff that we've got to continue to get better at because we do have so many new faces, but I thought it was good. I think we have a chance to be a really good team.”

Leading the pack of transfers is graduate student quarterback Jordan McCloud, who transferred from James Madison University this offseason. McCloud won Sun Belt Player of the Year in 2023, leading the Dukes to an 11-1 record while throwing for 3,657 passing yards and 35 touchdowns.

Kinne said what he saw from the signal caller in his first practice as a Bobcat was a calm, veteran quarterback.

“He is just a veteran guy. He’s very calm back there. He throws the ball on time and with great anticipation,” Kinne said. “He’s very smart and processes very well. He has only been here for a little bit of time and went out there and was money. You can just tell he has played in a lot of big-time games.”

According to Poole, this mindset is something she views as critical to her growth in the profession.

“If I had chosen to say, ‘I'm 27 years old," Poole said. "I haven't experienced all the things that previous bosses have experienced, I haven't experienced X, Y and Z, I haven't done all these things, I don't need to be in this position,’ I would have missed an opportunity, not even for me, but to help grow this place,” Poole said.

Behind the scenes of gameday at Texas State athletics

By Kaden Bessent Sports Contributor

With Texas State baseball and softball conference play underway, it’s time for more game days in San Marcos. Fans flood the stands to enjoy the teams, but a lot more goes into game days other than just the famous words ‘play ball'.

All fans may see are players competing and highlights from the game, but behind the scenes, Texas State athletics has individuals that make game days happen in San Marcos.

Audrey Tuttle, assistant athletic director of Marketing & Fan Engagement, started out at Texas State as a marketing coordinator before getting promoted to marketing director where she now oversees the department.

“There’s so much that goes into gameday, like connecting with our fans. And once we are in the game, we need to provide a good in-game experience for them,” Tuttle said.

Tuttle is responsible for directing music played, video board graphics, emcees and working with the Learfield sponsorship team to implement things such as the Whataburger Fry Shuffle.

“When coaches give us their season schedule, we get to work with our promotional plan,” Tuttle said. “We work together as a unit, working with facilities on the overall timeline while they help us provide tables for face painting on Sunday fun day.”

On the facilitation side, Texas State has people like Aaron Farmer, director of Facilities and Operations.

“If I have a gameday, I’ll get out there early [and] get set up," Farmer said. "That includes putting up flags, making the facility look nice so everybody knows it’s a game day.

Making sure everything works like the scoreboard, music, adjusting volume levels and setting up for replay.”

Every game day is different for facilities workers depending on the sport. Farmer said softball’s clay infield provides more of a challenge because weather becomes a factor in game preparation.

“There’s a lot of parts to it that can get stressful, but at the end of the day, it’s a game and we’re there for the student-athletes, the coaches and for the fans as well,” Farmer said. “[We ensure] that they all have a great experience and all enjoy getting to do what they want to do.”

Not all fans get to enjoy that game day experience firsthand. For fans of Texas State, Victoria Heim, director of broadcasting, allows fans to watch the game from away via ESPN+.

“During a broadcasted game I serve as the producer,” Heim said. “There are only three full-timers that do the broadcast for Texas State and the rest are all students.”

Heim said she enjoys working with students on her broadcasts and providing them with this opportunity because she knows she will forever be part of their journey.

Heim prepares for her students’ arrival two hours before game time so everything runs smoothly for the broadcast. She first manages the control room’s audio and graphic elements before setting up cameras and communicating with ESPN+ to ensure swift commercial break transitions.

It takes more than just Heim to run the broadcast, though. She works with other departments to allow for these broadcasts to happen.

“In my headset that I wear on game days, I’ve got around 20 voices in my ear at all times, and during commercial breaks, I’ve got 60 seconds to decipher who is the most important,” Heim said.

Texas State head football coach G.J. Kinne speaks during a press conference, Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, at Bobcat Stadium.

Megan Webb (left), Audrey Tuttle (center) and Aaron Farmer (right) before the softball game versus Appalachian State, Friday, March 22, 2024, at Bobcat Softball Stadium.

PHOTO BY KOBE ARRIAGA

PHOTO BY KOBE ARRIAGA

Aidan Poole with three of her athletic training assistants before the softball game versus Texas A&M, Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at Bobcat Softball Stadium.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TEXAS STATE ATHLETICS

Scan QR code to finish reading this story.

The glass-bottom boat tour guide points out the Wetlands Boardwalk during his tour, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in San Marcos.

PHOTO BY FELIX MENKE

Families observe the water during the glass-bottom boat tour, Saturday, March 23, 2024, at the Meadows Center.