D ISCUSSING THE TRUTH A discourse on The Da Vinci Code stirs
WRECKIN’ TIME
up questions on religion, art and truth in the best-selling novel
The defending Residence Hall champs take their game to new heights for the start of flag football
SEE TRENDS PAGE 5
SEE SPORTS PAGE 10
WWW.UNIVERSITYSTAR.COM
SEPTEMBER 7, 2006
THURSDAY
VOLUME 96, ISSUE 7
Local elections heating up; mayor, city council Place 5 running unopposed By A.N. Hernández The University Star For the first time in more than 20 years, a San Marcos mayoral race is uncontested. Mayor Susan Narvaiz will serve her second two-year term unless a write-in candidate gains enough momentum to win the Nov. 7 general election. “I feel very humble and renewed that what people see at city hall, they like,” Narvaiz said.
Narvaiz said she and the council will continue to “expand healthcare opportunities for employment throughout the city” because these jobs pay better, create more job opportunities and promote economic growth for the city. She mentioned prospects for economic growth along Interstate 35, citing the expansion of the outlet malls and manufacturing companies, including CFAN and Genlyte. Narvaiz said
terim city clerk, said candidates filing and withdrawing on the last day of a city election is “normal.” In the Place 5 race, incumbent John Diaz withdrew, leaving boutique-owner Pam Couch running unopposed. Couch, 53, has lived in San Marcos for 15 years and owns Two P’s Boutique and Calli’s … A Sassy Boutique. “I am absolutely excited about the opportunity to help the
council make positive steps toward bettering the relationship between the city of San Marcos and the university,” she said. “I see the current council’s progress and I can’t wait to be a part of the team to make San Marcos the best place to live, work and play.” Ryan Thomason, a 28-yearold homebuilder and real-estate broker, withdrew from Place 1 and refiled for Place 6 to run against incumbent John Thom-
aides. Thomaides, 40, has lived in San Marcos for more than 13 years. He is focused on bringing new jobs and new homeowners to the city while lessening transportation problems for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. “When I ran in 2003, there were key things I pledged to work on if elected,” Thomaides said. See ELECTIONS, page 3
Texas State weighs in on Plan B availability
Financial aid in danger for those with drug convictions
By Eloise Martin The University Star
By Georgia Fisher The University Star Chris Lippke had reviewed the financial aid policy before completing his FAFSA application for his freshman year. But when he was charged with a misdemeanor for possession of marijuana in 2003, Lippke was forced to drop all classes and take a year’s leave from school. “I wasn’t fully aware what it all meant,” he said. “I’d looked through the rulebook and was aware of a zero-tolerance policy, but didn’t know the fine print,” he said. “The classes were gone, the money for that semester was gone — and it all had to come out-of-pocket.” A freshman when convicted, Lippke said he was in the process of recovering from a shaky first start with his grades. “I’d gone to Texas State my first semester and in my second was trying to change things, to make them better. But then I got kicked out of school and lost tuition money, which made it even worse,” he said. Lippke, jazz studies senior, experienced repercussions of a provision of the Higher Education Act, which revokes financial aid funding in the event of a drug conviction. The provision was reformed in 2005 to allow a time-buffer, which bypasses students with past convictions. But the law still punishes applicants twice for the same offense and few students are aware of it, said Tom Angell, Students for a Sensible Drug Policy campaign manager. SSDP, a drug policy organization, was established in 1998, the same year the amendment was enacted. The organization recently filed suit alongside the American Civil Liberties Union, citing unconstitutionality, claiming the aid policy is discriminatory and hurts competent students in need. Angell said ignorance adds to the law’s irony. “Members of congress who support this penalty say it’s a deterrent to drug use,” he said. “Yet most college students have no idea the policy exists, and how can it be an effective deterrent if no one knows about it?” In addition to being ineffective, Angell said the policy also discriminates against lower-income families. “It only affects the students who rely on financial aid; students from rich families can afford to pay for their own education, as well a good lawyer,” Angell said. “There’s a class element to the impact this law has.” Angell said the policy takes a racial angle. “It’s interesting if you look at the numbers; African-Americans comprise about 13% of the population (on a college campus). However, if you look at arrest statistics, AfricanAmericans make up about 55 to 60 percent of those convicted,” he said. “Due to racial profiling, they’re being arrested more than everyone else and as a result losing financial aid at a disproportionate rate.” Harold Whitis, associate director of financial aid at Texas State, said he agrees with the policy’s less-strict amendment and education itself is what steers people away from bad behavior. “I like the way it’s been amended to allow the suspension to lapse; part of financial aid is fostering productive members of society,” Whitis said. “Financial aid is designed to allow See FAFSA, page 4
the upcoming hotel convention center will “make San Marcos more of a destination city.” The general election includes voting for Place 5 and Place 6 on the San Marcos City Council. A special election has also been called to fill the unexpired Place 1 term opened in light of Ed Mihalkanin’s recent resignation. During the last days of the filing period, which ended at 5 p.m. on Friday, candidates shuffled around. Shelly Goodwin, in-
