10 01 2009

Page 1

Defending the First Amendment since 1911

INSIDE THIS ISSUE News……...pages 1-7 Honor Code Council includes students, faculty senate for policy revision

Volume 99, Issue 16

01

THURSDAY

OCT

www.UniversityStar.com

web extra

Vote in 21 categories for San Marcos’ finest See the Video Online at www.universitystar.com

Dining halls take initiative to be ‘green’

locally. The next day, the “Dinein-the-Dark” program started, which turns out the lights in Revisions to the University College dining halls are be- Harris Hall during the day to Honor Code could be coming more eco-friendly conserve energy. underway. with the growing concern over “This allows students to protecting the environment. come in and eat without Texas State officials, whose the lights on, and that saves Students voice dining facilities are managed on electricity,” Bulkley said. grievances to ASG at The by Chartwells Dining, are “Overall, the university is very stepping up efforts to keep energy conscious.” Stallions pace with schools across the Texas State dining services Not many people want nation. is using bio-degradable cups to hear complaints, but Leslie Bulkley, resident dis- and salad containers, replacAssociated Student trict manager at Texas State, ing old kitchen appliances Government senators do. said the university featured with energy-saving models a menu Sept. 23 filled with as well as recycling trash and Ideas to be proposed produce that was purchased kitchen oil that is processed at City Council to help and converted into bio-fuels. One of the eco-friendly efveterans forts has drawn interest from other universities in the state, Opinions pages 9-10 as officials from the UniverColumnist misses point of sity of Texas visited the dining H1N1 coverage halls last spring to evaluate how removing trays saved on water. Additionally, Texas Disappointed Devil’s pulled trays from several of its advocate facilities this fall. Bobcat Blend is another program that aids the environMAIN POINT: Coughing ment. Started this semester by up for classes Jason Sanders, graduate student, Bobcat Blend takes food waste from students’ plates Trends....pages 11-13 and turns it into organic compost that is used on campus. Fashion is self-expression Ben Rondeau/ Star photo “We’re diverting waste from When it comes to choosing between a meal and a pair of Bed Stu boots from Urban Outfitters, Ky Stevens, English junior, makes what is, to him, the obvious choice.

Texas State alumni open eco-friendly T-shirt printing shop

When someone walks into Under Pressure screen print shop, they will find the exact opposite of what they might expect.

Classifieds…..page 14 Diversions…..page 14 Sports....pages 15-16 Bobcats soon to enter Thunderbird territory

The Texas State Bobcats will travel north Saturday to face-off against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds.

Today’s Weather

90°/70° Cloudy Precipitation: 20% Humidity: 69% UV: 6 High Wind: SSW 14 mph

Friday

Partly Cloudy Temp: 80°/60° Precip: 40%

Saturday Isolated T-Storms Temp: 81°/67° Precip: 30%

By Billy Crawford News Reporter

See the Photos Online at www.universitystar.com

Ben Rondeau/ Star photo GOING GREEN: Harris Dining Hall is encouraging students to not use dinner trays when ordering food in order to cut down on water and energy used in cleaning.

landfills,” Sanders said. “This helps reduce our carbon footprint and educate students about how their waste can be

Undercover police officers keep watchful eye on fake ID usage By Clay Thorp News Reporter Students who use false identification to purchase alcohol may rethink their willingness to break the law. With the recent extension of drinking hours in bars and pool halls across San Marcos, local law enforcement agencies are beginning to strenghten enforcement of underage drinking laws, particularly those pertaining to fake IDs. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC), in correlation with the San Marcos Police and University Police Departments, have begun a campaign to curb underage consumption and purchase of alcohol in San Marcos. “We have a lot of law enforcement organizations working with us on ‘Cops in Shops’ and ‘Operation Fake Out,’” said Lt. Jimmy Zuehlke of the TABC in Austin. Officers engaging in “Cops

in Shops” will be undercover in a local convenience store or in the parking lot. If a youngappearing person tries to buy alcohol with a fake ID, or has alcohol in the car, that officer would write that individual a ticket. After 11 p.m., officers begin “Operation Fake Out” which involves posting an officer in civilian clothes inside a bar or next to the door-man. The officer will carry a license reader, which can access an individual’s information at the state level, including date of birth. Officers will be able to identify those individuals who have warrants out for their arrest. “When I go speak at schools, 99 percent of these students raise their hand when I ask them if they have a fake ID or know someone who does,” said Lt. Zuehlke. A Texas State student and frequent patron of bars on The Square and at 6th Street said she continues to use her fake

