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FOOTBALL FALL
TueSDAY
Volume 99, Issue 11
22
www.UniversityStar.com
The Bobcat football team drops to 1-1 after its loss to No. 15 Texas Christian. See full story page 8
Oh Rats!
Summer rodent invasion may force Commons to close forever By Amanda Venable Editor in Chief A rodent infestation caused Commons Dining Hall to close Friday — perhaps, for good. Bill Nance, vice president of Finance and Support Services, said officials are determining whether the space that holds the dining hall would be “better used as an educational service.” “With the space needs of the university, should we renovate it so that a dining hall goes back in there?” Nance asked. The infestation has forced university officials to speed up renovation plans set to begin next year to Commons Dining Hall. Nance said officials have not hired an architect or an engineer for the renovation project because of the premature closing. He said the Bobby Scheidemann/Star photo administration learned about BARREN DINING HALL: Not a single student can be found in Commons Dining Hall due to a rodent the rodent infestation in late problem which caused school officials to close Commons Friday. June.
Texas State alumnus killed in Afghanistan By Billy Crawford News Reporter Most Texas State graduates become professionals after college, but Darryn Andrews did more. He became a hero, according to family and friends. Alumnus and 2nd Lt. Darryn Andrews, 34, was killed in action Sept. 4 in Paktika province, Afghanistan. According to the Department of Defense, there have been 197 American soldiers killed in Afghanistan in 2009. Of those, 20 have been from Texas. Andrews and his unit were performing a routine patrol when the vehicle he and six other soldiers were riding in was struck by an improvised explosive device, said Sondra Andrews, Daryn’s mother. After the soldiers exited the vehicle to assess the damage, they came under small arms fire. A rocket-propelled grenade was launched at the men during the fire-fight. Andrews died pushing three other soldiers out of the way of the blast. “My son had his back turned and wasn’t looking the right way,” said Jenny Zavodny, mother of Staff Sgt. Jay Zavodny, one of the men Andrews saved. “Darryn must have seen the RPG coming, and he yelled ‘look out, Jay’, and then Jay said he pushed him out of the way.” A former member of the Texas State ROTC, Andrews was serving his second tour in the army. Andrews was assigned to 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, at Fort Richardson, Alaska. “As far as his participation
in the ROTC, he was extraordinary,” said Maj. Larry Berkhoff with the Texas State ROTC. “He wasn’t some wet-behind-theears college graduate. He was very mature.” Andrews’ final act of heroism was just one of the many testaments to his character, Sondra Andrews said. Anyone who knew him said he loved life, she said. He was friendly, polite and patriotic. He loved to skydive, and got thrills out of scuba diving in the Caribbean when there were sharks in his midst. He often shared his Christian faith with his fellow servicemen. “Jay called him a real upstanding guy,” Zavodny said. He was just getting to know him, but said (Andrews) was the most selfless man he’d ever met. Andrews maintained friendships and made it a point to try to meet with a group of high school friends each year to float the river and reminisce, Sondra Andrews said. “His signature was that he didn’t give you a handshake,” said Sondra Andrews. “He gave you a bear hug, and if you didn’t like it you had to manup and take it — and they were nice. He just loved life, and he loved his family.” While attending Yoe High School in Cameron, Andrews participated in athletics, One-Act Play and Voice of Democracy, and won a patriotic audio-essay contest three consecutive years, said Sondra Andrews. After graduting, Andrews see ‘ALUMNUS,’ page 3
“We decided to close it and attack the problem over the next coming months,” Nance said. “When you take their food source away they aren’t as prevalent, and we were trapping lots of them. By August we thought we had them under control, but it is obvious we did not.” The $7 million renovation of the dining hall is the last of four phases to restore the Commons Complex, part of the Texas State University System Board of Regents’ Capital Improvement Plan. Nance said the rodents likely gained access to the building through utility ways. There have been no reports of rats in the surrounding dorms. The close shifted some employees working at Commons to other dining halls on campus while others have resigned. “Commons has some of our longest standing employees,” said John Root, director of Aux-
Bobcat Tram riders can expect improvements in shuttle congestion with a new realtime passenger information system set to be available by next fall. Paul Hamilton, Shuttle Services manager, spoke to the ASG Senate Monday following students’ concern of Tram congestion. The system will make any delays available to passengers in real-time online. “The hardware will be in-
stalled this fall,” Hamilton said. “We will be testing it out this winter, and hopefully it will be deployed so everyone has access to the information by late-spring to next fall at the latest.” Hamilton said passengers need to be smart when choosing travel times. “We have to rely on planning,” Hamilton said. “Our bus system is pretty much at its upper tolerance in providing service during peak travel times.” Passengers in waiting will be able to access an approxi-
see ‘RODENTS,’ page 3
Today’s Weather
81°/65° Thunderstorms Precipitation: 80% Humidity: 73% UV: 7 High Wind: NW 15 mph
Wednesday
David Schmidt/ Star Photo GRAFFITI CLEAN-UP: City officials intend to exterminate all graffiti art painted on buildings in San Marcos.
