11/08/2012

Page 1

VOLUME 102, ISSUE 34

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THURSDAY

NOVEMBER 8, 2012

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Election Day 2012 Results

Go to UniversityStar.com and search for election results to view interactive charts for specific San Marcos poll results from Election Day 2012.

Weekend classes possible in future

BREWING CHANGE

By Nicole Barrios News Reporter

After an hour-long debate, councilmembers voted 5-2 to remove the sentence and keep the rotation system. Councilman Jude Prather, Place 2, and Mayor Daniel Guerrero were the two in favor of keeping the sentence and contracting with a single wrecking company. Williams said SMPD dispatchers currently have a list of towing companies that are rotated every time there is a call for vehicle pick-up. However, it is a problem when dispatched wrecking companies show up late or not at all.

Taking classes during the weekends and during more convenient times could be a possibility for Texas State students in the future. A task force was created to examine the addition of Friday and Saturday classes and underutilized hours in schedules. The group recently brought recommendations to the provost to benefit students and the university. The Friday/Saturday Class Task Force formed in spring 2012 and was comprised of representatives from several offices across the university. Representatives from Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Athletics, Finance and Support Services, University Advancement, Information Technology and one student from the Associated Student Government made up the committee. Joanne Smith, vice president of Student Affairs, chaired the task force and gave its report to the provost’s office. Smith said the task force’s charge has been completed, and it will no longer meet now that the recommendations have been made. “The provost’s office, in conjunction with the president and the faculty, will have to make some decisions about how to handle capacity for classes,” Smith said. Smith said the implementation of any changes would go through Academic Affairs. Associate Provost Cynthia Opheim said the task force’s first recommendation was to maximize class scheduling during underutilized hours in the Monday through Friday schedule. The task force recommended adding more classes at the hours of 8 a.m., 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Opheim said the task force recommended prioritizing the use of those hours because there is much more potential for classes during those times. “I think students would be receptive particularly to the 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (class times), though students may not be crazy about the 8 a.m. (class time),” Opheim said. “I do think that faculty certainly would be receptive as well.” Opheim said some faculty members are crunched for time just like students. Some faculty members have families and may benefit from being able to teach in the evening or on the weekends. Opheim said the task force’s second recommendation was to schedule some of the additional Friday and Saturday classes. Smith said it does not seem to be an absolute necessity to offer a great deal of Saturday classes, but some graduate courses may need to be taught during the weekends. The task force felt if Saturday courses were offered, it would be better to hold them during the morning hours and possibly last until 12 p.m. Opheim said the option of taking more Friday and Saturday classes might be easier for undergraduate and graduate students who have jobs or children. Rainbough Phillips, biochemistry senior and non-traditional student, said she has a son and works during the weekend. She said having more class times to choose from would be helpful, and she wouldn’t have to be on campus all day.

READ TOWING, PAGE 3

READ CLASSES, PAGE 3

Sonja Burton, Staff Photographer

Adriana Martinez, psychology freshman, studies Nov. 5 at the Coffee Pot. The popular studying destination will relocate next year after operating at its current location since the 1990s.

Local coffee shop to move to new location By Adrian Omar Ramirez News Reporter Jacob Lack has been going to the Coffee Pot Bistro every day since he moved to San Marcos a year ago, taking advantage of the bistro’s convenient location for studying. “The place where I live has a crappy internet connection,” said Lack, sociology junior. “So, when I need to do homework I come here.” However, Lack and other frequenters will have to enjoy the coffee shop at a new location in a few months. The Coffee Pot will be leaving its 129 East Hopkins Street #100 location, where it has operated since the 1990s. It will reopen at 221 Guadalupe Street, which was formerly occupied by Fresh Cubed.

The Coffee Pot will leave its space in January at the request of the building’s owners. They said because the building is currently in need of major repairs, the Coffee Pot’s rent would have to be raised. “The whole thing is that we have to do significant remodeling,” said Travis Kelsey, who co-owns the space and neighboring Taproom Pub & Grub. “The building is 120 years old, and it has some structural problems. The cost of remodeling would put the Coffee Pot in a situation that would force them to pay higher rent.” The installation of a new sprinkler system would be among the repairs. Kelsey said the addition would be a very expensive endeavor. He said the reason is it could potentially mean rearranging much of the building’s plumbing, elec-

tricity and structure. Kelsey is still unsure about what will open in the Coffee Pot’s place. He said it depends on the modeling and repairs. However, Kelsey said he and his partner are waiting on information from architects, the fire marshal and building inspectors. After receiving the information, the co-owners will know if they should expand Taproom or rent the space to a new business. Sara Marie Nadeau, owner of the Coffee Pot, said she understands why Taproom’s owners would want to expand into the building her business is currently located in. She said, in her opinion the Coffee Pot has the best location on The Square.

READ coffee pot, PAGE 3

City council addresses towing contracts, fees By Karen Zamora News Reporter Just a day after elections, the San Marcos City Council tackled the issue of towing Wednesday, eliminating outdated fees and allowing the city to continue contracting with multiple wrecking companies. Towing companies, or wreckers, will no longer be able to charge drivers a $50 “show up” fee, which was incorrectly allowed by outdated city laws. Previously, wrecking companies could charge a “show up” fee if a car’s owner arrived to

move the vehicle before it was on the tow truck. San Marcos Police Chief Howard Williams said the fee had been in effect for several years. Tow truck operators cannot charge a fee if an owner arrives to move a vehicle before it is fully hooked up, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The original ordinance, brought to city council months ago, included a sentence that would have allowed SMPD to contract with one towing company, rather than the rotation system between businesses currently in effect.

Campus attorney provides legal counsel for student divorce By Monica Solis News Reporter Milena Christopher spends her time meeting with students who took a “different course in life”—whether returning to school after serving in the military, raising a child or experiencing marital issues. The stress of college, work and other factors may lead to a divorce for some non-traditional students, along with their mainstream peers. Christopher is there to help them through that process. She began working in the Office of the Attorney for Students seven years ago while running her own private practice. Her university work is in a branch of the Dean of Students’ office and provides services as part of the student fees included in tuition. “We don’t represent student clients in court,” Christopher said. “What we do is

counsel them. With around 34,000 students, there’s no way we could go to court.” Christopher said being able to help students or families going through crises is important to her. “You’ll find most attorneys don’t want to do family law because it’s very emotionally driven,” Christopher said. “It’s often very difficult to stay detached. If I can help (clients) through legal aspects, then that’s what I can do.” About 1,500 students will use the office this year, and Christopher will counsel approximately 400 of them, said Shannon Fitzpatrick, director of the Office of the Attorney for Students. Christopher said family law and custody cases are probably the third-highest area of business the office sees. Landlord-tenant disputes and criminal cases are the top two kinds of issues they help students resolve.

Christopher said she is the only attorney for students who specializes in divorce or separation. “It’s like a physician,” Fitzpatrick said. “You can be a general practitioner or have something you focus on. It makes sense for her to help students because she has her own practice. She’s a good counselor and a very good listener.” Christopher said she commonly works with suits affecting parent-child relationships, which usually involve couples who aren’t going through divorce but want a separation. The suits involve issues such as determining paternity, examining custody arrangements and arranging child support and possession schedules. The office has an agreement in place with the Hays County Dispute Resolution Cen-

READ ATTORNEY, PAGE 3

Photo courtesy of Milena Christopher


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