11 09 2006 by The University Star

BASKETBALL IS BACK

NANOWRIMO

A pieced-together men’s team welcomes the return of regular-season roundball

Writers are challenged to complete a 50,000-word novel before November ends

SEE SPORTS PAGE 14

SEE TRENDS PAGE 6

DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911

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NOVEMBER 9, 2006

THURSDAY

VOLUME 96, ISSUE 33

Surveys may reveal reason for drop in Hispanic student population By A.N. Hernández The University Star The retention rate for ﬁrsttime, full-time Hispanic students at Texas State dropped one percent from 2004 to 2005. The retention rate is now 75 percent, and it has the administration concerned. “A one percent decrease is so important because every single student is important,” said Jennifer Beck, director of retention management and planning in

the Vice President of Student Affairs Office. “We just can’t let any go. We have to focus on impacting every single student’s life. We don’t want to see this trend continue.” Beck said for the past twoand-a-half months, the VPSA’s office has focused on trends and behaviors of Hispanic students on campus. They are finding ways Texas State can successfully maintain, integrate and retain its Hispanic student population.

During the same time period retention rates for Hispanics dropped, white, black and Asian ﬁrst-time, full-time freshmen students increased. The decrease in ﬁrst-time, full-time Hispanic student retention rates comes at a time when Texas State’s overall retention rate is more than 76 percent, one of the highest rates in Texas. “That we have seen the numbers go down is something that concerns me very much,” said

Joanne Smith, vice president for Student Affairs. “That’s something we want to change. We want to see those numbers go upward.” Smith’s ofﬁce e-mailed more than 850 randomly selected returning Hispanic sophomores and seniors on Oct. 25. Each student was sent a questionnaire with seven open-ended questions, which were due Nov. 3. The questionnaire asked re-

First-time, full-time freshman student retention 2000-2005 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000

WHITE 76% 74% 76% 77% 75% 73%

HISPANIC 75% 76% 73% 75% 77% 75%

See SURVEYS, page 4

Officials note sharp decrease in local endangered plant numbers The recent disappearance of close to 80 percent of an endangered plant only found in the San Marcos River has triggered alarm among river officials. “The wild-rice is the only reason we even have a river,” said Dianne Wassenich, executive director of the San Marcos River Foundation. “It is endangered, very precious and in short supply and this (the first couple of miles of the San Marcos River) is the only place in the world that it grows.” Texas wild-rice grows in the flowing spring-fed waters of the San Marcos River and has been listed as endangered since 1978. The plant looks similar to other vegetation in the river and can go unnoticed by the incautious or unknowledgeable swimmer. It is identified by its long, thin green leaves with black or brown rice seeds. Jackie Poole, botanist for the Wildlife Diversity Program at Texas Parks and Wildlife, said she and others have been monitoring the plant for over 10 years. A significant decrease of the plant population in the upper river area near the Spring Lake dam was noticed late September, she said. Poole said biologists from BIO-WEST Incorporated, an environmental consulting, planning and research company that works with Parks and Wildlife in monitoring the area, noted a 73 percent decrease in aerial coverage of the plant between August and September. The existence of the wild-rice in the river is the reason rules regulating the pumping of water from the Edwards Aquifer were implemented by the state of Texas. Without regulation of the aquifer, pumping by large cities such as San Antonio would have caused the San Marcos River to dry up years ago, Wassenich said. Although low spring flow at the San Marcos River was a potential factor in the disappearance of the rice, the main cause has been attributed to human

City council hears request of Guadalupe County citizens By Zach Halﬁn The University Star

disturbance. “Based on sampling on observations by BIO-WEST, Inc. on behalf of the Edwards Aquifer Authority, we’ve concluded that the majority of the recent loss of Texas wild-rice in the San Marcos river, which amounts to 5 percent of the total population, can be attributed directly to human disturbance, and not due to exposure caused by low spring flow,” said Roland Ruiz, Edwards Aquifer Authority spokesperson. Poole said the damage to the plants near the Clear Springs Apartments appears to be the result of humans removing plants in order to have a swimming area with less vegetation. Leaves of the plant were torn off, leaving the roots intact, whereas waterfowl and nutria that feed on the plants only clip off part of the leaves, she said. Easy access to the area through Clear Springs Apartments and the university intramural fields as well as human formation of rock piles found in the area also contribute to the idea of swimmer interference. “I guess that whoever did it had no idea how important aquatic plants are,” Wassenich said. “There are huge fines that could be assessed if the person were found doing it. It happened probably over a long period with people playing in the river, rearranging rocks and making little pools and dams and thinking they were ‘cleaning up’ the ugly plants that were in their way by jerking them up.” The university, which owns the area surrounding the upper San Marcos River, had taken cautionary measures prior to the decrease in the wild-rice and is now considering further action. Pat Fogarty, associated vice president of facilities, said the university prohibited dogs and created signs informing the public of the endangered species in the area after reparation of the Spring Lake Dam in 2002. He said the university See ENDANGERED, page 4

ASIAN 84% 77% 82% 86% 78% 63%

Source: Institutional Resource Fact Book and Fall 2006 data are preliminary and uncertiﬁed.

Native wild-rice endangered By Brooke Keller The University Star

BLACK 82% 74% 80% 86% 90% 89%

Monty Marion/Star photo

Approximately 30 Guadalupe County residents made a request to the San Marcos City Council Monday to be connected to the city’s wastewater services, which would alleviate an ongoing problem with septic water leaking and flowing into their neighborhoods. Merisa Ybarra and Sean O’Brien, students from University of Texas Environmental Law Clinic, joined the residents from Rancho Vista in their request to become customers of the city of San Marcos’ wastewater system. “We are here representing and are here on behalf of the community of Rancho Vista,” Ybarra said. “We are interested in helping them attain reliable wastewater services.” O’Brien explained Rancho Vista is in the midst of a very “stinky and unsanitary” environmental situation. He said many outdated, aged and damaged septic systems in the neighborhood are leaking and flowing into neighboring yards in the subdivision. Without access to a more reliable wastewater service, their problems will continue, O’Brien said. Rosa Martinez, a resident of Rancho Vista for 27 years, expressed concern for her neighborhood, saying the subdivision began having problems with septic water from uphill neighbors about three years ago. “Our yards were always soaking wet,” Martinez said. “The dirty septic water would run through our yards, over our driveways and would run into the streets. Children would ride their bikes through the dirty septic water; dogs would stop to drink the septic water; little pretty birds would stop and drink the dirty septic water and would also take a good bath in the dirty septic water. I’m worried that my grandchildren might play near this contaminated water and get sick.” Although the community of about 1,500 is in Guadalupe County, officials with the UT

TREAD LIGHTLY: Texas wild-rice, known to grow only in the San Marcos River, is in constant danger because of the heavy human presence in its native water in and around Sewell Park.

See COUNCIL, page 3

Volunteers needed to fill spots on city boards, commissions By Ashley Gwilliam The University Star The San Marcos City Council is seeking volunteers to ﬁll vacancies on 27 city boards and commissions that will be available in 2007. Most city boards and commissions meet once a month, or

as needed, to review proposals and make recommendations to the city council based on their ﬁndings. Board members serve one commission at a time, without pay, for no more than two consecutive terms. Usually, terms are three years long. Mayor Susan Narvaiz said

Today’s Weather

Mostly Sunny 88˚/65˚

Precipitation: 10% Humidity: 67% UV: 5 Moderate Wind: S 12 mph

students who have a great interest in volunteering but might be graduating after the next year should still apply. Narvaiz said serving on a board or commission can be an especially beneﬁcial learning experience for students. “I would encourage anyone (to serve) because once you

Two-day Forecast Friday Mostly Sunny Temp: 88°/ 51° Precip: 0%

Saturday Mostly Sunny Temp: 69°/ 45° Precip: 10%

are involved in a commission, you are exposed to the whole government process,” she said. “Commission members are exposed to budgeting, the visionary planning process and how many things different groups want with a limited amount of funds. Almost every meeting results in a budget impact.”

Donovan Knight, city council liaison for the Associated Student Government, said there are two reasons students should volunteer: “One, it voices students’ opinions on things and shows that we appreciate being a part of the city. Two, it increases ties with the community and the

college,” Knight, pre-mass communication junior, said. “The students working with the city give the city a better opinion of the university.” Students have served on city boards for the past several years, especially on the Youth Com-

Inside News ..............1-5 Trends ...........6-10 Crossword ......... 9 Sudoku .............. 9

Texas State University-San Marcos is a member of the Texas State University System

Comics .............. 9 Opinions .......... 11 Classiﬁeds ....... 12 Sports ......... 13,14

See COMMISSIONS, page 3

PAGE TWO The University Star

Thursday in Brief

November 9, 2006

starsof texas state Charlotte Tate, dean of the College of Applied Health Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has been named one of six recipients of the Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2006 from Texas State. Tate, who received her master’s in education with a specialty in exercise physiology from then-Southwest Texas State in 1972, received the award at a ceremony

Oct. 21 during Homecoming festivities. Tate was named Applied Health Science dean at UIChicago in 1999 and served as interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs from 2000 to 2002. —Courtesy of Public Relations

News Contact — David Saleh Rauf, starnews@txstate.edu Texas State University-San Marcos is a member of the Texas State University System

Indian ink THURSDAY

Center.

The American Cancer Society and Bobcat Promotions are raising awareness about The Great American Smokeout, which will be on Nov. 16. Students may stop by their booth in The Quad for more information on how student organizations will compete for cash prizes based on how many people commit to quit smoking.

Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship will hold its weekly meeting at 8:30 p.m. in Old Main, Room 320. There will be contemporary worship, relevant teaching and prayer. Everyone is welcome to attend. Call (512) 557-7988 or e-mail mail@texasstatechialpha.com for more information.

The Organization of Student Social Workers will meet at 12:30 p.m. in the Health Professions Building, Room 234. Career Services presents “Owning Your Own Professional Career Workshop” from 5:50 to 6:30 p.m. in the LBJ Teaching Theater. Simple Silent Sitting Group will meet from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Campus Christian Community Center. An on-campus Alcoholics Anonymous meeting will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. For more information call the Alcohol and Drug Resource Center at (512) 245-3601. The Tennis Club will meet from 6 to 8 p.m. at the tennis courts on Sessom Drive, behind Joe’s Crab Shack. All skill levels are welcome. For more information e-mail Tennis Club President Chris Harris at ch1282@txstate. edu. Every Nation Campus Ministries will meet at 7 p.m. in Centennial Hall, Room G-02. There will be free food, fellowship and an inspiring message. The Rock - Praise & Worship will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the chapel of the Catholic Student

Students interested in becoming involved with the community, making business connections and learning leadership skills can attend the Students in Free Enterprise meeting at 4:15 p.m. in McCoy Hall, Room 113. Overeaters Anonymous will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the First Lutheran Church, 130 W. Holland. For more information call (512) 357-2049.

FRIDAY Men’s basketball will play Dallas Baptist at 8 p.m. in Strahan Coliseum.

SATURDAY Bobcat football will play Texas Southern at 8 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium.

SUNDAY Lamar Collins of Collins Education Group will share information regarding youth to parents, teachers and youth workers at Hays Hills Church in Buda. For more information call (512) 396-3020. Admission is free, babysitting is available and a light supper will be provided. Go to www.UniversityStar.com and click on contact to view calendar and Stars of Texas State submission policies.

On this day... 1872 — A ﬁre destroyed about 800 buildings in Boston.

Jeannie Yamakawa/Star photo Risha Patel, interdisciplinary studies sophomore, applies a henna tattoo to Rudy Diaz, mass communication junior, Wednesday morning in The Quad. The two are taking part in a fundraiser for the Indian Student Association’s Diwali Festival, which will be held Sunday at the LBJ Student Center. The festival is open to all students.

