04 04 2006

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TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS

www.UniversityStar.com

APRIL 4, 2006

TUESDAY

VOLUME 95, ISSUE 69

Lowering costs a recurring theme in ASG candidate debate By Clayton Medford The University Star The rising cost of tuition dominated the debate as candidates for Associated Student Government president and vice president vied for support in the LBJ Student Center Ballroom on Monday. Debate moderator and political science professor Ted Hindson quizzed the candidates about student referendums, what they want to accomplish if elected and how they see the future

of Texas State, but the cost of tuition persisted as a theme throughout the evening. Vice presidential candidate and Student Sen. Amanda Oskey referred throughout the debate to her running mate’s experience in student government. Oskey said presidential candidate Kyle Morris’ experience would give Texas State an advantage in dealing with the Texas Legislature, an advantage she said her opponents cannot provide. “What’s important when you’re

dealing with the Legislature is that you have people who know what’s going on and who have been there,” Oskey said. “Kyle Morris was actually there for the name change. He helped create the student regent position; we have experience dealing with the state legislature on a personal level, which also gives us a leg up.” When asked what issues she would take to the Legislature if elected, presidential hopeful and Sen. Katie Kasprzak referred to removing the sales tax from the cost of textbooks,

an idea recently endorsed in ASG by Oskey, who is running on the opposing ticket. “The plans we have are to keep the tuition where it is so it doesn’t increase and also to work with the Legislature to cut the tax from textbooks,” Kasprzak said. “I know that Kyle did also, but this is something we need to address here at Texas State University. I think by working closely with the student regent, Frank Bartley, and also by working with the state legislature, that we are going to be able to do that.”

RAKING UP EARLY: (Left) After an 8 a.m. rally at Bobcat Village, applied sociology junior Christy Copeland gathers rakes at the start of her Bobcat Build workday. SCRAPING THE SURFACE: (Below) Criminal justice freshman Samantha Mogab works alongside fellow Delta Gamma members on Saturday morning scraping paint off picnic tables so they can be repainted.

Bobcats Build constructs bond with community in city’s largest volunteer project

M

ore than 2,000 students gathered Saturday with one goal in mind for the fourth annual Bobcat Build: Bridge the gap between the university and the community. “We’re trying to put a face on the university. Students are real people; they want to help, they

See DEBATE, page 3

San Marcos on the road map for Great Race Texas

Renovating Relationships

By David Rauf The University Star

Morris said Texas State needed to “stop the bleeding” in order to keep tuition as low as possible. “I don’t claim to be an expert on state budgets, but I do believe there are some efficiency issues with the ways we spend money here at this university and how other universities spend their money, too,” Morris said. Vice presidential candidate and Sen. Israel Ruiz said gaining flagship status would help the image of Texas State.

want to give back to their temporary home,” said Kim Porterfield, director of Texas State community relations. “We want the students to see what San Marcos is really about. Sometimes we all get caught up in our own little worlds, and we’re just thinking in a vacuum. On this day we’re not thinking about ourselves. It’s not about us; it’s about See BUILD, page 5

By Eloise Martin The University Star Classic cars pulled into town this weekend for a chance to participate in the Great Race Texas 2006 and to be displayed at the local car show, Shine Time Classic Car Exhibition. San Marcos residents welcomed the participants, greeting them at each finish line during the three-day event. Great Race Texas is a regional car event that prepares drivers and navigators for the annual National Guard Great Race. The regional race is similar to its partner, but modern vehicles are invited to compete in addition to those 45 years or older, a requirement for the national race. This year marked the 16th Great Race Texas and the fourth year it has been in San Marcos, the national race headquarters. The regional race includes a three-day run in which winners are determined by the cumulative score of precision driving each day. The race ended on Friday evening at the Tanger Outlet Mall, on Saturday in downtown San Marcos and on Sunday at a private residence for awards and a banquet. The race is not for time, but for precision and accuracy. Each turn, stop and detail is provided, and teams must attempt to follow the route at a determined speed and time. Drivers must reach checkpoints at certain times and are penalized if they are late or early. Similar to golf, the lowest score wins. Larry Hanvey and Rob Scott won the race this year, with a time of 26.86 seconds. “In every sense of the word, it is a race,” said Wayne Stanfield, chief operating officer and fivetime Great Race winner. “There is so much communication going on between the driver and the navigator; it really is a precision driving event.” The drivers are not permitted to use odometers to calculate time and distance, so they must rely See RACE, page 4

