10 05 2005

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TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS

www.UNIVERSITYSTAR.com

OCTOBER 5, 2005

Free massages, salsa and yoga lessons offered at Stress Fair

WEDNESDAY

VOLUME 95, ISSUE 17

One in a million ...

By Anna Heffley Special to The Star The Counseling Center is hosting its first Stress Fair and Symposium today and Thursday, where students can not only learn about stress, its effects and causes, but also get a free massage and salsa lesson. The fair will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the LBJ Student Center Ballroom. There will be booths from health, physical education and recreation department for yoga and fitness, the Counseling Center, the Student Health Center, Outdoor Recreation, Triniti Fashions and more. There will also be free massages, a free yoga class and free salsa dance lessons. The fair will offer information on services related to stress and stress management, such as types of stress, effects of stress, symptoms of burnout and stress prevention, said Blanca Sanchez-Navarro, supervising counselor. The Stress Symposium will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday in the LBJSC, giving students an opportunity to learn about stress from a variety of perspectives. Some of the presentations include “Stressed Out and Fed Up: How Stress Affects Eating”; “Career Stress, Choosing a Living While Making a Life”; and “Stress and Alcohol: Is It Really “Happy” Hour?” A complete list of presentations, locations and times are available on the Counseling Center Web site available at www.counseling.txstate. edu/intro.html. But fair and symposium are only a part of the services the Counseling Center provides. The Counseling Center has been serving the students of Texas State for more than 45 years by offering a variety of services including individual counseling, group counseling and support groups. “Group therapy and support groups are effective because people in them learn they’re not alone,” said Gregory Snodgrass, director of the Counseling Center. The benefits are similar, but a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous, does not have to have a counselor facilitating the group. People struggling with similar issues help and support each other, Snodgrass said. Group therapy always has a facilitator and they make progress as they would in individual counseling. The counselors believe there are many advantages to group counseling and support groups. “With group therapy, you’re walking into a situation where the people in the group are there for the same reason you are. You won’t have to hope somebody will ‘get’ you,” Sanchez-Navarro said. If a student would like to join a group, he or she can call the Counseling Center. The group facilitator will call them back to set up a short screening at the Counseling Center. New groups begin every semester and remain open for the first two sessions. The groups being offered this semester include The Sexual Assault and Abuse Survivors Group, which will meet from 5 to 6:15 p.m. on Mondays. Lynette Eilers of the Hays Caldwell Women’s Center and Melanie Noble will be facilitating. See STRESS, page 3

Spencer Millsap/Star photo Bijan Afkami, a Texas State alumnus, spoke about courage and the importance of diversity Tuesday evening in the Alkek Teaching Theater.

Courage highlights “ultimate minority’s” talk in Alkek Teaching Theater By Suzann Torres News Reporter Bijan Afkami, an Iranian-American Christian, considers himself the ultimate minority and shared his story with Texas State students Tuesday night at the Alkek Teaching Theater as part of the Common Experience lecture series. Seth Worley, university advancement development officer, introduced Afkami to the audience with the story of how they met as Southwest Texas State University students in the 1970s.

“We had a very simple friendship, and Bijan was a very hard worker,” Worley said. Afkami began his lecture with the story of his childhood. He grew up in Iran as the third of five children. He said he used to live “in hell” and didn’t get attention growing up. When he was 16 years old, he, along with five others, was taken from school and arrested by the secret police. His home was searched, his room torn apart, and he didn’t see his parents for three days. After finding out that his crime was reading too many books, the family moved to the United States and settled in San Marcos.

Afkami stressed that “with privilege comes responsibility.” “I want to urge you to appreciate what you have,” Afkami said. He continued with the story of his experience as a student at Southwest Texas State. He worked as a delivery boy for Valentino’s Pizza, which was known as Pizza Plaza at the time. He worked hard, received raises and eventually took full responsibility for the business. In March 1981, he bought Pizza Plaza and quit school for the rest of that year. See COURAGE, page 3