Library Beat Google Scholar, Alkek Library team up Are you using Google Scholar as a tool to ﬁnd citations in interesting articles and books? If so, the Alkek Library now offers a service that helps link Google Scholar citations to its holdings. An easy guide is located at www.library.txstate.edu/ref/ googlescholar.htm. Google Scholar (www.scholar.google.com) uses powerful Google technology to search academic publishers, professional societies, pre-print repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations for materials such as peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts, journal articles and more. Results are ranked and

listed according to relevance, and rankings include how often the work was cited. Click “Advanced Scholar Search” to search speciﬁc subjects or limit your search to a particular author, journal or date. Some of the literature will be found free on the Web, while some links will offer the full text of articles for payment. Searching Google Scholar from the library’s “Databases” resource page will link to the subscription sources available to you free as a Texas State student, faculty or staff member. (If you are off-campus, you will be prompted for your TxState NetID.) Once you have your search results, click on the links to “Findit@TxState” or “Library Search” under the journal and/or book citations to see if

they are available from the Alkek Library. If you cannot access the full text from Google Scholar or simply have a journal citation for an item from Google Scholar, search the Periodical List to ﬁnd it in print in the library, online in one of the databases or as an e-journal. If the item is unavailable here, you can request the article or book from another library through Interlibrary Loan. As always, if you have trouble locating an item or need research assistance of any kind, you can “Ask a Librarian” by phone, email or live chat. Simply click on the button from the library homepage (www.library.txstate. edu) or call (512) 245-2686. — Courtesy of Alkek Library

1906 — President Theodore Roosevelt left for Panama to see the progress on the new canal. It was the ﬁrst foreign trip by a U.S. president. 1938 — Nazi troops and sympathizers destroyed and looted 7,500 Jewish businesses, burned 267 synagogues, killed 91 Jews, and rounded up over 25,000 Jewish men in an event that became known as Kristallnacht or “Night of Broken Glass.” 1961 — The Professional Golfer’s Association (PGA) eliminated is “caucasians only” rule. 1965 — The great Northeast blackout occurred as several states and parts of Canada were hit by a series of power failures lasting up to 13 1/2 hours. 1979 — The United Nations Security Council unanimously called upon Iran to release all American hostages “without delay.” Militants, mostly students, had taken 63 Americans hostage at the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, on Nov. 4. 1989 — Communist East Germany opened its borders, allowing its citizens to travel freely to West Germany.

NEWS

Thursday, November 9, 2006

The University Star - Page 3

Freethought Society raises issue of animal rights, testing By Alysha Mendez The University Star Texas State’s Freethought Society hosted an all-student panel Tuesday night titled “Do Animals Have Rights?” Moderator and philosophy senior lecturer Paul Wilson began the discussion by asking the panel what exactly the word “rights” means. “A right is someone’s claim to something, something they are due without needing to earn it ﬁrst,” said Kelly Skinner, FSTS president and one of two panelists supporting animal rights. Arguing against animal rights, Tim Suto, biology senior, said a hierarchy must be determined when establishing rights, with humans at the top. “Where animal rights begins is where it beneﬁts us as a moral and survival issue,” said John Felger, chemistry and biochemistry administrative assistant and the other FSTS member opposing animal rights. The panelists also answered questions pertaining to the moral capacity and interests of animals and humans. “Because (humans) are more intellectually complex, we should have a moral and ethical responsibility to protect animals,” said Nichole McNeil, Skinner’s supporting teammate. The panelists debated whether or not animal sentience, or the ability to feel, plays a role in their rights. “I think it’s obvious that ani-

mals are sentient and have an interest in their welfare,” Skinner said. “Animals are no less capable of pain or pleasure than humans.” The topic of whether humans are a part of nature was also addressed. “I do think we have a responsibility as part of this ecosystem, but human beings are not supernatural,” Felger said. “We’re part of nature, too.” Felger argued that everything around humans is natural, while McNeil and Skinner disputed that some things we do are unnatural. “We are animals, therefore, do we have the right to breed and test on other animals?” McNeil asked. Felger agreed, saying it is not necessary to test cosmetics on rabbits, but that animal drug testing is acceptable because there is no other way. Skinner challenged his idea with medical records showing failed attempts and misleading results from primate drug studies. “I see our status as one that obligates us to be stewards to the natural world,” Skinner said. “We must try to ensure that our actions do no unnecessary harm to other sentient beings.” Suto said surgeons practice procedures on live animals before working with humans. “Would someone against this method want to be operated on by a surgeon who didn’t have this practice?” he asked.

COUNCIL: Rancho Vista assures city request is for help, not funding CONTINUED from page 1

Environmental Law Clinic believe that access through San Marcos is the most feasible. “The clinic has been working with the Rancho Vista community for about a year and a half, exploring different options available to this community for attaining reliable wastewater services,” Ybarra said. “It looks as though the most reliable way for us to provide wastewater services to this community would be to connect to city of San Marcos wastewater services.” She said residents of Rancho Vista are actively looking to secure their own funding for the project. “To be clear, we are not here asking the council for any kind of ﬁnancial support,” Ybarra said. “We are here asking the council to entertain the idea and possibly be willing to accept and provide wastewater services to this community, upon which time we would be able then to apply for grant money.”

San Marcos City Manager Dan O’Leary said the potential new relationship between the city and the neighborhood will require research to establish what needs to be done. “They are not asking to be part of the city. They’re not asking to be annexed. They just want help with their wastewater,” O’Leary said. “There is a lot of research to do.” The council meeting was the last for Edward Mihalkanin, Place 1, and John Diaz, Place 5, who both retired. “I’m grateful to the people of San Marcos for allowing me to serve,” said Mihalkanin, associate professor of political science. “It has been a very high honor to serve them. I have a greater appreciation for the limits of what the government should and shouldn’t do. I have a deepened understanding of politics and government. I hope the people of San Marcos will continue to act not on their fears but on their dreams for the future of their community.”

COMMISSIONS: Volunteers must reside in city to serve on boards CONTINUED from page 1

mission. The Youth Commission started as a way for adults to receive input on how to make the city more youth-friendly. Furthermore, committee members are exposed to such things as parliament procedures, ethics, and the Open Meetings Act. The board-meeting agendas vary by the type of board, but format of the meetings is the same for all. A packet of current information to be discussed is mailed to board members each month. Board members familiarize themselves with the issues ahead of time and come to the meeting prepared to vote. Board meeting agendas are posted within 72 hours of the meeting for public viewing, to encourage attendance and participation. There is a broad range of boards, including the Animal Shelter Advisory Committee, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Planning and Zoning Commission. Some of the more technical boards, like the Planning and Zoning Commission, require members to have a certain level of expertise in the subject area. Narvaiz said the council considers three things when reviewing volunteer applications. The ﬁrst thing considered is the

priority levels the applicants selected for their interest in the different boards; the council tries to match a person with one of his or her top three board choices. Second, the council looks at education or expertise the applicant has in his or her area of interest. The council also looks at how long the applicant has lived in San Marcos. Narvaiz recommends students who are interested in volunteering attend a city council meeting and introduce themselves in the citizens’ comment period. “This will make the council members more likely to recognize one’s name when reviewing volunteer applications,” she said. “I can’t emphasize enough how important they (volunteers) are to the city,” Narvaiz said. “We have 200-plus citizens helping to give us a good idea of what’s happening in the area.” Although the city council does not encourage people who cannot fulﬁll the full term to volunteer, people can be appointed to step into unexpired terms when a volunteer is no longer able to participate. The sole requirement for volunteering is that the volunteer be a resident of the city. Volunteer applications are available at the city of San Marcos Web site. The deadline to apply is Nov. 17.

The panel then tried to deﬁne the word animal. Skinner said anything with a brain and a nervous system is enough evidence to cause them to care what happens and, in turn, an audience member raised the question of overpopulation. “I could never hunt in my entire life, but I do eat meat because one, I like it, and two, I think that if we didn’t, overpopulation would occur,” said Taylor Grimland, psychology sophomore. “With overpopulation comes animal suffering.” McNeil said overpopulation is not the reason humans hunt and eat animals. “We’re not eating overpopulated animals,” she said. “We’re eating animals that are bred speciﬁcally for us to eat.” Ferger said if deer hunting was not so popular, there would not be as many deer because a species in the wild survives solely if we have a need for them. “If we afford rights to animals, that’s saying you have a right to live,” Ferger said. “That’s saying if my cat is killing a mouse, I have an obligation to stop my

Karen Wang/Star photo FREE DEBATE: (From left) Kelly Skinner, studio art senior, Nichole McNeil, Tim Suto, biology senior and biochemistry and John Felger, chemistry administrative assistant, argue the topic of animal rights Tuesday during the Freethought Society’s “Do Animals Have Rights?” discussion panel.

cat.” The issue of animal rights has caused some students to begin planning an organization to educate others about the subject.

“We’re starting a group called Students Against Animal Cruelty,” said Tasha May, pre-mass communication junior and Four Paws Vet Hospital employee. “If

you have a cat or a dog or any other type of pet, what makes that animal any more important than the cow you ate for dinner? An animal is an animal.”

NEWS

Thursday, November 9, 2006

The University Star - Page 4

SURVEYS: University angling for Career Services workshop to feature Hispanic Serving Institution status H-E-B finance analyst, alumni panel CONTINUED from page 1

spondents to describe their best and worst experiences at Texas State, whether or not they had Hispanic friends who decided not to return and whether respondents deem Texas State as a welcoming campus for Hispanics. It is one of three surveys the university is conducting amongst the Hispanic student population. Elton Sanchez, Spanish senior, did not receive the questionnaire but said he could identify with its purpose. He is the ﬁrst in his family to go to college and has many Hispanic friends who either did not go to college or did not return after their ﬁrst semester. “I think as a whole, the university is doing a good job to welcome Latino students, but there is still a lot of room for improvement,” Sanchez said. Smith said she keeps a few factors in mind when working on programs for Hispanic students. The retention and recruitment of Hispanic students, Smith said, ensures the diversity and economics of Texas State. This focus is a part of a multi-pronged initiative to make Texas State a Hispanic Serving Institution, or HSI. “We are working on projects for them based on where they live and what high schools they attend. Group mentoring programs are a great idea because students can have connections with other students like themselves,” Smith said. “Also, the importance of community and family within the lives of our Hispanic student population is something we have come to understand.” To become a federally de-

clared HSI, an institution must have a Hispanic student population of at least 25 percent. Once it reaches that percentage, the school has access to federal grant monies. Nationwide, Hispanic Serving Institutions have access to a pool of millions of dollars in grants provided by federal departments, including the United States Department of Agriculture. Texas State currently has a Hispanic student population of 21 percent, whereas surrounding Texas universities, including the University of Texas at San Antonio, have already been HSI-accredited. Alex Travieso, development officer in university advancement and president of the Hispanic Policy Network at Texas State, said it is only a matter of time before Texas State becomes a HSI. “You can’t overlook the Hispanic population. We are growing, and we are a force,” Travieso said. “We are the leaders and workforce of the future, and what a great thing it is to provide educational opportunities for the Hispanic population so they can contribute back to the university and society.” The VPSA’s office said Texas State becoming an HSI will have economic and cultural benefits. Chaitanya Kothapalli, a member of the Indian Student Association, said any programs designed to ensure diversity are a good thing, just as long as it’s done in an across-the-board fashion. “If there’s more Hispanic students, so what? As long as the university is not giving a priority to Hispanic students, I don’t think it’s going to affect

other student groups and organizations,” said Kothapalli, computer science graduate student. Jean Page, communication design senior, said the university should not spend any extra time or resources catering to certain ethnic groups. Page, who said he is paying his way through school, is a ﬁrst-generation college student. He said the university’s focus should be “generational” or based on a student’s socioeconomic need, rather than on minority status. “People are people. What does it matter what color their skin is or what ethnic group they come from?” he said. Victor Saenz, visiting assistant professor from UCLA and researcher in the Higher Education Research Institute, said this would be only one part of Texas State’s broader identity. Saenz met with Smith and other administrators Oct. 31 when he delivered a presentation about trends among Hispanic students in higher education. “The issue of emerging a Hispanic-serving identity at Texas State is the result of a changing identity for the university. And to change this university identity, the school will also be able to accommodate this Hispanic identity,” he said. “Texas State can be a Hispanic Serving Institution, but that’s not going to be its only, overarching identity. Texas State can and does have multiple identities.” Hispanic retention rates for the 2006 school year will be available next fall when the university tallies which ﬁrsttime, full-time Hispanic students return.

ENDANGERED: Swimmer interference may contribute to plant depletion CONTINUED from page 1

is now working with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to develop possible verbiage for new signs on the Clear Springs side of the river. Poole said the potential exists for the wild-rice to grow back from the remaining roots. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services are also discussing replanting the area. River ofﬁcials and conservationists agree that the key factor in preserving the wildrice population is public education. “Hopefully this was an act of

ignorance and not vandalism, and through education we can avoid further harm to the wild-rice,” Poole said. Wassenich said she hopes that frequent river patrons can help to come up with creative and effective ways to stop the destruction of the plants as well as help identify people who are destroying them. “We are very fortunate to have the small amount wildrice left in the river that we have,” Wassenich said. “We must ﬁnd ways to preserve this wild-rice and protect it, or we will not have strong leverage to keep our river ﬂowing in the future.”

“I

guess that whoever did it had no idea how important aquatic plants are. There are huge ﬁnes that could be assessed if the person were found doing it.”

