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SEPTEMBER 20, 2007
THURSDAY
VOLUME 97, ISSUE 9
Human Resources admits error, ends faculty drug-testing scandal By Scott Thomas News Reporter A misunderstanding between human resources and faculty regarding an out-of-date policy and procedures statement, which might have subjected faculty and staff to random drug testing, was the topic of discussion Wednesday at Faculty Senate. John McBride, director of human resources, addressed the senate and presented the updated policy stating faculty would be exempt from any random drug testing. The Faculty Senate obtained
an outdated policy because of an error in the human resources department, McBride said. The statement was modified July 6 to state only staff would be subject to random drug testing at the discretion of a trained supervisor. The revised version further states Provost Perry Moore would handle any issues of faculty and drug or alcohol abuse affecting their performance. “Let me apologize for sending out the wrong PPS, it was an error in our office,” McBride said. The current version of the policy and procedures statement is not yet in place and still subject
to change. “We’ll continue to revise until everyone gets a chance or shot to look at it,” McBride said. “It’s such a big place, all those eyes will help catch those little things.” McBride said a policy for the faculty drug policy could be made separate from the staff’s to avoid confusion in the future. “We had some people say, ‘can we have one place for drugs and alcohol policies,’” McBride said. “However, we don’t want it if it causes confusion.” In an e-mail addressed to William Stone, criminal justice professor and Faculty Senate chair,
William Nance, vice president of finance and support services and Moore, the changes were made after comments were received from University Attorney William Fly and the Faculty Senate. According to the minutes from the July 26 meeting of the Faculty Senate, Fly said the previous form of the policy was unconstitutional unless some provision is made to require evidence of need for the test to be administered. Though it was known the faculty was not subject to random testing, the statement was still questioned by the Faculty Senate.
CREEPY CRAWLERS
“I find what you’re saying to be more agreeable,” said Faculty Sen. Shirley Ogletree, psychology professor. “But I think the staff would like for us to look out for their welfare as well.” Faculty Sen. David Wiley, health, physical education and recreation professor, said the quality of the drug tests administered to staff could be an issue. “It doesn’t say we have to run an expensive test,” Wiley said. “It’s like pregnancy test, it leans towards a false positive assuming you’ll get a secondary test.” McBride said no faculty at Texas State he knows of has
ever been fired because of drug or alcohol use. “I’ve had a lot of calls where someone tells me, ‘I think someone’s drunk on the job,’” McBride said. “Right now we have no policy for that.” McBride said background checks are run on staff hired by the university, and gave examples of people almost hired who had committed frequent assaults and another man who was a twotime convicted murderer. “If you’ve been convicted of a felony within a certain amount of time or a convicted drug user, you’re out,” McBride said.
City Council discusses Sagewood Circle complaints By Philip Hadley News Reporter
Monty Marion/Star photo Crickets gather outside the Wells Fargo ATM at the corner of University Drive and north Edward G. Gary Street Wednesday night. The infestation has concentrated on the east side of campus, particularly in the Old Main and Hines Academic Center area. For the full story, see NEWS, page 3.
San Marcos City Council continued discussion on a solution for Sagewood Circle at Tuesday’s meeting. The council hoped to arrive at a plan to alleviate problems associated with a heavy student population concentrated around the Sagewood Trail duplex development. A large volume of complaints centering on noise, traffic and excessive trash has long plagued the neighborhood. Sagewood Trail, a multi-family zoned complex, is located in a single-family neighborhood. The meeting began with statements from City Council member Chris Jones who said all residents of San Marcos must be included in determining a solution to the issues surrounding Sagewood Circle. “It is important that people understand that students are citizens of San Marcos too,” Jones said. “They pay property taxes included
in their rent and they contribute to our community.” The council reached a general consensus that a long-term solution is needed in order to prevent more severe problems in Sagewood and other areas within the city. “It is important that we are not still discussing this issue next year,” said Councilman John Thomaides. “We need a long-term plan that is effective and we need it implemented as quickly as possible.” The council moved to bring discussion of a proposed rental property permitting system to the top of the agenda. City Marshal Ken Bell led the discussion of a proposed long-term, five-year plan that would require owners of rental properties, used for commercial purposes, to obtain a license for each rental unit. “This plan would ensure the health and safety of the rental occupants and ensure minimum standards and equitable enforcement See SAGEWOOD, page 4
Residence life director apologizes for Burleson Hall at RHA meeting By Stephanie Kusy-Wilson News Reporter The Resident Hall Association held its first meeting Wednesday by welcoming new members and addressing conflicts that have arisen since the beginning of the semester. One of the major concerns came from a female resident living in Burleson Hall, which unexpectedly changed from an all-female dorm to accommodating male students without notifying the female residents living there. “Right now it’s not a bad thing, but we
can see problems arising,” said Lisa Alvarado, industrial technology sophmore. She was concerned because she felt safer living there with only women, and she said the men caused more of a mess than their female counterparts. The resident said she wished the women of Burleson Hall would have been notified of the change before moving in instead of suddenly discovering men were allowed to live there. Roseanne Proit, director of residence life, apologized to the female student for the confusion and took full responsibility for not informing the residents of Burleson Hall of the sudden change.