Petition may allow San Marcos residents ACC in-district rates By Andi Beierman Special to The Star San Marcos residents could pay in-district rates at Austin Community College if a district annexing petition makes the county ballot in May 2006. The measure would amount to a student savings of more than $60 per credit hour, which adds up to more than $700 a semester for full-time students. As of the Fall 2004 semester, 633 San Marcos residents were enrolled at ACC campuses, accounting for almost 5 percent of the student popu-

lation. ACC is one of the biggest feeders for transfer students to Texas State and the annexing measure, as seen by some residents, is a positive step for both San Marcos and the university. The annexation would bring more educational opportunities to local students while helping to keep enrollment manageable at Texas State, said Stephen Kinslow, ACC president. “The big thing for the San Marcos community is that it clearly would expand the types of educational courses and programs being of-

fered,” Kinslow said. “As the university approaches maximum capacity it would create more opportunities for freshmen and sophomores.” Before fees, out-of-district students are currently paying $102 per credit hour while in-district students are paying $39 per credit hour. If the annexing measure passes, tuition costs would decrease but property taxes for San Marcos residents would increase by nine cents per $100 in property value — roughly $90 per year for a home valued at $100,000. The revenue from these taxes would help fund ACC programs, services and course offerings.

Higher taxes could make some residents wary, but Texas State President Denise Trauth, believes it is necessary to secure a positive future for the state. “Citizens today are really making a contribution to the future of Texas,” Trauth said. “If we don’t bring these people into higher education it will affect the wealth of the state. It’s a question of pay it now or pay it later.” The annexing petition was originally intended to be on last year’s ballot, but it was held up when serSee ACC, page 3

Dispute rises over temporary discontinuation of tram stop By Kathy Martinez News Reporter Construction on Ranch Road 12 and the safety issues that have arisen as a result have caused the Texas State Tram to discontinue its normal stop in front of The Ridge Apartments. The tram, which ordinarily takes a right turn into a cul-desac into The Ridge, has become a safety hazard for students taking the bus. Brad McAllister, assistant director of Auxiliary Services said the turn requires a wide Monty Marison/Star photo right turn, which has become While waiting to turn left from Ranch Road 12 on Monday, a problematic because of the construction. This change has Texas State bus causes a line of cars to stack up behind it. upset some residents at The Due to construction and safety hazards, buses will not stop Ridge and has been a concern at The Ridge Apartments.

Today’s Weather

Mostly Cloudy 90˚/67˚

Precipitation: 20% Humidity: 50% UV: 8 Very High Wind: E 7 mph

for management as well. Cassandra Cavazos, recreational administration with a therapeutic emphasis junior, said the change has only generated more safety problems for the residents who must now walk over to Dakota Ranch to catch the bus. Last week, Cavazos’s roommate fell down twice walking through the gravel caused by the construction. “The way the walkway is designed makes it difficult to cross over because the grass is too high to walk through and residents must walk through the street to go around the construction blockers,” Cavazos said. “The San Marcos Police Department says that the concern was for the safety of the bus us-

Two-day Forecast Thursday Isolated T-Storms Temp: 81°/ 55° Precipitation: 30%

Friday Clear and Crisp Temp: 81°/ 54° Precipitation: 20%

ers, but I think that complaints from general drivers about the traffic congestion caused by the bus is what influenced them to move the bus stop in the first place,” Cavazos said. McAllister said he notified the Ranch Road 12 bus route drivers of the temporary discontinuation of the stop at The Ridge after being contacted by the San Marcos Police Department of the safety issues involved with the tram stopping in front of The Ridge. McAllister said this type of alteration is a standard procedure whenever a construction project is in progress. “It is nothing out of the ordinary,” McAllister said. He said the Dakota Ranch

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stop was shut down at one point, and residents there had to walk over to The Ridge. “The walk is less than twotenths of a mile and about a minute away. There really is no inconvenience,” McAllister said. McAllister also said the crossover is much safer and allows for a trail that goes straight across to Dakota Ranch without having to walk through the construction. “It makes no sense that we would offer a more dangerous alternative for residents,” McAllister said. For interdisciplinary studies junior Lynette Garcia, catching the bus and getting to class on See ROUTE, page 3

To Contact The Star: 4 9 5-7

Trinity Building Phone: (512) 245-3487 Fax: (512) 245-3708 www.UniversityStar.com © 2005 The University Star


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