VOLUME 102, ISSUE 29
www.UniversityStar.com
Defending the First Amendment since 1911
NOVEMBER 1, 2012
If the shoe fits...
Ruby Heels Wine Shoppe will be San Marcos’ newest place to taste and buy wine. To learn more, visit UniversityStar.com.
tributions came from individuals who have been vocally opposed to large student housing developments near neighborhoods. At least six of Derrick’s 14 donors have clear ties to the opposition of multi-family housing projects. Among Derrick’s top contributors was Jaimy Breihan, a resident who voiced concerns about the Sessom Creek development in a city council meeting last winter. The development would have brought 420 apartment units to the area across the street from the newly constructed North Campus Housing Complex. Breihan frequently posts on the Protect San Marcos website, a group that describes itself as “dedicated to
By Hollie O’Connor The University Star Controversy over student housing developments has been a driving issue in this year’s city council elections and it shows in recent campaign finance reports. Incumbents Ryan Thomason and Shane Scott have embraced donations from realtors and developers, while challengers Melissa Derrick and Greg Frank have received significant donations from those opposed to large student housing developments next to neighborhoods. About a third of Place 5 write-in candidate Melissa Derrick’s $3,680 in con-
preserving the unique family neighborhoods and natural beauty of San Marcos.” Breihan has given $790 to Derrick’s campaign. Another top donor is Nancy Moore, who donated $450 and was outspoken about her stance against the development at a Planning and Zoning meeting. “Several of my donors were highly involved in the Sessom Creek controversy,” Derrick said. “For the last year, a lot of us have been speaking out at city council and the Planning and Zoning Commission. They know I know what’s best for San Marcos.”
READ FINANCE, PAGE 2
Ryan Thomason
Melissa Derrick
Shane Scott
Lisa Prewitt–$400
Ellen Waller–$400
Carol Frank–$500
San Marcos Neighborhood PAC–$1,000
SMA BOR–$500
Robert McDonald–$500
SMPFFA–$1,000
Nancy Moore–$450
Top donors for city council candidates
James & Susan Bragg–$500
A former Texas State and University of Texas physics professor will be running under the libertarian ticket for the District 5 seat on the State Board of Education. Mark Loewe said he has attempted to get proposals approved by the Texas Legislature to improve education throughout the years. Knowledge in the areas of physics, chemistry, mathematics and engineering is what separates him from the opponents. In the 2010 election, Loewe received 6.97 percent of the vote against Republican incumbent Ken Mercer and Democratic opponent Rebecca Bell-Metereau. Loewe will face off against Mercer and Bell-Metereau again this year, as well as independent candidate Irene Meyer Scharf. Loewe said he has spent roughly $50 on his campaign. According to his website, Loewe believes teachers and professors should not be responsible for curriculum standards and textbook requirements in public schools. He believes the Board of Education should write and adopt statewide curriculum standards. Loewe said he devised a progressive version of school choice in the 1980s in order to attract billions of additional private dollars per year into K-12 education. This plan would maximize public educational funds. “Progressive vouchers will empower millions of parents, especially poor parents and parents of children with special needs, to reject mediocre schools and choose safe schools that would better serve the needs, abilities and interests of their children,” Loewe said. Joseph Sadler, physics senior and member of the Young Americans for Liberty, said progressive vouchers work better in some areas than others. “Texas is a big state,” Sadler said. “It is more dependent on different localities.” Loewe said another issue he brought to the state legislature is the availability of low cost textbooks for students and the ability to permanently keep those books for the future. “That adds value to the book as a fa-
Housing issue divides campaign funds
Jaimy Breihan–$790
By Natalie Berko News Reporter
HOUSE MONEY
Randall & Kathy Morris–$200
Former professor runs for office
Greater Austin HBA–$250
GO NE ONLI NOW
Texas Association of Realtors PAC–$500
THURSDAY
Greg Frank
READ MARK LOEWE, PAGE 2
Online media leaders stress new technology, broad skill sets By Caitlin Clark News Editor
Shea Wendlandt, Staff Photographer
Evan Smith, CEO and editor of the Texas Tribune, speaks Oct. 31 at the LBJ Student Center during Mass Communication Week.
Media companies cannot resist the necessary evolution of the model if they want to be successful, according to the brains behind a growing online news site. The Texas Tribune is a non-partisan, nonprofit media organization that promotes coverage of issues like public policy, politics and government. Evan Smith, CEO and editorin-chief, and Rodney Gibbs, chief innovation officer, spoke to students Wednesday as part of Mass Communication Week. Smith and Gibbs discussed the importance of journalists and news media evolving with technology. Nov. 3 is the third anniversary of the Tribune’s launch. Smith said the Tribune’s mission is to produce dynamic, aggressive journalism about public policy and politics that is completely non-partisan. He said the discussion of those issues is the only way to reach solutions in a properly functioning democracy. “When everybody in the for-profit press was saying, ‘We’ve stopped writing about this
stuff because nobody cares,’ we knew better,” Smith said. “We knew they were exactly right, but they had it backwards. Nobody cares because they’ve stopped writing about it.” Smith said while newspapers have to make money and satisfy shareholders, the Tribune asks for support from individuals, foundations and corporations. The Tribune will have raised $15 million by the end of 2012—$6 million more than anticipated. Smith said this was accomplished with a model that was untested in the worst economy since the Great Depression. Emily Lyons , mass communications graduate student, asked if the non-profit model for reporting will be popular nationwide. Smith said the base of wealth and number of billionaires in Texas are not present in other states. Accordingly, the Tribune’s model may not be replicated easily. Smith said the most successful media companies are now using technology to create relationships with audiences, build their brand and present information in new ways. “Any media company that is not self-de-
READ TRIBUNE, PAGE 2
Texas State courses to participate in e-book pilot program By Adrian Omar Ramirez News Reporter Students taking part in a new pilot program will have a lighter load to carry around campus this spring. A software platform called Courseload will be introduced to seven classes next semester. Students enrolled in the selected courses will access online textbooks and notes, or eTexts, for a fee of $25 per class. The eTexts will come with a number of features including the ability to highlight, share notes and make study guides.
Debbie Thorne, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, said assessments and surveys will be taken by both faculty and staff after the pilot program ends. The surveys will show how effective the eTexts were and if Courseload should be used in different classes. Courses using the platform during the pilot program are Editing the Professional Publication, two sections of Specializations in Technical Communication, two criminology classes, Sociology of Sport and Leisure and Business Statistics. Thorne said Courseload was chosen over
several other platforms for its ability to open texts on any device or computer with Internet access. Students can also download portable documents for offline viewing. Thorne said studies show eTexts are 50-60 percent cheaper than new textbooks. “There are discussions in Texas and across the United States regarding the cost of college, and one part of those costs is textbooks,” Thorne said. “Textbooks are pretty expensive, and if you start adding that together over the course of a college career, it’s thousands of dollars. One of the solutions is electronic textbooks.”
Nick LaLone, lecturer in the Department of Sociology and systems support specialist, said he was “staggered” during a meeting where he was shown textbook statistics. The statistics said only 40 percent of students buy textbooks for their classes. “If 40 percent of a consumer base is buying a product, that 60 percent is a loss, and textbook prices are going to keep going up,” LaLone said. “If the cost of your books is $25 per class, versus $100 to $200 per class, it’s a big deal.”
READ E-BOOKS, PAGE 2