04 12 2006

HAIL TO THE HYBRID

SHINING

Why can’t America compete with Japan’s future machines?

Bobcat Baseball sweeps season series with 5-1 victory over Aggies

SEE OPINIONS PAGE 8

SEE SPORTS PAGE 10

TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS

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Texas Intercollegiate Press Association 2006 Sweepstakes Winner

APRIL 12, 2006

WEDNESDAY

VOLUME 95, ISSUE 73

POETIC JUSTICE Slammers step up to the mic to throw down, break barriers

FF

illed with passion, rage and lust, poems about genocide, sex and “full-bodied, bed-wetting lesbians” reverberated through the bowels of the LBJ Student Center this weekend as poets drew their swords and lyrically jousted in “the only sport where the points are not the point” — Poetry Slam.

Approximately 130 poets from 22 colleges across the nation converged this weekend on Texas State’s campus to battle for the national title at the sixth annual College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational.

“It’s the varsity sport of the soul,” said Robb Thibault, Association of College Unions International Poetry Slam Program team leader. “I’m waiting for the day slammers can get letterman jackets from their campuses.”

See POETIC, page 5 Brynn Leggett/Star photo illustration CALL ME: Jasmine “Jazz” Stovall of Louisiana State University performs a piece called “Can You Call Me?” at Lucy’s on the Square on Friday night, inserting cell phone jargon and service provider names to express frustration about what someone might be doing instead of calling her. Upon completion of the poem, the crowd cheered as if attending a rock concert.

Commissioners Court discusses Government Center Complex

By Kathy Martinez The University Star The Hays County Commissioners Court met briefly on Tuesday morning before adjourning to discuss the recommendation of the Building Committee relating to the site selection of a proposed Government Center Complex and to authorize a request for a proposal to the property

owners of the two selected sites.

The proposal also includes the construction of a Hays County Office Complex.

Heading the committee for the development of the new property, Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe, 1st Precinct, proposed possible development off Wonder World Drive.

Commissioner Russ Molenaar, 4th Precinct, said he disagreed with the

site’s location.

“The site selection for this project is too far out of reach for our constituents,” Molenaar said. “I don’t think we should keep moving further south.”

Commissioner Susie Carter, 2nd Precinct, suggested Ingalsbe and her committee consider site assessment by the Hays County Civic Center, property already owned by the county.

Ingalsbe said she is more than willing to seek guidance from the court in regard to selecting property location.

Because representatives to discuss the project were not in attendance and further specification was not made as to site locations for the complex, Hays County Judge Jim Powers pulled the item from the agenda to discuss it next Tuesday.

Fraternity collecting hats, shaving heads in The Quad to support children with cancer

By Jason Buch The University Star Just after noon on Tuesday, economics junior Cody Beeson sat down on a chair in The Quad and let undecided junior Meaghan Hughes and alumnus Matt Baron shave his head.

Beeson had his head shaved to help raise the profile of a hat collection drive the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity is holding. The social fraternity is collecting hats to give to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy at the Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi. William Clark, political science freshman, initiated the drive.

“A friend of mine’s older sister works at Driscoll,” Clark said. “We were sitting down talking, and she said they’re collecting hats and bandannas for cancer patients. I thought my fraternity brothers and I could do something to collect hats since they’re always in need of that.”

Beginning on Monday, members of ATO set up a tarp in The Quad with a box to collect hats. The group is also selling donuts, donated by Shipley’s, for 50 cents each. The hats and the proceeds from the donut sales will go to Driscoll Children’s Hospital. Clark said there is also a collection box in front of Old Navy at the outlet mall.

He said he didn’t know how many hats had been collected so far, but

“W

e were sitting down talking, and she said they’re collecting hats and bandannas for cancer patients.

I thought my fraternity brothers and I could do something to collect hats since they’re always in need of that.”

— William Clark political science freshman

before Hughes and Barron shaved Beeson’s head, there were six hats in the collection box in The Quad.

Beeson said he had his head shaved to show solidarity with children who lose their hair through chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

“I just want people to stop and look and see what we’re doing,” Beeson said. “I want to kind of empathize and say, ‘look, someone else is willing to lose their hair too. Someone is willing to be seen for them.’”

Today’s Weather

Mostly Sunny 87˚/61˚

Precipitation: 10% Humidity: 56% UV: 9+ High Wind: S 10 mph

Danny Rodriguez / Star photo LID CRAZY: (From left to right) Political science sophomore Cody Noel, business economics junior Cody Beeson and marketing freshman Fred Delin, members of Alpha Tau Omega help collect hats for cancer patients in The Quad on Tuesday.

Fraternity members cheered and clapped as three passersby dropped hats into the box while Beeson’s head was being shorn.

Clark said today and tomorrow the fraternity will be going to residence halls to collect hats. He said the collec-

Two-day Forecast Thursday Sunny Temp: 88°/ 61° Precipitation: 0%

Friday Mostly Sunny Temp: 88°/ 61° Precipitation: 20%

tion box will be in The Quad at 7:30 a.m. and will stay there until about 5 p.m. ATO is asking for new or slightly worn hats. Clark said two more fraternity members will have their heads shaved tomorrow to draw more attention to the collection effort.

Inside

TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS

News ..............1-3 Trends .............4-7 Comics .............. 7 Crossword ......... 7

Sudoku .............. 7 Opinions ............ 8 Classifieds ......... 9 Sports .............. 10

Air Force tour touches down at Texas State

By Magen Gray The University Star Texas State Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 840 welcomed about 50 members of the United States Air Force Foreign Liaison Official Party on Thursday at the End Zone Complex.

The visit was part of the 2006 Air Attaché Short Tour, and the foreign officers stationed in Washington, D.C. came to observe how the United States trains military officers.

Established on 144 college campuses across the nation, ROTC is the oldest and largest commissioning source for the Air Force.

After a welcome from President Denise Trauth and lunch with Texas State cadets, Detachment 840 Cmdr. Col. Daryl W. Hausmann gave an overview of the Air Force ROTC. Hausmann said Texas State ranks sixth nationally, commissioning an average of 33 new officers each year. This year, 11 officers will be commissioned.

Following Hausmann, cadet major and criminal justice junior Kevin Murphy presented an overview of Air Force ROTC education and training.

“We want to show you the life of an Air Force ROTC cadet from the perspective of an Air Force ROTC cadet,” Murphy said.

He described the cadet’s required classes, physical fitness tests, field training and professional development summer activities.

Murphy emphasized that the cadets are college students first, and many are involved in extracurricular activities outside of Air Force ROTC. Detachment 840 currently has 71 cadets who must graduate before commissioning as officers.

Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Lichte, assistant vice chief of staff and director in Washington, D.C., said the Texas State Air Force ROTC was chosen for the visit because of its great reputation.

For most of the foreign officers, the Texas State visit was their first time off a United States air force base.

Lichte said being in the middle of a college campus will impact the foreign officers.

“Seeing the American culture and observing the ROTC program in the civilian world will show the foreign officers how we focus on education and how it fits with training,” Lichte said.

Lichte said foreign military officers are professionals, and all officers speak the language of aviation and are responsible for their nation’s defenses.

“We learn to understand cultures and work through language barriers. Plus, we get to know each other on trips like this,” Lichte said.

Belgian Brig. Gen. Daniel Van de Ven said that conscription, the main source of commission in other countries, is the biggest difference between foreign and U.S. officer training programs.

“Conscription recruits on different levels and only from air academics, so the plate is not as broad, and the system is less democratic,” Van de Ven said.

“Most commissions in the United States are from the ROTC program, and the military is integrated into normal life.”

Van de Ven said foreign and U.S. military work together to support the global war on terrorism.

