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TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS
www.UNIVERSITYSTAR.com
OCTOBER 27, 2005
Campus debate cancelled due to scheduling conflicts
THURSDAY
VOLUME 95, ISSUE 27
Developmental leave a main topic for the Faculty Senate
ROCKING THE EARLY VOTE
By Clayton Medford News Reporter
By Ashley Richards Assistant New Editor Three debates have been held showcasing the three candidates in the San Marcos City Council Place 4 election. However, a fourth debate between Maurice “Moe” Johnson, Chris Jones and incumbent Bill Taylor, which had been planned for Tuesday on campus, was cancelled because of various reasons given by each candidate. The motive behind the on-campus debate raised skepticism from Taylor and Johnson, while Jones said he was left frustrated by the other candidates’ lack of availability. The Student Affairs Civic Responsibility Team, the Mitte Honors Program and the LBJ Debate Society were all involved in planning the campus debate. After the Oct. 17 League of Women Voters debate, Jones said Johnson, a health, physical education and recreation professor, and Taylor notified him that they would be unable to attend the Tuesday debate on campus. Ismael Amaya, Associated Student Government faculty adviser and co-leader of the CRT, stated in an e-mail that initially, the Place 4 candidates were not directly contacted about the original date scheduled for the campus debate. Once CRT got involved in the debate, Amaya said, he directly contacted the three candidates. Johnson and Taylor told him they could not commit to the date. Amaya offered to hold the debate anytime between Oct. 31 and Nov. 7, but a date could not be reached when all the candidates could meet. Jones, public administration senior, said that upon hearing about his opponents’ scheduling conflicts, he offered an open schedule as to when he could meet for the fourth debate. “I went to the candidates and told them it is important to talk to students,” Jones said. “That struck no cord with them.” Taylor and Johnson said there were scheduling conflicts at some point for all three candidates. Johnson and Taylor said part of the problem they had with the planned campus debate was the short notice and its seeming involvement with ASG, which had endorsed Jones in its Sept. 19 meeting.
Spencer Millsap/Star photos Early voting began Wednesday for the city bond propositions and City Council positions. Students lined up on Wednesday in the LBJ Student Center to submit their ballots before the Nov. 8 election. Anyone registered in Hays County is eligible for early voting from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. at the LBJ Student Center today. For more information on early voting locations, visit http://elections.co.hays.tx.us.
See DEBATE, page 5
The Faculty Senate listened to proposals for developmental leave from several faculty members at their meeting on Wednesday. The proposals, which ranged from book writing to world travel, were scrutinized during a quick question and answer session followed by a closed-door discussion among senators. Xiao Chen, computer science professor, made the first presentation, asking for leave to work on a project dealing with “distributed sensor networks,” according to the proposal. Her project focus will be making networks more energy efficient by manipulating the transmission range of the sensors, minimizing the strain on the network’s power source. Craig Hanks, philosophy professor, asked for leave in order to conduct research on the relationship between technology and philosophy. “This is one of the fastestgrowing areas in philosophy,” Hanks said. “This is the area of philosophy that first drew me in.” Professor of biology Joe Koke, who has not sought developmental leave in 27 years, hopes to “improve (his) molecular biology toolkit” during his proposed leave. Koke plans to attend three biotechnology training sessions at the National Institute of Health. Koke claims in his proposal that “the product of this developmental leave will be my retraining” and the “restoration of my research program.” Koke says he never asked See SENATE, page 4
Students With Alternative Transportation prepared for busy Halloween weekend By Emily Messer News Reporter Midnight is one of the peak hours of the night in San Marcos. Floods of young college students, drunks, partiers, clubbers and bands empty The Square and local bars, many in search of the next house party where their next drink awaits them. There’s a rush to the convenience store for more beer before the stores close. It’s a Mardi Gras-style exodus from the streets of The Square
