04-09-2024

Proposed housing project faces local scrutiny, potential legal questions

By Jacquelyn Burrer News Contributor

Questions are being raised around a development company proposing a high-rise student apartment complex called the McLain Project, which is set to be

built across the street from Texas State’s campus.

At the first reading of the proposal on April 2, city council voted 6-1 on the first of the proposed amendments after the initial vote failed to secure a supermajority, which is required after the San Marcos Planning and Zoning Committee recommended denial on Feb. 27.

Specially-abled

By Jamin Ochoa Life and Arts Contributor

Pets come in all shapes and sizes, with different personalities. Some of these pets are deemed “speciallyabled,” meaning they have a unique niche that requires unique care. When it comes to caring for these pets, there can be added stress on top of the challenges of caring for a pet.

Local activism group to submit petitions to repeal police protections

By Ryan Claycamp Senior News Reporter

City council also voted to table the remaining amendments and the McLain Project is set to go before the San Marcos City Council for its second and final vote on April 16.

pet owners of Texas State

Some owners don't have the opportunity to choose a specially-abled pet and adapt in real-time to their pet gaining a disability later.

Bella Rodriguez, a communication design freshman, dealt with her dog getting hip displasia. Rosie Pickles, a Jack Russel Terrier, used to love to run, jump and play, but wasn’t able to after she lost the ability to use her right hind leg after her diagnosis.

“She was gonna get through this because we all adapt

Local political action committee Mano Amiga Safe Communities plans to submit a petition to repeal civil service protections for the San Marcos Police Department (SMPD) by the end of the month.

Local Government Code Chapter 143, which provides civil service protections, was established by the Texas legislature in 1987 to provide increased standards and protections for municipal police in jurisdictions with more than 10,000 residents. Chapter 143 controls the rules police departments must follow for hiring, firing, career advancement and disciplinary procedures for law enforcement officers.

"Civil service laws established criteria for hiring [officers], they now have to meet certain standards by law, " Howard Williams, a lecturer in the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology and former SMPD chief, said. "If [Chapter 143] is repealed there will still be certain minimum qualifications, but I could hire anybody I want and I can promote anyone I want."

to changes,” Rodriguez said. “Rosie reacted really well to her change.”

Rodriguez recounts Rosie Pickles changing in multiple ways after becoming disabled including being less energic, heightened aggression and the overall pain her pet was feeling. Watching these changes at a young age gave Rodriguez a unique perspective toward all animals moving forward and increased her love for Rosie Pickles. SEE PETS PAGE 5

PASS keeps pets out of the San Marcos Shelter

By Cara Cervenka Life and Arts Reporter

Austin Pets Alive worked alongside Hays County to introduce a new initiative called Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender (PASS). The program launched in January 2024 and serves as a virtual resource center for residents of Hays County. The addition of this program provides resources for pet owners and opportunities for one-on-one counseling to support complex cases.

San Marcos struggled to provide counseling before PASS. The effort to provide in-house counseling was lengthy, which resulted in the overcrowding of the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter. PASS has minimized the number of animals entering shelters; pet owners can get a response within 24 hours.

SEE ADOPTION PAGE 5

New city hall to be built in San Marcos

By Eleanor Munoz News Contributor

The development of a new San Marcos City Hall is underway, intending to increase sustainability and community engagement.

The new city hall is still in the beginning planning stages while the city searches for more staff. Assistant City Manager Laurie Moyer spearheaded the proposal for the new city hall located across the street from the current building on East Hopkins Street. Moyer said the project will address the current city hall's unstable condition. The size of the current city hall is the biggest restriction as the population

of San Marcos and city staff has increased exponentially since the hall was first built in 1975. The population of San Marcos in 1970 was 18,860 compared to the 2023 record population of 87,111 according to Josh Daspit, an associate professor of management at Texas State.

“[A new city hall has] been discussed for probably several years now. We had really outgrown this particular site,” Moyer said. “Right before COVID-19, you would have seen we were all jam-packed in here."

According to Moyer the city already owns the land for the new building, which will keep the city hall near other public buildings.

PHOTO

PHOTO COURTESY OF CATE WEISBRODT Animal justice junior Cate Weisbrodt's guinea pig, Pendleton, June 2019, in Austin.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JILLIAN ENGLERT Criminal justice freshmen Jillian Englert and her cat Linga, December 2023, in Forney, Texas.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BELLA RODRIGUEZ Communication design freshmen, Bella Rodriguez's dog, Rosie Pickles, August 2019, in Fredericksburg, Texas.

City implements first all-electric vehicle fleet

By Candace Taggart News Reporter

San Marcos implemented its first all-electric vehicle fleet on March 25 as part of the city's strategic plan for environmental protection.

City council approved three Ford F-150 Lightning Trucks and two Toyota bZ4X cars in a lease agreement with Enterprise Fleet Management, Inc. for a combined annual lease payment of $42,140, according to a press release from the city of San Marcos.

Two of the Fords will go to the Neighborhood Enhancements department for code enforcement, one Ford and one Toyota will go to the Public Works fleet and transit services while the other Toyota will go toward mail services, according to Public Works Director Sabas Avila.

“One of the city’s goals is protecting the environment and protecting the natural resources of our city,” Avila said. “We're also doing it to maintain clean air and public health."

Avila said city council approved the lease agreement in September 2023 and the vehicles arrived in late February.The Public Works department also completed the addition of three dual charging stations, approximately $9,000 each, for city staff use in February according to Avila.

While the costs for the vehicles and stations are higher upfront, Avila said the city anticipates saving money during the durability of the vehicle. He estimated the city is currently paying seven cents per mile for its gas-powered cars.

FROM FRONT APARTMENTS

"It all comes back to students need to be where students are at," Councilmember Matthew Mendoza said at the April 2 meeting. "Students deserve options. It's important that we listen to them and provide them access to where they need to be. I never feel right about denying anyone a place to live, and at the end of the day, that's what this is."

