TUESDAY
September 5, 2023 VOLUME 113 ISSUE 5 www.UniversityStar.com
Hays County Jail revealed as MOST VIOLENT in Texas The jail has the highest rate of use of force for correctional officers.
They're coming in and trying to hurt somebody."
73.5% of Hays County inmates are still awaiting trial.
78.3
uses of force per 1,000 inmates were reported from 2017-22.
CYRUS GRAY Former inmate in Hays County jail
By Ryan Claycamp News Reporter Hays County has the highest rate of use of force incidents of any jail in the state, a new report published by the Houston Chronicle revealed. The report comes less than a year after the death of Joshua Wright at the hands of Hays County Corrections Officer Isaiah Garcia. According to the report, a use of force incident is a situation in which an inmate was injured as the result of force being used. Hays County Jail has an average of 78.3 uses of force incidents per 1000 inmates. Wichita County Jail, which has the second highest use of force rate, only has a rate of 61.1 incidents per 1,000 inmates. Cyrus Gray, a former inmate in the Hays County Jail for over four years, said correction officers are encouraged to use force on inmates. “I’ll say it is largely because of the leadership and it’s just a culture of not just policing in the community, but the culture of policing in the jail. They’re [encouraged] to promote violence and pretty much cause [expletive] every chance they get,” Gray said. Gray said that force was often the first reaction of correctional officers in the jail. “It’s not a situation where there's ever an incident and they come in and try to deescalate the situation and try to calm a situation, or talk it down… They’re coming in and trying to hurt somebody,” Gray said. According to the Hays County Jail Dashboard, as of Aug. 27, 73.5% of the inmates in Hays County Jail are still awaiting trial. “On any given day over three quarters of our jail population are being held pretrial, meaning that they’ve only been accused of crimes, not convicted,” Sam Benavides, communications director for Mano Amiga, a political activism group advocating for criminal justice reform, said.
SEE PRISON PAGE 2
DEVELOPMENT
Hill Country Studios to break ground this year By Blake Leschber News Editor Hill Country Studios will be starting construction in the fourth quarter of 2023, bringing dividing viewpoints to the residents of San Marcos. Hill Country Studios resides on a 209 acre plot in the entrance of the La Cima neighborhood. It will consist of 12 sound stages and other amenities, including food and a recycling center. The first sound stage is expected to open next year. “We’re still targeting breaking ground and starting
construction [by December] 2023,” Jacob Cowan, chief marketing officer for Hill Country Studios, said. “As far as opening availability, facilities will be available as they come online… so we’re looking to add availability starting in 2024.” The studio is expected to be the biggest in Texas and one of the biggest in the country behind Hollywood. “In the state of Texas, this will be one of if not the largest facilities of its kind here, it’s on scale for what you might see in something like Georgia in any of the surrounding Atlanta studios,” Cowan said.
According to Cowan, while the film studio is being built in a neighborhood, the construction should not disturb the residents. “We fall well within any noise or light ordinances within the city… all of our construction will be well offset from any right of way. It’s not like we’re building up on the sidewalk or in the community,” Cowan said. While the studio’s construction is not expected to disturb the community, some residents of San Marcos fear the effects of the studio once it’s built.
SEE DEVELOPMENT PAGE 2
COMMUNITY
Studio San Martian to continue after closure By Marisa Nuñez Life and Arts Reporter After a week of final events and artists picking up their pieces, volunteers of Studio San Martian cleared out and painted over the murals of the once vibrant space that has been a haven to several local artists, musicians, film and fashion lovers and other art mediums. The studio at 1904 Old Ranch Road 12 closed its doors on Aug. 30, but the organization will continue with the entirety of San Marcos as its new space through popups. As of now, Studio San Martian has no permanent plans for relocating, but has already begun working with popular spots around San Marcos to continue its music and art events. Without being glued to one spot, Studio San Martian is excited to see what the exposure will do for the organization. “Since we found out we had to move a couple months ago we started powering up our thrusters of our spaceship so that we get ready for blast off,” Jason Sherman, Co-Founder of Studio San Martian, said. “We're just gonna hover around San Marcos. We could be down anywhere and we
can do whatever — pop up events, concerts… and festivals.” The studio has been at risk of closure due to an increase in rent after being added to the city sewer system. Being a volunteer-driven organization, the increase of rent was too high for the studio to stay. “This spot has treated us super awesome,” Sherman said. “It's been great. We've been here four years, it’s sad. It's kind of bittersweet, you know, but onto the next adventure.”