“The war on terrorism is broad, and we all try to do our best,” Van de Ven said.

Lichte said enhancing the Air Force relationship between foreign and U.S. military will contribute to fighting the war on terrorism.

“The United States never fights a war alone. We always use coalition warfare,” Lichte said.

The foreign officers spent the afternoon touring the Texas State campus and Air Force ROTC facilities before departing for Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio.

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

PAGE TWO The University Star

Wednesday in Brief

April 12, 2006

communityhappenings VIVA! Cinco de Mayo & State Menudo Cook-Off celebration will return to San Marcos at the Hays County Civic Center from May 4 to 6. The annual Menudo Kick-Off Party will be held on April 21 at the recreation building in San Marcos City Park.

Applications are now being accepted for the official statewide Menudo Cook-Off, to be held on May 6. There is a $75 entry fee.

Contestants will be competing for the grand prize of $1,000.

Applications are also being accepted for the downtown parade,

food and arts and crafts booths, the Miss Cinco de Mayo pageant, and the salsa/hot sauce contest. Applications are available online or at the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce located at 202 N. C.M. Allen Parkway. To download an application, or to view the entertainment schedule go to www.vivacincodemayo.org. For more information call (512) 353-VIVA. — Courtesy of the City of San Marcos

News Contact — Kirsten Crow, starnews@txstate.edu

Calendar of

Volleyballin’

STARS OF TEXAS STATE POLICY Do you know someone at Texas State who has recently celebrated a great achievement? Nominate your choice to appear in The Star as a “Star of Texas State.” Write an e-mail to starletters@txstate.edu with the subject line “Stars of Texas State,” and include your nominee’s name, his/her relationship to the university, contact information for yourself and your nominee, and a brief description of the achievement. Also include a photo of your nominee if available. Accepted nominees will be featured at the top of Page Two.

EVENTS Clubs & Meetings

lecture on the role death plays in people’s lives.

Wednesday

Friday

The Catholic Student Center will have a student-led Bible study at 8 p.m. in the CSC lounge.

Living Stations of the Cross will begin at the CSC at noon and the procession will continue on into The Quad.

Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship will meet at 8:30 p.m. in Old Main, Room 320. There will be a guest speaker, Anthony Scoma of Southwest Family Fellowship.

Thursday Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship will hold its weekly meeting at 8:30 p.m. in Old Main, Room 320. Guest speaker and pastor Anthony Scoma will speak on Jesus and The DaVinci Code. Everyone is welcome.

Contact (512) 557-7988 or mail@texasstatechialpha.com.

Events Wednesday The American Marketing Association will host John Hampton, head of corporate accounts for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, at 5:30 p.m. in the LBJ Student Center, Room 3-14.1 The Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be prayed at 6 p.m. in the CSC chapel.

Thursday Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper will be celebrated at 7 p.m. in the CSC. Sheldon Solomon, professor of psychology at Skidmore College, will present “Grave Matters: On the Role of Death in Life” from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Alkek Teaching Theater as a part of the Common Experience. Solomon will give a

On This Day...

1877 - A catcher’s mask was used in a baseball game for the first time by James Alexander Tyng.

Monday

1955 - The University of Michigan Polio Vaccine Evaluation Center announced that the polio vaccine of Dr. Jonas Salk was “safe, effective and potent.”

The Mitte Honors Program will sponsor “Dignity and Community: Courage in the Time of AIDS” by photographer Susan Winters and Nozuko Ngcaweni’s slide presentation of the AIDS pandemic in South Africa at 7:30 p.m. in the LBJSC Teaching Theater.

1961 - Soviet Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin became first man to orbit the Earth.

1985 - In Spain, an explosion in a restaurant near a U.S. base killed 17 people.

Arts & Entertainment Friday A free screening of The River of Innocence, a documentary on the San Marcos River, will be presented by WE CAN San Marcos at 7 p.m. at the public library.

Saturday Ramon Parker, saxophonist, will perform his senior recital at 2 p.m. in the Music Building recital hall.

CALENDAR SUBMISSION POLICY Calendar submissions are free. Send submissions to Calendar of Events at starcalendar@txstate.edu or call (512) 245-3487 for more information.

E-mailed press releases will not be accepted. If using e-mail, please submit as a simple bulleted list of essential information. Submissions are on a first come, first served basis and notices for weekly meetings need to be submitted every week they will take place.

The University Star reserves the right to refuse entries or edit for libel, style and space purposes. Deadline: Three working days prior to publication.

Danny Rodriguez/Star photo Criminal justice junior Daniel Britsch tries to save a spike from going out of bounds while playing volleyball at Sewell Park on Tuesday with teammates Sean Rissel, biology junior, and Aubrey Ely, pre-communication design freshman.

CRIME BL TTER University Police Department

April 8, 1:01 a.m.

Failure to Identify/ N. LBJ Drive An officer observed a vehicle traveling the wrong way on a one-way road. Upon contact, the officer noticed the driver was intoxicated and gave false identification. Another individual tried to interfere with public service duties. Both individuals were arrested and transported to the Hays County Law Enforcement Center to await magistration.

April 8, 3:41 a.m.

DUI Minor/

Edward Gary Drive An officer came in contact with an individual who was driving under the influence of alcohol. The other passengers were also under the influence, and one was in possession of marijuana. They were all arrested and transported to HCLEC to await magistration.

April 8, 6:02 a.m.

Suspicious Activity/ Falls Hall Parking Lot An officer was dispatched the Falls Hall parking lot in reference to a report that several vehicles had been covered in paintball marks. This case is under investigation.

Crime stoppers: UPD: 245-7867, SMPD: 353-TIPS

1993 - NATO began enforcing a no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

ASG Beat ASG congratulates new senators, sets sights on new plans The Associated Student Government would like to congratulate newly elected President Kyle Morris and Vice President Amanda Oskey. ASG would also like to congratulate all of the newly elected senators who were chosen last week. Any students that were running for senate seats and did not receive a position are encouraged to apply in the fall for appointment to the senate.

ASG is currently working on providing funding for athletic summer scholarships, which would offer funding for athletes during the summer school semesters. ASG is working with

the San Marcos Coordination Task Force, whose goal is to combine the school and city bus routes making San Marcos bus systems more reliable and efficient.

Committees within ASG are looking into new student savings programs, and it is hoped they find one that will offer great deals and discounts to Texas State students. Finally, many ASG members feel that the senate should be expanded to better reflect the growing size of this school. The number of additional seats has not been decided, but ASG hopes that these additional seats will give the students a larger voice.

— Courtesy of the Associated Student Government

Cheney fires one off again

George Bridges/KRT Vice President Dick Cheney chats with catcher Brian Schneider after throwing out the ceremonial opening pitch for the Washington Nationals’ home opener against the New York Mets at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

NEWS

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Iran defies U.N. demands, plans production of enriched uranium

By Hannah Allam and Jonathan S. Landay Knight Ridder Newspapers TEHRAN, Iran — Iran claimed on Tuesday to have enriched uranium to a level suitable for civilian power plants, defying a U.N. Security Council demand that it halt work on the process, which also can be used to produce fuel for nuclear weapons.

“Iran has joined the club of nuclear nations,” declared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a nationally televised speech.

The announcement was certain to heat up the international crisis over Iran’s nuclear program.

The Bush administration warned that unless Tehran complied with the Security Council’s directive, it would open discussions on further steps to pressure and isolate Iran.

“If the regime continues to move in the direction that it is currently, then we will be talking about the way forward with the other members of the Security Council and Germany,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

“Everyone agrees that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon,” said State Department spokesman Sean McCormick, who added that the “isolation of the Iranian people, if the regime continues to move forward, will become more and more acute.”