—Dianne Wassenich San Marcos River Foundation executive director

By Chelsea Juarez The University Star Career Services will host a workshop titled “Owning Your Own Career” 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the LBJ Student Center fourth floor teaching theater. The event is co-sponsored by the Texas State Accounting Club and will be presented by Andy Russ, manager of finance planning and analysis for H-E-B. The workshop’s focus is to advise career-anticipating students how to move forward in new fields and maintain a steady path of increased growth and production. The event will also include a panel discussion of Texas State alumni. “Students should attend to gain a new perspective on their own life,” said Lucille Montondo, accounting club adviser and accounting professor. “Not only for their first job but also for

what they do in college.” Jonathan Pliego, career services adviser, said a focal point to the workshop is the all-Texas State alumni panel discussion, and their new found success. “It shows students that they can make it out in the real world too,” Pliego said. Students will receive advice from Russ and the panel on how to climb the professional ladder within the ﬁrst 15 years of a new career. Russ said most of the time students who graduate still ﬁnd themselves unsure of what to do. Finding out what you want to do is a process, Russ said, and it entails real hard work and goes beyond trial and error. “I don’t know all the answers, but I will give my own personal best insight,” he said. Russ hand-selected the panel of young professionals who had shown exceptional success in

their new careers to relate their experiences with fellow Texas State students. Pliego said students are responsible to not only show up to the workshop, but to take what they learn and apply it to their new profession. He said it was important for students to attend events similar to this in order to make an easier transition from student to professional in a new career. Ariel Shirk, wildlife biology junior, said she tries to make it out to the career services workshops, but most of the times they conﬂict with her schedule. “Since I’m a junior I’m interested in attending this particular workshop because my career is something I need to start thinking about,” Shirk said. Pliego said all students are encouraged to attend, even if a degree is still far ahead in their future.

San Marcos city attorney prepares for retirement By Paul Rangel The University Star With years of dedication and service as San Marcos City Attorney, Mark Taylor will be retiring at the end of this year. Having served as attorney for 17 years, Taylor said he looks forward to relaxing and taking some time off. Taylor helped negotiate the special ordinances, resolutions and adoptions needed for the development and expansion of both Goodrich Aerospace and Hays Power Plant. He was responsible for gathering information from both parties and working with the council to provide accurate documents that ensured their true intent. “He’s always trying to listen to all the information that can be thrown out in discussions, especially important discussion or passionate discussions, and then put into documents from these different parties what is in the best interests of the city,” said Susan Narvaiz, San Marcos Mayor. Taylor also helped with the Prime Outlet agreement, which led to the Tanger Outlet going online, and creating sales tax drives, Narvaiz said. Currently Taylor is continuing to work on the hotel conference center and the Wonder World expansion. He will continue to work on these and other projects until his last day, Jan. 1, 2007. Andy Quittner, interim city at-

torney, said various factors accompany the projects, such as partner agreements and negotiations with contractors Taylor to bring down construction costs. Taylor serves on the South Central Water Advisory Committee, which advises several groups on issues pertaining to the Edwards Aquifer. He is a good person for the job, Narvaiz said, and has a vast knowledge of water conservation. Narvaiz said Taylor is a valuable asset to any program. “He isn’t the person that stands at the podium and speaks all the time; his voice is heard through the documents that he creates,” Narvaiz said. Quittner said Taylor’s knowledge of the position and ability to understand his colleagues will be missed. The city council voted Nov. 6 to accept Taylor’s resignation and also to appoint an interim city attorney to conduct business until the hiring process is complete. Quittner was voted to take on that role until the position is officially filled. The council also approved an $89,970 city attorney salary for the 2007 fiscal year.

Along with Quittner’s approval, an amendment was also passed, enabling City Manager Dan O’Leary to serve as supervisor of the interim position. Quittner came to San Marcos from Corpus Christi and has been serving as assistant city attorney for a year. In Corpus Christi Quittner worked for the city and held residence in the area for 13 years before returning to Central Texas. “We split the workload municipal duties between Mark (Taylor), another assistant, and myself,” Quittner said. “Currently Mark is continuing to work on some projects and ﬁlling me in on the details.” Taylor said he will work to make the transition as smooth as possible. “Currently I’ll be helping in the process of appointing another attorney and preparing the legal department for the transition over the next couple of months,” Taylor said. Narvaiz said Taylor has created a well-organized and dedicated staff in the legal department and they will continue on with the new attorney. O’Leary will work closely with the council and Human Resources Director Carolyn Liner to initiate and qualify candidates for city attorney. Narvaiz said because of the upcoming holiday season, another attorney probably will not be appointed until after the ﬁrst of January.

Homelessness Week to feature Hunger Banquet, Quad Sleep Out By Eloise Martin The University Star Texas State’s Student Volunteer Connection will host the second annual Hunger and Homelessness Week Monday through Nov. 17. Organizers of the event aim to educate students about the issues of hunger and homelessness throughout the community and nation. The week will feature events such as a Hunger Banquet, Quad Sleep Out, volunteering at the

San Marcos Area Food Bank and participating in a food drive. The Hunger Banquet will take place at 6 p.m. Monday in the LBJ Student Center, Room 3-15.1. Students who enter the banquet will be given a colorcoded card that will tell them their income level. The meal they receive will depend on the color of their card. Rachel Ofﬁneer, professional counseling graduate student and SVC graduate advisor, said the banquet will be a chance for students to see the impact income

levels can have on a person’s lifestyle. “This will be a chance for students to see the economic differences in society,” she said. Ofﬁneer said after the demonstration, everyone will receive a full meal. In addition to the dinner, Hunger and Homelessness week will also include Skip-a-Meal day Nov. 16. On this day, students are asked to forego one meal. “This is to increase awareness in the United States and the

world,” Ofﬁneer said. “Many people go without eating.” The Quad Sleep Out will begin 10 p.m. Wednesday and will end at 6 a.m. the following morning. Jacob Burlinson, criminal justice senior and sleep-out coordinator, said he hopes student who participate will learn to appreciate what they have after a night exposed to nature’s elements. “I hope they will not take things for granted,” Burlinson said. “The things they have now aren’t always going to be there — their house, their apartment,

down to a warm blanket.” Burlinson said he became interested in the project after he saw the number of homeless people in Austin. “This is an issue,” he said. “It is not just something we can turn the other cheek to.” Participants should bring food and anything they need to spend the night. Ofﬁneer said the hours spent in The Quad that night will count as volunteer hours for anyone who needs them. A food drive will begin Nov.

14 and will run through Dec. 1. Donation stations will be set up in the fourth ﬂoor of the LBJSC, The Quad and in some residence halls. Ofﬁneer said she hopes students will remember the event when they leave campus for Thanksgiving break. “I hope they remember how lucky we are,” she said. “We should remember on Thanksgiving that there are people out there living on the street.” For more information, call SVC at (512) 245-1687.

NEWS

Thursday, November 9, 2006

The University Star - Page 5

Rumsfeld removed, replaced in light of Dems’ victory By Ron Hutcheson McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON, D.C. — Chastened by a “thumpin’” at the polls, President Bush heeded voters’ call for change Wednesday by ousting Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. Bush’s surprise decision to replace Rumsfeld with former CIA Director Robert Gates was the most dramatic event in a series of rapid-fire developments triggered by the Democratic takeover in Congress. Late results from Tuesday’s elections left Democrats poised to control both the House of Representatives and the Senate, although the final Senate lineup might hinge on a Virginia recount that could take a few weeks. Virginia Democrat James Webb held a lead of more than 7,000 votes out of 2.3 million cast over Republican Sen. George Allen. Bush and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, in line to become America’s first female House speaker, pledged to work together on issues ranging from Iraq to increasing the minimum wage. “The American people spoke with their votes, and they spoke for change,” Pelosi said. “Nowhere was the call for a new direction more clear from the American people than in the war in Iraq.” But the talk of cooperation didn’t immediately dispel the partisan rancor that’s settled on Washington, nor did it stop Republican recriminations over the election results. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., announced that he would surrender his role in the Republican leadership when the new Congress convenes in January. At the White House, a som-

ber Bush said he was surprised and disappointed by Tuesday’s outcome. Democrats, who needed 15 additional House seats for a majority in the 435-member chamber, were on track to pick up about 30. They also won five of the six Senate seats they needed to take control of that chamber, with victories in Montana, Missouri, Rhode Island, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and a lead in the sixth, Virginia. If a recount in Virginia reverses Webb’s apparent victory over Allen, the Senate would be split 50-50, leaving Vice President Dick Cheney with the deciding vote for Republicans. Bush acknowledged his share of the blame for an election that was a referendum on the Iraq war and on his performance as commander in chief. “As the head of the Republican Party, I share a large part of the responsibility,” he said at a White House news conference. “It was a thumpin’.” Rumsfeld’s ousting came a week after Bush told a small group of reporters that he wanted the defense secretary to stay on the job until end of his presidency. Despite what he said, Bush had already concluded that he wanted “a fresh perspective” at the Pentagon, although he hadn’t interviewed Gates or worked out final details of Rumsfeld’s resignation. “I didn’t want to inject a major decision about this war in the final days of the campaign,” he explained, directing his response to the reporters he’d misled. “The only way to answer that question and to get you on to another question was to give you that answer.” Members of Congress from both parties welcomed Rumsfeld’s departure as a sign that

Bush is open to new ideas on Iraq. Critics say the 74-year-old defense secretary ignored his commanders’ advice, invaded Iraq with too few troops, set a tone that encouraged the abuse of war captives, failed to develop a credible post-war plan, and imposed back-breaking burdens on the Army and Marine Corps. Rumsfeld showed little of his characteristic cockiness at a brief appearance with Bush and Gates later Wednesday, but he maintained his sense of humor. “I have benefited greatly from criticism,” he said, borrowing a line from Winston Churchill, “and at no time have I suffered a lack thereof.” In contrast to Rumsfeld, Gates is considered a pragmatic foreign policy realist, with a tendency to see the world in shades of gray, rather than in black-and-white distinctions. For example, Gates has said he favors opening a dialogue with Iran — an idea Rumsfeld and Bush have opposed. “This is the death knell of the neo-conservative approach,” said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. “I think the president is going to necessarily have to find new ground.” Gates is a protegé of Brent Scowcroft, who was national security adviser to the first President Bush, and a member of the Iraq study group chaired by former Secretary of State James A. Baker, who was perhaps the senior Bush’s closest adviser. The bipartisan Baker commission is expected to offer an alternative Iraq policy in December or January. Bush said he’ll meet with its members next week. In another conciliatory move, Bush backed away from his campaign strategy of charging

“T

he American people spoke with their votes, and they spoke for change. Nowhere was the call for a new direction more clear from the American people than in the war in Iraq.” — Nancy Pelosi House Democratic leader

that Democrats are soft on terrorism. At a recent rally in Texas, he said: “The terrorists win and America loses.” “What’s changed today is the election is over, and the Democrats won,” Bush said when asked about his earlier comments. But Bush also signaled that he would continue to oppose a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq until victory is within reach. “The election has changed many things in Washington, but it has not changed my fundamental responsibility, and that is to protect the American people from attack,” he said. “If the goal is success, we can work together. If the goal is get out now, regardless, then that’s going to be hard to work together.” Turning to domestic issues, Bush said he hoped to work with Democrats on a minimumwage increase, legislation to extend the No Child Left Behind education law, an immigration overhaul that includes a guestworker program, and changes to Medicare and Social Security. He used a congratulatory call to Pelosi to invite her to lunch on Thursday. “She’s not going to abandon her principles and I’m not going to abandon mine,” Bush

said. “But I do believe we have an opportunity to ﬁnd some ground.” Pelosi expressed similar sentiments, but independent analysts greeted the pledges of cooperation with skepticism. Partisan tensions have increased dramatically in recent years, fueled by deep divisions over the Iraq war and Bush’s “my way or the highway” governing style. The gap between the parties is likely to grow as lawmakers increasingly turn their attention to the 2008 presidential election. Now the Republican president and the Democratic Congress must share power. “He can stop the Democrats from doing things he thinks are bad. The Democrats can stop him from doing things they think are bad. I just have a sense of gridlock coming,” said Stephen Hess, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a center-left Washington think tank. “You’ve got a system that’s designed to stop if someone can throw a little sand in the gears.” President Bush on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney on Nov. 2, afﬁrming that he wanted both to stay at their posts through the end of his term: “Both those men are doing fantastic jobs and I strongly

support them.” Bush announcing Rumsfeld’s ouster on Wednesday: “Don Rumsfeld has been a superb leader during a time of change. Yet he also appreciates the value of bringing in a fresh perspective during a critical period in this war.”