PHOTO BY SARAH MANNING
Jade Maldonado (left), electrical engineering sophomore, discusses the electrical equipment used for the Bobcat Racing vehicle with Jon Ramos (right), a mechanical engineering sophomore, Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, at the Ingram School of Engineering.
ENGINEERING
Bobcat Racing readies engine for first competition By Cara Cervenka Life and Arts Reporter
PHOTO BY MARISA NUÑEZ
Co-founder of Studio San Martian Jason Sherman standing in front of his artwork, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in the alleyway of Studio San Martian.
SEE COMMUNITY PAGE 3
In 2018, a project worth $120 million ushered in a new era of opportunity for engineering students. The Bobcat Racing team was all but abandoned as a result of COVID-19 combined with a lack of funding for the club. The club is set to take part in the Formula SAE, a national engineering design competition in Michigan, May 2024. The competition is held internationally, and provides an opportunity for students to put their
academic knowledge to use in a high risk, high reward environment. Abhimanyu Sharotry, a research engineer at Texas State, came to be the faculty advisor in 2022, aiding the revival of Bobcat Racing. Sharotry was intrigued to join Bobcat Racing while he was a graduate student in industrial engineering at Texas State. “I share that passion of racing with the team,” Sharotry said. “It’s my honor to serve the team in one way or another in any way I can help them with such experience.”
SEE ENGINEERING PAGE 3
The University Star
2 | Tuesday, September 5, 2023
NEWS
Blake Leschber News Editor starnews@txstate.edu
FROM FRONT PRISON This means many of the inmates in Hays County Jail, who are experiencing these “use of force incidents” from correctional officers are yet to be convicted of crimes. Pretrial inmates are supposed to be assumed innocent until they are convicted in a court of law. According to Gray, the guards regularly violated the presumption of innocence for inmates. “The big problem extends from the system and the people that are in charge of the system,” Gray said. “These are people that are here to make sure that you aren’t violated and that you’re cared for in the way that you should be given the circumstance.” According to Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra, when complaints are lodged against the Hays County Jail, they are investigated by three different groups: tThe Sheriff’s Department, the county judge and the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. “The sheriff is supposed to address it because they are hands on in that space. Folks have reached out to my office and I have followed up and very often the [complaints] do make their way to the state as well,” Becerra said. Though Becerra ensured that all complaints are looked into, Gray said that in his personal experience, they were not investigated in enough detail. “This system has a way of covering its tracks especially in places like Hays County,” Gray said. “When I was in jail and I was set up to be jumped by [Isaiah Garcia] and a bunch of the other ranking officers, I went through every step of the grievance process." Gray wrote a letter to the Hays County Sheriff and the Hays County Judge, but his grievance complaints were dismissed with no action being taken. "I did everything right that you’re supposed to do by law if anything illegal happens to you in jail. I was dismissed and then somebody ended up getting killed by the same person I
made all these complaints about,” Gray said. Gray said that the sheriff did not take his grievances seriously and that his complaint was thrown out. "The sheriff's response was that Cyrus Gray is a known liar and he’s just looking for attention," Gray said. Isaiah Garcia, who Gray mentioned in his grievance letter, is now facing charges of deadly conduct after the death of Joshua Wright last December. Becerra was unable to comment on the situation involving Gray’s complaint citing the ongoing case against Garcia, and his duty as an elected and judicial official. The Sheriff's office was contacted for a statement but no response was received.