U.S. officials said, however, that there was no independent confirmation of Iran’s claim.

Some experts cautioned against

overreacting, saying they doubted that more than a minuscule amount of low-enriched uranium was produced. These experts said the announcement seemed to signal that the Islamic regime would tell Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency who was to visit Iran later this week, that Iran doesn’t intend to heed the Security Council.

“This bombastic announcement is open defiance of what the international community is asking from Iran,” said David Albright, a former inspector for the U.N. agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

He heads the Institute for Science and International Security, which tracks the Iranian program.

ElBaradei must report back to the Security Council by April 28 on whether Iran has halted its enrichment work.

The Security Council, which can impose sanctions, also wants Iran to disclose all aspects of its program, including details of deals with a Pakistani-led smuggling ring for know-how that can be used only for nuclear weapons.

The Bush administration estimates publicly that Iran is at least five years away from being able to produce a nuclear weapon.

“Based on international regulations, we will continue our path until we achieve production of industrial-scale enrichment,” Ahmadinejad said.

Iran, however, concealed its program from the IAEA for 18 years and has admitted purchas-

The University Star - Page 3

Defense secretary continues to be criticized by generals, doesn’t let it affect his job

By Richard Whittle The Dallas Morning News

“T

hey’ve shown that they can run a small number of centrifuges for a few days. What they need to do is run thousands for months. That is a significant engineering challenge. Very small mistakes can lead to catastrophe.”

— Joseph Cirincione Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

ing technology and know-how from the smuggling ring led by A.Q. Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear program.

The United States and European governments believe that Iran is using its civilian uranium enrichment program as a cover for a secret nuclear weapons effort.

The IAEA has said it can’t confirm the peaceful nature of the Iranian program because of Tehran’s failure to answer key questions. In March, the agency’s board of governors voted to refer the matter to the Security Council.

U.S. experts said Ahmadinejad’s announcement wasn’t unexpected and that the Iranians still had a considerable ways to go in mastering the ability to run industrial-scale cascades of tens of thousands of centrifuges.

“They’ve shown that they can run a small number of centrifuges for a few days. What they need to do is run thousands for months. That is a significant engineering challenge. Very small mistakes can lead to catastrophe,” said Joseph Cirincione of the Carnegie Endowment for

International Peace.

Saeed Laylaz, a political analyst in Tehran, said he expects Tuesday’s political fanfare will soon be followed by another announcement suspending all enrichment activities, as requested by the IAEA. Such a move, Laylaz said, would be a savvy way for all sides to save face and avoid escalating the crisis.

“They wanted this big ceremony to show that nuclear technology is not a goal — it’s an achievement. This is enough, and now we can go back to negotiations,” he said.

But others saw the announcement as a rebuff of the Security Council’s demands and a response to Bush’s refusal to discard the option of U.S. military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.

At the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld refused to be drawn out on the state of contingency planning for a possible military attack.

He said he wouldn’t engage in “fantasyland” speculation over a spate of reports last weekend that said the Pentagon was drawing up options.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — If calls by retired generals for his resignation disturb Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, he wasn’t showing it on Tuesday.

“No,” Rumsfeld replied sternly when asked in a Pentagon briefing if the critics were affecting his ability to do his job.

“When you’re involved in something that’s controversial, as certainly this war is, one ought to expect that,” he said. “It’s historic, it’s always been the case, and I see nothing really very new or surprising about it.”

Others see it as remarkable that yet another top officer, retired Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold, former operations director for the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, has publicly urged his former boss to resign over his handling of the Iraq war.

Newbold’s essay in Time magazine, published on Sunday, follows similar calls by retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, former head of U.S. Central Command, and retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, who ran the training of Iraqi troops in 2003-04.

“For them to speak out like this is a major statement of the level of disgust which they feel about the arrogance and misjudgments of Secretary Rumsfeld,” said retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, a Gulf War commander who was President Bill Clinton’s

Donald Rumsfeld

drug czar.

Daniel Goure of the Lexington Institute, a think tank in close contact with top officers, said it was “an extraordinarily unusual event in the middle of a war to find not one, not two, but a virtual regiment of former senior military leaders criticizing many aspects of the secretary’s conduct of the war.”

The critics contend Rumsfeld pushed for an unnecessary war, insisted on using too few troops to secure Iraq and reacted slowly to the insurgency that still roils the country.

They also take issue with his domineering style.

Rumsfeld “doesn’t pay too much attention to it, he really does not,” said Lawrence Di Rita, one of his top advisers. “People have books they need to sell and they have articles they like to write.

Everybody’s entitled to their views.”

TRENDS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

trendythoughts

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 - Page 4

Do you think hybrid cars are just a fad, or will they maintain popularity?

“I think hybrid cars are a very good idea for the environment, and I hope they stay popular.”

— Jake Ramirez music sophomore

“Hybrid cars are popular?”

“Too many people don’t care about them right now, so I don’t think they’ll stick around.”

— Neal Underwood music-sound recording technology sophomore

— Stacey Jefferson psychology senior

Trends Contact — Kyle Bradshaw, starentertainment@txstate.edu

Compiled by Danny Rodriguez

A Room with a different kind of view

By Kyle Bradshaw The University Star Room is a hard film to figure out, but not be✯✯✯ cause it’s Room filled with Dir.: Kyle Henry twists or Stars: Cyndi Wilturns, the liams, Kenneth usual HolWayne Bradley lywood flair.

Unrated In fact, it’s overtly simple in every way, which is why it is so perplexing yet very admirable.

Writer/director Kyle Henry, from Austin, has crafted a script that asks many questions about its characters and the states of human emotion. It answers a few, leaves some in a hazy fog and others are thrust upon the audience. Everything we come to wonder about Julia, a troubled housewife plagued by haunting visions of an ominous empty room, is explained in some ways but not in others.

Her actions seem preposterous on the surface. But hidden underneath her stern exterior is a person true to her emotions, even when they are beyond explanation.

Julia, played by Cyndi Williams, lives in Houston with her husband and two daughters.

She works a job she hates (bingo parlor lackey) for a boss she despises. She’s always late to work, but she does a fairly decent job of handing out bingo cards to the city’s retirement community. Her teenage daughter enjoys sneaking out at night to an unnamed location. Her younger daughter is, well, loud and annoying. Her husband wants to know what is troubling his wife but keeps too far a distance to really know her.

Julia’s life unravels further when she begins having visions of a large unidentifiable room.

film review

Mershon Illgner/Star illustration

At first, they happen when she sleeps. Gradually, they happen all the time, causing her to pass out in the grocery store and while she’s driving. They come with headaches and drive her into a state of complete confusion. When a vision comes while she’s behind the wheel, she crashes into an airport road sign. Julia then comes to the decision that she should steal some cash from her boss’ safe and head to the airport.

She chooses New York as a designation for reasons that are left unexplained.

From there, Julia’s actions grow increasingly irrational. She meets a guy at a bar and takes him back to her hotel room. She wanders aimlessly around a foreign city, hoping the visions will give her some sort of clue as to where the room is or why she must find it.

With a lesser director and lead actress, Room could have easily become overrun with its imperfections. It wouldn’t be tough for us to break it apart and expose its flaws. Why does Julia feel the need to go to New York? We don’t know; we’re

never told. However, on the audience’s part, any attempt to find logic in her actions would rob her of her sincerity. We are never told why she feels the need to do some of the things she does because Julia doesn’t fully know either. She’s drawn to New York in the same way she’s drawn to stealing from her boss or hooking up with a stranger at a bar. She can’t explain what she’s doing, not even to her husband; she’s driven only by the need to find out why this is happening to her.