She said it happened because many male students applied late and there was extra space in Burleson to accommodate them. Proit informed those in attendance Burleson Hall will return to an all-female hall next year. Tommy Luna, Resident Hall Association president, said the organization will grow this year and collaborate with other campus organizations such as Associated Student Government and Student Association for Campus Activities. “We will do things for our residents, so they are thoroughly enjoying their time here,” Luna said. “This year, we have a lot to do because we are trying
to put ourselves out there.” Luna plans to focus more on pride and tradition this year. He said the association will help students get involved with sporting events like football and basketball. Bryan Miller, director of marketing and promotions for the athletic department, said he plans to work with the association to get residents to attend sporting events and show their pride for Texas State. Miller pushed for ideas like having students wear maroon and gold to televised games this year. Lauren Miller, pride and traditions coordinator for Student Association for
Campus Activities, was a guest speaker as well. The pre-mass communication junior informed the members on upcoming events such as Homecoming, where Honeybrowne will be performing before the football game. Miller said she looks forward to the annual tradition of window painting the halls and pushed for the members to spread the word to freshmen. Maggie Pryor, president of Butler Hall, thought the meeting was informative and helpful. “We have been more focused on our halls, said Pryor, management freshman. “Now we have a sense of what is going on in others. It’s an eye opener.”
Acclaimed Hispanic activist will speak about Chicano Movement By Jackie Baylon News Reporter
Courtesy of University of Texas at Arlington Public Affairs Jose Angel Gutiérrez will be the keynote speaker for
Hispanic Heritage Month at Texas State Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the LBJ Student Center Ballroom.
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In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Jose Angel Gutiérrez, an attorney and a political science professor at the University of Texas-Arlington, will be visiting Texas State’s LBJ Student Center Tuesday. Gutierrez will be speaking in two different sessions about the Chicano Movement and how students can become activists in the institution and community. Stella Silva, associate director of the Multicultural Student Affair’s Office, said Gutiérrez will have a positive influence on students. “As an attorney and professor, he is going to provide the students with an opportunity to learn about his leadership and experiences in the Chicano movement,” Silva said. “He will have a positive impact and encourage students
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to incorporate into their college, and he will also provide a voice for Hispanics students.” During the mid-1960s through the Chicano Movement and to the present time, Gutiérrez was lead organizer, founder and co-founder of several organizations. He was a founding member of the Mexican American Youth Organization in San Antonio in 1967. And he was a founding member and former president of La Raza Unida Party, a Mexican-American third party movement that supported candidates for office in Texas, California and other areas of the Southwestern and Midwestern U.S. Ricardo Zavala, political science senior has looked up to Gutiérrez since he was a little boy. “(Gutiérrez) has had a big impact in my life,” Zavala said. “He was one of the starters of the Chicano Movement and I have always looked up to
him from a young age and admired his leadership. He is huge motivation for me to better myself.” Zavala said his grandfather worked with Gutiérrez back in the 1960s and his father grew up in one of the cities where the Chicano Movement started. Zavala said he is happy to finally meet someone he has heard and learned so much about. “I am very excited to be able to meet him,” Zavala said. “It is kind of like meeting Davy Crockett. He is someone I grew up knowing so much about, looking up to and learning about.” Gutiérrez has received many honors including being named as one of the “100 Outstanding Latino Texans of the 20th Century” by Latino Monthly. He received the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education in June 1995 and
the National Council of La Raza’s Chicano Hero Award in 1994. Gutiérrez founded the Center for Mexican American Studies at the UTA in 1994. He served as its director until December 1996, at which during that time, he became the special advisor to the president of the university until December 1998. Gutiérrez’s first session will be a VIP leadership dinner for students in different organizations from 5 to 7 p.m. in the LBJ Student Center Ballroom. The second session from 7 to 9 p.m. will be open to the public. He will speak from personal experiences of issues concerning disparity within underrepresented populations. “He has been very successful because he is not afraid to say what he believes is the truth,” Silva said. “He has made a difference for Hispanics and he will motivate students at Texas State.”
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