ILLUSTRATION BY DJ ROSS
FROM FRONT DEVELOPMENT Brittiny Moore, an environmental educator and hydrogeologist, fears that since the studio will be partially built over the recharge zone of Edwards Aquifer, there could be large environmental impacts. “It’s really concerning to me that we’re starting to normalize development on our aquifer’s recharge zone, especially when we consider the fact that we’re currently in a Stage 4 drought and we’re experiencing water shortages really across the state,” Moore said. “It’s something that we really need to start thinking about and be intentional about.” The recharge zone is the most permeable area of Edwards Aquifer, meaning where water infiltrates into the aquifer. When the recharge zone is built over, there is less space for rain water to enter the aquifer. The recharge zone being built over can have effects on soil distribution and groundwater levels. One of the most unpredictable effects is the increased chance of severe flooding. “The more recharge zone that we destroy, the more severe flooding we’re going to see,” Moore said. “When water doesn’t have enough space to get underground or soak into the soil, then it has to stay at the surface and it’s going to rush off into downstream neighborhoods causing massive flooding events.” The studio will have a greenspace, an area of untouched land, kept in the surrounding area but according to Moore, this may not be enough as the recharge zone will still be partially covered. Cowan said the area was always meant to have commercial use, meaning it was going to be built over one way or another. Some residents are also nervous about the impact of the studio on the housing market. According to Cowan, the studio will bring in many different jobs to the area. With job growth comes a higher demand for housing, which according to Robert Eby, a San Marcos resident, might not be able to be supported.
“Everyone’s talking about high housing prices, so it’s a nationwide trend but it’s worse here in Central Texas because of the growth… which means people are moving here and have to live somewhere,” Eby said. “People who are already here can’t afford the housing and more people are moving everyday, adding pressure to the [housing] market and thousands of jobs could add a burden to the housing market.” Because San Marcos hosts Texas State, many new developments coming to the area are student living quarters, which could exacerbate the issue of new studio employees increasing pressure on the housing market. “The day-to-day workers, where they’re going to live, that's my biggest worry,” Eby said. “We’re a college town that caters to a lot of college students. Most of the apartments going up are for college students… which wouldn’t help the movie studio employee.” Thomas Ingle, a San Marcos resident, believes that the new jobs will actually have a positive impact on the economy as the studio can possibly give more patrons to small businesses in the area. “I think it can be a great addition to San Marcos. We’ve never really had anything this magnitude or size, especially for the film industry, which can bring lots of jobs for the city,” Ingle said. According to Cowan, the studio is already in talks with Texas State employees to possibly open the film studio to students and offer internships. “We want to partner with all the university systems or trade schools that we can in the area to make sure that the workforce is continually trained and built up and grown…” Cowan said. “With Texas State being just minutes away from our studio, there’s just a natural synergy between ourselves and Texas State that would not only benefit the industry but also the Texas State students.”
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Workshops
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Sound Stages
ACADEMICS
TXST reflects on BookSmart program By Lesdy Hernandez News Contributor Last spring, Texas State announced its partnership with BookSmart, a program that helps reduce the cost and elevate financial stress of textbooks and course materials to undergraduate students. Students pay $249 per semester for the program, which grants them access to all their course materials digitally through Canvas or at the bookstore. BookSmart also provides students the option to opt-out of the program if they choose to, with the deadline being Sep. 6. It was estimated that this program would save Texas State students approximately $12 million in its first year compared to purchasing new printed textbooks. Kaleigh Davis, an English freshman, said her experience with the BookSmart program has been positive compared to her past experiences in her dual credit courses in high school. “Whenever I decided that I was going to go to Texas State, part of my worry, and my fear was I'm not responsible enough to make a list of every textbook that I need… but whenever I heard about BookSmart I was really happy to hear about it,” Davis said. Davis said the program has been convenient and has found the stress that comes when purchasing course materials has decreased. “You don’t have to pay out of pocket for all your materials, then wait for everything to come, so I feel like it's kind of money being put back in your pocket because you didn't waste it yourself on something that you probably wouldn't even need,” Davis said. Perla Ballardo, a biology and education junior, said she can see how BookSmart can be a helpful program for first-year students. However, Ballardo said she has found her own experience with the program stressful and has had issues with receiving her course materials on time. “In my chemistry class, we were supposed to have a quiz, but because we don't have access to the textbook, my professor had trouble finding where to look for the book. We are now pushed back a week, ” Ballardo said. “For my other classes, the teachers didn’t know, it was the students who had to explain to the class how to get their books.” Brian Deer, a philosophy lecturer, said he does not utilize the BookSmart program, but said these programs help students obtain their necessary course materials. Scan the QR code to continue reading.