Trying to rationalize her

convoluted motivations would cause the film to crumble, destroying its foundation.

Henry’s story puts so much weight on performance and character that closely inspecting other weaker aspects of the story would lessen its existence, which is why this film is so intriguing. It can’t be reduced or dissected — it can only be experienced. Henry’s characters are grounded in impulse and gut reactions, causing them to come to life in the most realistic ways. They’re hard to figure out, but easy to appreciate for

their humanity. And Williams holds the whole thing together by allowing Julia to simply exist.

In his first feature film, Henry shows promise in the way he forgoes all the usual storytelling traditions. He respects his characters too much to let them fall under a gimmicky plot. He throws problems at Julia, not in a way dictated by traditional story arcs, but in a way that is very true to life.

Room is a delicate work that’s hard to forget. Just take it as it is. Handle it with care.

Dance group chooses style over substance in debut album

By Samuel Ladach-Bark The University Star

✯✯

music review

Men, Women & Children Men, Women & Children Reprise Records

Men, Women & Children is a dance group hailing from New York that appears to be attempting to capitalize on the dance rock revolution made popular by bands like Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and The Faint.

In its debut self-titled album,

the group tries to innovate this genre by adding a ’70s disco beat.

Unfortunately, the end result is an awkward piece of pop leftovers. Judging from the stylized album cover and hipster-meetsdisco music video of its “hit” single “Dance in My Blood,” this group cares more about its appearance than the substance of its music.

Always be weary of a group that puts its most popular song first on the album. As the band’s debut single, “Dance,” implores listeners to get up and dance; and I must admit that on first listen, it does instill a beat that can be hard to ignore. Lyrics like “You don’t need a reason to get out on the dance floor/And we can get it on and on all night long” are not the most insightful, but do get to the point. But this type of musical propaganda has already been used in and out of pop music.

It was cutting edge with David Bowie’s Let’s Dance, but that was more than 20 years ago.

It is not necessarily downhill from there, but there are no peaks. Most songs are cookiecutter copies of the disco-dance beat found in the opener. Heavy use of guitars and synthesizers combined with Earth, Wind and Fire-like background beats sums up this band’s musical formula.

Its attempt to break this formula comes in the form of small

10 to 20 second musical breaks, usually implemented at the end of a song. During the group’s forced pauses, scattered synthesizer beats and referee whistles are thrown out to show how truly crazy and fresh it is.

But with two songs, the band casts aside its disco roots in favor of a more rock infused approach to dance music. These rare numbers are actually some of its strongest work musically, but the lyrics leave much to be desired. “We’re monkey monkey men/And we’ll eat all your friends,” is the lyrical genius of “Monkey Monkee Men.” And the featured message of “Messy” is, “They say boys are messy/But you know girls just make a mess/ So we don’t care if we get dirty/ We ain’t here for cleanliness.” Just for fun, let’s also throw in the lyrics for “Vowels”: “A E I owe you nothing!”

Even though I find this music highly unintelligent and conventional, I can’t ignore how catchy some of the better songs are. Because the group managed to get its record out on a Warner Brothers-owned label, we will probably see it on mtvU soon enough. It definitely has the potential to catch on with the masses, but given the theme and extent of the group’s vocabulary, it will be hard for audiences to hold onto.

Courtesy of Nettwerk Management DANCE OFF: Men, Women & Children’s self-titled debut release on Reprise Records echoes recent acts like Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party.

TRENDS

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

The University Star - Page 5

POETIC: University of New Mexico conquers competition CONTINUED from page 1

Thibault, the “uncle of college slam,” organized the first CUPSI in 2001. He describes the event as some of the best college poets in North America coming together, expressing and exchanging ideas in an open competition.

“I think it’s very communal,” he said. “It breaks barriers … these poets establish relationships that potentially could be lifelong. Some of these relationships build networks between student poets and campuses.”

The poets began interacting with the campus before the official start of the tournament on Thursday evening, as a group of rhymesayers inaugurated the three days of spoken word competition with an impromptu poetry session in the LBJ Amphitheatre.

“Love is like Donkey Kong,” University of New Mexico junior Damien Flores recited to a crowd of spectators. “I am your Super Mario, and the only Monkey throwing barrels, trying to stop our love is your fear.”

During the preliminary round, which lasted two days, universities were divided into brackets, creating separate bouts that took place in the LBJ Ballroom, Teaching Theatre and George’s on each day.

On the first day of competition, Texas State’s slam team was pitted against the University of California-Berkeley and Montclair State University.

After receiving a low score on their poem titled “Groupie,” and getting a point deduction for engaging the crowd, Texas State finished last among the field of three.

“We came up there with one of our comedy pieces,” said Tim Swain, communication sophomore and Texas State slam team member. “I think the crowd really liked it. The judges were on some political stuff. If it wasn’t political, they weren’t feeling it.”

With one bout left to qualify for the next round, Ebony Stewart, English senior and Texas State slam team member, said the team’s strategy for the second day of competition was “going to be all strong in your face” poetry.

“It’s straight power. We are sending up all of our powerful pieces,” she said.

The first day of the official competition wrapped up around midnight, but the poetry continued into the morning. At 2 a.m., in the conference room at La Quinta, around 50 poets congregated for a “cipher” session that lasted well into the morning.

“This whole thing, this whole weekend is about poetry,” Fritz

Silber, University of California Santa Cruz senior, proclaimed after delivering a poem.

Adriana Ramirez, emcee for the evening’s bout, addressed the audience and encouraged crowd participation during the second day of competition.

“Give the poets respect or I will hunt you down,” she said.

The judges, who according to poetry slam guidelines are picked at random from the crowd, were briefed on their duties, establishing basic guidelines for scoring poems.

“Ten means the crowd erupts in simultaneous orgasm,” Ramirez said. “Zero being the worst poem you ever heard.”

Texas State entered the competition on Friday in need of a first place finish in their bout to ensure passage into the semifinals. During the preliminary bout, University of California-Santa Cruz’s Fritz Silber delivered a moving poem regarding the Jewish Holocaust and “genocide as a product of colonialism.”

“My grandpa lying on a couch in an old folk’s home, watching CNN on mute. Without looking up he says to me ‘Bush and Schwarzenegger are assholes.’” I say ‘yeah grandpa, I agree.’ He says ‘well what are you going to do about it?’” Silber recited.

“That means a lot coming from a man who spent 11 months in a concentration camp, breathing in the ashes of his own family. This man knows something about freedom.”

After four rounds of intense poetry, Texas State finished second in their bout with University of Pennsylvania by fourtenths of a point, eliminating them from the tournament.

However, the team remained optimistic about the future.

“It’s all good,” Swain said.

“We’re taking it as ammunition for next time.”

The poetry extravaganza continued after the preliminary bouts with a performance by actor, author and poet Saul Williams at Lucy’s on the Square.

About 250 people crammed into the smoky club to hear the “Air Jordan of slam poetry” recite lines from his various works.

“I was joking earlier that I kind of felt like I was in some sort of weird twilight zone, because for me it’s very strange to be in a room with people who are excited about poetry,” Williams said. “Kudos to all of you just for being here, for the competition and the opportunity to interact with poets from other universities and further explore the voice of our generation.”

After the first “slam-off ” in the history of the CUPSI to determine the eighth and final team, the semi-finals were set

and ready to commence by 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The initial semi-final bout was full of controversy. J.P. Plummer, history senior, served as a judge and continually graded poems with extremely low scores. At one point in the contest, Plummer gave a poem about having sex with a 90year-old woman a score of zero, inciting ridicule and aggression from other crowd members “You wouldn’t know poetry if I wrote it on your f***ing head,” Lauren Whitehead, University of Michigan poet, screamed from her seat at the bar.