Public forum brings concerns about the graffiti ordinance By Megan Holt News Reporter City officials are trying to reduce the amount of graffiti with its Keep San Marcos Beautiful campaign, but are being met with opposition. Graffiti artists and local residents went before the San Marcos Recreation Commission Board Monday evening. “I would like to help (the board) in your efforts to understand what’s beautiful,” said Robert Ratliff, graffiti artist and studio art senior. “Creativity is like water. If you don’t give it a vessel to flow into, it will flow all over the city.” A proposed amendment to the city code making posses-
mate arrival time based on average speed at which that bus will travel, when the next three buses are coming, Hamilton said. ASG Senator Francesca Flores, international studies senior, said she was concerned with delays caused by stoplight timings and railroad crossings. Hamilton said the shuttle system has connections within the city and the problem is being examined. “There has been a long-proposed request to TxDOT by the city to put a permanent cross-
Few Showers Temp: 78°/67° Precip: 20%
Thursday Scattered Thunderstorms Temp: 83°/67° Precip: 50%
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
News…....1-3 GPA calculations catch Faculty Senate attention ers and chalk may be subject Veterans pay tribute on Remembrance Day to legal punishment.
David Schmidt/ Star Photo
sion of graffiti implements illegal in certain situations has been brought before the City Council. Items such as aerosol paint containers, felt tip mark-
“(This ordinance) makes me think I will get arrested for carrying some of these things with me,” said Jose Morales, pre-communication design senior and graffiti artist. “Some of these supplies, like Sharpies, are things we are asked to have for classes.” Andy Quittner, San Marcos assistant city attorney, said the purpose of the ordinance is to prevent graffiti. “What people don’t undersee ‘GRAFFITI,’ page 3
Real-time passenger information system to aid tram riders Bianca Davis News Reporter
iliary Services. “We have been able to place, I believe, everyone. We have some people who were new this semester and opted to resign. We have some people in Commons who have been there 20-plus years, in the same location.” Root estimates the earliest Commons Dining Hall could open will be the spring semester. Commons served around 7,800 meals weekly — 16 percent of all the dining halls combined. Root said the closed dining hall has made serving lunch challenging. “At lunch, there was a spread between (people eating at) The Den and students going to Jones and The Lair at the LBJ Student Center,” Root said. “Harris saw a little spike
ing above the railroad tracks at Aquarena Springs,” Hamilton said. The real-time passenger information system would make delays caused by train crossings visible via GPS tracking on the Web or cell phone. “If you were watching on the Web, you would literally see dots start stacking up at the railroad tracks on the map,” Hamilton said. The system is intended to give people the information to make their transportation decisions, he said. Hamilton said the final stage
in the installation of the passenger-information system will be a marquee telling passengers of bus arrival times at the stops. Senate pro-tempore Ariana Vargas, interdisciplinary studies senior, said students worry about waiting if they miss the bus. “I feel like sometimes you see people cutting across the bus loops because they’re afraid the busses are going to leave,” Vargas said. “Because see ‘TRAM,’ page 3
Opinions….4 MAIN POINT: Constituent Contests Constitution Letters to the Editor Trends……...6 Buda storeowner enjoys ‘history’ of sellable antiques Bobcat Blend is more than trend Boys, Girls Clubs host ‘Day for Kids’ Classifieds…7 Diversions…7 Sports……….8 Division decision: Horned Frogs squash Bobcats Bobcats celebrate two SMU tournament wins Bobcats overpower Tigers early in Friday game