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MAP BY MEAGAN WALTERS
Publication Info
Editorial Staff
Trinity Building 203 Pleasant St. San Marcos, TX 78666 (512) 245 - 3487 History: The University Star is the student newspaper of Texas State University and is published every Tuesday of the spring and fall and once a month in the summer semesters. It is distributed on campus and throughout San Marcos at 8 a.m. on publication days with a distribution of 3,000. Printing and distribution is by the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.
Editor-in-Chief:
Managing Editor:
Design Editor:
Carson Weaver stareditor@txstate.edu
Nichaela Shaheen starmanagingeditor@txstate.edu
Sarah Manning stardesign@txstate.edu
News Editor:
Life & Arts Editor:
Opinions Editor:
Blake Leschber starnews@txstate.edu
Haley Velasco starlifeandarts@txstate.edu
Rhian Davis staropinion@txstate.edu
Sports Editor:
Engagement Editor:
Director:
Zaria Jackson starengagement@txstate.edu
Laura Krantz laurakrantz@txstate.edu
Digital Products Developer
Creative Service Director:
Sri Naga Sri Govvala starasstweb@txstate.edu
Michele Dupont starcreative@txstate.edu
David Cuevas starsports@txstate.edu
PIR Director Abbie Taylor starpr@txstate.edu
Copyright: Copyright Tuesday, September 5, 2023. 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.
Deadlines:
Letters to the Editor or any contributed articles are due on Monday the week prior to publication.
Corrections:
Any errors that are in the pages of The University Star and brought to our attention will be corrected as soon as possible.
Visit The Star at universitystar.com
The University Star
Tuesday, September 5, 2023 | 3
LIFE & ARTS
Haley Velasco Life and Arts Editor starlifeandarts@txstate.edu
FROM FRONT COMMUNITY
PHOTO BY MARISA NUÑEZ
PHOTO BY MARISA NUÑEZ
(Left) Co-founder Jason Sherman, Studio San Martian volunteers and artists clearing the studio, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023 at Studio San Martian before officially closing Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. (Right) Co-founder of Studio San Martian Jason Sherman pointing at artists Rami Stein and Savannah Hardy’s mural, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023 in the alleyway of Studio San Martian.
Studio San Martian celebrated its fifth year anniversary on Aug. 19. The celebration went on for about 16 hours where Studio San Martian provided event goers with food and live music from eight different bands and 11 DJ sets. “I feel like a whole different set of people showed up for the DJs because I walked in [Studio San Martian] and was like ‘I don’t know any of these people,’” Magnus Timbre, Studio San Martian volunteer, said. Many Studio San Martian volunteers were happy with the turnout of the event and plan to continue spending their time with the organization as it moves its way across San Marcos. “All different kinds of browsers started showing
up in different ways throughout the day,” Jake Adams, Studio San Martian volunteer, said. “I feel like all of us have been doing this way before [Studio San Martian] and we’re all going to be doing this way after [Studio San Martian]. This is just like a huge platform for all of us and beyond.” Over the years Studio San Martian has created a vast community of several different kinds of artists and art lovers. Even without a studio, the organization will follow its mission statement which is to provide music entertainment and art classes for San Martians. “It's a community, I’ve met so many people,” Sherman said. “We've kind of had like an organic growth over the years that just cultivated such an
amazing group of people that were artistic in so many different ways. Everyone brought their own thing. The studio [was] able to springboard a bunch of talent in all sorts of different directions and help cultivate their passions. That's really been our mission.” Events hosted by Studio San Martian can be expected to pop up this October. The organization plans to keep locals posted on their pop-ups and events through social media. For more information on Studio San Martian follow its Instagram @studiosanmartian.