Athletic service fee up for student referendum Root speaks on the man, the author and the philosopher that was C.S. Lewis By Clayton Medford The University Star

By Marquita Griffin The University Star Jerry Root’s charisma captivated the audience as he gave his lecture on C.S. Lewis on Thursday in the Centennial Hall Teaching Theater. Root, a universally renowned C.S. Lewis scholar and lecturer at Wheaton College in Illinois, was invited to Texas State to lecture on C.S. Lewis, acclaimed author, theorist, poet and critic. Lewis has been dead for 43 years, but his work still remains a source of inspiration, knowledge and motivation for elevated thinking. Although Lewis is typically remembered for The Chronicles of Narnia series, Root’s lecture introduced some of Lewis’s personal and complex theories and philosophies about life. Christine Pike, communication studies senior, attended the lecture because she is taking the honors course, C.S. Lewis: Chronicles of a Master Communicator, from Steven Beebe, chair of the department of communication studies. Pike said she had been looking forward to the lecture and enjoyed the content of Root’s speech.

“C

an you imagine the amount of dedication it took to complete such an in depth task such as that book? That is just one of the things that makes Lewis so intriguing.”

— Jerry Root C.S. Lewis scholar

“(Root’s) focus on some of Lewis’s complex ideas was very interesting,” Pike said. “He explained some extremely difficult and heavy material very well.” Root guided the audience through themes such as “The Concept of Reality,” “The Warning Against Subjectivism” and “The Connection of Mind and Soul.” Root took the audience on a mental journey of Lewis’s experiences and transformations. He used metaphors, personal experiences and common ex-

Today’s Weather

Partly Cloudy 85˚/61˚

Precipitation: 20% Humidity: 51% UV: 8 Very High Wind: E 11 mph

amples to explain the research he has conducted on Lewis in such a way that anyone could understand Lewis’s ideas. Anne Macdonald, the youngest member in the audience who was accompanied by her grandparents, had no problem relating to Root’s lecture. Eleven-yearold Macdonald said she read and liked Lewis’s The Abolition of Man as well as The Chronicles of Narnia. Macdonald is home-schooled by her grandparents and since all three of them are fans of Lewis’s work, Anne has read many of his books. “It’s really great that the university has events such as these,” said Jamie Macdonald, Anne’s grandfather. Kay Macdonald, Anne’s grandmother, said attending Root’s lecture is “one form of extra credit for Anne,” as well as a chance to hear about one of her favorite authors. Root said Macdonald “must be a very intelligent young woman if she understands some of Lewis’s more complex books.” Root made Lewis his life’s study when pursuing his gradu-

Texas State students will vote whether or not to remove the athletic department funding from the student service fee and create an intercollegiate athletic service fee on Tuesday and Wednesday. The athletic department currently receives about 40 percent, or $4 million, of the money collected through the student service fee. The remainder of the

See FEE, page 4

Don Anders/Texas State Media Relations

See LEWIS, page 3

Thursday Isolated T-Storms Temp: 89°/ 60° Precipitation: 30%

dent service fee will be the exact amount by which the student service fee is decreased. The ASG legislation, authored by ASG President Jordan Anderson, puts pressure on the football program to move to Division 1-A by suggesting a 50 percent cut in the new 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

DAVALOS NAMED NEW BASKETBALL COACH

Two-day Forecast Wednesday AM Clouds/PM Sun Temp: 86°/ 62° Precipitation: 0%

money is allocated to student services and organizations. The change was spurred by an emergency resolution passed by the Associated Student Government on March 20 and is supported by the student service fee committee and the athletic department. If approved by students, and subsequently by the Texas Legislature in 2007, the change will initially be dollar-for-dollar — meaning the amount the athletic department currently receives from the stu-

Inside

TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS

News ..............1-5 Trends .............6-8 Comics .............. 8 Crossword ......... 8

Sudoku .............. 8 Opinions ....... 9,10 Classifieds ....... 11 Sports ......... 13,14

TURNAROUND TIME: Texas State Athletic Director Larry Teis and President Denise Trauth announced that Doug Davalos, whose father is a Texas State alumnus, will take over the reins of Texas State basketball after a disappointing season under former coach Dennis Nutt. See story on page 14.

To Contact Trinity Building Phone: (512) 245-3487 Fax: (512) 245-3708 www.UniversityStar.com © 2006 The University Star


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