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Aug. 24 that the controversial emergency contraceptive pill known as the Morning-After Pill, or Plan B, has been approved for over-the-counter sales to those 18 years or older without a prescription. The approval comes seven years after the initial approval of the medication by prescription only and in 2004 it was rejected for over-the-counter sales for all ages. The FDA previously said there was not enough information to show it was safe for girls 16 and younger. Dr. Emilio Carranco, Jr., Texas State Student Health Center director, has mixed emotions about the upcoming change. “My personal view is that first, Plan B is an important option. The government has finally approved making safe medication available to women who don’t want to be pregnant,” he said. “But I also believe in the value of having a medical professional available to answer questions and give counseling.” Carranco described Plan B as a “safe medication” because risks for other health problems do not increase with its use. “Birth control contains two hormones, estrogen and levonorgestrel, which when used together may increase the symptoms of already-existing health problems, or make the user more susceptible to new ones,” Carranco said. “Plan B only contains levonorgestrel and lacks the estrogen hormone present in birth control.” Plan B contains two pills, each with .75 mg of levonorgestrel, taken within 12 hours of one other. The first should be taken within 72 hours of sex. Plan B does not stop the development process of a fertilized ovum; it never allows the egg to reach the developmental stage. Instead, it can prevent an ovum from being fertilized, slow down travel-time of the fertilized ovum through the woman’s fallopian tube or prohibit the fertilized ovum from attaching to the uterus where it would develop into a fetus. If the pill is taken after the fertilized ovum has already attached to the uterus, the medication will not have any effect and the fetus will develop. The health center already offers the emergency contraceptive, but with a prescription that
Monty Marion/Star photo MORE OPTIONS: The Plan B pill, recently approved by the FDA for over the counter sales can be a last resort for women who want to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. Previously available by prescription only, the pill’s new status will make it available to anyone 18 and over with an ID.
is not written until the patient has had a counseling session with a doctor. “Some women look for the pill because of sexual assault, some because their contraception has failed and some just didn’t plan. Depending on the reason, they get different counseling,” Carranco said. Carranco said the absence of a required counseling session is what will be missed most by physicians when the pill moves to over-the-counter status. It will be so missed, in fact, the FDA made adding additional information to the packaging of Plan B a requirement before it can be sold without a prescription. “The information will not only be about physical side-effects, but also comprehensive information, I would imagine,” Carranco said. “Information that it does not protect against sexually transmitted infections and what to do if you are taking it as the result of a sexual assault. I think they will probably provide a 1-800 number for questions and answers too.” But Carranco is not convinced new packaging and information will be a suitable replacement for the question-and-answer See PLAN B, page 4
Convention center will benefit commerce, university By Nick Georgiou The University Star With thousands of young people flocking to the river and popular outlet malls, the tourism industry in San Marcos will soon be attracting a new demographic — the suit-and-tie business crowd. The city will be building a $20 million-plus conference center with a $40-50 million Embassy
Suites hotel attached. It will be built along Interstate 35, just a mile from the outlet malls. “We feel like we will be addressing a need that San Marcos has had, which has been welldocumented by the Chamber of Commerce, for meeting space,” said Mayor Susan Narvaiz. “We see great things as we break ground on that conference center and hotel.” The 77,000-square-foot con-
Today’s Weather
Sunny 93˚/67˚
Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 56% UV: 0 Low Wind: N 4 mph
vention center will have capacity for 1,000 people. With the large meeting space, Narvaiz said, corporations, university departments, businesses and even high school proms will no longer have to travel to San Antonio or Austin to host their events. “We have several companies that are headquartered here that in the past have had to have their annual meetings or banquets out of town because we haven’t had
Two-day Forecast Friday Partly Cloudy Temp: 95°/ 70° Precipitation: 0%
Saturday Partly Cloudy Temp: 97°/ 71° Precipitation: 30%
a facility that was large enough for these gatherings,” Narvaiz said. “That’ll not be the same after we get this hotel (and convention center) built.” City officials believe the convention center will be beneficial to the university. “Many of the departments within the (college) wish they could host conferences, but again
Artist renderings courtesy of city of San Marcos
See CENTER, page 3
Inside News ..............1-4 Trends ................ 5 Crossword ......... 6 Sudoku .............. 6
Comics .............. 6 Opinions ............ 7 Classifieds ......... 9 Sports .............. 10
To Contact Trinity Building Phone: (512) 245-3487 Fax: (512) 245-3708 www.UniversityStar.com © 2006 The University Star