VOLUME 101, ISSUE 87
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WEDNESDAY GO NE ONLI NOW
JULY 25, 2012
Thread by thread Emily Lewis is a local artist and one of the few remaining art
majors with a focus in fibers at Texas State. Check out her art work and more at star.txstate.edu
$10,000 degree offered within system
WANDERING TASTES
By Karen Zamora News Reporter The Texas State University System is the state’s third major university system to offer a bachelor’s degree costing $10,000 in an effort to make higher education more affordable for students. In response to Governor Rick Perry’s challenge to create affordable bachelor’s degrees, Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College will be the first institution within the system to offer three bachelor’s degrees costing $10,000. Mike Wintemute, spokesman for the Texas State University System, said Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College is the first institution to offer the “10K Scholars Program” because it has the most affordable tuition and fees in the system. Biology, chemistry and mathematics, the degrees offered within the program, are not new or different to the school, but will be obtainable at a more affordable price tag, he said. To take part in the “10K Scholars Program,” high school students must graduate with at least a 2.5 GPA and have completed 30 hours of college credit. Students spend their first year of college at Southwest Texas Junior College, then finish their degree at Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College. The total cost of their bachelor’s degree would be capped at $10,000 through deferred scholarships worth $2,122, if students maintain at least a 3.0 GPA and take 15 hours per semester to graduate in three years. The $10,000 degree will also be offered at the University of Texas-Permian Basin starting this fall. Students enrolled in this program will earn their bachelor’s degree at the four-year institution, not a junior college. However, they must qualify for the Texas Science Scholar—a program that caps their tuition at $2,500 per year, instead of the average $6,300 annually. The UTPB $10,000 degrees are offered in chemistry, computer science, geology, information systems and mathematics.
Sonja Burton, Staff Photographer
Top: Wendy Wan, owner of WANderLust, prepares Thai Vermicelli noodles for customers. The noodles are served with assorted vegetables. Left: WANderLust is an Italian and Thai inspired food trailer located at the Hitch on Hopkins.
New food trailer brings taste of Thailand, Italy to The Hitch STORY ON PAGE 7
READ DEGREE PLAN, PAGE 2
Asbestos detected, removal work in progress in Elliott Hall By Jordan Gass-Poore’ Features Reporter
Austin Humphreys, Photo Editor
Texas State is currently investigating asbestos contamination in several older buildings across campus, most recently Elliot Hall A.
Vinyl composition tile that tested positive for asbestos is being removed from Elliott Hall Building A. The renovation was ongoing as of press time. In an effort to maintain the health and safety of students, faculty and staff, the university works to identify, inspect and test all university buildings that have or may have asbestos-containing materials. Buildings constructed prior to 1980 may have asbestos-containing materials. These buildings include Hornsby, Burleson, Arnold and Laurel halls, among others. Don Compton, Facilities Planning, Design and Construction associate director, said the fact that on-campus buildings have been made with asbestos-containing materials is not merely a rumor. “While we are well aware of asbestos, that does not mean people are being exposed,” Compton said.
In Elliott Hall’s case, it is uncertain whether the building’s tile had been physically damaged or if the tile’s glue had become exposed. Kyle Estes, Housing and Residential Life associate director, said asbestos-containing materials have also been removed from Elliott Hall Building B in the past. The United States Environmental Protection Agency lists vinyl floor tile and sheet flooring among common asbestos-containing materials. Estes said initial campus-wide building asbestos testing began 10-15 years ago, and has been continuously updated since then. Compton said there are testing reports for all on-campus buildings that have asbestoscontaining materials. Katie Eskridge, Texas State alumna, said she lived in Elliott Hall as a freshman. “My parents moved me in and said something had to be wrong,” Eskridge said. Eskridge said she was ill the entire time she
READ ASBESTOS, PAGE 2
Next Generation Science Standards forgone in Texas education By Megan Carthel News Reporter New national common science standards may soon be implemented in public schools across the country, but it is not likely they will be taught to Texas public school students anytime in the near future. The Next Generation Science Standards are intended to provide a common science curriculum for students in kindergarten through high school in every state. The standards are expected to be complete early next year. But in Texas, where the state scored a “C” average for overall science curriculum in a 2012 study conducted by the Thomas Fordham Institute, the new standards will likely not be put into effect anytime soon. The study points out “evolution is all but
ignored from kindergarten to fifth grade.” According to the Institute, the word “evolution” is not used in the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) standards Texas currently uses. “One of the sticky points of the common core science standards is how evolution is handled,” said Michael Soto of the State Board of Education, District 3 representative. “It is a politically touchy subject.” Soto said the Thomas Fordham Institute is a fairly conservative think tank. “When you have conservatives giving Texas low grades in science for injecting politics into the curriculum, you know that something is taking shape that’s not about education,” Soto said. “It’s all about politics.” Other political issues have surfaced as reasoning for rejection of the Next Generation Science Standards. The state sets its own
standards for education because the Texas GOP opposes too much national government control, said Chris Elam, spokesman for the Republican Party of Texas. Elam said the control of Texas schools and education should be kept in the state. Common core state standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators and experts to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare children for college and the workforce. There are only five states that have not adopted the common core standards, Texas being one of them. “It’s a lot of political posturing,” Soto said. “The common core standards are incorrectly perceived as another version of federal intrusion. The Republican Party is pretty dead set against anything like that in Texas.” Sandra West Moody, program faculty of
biology at Texas State, said the areas of scientific engineering practices and cross cutting concepts seen in the Next Generation curriculum are two new dimensions of standards not seen in the current TEKS objectives. West was on the 2009 TEKS writing team, focusing on science curriculum. The State Board of Education updates its curriculum every eight years, so with the current TEKS objectives being fairly recent, West said the Next Generation standards and curriculum are not needed. Soto said no one in Texas is pushing for the Next Generation standards. He believes Texas students will be missing out on educational opportunities if the new science standards are not adopted.
READ SCIENCE, PAGE 2