MENTAL HEALTH
TXST programs to host events for National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month By Haley Velasco Life and Arts Editor This article contains discussion of suicide and death. According to the CDC, suicide has been one of the leading causes of death since the early 2000s. To provide support and inform students on the topic, Texas State is hosting multiple events to recognize and promote suicide prevention. Static Chair Displays The Office of Disability Services (ODS) will be creating a static chair display from Sept. 4-10 at the Rec and LBJ Student Center. Several chairs will be ribboned with purple and teal to represent suicide awareness and provide data on different populations of suicide, including age groups, ethnicities, the LGBTQIA community and much more. The intent to start hosting more events like the static chair display sprang when members of ODS like Harlan Ballard, the outreach coordinator for ODS, found students wanting more knowledge and a safe space to discuss suicide. “Prior to 2020, our office did not have any sort of display and recognition of September as Suicide Awareness month and I know of no other office that did that,” Ballard said. “We saw a lot of students who would have conversations about someone that they know who had committed suicide or some of them even spoke about some suicidal thoughts that they had, so we saw that there was a need to bring awareness and that's what our office does.” To learn more about ODS, go to www.ods.txst.edu.
INFOGRAPHIC BY EVA BOWLER
Tablings at the LBJ Student Center In a collaborative effort, ODS is partnering with the University Health Services, Counseling Center and the School of Social Work and Professional Counseling to feature how each program is resourceful for students. The tablings will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 5-8 at the LBJ Student Center’s HUB area. Richard Martinez, a senior psychologist for the Counseling Center, believes that students becoming aware of available resources will allow them to tackle the intense topic of mental health. “For a lot of our students, there's still a stigma related to mental health and seeking help, asking for help,” Martinez said. “So there's a lot of resources not just within the Counseling Center, but also amongst faculty, staff and other students. We're all here for one another.”
If students are unable to visit the tablings, Martinez recommends they become more aware of TimelyCare, a 24/7 virtual mental health service for Texas State students. TimelyCare offers services free of charge for students, including scheduled counseling, health coaching, basic needs support and much more. To learn more about resources like TimelyCare, go to www.counseling.txst. edu/make-an-appointment/crisis-urgentsupport. Panel Discussion: “Teen and College Suicide: A Serious Matter” The final event for Suicide Prevention Awareness month will be the panel discussion “Teen & College Suicide: A Serious Matter” from 5 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 7 at LBJSC 3-21.3. The panel discussion, focusing on suicides from young adults, was created
by Eraldo “Dino” Chiecchi, a professor for the School of Mass Communications and Journalism. In May, Chiecchi published his book “Josue: A Young Man's Life Lost to Suicide” which focused on Josue “Josh” Legarda, a 14-year-old boy from El Paso that died by suicide. After interviewing family members, friends and people that were touched by Legarda, Chiecchi’s next mission was to spread awareness on the unawareness of teen suicide to Texas State. “Young people die daily in America of suicide,” Chiecchi said. “Annually, you can't put your arms around that number because it is too big, so that's why I wrote about one, because you can focus on Josh. He is emblematic of this scourge that people don't understand. Josh had no signals other than the texts that he sent that night. There was no indication whatsoever that Josh was in trouble. Zero.” Soon after the panel discussion, Chiecchi plans to travel to Dallas to discuss his book and continue to spread the discussion of teen suicide. “I want to be talking about this every opportunity I can,” Chiecchi said. “Because I was so impacted by listening to all these people tell their stories about what a wonderful young man Josh was, and how we'll never get to know him any better than up to age 14 and that's really unfortunate. Josh had plans. He wanted to join the Marines. He was going to live with his sister for a while. None of that is going to transpire now.” To call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, dial 988.
FROM FRONT ENGINEERING The team has utilized manufacturing equipment available in Ingram Hall's “Maker Space” to design and build a functioning vehicle for the competition. The recently developed space is available to all Texas States students. Members of Bobcat Racing come to spend the majority of their time perfecting the vehicle. Bobcat Racing President and electrical lead Thomas Fenn, an engineering senior, joined the team in 2021 when the team was restored. Fenn has been the president of Bobcat Racing since 2022 and aspires to enhance and develop the team's skills each year. Along with building the team’s development, Fenn hopes to build his individual career experience and feels that Bobcat Racing is a beneficial hands-on opportunity to do so. “It's a magnet for your resume,” Fenn said. “There’s going to be a lot of jobs and roles that you fulfill on the team that are almost identical to what you’d be doing in your chosen profession.” Along with Fenn’s resume growing, there are also opportunities for nonengineering students like Hunter Helenza, a marketing sophomore. Because Bobcat Racing functions as a small race car manufacturing company, Halenza is able to oversee the funds and sponsorships, including Redbull and Athena manufacturing for the team. The upcoming competition categories include “Business Plan Presentation” and “Cost and Manufacturing” that requires teams to prepare as a car manufacturing company would. “Bobcat Racing has helped me grow my knowledge and application of business skills,” Helenza said. “Unlike classes, it's not just theory. I am communicating with real companies, developing real partnerships and budgeting real money.”