Republicans left with no one but themselves to blame after Tuesday’s election By Steven Thomma McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republicans turned on one another Wednesday after losing control of power in Congress, blaming an out-of-touch, selfpromoting party leadership for abandoning ethics and conservative principles and turning off the country. The first political casualty was House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., who announced he’d step down from the party’s leadership. More casualties were possible. At least one conservative movement leader demanded that Republicans in the House of Representatives delay electing leaders for the next Congress beyond the scheduled date of next Wednesday, presumably to allow time to reconsider the current slate. Discontent could spread to the Senate, where Republicans lost a fifth seat Wednesday in Montana. There, Democrat Jon Tester defeated Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, who was tarred by his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. That put Democrats into at least a 50-50 tie with Republicans for Senate control. That left Virginia, where Democrat James Webb led Republican Sen. George Allen by about 7,000 votes out of the 2.3 million cast. Allen refused to concede, saying he’d wait to see final official results on Nov. 27

before deciding whether to seek a recount. If Webb’s lead holds, Democrats will control the Senate. If Allen wins a recount, then Vice President Dick Cheney would break the tie to let Republicans control the Senate, though their grip on power would be much diminished compared with the past five years. Regardless of the final outcome in the Senate, Republicans knew they lost power Tuesday, and their leading voices found plenty to blame in their party. Veteran conservative strategist Richard A. Viguerie was especially caustic. “Every single member of the Republican leadership in the House should be replaced. They have failed the conservatives who put them in office, and they have failed the people of this country,” Viguerie said. “This election was also a referendum on the so-called `neoconservatives’ — the biggovernment Republicans who took us into a nation-building war while they busted the budget and enriched big business and its K Street lobbyists.” “I feel liberated,” said conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, one of the party’s biggest cheerleaders. “I no longer am going to have to carry water for people who I don’t think deserve having their water carried.” In one of the most stinging indictments, David Keene, the longtime president of the Amer-

“E

very single member of the Republican leadership in the House should be replaced.”

— Richard A. Viguerie veteran conservative strategist

ican Conservative Union — the nation’s oldest grass-roots conservative lobby, founded in 1964 — ripped Republicans for spending more taxpayer money than Democrats had and for weak ethics. “We have watched Republicans elected by promising the highest standards in terms of integrity come to Washington to do good and stay to do well for themselves, their families and their friends, and demean the offices to which they were elected in the process,” Keene said. “We have witnessed the hypocrisy of Republican leaders who came to Washington swearing an allegiance to upholding traditional values work to protect those among their number who have flaunted those values, morals and standards.” “We have stood by as Republicans have flaunted, twisted and ignored rules to achieve their own partisan, rather than principled, ends; leaders who have used earmarks to seduce reluctant members to vote for legisla-

tion they knew was wrong and kept votes open for hours while they and their White House allies bludgeoned their colleagues into line in support of such legislation,” Keene said. Keene joined Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., in urging House Republicans to postpone their leadership elections until January. Cantor is a member of the existing House Republican leadership as chief deputy whip. Among the many Republicans mentioned as a possible challenger was Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., leader of a large bloc of both social and economic conservatives. Others argued that voters were turned off by the climate in Congress, particularly by its partisanship and a sense that Republican leaders looked the other way at scandals, from Abramoff’s lobbying corruption to former Florida Rep. Mark Foley’s sexual harassment of teenage male aides. Hastert presided over a partisan, one-party rule that shut Democrats out of negotiations. He wouldn’t even allow the House to vote on an issue unless it could pass solely with Republican votes. Voters “believed that we came to Washington to change government and government changed us,” said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Voters also rebelled at the sense that the Republican Congress didn’t get anything done. “There was a feeling of a do-

nothing Congress,” Republican pollster Ed Goeas said. He said voters wanted “bipartisan solutions rather than the partisan bickering we’ve seen”

and that Republicans want the party “to make sure our leaders have public service as their highest calling, not personal enrichment.

TRENDS

happeningsof the weekend

THE UNIVERSITY STAR

Thursday, November 9, 2006 - Page 6

san marcos

Thursday Cheatham Street Warehouse — Django Walker Lucy’s San Marcos — Cancer fundraiser: Copper Child/Breach/Gobi The Triple Crown — Fambly/Mugsy Flows/Spyhop/Chief

Friday Cheatham Street Warehouse — Alejandro Escovedo Lucy’s San Marcos — Jonathan Clay/ Bernie Calcote Band The Triple Crown — Wailing Walls (Fluffers Union)/Three Leaf/Model UN

Saturday Cheatham Street Warehouse — Monte Montgomery Lucy’s San Marcos — This Will Destroy You/Clap!Clap!/Oceanus/ Word Association The Triple Crown — Bloodshot Pyramid/ Eta Carinae/Enemy of Mankind

Trends Contact — Maira Garcia, starentertainment@txstate.edu

National Novel Writing Month gets writers racing Writing project poses wordy challenge to authors By Danielle Elisabeth Madsen The University Star Imagination, speed and a mental bulldozer to run over writer’s block are all necessary for participants of National Novel Writing Month. National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, is a creative writing project rooted in the United States in which each participant makes the grand attempt of writing a 50,000-word novel in a single month. Held in November since 2000, the project was started by Chris Baty in July 1999 with only 21 participants. Now it is an international contest that included almost 60,000 people in 2005. The project has become a tempting literary challenge for many people. In 2005, 9,765 people were declared winners, each having written at least 50,000 words. Texas State harbors many talented published novel writers such as 2003 to 2006 Mitte Endowed Chair Tim O’Brien. One of his novels, The Things They Carried, was named by the New York Times as one of the ten best books of l990, received the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize in ﬁction, and was a ﬁnalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. O’Brien was impressed with the gumption of people participating in National Novel Writing Month. “It takes me years to write a novel, I can’t imagine writing a novel in one month. I get inspiration from ordinary things like my family, friends and my wife. Vietnam has also been a source of inspiration,” O’Brien said. Some students such as Jimmy Montenegro, urban and regional planning sophomore, receive in-

spiration from the authors like O’Brien. “I like The Things They Carried a lot. It gives you a different view on life than nowadays’ media. It’s from a soldier’s perspective and not from the outside,” Montenegro said. O’Brien gave some suggestions for aspiring novel writers. “Write a little bit every day. It takes discipline and you need to read. Develop a taste for reading. It’s just like music. The more you listen the more you know what your taste is,” said O’Brien. O’Brien is not the only successful novel writer at Texas State. Media technician Scott Johnson has written novels including An American Haunting, which is a classic haunted-house story that combines Richard Matheson’s Hell House and Stephen King’s The Shining. Johnson talked about the positive nature of National Novel Writing Month. “It’s not a competition; it’s a challenge that allows novel writers to encourage each other. Anything that gets you motivated is a great idea. I know for a fact I can’t write a novel in a month — maybe a third of a novel — but if anybody can, more power to him,” he said. The horror writer also discusses the positive nature of novel writing. “Novel writing is a very difﬁcult, but very rewarding process. It’s given me a creative outlet I didn’t have before and allowed me to meet lots of people I wouldn’t have been about to before. It’s given me a voice in the business of horror and the business of writing,” Johnson said. Many students are developing their taste in novel reading during their college experience. “I like reading romance novels by Diane Steele,” said Elizabeth Johnson, communication studies senior. “I just got done reading a book, The Feminine Mystique. It was great,” said Julia Barajas, mass communication junior.

George’s hosts musicians in Battle of the Bands By Leah Kirkwood The University Star The Battle of the Bands is back at George’s, and the competing bands will provide an eclectic sample of the student music scene. The Student Association for Campus Activities hosts the competition every semester. This year, Three Leaf, She Writes Manly, Trip 7, Fulton Read and Adelin will compete for the title of best band on campus. “At least one member of each band has to be a student,” said Natalie Diaz, George’s coordinator for SACA. Diaz said SACA posted ﬂyers announcing the battle, and interested bands submitted CDs to qualify for the competition. Eight SACA members scored the groups on originality, musical style and overall vibe to determine the ﬁve contenders. Diaz said Battle of the Bands gives students a chance to hear what’s happening in the San Marcos music scene. “They can come out and see how their fellow students perform, their musical style and

different genres of music,” she said. Judging the bands will be two SACA members and two representatives from KTSW. Alfredo Ramirez, pre-communication design sophomore, sings for the band Adelin. “We’ve been described as a mix between Incubus and Rage Against the Machine,” he said. The San Antonio-based group opened for several national bands over the summer, including Nonpoint and Element 80. “I’ve never played with (Adelin) and come away from it without hearing people liked our music and we don’t sound like a local band,” Ramirez said. Texas State alumnus Kyle Bryant manages the band Fulton Read. The group has never participated in the event at George’s, but Fulton Read performed in a San Antonio competition. “They did a battle of the bands a couple of years ago and came in second place, and they had a fun time doing it, so they decided to do it again,” Bryant said.

Bryant said the band is inﬂuenced by bluegrass and sounds similar to the modern band Wilco’s music. “It’s been described as bigbeat, experimental folk-rock,” he said. Charlie Davis, business management sophomore, plays guitar and sings backup vocals for She Writes Manly. The group competed in last semester’s Battle of the Bands and is ready for another shot at ﬁrst place. “I’ve pretty much been waiting for it — getting excited, you know,” Davis said. She Writes Manly is based out of Waco, and the group will perform some new songs at George’s. Davis described the band’s sound as sporadic and eclectic. “Overall, it’s progressive and high-energy,” he said. “We just want to keep it interesting.”

✯FYI FYI: The bands start at 7p.m. Thursday and each will play three songs.

Photo courtesy of Sharon Brogan CHURNING OUT PAGES: Participants in the National Writers’ Month gather on Nov. 5 in Missoula, Montana for a mass write-in to help meet their deadline of midnight, Nov. 30th.

VocaLibre set to perform Saturday By Laura Jamison The University Star Joey Martin, VocaLibre director and music assistant professor, embarked on the task of creating a new name for the Centennial Singers, a 12-member vocal juggernaut, and found inspiration in a drink. “My favorite drink in college was a Cuba libre, so we were trying to ﬁnd a really cool name for the group; I really liked the idea of libre, freedom, and it just became the logical choice to pick VocaLibre — the free voice,” Martin said. Set to perform at 8 p.m. on Saturday in Evans Auditorium, VocaLibre will focus on European madrigals of the 16th and 17th century and a hint of Stevie Wonder towards the end. Madrigals are a speciﬁc form of singing which features secular text. “My goal is that people will come to the concerts and people will never know what to expect because it will be different every time,” Martin said. The group is composed of six male and six female students who are selectively chosen from auditions open to the student body. “We have had students from across the campus and they are not always a music major … I was looking for people who could communicate. The good thing is all 12 of these people have beautiful voices and they communicate when they sing,” Martin said. Fred Willrich, music senior and bass in VocaLibre, said the group is “high quality.” “It is the most select ensemble in the school … you have to pull your own weight,” he said. Willrich said he is a four-year veteran to the

group, and is now a leader in the group. “I love VocaLibre because it has given me a family, and a chance to do very difficult literature. We have some of the most wonderful musicians in a difficult setting,” Willrich said. Willrich said the focus of the group is to bring “classic music to the masses.” Martin said VocaLibre is a talented group, and hopes that communication is clear in the performance. “The ensemble has always had a great time and now we are stretching each other to think beyond the box. We certainly want to make beautiful tones, but we want to go beyond that and communicate specifically through the voice,” Martin said. Martin said although the madrigals will be in different languages, with clear communication the audience will still understand what is going on. “One of the things in the madrigals is that there are some in Ger— Fred Willrich man, some in Italian and some VocaLibre bass in French … you will still get it without knowing what the song is about,” Martin said. Steve Stevenson, music graduate student and band assistant, said he hopes people will attend the event. “It is important to go even if it is not something you are into … find new types of music that you may not be aware of,” Stevenson said. Martin said people with varying tastes in music would enjoy the performance. “It will resonate a truth within each person … and even if you have been listening to rap all your life or you have been listening to country and western music, you can still hear this and it can speak to you,” Martin said.

love “I VocaLibre because it has

given me a family, and a chance to do very difﬁcult literature. We have some of the most wonderful musicians in a difﬁcult setting.”

Former MTV reality stars talk to OSU about body image MUSIC WAR: Fulton Read will be one of ﬁve groups playing the Battle of the Bands at George’s 7 p.m. Thursday.

Photo courtesy of Fulton Read

By Michael Evans The Lantern (Ohio State U.) (U-WIRE) COLUMBUS, Ohio — It takes guts to run around in bikinis for the whole world to see on national television, especially with the notion that the camera adds ten pounds. It takes even more guts to do it season after season on MTV’s hit series The Real World/Road Rules Challenge. That’s what Challenge veterans Rachel Robinson and Veronica Portillo did, but they admit it was a struggle to reach the conﬁdence level they have today.

The pair came to Ohio State University on Monday night to speak about the importance of a positive body image for young women in today’s scrutinizing culture. They used their own experiences with weight and image issues to boost girls’ conﬁdence and educate them on the importance of self worth. “As women on the MTV network, we felt we needed to put a speech together that had something to say aside from gossip about our shows,” Robinson said. “We need to address this subject matter here on campus. We can’t ignore it.” The reality show stars mixed

statistics, humor and personal experiences to deliver their message. They focused on the dangers of anorexia and bulimia, emphasizing that college-aged students are the most susceptible to falling victim to these diseases. Portillo spoke a great deal about her history of eating disorders and how she was able to conquer them. “I battled for a big part of my life with negative self-image and poor self-esteem,” Portillo said. See IMAGE, page 7

TRENDS

Thursday, November 9, 2006

The University Star - Page 7

World-famous musician joins Texas State faculty By Whitey Lewis Special to The Star

Photo Courtesy of Copper Child BETTER SAFE: Copper Child, after the discovery that guitarist Daniel Poenisch had testicular cancer, will host the “Feel Your Balls” beneﬁt show to be hosted at Lucys on the Square Thursday night to raise money for the ﬁght against cancer.