ID despite the risks. The student, who declined to be identified for fear of repercussions from law enforcement, said she memorized all the information on the ID. “I can recite my driver’s license number, address and date of birth with my eyes closed,” she said. Possession of alcohol by a minor and misrepresentation of age by a minor are both Class C misdemeanors, according to the Alcoholic Beverage Code. For the first offense, a minor must take an alcohol awareness class, engage in 8 to 12 hours of court-approved community service and will have their license suspended for 30 days. For the second offense, the minor must take an alcohol awareness class (at the judge’s see ‘UNDERAGE,’ page 6

a resource.” All of the work is done on campus. Sanders often stands by the waste bin — which he’s

dubbed as an “eco-station” — and wears a referee shirt while

By Kosaku Narioka News Reporter

the university will spend $5.3 million for performance-based raises for the faculty and staff, not including those in auxiliary and fee-funded components of the university. The university set a pool equivalent to a 3 percent of all faculty and staff salaries for the raises. “On the expenditure side, the single biggest (increase) that we make each year is for our merit pool,” she said. Nance said it costs another $1.6 million to cover the 3 percent merit pool for auxiliary staffs. Meanwhile, the board authorized the presidential salaries for fiscal year 2010. Trauth will receive $354,486, according to the board book for the August meeting, a 6.7 percent increase from last year. Part of the salary is a performance-based incentive funding. She will receive

see ‘GREEN,’ page 6

Board approves Texas State’s 2010 budget This year, the university’s income will rise to about $415.7 million while the budget requirement is estimated to reach about $364.6 million. Bill Nance, vice president for finance and support services, said the difference will be transferred to retirement of indebtedness and plant funds. The Board of Regents approved Texas State’s operating budgets for fiscal year 2010 at its regular meeting late August at Sul Ross State University in Alpine. The meeting was taped. Compared to last year’s budget, the general revenue appropriation from the state will increase 6 percent, or $5.2 million to about $92.3 million. Revenue from tuition and fees will increase 3.9 percent, or about $1.6 million, to about $43.7 million. University President Denise Trauth said at the meeting

see ‘BUDGET,’ page 6

Unheeded construction warnings cause concern By Christine Mester News Reporter Students have been walking through construction zones on campus and causing safety concerns for university officials. In accordance with the Campus Master Plan, construction sites have been posing an inconvenience to students, faculty and staff. Three active construction sites are on campus and construction to increase parking near Tomas Rivera Drive will begin soon, said Michael Petty, assistant director for facilities planning, design and construction. Petty said there have already been problems this semester with students, faculty and staff entering construction zones. “We had a project that had a fence around it and you actually had to move the fence apart to get in there and an instructor had a class inside the fenced area. They were all sitting down and the instructor was talkStacie Andrews/Star photo ing to them,” Petty said. “It was an obvious construction site. CONSTRUCTION: Students, faculty and staff are supposed to walk around the construction site out side There were signs up that said of JCM to get to class. Officials said people walk through construction zones daily. hard-hat area only and they

were in there. Our construction manager was just baffled.” Petty said entering a construction site without proper protection can be dangerous. “The problem with construction zones is an accident can happen so quickly. It’s a dangerous place to be,” Petty said. “There is usually a lot of activity going on and you just can’t see everything and everybody can’t see you. Anything could happen. It’s not a safe environment and we don’t want students crossing the fences.” Petty said there have been no student, faculty or staff injuries inside a construction zone this year and the Texas State community is notified in advance of construction projects taking place around campus. “Whenever we are in the zone of pedestrians or traffic we issue what we call a shut down notification,” Petty said. “If we have to shut down a building or shut down a road we issue a notification in advance of that activity see ‘CONSTRUCTION,’ page 6


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
10 01 2009 by The University Star - Issuu