Down to the wire
Bobcats lose a close one in extra innings to Texas A&M/Sports/Page 10
Alt-movie fun
Cast your vote
Alamo Drafthouse serves up more than movies/Trends/Page 6
ASG elections do matter to the student body/Opinions/Page 5
WEDNESDAY
VOLUME 93, ISSUE 68 www.universitystar.com
MARCH 31, 2004
Donations, volunteering help shape community T E X A S
Organizations give back to city with their service
By Katherine Eissler News Reporter
The San Marcos River Foundation, the Animal Shelter and the Greater San Marcos Youth council are just a few of the many organi-
S T A T E
zations in San Marcos that rely on volunteers and monetary donations to exist. Texas State is also on the list of groups that rely on independent funding to grow. The philanthropic work of Emmett McCoy, former CEO of McCoy’s Building and Supply Centers, and Miriam McCoy will have a direct impact on the lives of students at Texas State. Their $20 million contribution will fund scholarships, university development,
U N I V E R S I T Y - S A N
endowed chairs and distinguished professorships. “The McCoys are very generous people who are trying to make things better,” said Mark Hendricks, Texas State media relations assistant director. “They are so humble and unassuming.” Gerald Hill, University Advancement vice president, said the ethical decisions the McCoys made while operating their business are what made them successful.
M A R C O S
Along with the McCoy family donation, there are other families of the San Marcos area that give back to the community. Roy and Joann Mitte donated $12.5 million, which established the Mitte Foundation Scholarship program that awards 125 scholarships of $5,050 annually to Texas State students who meet application requirements. Albert and Margaret Alkek, whom the university library is named after,
EXPANDING HORIZONS
Unrecognized honor society causes student confusion
g See HONOR, page 3
By Carmen Sawyer-Brandt Special to The Star
Linda L. Smith/Star photo Harold, a local tattoo artist and Texas State psychology major, gives communication design sophomore Stephanie Vinson a henna tattoo at the Multicultural Festival Tuesday.
Creative Summit awards recognition, scholarship By Rickey Purdin News Reporter
Competitive communication design students flooded into San Marcos last weekend from all over the country for the 19th annual Creative Summit. The event allows college students to view professional work while contending for scholarships and cash prizes for the best submitted student pieces. “It’s important for students to enter into competition and see work from other schools,” said Chris Hill, founder of the summit and former Texas State professor. “The summit is about raising the bar and inspiring with the use of judges and speakers.” On Friday and Saturday, students attended seminars from guest speakers including J.W. Burkey of Creative Jump Start, Jim Sherraden of Hatch Show Prints, photographer Rosanne Olson, interactive designer
g See SERVICE, page 4
Festival showcases various cultures, nations
By Jennifer Warner Senior Reporter Hardworking students with a 3.0 GPA and a minimum of one college semester completed may be eligible to join a prestigious national honor society, according to application letters recently mailed out to students. However, the Office of Campus Activities and Student Organizations and the Association of College Honor Societies does not recognize Phi Sigma Theta, according to a recent campuswide e-mail, alerting students of possible confusion with another organization, Phi Eta Sigma. The letters, emblazoned with the purple, green and gold Phi Sigma Theta coat of arms, ask for $50 from qualified students to become lifetime members. Phi Sigma Theta is believed to be a Web-based organization while Phi Eta Sigma is an honor society on campus recognized by both CASO and ACHS. “We haven’t at any time said this group was a scam,” said Lanita Hanson, LBJ Student Center associate director. “We have just said that this is not an organization recognized by the ACHS.” ACHS is the only certifying organization for honor societies. It follows a number of criteria to determine if an organization should be recognized. “They have a set of standards that kind of guide people to determine as to whether or not an honor society is worth their time and money,” said Krystal Peralez, CASO graduate research assistant and graduate adviser for Phi Eta Sigma. There are 33 organizations on campus registered as official honor societies through the CASO office. Phi Sigma Theta is not one of them, nor is it one of the nearly 70 organizations recognized by ACHS.
also made the decision to engage in philanthropy as a means of giving back and investing in the future of other generations. Albert Alkek left a gift to the state in his will that gives $200,000 a year to Texas State projects funded through the foundation, which is equivalent to a $4 million endowment. Other corporations, such as
Don Anders/Media Relations and Publications Sara Wells, communication design junior, looks at the items on display at the silent auction at the 19th annual Creative Summit. Participants entered portfolios of their works to be judged by professional designers and artists. Hillman Curtis, designer Stefan Sagmeister, illustrator Marshall Arisman and Disney’s Gary Baseman and Kim Roberson of the film Teacher’s Pet. The speakers presented exam-
ples of their work and discussed influences that helped them design. “If you stay true to your message, don’t fear any medium,” said Baseman, who started out as
an illustrator and made the jump to TV and film. Each student was allowed to submit eight pieces in a portfolio ranging in content from advertisements, illustrations and photography to Web pages and television commercials. The summit included awards such as the Coveted Memorial Ralph Award, named after Aquarena Springs’ famous swimming pig, and the Singing Cow Award. The 120 submissions garnered a $50 excellence prize while 23 others won Ralph awards. Of the Ralph winners, 19 earned scholarships ranging from $250 to $600. Ralph awards were also given to each speaker at the summit to acknowledge their achievements. This year also marked the first Gary Baseman Award, given to a student who showed excellence in illustration. The award was a $5 bill with drawings and an
The soft murmur of foreign languages filled the air as the students introduced themselves and their native countries during Tuesday night’s International Student Festival. The event, held in the LBJ Student Center Ballroom, gave attendees an opportunity to sample the cultures of 70 different countries and mingle with Texas State students from around the world. The fifth annual event was filled with music, dancing, food, exotic costumes and entertaining facts about the native lands of the foreign students. Throughout the night, a line of 10 people waited for a Henna tattoo artist from Sharp Things Tattoo & Body Piercing. Others swarmed the various other student organization booths consuming the different cultures and purchasing handmade crafts. Bob Habingreither, San Marcos Mayor, attended the event and presented the International Student Association with a proclamation and a key to the city. “I am proud to award this proclamation to such a deserving student organization and I am excited to be here tonight,” he said.
autograph by Baseman. The largest scholarship award of the night was the Lyle Metzdorf Memorial Singing Cow Award, named after Metzdorf’s Blue Bell Ice Cream ad campaigns. The winners were communication design seniors Gram Garner, Julie Wilhelm and Matthieu Brajot along with junior Greg Brady-Greene. They received $1,000 for their Hotwire.com student commercial. Next year’s summit is already in the planning stages with Hill anticipating more attention and awards. “We hope to have $20,000 worth of scholarships and possibly extend the conference to three days,” Hill said. “It’s the event’s 20th anniversary and we have some exciting things planned, so you don’t want to miss out.” Christy Gray contributed to this article.
g See FESTIVAL, page 4
I N S I D E
Amusements................8
Classifieds....................9 Comics/Crossword....9
News..........................2-4
Opinions....................5 Sports......................10 Trends........................6,7
Today’s Weather
High: 79 Lo w : 5 4
Mostly Sunny
Wind: From E at 9 mph Precipitation: 0% Max. Humidity: 45% UV Index: 9 High
Thursday’s Forecast Partly cloudy 77/59