Feel Your Balls, fight cancer at Lucy’s Thursday

The list of accolades, awards and recitals preceding Washington Garcia’s appointment as assistant professor of piano this fall is far too extensive to list in its entirety. Garcia played piano for the ﬁrst time publicly at the age of six. Now, Garcia, 29, has performed across the globe, beginning in his hometown of Quito, Ecuador. He earned a master of music degree and is the youngest Latin-American recipient of a doctor of musical arts degree from the prestigious Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University. In his ofﬁce, Garcia has a 2-inch thick binder full of programs, invitations, awards and press clippings documenting the high points of his career. He jokingly estimates the scrapbook contains only a quarter of all he has saved. But the page of the collection that inspired the biggest smile from Garcia has little to do with his career as a pianist. “I have to show this — my dear nephew. I saw him being born. He’s so cute,” said Garcia as he opened the back cover of the binder to reveal a three-year-old picture of his sister and her newborn son, who still live in Maryland where he attended college. Garcia performed for the president of Chile at the age of 14 and visited Texas for

the first time soon after when he was among five artists presented by the Texas Conservatory for Young Artists. He once performed a public show on the beach at an air force base in Ecuador on a piano flown in from another city. Garcia was also chosen among candidates from 33 countries for the Kennedy Center Fellowship of the Americas, along with one other pianist, for a career development grant in 1996. Garcia credits his family for the support and guidance that allowed his success as a musician. At the age of four, his grandmother was his first piano teacher. She played Ecuadorian folk music, and the family bought her a baby grand piano Garcia said he loved to play. “One day she decided, ‘If you’re going to mess it up, you might as well mess it up playing a nice tune,’ so she started teaching me my first song with one finger,” he said. Garcia said his mother’s side of the family is made up of naturally gifted musicians, but in Ecuador, music is not encouraged as a profession. “When I said to people ‘I want to be a pianist,’ they just said, ‘Yeah, and what else?’” he said. Often rehearsing for 10 hours a day — sometimes only breaking for food or sleep

By Jeffery D. Hooten The University Star

“We want to make people more aware of themselves,” Harrison said. “So many things Finding out someone close to can cause cancer.” you has cancer can be a harsh All profits from the benrealization. For the members efit will be going to the Ulman of the band Copper Child, the Cancer Fund for Young Adults, news guitarist Daniel Poenisch which provides services and aid had testicular to young adults cancer was dealing with candevastating. cer. Copper “It’s like scholarChild, along ship money to help with local pay for chemotherbands Gobi apy and treatment,” and Breach, Harrison said. will be playEric Reyna, muing a benefit sic performance show called senior plays gui“Feel Your tar for the band Balls” at LuBreach, which will cy’s San Marbe opening for cos Thursday Copper Child at — Cole Harrison Thursday’s benefit. to raise monCopper Child Reyna said that ey for the fight against lead singer members of the cancer. bands have known “It’s hard watching one of each other since they were kids, your best friends go through and that Breach was more than something that difficult,” Cole willing to help out the cause. Harrison, lead singer of Copper Reyna also described the Child, said. emotional effects of testicular Harrison said that the band cancer. never missed a beat with the “Testicular cancer is a renews of Poenisch’s cancer and ally depressing disease; (in that that, if anything, it gave them way) it’s kind of a psychological drive. cancer as well,” he said. Once Poenisch’s cancer went The benefit concert will into remission, the band decid- start at 9 p.m. Cover charge is ed to try and spread awareness $8 for minors and $5 for those and raise money for the cause. over 21.

t’s hard “I watching one of your

best friends go through something that difﬁcult.”

— Garcia said his life was full of sacriﬁce, but he considers himself lucky because he knew what he wanted to do with his life at an early age. “In many ways, it’s just destiny, as well. It’s what God wants from a person, and you just have to believe in the gift you’ve got and do it,” he said. The Van Pelt Auditorium at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the many venues that have hosted Garcia’s solo recitals. “I was teasing everyone, ‘I’m just going to warm-up. Instead of playing my arpeggios, I’m going to run up the stairs and take a picture of myself,’” he said, making light of the staircase at the museum’s entrance, immortalized in the Rocky movies. Recently, Garcia delivered a lecture at the museum on “Nationalism in Argentinean Music.” He said his background and heritage play a large part in his career choices, and they are part of his reasons for coming to Texas State. “The arts aren’t supported like they should. That’s one of the things I would like to change. It’s one of the things I would like to support more, not only in South America, but with people who share my Hispanic background,” he said. Garcia moved to San Marcos just three days before the fall semester began but already had visions and ideas for the future of Texas State. He looks forward to new music facilities, an increase in piano majors, competitiveness of the program and continuing the motto of “The Rising STAR of Texas” at the university. Committed to accomplishing the goals he has set for himself, Garcia challenges his students to do the same. He said he expects every student to put forth the same amount of effort he himself puts forth. “Getting started in music is not easy. It’s not an easy road, but it is possible,” he said. “All it takes is that push of somebody that says, ‘Yes, it’s possible, and I’m here to help,’ and I’m hoping that I can be that somebody.” Patricia Ruiloba, a cello performance graduate student, said Garcia helped her realize her abilities as a piano player. “I didn’t know I was able to play the piano the way that I can now,” Ruiloba said. “Even though I am not a piano major, he has pushed me to be my best.” Ruiloba, who is attending Texas State from Panama on an orchestra scholarship, shares a similar background with Garcia and supports his desire to recruit more students from Latin America to study music here. She said she appreciates Garcia’s passion for his job and his ability to push students to progress. Garcia keeps the binder chronicling his accomplishments in the rear bookcase behind the twin Steinway & Sons pianos he uses to teach his students and across the room from his hanging mobile centerpiece — a special gift from a friend featuring dangling metallic shapes of nearly every musical symbol.

✯ FYI Jennifer Williams/Star feature photo PRODIGY PROFESSOR: Washington Garcia, assistant professor of piano, has gained great notoriety for his talents ever since he ﬁrst played publicly at age six.

For more information on Garcia, including video and audio clips from his recitals, visit www.washingtongarcia.com. Also, music events at Texas State are listed on the School of Music homepage.

IMAGE: Body issues in men on the rise in today’s society CONTINUED from page 6

Growing up in the predominately white Orange County, Calif., Portillo was teased at a young age for her Cuban appearance and over-developed body. In junior high, Portillo started starving herself, eating only an apple a day. She said her dieting became an obsession, and she began abusing diet pills. “When I was at my lowest of lows, I could not reach my potential,” she said. “I was cast on Road Rules when I was the unhealthiest.” On the show, everything Portillo did was taped and analyzed by producers. She said she started to eat more, so the producers would stop questioning

her eating habits. But out of guilt, Portillo vomited the food she ate. “I found strength by traveling the world (on the show) and seeing how women are celebrated for their bodies,” Portillo said. “That was how I found inspiration.” She also said her fellow female cast members gave her inspiration by remaining positive and confident despite being on camera 24 hours a day. “Confidence is the key to success,” Robinson said. She said in order to gain confidence, you need to learn to ignore the pressures of the media. “Media images are not reflec-

tions of reality,” Robinson said. “As individuals, we decide how to experience the media messages we encounter. (These images) are always going to exist. They won’t stop. It’s up to us to become a critical viewer and a smart viewer.” The women discussed current women in the media who are suffering from body image complexes, such as Ashlee Simpson and Nicole Richie. They also said more money is spent on beauty each year than on education. Body image issues don’t stop

with women. Robinson said because of competition and stress, men are now starting to experience the same issues as women. “The men on our shows are more body conscious than the women,” Robinson said about the musclemen who appear on the Challenge. She said this is because of the integration of metrosexuality into society and the increasing use of steroids. Kelly Gilmartin, a senior in journalism, attended the lecture and said she learned a great deal.

“I have watched Rachel and Veronica on MTV for a long time, and it’s so great to see

them come to OSU to speak a positive message to women on campus,” she said.

TRENDS CALENDAR

Thursday, November 9, 2006

The University Star - Page 8

Treasures reception to feature Texas authors, collection’s hits By Maira Garcia The University Star Treasures will be just some of the things featured Thursday at a reception for the exhibit Treasures of the Southwestern Writers Collection. The Treasures exhibit is an amalgamation of some of the most significant archives in the Southwestern Writers Collection, in terms of their contributions to academia, popular culture and their historical significance. Featured items include the 1555 edition of Cabeza de Vaca’s La relación and a songbook handmade by Willie Nelson when he was 11 years old. The reception, which will be held in at the Southwestern Writers Collection on the seventh floor of Alkek Library, will feature Texas novelists Sarah Bird, Elizabeth Crook and Stephen

Harrigan. Steve Davis, assistant curator of the Southwestern Writers Collection, said each writer was instrumental in establishing the collection by donating archives. “Sarah Bird and Steven Harrigan were here at the opening of the Southwestern Writers Collection and we just thought it would be ﬁtting to have them come back at the 20th anniversary,” he said. Each writer is currently on book tours in support of their new novels. Bird’s newest book is The Flamenco Academy; Crook’s is The Night Journal and Challenger Park is Harrigan’s latest. “They are the current generation of top Texas writers. We are proud to have them associated with the Southwestern Writers Collection and Texas State.” Davis said. The three writers will take part in panel moderated by Da-

Thursday Treasures of the Southwestern Writers Collection: A 20th Anniversary Celebration The “greatest hits” of the permanent archives, including the 1555 edition of Cabeza de Vaca’s La relación y comentarios, a songbook made by an eleven-year-old Willie Nelson, costumes and props from Lonesome Dove and much more. The archives are located in the Southwestern Writers Collection on the seventh ﬂoor of Alkek Library. Exhibit hours: Monday/Tuesday/Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday/ Thursday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Call (512) 245-2313 for more information. Ojos Para Volar/Eyes to Fly With: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide The exhibit includes self-portraits, portraits, famous works and neverbefore-exhibited images by one of Mexico’s greatest photographers, from the Wittliff Gallery’s major collection of Iturbide’s work. The exhibition is located in the Witliff Gallery of Southwestern and Mexican photography on the seventh ﬂoor of Alkek Library. Exhibit hours: Monday/Tuesday/Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday/ Thursday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Call (512) 245-2313 for more information. Carole Greer — 10times3 Exhibit This exhibit is a retrospective and celebration of art and design professor Carole Greer’s 30 years at Texas State. Greer will retire at the end of the fall 2006 semester. The exhibit is located in Gallery II of the Joann Cole Mitte Art Building. Gallery hours: Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday/ Sunday: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Call (512) 245-2664 for more information. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

vis where they will discuss their latest works and take questions from the audience. The writers will also sign their books at the end of the reception. Visitors will also be able to browse the Treasures exhibit prior to the panel. According to Davis, the response to the collection has been good. “This is the right exhibit to have at this time because it essentially shows off the greatest hits of the Southwestern Writers Collection. It is being recognized not just by San Marcos and Texas, but far beyond too,” he said. Although the Treasures exhibit opened up in September, the reception for the exhibit could not be held until now in order to bring all the authors together on the same date. “We had to run around their schedules since all three have new books and are doing book tours

right now. This was the day we could get them all to correspond,” said Michele Miller of marketing and promotions for Alkek Library Special Collections. Miller also said the event had to be postponed due to the number of events both the Wittliff Gallery and Southwestern Writers Collection host. “We have a lot of things that factor into why we hold events when we do, speciﬁcally with the events that have been going on at the Wittliff Gallery,” Miller said. The reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. with an exhibit and author reception. The author’s panel will begin at 7:30 and will be followed by a question-andanswer session and book signing. It’s free and open to the public. The University Bookstore will also sell books from the authors. Treasures will be on display through Dec. 15.