Due to confusion over the amendments and a lack of a written list of the concessions the developer has agreed to, city council sent the developer and his consulting team with city staff to draw up a clearer plan during the city council meeting.

"It makes sense for this to be a student housing area - it is literally across the street from the university," San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson said at the April 2 meeting. "The west side of Lindsey is going into single family structures. I'm having a really hard time calling this [downtown zoning] because I don't think west of Lindsey [Street] is downtown, and I don't really want to extend downtown to it."

However, there seem to be data discrepancies from the developer, as well as ongoing legal questions.

Amendments and zoning

The apartment site is at the intersection of North Street and Lindsey Street and is the current location of the Lindsey Oaks apartments, The Elms apartments and multiple residential homes.

Since the proposed project was brought back before the city in August 2023, numerous San Marcos residents and students have spoken at city meetings to criticize the project, including resident

FROM FRONT DEVELOPMENT

“You [will be able to] see the [new] city hall, our library and then our activity center all on one side of the street with that interconnectivity,” Moyer said.

Although development of the new city hall is underway, Moyer said the pace has been slow due to the current staff shortage. Both Moyer and Administrative Services Director Hayden Migl are actively working on recruiting additional personnel to maintain consistent progress. They also intend to gather public input on future design and planning decisions.

Migl and Moyer said another goal of the new city hall involves reflecting environmental protection by integrating water quality into its design. The exact specifics of how these values will be reflected are to be determined and will be decided through public engagement as progress on the city hall continues.

“We really [want to] highlight some of the efforts we do take to protect the river especially as a gateway [to the community],” Migl said.

According to Mayor Jane Hughson, students and residents can anticipate getting involved with the development through public art potentially displayed within or surrounding the new city hall.

This will serve as part of the city's initiative to involve local artists in more capacity such as their mural art program. “We’re really becoming an art area,” Hughson said. “We want to make sure the lobby, the area people will come to, is reflective of local art.”

Maxfield Baker, previous councilmember and San Marcos resident, agreed with the need for a new city hall to be built due to outdated infrastructure and sizing constraints. According to Baker, at the current establishment there is not enough space for councilmembers to have an office.

According to Baker, the new city hall could be a great opportunity for a community center. He said a city hall which hosts non-political events could also allow residents to develop an interest in political affairs and share a common space.

"[There could be a] place for a nonprofit fair or even like an indoor market or something that gets people into [the hall] outside of just politics," Baker said. "If you can put people's interests about politics adjacent to [non-political] things they're interested in, then a cross-pollination effect happens."

Camille Phillips and Tenants Advocacy Group (TAG) Civil Engagement Advocate Mikayla Rodi.

“Many of us have voiced our concerns,” Phillips said. “San Marcos is basically a little town still. Our downtown is constrained [by] the river on one side, university on the other side [and] the railroad on the third side. Why extend past North Street to the area of town that’s always been residential with small buildings?”

The amendments city council will consider include:

• PSA-23-02: Preferred Scenario Amendment to change area from “Existing Neighborhood” to “High-Intensity Downtown.” According to the San Marcos Land Development Code, an existing neighborhood is classified as an “established, primarily residential [area] intended to maintain their existing character.” Changing the area to “High-Intensity Downtown,” would designate it as “an area of change intended to accommodate the city’s future growth and expansion where people can meet their daily needs within a short walk, bike, transit trip or drive.”

• CUP-23-22: Request for a Conditional Use Permit to allow a purpose-built student housing and a reduction in the parking ratio to 0.75. Purpose-built student housing is defined as “one or more buildings, each containing two or more living units, that are designed, marketed or used for

the primary purpose of housing college students.”

• ZC-23-19: Zoning request to change the current zoning from “Multi-family MF-12, MF-18 and MF-24” to “Character District-5 Downtown.” Changing the zoning to “Character District-5 Downtown,” would “provide for mixed use, pedestrian-oriented development in downtown [and] to promote walkability and to encourage street level retail activity.”

• AC-23-09: Building height request to increase the permitted building height from five to seven stories.

Rodi and Phillips are both concerned the project will contribute to the influx of rent-by-the-bed housing in San Marcos, which they believe will further disrupt neighborhoods and the San Marcos community.

“TAG is concerned because if [the developers] extend downtown, that kind of sets a precedent. So if they wanted to extend downtown later, they very much could,” Rodi said. “The extending of downtown that increases high intensity increases apartments [and] student housing, and it pushes out the singlefamily homes and multi-family homes. We don’t want to push out traditional housing, and extending downtown would kind of do that.”

Project details and timeline

Matthew Kenyon, the main developer and managing partner at Kenyon Companies, began the McLain Project in August 2023 after submitting new docu

ments and applications for the proposal to the city of San Marcos.

However, a previous version of the project, CUP-21-15, began in 2020 with a pre-development meeting between San Marcos city staff, Kenyon and Stephen Schneider, the sole employee of Kenyon Companies on official city documents.

The original proposal, CUP-21-15, only included the properties at 410 and 420 North St. – both shown in city documents as owned by Matthew Kenyon through his limited liability companies (LLC) and property ownership records.

Shannon Mattingly, director of land use and entitlements at the Drenner Group, a real estate law firm that specializes in land use, and former director of planning and development services for San Marcos, is also a part of the currently proposed version of the project as a consultant through the Drenner Group.

Although Mattingly has only been involved in an official capacity through the Drenner Group for the newly proposed version of the project, she was on city staff as director of planning and development until September 2022 and was involved in the original proceedings.

On June 8, 2021, the San Marcos Planning and Zoning Committee met and recommended denial of the project. The McLain Project was supposed to be discussed on the agenda at the city council meeting on July 6, 2021, but it was not put on the final agenda and the project was withdrawn until August 2023.

