Slam with Soul Fourteen Finishes Renowned poet and singer performs on campus
Texas State track and field teams take home 14 first-place titles
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April 1, 2009
Wednesday
Volume 98, issue 67
students Students testify before legislature hope for Senate committee hears tesitmonies before debating bills san antonio campus By Lori Jones News Reporter
Texas State students may be able to take courses in San Antonio beginning next fall. Representatives from the university have had multiple meetings with Eric Reno, the Northeast Lakeview College president, about future plans for the two schools to pair up in the neighboring town. “We’ve been invited on an annual basis to make presentations on our progress and have enjoyed wonderful representation from Texas State at all of our celebratory events: groundbreaking and ribbon-cuttings, etc.,” Reno said. “Texas State has been one of the most welcoming, support supportive and collaborative of our higher education colleagues — even before the college was officially recognized.” Reno said what is being referred to as the Alamo Community College District initiative includes St. Philip’s College, San Antonio College, Palo Alto College, Northwest Vista College and Northeast Lakeview College. According to The Northeast Lakeview College Web site, the campus will extend See SAN ANTONIO, page 3
Road-construction project contract causes public outcry By Rachel Nelson News Reporter A proposed contract with Kellogg Brown & Root for a Hays County road-construction project provoked criticism from active military personnel, veterans, local taxpayers and Texas State students. The opposition stems from charges brought against the firm for unethical and fraudulent practices performed during their contract with the U.S. government in Iraq. County Judge Liz Sumter said as a result, it is likely negations with KBR will be “pulled off the table” at the Commissioners’ Court meeting Tuesday. “I’m certain the public outcry would have something to do with that,” Sumter said of recent testimony from Hays County residents against KBR. “It’s pretty power powerful when your own constituents walk in the door.” Greg Foster, history senior, a veteran of the U.S. Army who was deployed to Iraq in 2004, is one of the Texas State students protesting the contract. He voiced his opposition to the court about using tax dollars to do business with KBR,
(Amanda Domaschk)
(michael Guzman)
Tina Phan/Star photos HEATED TESTIMONY: Concerned citizens voiced their opinions of the controversial bill, which if passed would allow concealed handguns on campus, to the House Committee on public safety at the Capitol monday in Austin.
By Theron Brittain and Allen Reed The University Star The handgun debate got fiery Monday af afternoon in Austin. Proponents and critics of concealed carry legislation descended upon the committee of public safety and testified for three hours. Senate Bill 1164 and House Bill 1893 would allow concealed handgun license holders to carry on campus, if passed. Currently, Texas State University System Board of Regents’ policy does not allow for concealed weapons on campus at all. Students found to be in violation can be expelled and employees fired. Forty-three people spoke about the bills, 28 for and 14 against. Texas State students on both sides of the issue. “Mass shootings are not likely to happen,” said Michael Guzman, president of Students for ‘Concealed Carry on Campus’ national chapter in an interview. “What is likely to happen are rapes, assaults, robberies and burglaries. These types of instances happen on a daily basis across the country. These are the crimes we are more concerned about.” Dallas Chambless, history freshman, served two tours in Iraq and uses a wheel-
chair. He spoke in favor of the bills. “It’s harder for us to defend ourselves,” Chambless said in committee. “We don’t have the luxury of learning martial arts or running away from a predator. The invisible line, such as a campus, where we are unable to carry, we feel is unfair.” Melissa Angelo, pre-healthcare administration senior, does not have a concealed handgun license, but said she wants to see the bill passed. “After all that I’ve been through — mentally, socially, emotionally — I come to you today to plead for consideration allowing me and so many other women who are victims of sexual assault to give us a chance to defend ourselves on campus the same way we would off,” Angelo said. “I don’t want the same thing that happened to me to happen to other people. Amanda Domaschk, political science senior, is opposed to the bill. She testified before the committee. “There is not an organized push against it, but the people that are for it really are in the minority,” she said in an interview. Domaschk said religious minorities and transgender students, among others, might feel threatened on a campus where guns
are allowed. She said allowing firearms on campus would deter free speech. She said instititions and the students whom attend them should decide if they want handguns on campus. “We talk about how the death penalty in Texas was expected to decrease crimes and we have not seen a decrease in crimes at all,” she said. “In fact, we still have one of the highest crime rates. It might make a couple people feel better, such people as Michael Guzman, who is a veteran and is used to car carrying a gun around, might feel safer. But I think it will make a lot of other people feel uncomfortable.” Domaschk said a university campus is dif different than other areas where guns are allowed. “I wouldn’t say the things I say on a college campus at a Post Office,” she said. “You don’t have religious fanatics at a Post Office like you do on a college campus yelling at girls because their skirts are too short, telling them they are going to go to Hell.” Guzman, economics senior, said his group advocates freedom of choice. “We are talking about people who already See GUNS, page 3
See KBR, page 3
Senators left off election ballot
GETTING AROUND
By Amanda Venable News Editor
Alyssa Scavetta/Star photo George Pappas, pre-music sophomore, and others are concerned about inaccessibility for students who use wheelchairs and crutches. The school is working to make the campus more ADA friendly. SEE NEWS PAGE 4 FOR FULL STORY.
Today’s Weather Partly Cloudy
84˚
Precipitation: 10% Humidity: 35% UV: 8 Very High Wind: SSE 17 mph
Candidates running for senate positions in the College of Fine Arts and Communication woke up Tuesday for a day of campaigning to find something missing from the online ballot — their names. Information Technologies spent Tuesday morning working on the university server connection, which was keeping some students from casting their ballot in the ASG elections. It prevented others from voting for certain candidates. Colter Ray, public relations junior, is one of five senate candidates whose name was not on the ballot Tuesday morning. “Basically, if you were in the College of Fine Arts and Communication and pulled up the voting page
you could vote for presidential candidates, but if you went to the senators for that college, then all five names were left off,” Ray said. “It wasn’t just me.” Running against Ray in the College of Fine Arts and Communication, Gabriel Carrillo, advertising junior, said he lost votes because of the glitch. “Some of my friends were saying they didn’t see my name and I’m just really confused,” Carrillo said. “I kept hearing about everything being haywire. I still don’t under understand what happened. I’m sure it wasn’t done maliciously; it was a mistake that happened. The best I can hope for is that it doesn’t count against me or any of the other people running.” The system slowdown Tuesday morning had candidates and the
Two-day Forecast
election commissioner in talks of extending the election by one day. However, Vincent Morton, associate dean of students, said an additional day is unnecessary because the online ballot is accessible throughout the election period. “Everything is cleared up and everything is moving now,” Mor Morton said. “We will look at election results, but I bet you we will have the same results that we have had in previous years.” Morton said problems with the ballot and other university links were the result of a slow server connection and limited IP address space caused by the laptops used at the polling locations. Students can vote 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at polling locations in the LBJ Student Center and in The Quad or online.
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