Ojos Para Volar/Eyes to Fly With: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide

Celebration

Treasures of the Southwestern Writers Collection: A 20th Anniversary Celebration

Ojos Para Volar/Eyes to Fly With: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide

Carole Greer — 10times3 Exhibit

Treasures of the Southwestern Writers Collection: A 20th Anniversary Celebration

Mari Omori — Material Witness

Carole Greer — 10times3 Exhibit

Junior Recital Josh Warren will perform Extended Technique: A Journey Through the Possibilities of Tuba in the Music Building recital hall. Warren is a student of Raul Rodriguez. Call (512) 245-2651 for more information. Time: 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Mari Omori — Material Witness

The Rocky Horror Show

Music Lecture Series Robin Moor, University of Texas professor, will present the lecture “Music and Revolution: Cultural Change in Socialist Cuba” in the Music Building recital hall. Call (512) 245-2651 for more information. Time: 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Symphonic Winds Rod Schueller will direct the symphony at Evans Auditorium. Call (512) 245-2651 for more information. Time: 8 p.m. Tickets: $2 general admission and $1 for students

Jazz Ensemble Freddie Mendoza, senior music lecturer, will direct the ensemble at Evans Auditorium. Call (512) 245-2651 for more information. Time: 8 p.m. Tickets: $2 general admission and $1 for students

Saturday

Tuesday

Treasures of the Southwestern Writers Collection: A 20th Anniversary Celebration

Ojos Para Volar/Eyes to Fly With: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide

Treasures of the Southwestern Writers Collection: A 20th Anniversary Celebration

Mari Omori — Material Witness Faculty Recital Todd Oxford will perform saxophone music in the Music Building recital hall. Call (512) 245-2651 for more information. Time: 6 p.m. Tickets: $2 general admission and $1 for students

Eleanor Wilner Reading and Book Signing Eleanor Wilner, award-winning poet and author, will read selected works at the Southwestern Writers Collection in Alkek Library. The Kayser Lindsey/Katherine Anne Porter series event is sponsored by the English department. Time: 3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The Rocky Horror Show

Faculty Recital Mark Cruz, senior music lecturer, will perform guitar music in the Music Building recital hall. Call (512) 245-2651 for more information. Time: 8 p.m. Tickets: $2 general admission and $1 for students

Friday Treasures of the Southwestern Writers Collection: A 20th Anniversary Celebration

Carole Greer — 10times3 Exhibit

Mari Omori — Material Witness Senior Voice Recitals Erin Jung, student of Bert Neely, will perform in the Music Building recital hall. Call (512) 245-2651 for more information. Time: 2 p.m. Abigail Alleman, student of Bert Neely, will perform in the Music Building recital hall. Time: 4 p.m. Grace Rowland, student of Bert Neely, will perform in the Music Building recital hall. Time: 6 p.m. These events are free and open to the public.

The Rocky Horror Show Is everyone ready to do the time warp again? This campy cult classic immortalized on film is coming to Texas State as a live performance. Join Brad and Janet as they stumble into the strange world of Dr. FrankN-Furter, that sweet transvestite who is cooking up his latest creation, Rocky. Rocky Horror is an audience-participation musical that pays kitschy homage to 1950’s sci-fi B-movies with a winking nod at the sexual revolution. The musical, written by Richard O’Brian and directed by Jay Jennings, will be performed at the MainStage/Theatre Center. For mature audiences. Call the theatre and dance departmental office at (512) 245-2147 for more information. Time: 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $10 general admission and $5 for students

Treasures of the Southwestern Writers Collection: A 20th Anniversary Celebration

Carole Greer — 10times3 Exhibit

Mari Omori — Material Witness A native of Japan, Houston artist Mari Omori makes sculptural installations that revolve around the notion of identity, self and cultural memory. The installation is comprised of over 3,000 dried teabags mounted on the walls of the gallery, many of which have excerpted literature as well as personal thoughts of the artist included on the body of the individual teabag. The exhibit is located in Gallery I of the Joann Cole Mitte Art Building. Gallery hours: Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday/ Sunday: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Call (512) 245-2664 for more information. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Sarah Bird, Elizabeth Crook and Stephen Harrigan The Southwestern Writers Collection will host a reception, discussion and book signing in celebration of the 20th anniversary exhibition. Three leading Texas novelists — each with archives in the SWWC — will discuss their work and processes, and sign their latest books. Please RSVP by e-mail at southwesternwriters@txstate.edu, or call (512) 245-2313. Time: 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Jennifer Williams/Star file photo HISTORY BEHIND GLASS: The Treasures of the Southwestern Writers Collection, displayed on the seventh floor of the Alkek Library, features a wide range of notable memorabilia from film, music and literature worlds.

VocaLibre The group of 12 student singers will perform 16th and 17th-century madrigals in several languages at Evans Auditorium. Listen for a hint of Stevie Wonder at the end. Call (512) 245-2651 for more information. Time: 8 p.m. Tickets: $2 general admission and $1 for students

Sunday Treasures of the Southwestern Writers Collection: A 20th Anniversary Celebration

The Rocky Horror Show Junior Voice Recital Cecilia Kittley, student of Cheryl Parrish, will perform at the Music Building recital hall. Call (512) 245-2651 for more information. Time: 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Jazz Night at George’s Time: 9 p.m. The event is free and open to the public

Wednesday Treasures of the Southwestern Writers Collection: A 20th Anniversary Celebration Ojos Para Volar/Eyes to Fly With: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide Treasures of the Southwestern Writers Collection: A 20th Anniversary Celebration Carole Greer — 10times3 Exhibit

Ojos Para Volar/Eyes to Fly With: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide

Mari Omori — Materiel Witness

Carole Greer — 10times3 Exhibit

The Rocky Horror Show

Mari Omori — Material Witness

Piano Studio Recital Students of Tim Woolsey, music professor, will perform at the Music Building recital hall. Call (512) 245-2651 for more information. Time: 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Wind Ensemble Rod Schueller will direct the choir in the Music Building recital hall. Call (512) 245-2651 for more information. Time: 3 p.m. Tickets: $2 general admission and $1 for students Senior Trombone Recital Steven M. Hopkins, student of Charles Hurt, will perform in the Music Building recital Hall. Call (512) 245-2651 for more information. Time: 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public Texas State Flute Choir Adah Toland Jones will direct the choir in the Music Building recital hall. Call (512) 245-2651 for more information. Time: 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public

Monday Treasures of the Southwestern Writers Collection: A 20th Anniversary

John Pointer SACA presents multi-instrumentalist John Pointer at Evans Auditorium. You may recognize Pointer from his nationally televised commercials for Chili’s Baby Back Ribs and Schlotzsky’s Deli/Austin City Limits. Time: 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public SACA Movie Night SACA hosts a screening of Hotel Rwanda at the LBJ Amphitheater. Time: 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. SouthWest BrassWorks The faculty brass quintet will perform at the University Performing Arts Center. The quintet features Keith Winking, trumpet; Jack Laumer, trumpet; Steve Hager, horn; Charles Hurt, trombone and Raul Rodriguez, tuba. Call (512) 245-2651 for more information. Time: 8 p.m. Tickets: $2 general / $1 students

TRENDS/DIVERSIONS

Thursday, November 9, 2006

RIX’S

✯Star Comics

TECHNOLOGY FIXES

Cream of console gaming crop will soon be available for the financially privileged Unless you live in Beverly Hills and are able to hop in your chopper to fly on down to your local (or private) GameStop, expect to be put in the poor house this holiday season if a new console is on your wish list. The final prices of the Playstation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii have been known for a while now. However, when you add up the cost of peripherals such as extra controllers, new memory cards and games, the final price might be a bit higher than what you originally expected. That’s pretty bad if you plan on buying anything other than a Wii (and even then, don’t expect to leave the store with just a single bag). Let’s break all the costs down. For the sake of showing a less expensive price, let’s suppose you want to buy a Wii. You factor out the cost of the unit, with tax included — that’s $270.61 if you reside in the Lone Star State. You know a copy of Wii Sports is bundled with the unit, so you are covered as far as games go. But what if you don’t like sports games? If you can manage to nab a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, you’ll be set back another $49.99. So altogether, that’s $324.73, almost a hundred dollars more than the

Wii itself when you go pay the governor. It doesn’t stop there, though. If you want to go head-to-head with a friend, go for an extra controller ($19.99) and if you want to store data than the onboard ﬂash memory will allow, cop a one-gig SD memory stick (another $25 for something quality). All in all, you might drop upwards of $370. That’s almost enough to buy an Xbox 360 (and more than enough for an Xbox 360 Core System). If you buy a Playstation 3, you’ll have the added coolness of being able to play games and watch movies in high deﬁnition. Of course, I don’t own an HDTV. Not a lot of people do, even though they are coming down in price all the time. If you just can’t stand not to experience the full-rendered splendor of games like Ridge Racer 7, you might want to consider dropping half a grand (minimum) on a decent HDTV. Shoot, if you are going to play something like Dead Rising, a game pretty much tailored to people who own highdef sets, you might as well make the investment now rather than suffering through less-than-stellar graphics for a few more years. So that’s well over a grand for

The University Star - Page 9

BILL RIX Star Copy Chief

a Playstation 3 and the requisite HDTV. Fortunately generations are every three to ﬁve years for consoles. I’m almost ﬂat broke just thinking about it. All that being said, it’s still up in the air as to when the current generation of consoles will be discontinued and when games will cease to be made. Remember the last licensed NES game ever to come out, Wario’s Woods, was released in 1994. The SNES was available for three years prior, and the Playstation would come out later that same year. If you stop thinking about the cost and focus on the entertainment value, most of the consoles will pay for themselves after a few years. The Playstation 3’s graphics are beyond fresh and the Wii’s controller will only blaze a trail for games to come. The online play of Xbox Live will provide you with hours of entertainment when it’s late and no one is available for a quick game of Halo 3. It’s the initial cost that poses a problem to most gamers, so some might feel better waiting until the New Year when prices might drop a bit. It’ll require some skilled economics and selfcontrol on the part of the buyer to get geared up with next-gen toys and still be able to make rent.

Yesterday’s solutions:

SU DO KU

Complete the grid so that every row, column, and 3-by-3 box contains every digit from one through nine inclusively.

Yesterday’s solutions:

Page 10 - The University Star

TRENDS

Thursday, November 9, 2006

Internet helps shoe company increase sales dramatically By Doris Hajewski Milwaukee Journal Sentinel MILWAUKEE — A Chippewa Falls, Wis., company once known for men’s work boots is tying its fortune to shoe fashionistas who buy the latest styles on the Internet. Mason Shoe Co., which celebrated its 100th anniversary two years ago, has relaunched its fast-growing Shoemall.com site with a new look and new shopping tools. “We realize women really love shoes,” said Adrienne Hartman, Internet director of Shoemall. The site targets Photo courtesy of Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal women ages 25 to 54 who buy WEB-BUSINESS BOOM: With many online orders, Mason Shoe four pairs of shoes each year. Mason has always sold shoes employee Kathy Emerson retrieves shoes for packaging and shipdirectly to consumers. In the ping at the company’s distribution center in Chippewa Falls, Wis. early days, door-to-door salesmen made sales. Later, the Shoemall, now Mason’s fast- Clarks, Camper, Rocket Dog, company switched to catalog est-growing division, racked Naturalizer, Donald Pliner and sales, and it put its catalogs on up $45 million in sales in 2005. Aquatalia. The site also has the Internet in 1999. By then, The company doesn’t reveal to- men’s brands including Stacy women’s’ shoes had emerged as tal sales. Adams and Bostonian. the faster-growing part of the The product offering through As part of the fall marketing business. Shoemall is a big expansion for push for Shoemall, Mason has “We’ve basically reinvented Mason. The site has 10,000 just mailed its ﬁrst Shoemall ourselves,” said Dan Hunt, styles under 400 brand names. catalog and has hired Laughchief executive ofﬁcer of Ma- Brands include Crocs, Steve lin/Constable of Milwaukee to son. Madden, Merrell, Franco Sarto, create the company’s biggest ad

campaign. But the new ad campaign is aimed squarely at women, with the tagline “We know how much you love shoes.” One of the ads says: “We recently heard of a woman who has 29 pairs of black shoes. That’s right. Only 29.” Thus giving permission to the woman who has fewer than that to buy more. The ads are running in the November issue of magazines such as Marie Claire, Lucky and The New York Times Magazine. The new relationship with Laughlin/Constable is the first time Mason has ever hired an advertising agency. The company also markets its shoes on shopping comparison Web sites, e-mail, search engines and affiliate marketing. Shoemall’s heightened profile comes at a time when the competition in online shoe retailing is increasing. This month, Gap Inc. launched Piperlime.com, a shoe site for men, women and children. At the same time, Zappos.com, a San Francisco company that is probably the nation’s largest online shoe

seller, continues to grow. Zappos launched in 1999, around the time Shoemall started, and has grown to $600 million in sales, according to the Zappos Web site. The Shoemall.com technical upgrades put it in a better competitive position, with a new search tool that allows shoppers to ﬁnd shoes by size, color and style. Even without the upgrades to the site, Shoemall’s sales have grown ﬁvefold in the past two years. The increase comes as total shoe sales in the United States also have increased. According to the NPD Group Inc. in Port Washington, N.Y., footwear sales totaled $42 billion in 2005, up 9 percent over the previous year. Footwear sales online for the 12 months ended September 2006 were $955 million, up 41.8 percent, according to NPD. Online, shoes, lumped together with apparel and accessories, are the fourth-biggest category, accounting for $11.3 billion in sales last year, out of a total of $176.4 billion spent online, according to Forrester Research Inc.’s survey for Shop.

org. In the second week of October, “shoes” ranked as the fourth most popular search item on Yahoo! Shopping. The top three — as entered in the search engine — were “iPod,” “TMX Elmo” and “Elmo TMX.” Buying shoes online runs counter to the conventional wisdom that says consumers shy away from purchasing items that they can’t try on. George Rosenbaum, chairman of Leo J. Shapiro & Associates, a Chicago market research ﬁrm, said there are two reasons for the growth of shoe sales online. Rosenbaum said the customer does not try on a quarter of all shoes sold in brick-andmortar stores. “People will ﬁnd their size and walk out and buy it in selfserve situations,” Rosenbaum said. This is possible because about 40 percent of all shoes sold are athletic shoes, many of which are name brands. People feel comfortable buying without trying because they know their size in the brand, he said.