to the choice homes where the night’s parties will carry on into the morning hours. On Halloween weekend, a parade of witches, nurses, gigolos, superheroes, ghosts and every other character students can dream up will take to the bars, streets and homes around the city. For those who have to work on Halloween, seeing the costumes is one of the most interesting aspects of the job. “It’s one of the more memorable times to volunteer,” said Brian Gloor,
Muslim Student Association to promote Fast-A-Thon Group encourages students to learn about Ramadan By Leah Kirkwood News Reporter The Muslim Student Association at Texas State invites all students to take the Fast-AThon challenge in honor of the Ramadan holiday. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims worldwide are required to refrain from eating and drinking between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 6:45 p.m. while the sun is in the sky. The FastA-Thon is a challenge for stu-
dents of all religions to join the fast today. “(The challenge) is a good way to show others what Muslims go through for a whole month but not just Muslims; homeless people and those with no food or shelter experience this too,” said Samir Mordad, president of the MSA. The MSA will begin the FastA-Thon challenge with a free breakfast at 6 a.m., and the day’s fast will be broken with a free dinner of Middle Eastern cuisine, catered by Caesar restaurant, at 6:45 p.m. in Arnold Hall. The organization invites all students to attend both meals, whether they choose to See FAST-A-THON, page 4
Today’s Weather
PM Showers 73˚/ 48˚
Precipitation: 30% Humidity: 56% UV: 5 Moderate Wind: ENE 10 mph
Students With Alternative Transportation vice president. “You’re given almost a guaranteed laugh.” When the bars begin to close on Friday and Saturday, calls are made to SWAT — closing time is their peak hour as well — at least until 2:30 a.m. The organization provides free transportation from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays for students who are intoxicated or cannot drive because of other reasons. They receive 60 to 90 calls on an average night, Gloor said.
“We see some really neat costumes and hear some really neat stories, but we keep it in the vehicle,” Gloor said. Gloor said sometimes the local police give intoxicated students the option of SWAT or jail. When the police do call SWAT, they try to get transportation to the students as soon as possible. “It’s not common, but it does occasionally happen,” Gloor said. Terry Nichols, a police commander with the night shift, made one such call to SWAT several weeks ago. In the
Square, a young, intoxicated couple staggered through the parking lot toward their car. Nichols bargained with them, telling them that if they can find a ride home, they won’t be arrested. “If they kill themselves it’s one thing — they stand a good chance of killing someone else,” Nichols said. “I have no doubt in my mind they’re going to drive away.” SWAT expects increased activity with See SWAT, page 5
Death penalty protestors to gather in Austin By Andi Beierman Special to The Star The Sixth Annual March to Stop Executions will be held in downtown Austin Saturday afternoon. Hosted by the Texas Moratorium Network and the Texas Coalition Against the Death Penalty, the march will end in a rally at the Governor’s Mansion. Anti-death penalty supporters said they hope the demonstration will make Gov. Rick Perry reconsider his stance on capital punishment. Scott Cobb, political director for the Texas Moratorium Network, said the power the governor wields in death penalty issues makes his mansion a good place for the marchers to target their message.
“(Perry) is a big supporter of capital punishment,” Cobb said. “He’s out of touch with public on this issue. A lot of people are skeptical about the status of the death penalty.” With a total of 351 deaths, Texas leads the nation in the number of executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, and more than 100 people have been executed since Perry was sworn in as governor in 2000, according to the Texas department of criminal justice Web site. Marchers are scheduled to gather at Austin City Hall Plaza at 3 p.m., and the procession to the Governor’s Mansion will begin at 4 p.m. The march will conclude with supporters surrounding the mansion in yelSee MARCH, page 4
Two-day Forecast Friday Mostly Sunny Temp: 75°/ 47° Precipitation: 10%
Saturday Sunny Temp: 79°/ 51° Precipitation: 20%
Armando Sanchez/Star file photo Rallies, such as this march in August to protest Frances Newton’s execution, are not an uncommon sight in Austin. The Sixth Annual March to Stop Executions will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday at City Hall Plaza, where protestors will march to the Governor’s Mansion.
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