For now, members of the team are hopeful to have good results for the 2024 competition. “We’re in a pretty good spot now,” Fenn said. “We have a pretty good understanding of where we’re going, which is, one of the first times we’ve had that.”
PHOTO BY SARAH MANNING
PHOTO BY SARAH MANNING
Texas State computer science sophomore Mason Barber examines electrical wires, Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, at the Ingram School of Engineering.
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The University Star
The University Star
Tuesday, September 5, 2023 | 5
OPINIONS
Rhian Davis Opinions Editor staropinion@txstate.edu
Opinions in The University Star are not necessarily those of our entire publication, Texas State University’s administration, Board of Regents, School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Student Publications Board. PARKING
TXST must accommodate commuters By Rhian Davis Opinions Editor It's no secret to any student at Texas State that parking is a nightmare. While all students have valid reasons to complain, those with the purple commuter permit might take the cake. There are very few accommodations for commuters on campus and Texas State needs to take action and work with the students to address the issues that students have tried to bring attention to. Texas State has many different parking permits; however, the most common ones are the green residence
hall permit, the red permit for faculty and the purple commuter permit. Currently, the largest commuter parking lots are near Bobcat Stadium, which is 1.5 miles, or a 28-minute walk, away from LBJ Student Center. While the university offers a shuttle system with a route from the stadium, this option is only feasible for some students. Raven Lycette Griffin, business marketing sophomore, purchased a commuter pass this year because the Bobcat Shuttle System does not have a stop near her apartment, and the apartment bus system stops running before her classes end. Without the commuter pass, she would be left
ILLUSTRATION BY DJ ROSS
stranded on certain days. "There's really no win-win on anyway to get to school and class on time," Griffin said. "The likelihood of you getting a spot [at the stadium], I just don’t think is worth the amount of money that you pay for it." San Marcos has a plethora of housing options available for students, many of which are on or close to The Square. Though these apartments are close to campus, it can still be impractical for students to walk to class every day due to the hills or the heat that has been dominating Texas this summer. Students who considered these factors and opted for a commuter pass were met with a newfound struggle to park as Texas State only has two oncampus commuter lots: the James Street Lot and Speck Street Garage, which is split to accommodate resident permits. "I think even the residents here don't have enough parking, but when you think about it, these residents are about to move into the clump of commuters," Griffin said. "There will always be more of a need for commuter spots than there will be for residential spots." Currently, Texas State is in the process of building the Hilltop Housing Complex. The complex will be finished in May 2024, and will accommodate 1,006 beds. Texas State is already having trouble housing the increasing number of freshmen accepted each year. If the trend continues, the students' issues with parking will only continue to grow. The university must find a way to solve a problem they knowingly caused. "Their excuse is 'We don't want to
make the campus a concrete jungle,' because we do have a very beautiful campus," Griffin said. "But, at the same time, if we're building things like super dorms, we kind of have to take it into consideration. There has to be more parking." Another issue held within the student body is the abundance of restricted parking scattered around campus. While faculty also struggle with parking, they are not the majority. There are about 5,000 faculty members, but that's nothing compared to the 38,000 students. According to the parking map, there are over 20 restricted lots on campus. These lots are off limits to all other permits from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday. "There's restricted parking absolutely everywhere for only employees, but there's also college kids everywhere, and they continuously take more kids every single year, but they're not making any more parking, so how is that really sufficient for anyone," Griffin said. Accommodating parking is a big issue but if Texas State hopes to keep the student body happy, it must be addressed and it must happen soon. -Rhian sophomore
Davis
is
a
journalism
The University Star welcomes Letters to the Editor from its readers. All submissions are reviewed and considered by the Editor-in-Chief and Opinion Editor for publication. Not all letters are guaranteed for publication.