OPINIONS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

Thursday, November 9, 2006 - Page 11

onlineconnection Do you think the Associated Student Government should establish an code of ethics and ethics committee? Go to www.UniversityStar.com to vote in our online poll. Results will be published in Thursday’s issue of The University Star. *This is not a scientiﬁc poll

LACK OF ETHICS Opinions Contact — Emily Messer, staropinion@txstate.edu

THE MAIN POINT

he Associated Student Government has taken ﬂak for its cozy relationship with a political consulting ﬁrm. ASG executives have pointed out that nothing the organization has done this year violated its governing rules. This is true. Nothing ASG has done violated its code of ethics because ASG doesn’t have one.

Establishing new Associated Student Government rules can prevent misuse of power in future

The issue confronting ASG that most concerned The University Star is the fact that paid political consultants are allowed to be a part of the student government. At the student level, when we are still in a formative state ethically and morally, there needs to be an effort is made to avoid putting students in an ethically questionable situation. The way to fix this problem is to create an ASG code of ethics and an ethics committee. At every level of U.S. government, you find ethics boards and commissions. If ASG members want to get involved in politics, they should begin addressing the issue of ethics, not skirting it. It doesn’t matter too much if ASG did something wrong during the election. Jeff Gordon, philosophy professor, in a Nov. 2 University Star article questioned why you would put a student in a situation where he or she was working for one nonpartisan political entity while taking money from a group that supports specific candidates. The fact of the matter is there is not a reason to do this in a university setting. Creating that temptation puts students in a dangerous situation. A code of ethics and an ethics committee gives ASG members a point of reference and a course of action when ethically questionable actions occur. The ASG constitution is incredibly vague about what is an impeachable offense and what deserves a censure. An ethics committee can address situations such as a senator stepping down as the president of a student organization because he was using that organization to promote his employer, in violation of the organization’s charter. That senator probably does not deserve to be impeached, but his actions might warrant a rebuke from an ethics committee or, if what he did violates an ethics code, a censure from the senate. Measures like this are intended to nip things in the bud before ethics questions can taint the entire student government. These types of ethical questions have probably never been brought up before, so ASG isn’t to be reproached for not having a code of ethics or ethics committee. But as the organization expands and gains power, more of these questions will arise. If ASG is going to make a habit of petitioning the Texas Legislature, those petitions will hold more weight if state legislators know the petitions are not intended to promote outside interest who employ members of student government. Setting a higher ethical bar now can save ASG a lot of trouble in the long run.

Pat on the back for Republicans I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every active member of this year’s Texas State College Republicans chapter. Despite some losses in the local and national races and some wins in the state races, no one can take away the fact that our chapter and it’s members busted our butts for the philosophy we believe in. We have been the beacon of respect and resilience this semester, and that is all because of the good nature of our members. We have been the only political group on campus that has had positive press, as well as one of the largest, most active and most respected chapters in Texas. Overall, as your chairman, I would like to say that I am proud to call myself your leader, and I am proud to be the spokesperson for a group of such talented, respected and admired young people. A spirit is what keeps a group alive and ours is most deﬁnitely indestructible. Thank you for an outstanding election year and I look forward to our accomplishments in the upcoming semester. Joe DeLaCerda Texas State College Republicans chairman Think you have something to say? Log on to www.UniversityStar. com and click on the letters link to read old letters and submit new ones.

Online Poll Results

Students paid by candidates

o you think students who are paid by candidates should be involved in on-campus political organizations? It’s a conﬂict of interest

52% There’s nothing wrong with it

41% Not sure/I don’t know

The Main Point is the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board. Columns are the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily reﬂect the opinions of the full staff, Texas State University-San Marcos Student Media, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Texas State UniversitySan Marcos.

Kelly Simmonsk/Star illustration

Results compiled from The University Star Web site online poll. This is not a scientiﬁc survey.

Student government not about endorsements, networking Student government Furthermore, looks fun and entertainSam McCabe, Joring, and it might even dan Anderson and raise your hopes, but the Jude Prather don’t fantasy rarely matches the owe anyone apoloreality. Given the recent gies. Politics can be a actions of the Associated business, and it most Student Government’s often is. They have a SEAN WARDWELL executives in relation to job, and that job is to Star Columnist McCabe, Anderson, and represent and market Prather (M.A.P.), a student-run their clients to the student body. consulting ﬁrm, my interest They have done that quite well. piqued. As a matter of law, there’s nothThere is a difference between ing preventing them from going a real scandal and a situation to ASG with their people. With that people wish would be a ASG being a very small cutout scandal. M.A.P. carting candiof the student body, any potendates in front of ASG is not a tial damage would be limited at scandal. There’s nothing in the best. So let’s move on from the ASG Constitution or Code of almost-scandal and talk about Laws that forces them to reach what people seem to be skipout to both sides. As much as I ping over — the unreal hubris hate to admit it, ASG President of it all. Kyle Morris has a point; he does Why isn’t there a rule ensurnot have to reach out for equal ing equal time if candidates time. come to speak? Why isn’t there

The University Star 601 University Drive Trinity Building San Marcos, TX 78666 Phone: (512) 245-3487 Fax: (512) 245-3708

also a rule preventing ASG executives from making endorsements? These two rules make a great deal of sense to me if one was interested in maintaining ethical, honest and open government. Simply following and parroting the rules are not enough. First, the rules need to be examined to see if they are adequate. If ASG is indeed the voice of the students, then the students need as much information as possible to speak with an informed voice. Should the candidates reach out to ASG? Absolutely. That’s a no-brainer. If they want to be taken seriously by us, they should respect our institutions. However, if one side reaches out, then what’s the harm in sending an e-mail or making a phone call to their opponent? If we want an open forum for

Editor In Chief...................................Jason Buch, stareditor@txstate.edu Managing Editor.........................Emily Messer, staropinion@txstate.edu News Editor..............................David Saleh Rauf, starnews@txstate.edu Trends Editor....................Maira Garcia, starentertainment@txstate.edu Photo Editor...................................Monty Marion, starphoto@txstate.edu Sports Editor..................................Chris Boehm, starsports@txstate.edu

the students, then it should be as open as possible. If they miss out, then it’s no skin off our backs and it makes us look good. Snubs don’t get the student vote. The second thing is that I don’t believe any ASG executive should be allowed to make endorsements. The presidency of the student body should not be turned into a dating service for candidates and students. If anyone wants to worry about something, that’s a good place to start. It cheapens and demeans the ofﬁce, inviting images of cronyism and quid pro quo. That might not be the reality, but it makes a compelling image; and in politics, image and perception are reality. The ASG president speaks with a loud voice and we entrust that person with that kind of power; the power to speak for us.

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Should that voice be wasted on an endorsement? Do executive endorsements really speak for all of us? It is difficult to interchange the words of a private citizen and the holder of high office if they are the same person. Even if it is a personal endorsement, you can’t separate it from the office if they are currently occupying it. Given that ASG is non-partisan, it makes it nigh impossible. We can expect a party’s leader to endorse in a party, like Tom DeLay lobbying for Republicans, for example. However, there is no party structure to ASG; so once again, the voice of the student body president carries a lot of water on a campaign ad to the uninformed or naïve voter. Good government is not simply about following the rules. Good government has to be

about relentlessly re-examining those rules and holding yourself to the highest possible standard. By the time you read this, the election will be over and we’ll all get back to our lives. I just think we should expect more. It isn’t that ASG executives dropped the ball here; it’s that they picked up the wrong one. ASG should not allow itself or its leaders to become enmeshed in partisan campaigns via onesided speakers and endorsements. ASG should not be about networking, endorsements, or playing politics. Those things take care of themselves. They need to be about keeping our tuition and fees low and being responsive to our needs. Endorsements do not do that.

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The University Star is the student newspaper of Texas State University-San Marcos published Tuesday through Thursday during the fall and spring semesters. It is distributed on campus and throughout San Marcos at 8 a.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with a distribution of 8,000. Printing and distribution is by the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. Copyright November 9, 2006. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The University Star are the exclusive property of The University Star and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the editor in chief.

Sean Wardwell is a communication studies junior

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SPORTS

Thursday, November 9, 2006

The University Star - Page 13

Women’s basketball smashes Davalos plan set into motion, Houston Elite in exhibition game basketball takes early win By Gordon Taylor The University Star The Texas State women’s basketball team got its season in gear Tuesday evening with a 74-30 victory in an exhibition game against Houston Elite at Strahan Coliseum. The Bobcats got off to a slow start in the first half, scoring only two points in the first five minutes. “I think we were playing down to their level,” senior forward Elyse Wright said. “They only had seven players so they didn’t want to run. We let them control the tempo at first, but we picked it up.” Coach Suzanne Fox attributed the slow start to a lack of energy on the part of the players. “I thought we didn’t come out with the energy we expected, which we addressed at the half,” Fox said. The Bobcats picked up the offense at the 12-minute mark, with a 20-2 run that put them up 22-4 with seven minutes left in the half. “We started bringing some energy,” Fox said. Houston Elite outscored Texas State 8-6 over the final three minutes of the first half, but the Bobcats held a 31-14 lead at halftime. Having held the Houston Elite squad to only 14 points in

the half, Wright was happy with the defensive effort put forth by the team. “We made a good first impression, and Coach Fox was big on that,” Wright said. “We wanted to show that our defense is going to be big this season.” Fox said the team emphasized energy level during the intermission. “Our kids know we need to come out a little better than we did in the first half,” Fox said. “They responded very well in the second half.” It didn’t take Texas State nearly as long to get going in the second period, as sophomore Ashley Leffingwell knocked down a three pointer just 25 seconds into the half, and senior Ashley Riley ignited the Bobcats to score 14 unanswered points with 18:30 left in the second half. “We created some offense with our defense,” Fox said. “We pressed and that got us some turnovers, and things just snowballed for us.” Things didn’t get any better for Houston Elite, as the Bobcat lead reached 58-18 with 11:30 left in the game. Junior guard Brooke DeGrate scored the final Texas State points of the night, on a pair of free throws with 1:29 left in the game. After holding the opposi-

tion to only 30 points, Fox was pleased with the team’s execution. “We’ve been emphasizing defense and rebounding,” Fox said. “The kids worked hard to improve, but we’re not polished yet.” The Bobcats had three players reach double digits in points. Junior Joyce Ekworomadu led all Texas State scorers with 14 points, and also pulled down seven rebounds. Lefﬁngwell and Riley notched 12 and 11 points, respectively. Sophomore Ryann Bradford led the squad in assists with four. “I think we played well overall,” Wright said. “This game did show us what we need to work on, but we came out and played hard.” Fox said it was exciting to see the students and community getting behind the team. “It was good playing someone not in a Texas State jersey,” Fox said. “It was great to have the students out; the ladies really appreciate it. We’re going to continue to work hard to give the students and community a product they can be proud of.” Texas State opens the regular season Sunday against Louisiana-Lafayette in the Basketball Travelers’ Classic, hosted by the Texas. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at the Frank Erwin Center.

Gabe Mendoza The University Star It may have only been Division III Texas Lutheran, but the Doug Davalos era of Texas State basketball got off to a roaring start Tuesday with a blowout victory at Strahan Coliseum. Nearly 1,000 hoops fans were on hand to watch the Bobcats cruise to a 106-65 win against the Bulldogs. The Bobcat starters set the tone early, coming out of the gate to score the first nine points of the game. The Bulldogs were able to pull to within four points in the early going, cutting the lead to 17-13, but they got no closer. Davalos’ crew went on a 23-7 run, putting the team in the driver’s seat for good. Coming into his first year at Texas State, Coach Davalos promised the fans an exciting, up-tempo game, and the Bobcats made good of his word their first time on the court. They hounded the Bulldogs all night with a full-court press for most of the game, never allowing Texas Lutheran to get into a comfortable offensive rhythm. “Our focus was to go out and set the standard of what our program is going to be about,” Davalos said. “We’re going to attack, and we’re going to be aggressive from beginning to end.”