On city documents from the first application in 2021 as well as the second in 2023, Kenyon supplied documents that showed he works for Kenyon Companies.

MAP BY DEVON CREW

FROM FRONT SAN MARCOS

Mano Amiga Safe Communities launched its petition in October 2023 in response to San Marcos City Council's failure to adopt the "Hartman Reforms" when renegotiating the meet and confer agreement with the San Marcos Police Officer's Association.

The Hartman Reforms were a series of proposed reforms named after Ryan Hartman, a former SMPD Sergeant who struck the vehicle of Jennifer Miller and Pamela Watts, resulting in Miller's death in 2020.

The reforms aimed to increase the accountability of SMPD personnel by allowing longer times to investigate instances of alleged wrongdoing, preventing officers from having time to prepare for interviews after incidents, ending vacation forfeiture instead of suspensions, increasing officer file transparency and ending third-party arbitration to negotiate disciplinary actions.

"The [meet and confer] contract was one protection, [and Chapter 143] is another so this is the next step in making sure law enforcement officers have a degree of accountability and transparency," Executive Director for Mano Amiga Safe Communities Eric Martinez said.

Martinez said under the current system, there is little residents can do to demand SMPD or the city to take action against an officer involved in an alleged wrongdoing.

"When an officer does something bad and you go to their boss, [their boss] has to check if there's some window [to investigate] that runs out, if there's a specific policy they need to refer to," Martinez said. "So the police chief's hands

are tied from making sure we have the highest [quality] of law enforcement officers in our community."

According to a statement from the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas (CLEAT) emailed to The University Star by the San Marcos Police Officer's Association, Chapter 143 protections allow law enforcement officers to operate free of discrimination and political influence.

To operate as an LLC in the state of Texas, the business must have an active registration with the Secretary of State. Additionally, if the company is based out of state and wants to conduct business in Texas, the company must still register with the Texas Secretary of State’s office using a registered agent based in Texas.

If a company is conducting business in a state without being registered in that state, the company could face legal consequences.

In the database of businesses registered with the Texas Secretary of State’s office, there are two LLCs registered on Feb. 11, 2020, both under Kenyon’s name. Kenyon Capital, LLC was voluntarily terminated on Aug. 11, 2022 and is no longer legally in use. Kenyon Companies RE, LLC forfeited its existence on June 24, 2022 and is also no longer legally in use.

Both companies are registered with Kenyon using the same addresses, but there is no current legally registered version of Kenyon Companies, LLC, that is owned by Kenyon in the state of Texas.

Kenyon said he registered Kenyon Companies, LLC in Delaware as it has the most protection for developers.

However, the Kenyon Companies, LLC registered in Delaware is not registered with the Secretary of State’s office in Texas and has no known registered agent based in Texas.

According to Delaware’s Division of Corporations, Kenyon Companies, LLC is in good standing, but it has not filed taxes since its creation in 2020 and has no documented income.

Additionally, the website for Kenyon Companies is an unregistered domain, and the address Kenyon supplied on city documents for Kenyon Companies, LLC is the same address as a brewery in Austin that was created in 2019.

"We have way too many jobs and not enough time to do them all, so I just have not kept up with the website," Kenyon said. "I need to get back on it, but we do almost all of our things through just word of mouth. We develop several thousand apartments, and we have so many relationships in town that we just don't use our website, so we let it go."

Kenyon has also used similar variations of the brewery's address on other city documents, but none are known to be currently legally associated with him or Kenyon Companies.

Kenyon said he does have an association with the brewery through a personal friendship with the owner of the brewery and his initial investment in the brewery.

"I do have a percentage ownership in [the brewery]," Kenyon said. "I just use that [address] because I get my mail there, and I work over there a couple days a week."

However, according to a representative from the brewery, Kenyon has no association outside of being an outside capital investor and having a non-controlling ownership percentage in the brewery.

For the McLain Project, this means Kenyon is not operating under a legally registered LLC in Texas and is misrepresenting the status of Kenyon Companies.

Kenyon also included on his LinkedIn and Facebook profiles that he is a Managing Partner and Owner at Core One Commercial since its founding in 2016 and still works there presently. However, the website for Core One Commercial is also an unregistered domain,

and the only information publicly available for the company is on the Facebook page, which lists no official company contact information.

Additionally, the address provided in the official LinkedIn page for the company, 2705 Bee Caves Rd, Ste 300, is occupied by another business, Jacobs. There is no record of Core One Commercial ever operating out of the building or the address provided.

According to the database of registered businesses with the Texas Secretary of State’s office, Core One Commercial is not a registered business, and there is no record of it ever operating in Texas. There is also no record of Core One Commercial operating in Travis County as a sole proprietorship, according to the Travis County City Clerk’s database.

Additionally, Kenyon was appointed as managing director of the multi-family and student housing group at St. Croix Capital in 2018, and his social media still shows he is employed there. However, a representative from St. Croix Capital confirmed he worked there until 2020 but does not presently.

St. Croix Capital was also able to confirm Schneider worked there from 2016-20 and left around the same time as Kenyon, who then formed the now-inactive LLCs, Kenyon Capital, LLC and Kenyon Companies RE, LLC, in February 2020.

Kenyon currently owns the property at 420 North St. and 435 N. Comanche St. and has signed city documents, including the original conditional use permit from 2021, verifying his ownership with the title of “Managing Partner,” at Kenyon Companies.

The property at 410 North St. is legally registered to “Registered Agents, Inc.,” but Kenyon is not listed as an owner of that LLC in the Secretary of State’s database.

However, in city documents from 2021, Kenyon signed as the owner of “410 North Street LLC,” to verify his ownership of the property 410 North St. For the mailing address, Kenyon supplied the address of Executive Financial Consultants, which is located in Dublin, Ohio, and is not a known address associated with Registered Agents, Inc. or Kenyon.