PUBLIC HEALTH
There is no need for rash COVID-19 mandates By Megan Stanford Opinions Contributor On Aug. 17, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new strain of the SARS-CoV-2 variant of COVID-19 after cases surged in Michigan. This new strain, BA.2.86, has been reported in multiple countries, including Denmark and Israel. Within the same week, Press Secretary of the White House Karine Jean-Pierre discussed information regarding a new vaccine being released in September. Following this announcement, Hollywood studio Lionsgate and Morris Brown College in Georgia reinstated mask mandates and social distancing restrictions on events and employees despite no reported cases relating to the new strand. These precautions included canceling first-week events and parties to avoid large crowds, temperature checks when arriving on campus, contact tracing and vaccine mandates for in-person attendees. These news releases sound eerily familiar, and while other colleges may be ready to jump the gun, Texas State should not follow suit because of the lasting impact the restrictions had on students' overall mental health. Staying updated regarding COVID-19 and maintaining safety proceedings at your own risk is essential; however, the extreme measures large companies and colleges are enforcing are a mistake.
ILLUSTRATION BY MADISON WARE
During the pandemic, students were isolated and forced to miss out on milestones such as prom and graduation. What started as a two-week precaution became a years-long societal break that adversely impacted everyone. Mental health surveys saw a 6.1% increase in anxiety, and suicide rates increased to a spot on the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. for ages 15-44.
While each individual should remain conscious of their different health risks, the results and studies produced during the initial pandemic cannot be ignored. A comprehensive study conducted by the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews concluded that the mask mandates were ineffective and that places with mask mandates versus no mandates were affected the same regardless. This study was not only conclusive in these findings at a community level but at a multicountry regional level as well as across different viruses, including influenza and COVID-19. "There were no clear differences between the use of medical/surgical masks compared with N95/P2 respirators in healthcare workers when used in routine care to reduce respiratory viral infection,” Leading author of the study Tom Jefferson said. After this study was released, a columnist at the New York Times concluded that the mask mandates did not work. While masks may have been beneficial on a personal level, the overall evidence shows that “when it comes to the population-level benefits of masking, the verdict is in: mask mandates were a bust.” While COVID-19 is still being dealt with, society is on the road to recovery. We must move away from the regretful pandemic mistakes officials made on our behalf. We have come out of this pandemic worse for wear and should not be subjected back to something that negatively impacted student lives. -Megan Stanford is an international relations senior
SERVICES
Students with disabilities benefit from resources By Ryan Claycamp Opinions Contributor For college students with disabilities, college can feel like an arduous task. Luckily, there are several disability resources available at Texas State to help students succeed. The Office of Disability Services is responsible for resources like increased testing time, extended assignment deadlines, note taking services and more. Only one-third of students with disabilities inform their institution about their disability. Though it can be intimidating to step up and ask for help, disabled students must begin to use the offered accommodations to the fullest extent because they will significantly improve one's experiences and well-being. Despite accommodations being available, not every eligible student applies. One reason is societal factors that leave some individuals unwilling to disclose their disabilities. In order to have a healthy learning environment, individuals with disabilities should be able to identify as they wish without fearing being judged. According to the University of Washington, disabilities carry a stigma, which can lead to stereotyping and discrimination. This can be scary for many people and, in turn, can limit the number of
people willing to identify as disabled, especially if they can hide it. Some people assume all disabilities are visible, such as being in a wheelchair. In reality, mental illness, neurological disorders and other conditions can be considered disabling. These factors are referred to as invisible disabilities. People with invisible disabilities face doubts and can suffer from imposter syndrome due to being constantly accused of falsifying their conditions. Individuals living with disabilities face enough as is and should be able to live out their lives without having to combat outdated stereotypes. Public perceptions around disability often harm individuals with disabilities, which can wrongly prevent them from utilizing resources meant to help them. Scan the QR code to continue reading.
