4 | Thursday September 6, 2012 | The University Star
OPINIONS
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Bobcat football catching national attention
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n just four years, the Bobcat football team has joined a competitive new conference and is set to welcome the biggest crowd in the stadium’s history. After years of discussion to prepare for the move to the Football Bowl Subdivision, the new West Side Complex had a landmark opening in 2009. For the home-opening game that year, the Bobcats hosted small-town Angelo State and won 48-28 in front of a crowd of 14,116. Now, the Bobcats have set their sights on Texas Tech and have the capacity to host a crowd of more than 30,000 at the game. According to a Sept. 4 poll by the Associated Press, the Bobcats are the 35th highest ranked college team of 125 total schools. Texas State football will likely never see such a high rating again this year without a victory over the Red Raiders. A variety of improvements have been made to take the Texas State football program to the next level. The football team now has a new identity under the direction of head coach Dennis Franchione. In addition, the Bobcats were accepted into the Western Athletic Conference and will move into the Sun Belt Conference next year. To accommodate the new WAC schedule, seating capacity in the stadium has also expanded significantly through the completion of the North Side Complex construction project estimated at $33 million. Temporary student seating in the South End Zone will expand the stadium’s record attendance to approximately 33,000. At press time, there were an estimated 1,000 tickets remaining for the game, which will more than likely sell out before kickoff. An estimated 8,000 Bobcats, more than 5,000 Tech fans and about 15,000 Texas State fans are expected to turn out for the game. Just two years ago, one of Bobcat Stadium’s most exciting traditions was getting the trains to blow their horns as they passed across the nearby railroad tracks. Hopefully, students will start a new tradition by demonstrating pride in the team and sticking around at the games regardless of the score. In the past, many students only attended tailgate or were bored by halftime and decided to spend their day elsewhere. But the excitement is here now. The Tech game is the biggest athletic event in the history of Texas State athletics and students should stay and support this
group of players, this team and this movement. Ray Rotto, voter for the AP from the Bay Area in California, voted Texas State’s football program as 16th in the nation. He cited that the Bobcats’ significant win over the Cougars was the most unforeseen of all the other upsets that happened in college football’s opening week. Students should take note that even AP writers are jumping on the Bobcat bandwagon. Sometimes, people are criticized for hopping on a team’s bandwagon when they start to gain national recognition. But in this case, the Bobcats need a bandwagon, and they have never really had one. So go ahead students, hop on.
By Jose R. Gonzalez Opinions Columnist
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t is an exciting time for students and San Marcos residents alike, with presidential and city elections on the horizon. Four years ago, eligible citizens had the chance to make a difference by electing our current president into office. Today, those of us who have recently come of voting age have a chance to do the same. Many are not sure whether they want to participate at all, while some young adults are thrilled by this opportunity. The presidential election provides a fantastic opportunity for voters to make their mark on our government. However, many students feel apprehensive about participating in electoral activities because they do not believe they can make a difference. Every contribution is important, even if it may be hard to see the value of one vote among millions. Being politically informed at every level of government is an important duty of all U.S. residents. Beside national elections, there are also important elections close to home. Informed San Marcos residents with an eye on city politics would know the office for mayor is up for grabs, as well as city council places 5 and 6. These elections are just as important to participate in as the national ones are. By voting in a city election, you are influencing the way San Marcos handles alcoholic beverage bans on the river, bar closing times or even interactions with Texas State. Staying informed on the people who run the city is one of the most important things students can do, aside from succeeding in school. If Bobcat voices are not heard alongside other residents, students will never be able to make a significant impact on city policies or government. By staying informed and proactively working together to make a change or help stop an ordinance from passing, you are making a difference in both your life and others. Keeping up-to-date on political and electoral issues is one of the best things you can do for yourself as an election nears. Presidential elections only come every four years, and city elections take place every two years. Both elections are important events for college students to participate in. Students can always vote in the Associated Student Government elections to have their voices heard, if casting a ballot in a major election seems too daunting at first. Attend a debate, join in a rally and cast your ballot for student body president — whatever it is, get involved. Stay informed and never miss the chance to exercise your ability to vote, because it is by far one of the most valuable rights we have in America today.
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 University-San Marcos.
Obama’s Sewell Park promises not kept
Make a difference: Vote!
By Alex Pernice Opinions Columnist
Sarah Poehler-Jones, Star Illustrator
ver the past four years, President Obama has achieved little-to-nothing of substance with policies and programs for recent college graduates. This lack of positive change leaves very little hope for current Texas State students about their postgraduation prospects. Obama’s Feb. 27, 2008 address at Sewell Park has become a stale speech composed of empty promises and hollow rhetoric. “I am confident in my ability to lead this country in a new direction,” Obama said as he spoke to an audience of over 10,000 at Sewell Park. The “new direction” Obama ended up leading America toward is likely not the one he or many of his supporters had originally imagined. One of the most inspiring themes Obama touched upon during his Sewell Park speech was lifted from famous Martin Luther King quotes regarding the urgency of now. In response to criticism that he was too young or too inexperienced to be president, Obama used this theme of “urgency” to explain his run. Obama’s lack of executive experience and legislative accomplishment prior to the election has likely contributed to his generally dismal performance
as president. The original sentiment of “urgency” has been replaced with the sobering realization that Obama’s election was indeed a hasty decision. According to a Rutgers University study released in May, almost half of college graduates from the last five years are either unemployed or underemployed. This is a clear rebuke of Obama’s ineffective jobs policy due to his limited pre-election experience. In his Sewell Park speech, Obama spoke about running for president to “create a safety net” for Americans. However, the Congressional Budget Office released estimates in July displaying data from 2013 through 2022. Among the data was the fact that Obama’s Affordable Care Act will cut $715 billion from the most relied upon safety net of all: Medicare. Former president Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare program into law to ensure benefits for senior citizens. Now, Obama is slashing Medicare to help fund the ACA. According to a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted between August 24 and 25, 51 percent of people favor repealing the ACA. At Sewell Park, Obama declared that lobbyists would “not run” his White House. According to a May 20 article from the Washington Post, lobbyists are actually “a regular presence” at the Obama White House.
The same article also reported that senior officials in the Obama administration were granting White House visitation to the “most influential representatives” of Washington’s lobbying industry. Obama discussed how he “wanted a politics that wasn’t about tearing each other down but was about lifting the country up.” This is perhaps the area where Obama has disappointed those who cheered him on the most. According to a July 28 article from the New York Times, Obama’s re-election campaign has broadcast negative commercials 118,775 times compared with 56,128 times for positive commercials. One Obama television ad titled “Makes You Wonder” has a voice-over outrageously questioning whether the president’s Republican opponent has evaded paying his taxes. Hope and change have sadly been replaced with fear and resentment. Obama’s Sewell Park campaign rally was titled “Stand for Change,” and many Texas State students stood for change in 2008. Perhaps Bobcats will not merely stand, but go to the polls and elect a new president in November. By casting a different ballot, students can help implement genuinely effective change for both their personal futures and the country as a whole.
Lara Shine, University Star
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