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Volume 99, Issue 4
www.UniversityStar.com
THE DAY HAS COME
The reigning conference champion Bobcat football team kicks off its season Saturday and unveils new stadium renovations
Texas State reaches 30K enrollment, administration says By Jamie Gonzalez Special to the Star It was never a question of if, but when Texas State would reach the 30,000-enrollment mark. That time is now. The population has increased steadily during the last 15 years and after reaching 29,105 fulltime students in fall 2008, university administration fully expected to reach its goal this year and was not disappointed. The numbers are not yet final, but according to. Michael Heintze, associate vice president for enrollment management and marketing, it “is safe to say” Texas State has reached 30,000 students. “We still have a lot of ‘cleanup’ to do with the enrollment numbers, though,” Heintze said. “So we won’t know for sure until the middle of the semester.” The goal of becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institute is close to becoming a reality with record enrollment. “As of last year, full-time Hispanic students made up 23 percent of Texas State’s population,” Heintze said. “We average an increase of about one percent each year, so we fully expect to reach our goal of 25 percent within the next two years.” Hispanic-Serving Institutes (HSIs) are defined as non-profit institutions that have at least 25 percent Hispanic full-time enrollment. “To earn HSI status would provide many opportunities for Texas State, including grants and other funding that wouldn’t be available to us otherwise,” Heintze said. These funds would cover grants to the university and scholarships for students. “The 2010 proposed legisla-
Alkek library to have extended study hours
tion allows us to tap into $1.3 billion in competitive grants,” said Evelina Gonzales, senior proposal coordinator for the Office of the Associate Vice President for Research. She said some of the money would be used to help low-income or other underprivileged students. “But definitely all Texas State students would benefit from these funds,” Gonzales said. Amparo Seija, undecided health professions sophomore, said the university needs more money for grants and scholarships. “It would be really awesome,” she said. “As a Hispanic low-income student, I especially think the school needs to be able to give out more money to deserving students.” Bobby Scheidemann/Star Photo illustration The money will be allocated to different programs in the LATE NIGHT: Students will be able to work in the library until 3 a.m starting Sept. 13. university. Program officials will then allocate it as needed, whether that is for new equipment or for department scholarships, Gonzales said. University President Denise Trauth first introduced her goal of becoming a HSI in 2004, when Hispanics constituted 18 percent of the student population. Since then, Texas State has been recruiting high school seniors from towns and cities that have a high percentage of Hispanic students, including, but not limited to, Harlingen, Houston and San Antonio. All students can benefit from Texas State being a HSI. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the university would become eligible for Humani-
See “POPULATION” page 4
Today’s Weather
99°/72° Mostly Sunny Precipitation: 10% Humidity: 46% UV: 10+ Extreme Wind: SW 8 mph
Friday Isolated Thunderstorms Temp: 94°/70° Precip: 30%
Saturday Partly Cloudy Temp: 91°/7° Precip: 20%
INSIDE THIS ISSUE News…..Pages 1-4
Students smoking marijuana on, off campus face penalties Pregnancy centers allegedly misuse government funds Opinions…..Page 7 Main Point: ACTIVELY ABSENT Two-Party system limits perspective
Marijuana use on campus
Music loses uniqueness to masses Trends….Pages 8-9 Bobby Scheidemann/Star Photo illustration
By Lori Jones News Reporter
Jake Marx/Star photo illustration HIGH RISK: Students need to be aware of the penalties they may undergo if caught on campus in possession of marijuana, such as tickets, arrest.
See page 3 for the story
Students will not be able to spend all nighters studying in the library year round, but they will be able to stay later. University officials have decided to expand library hours rather than have it remain open all day. A decision following the 24-hour library pilot held for an eight-week period that started in February. The decision was made to extend library hours until 3 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday starting Sept. 13. The li-
’60s group ‘me sbrary will begin opening at 7 pilot. The survey included m e r i z e s ’ a u d i e n c e s a.m. Monday through Friday. questions about what services a c ross ge ne r a t i ons “We gathered a lot of infor- students were using and how mation in various ways during those eight weeks,” said Joan Heath, assistant vice president of the library. “We know looking back how many people were on each floor hour-byhour during the study. That was very helpful information to have.” Heath said guards at the library did a head count every hour as well as hand out surveys once a week to acquire feed back from the students using the building during the
they felt about how the program was running. “You could see in the data that after 3 a.m. the numbers of students declined, but we also decided to open a half an hour earlier,” Heath said. “There are people who do want to come in before their first class.”
See “LIBRARY” page 4
University pipe floods river with E. Coli bacteria Chase Birthisel Assistant News Editor High counts of dangerous bacteria have been discovered in a section of the San Marcos River. A hazardous amount of E. Coli was discovered in the river at the end of a water drainage pipe. The drainage pipe is near the intersection of University Drive and C M Allen Parkway and has been leaking water into the river. Pat Fogarty, associate vice president of facilities, said there is a leak in university pipes causing stagnant water to run into the river. “We are going to plug it up
because we didn’t find out about it until today (Tuesday),” Fogarty said. “What happened is there is an old drainage pipe that connects the retention ponds by the theater to the river. It hasn’t been used in years. The plug in it is leaking, but it is only a tiny leak.” Mark Brinkley, assistant director of Community Services, said he took three samples this week from the river. “The bacteria count was 150 (200 yards above the pipe); 640 (200 yards below); and 1600 next to it,”Brinkley said. “For recreational swimming, you want your counts to be 400 or less.” He said swimmers should
avoid a 25-foot by 25-foot area around the pipe. Josh Oyer, data analyst for the Texas Stream Team, said they first discovered the high count months ago while teaching students how to collect samples. “We have identified that area as a hot spot,” Oyer said. “But that is the one time that I have seen a sample so high.” Oyer said he contacted the City of San Marcos with the results of the test months ago.
See “RIVER” page 4
Former student falls in love while studying abroad
Museum exhibit teaches history not in textbooks New band makes presence known in Houston, Austin areas Diversions…Page 11 Classifieds….Page 11 Sports….Page 12-14 Football season kicks off with renovations, fireworks Bobcats ready for Rams on Saturday’s opening game
Lindsey Goldstein/Star photo DRAINAGE: Harmful amounts of the dangerous bacteria E. Coli have been located in a portion of the San Marcos River.