San Marcos resident Peggy Taylor owns 421 Lindsey St., 413 North St., 415 North St. and 419 North St. while resident Daryl Burttshell owns 499 North St., all of which are properties involved in the proposed McLain Project. Both have agreed to let Mattingly represent them through the process of bringing the amendments before the city of San Marcos.

City documents and data discrepancies

Apart from concerns regarding Kenyon Companies, one point of dispute in the project is data the Drenner Group and Kenyon used to support the demand and validity of the project, including a study submitted and conducted on July 17, 2023 by Charles Heimsath, president of Capitol Market Research.

The study looked at parking utilization rates at 10 rent-by-the-bed student housing apartment complexes within about a mile of 420 North St., which is where the developers plan on building the McLain complex. Capitol Market Research suggested a parking ratio of 0.70 parking spaces per bed leased at the property, but their data also provided information regarding occupancy rates at these apartments. The study determined 4,243 beds were leased out of the 4,301 total number of

beds, which calculates to an occupancy rate of about 98.7% at these 10 properties.

In the packet Drenner Group and Kenyon presented to the San Marcos Planning and Zoning Committee on Feb. 27 and City Council on April 2, the developers cited a need for student housing due to the “independent study done by Capitol Market Research [which] found that the current occupancy rates are at 97% in student housing projects city-wide, and showing a current need for over 3,000 student beds.”

However, the Capitol Market Research study in July 2023 only looked at parking utilization within about a one-mile radius of 420 North St., not student housing occupancy rates in San Marcos city-wide.

Additionally, the table Drenner Group and Kenyon provided is titled “Student Housing Occupancy Information (within a 10-mile radius).“ However, this table was originally titled, “Table 3: Resident Parking Information,” from the Capitol Market Research study, and the renamed version in the packet was cropped in half.

"To the best of my knowledge, we only looked at apartments within a one mile radius," Kenyon said. “It sounds like that '10 miles' was probably just a typo, [the study] was about one mile."

The document with the renamed title and cropped table includes the data Capitol Market Research collected from the original scope of the study of about one mile from 420 North St., but it was not data from a 10-mile radius as the renamed title shows.

Kenyon said the Drenner Group put the packet together, but city documents cite the documents are provided by the developer, which would be Kenyon.

“I don't think that we studied everything in the whole city, but we honestly have been asked to do constant studies from the city," Kenyon said. "If there's a typo in one of those thousands of pages, I wouldn't be surprised. It certainly was not intentional.”

While the initial packet may have included a typo, the presentation of the data as a city-wide occupancy study from a 10-mile radius does not match the conclusion of the study that was conducted by Capitol Market Research.

Some San Marcos residents believe the city does not need more housing, due to studies on multi-family housing completed by the city and the amount of rentby-the-bed apartment complexes throughout the city that still have availability.

“Those of us who care about the city have been disputing those allegations [of high occupancy rates] for several years,” Phillips said. “Apartment complexes say they’re 97% occupied or whatever, but if somebody calls them up and wants an apartment, there’s immediate occupancy available.”

The amendments regarding the McLain project will be brought before San Marcos City Council again on April 16 and will serve as the final vote on the project.

“If there have been a few typos, all I can tell you is that they haven't been intentional, [and] in no way did we try to deceive the public or the city,” Kenyon said. “That's just not the type of company we are.”

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

TIMELINE BY MADISON WARE

TIMELINE BY DJ ROSS

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The pros and cons of Buc-ee's in San Marcos

By James Phillips

Opinions Columnist Buc-ee's, a travel center chain with a store located just 14 miles away in New Braunfels, does not need to expand into San Marcos. The new location will hurt small businesses throughout the city and the community as a whole.

Big businesses such as Buc-ee's have more resources to push out smaller, locally run businesses. An example is when Walmart moved into the Chicago west side in 2006. According to an article from the New York Daily News, "Within two years of Walmart opening its doors, 82 local stores went out of business."

Big corporations utilize economies of scale, meaning they can purchase large quantities of goods, which allows them to sell individual items at lower costs.

According to an article from the Austin-American Statesman, the opening of the Bastrop Buc-ee's location in 2012 had ill effects on small businesses. Sales at convenience stores and gas stations throughout town, like the Bastrop Corner store, plummeted by 40%.

Lower prices cause economic cannibalization of communities by large chains. Businesses like the Valero located at 1350 Redwood Road, which is across the street from where Buc-ees will be built, stand to lose large amounts of normal business to an outside corporation.

Additionally, Buc-ee's prominently displays signs across its stores showcasing high pay, with the lowest wage being just over $16 an hour. Yet, a report from the Washington Post paints a horrifying picture of conditions employees are forced to work under.

The article states employees are forced to work under a "strict employee dress code [and are] expected to arrive not even a minute late," with employees

being fired after three late arrivals. This, combined with hellish long hours and few breaks create conditions for a toxic work environment.

There is an argument, however, that the high pay offsets the conditions of employment.

Yet, even the high pay comes with hidden costs that hurt Buc-ee's employees. In 2016, Buc-ee's sued a former assistant store manager to get back $67,000 of "retention pay."

Retention pay is a "lump sum outside of an employees base pay" offered as a reward if an employee were to stay in their position for a certain amount of time.

Buc-ee's hired the assistant store manager as an "at-will" employee, meaning she could be fired at any time. Despite this, she was required to sign the retention agreement. In addition, the contract required her to give at least six months' notice before leaving despite Buc-ee's being able to terminate her employment at any moment.

According to the McKinney Law Firm, Buc-ee's proceeded to sue the former manager for the retention pay and had the judge award additional "damages and attorney’s fees," totaling nearly $100,000.

