LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
MAD DOG
The first Chatauqua Film Festival begins today
Cody Merrell makes big game impact as a first-year Bobcat
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TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS
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APRIL 20, 2006
City reaches settlement with CenterPoint
THURSDAY
VOLUME 95, ISSUE 77
THE SOUND OF PREVENTION
By Clayton Medford The University Star San Marcos City Council members grudgingly accepted the legal settlement from natural gas provider CenterPoint Energy on Tuesday. The settlement marks the end of legal battle between the gas provider and a coalition of 20 Texas cities served by the company that lasted more than nine months. The dispute between CenterPoint and the City of San Marcos began last June when the natural gas provider to more than 4,000 residents and 500 businesses in the city notified city officials of its intent to raise its base rate by $6.22 per month, a 19.4 percent increase of the entire bill. In August, council members voted to join a coalition with other municipalities affected by CenterPoint’s rate increase and voted to abate the increase for three months. San Marcos residents began paying the increased rate in November. Council members took issue with the notices of rate increase the energy company placed in the Austin-American Statesman. The company is required by state law to publish such announcements, but it was the opinion of city officials that these notices did not meet the requirements. “Those legal notices did not contain any wording that would lead a person to believe a raise in their rates was coming,” said San Marcos City Attorney Mark Taylor in a previous interview. One term of the settlement requires CenterPoint to publish notices in the San Marcos Daily Record. The settlement reached between CenterPoint and the coalition did not completely satisfy city officials. While all legal fees incurred during the challenging of the rate hike will be recouped by CenterPoint at their expense, residents will only see a $.75 drop in the base rate of their gas bill, or 12 percent of the increase assessed in November. The settlement also freezes that rate for three years. According to some on the council, of the $414,000 the energy provider is returning to the cities, approximately $19,000 will be directed to See COUNCIL, page 6
Kids Against Drugs seeking instrument donations for new center By Nick Georgiou The University Star An after-school and summertime drug-prevention program, Kids Against Drugs, is cur-
rently having an instrument drive to obtain guitars, keyboards or any other gently used instrument and Cheryl Kaderli, social work senior, is asking students for help. The KAD program, in conjunction with the Housing Authority in San Marcos, has built a new center with a recording studio. “KAD wants children to learn the joys of creating music in a safe, drug-free and encouraging environment,” said Kaderli in an
David Racino/Star photo MIX MASTER MARTIN: Gene Martin, Resident Services Director for the San Marcos Housing Authority, demonstrates how the mixing board works in the Kids Against Drugs program’s recently built recording studio at its new center off of Thorpe Lane. The center is accepting donations of new or gently used instruments that the kids can use once the studio opens on April 27.
See MUSIC, page 6
President Trauth responds to AALC National project aims to record the incident, independent investigation gospel of thoughtful communication By Kirsten Crow The University Star University President Denise Trauth issued a statement today regarding Brown Group International’s report and the controversy surrounding the events at the African American Leadership Conference. The response falls on the heels of criticism from the student body about Trauth’s silence and lack of a public statement on the matter. The statement was issued through Mark Hendricks, assistant director of media relations and publications, via e-mail. She called BGI’s work impressive, even-handed and
credited their recommendations in advising the university on how to address concerns of students and police, saying they had “some good ideas in healing that damage.” She said the university has already begun to implement the recommendations, and is now in the process of creating an action plan to concentrate on others. “I deeply regret the fact that the incident and aftermath on Sept. 11, 2005, occurred,” she said, adding that the university is taking the report and its recommendations “very seriously.” Bryan Ware, pre mass communication junior, said Trauth
needed to make a public statement in an interview on Tuesday. “I think Dr. Trauth needs to come publicly and denounce the actions that happened and say she will work to improve relationships on campus and work harder to create the diversity this university is supposedly comprised of and stands on,” Ware said in the interview. “That’ s a challenge, basically of myself, to her.” He said on Wednesday that her response time was quick and a step in the right direction. “With an event like this, she See RESPONSE, page 3
By David Rauf The University Star
A mother talks to her daughter about growing up during the Great Depression, distant relatives recount the tale of fleeing from Communist China in the midst of the night or a heart-felt discussion between two friends that erupts into tears — this is the essence of a StoryCorps interview. Based on the notion that ordinary people have extraordinary stories, the acclaimed national project to create an oral history of America, called StoryCorps, is in Austin, documenting the lives of average Central Texans, one story at a time. Created in 2003, StoryCorps
guides participants through the interview, providing instruction and handling the technical aspects of the recording. At the end of the interview, the participants are provided with one copy of the interview, while another is archived in the Library of Congress. Laura Spero, StoryCorps facilitator, said the project is founded on the idea that everybody has a story that’s worth telling, recording and archiving. “I’ve listened to hundreds of these stories and people really do have amazing and beautiful stories to tell,” she said. “People come in and talk about absolutely anything and everything.” See PROJECT, page 5
Local agencies work to shed light on Child Abuse, Sexual Abuse Awareness Month
SPEAK OUT At the Language Consciousness poetry open mic session, nutrition sophomore Jessa Weber listens to history senior Jeffery Palmer as he speaks about the humbleness and arrogance in today’s society.
By Eloise Martin The University Star
Deleigh Hermes/Star photo
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has two permanent “StoryBooths” in New York City, along with two traveling recording studios — “MobileBooths” — currently embarking on a cross-country tour, spreading the gospel of thoughtful communication. “We instruct and inspire people to talk and listen to each other,” said Jackie Goodrich, StoryCorps facilitator. “It is not uncommon for people to say ‘This is the kind of conversation we should have more often.’” The basic idea of StoryCorps is simple: Two people, usually close friends or relatives, interview each other, asking tough life questions, for 40 minutes in a soundproof booth. Throughout the process, a trained facilitator
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San Marcos Child Protective Services, along with other agencies in town, has spent the month of April attempting to bring the issue of child abuse into public light during Child Abuse Awareness Month. Agencies have sponsored programs such as wearing blue ribbons to show their support and Tuesday night, Mayor Susan Narvaiz dedicated this month to Child Abuse Awareness. This month is also Sexual Assault Awareness month. LaToya Smith, criminal justice junior, said she has seen the effects
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Saturday Partly Cloudy Temp: 87°/ 65° Precipitation: 20%
of child abuse firsthand during her months of volunteering at CPS. Smith said she began volunteering in February as a requirement for a social work class. She now hopes to one day combine her interest in criminal justice and social work and become a court advocate for children. Her volunteer duties include keeping track of clients’ charts, attending custody hearings and overseeing parents’ allowed time with children. Through her volunteering, she has seen child abuse become a problem that needs attention. “I did not even start thinking about child abuse until I started volunteering,” she said.
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Smith said the objective of this month is to put child abuse in public light. “We need to get child abuse out there,” she said. “That is the whole point of this month.” The Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center also took part in the month, promoting awareness of both sexual assault and child abuse. Amber Titus-Love, HCWC public education and volunteer coordinator, said having a month dedicated to a particular issue allows the organizations to focus. “We do events all year long, but this See MONTH, page 6
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