Attack may not quite do the defense justice, as Texas State dominated TLU with their intensity, forcing 34 turnovers that led to 41 Bobcat points. Junior transfer Matt Fullenwider, one of 11 new faces on this year’s squad, led all scorers with 25 points, eight rebounds and one assist. “All our guys are buying into what we’re doing here,” Davalos said. “Matt scored some points, sure. But more importantly, he defended well and got some rebounds. Those are the things we are going to need out of him for this team to be successful.” The intensity never let up, even toward the end of the game when the victory was well in hand. The defense continued to pressure the Bulldogs in the backcourt, and the guards pushed the ball up-court with a running offense. “This is a really fun system where we get up and down the court and press,” said junior guard Brent Holder. “It’s really exciting for the fans and the players because it’s fast, and we are getting a lot of steals and dunks. It’s a lot more fun than a regular half-court set.” Holder was one of four Bobcats to score in double ﬁgures, coming up with 14 points off the bench — thanks, in part, to a spot-on outside touch. Holder hit ﬁve of 11 shots from the

field, including three from the three-point range. Sophomore guard Brandon Bush started at the point guard position and contributed 18 points, 16 of which came in the first half. Southland Conference preseason second-team member and senior Charles Dotson dropped in 12 points along with nine rebounds, but was plagued by foul trouble most of the game after picking up three early in the first half. Dotson, who led the team in scoring last season, played for 16 minutes. Leading the scoring for TLU was sophomore guard Nate Walton, who finished with 14 points but shot just 30 percent from the floor. Like the rest of his team, Walton found it difficult to get an open look at the basket. As a team, the Bulldogs were held under 40 percent shooting by a defensive strategy that produced 11 blocked shots and 15 steals. The defensive execution was a total team effort from the Bobcats. “Our program is not about two or three stars,” Davalos said. “This team is about 15 warriors who go out there every day and play hard and play to win.” Texas State will now prepare for its regular-season opener against Dallas Baptist 8 p.m. Friday at Strahan Coliseum.

FOOTBALL: Leg injury sidelines Buck Koalenz CONTINUED from page 14

have also cut down on total defense, allowing 341.1 yards of total offense this season. Defensive back Stacey Thomas and linebacker Vince Davis lead the defense. Thomas paces the team and the Southwestern Athletic Conference with 89 tackles, in addition to three interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Davis leads the team and the conference with 14 tackles for a loss and eight sacks. On offense, quarterback Tino

Edgecombe leads the Tigers with 1,074 yards of total offense, including 1,031 yards through the air. Edgecombe has completed 59.7 percent of his passes, including six touchdowns and nine interceptions. “They run a multiple offense,” Bailiff said. “They’ll line up four wide outs, or two backs. It’s not just (the) West Coast (offense).” Behind Edgecombe in the backﬁeld is running back Brent Wilson who has struggled to duplicate the success he had last year when he rushed for

over 1,000 yards and ten touchdowns. This season, Wilson has rushed for just 441 yards on 3.4 yards per carry and four touchdowns. Junior Daniel Davis leads the Tigers receiving corps with 30 receptions for 340 yards and four touchdowns.

Football Notebook Buck ﬁnished Offensive lineman Buck Koalenz left last week’s game with

a leg injury and will not play the last two games of the season. “It’s the same leg as a year ago,” Bailiff said. “He’s done for the year.” Morris returns Wide receiver Morris Crosby missed last week’s game against Nicholls State but returned to practice this week and will play Saturday. “He’s had a hip ﬂexor all year, but he’s been out practicing and is okay,” Bailiff said.

Cotton Miller/Star photo PASSING GAME: Walter Musgrove (15) forces Alex Darley (80) out of bounds in Wednesday’s practice at Bobcat Stadium.

SPORTS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

Thursday, November 9, 2006 - Page 14

roadrunner road trip Volleyball heads to the River City Thursday to face interstate rival Texas-San Antonio. Coach Karen Chisum and company end their season Saturday at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Bobcats, 9-5 in Southland Conference play, have already secured an invitation to the league’s post-season tournament, to be hosted by UTSA later this month. In the teams’ last meeting, Texas State was victorious over the Roadrunners Oct. 5 at Strahan Coliseum. Check www.UniversityStar.com for a full preview.

Sports Contact — Chris Boehm, starsports@txstate.edu

PIECED TOGETHER By Richard Lopez The University Star A 3-24 record last season led to a total overhaul of the men’s basketball program. This weekend the regular season begins and fans and players alike can see if the changes were for the better. The Bobcats host Dallas Baptist Friday in their first action of the regular season. Game time is set for 8 p.m. at Strahan Coliseum. With the resignation of Coach Dennis Nutt at the end of last season, the first task on the agenda was to hire a new coach to lead the Bobcats back to glory. The man chosen was Doug Davalos, who guided the Sul Ross State Lobos men’s basketball program to three straight American Southwest Conference West division championships and four consecutive post-season appearances. Rounding out the new bobcat coaching staff are Russell Vanlandingham, Jamon Copeland and Omar Lowery. “I think the passion, excitement and enthusiasm is infectious around the office,” said Davalos. “I didn’t get a staff based on guys that have been at other D-1 institutions. Coaching is coaching, and dealing with people is dealing with people.” With eleven new players chemistry is an obvious issue, but Brent Holder, a junior college transfer from Blinn College, said team chemistry is right where it should be. “The team chemistry is awesome. Everyone gets along real

New staff, players prepare for fresh start

well,” Holder said. “We are still trying to get to know everyone on the court a little better so that we can be on the same page on the court.” The Bobcats have two Big 12 opponents on the schedule this season — Baylor Dec. 2 in Waco and Texas Dec. 16 in Austin. Conference play begins Jan. 4 against two-time defending Southland Conference champion Northwestern State, who beat Iowa in last year’s NCAA tournament. Sam Houston State, the preseason pick to win the SLC west division, will be in town Feb. 24 for the last home game of the year. Texas State was picked to finish last in the SLC, but Davalos said he is awaiting the challenge to put the program back on the right track. “When you finish last the previous year, you aren’t going to get a lot of votes for first place. I am not angry,” Davalos said. “What have we done to get any respect? I would have been shocked if it had been different. I am excited about taking on this season with these young men that we have in this program. That is all I can worry about. All I am excited Monty Marion and Mark Decker/Star photo illustration about is taking these young men to war everyday.” PICK UP THE PIECES: With a new coaching staff and new and returning players, the men’s basketball team hopes the loose pieces of Picked last to finish in the con- last year will fall into place this season. ference does not mean anything to forward Dylan Moseley, who that degree better prepares us for down, Davalos said he would like to compete with passion, at- you can appreciate young men said his team is ready to be com- conference play,” Moseley said. “I to see the same type of excite- tack teams, and are not going attacking teams, playing up and petitive in both SLC and non- believe anyone can beat anyone ment for his program. to sit back and counterpunch,” down, making things exciting conference play. on any given night in the South“The only thing I can ask fans Davalos said. “You don’t have to (and) putting points up on the “Like always we have a difficult land Conference. It really comes to get behind is that I can’t tell know the intricacies of a motion scoreboard. Those are the things pre-season with Texas, Baylor, down to who wants it more.” you how many wins we are go- offense or the intricacies of set- we are trying to establish in our UNT and UTEP. Playing teams of With football season winding ing to have, but we are going ting up a half-court defense, but programs.”

Women’s season opens with Basketball Travelers Classic

Monty Marion/Star feature photo HIGH EXPECTATIONS: Joyce Ekworomadu(22), Ashley Riley(45), Elyse Wright(24) and Erica Putnam(50) will look to carry the Texas State’s strong performance against the Houston Elite into the regular season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette Sunday.

By Carl Harper The University Star The Bobcat women open the regular season Sunday in Austin against Louisiana-Lafayette in game one of the three-day Basketball Travelers Invitational. Coach Suzanne Fox is entering her ninth season with the

Bobcats and is in search of her second conference title. The ﬁrst came during the 2002-03 season when Texas State went 18-14 and qualiﬁed for the NCAA tournament. “November will be very challenging,” Fox said. “We have three games in three days and it will be challenging for our

kids. This team will have to have growth early in the year to get ready for conference play.” Last season the Bobcats ended with a 17-11 record overall and 9-7 in conference play. Even with the absence of last year’s all-conference ﬁrst-team selection Tamara Thompson, the Bobcats still have a veteran roster that in-

cludes a potential league MVP. Junior Joyce Ekworomadu enters the season as a candidate for the SLC Player of the Year award after receiving preseason FirstTeam All-SLC honors. She is also the club’s top returning scorer after averaging 13.7 points per game in 2005. Texas State began the new schedule Tuesday night in the only exhibition game as they beat Houston Elite 74-30 in San Marcos. Senior forward Erica Putnam ﬁnished last year with 6.8 points and 6.5 assists per game before a season-ending knee injury at Southeastern Louisiana. The coaching staff expects her to provide leadership this season, alongside fellow seniors Ashley Riley and Elyse Wright. Riley made two starts in 27 appearances and averaged 4.2 points with 2.3 rebounds per game. The Bobcats will play Maryland Eastern Shore on day two of this weekend’s tournament and conclude against host Texas. Texas State will travel up to Lubbock ﬁve days later to take on the Red Raiders for the only back-to-back Big 12 games of the season. “This tournament will really challenge us,” Putnam said. “It will see what we’re about and

show the heart of this team. Then we play Texas Tech so this is going to be a hard preseason, but it’s what we need and we know they are beatable teams.” The Bobcats return to Hill Country Nov. 24 to host a fourgame home stand beginning with Texas-Pan American. The team will wrap up the week with games against Missouri-Kansas City, Huston-Tillotson and Schreiner before hitting the road for UTPA and Miami. “I’m looking forward to Miami because we’ll get to get away and be on that side; I’m used to the Southeast coast,” Riley said. “But all the early big games will show us where we’re at as a team and I’m really excited about that.” Fox and company play their last home game of the semester Dec. 21 against Texas Lutheran. “We’re going to have to face adversity (in preseason),” Ekworomadu said. “It will get us ready for conference. I’m stoked that we get to start off with these really good teams because we always like to rise up to the challenge.” The spring semester offers 14 conference games, eight of them in Strahan Coliseum. The road to another conference title begins at Northwestern State on

Jan. 4. Two days later the Bobcats will face the Sugar Bears of Central Arkansas for the first time. This year will mark a new era in the SLC. For the first time in league history, the SLC has added divisional play. As in volleyball, there are now East and West divisions. The Bobcats sit in the West along with the other Texas schools. The league’s coaches and sports information directors have picked the Bobcats fifth in the preseason SLC West. TexasArlington has been selected to take first. “In general, the word we are using to describe this season is ‘challenging,’” Fox said. “(Being selected fifth) can be used as a motivational tool for our kids. Our goal as always is to win a conference championship. The formation of the conference has changed into divisions and that will be very tough.” The Bobcats were knocked out of the tournament in the first round last year against Louisiana-Monroe, who is no longer a member of the SLC. “Every year since I’ve been here we have always just made it to the first round,” Putnam said. “I’m ready to get past the first round and knock out those top teams.”

Senior class says goodbye against Texas Southern in final home football game By Nathan Brooks The University Star After dropping their last two games in Southland Conference play, the Bobcats aim to have better luck outside the league when they take on Texas Southern Saturday. In the span of six days, Texas State saw its conference and playoff hopes slip away with backto-back losses to Northwestern State and Nicholls State. “It’s been frustrating. I don’t know how else you can say it,” said cornerback Walter Musgrove. “But I always approach football as a game. And these (last two weeks) are possibly my last opportunity to play this game. We’re in this situation where we know the younger guys are waiting to see how we react.” Saturday’s home game will be the last for this year’s 15-man senior class.

“I’ve been telling these guys to have no regrets, and leave everything on the ﬁeld,” said Coach David Bailiff. “The saddest day for an athlete is when he takes the pads off and knows he’ll never wear them again.” Despite a season where Texas State went 3-6, 2-3 in SLC games, the seniors are looking to end their careers on a positive note. “Practice this week has been pretty positive,” said defensive back Epsilon Williams. “I still have (the rest of the) season to play, and this is my last opportunity to play as a Bobcat at home. It means everything.” A big reason the Bobcats have struggled over the past two games is due to an offense that has scored just 29 points and turned the ball over six times. Bailiff cited a lack of run production as a main factor. “In college football you have to be able to run the football,

and we haven’t been able to establish that every game,” Bailiff said. “That was the difference in the Southeastern Louisiana (victory).” Texas State is going to need to get their offense back on track this week against a team that is much improved from one year ago. While both teams enter the game with identical 3-6 records, the Tigers have already improved on their 1-10 mark from last year. The biggest difference for Texas Southern is a defense that has improved from a season ago. “They have a very athletic defense,” Bailiff said. “They blitz extremely well.” The Tigers are still surrendering on average 27.3 points per game this year, but it is an improvement from the 35 per contest they gave up last year. They See FOOTBALL, page 13

11 09 2006

Published on Nov 9, 2006

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