While the case was later reversed on appeal, the entire incident demonstrates how the one positive aspect of employment with Buc-ee's, the pay, is not so positive. Bu-cee's will hurt small businesses in San Marcos — a city that has already had problems with many small businesses closing down in recent months. The people of San Marcos must contact city council members and work to have this Buc-ee's development reconsidered.

– James Phillips is an international relations junior

Letter to the Editor:

Dear Editor,

Recently an opinion piece was published that referenced the Information Security Office and our efforts to raise awareness among the student population about cybersecurity risks and threats. The article, entitled “Opinion: Preventative scam workshops should be a priority,” starts with a sound premise - that students should be more aware of the risks involved with existing in a digital world, in living a digital life. We agree with this premise, but found the article’s depictions of the who, what, and how of this issue to be problematic and we wanted to address it.

The primary claim of the article is that students are a target for scams because of their physical location between Austin and San Antonio. This claim is supported by examples of fake “discounted concert tickets” and fraudulent job offers. While it’s true that fraudulent selling on social media and fake job scams are prevalent, these are prevalent everywhere. Not just in the AustinSan Antonio corridor.

The reality is that university students, staff, and employees alike are all targets because of the high implicit trust that most global networks afford .edu email addresses, the kind users have at TXST. Phishers and scammers are less concerned with a victim’s physical location than the value of the target’s email address or credentials. In short: students, faculty, and staff are targeted because they have something of value – their TXST NetID, which is the key to their TXST email address and their TXST account.

Many students have come from high schools where their email addresses were highly regulated and filtered. Because students were minors, they were given greater protections for those email addresses. The difference is that the network of a public university where students

By Nikita Arefiev Opinions Contributor

Buc-ee’s is coming to town. Although construction at the new location off of I-35 isn't scheduled to start until summer, the beaver’s arrival is still quite good news.

The Alamo aside, little else is as associated with Texas besides H-E-B and Buc-ee’s. Bobcats already have H-E-B in town but, until now, have been forced to drive 14 miles to New Braunfels if they want Buc-ee's action.

From jobs to gas prices to the overall experience, the construction of a new adorably beaver-themed gas station in the city is a fantastic development for San Marcos.

Of course, little else can get college students as excited as the promise of new jobs. In that aspect, Buc-ee's delivers. The new location will offer 175 opportunities for full-time employment. Even if some students aren't able to work full-time, San Marcos residents who are currently working part-time jobs have the opportunity to apply and switch to working full-time at Buc-ee's, therefore freeing up spots in town for students to take.

“There's really not a lot of jobs hiring right now. I'm working part time [at a call center], so [when] Bucee’s opens up in town, I want to work there,” Audren Piedro, a San Marcos resident, said.

Buc-ee's is one of the biggest Texas staples. As an out-of-state student all the way from New York, the first thing my friends here took me to see wasn't Schlitterbahn, Whataburger or even the Alamo, it was the Buc-ee's in New Braunfels. Not 48 hours had passed since I got off my plane, and my parents already had a picture of me

are adults is much more open than a high school email system, and students are now responsible for managing their own identities.

This speaks to the issue of why there aren’t more strict filtering policies at the university. Since TXST students are (usually) adults, they have a right to give out their contact information to whomever they wish. It is not the policy of the university to determine for a user what is legitimate communication or not. That is the prerogative and responsibility of the user.

All this is not to say that we don’t filter email at all. Absolutely, we do, and emails that are determined likely to be scams or phishing are normally sent to the user’s Junk folder, but we do not remove emails from the network without a thorough human review. The ISO published an article about this topic in the Division of IT blog and addresses the Junk folder in detail.

Automated email filtering processes can be fooled and might miss things. That’s why the ISO has a dedicated phishing and abuse inbox for users to report suspected or known phishing and scam emails. That inbox is monitored by full-time staff who are dedicated to intercepting those emails that make it through and can be clearly defined as malicious.

We regularly and consistently monitor the abuse email inbox and the university network for patterns of abuse and indicators of compromise. The volume of filtered email from the network is astounding. And yet, it is also balanced with a great deal of openness for our users so that they may feel free to communicate with whomever they wish using their TXST email account. There were some great suggestions in the article, such as workshops, request forms, and awareness activities. ISO provides all these services. We have a training request form that allows anyone with a TXST NetID to request a training or awareness event for their office,

next to a statue of a goofy beaver in a funny hat.

The Texas State freshman class of 2023 came from 37 states and 22 countries. Students from California, Florida and Nevada to Turkey, Nepal and India all came down to Bobcat Country to spend the next few years getting their degree. By the time they leave, they'll almost be as Texan as anybody from Houston or El Paso. Out-of-state and international students will appreciate having a relic of Texas culture in close proximity.

“I am a huge fan of Buc-ee’s,” Clay Diercks, a history freshman, said. “I will drive at least 50 miles out of the way any road trip I go on just to go to the nearest Buc-ee’s, as will every single other Texan. Buc-ee’s is the Texas thing… I'm really excited it's coming to San Marcos.”

Of course, not everything is rainbows and sunshine, and even Buc-ee's has its flaws. Despite high pay, Buc-ee's is known for its high turnover rate, and what the Washington Post described as "poor management, rigid policies and exhausting working conditions."

However, Buc-ee’s pays more than two and a half times the minimum wage. Although a large paycheck won't necessarily alleviate the stress of those who work there, it will certainly help. High pay has the potential to cancel out worries regarding tuition, food, rent and other money-related stress factors.

A major business moving into a small town always brings a plethora of both boons and demerits. Although faults are not to be overlooked, it certainly seems like the benefits Buc-ee's will bring to Bobcat Country outweigh its flaws.

– Nikita Arefiev is an international relations freshman

student group, or any other student body population that has interest. We also conduct regular informational sessions with faculty and staff, coordinating activities with offices managing sensitive or confidential data.