ILLUSTRATION BY MADISON WARE
The University Star
6 | Tuesday, September 5, 2023
SPORTS
David Cuevas Sports Editor starsports@txstate.edu
FOOTBALL
“There’s no place like home”:
Malik Hornsby’s journey to Texas State By David Cuevas Sports Editor For redshirt junior quarterback Malik Hornsby, the opportunity to play football at Texas State is a dream come true. At his first press conference as a member of Texas State, the signal caller was all smiles as he spoke about how grateful he was to be in his current position. “I have a great opportunity to come play with a team that I’m very happy about. Just to be in Texas close to my family, it’s amazing,” Hornsby said. Since joining the team in January, coaches and teammates have raved about Hornsby’s arm strength, maturity, work ethic, leadership and mostly his track speed. His teammate sophomore wide receiver Kole Wilson said Hornsby is a leader on and off the field. “He just brings a lot to the game with his legs and his arm. He can stretch the field and when a play crashes he can make something happen," Wilson said. Hornsby is a native of Texas, having grown up in the town of Missouri City located in the greater Houston area. Hornsby began playing football at 4-years-old and by the time he was 13, he came to the realization that football could be a part of his life for many years. “I was playing high school football as a seventh and eighth grader,” Hornsby said. “Then when I got to high school I started as a true freshman on varsity. Doing that and going to workouts and seeing guys around the country putting my talent with their talent and coming out as the best I knew I had a chance at this.” Coming out of high school, Hornsby was rated as a consensus four-star prospect and was selected to play in the 2020 All-American Bowl in San Antonio. He committed to the University of Arkansas over programs
such as Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M and others. Hornsby said he doesn’t regret his decision to commit to Arkansas and believes it was an experience he needed. “Going to Arkansas was a great experience to get away from home and to become a young man. I learned so much from being there. Coach [Sam Pittman] taught me so much. I think it helped me with my maturity mentally, physically and becoming the leader I am today,” Hornsby said. During three seasons with the Razorbacks Hornsby appeared in a total of 16 games but was unable to lock up the permanent starting quarterback job. After the 2022-23 season, Hornsby wanted a fresh start and chose to leave the Razorbacks. “I decided to transfer because I felt like I’m good enough to have my own team,” Hornsby said. “And I wanted to come back home. There’s no place like home.” Hornsby became one of the most coveted prospects in the transfer portal as several schools began recruiting him including Texas State. Texas State head coach G.J. Kinne said he began recruiting Hornsby immediately upon hearing he had put his name in the portal. “As soon as he got in the portal, we were on him,” Kinne said. “He had a couple of different options but I think the ability to stay in Texas to play in a scheme like this, I think that really sold him.” Aside from Texas State, the University of Nebraska tried to recruit Hornsby because of Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule's relationship with the quarterback, which was developed during Rhule's head coach tenure at Baylor. Reports said Hornsby took an official visit to Nebraska to meet with Rhule and his staff. Following the visit,
PHOTO BY SARAH MANNING
Texas State redshirt junior quarterback Malik Hornsby (4) throws a pass during the spring game, Saturday, April. 22, 2023, at Bobcat Stadium.
it appeared Hornsby was going to be wearing red and white this fall. However, on Jan. 9, he made the announcement that he commited to Texas State over Nebraska. Hornsby, who hasn’t publicly commented much about his recruitment since committing to Texas State, said two pivotal factors that led him to pick the Bobcats over the Cornhuskers were distance and the ability to play his position like he wants to. “I like coach Matt Rhule. It’s all love for those guys [Nebraska] but that’s like 15 hours away from my house,” Hornsby said. “That’s not a trip that my mom would enjoy to make... I felt like coach G.J. [Kinne] and coach Leftwich were going to give me the greatest opportunity to play the position I want to play. So that’s why I’m here.” According to Kinne, he never had any doubt about which position Hornsby should play.
“From the very first time I texted him I said, ‘You’re a quarterback. That’s the way we see you. We believe in you. We’re going to continue to develop you',” Kinne said. Since Kinne was hired in December anticipation and expectations have grown for the 2023-24 season. Many believe this team will not only be able to compete for the Sun Belt Conference Championship, but also secure that long-sought-after first bowl game appearance in program history. Hornsby said he feels no pressure by being the man under center expected to lead the Texas State football program to these unprecedented new heights. “I’m built for this moment. I’m going to be prepared for the moment. If it is me, I’m going to take my opportunity and run with it and put my team in the best predicaments that I can put them in,” Hornsby said.