Plummer said the escalating criticism from the crowd emotionally affected him.

“I cried a little bit about it, but I got over it, it’s whatever,” Plummer said.

After the controversy subsided and the semi-finals finished, four teams remained: The State University of New York-New Paltz, Pennsylvania, UNM and the Region 5 All-Stars, which was comprised of poets from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and James Madison University.

As the LBJ Ballroom began filling up for the final event of the weekend, the poets did not waste an opportunity to congregate, as freestyle poetry ciphers dominated the area until the beginning of the program.

UNM, with its synchronized, theatrical group pieces, dominated the finals, becoming the crowd favorite and eventually capturing the title of College Poetry Slam champions.

“We live and die as a team,” said Carlos Contreras, UNM poet. “We threw up four group pieces tonight, because if we were gonna live or we were gonna die, we were gonna do it together.”

Contreras, who was a member of the Albuquerque team that won the 2005 adult National Poetry Slam competition, said the feeling of winning this tournament is surreal.

“It’s a feeling that doesn’t hit you right away,” he said. “We’ll wake up tomorrow on the 15 hour drive and realize what happened.”

After the finals, poets convened in the parking lot of La Quinta until 3:45 a.m. for one last poetry cipher.

“This is a great experience,” said Angel Aviles, New Paltz senior. “I love the people that I meet here, the conversation and the bonds that are made. It’s like a family barbeque.”

For video of poetry at the competition and audio clips of late-night poetry performances at the La Quinta Inn, log on to www.universitystar.com.

Brynn Leggett/Star photo BRASH BUCKEYE: “Ohio Jake,” as he calls himself, is the first to perform in the 5th Wheel Slam on Friday night at Lucy’s on the Square before nationally renowned slam poet Saul Williams took the stage. Those who opened for Williams had had no previous time during the poetry slam competition last week in front of a microphone.

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Vieira plans to abandon View for news with NBC’s Today gig

By Hal Boedeker The Orlando Sentinel Meredith Vieira said on Thursday she’ll modulate her freewheeling ways on The View when she joins NBC’s Today as Katie Couric’s replacement in September.

“I’m my own personality,” Vieira said. “I hope to bring whatever that is, for better or worse, to the show. I’m going to have to be reined in a little ...

I’m going to spend the next few months trying to calm down a little.”

NBC has hired a plainspoken personality. Vieira brought her passport and birth certificate to a New York news conference to prove she’s 52. She said her move to Today was conceived during a ride in the back seat of NBC honcho Jeff Zucker’s car. (“It was a very special moment,” she said.) She interrupted coanchor Matt Lauer when he

“I

see the Today show, always have, as an ensemble group.”

— Meredith Vieira newly appointed Today co-anchor

misspoke himself.

“Is this going to happen? I’ve gone through 10 years of this,” Lauer said good-naturedly, referring to Couric. “That’s the kind of relationship we have after one day.”

Lauer described himself as a longtime fan of Vieira, saying she has “a great news background, a fabulous personality, a great sense of humor.”

The Lauer-Vieira camaraderie will be crucial for Today to maintain its morning ratings

dominance. Viewers should not expect a star turn from Vieira.

“I see the Today show, always have, as an ensemble group,” she said. “The job of anyone who comes to a show like this is to make everyone else look better.”

Web sites have blasted her as an antiwar liberal for comments on The View, but Vieira said that was her role on the ABC show.

“I’ll stand by anything I’ve said,” Vieira said. But on Today, she said her job will be to put her views aside.

It’s possible that Vieira could continue hosting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, the game show produced by Disney’s Buena Vista Television. Her contract with The View concludes in August, although Vieira said she might leave earlier. But her commercials for Bayer aspirin have run their course.

“I’ve given most of the country a headache,” she said, “and I’m done with that.”

SU DO KU Complete the grid so that every row, column, and 3-by-3 box contains every digit from one through nine inclusively.

Tuesday’s solutions:

© Pappocom

Tuesday’s solutions:

Go to www.UniversityStar.com for today’s answers.

OPINIONS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

quoteof the day

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 - Page 8

“I officially announce that Iran has joined countries with nuclear technology.”

”

—Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announcing his country’s success in enriching low-grade uranium. (Source: CNN)

Opinions Contact — Joe Ruiz, staropinion@txstate.edu

THE MAIN POINT

Ford, U.S. ‘fuse’ jargon with old car technology Recently, Ford aired a commercial for a new mid-size sedan. The ad opens with the stylish new vehicle zooming around town, transforming the normal urban landscape into an architecturally stylish environment, complete with pedestrians turning into über-hipsters. Soon a voice recites the tagline: “Because a car shouldn’t just use energy … it should create it.” It adds, “Introducing the mid-size Ford Fusion … more innovation from Ford.”

At first view, it seems to be a new type of vehicle altogether. After all, the commercial states that the vehicle creates energy. This new Ford “Fusion” must have some sort of hybrid power plant — something similar to the Toyota Prius or the Honda Insight, which both boast a traditional gasoline-powered engine in conjunction with an electric motor that greatly reduces emissions. Maybe it is aiming to compete with the soon-to-be-released Toyota Camry hybrid for the mid-size sedan market.

In either case, you’d be dead wrong.

The new Ford Fusion is nothing more than a rebadged Mazda 6 sedan with a market-standard four- or six-liter gas engine. Sure, it claims to get great mileage, but doesn’t every carmaker? Vehicle stats aside, the marketing ploy that Ford has applied for this particular sedan is evident of a growing trend in the car market — appealing to an environmentally conscious public without having the product to back it up.

Although hybrid technology is being applied to many automobile models by Japanese manufacturers, it seems that American automakers are sluggish when it comes to getting with the program and offering hybrid models.

Perhaps this is a result of Japan’s emission regulations, or the fact that Japan has built an auto empire on fuel-efficient, quality vehicles.

Maybe the reason lies in U.S. legislation, such as the new energy bill that President Bush signed into law during the summer of 2005. The bill provided $4 billion in tax breaks and subsidies for the oil industry, including incentives for alternative energy sources. It seems odd, though, that no mention of automobile emissions or efficiency was mentioned in the bill.

While this fact most likely goes beyond a simple oversight and probably has more to do with special interest groups and lobbyists, it is important not to shift blame. The fault rests on the American auto industry, with slipping profits and economic downturn no valid excuse.

They should step up and meet their overseas competitors to deliver comparable, if not better, automobiles that just may help pull carmakers out of the red.

For whatever reason, Japan is leading the hybrid-car business. With new models going beyond the matchbox compact-car market and into the hybrid minivan, pickup truck and luxury car business, there is more opportunity than ever for competition that would benefit the consumer and the environment.

In defense of U.S. auto manufacturers, Dearborn, home of the Ford Motor Company, and its ilk are making an effort. Ford has begun production of a hybrid version of its Escape SUV and it plans on adding several other models to its lineup in the near future. This move may be too little too late, as the limited-number production run and poor mileage is an all-around weak effort at filling a niche that could very possibly be a large market share in a few years.

American carmakers need to set a precedent, step up to the plate and start building cars that will literally drive the future and in the meantime, stop misleading consumers with flashy advertising and false promises. “Hybrid” and “fusion” may be similar words, but in the auto industry, they are worlds apart.

The Main Point is the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board. Columns are the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the full staff, Texas State University-San Marcos Student Media, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Texas State UniversitySan Marcos.

What do you think about the immigration bills?

“I think they should open the border for one day and then secure them from then on out.”

— Joe Martinez exercise sports and science senior

“If you are going to protest, protest for the right reasons — not because you want to get out of school.”