For the community at large, the ISO endeavors to consistently and directly communicate with TXST users who report scams and phishing emails to us. We also host annual awareness events that are open to the entire campus community. In fact, last October we hosted a four-part, month-long series of workshops in Alkek library specifically dedicated to the entire lifecycle of a phishing scam and how to respond. We hope that anyone dealing with issues of fraud, identity theft, or cybercrime will join us for the next one.

We also invite Bobcats to offer workshop ideas and encourage them to submit the form linked above. Any TXST faculty member, staff, or student may reach out to our office via email at infosecurity@txstate.edu to get more involved with helping to make sure their fellow Bobcats don’t fall victim to scams like fake discounted concert tickets, fraudulent job offers, or phishing emails. And, as always, if you or anyone you know has encountered a phishing email, a fake job scam, or a fraud of any kind, please forward that information as an attachment to abuse@txstate.edu. Stay

ILLUSTRATION BY ABBY FUNDERBURK ILLUSTRATION BY SHEREYANI PULIGAL

FROM FRONT PETS

“I genuinely did love that she was different from everyone else,” Rodriguez said. “Just be patient because everything happens for a reason.”

Some people go into the idea of pet adoption open to caring for pets that need special care like Jillian Englert, a criminal justice freshman, who noticed her cat was different the first time they met. Linga, a calico cat, was extremely shy and reserved at the shelter which caught Englert's attention.

“She looked really sad. She looked like she had been through a lot,” Englert said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, she’s the one.’”

Linga has vision trouble, specifically with gauging distance, light sensitivity and depth perception, due to suspected abuse at her previous home, Englert said. Englert said Linga will jump off high places and stumble on the ground upon landing due to her vision loss.

Kenny was diagnosed with Satin Guinea Pig Syndrome, a congenital defect that is characterized by blindness and weak joints and bones. Pendleton is paralyzed from the waist down, meaning he has no movement in his legs at all. Because of thier disabilities, Weisbrodt had to give up certain things like going on vacation to prioritize her animals, but she said doesn’t have any regrets.

“It turned into something really rewarding when I found ways to help my animals cope with their disabilities,” Weisbrodt said. “I realized if I give up on these animals, who else is going to take care of them?”

Englert had to make the financial decision to change the lighting in her home. She’s replaced overhead lights with lamps and other alternative lighting. Without this change, Linga would have remained stagnant under her bed. However, Englert didn’t have to think twice about adapting her lifestyle to fit Linga's, as their relationship benefits both parties. “She is anything but a burden," Englert said. "I have no problem spending the [resources] that I do have on her. I feel like she is there for me in the same way that I’m there for her.”

FROM FRONT ADOPTION

The San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter faces overcrowding due to the number of pets entering the shelter. There is limited opportunity for case management due to the shelter prioritizing the animals in the shelter. The Pet Resource Center Model is a physical shelter accompanied by additional programs and resources. The Executive Adviser for Austin Pets Alive Lee Ann Shenefiel works to organize the Hays County Pet Resource Center Project.

“I think in a lot of ways it's more humane sometimes for pet owners," Shenefiel said. "When you surrender a pet to the shelter, you don't get to determine who their next family is. You often don't know what happens to that pet.”

Cate Weisbrodt, an animal science junior, cares for two different guinea pigs: one adopted specially-abled, and the other gaining a disability while

their lives that doesn't let them provide the care they want to for pets."

Lucy Fernandez, the intake diversion program manager at Austin Pets Alive said the idea of the Hays County initiative is to recruit more and train volunteers and other animal welfare staff members throughout Texas so they can take care of animals in their own communities.

It's a matter of [people not knowing] what's available."

Lucy Fernandez Intake diversion program manager at Austin Pets Alive

Some believe those who chose to rehome don't care about their pets. Lack of education for health requirements for pets lead to animals being abandoned. PASS aims to inform Hays County about vaccine schedules, microchip information and litter prevention. Austin Pets Alive works alongside other organizations in the animal welfare space to provide clinics and volunteers to provide low-cost spay and neuter opportunities.

“In many cases, people don't want to surrender pets," Shenefiel said. "There's whatever circumstance they're in, either housing instability or a health crisis; there's something that's happening in

“A lot of the time, culturally, we're just so used to taking the animal to the pound, but if we want to maintain high life release rates we want to provide that proactive stuff before that's even considered,” Fernandez said.

A Spanish resource was launched in February 2024, making support forms available in Spanish and providing bilingual volunteers to provide counseling. There is a large community of Spanish speakers in Hays County. It is part of the Austin Pets Alive mission to provide personal connection and counsel to each individual who reaches out.

“People are scared of asking for help because they're afraid of getting judged," Fernandez said. "The best option to them, and I don't think that's ever the best option, is to turn an animal loose. Instead of asking for help... they give up. It's a matter of [people not knowing] what's available.”

under her care. Both Kenny and Pendleton require very unique and timeconsuming attention, but Weisbrodt was up to any challenge when it came to providing the best possible life for her pets.

“When I realized [they were] gonna need that extra care, it wasn’t like ‘Oh, how am I going to do this?’” Weisbrodt said. “It was like, ‘I’m going to do this.’”

Weisbrodt doesn’t understate the importance of adopting disabled pets and believes owners who can make time to take care of them are needed. Englert supports this notion, as she doesn’t think owners should be wary of specially-abled pets, whether they have disabilities from the start or gain them under an owner's care.

“Pets with disabilities have the same love to give and I don’t think their attitude is any different,” Englert said. “If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, they are too.”

INFOGRAPHIC BY QUINN FANTA

ILLUSTRATION BY DEVON CREW

San Marcos National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day benefits

By Megan Weise Life and Arts Contributor

Local animal facilities in San Marcos will offer discounted adoption services for students on National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, April 30.

