10 25 2012

Page 1

VOLUME 102, ISSUE 28

www.UniversityStar.com

Defending the First Amendment since 1911

THURSDAY

OCTOBER 25, 2012

Texas State Debate 2012

The University Star is hosting a political debate between campus political organizations 7 p.m. Thursday at Derrick 227. The event will be moderated by Star editors and is open to the public.

Construction affects business on North LBJ Drive

SEEKING DIVERSITY

By Monica Solis News Reporter

shift in the racial make-up of Texas State students over the past two years. Heintze said increasing enrollment at Texas State has helped increase ethnic diversity among the student population. According to Institutional Research, Texas State saw an increase from fall 2009 to fall 2012 in the number of Hispanic, black and Asian students being admitted and enrolled at the university. There was also a decrease in the number of admitted and enrolled Caucasian students. This trend is reflected in the

Emeralds, a clothing store on North LBJ Dr. near The Square, is not closed. However, some customers think it has shut down because of the construction work surrounding the business. A large sign with heavy, red lettering displayed in Emeralds’ windows says that not only is it open for business, it is having a “construction sale” as an incentive for customers to visit despite the surrounding road work. “When construction first started, people weren’t coming in because they weren’t sure if (the store) was open,” said Tamara Woehl, a store associate at Emeralds. “We’ve been trying to up the game.” Emeralds is one of several local businesses being affected by various construction projects around San Marcos. Woehl said Emeralds is offering a storewide 25-30 percent off sale to attract more customer attention that has been lost because of surrounding construction. Chad Trigg, manager at Treff’s Tavern on LBJ Dr., said the bar relies on “diehard” regulars to drive sales. He said 70 percent of the bar’s customers are regulars, and the other 30 percent are those who now choose to go somewhere else because of construction. Trigg said Treff’s, located off North LBJ Drive, has a small parking lot to begin with, and the entrance is now closed sometimes because of construction. He said this makes it difficult for customers to get to the bar, coupled with the fact North LBJ Drive is a one-way street. “I’ll be honest, if I were a customer, it’s like ‘I don’t want to deal with that,’” Trigg said. Lacy Jameson and Lauren Howland consider themselves to be two of Treff’s “die-hard” customers. Jameson, a Texas State alumna, and Howland, accounting senior, regularly team up with friends to attend Treff’s “Geeks Who Drink” nights. Howland said she has, however, seen nearby road construction affect the amount of teams that attend the event. Business at Gordo’s Burgers and Stuff, which is located near Treff’s, has also been affected by construction. Jesse Garza works at Gordo’s with his brother, who owns the restaurant, and said construction of the Comanche 24-inch Water Transmission line has had a negative impact on business. Garza said Gordo’s has lost about 40 percent of its customer base because of construction. The entrance to the restaurant’s parking lot is either open or completely closed off, depending on which side of the road construction crews are working on, Garza said.

READ ADMISSIONS, PAGE 3

READ CONSTRUCTION, PAGE 3

Race in Admissions at Texas State – Fall 2011 Freshmen enrolled by race/ethnicity 61

Freshmen automatically admitted under top 10 percent rule by race/ethnicity

202

5 27

377

254

50 2,384

212

Freshmen not in top 10 percent admitted by race/ethnicity 64 227

2,167

316

1,435

1,274

Caucasian

Hispanic

Black

Asian

Other

Recruitment, not quotas creates racial makeup By Taylor Tompkins Assistant News Editor While a recent Supreme Court case surrounding the University of Texas’ race-conscious admissions process has gained national attention, officials say ethnicity is not used as an admissions standard at Texas State. Abigail Fisher, a Caucasian female, was denied admission to UT in 2008. She said the rejection was because of the use of race as a standard during the admissions process. Fisher later sued the university, arguing that using race as

an admission standard violates the 14th Amendment. Fisher’s case was brought Oct. 10 before the Supreme Court. UT officials contend ethnicities are considered during the admissions process to create diversity on campus. Texas State does not consider race as a factor during its admission process, said Michael Heintze, associate vice president of Enrollment Management. The university has no quotas for racial diversity, but does support an enrollment that is representative of the state’s population, he said. As a result, the university has seen a

College of Health Professions seeks Round Rock building By Hannah Mills News Reporter The entire College of Health Professions could soon move to the Round Rock campus, where there is more room to expand. According to Institutional Research, the college saw an 8.3 percent enrollment increase this fall. Barbara Sanders, associate dean of the College of Health Professions, said the growth has predominantly been among pre-majors and is a result of the continual need for workers in the health care field. The university is requesting a debt service to construct two health professions buildings at the Round Rock campus to accommodate the growing number of students. Debt services are funds replaced by the state when student fees are pledged against university debt service costs. Ruth Welborn, dean of the College of Health Professions, said in order to proceed with moving to the Round Rock campus, the debt service must be approved by the state legislature or the university needs to receive funding from a donor. If the legislature approves the debt service at the end of 2013, design and construction can begin, Welborn said. Welborn said once the new buildings at

the Round Rock campus are constructed, they will house seven health programs. One of the buildings will house communication disorders, physical therapy and respiratory care programs, and the other will host the remaining health professions programs. Sanders said enrollment in health majors such as physical therapy and nursing is controlled. She said the regulation stems from the lack of space at the current health professions building on the Texas State campus. The recent accreditation of the nursing school has contributed to the college’s enrollment increase. Sanders said enrollment in the nursing program is now limited to 100 students. “Having the health professions (programs) in Round Rock will offer us additional opportunities with the significant increase in space,” Sanders said. St. David’s School of Nursing is already located at the Round Rock campus. Sanders said the Round Rock area is growing rapidly into a medical community with more clinical support opportunities. If the College of Health Professions can be moved to Round Rock, Sanders said the program hopes to increase enrollment by 20 percent or more. Bill Nance, vice president for Finance

Shea Wendlandt, Staff Photographer

The College of Health Professions hopes to relocate some classes to the Round Rock Higher Education Center due to overcrowding on campus. and Support Services, said if the college is moved to the Round Rock campus, the current health professions building at Texas State would be converted to fit the needs of another program. “Deciding who would get the current health professions building would require a study to see who is closest, who is needy

of space and who would require the least amount of renovations to the current condition of the building,” Nance said. Nance said there are more opportunities for internships in clinical settings in Round Rock than in San Marcos. He said such internships are required for students in various health professions programs.


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