— Megan Schniers health and fitness management senior

“Wasn’t our nation built on minorities to begin with? Immigration boosts our economy, and I think there are a lot of misunderstandings of who these people are. Who are we to deny them the American Dream?”

— Tomas Migot political science freshman

Compiled by Deleigh Hermes

The University Star 601 University Drive Trinity Building San Marcos, TX 78666 Phone: (512) 245-3487 Fax: (512) 245-3708

Kelly Simmons/Star illustration

People can easily lose connection with others in today’s digital world Every single day, uncomfortable on the way to class, being out in pubI see so many peolic if they didn’t ple with either digihave their cell tal music players or phone or digital a cell phone glued music players to to their ears. One keep them comsunny afternoon, pany. In a way, cell KELSEY VOELKEL I did a count of phones and digital Star Columnist how many people music players I came across who have become an were either talking escape for people on their cell phones or were to disassociate themselves listening to their digital mufrom society. I’m not saying sic players, and while walking that people who talk on their from the Evan Liberal Arts cell phones or listen to their to the Alkek Teaching Thedigital music players are tryatre, I came across at least 32 ing to not be sociable, but people. Keep in mind that rather these technological this was a rough count out of advances are maybe distractwho knows how many people ing people from talking and walking between Alkek and socializing with others.

Evans around noon on any This might sound a little given day. paranoid, but it’s almost as I often wonder how things if companies want people would be, or how the world to become dependent on would even operate, if cell technological advances. We phones and digital music already depend heavily on players did not exist. What if technology; it is what helps one day all cell phones and make our world go around. all digital music players just We all have to have cell magically disappeared? How phones, and we all have to would people live without have cars; they have been those things? Would people around long enough that behave the same way? I think it would be rather difficult people would be more sociato get things done without ble while on campus or at the them. Apparently, we all need office or any public place. I digital music players, and we think people would feel more all need a televisions built

into our refrigerator doors.

What can companies possibly come out with next? I think there is a certain limit before people will be forced to trade up all of their electronics and just buy one invention that has all of these qualities combined. They already have cell phones that you can use to listen to music, watch TV and browse the Internet. If that doesn’t reach or surpass the limit, I don’t know what does.

Taking advantage of most or all of these technological advances is like taking a break from reality. The way companies are producing and increasing sales on technological gadgets is making it harder for people to get things done on their own. For example, if companies invent a robot that is programmed to clean your entire house, would this be a good or bad thing? It would be good because something would be doing all of your chores and cleaning every inch of your apartment or house. How can anyone go wrong with that?

The main debate is whether it is good or bad to have electronic gadgets do everything for us, so all we have to do is sit back and do nothing. The

only scenario I can think of where it would be bad for us to have so many electronic gadgets is if the world were to shut down; if the people of the world were unable to use any kind of technological device, we would be very much out of luck. We’ve already grown so dependent that we are kind of passed the point of no return.

But on the other hand, having these things might be considered perks. In this life, we are considered lucky to have people with extreme intelligence, lots of money and brilliant ideas. But for every situation there is a negative aspect. In this case, it is interfering with people being sociable more often.

If we can invent a cell phone that has a digital music player and TV programmed into it, you have to wonder what else may be invented and whether it will change our lives for better or for worse.

I think we should be careful with what we depend on to make time pass or to help us get stuff done. There are so many technological gadgets out on the market already, and there are bound to be more things invented before 2007.

Principals shouldn’t make assignments out of protests LOS ANGELES would be given PATRICK MCFAWN credit for attending — The immigraDaily Trojan (USC) Monday’s immigration debate is still the topic of choice tion protests. among the media and in the The decision by the Marystreets. Even after Congress land State Board of Education has gone on its Easter recess, has drawn criticism from advocates of an open border many groups. All Maryland policy are hitting the streets. high school students are Monday was supposed to be required to complete 60 a National Day of Action, hours of community service and many protested on behalf hours to graduate, eight of of illegal immigrants. Many which can be earned during protesters were students, as a 24-hour period. Under this the pictures of Los Angeles requirement, Superintenhigh schoolers helping block dent Jerry D. Weast found up a freeway several days ago that advocacy is allowed and illustrate. Within school class- community service hours rooms, there has been mixed would be granted, so long as reaction from teachers. Many students rally with the schoolencourage students to stay in board-approved organization class to meet requirements for CASA of Maryland Inc., a Silschool funding, while other ver Spring, Md.-based group high school teachers do not that works with the Latino have a problem with students community. walking out in protest. The “This is nothing new. Adworst-case incident has ocvocacy is allowed,” district curred in a Washington-area spokesman Brian K. Edwards school system, Montgomsaid about the decision to let ery County, where students students get credit for attend-

ing the immigration protest.

School board member Stephen N. Abrams said “The last time I checked, the First Amendment is not a right to question what the speech is,” he said. “I’m sure if students were participating in a tax cap rally, these same people would not be objecting to that.”

Abrams commits a fallacy in argument by sarcastically putting words in his opponent’s mouth and assumes his opposition is inconsistent in his principles, just like he. The truth is that advocacy should not be given school credit whether it is work on a political campaign or hours spent at a protest. It should always be encouraged, but it should never be applied to one cause specifically and incentives with mandated community service.

The concept advanced by the school board runs contrary to advocacy outside of public school. In terms

of monetary contributions, funds donated to political causes or candidates or advocacy groups are not deductible for federal income tax purposes. The free speech of financial contribution is not protected from the IRS because the federal government does not effectively subsidize campaign contributions by allowing them to be deductible because an aggregation of campaign contributions can change government. In Montgomery County, the situation is quite dissimilar and inconsistent with this principle. The act of allowing credit for attending an illegal immigration rally institutionalizes a movement to change government at no expense to students, since they have to graduate with at least 60 community service hours.

This column originally appeared in The Daily Trojan on April 11.

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Copyright April 12, 2006. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The University Star are the exclusive property of The University Star and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the editor in chief.

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All classified ads are charged 20¢ per word. Ads may be emailed to starclassifieds@txstate.edu.

Check your classified ad for accuracy. Any changes must be made by the second day of publication.

The deadline for all classified ads is noon two business days prior to publication. Classified ads must be paid in advance unless credit has been established. Refunds will only be given when a classified ad has been paid by credit card. The Star reserves the right to refuse, edit, and discontinue any classified ad at any time without prior notification. Classified ads will be edited for style purposes. Classified ads that do not note heading, will be put under the appropriate heading. All classified ads are published free, on-line at www.universitystar.com. Since this is a free service, posting is not guaranteed. While The University Star attempts to screen ads for misleading claims or illegal content, it is not possible for us to investigate every ad and advertiser. Please use caution when answering ads, especially any which require you to send money in advance.

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FOR LEASE 2/2 DUPLEX at 909 Allen St. Carport, fenced yard, pets allowed. $775 per mo. available June 1st. Call Steve, day 830-379-0300, night 830-372-5512.

SAGEWOOD DUPLEXES preleasing for 6/1 &8/1, bus route, 3/3.5 garage, W/D inc., Call 512-699-9759 519 HUTCHISON has 2 duplex units for immediate move-in. 3bd/3b includes full size W/D for $1050 per month. $900 security deposit. Also, available 2bd/2b for $650/month.

Pets are negotiable. So close to campus you can walk. Visit legacyrealestate.biz and call Legacy Real Estate 665-0350.

SAGEWOOD DUPLEX FOR RENT. Pre-Leasing. 3B/3.5B $1100.