The San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter is the only open-intake facility for stray animals in San Marcos. The shelter receives animals from animal control officers from Kyle, Buda, Hays County, San Marcos and Wimberly and from the public, according to Community Engagement Coordinator Minnie Buckhaults.

On National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter will waive adoption fees for the first 25 pets adopted on April 30 as an incentive to give pets forever homes.

"We are very over capacity in our dog kennels right now," Buckhaults said. "We have 93 dog kennels and we have... over 160 dogs currently at the shelter."

Students who are unable to adopt

due to housing or financial limitations can aid the animals at the shelter in other ways.

"Fostering, volunteering, donating needed items like wet puppy food, dog treats, anything like that is really great," Buckhaults said. "I know one of the favorites for college kids is our Dog's Day Out program."

The Dog's Day Out program allows anyone in the community to pick up a dog from the shelter and take them on a short outing. This gives the shelter dogs a chance to experience new people and places away from the shelter environment. The Dog's Day Out program is offered every Monday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"It is also really so beneficial for the dogs because they get out of the loud shelter environment, we get notes [and] we get photos," Buckhaults said. Hailey Heitmeyer, a theater education sophomore, signed up to participate in Dog's Day Out. After choosing

a day to take a dog out, Heitmeyer was paired with a dog based on the activity she chose. Heitmeyer took the dog to get a treat and to Sewell to play fetch for a couple of hours.

"As much as it gets the dog out of the kennel, it also gets students out and doing stuff," Heitmeyer said. "If someone is looking to adopt a dog and they don't know if they could handle a dog, then it's a easy way to...[get] some experience with a pet first just for the day."

Pet Prevent a Litter (PALS) is a nonprofit spay and neuter hospital that partners with the city of San Marcos to grant students free surgical sterilizations for their pets. Lauren Foye, the president and clinical operations director of PALS, offers discounted animal healthcare services to students, such as low-cost vaccinations and yearly check-ups.

"Our goal is to make sure that people can keep their pets [and] that they aren't having to surrender them to the shelter," Foye said. "We want to be supportive care."

Texas State Athlete's Pets

Many students adopt animals through unvetted channels as opposed to animal shelters that sterilize animals before adoption.

On National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, PALS will host a spay and neuter clinic so students can sterilize their pets for free. To receive this service free of charge, students can fill out a voucher application on the PALS website.

"PALS is adopt don't shop everyday," Foye said. "Our whole thing is to keep the animals out of the shelter, and that first line of defense is [to] spay and neuter."

PALS recognizes that pet food can be expensive, so students who struggle to pay for it are invited to the PALS

Pet Food Pantry, which is every third Saturday of the month from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

"People need to know more about our services and that...we're just here to help and service the community," Foye said.

Oscar anticipates a new family during his stay at the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter, Saturday, March 30, 2024, in San Marcos.

Ivy Camp meets a new best friend with excitement at the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter, Saturday, March 30, 2024, in San Marcos.

PHOTO BY ROSEY MENDOZA PHOTO BY ROSEY MENDOZA

VATS golf tournament held at SMTX Golf Club

By Max Martinez Sports Contributor

The Veterans Alliance of Texas State (VATS) held its annual golf tournament Saturday, April 6, at the Kissing Tree Golf Club in San Marcos.

The goal was to raise over $25,000 to contribute to VATS to help veterans who attended Texas State University. With a combination of Kissing Tree Golf Club employees and Executive Members of VATS, the annual golf tournament ran well and its mission was a success.

Not everyone played the best golf, but it didn’t matter as they laughed off bad shots and understood the meaning of the event–– to honor Texas State’s veterans.

The event kicked off at 2 p.m. and due to the hundreds of golf players participating in the tournament, it wasn’t until around 7 p.m. that they finished the 18-hole course.

It was a gloomy and windy day, perfect for golf, and the beauty of Kissing Tree Golf Club shined. Along the well-kept greens were luscious ponds to complement the nature of the event.

There was a mixture of golfers from Texas State students looking to win the tournament to veterans reminiscing and supporting the foundation. One thing each golfer had in common, however,

was a patriotic motivation for their attendance.

When it was all said and done, team Elevated Greens took first place in the tournament with a score of 15-under par shooting 57. Team Elevated Greens consisted of Caleb Franke, Erik Arroyo, Jordan Littlefield and Taylor Green who were able to beat out a tough competition full of other experienced golfers.

Second place finished with a score of 14-under par shooting 58. This team consisted of Trevor Blend, Jayden Quales and Jose Castruita.

The third-place team, consisting of Rob Freeman, Mo Miniken and Ashlee Gerardi, finished with a score of 13-under par shooting 59.

Despite the induction of victors, the tournament was a fun and successful way to celebrate the game of golf and Texas State's veterans.

Spears reflects on injury, final season as a Bobcat

By Jalan Tolliver Sports Reporter

As the 2024-25 football season approaches for Texas State, old and new faces prepare to take the field, including senior safety Tory Spears. During the 2023 football season, Spears played only three games before suffering a season-ending knee injury during practice.

He accumulated 19 solo tackles and one interception in those three games.

In the previous 2022 season, Spears was accoladed as an All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention and a Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week. However, regardless of attention, the unforgiving nature of high-level sports got the best of his body.

"I blew my whole knee out," Spears said. "I tore my ACL [and] MCL and fractured my tibia."

Since the injury took palce, Spears has worked on and off the field to insure the wellbeing of his body–– a lesson his injuries taught him.

Spears anticipated having a big year in the 2023 season and the team significantly felt the impact of his absence. He was fortunate to be granted a medical redshirt to play in the 2024 season by the NCAA.

While leg injuries for Division One athletes are often detrimental to their careers, Spears remains confident in light of the upcoming season. Texas State Head Coach G.J. Kinne said Spears' return will be significant on and off the field.