310-714-4352

FOR RENT-DUPLEX

DUPLEX FOR LEASE for immediate move-in. 2/1 at 1107 Marlton for $625 per month. Easy terms. Call Legacy Real Estate at 665-0350, and visit legacyrealestate.biz. $765 2/2 WINDMILL DUPLEX. 3 blks from TXState. Preleasing for 5/20 and 8/20. Free HBO, Road Runner, full-size W/D. www.windmilltownhomes.com for floor plans & prices. 396-4181.

3 BR/3.5 BATH DUPLEX. Available April 30 and May 31. Pets allowed. $1100. Call (512) 587-2660 or (210) 324-0285.

FOR RENT-HOUSES HUGE 3/2, W/D, ETC. 1600 sq ft. $890 per mo. 713-774-5953.

FOR SALE 5/3/2 HOUSE FOR SALE quite neighborhood, close to Texas State, immaculate excellent condition, tile/ wood and approx. 2700 square feet. $179,000 fenced yard, San Marcos.

757-0399.

HELP WANTED JOHNNY ROCKETS “The Original Hamburger,” located at Prime Outlet Mall, is now hiring for all positions! Have fun at work and be a part of the team that serves fun food with a 50’s flair. Food service experience desired but not necessary.

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Full job description at www.gccac. net. Resume and three professional references to GCCAC, 424 N. River Street, Seguin, Texas 78155.

WANT TO MAKE MONEY WORKING IN AN UPBEAT ENVIRONMENT? Apply in person for waitstaff at the best place to eat in Gruene. Gruene River Grill, 1259 Gruene Rd., New Braunfels 830-624-2300.

PART-TIME HOUSEKEEPER. Apply within. Blair House Inn, Wimberley, 512-847-1111.

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HELP WANTED

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WhiteWaterSports is now hiring for summer seasonal help. For more information, see our ad below!!!

COTTON EYED JOE’S PART-TIME SUMMER POSITIONS AVAILABLE. Must be able to work days, evenings, and holidays.

Apply in person 1608 Hunter Rd., Gruene.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVE - teleNetwork is currently seeking TSRs to provide technical support for dialup and DSL customers. Full or Part Time positions available with flexible scheduling at our Austin and San Marcos call center locations. More information and online application available at http://www.telenetwork.com/careers EXPERIENCED horse trainers, riders, groomers: www.texasarabianhorses.com BOBCATSNEEDJOBS.COM WE NEED Paid Survey Takers in San Marcos. 100% FREE to join. Click on Surveys.

SUMMER WORK for ambitious and hard working student. Earn 3 hrs college credit and $700 per week.

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No experience necessary. Training Provided. Age 18+ ok. 800-965-6520 x 157.

TEKA MARKETING INC. is now expanding and looking to fill several full and part time positions. Very flexible hours and casual work environment. For more information call 1-512-805-0020. $4,000 COMPENSATION, EGG DONORS WANTED. If you are between the ages of 20-32, non-smoking and in good health, please call us for more information on how you can help infertile couples become families. 1-888-MY DONOR. GREAT SUMMER JOBS available at Rockin “R” River Rides. Apply in person at 1405 Gruene Road on the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels830-629-9999.

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HELP WANTED

OFFICE ASSISTANT/RECEPTIONIST NEEDED for medical office, Immediate opening for part-time fax resume to 512-353-7607.

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ROOMMATES SUMMER ROOMMATE wanted to sub-lease room in 3/2 nice house w/2 females. $330, plus 1/3 bills. Close to campus, W/D, hot tub, garage. Call 979-541-7840.

LOOKING FOR A ROOMMATE, $275/month, with personal bath, if interested contact, Jose Martinez at 512-396-0342.

WALK TO CAMPUS! Room in 2/1 for mellow, clean female, $300.

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SERVICES GREAT JOB! Dependable, responsible, attentive female to care for handicapped boy. Every other Sat. and Sun. 9am-8pm, $8.00/hr with bonuses. Call Jenny 392-9737.

Leave message.

WWW.STUDENTATTORNEY.COM

WANTED BUYING both civil war or early TEXAS NEWSPAPERS, swords, guns, letters, documents, clothes, pictures, etc. 512-557-7224.

WANTED: USED CARS, TRUCKS, VANS. Any condition.

Running or not. If you have something to sell please call Willis Mitchell. 512-353-4511.

UP AND COMING ROCK BAND IN NEED OF LEAD VOCALIST. Influences include Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, and Mastodon.

Contact Bobby 830-534-2671, e-mail rp1094@txstate.edu. Serious inquiries only.

SPORTS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

sports snortsquotes from the sports world “When I came to Texas, my main two goals were to get started on earning my degree and to have the opportunity to play in the NBA. I’ve accomplished both of those, and the opportunity is there for me right now to begin the next stage of my basketball career.”

— Longhorns sophomore forward LaMarcus Aldridge on his announcement to enter the NBA draft on Monday in Austin. (Source: ESPN)

Wednesday, April 11, 2006 - Page 10

Sports Contact — Miguel Peña, starsports@txstate.edu

Texas State tennis steps up Bobcat tennis starts weekend slow, smashes opponents in the end

Texas State keeps cool with 5-1 Aggie victory

By Ericka Hailey The University Star

By Miguel Peña The University Star

The Bobcat tennis team was defeated at home Saturday morning, 7-0, by the No. 1 ranked Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions, but its luck had a quick turn round as the ladies pulverized the Nicholls State Lady Colonels on Sunday, 7-0.

The win was beneficial to the team and will determine its possible playoff path for the near future. The Bobcats, along with three other teams, are fighting for the final spot in the Southland Conference tournament, which will not be established until April 14.

“We were looking at the weekend in general,” Coach Tory Plunkett said. “If we won both of them, we were for sure in the tournament. However, we had heard that Southeastern was a very tough team. We had been playing very well and walking into in the match we knew had the potential of beating them.”

The team came up short in the doubles matches of Saturday morning’s loss to the Lady Lions. No. 1 players Ashley Ellis and Lainy Chafitz battled the Lion’s Nina Knavs and Breda Kovac to the end, but fell just a point shy in a 9-8 loss. Southeastern Louisiana’s Bonnie Phillips and Jana Simurkova also snatched a doubles win over the Bobcat’s Christina Amo and Natalie McLeod in a 9-7 win in No. 3 match.

“After the doubles, I think the girls thought, ‘Hey we can do it.’ We went to a tiebreaker at No. 1 doubles, and at No. 3 doubles, we ended at 9-7. At that point, I think they gained a little more confidence,” Plunkett said.

In singles play, the Lady Lions took on the Bobcats in straight sets wins in all six matches. At No. 1, Kovac held off Amo 63, 6-4, while Arnaudovska defeated Ellis 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2. Velkovska beat Chafitz at No. 3, 6-2, 6-2. The Bobcat’s Sirola took on Simurkova and was defeated 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4, while the Lion’s Knavs beat Sumarie Muller 6-1, 6-4 at No.5. Cucciniello was also knocked by Phillips, 6-3, during the sixth game.

“Southeastern came out and took care of business. It was not that we didn’t play well; they are just a very strong team,” Plunkett said.

The Bobcats finished their regular spring schedule Sunday with a seven-match shutout over the Nicholls State Colonels, winning four out of their five last games.

The Bobcats clobbered the Colonels in the first-round matches, taking the doubles point with ease. Texas State’s Ellis and Chafitz defeated Veronika Ramirez and

Despite the pressure of playing on the Aggies home field, Texas State doubled their way to a second victory over Texas A&M, sweeping the season series 2-0 and scoring five runs to one in the victory at College Station.

With two outs and two men on base, Pat Crumpton and Dawid Bednarek ignited for three runs on back-to-back doubles in the fourth inning of play.

David Wood and Heath Keel were the first to make it home off a Crumpton double to left field. Crumpton was jettisoned back to the plate off a double by Bednarek, giving the Bobcats a 3-0 lead before a ground out by Thomas Field retiring the sign.

The Aggies were on the verge of a comeback in the bottom of the sixth with runners on second and third, but some strong pitching by senior pitcher Jarod Garza kept the home team at bay.

Texas State added to their lead in the top of the seventh by scoring two runs. The first run went to Bednarek who turned home after a single by Cassidy Dresch and a fielding error by the hands of the Aggies. Dresch was driven home from second, after a single by Kyle Jones, solidifying a strong lead going into the eighth inning of play.

All seemed to be going as planned in the bottom of the ninth as the Aggies were sitting on two outs with nobody on when Kyle Gembler beaned Anthony Vasquez, sending him to first. He was followed by Jess Buenger who reached first on a bunt, advancing Vasquez to second base. An RBI single

by Jose Salazar scored Vasquez from second base, giving the Aggies their only run of the game.

A groundout by Craig Stinson wrapped things up for the A&M rally, leaving them winless over the Bobcats for the 2006 regular season.

David Racino/Star file photo STILL SWINGING: Sophomore Natalie McLeod seen here in the Bobcats March 14 meet against Columbia, earned a doubles victory with Christina Amo against Nicholls State’s Dorian Robichauxand Neo Malope 8-2.

Lilian Leermakers, 8-1. Amo and McLeod also took on Dorian Robichaux and Neo Malope in an 8-2 upset.

The Bobcats moved right along in gaining the next six points in singles, securing the win for the last game of the season.

Chafitz decimated Ramirez, 5-0 , who then retired in the second set. Sirola was able to hold off Leermakers 7-5, 6-2. Muller and Cucciniello also crushed their opponents Malope 6-2, 6-0, and Robichaux, 6-1, 6-1.

McLeod and Margaret Potyrala also received the last 2 points against the Colonels in default matches.

Seniors Cucciniello, Potyrala and Sirola ended their Texas State careers on a high

note with the win over the Colonels. All seniors were recognized during the senior day events.

“The seniors came out and wanted to win that last match, and they did — especially Leja Sirola. She played awesome — probably the best match of her career here at Texas State.”

On April 14, Lamar, who is ranked with Texas State, will play the University of Louisiana-Monroe, ranked No. 3.

“If Lamar loses, more than likely they will be 5-5 in conference, and so will we.

However, we have a head-to-head win over them, and we will go to conference.” said Plunkett.

Jarod Garza was credited with the win, giving him a season record of 1-1,while Kyle Nicholson was afforded the loss. All in all, eight pitchers from the Texas State crew made an appearance, putting together a near-shutout before the ninth inning heroics on the part of the Aggies.

With the win, the Bobcats advanced to a 17-20 overall on the season, looking to get the record a little closer to even as they prepare for a two-game series against Dallas Baptist. Friday’s game will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Bobcat Field, and Saturday’s game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start.

Texas State 5, Texas A&M 1 April 11, College Station TEXAS STATE Texas A&M

R H E 000 300 200 — 5 7 0 000 000 001 — 1 4 3

Texas State

AB R

H RBI BB SO

Dresch 3b Jones lf Cannon rf Merrell 1b Wood p/dh Keel cf Crumpton 2b Guest 2b Bednarek c Field ss

4 4 4 3 4 3 4 0 4 3

1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 0

1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0

1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0

1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1

0 1 1 0 2 0 0 1 2 0

Texas A&M

AB R

H RBI BB SO

Stouffer rf Colligan cf Boggs 3b Vasquez 1b Buegner 2b Salazar ss Stinson c Hill dh Stein ph Sebek lf Hale ph/lf

4 3 4 3 3 4 1 2 1 1 1

1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

1 0 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0

E: Stinson, Nicholson; DP: TxSt-1, A&M 1; LOB: TxSt-4, A&M-6; 2B: Crumpton, Bednarek; D Stoufrer HBP: Merrell, Field, Vasquez, Bednarek, Dresch.

Texas State Wood Hill Boening Armijo Garza Siers Baca Gembler

IP

H

R ER BB SO

3.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0

1 0 2 0 1 1 0 0

Texas A&M

IP

H

R ER BB SO

Nicholson Vasquez Corgan Chambless

4.0 2.2 0.1 2.0

4 1 1 1

3 2 0 0

3 0 0 0

1 0 0 0

0 3 0 0

Win — Garza (1-1) Loss- Nicholson (3-4) Attendance: 877

Golfers teed off about back nine at Augusta AUGUSTA, Ga. — Woods.

Carlos Monarrez How did you like the U.S. So, suddenly, the Masters is at a Detroit Free Press Open? crossroads. Tournament chairman And I’m not talking Hootie Johnson and the rest of the about Pinehurst last year.

Masters cognoscenti must decide I’m talking about the tough-as-nails, grind- if they want to be Shinnecock Hills South out-par, rally-killing machine the Augusta or Augusta National.

National has become.

Most members who belong to a club With all the changes to the course that that hosts a prominent tournament relish were instituted for this year’s tournament the idea of top players squirming on their it’s no wonder the scores were so high. Phil course. They think difficulty breeds respect.

Mickelson won at 7-under-par.

But these are the same people who think Seven under? Are you kidding? Phil usu- bullying someone from a position of power ally shoots that on nine holes. earns them respect. It doesn’t. It earns them At the beginning of the week, when he scorn. was asked to predict what the winning score The Masters already had an identity. Now would be, Tiger Woods said, “Well, if you it seems to want to remake itself, all under get to double digits, you’re looking pretty the guise of reinstating the “shot value” read damn good.” difficulty that was originally intended on Ha! That was almost as funny as Tiger’s each hole, as decreed by Bobby Jones and putting in the final round. designer Alister Mackenzie.

When he won the 2005 Masters, Woods But it won’t last. The cat-and-mouse turned in a final score of 12-under. This game between the players and the course year, Mickelson got to eight-under before will continue. And the funny thing is that bogeying the 72nd hole. after all Hootie’s hullabaloo last year about The course proved too difficult for play- instituting a scaled-back Masters ball, it just ers to make a sustained charge on the back might be the Masters that forces equipment nine — long the trademark of the Masters. companies to improve their technology to Instead, all fell away after being worn down conquer Augusta National. by the extra 155 yards of length over six It was the tournament champion himholes. And the back nine featured the three self who fired the opening salvo in the new toughest holes on the course — the reno- technology war at Augusta when he put a vated Nos. 11 and 17 among them. second, more powerful driver in his bag for Yep, that’s exactly what you want. Some- the Masters. one’s trying to rally on the back nine, and “And I needed it to combat the added you give him the toughest hole to start length here at Augusta,” Mickelson said.

Amen Corner. Then, when he has a glim- “This is the only course that I can think of mer of hope, you crush his spirit with a that I will probably do it … but it was a huge bogey on 17, which is what happened to help here, and I started going to that driver

exclusively, only on holes that I thought I would play cuts. Like on 14 and 17, I ended up hitting that draw driver because I needed the extra length.”

So did a lot of other players.

Erik Campos/The State CROUCHING TIGER: Tiger Woods takes an exaggerated stance as he drops his second putt at No. 3 from about 2 inches during the final round of the Masters Golf Championship on Sunday at the Augusta National Golf Club.

Glenn Johnson/Texas A&M Media Relations LOOKING AHEAD: Junior secondbaseman Pat Crumpton, seen here rounding third, had one hit one run and one RBI in the Bobcats 5-1 win over the Aggies to sweep the season series 2-0.

Texas State returns to its home field for the first of two games against Dallas Baptist at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.