“I’m really looking forward to getting [Spears] back,” Kinne said. “He’s a tremendous player but I think his presence and leadership [are] what’s important to us.”

Although players stepped up to fill his role, the defense was not the same without Spears on the field. The next-man-up mentality can’t always fill gaps left by starters, according to former Texas State linebacker Brian Holloway.

“It’s a game of injuries,” Holloway said. “He was a huge asset for us and you never know when the next guy is going have to step up.”

Just days after Spears got injured, he was blessed with

a beautiful baby girl, Tommi Spears, on September 24, 2023. According to Spears, she was his motivation to get healthy and have no fear of playing again.

“I’m going until the wheels fall off,” Spears said. “[But I’m] not going to rush anything knowing that it’s my last year for sure.”

Spears said if he were to suffer another injury, he’d have the mentality to overcome it, though he prays for good health and hopes to avoid another injury.

"It's just physical pain, mentally I was always fine," Spears said. "It is what is. I've torn both of my ligaments in my shoulder before, so getting hurt isn't anything new."

Spears attained his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice following the 2023 season after attending Texas State and Iowa State.

Baseball looks to use 'rebound ball' to improve season struggles

By Kaden Bessent Sports Contributor

In a season of slumps and struggles, the Texas State baseball team has had to fight its way back into games after falling behind in early innings. Remarkably, Texas State has come from behind in about 66% of its wins this season.

'Rebound ball' has been the Bobcats' mantra so far. The team’s inability to get ahead early or keep leads has held the Bobcats back from winning ways.

stretch like this, the goal is to just show up and play better baseball. That’s the main goal for us.” The term 'rebound ball' has been recited to the team as an alternative way to look at games that could otherwise be seen as failures in execution or readiness. As the Bobcats pivot their outlook to one of objectivity rather than condemning themselves, they hope to bounce themselves into a trend of winning like the team saw last season.

Winning and losing have come in spurts for the Bobcats as they have faced losing streaks of three, four and five this season. The only two other losses were rebounded with a win in the next game. The Bobcats have also been on winning streaks of up to four games.

The 2024 season has been up and down throughout. 10 out of 14 losses for the Bobcats have been decided by three runs or less, and only five of the team's 15 wins have been decided by three runs or less. It's evident, when the team wins, they put on a show, but when it’s not their day they have trouble adjusting.

A question still in need of a solution is the pitching staff. Texas State pitchers have allowed over 150 runs thus far. This is on-par with the average team ERA of 5.31, which ranks 97th in the nation.

The Bobcats aren’t just rebounding off allowing early runs, though, as two key players have been out with injuries.

The recent absences of freshman outfielder Ryne Farber and senior pitcher Jack Stroud. With both Farber and Stroud only getting better as the season went on, their absence has left an unfilled void in the lineup.

While he has the qualifications to land himself a professional gig, Spears thinks his experience on the field could benefit him along with other players in the years to come.

According to Spears, coaching is a sensible option career-wise and a role he can see himself filling.

“I’d [like to] go to law school to be a defensive attorney,” Spears said. “But I definitely want to do the football route as long as possible. I never had a legit job before, so this is all I know.”

Spears is set to return and start as the strong safety for the upcoming 2024 season in his final year of collegiate eligibility.

To follow along with more roster updates and information on Texas State football and other sports, visit txst.com.

Texas State redshirt senior safety Tory Spears (12) tackles a Jackson State player, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at Bobcat Stadium.

PHOTO BY SARAH MANNING

“Every game is going to be challenging,” Texas State Head Coach Steven Trout said. “So, after a

The Texas State baseball team huddles together before the game against the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Saturday, March 30, 2024, at Bobcat Ballpark.

The golfing community conjoins at Kissing Tree Golf Club for the VATS Tournament, Saturday April 6, 2024, in San Marcos.

PHOTO BY MAX MARTINEZ

PHOTO BY MANDALYN LEWALLEN

SOLAR ECLIPSE IN SAN MARCOS

Texas experienced its first total solar eclipse since the year 1878 on Monday, April 8. From Sewell Park to Old Main, at 1:35 p.m., students and faculty alike looked up at the sky undeterred by the cloudy weather and watched the moon pass between the

Earth and the Sun. Although San Marcos only reached 99.7% totality, it was a once-in- a-lifetime view. Events were held all around San Marcos, with Texas State University offering the Total Eclipse of the Heart of Campus event at the LBJ Mall. Texas State

distributed solar glasses and suspended class from noon to 2 p.m., ensuring students and staff had a chance to take in the view. The next time the U.S. will be able to view a total solar eclipse will be in August of 2044.

(From left to right) Students Andrew Martinez, Ahmad French and Shane Billiot gather outside Blanco Hall to watch the solar eclipse, Monday, April 8, 2024, at Texas State.

PHOTO BY NATHALIE YANEZ

student workers gather to hand

solar glasses

students at the total eclipse of

heart of

event, Monday,

Students gather outside of Blanco Hall to experience the eclipse as it unfolds, Monday, April 8, 2024, at Texas State. Animal science sophomore Adrienne Ortiz sits alongside wildlife biology sophomore Mary Jackson to observe the solar eclipse, Monday, April 8, 2024, near Alkek Library.

(From left to right) Criminal justice freshman Jazmine Ponce, radiation therapy freshman Ashley Burriz, criminal justice freshman Alyssa Dubuque, music freshman Loretta Wones and criminal justice junior Dalilah Gutierrezz gather to watch the eclipse, Monday, April 8, 2024, at Sewell Park.

PHOTO BY CARLENE OTTAH

PHOTO BY NATHALIE YANEZ

Texas State alumna Erick Avila observes the early stages of the eclipse while enjoying the water, Monday, April 8, 2024, at Sewell Park

PHOTO BY CARLENE OTTAH

PHOTO BY MEG BOLES

PHOTO BY MEG BOLES