11 13 2012

Page 1

VOLUME 102, ISSUE 35

www.UniversityStar.com

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NOVEMBER 13, 2012

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The Price of Freedom

Texas State honored faculty, staff, and students who have served in the armed forces at the Veteran’s Day Commemoration. To learn more about this event, visit UniversityStar.com.

CELEBRATING SERVICE

of a 3-part serie s Part 1

New overpass coming fall 2013 By Natalie Berko News Reporter

Carlos Valdez, Assistant Photo Editor

The R.O.T.C. color guard presents the national and Texas flag Nov. 12 to begin the Veterans Day Commemoration in The Quad.

Gathering remembers Veterans Day By Adrian Omar Ramirez News Reporter Students, San Marcos residents and active and past duty military members joined in front of The Fighting Stallions Monday morning to observe Texas State’s Veterans Day ceremony. The ceremony, arranged by the Student Foundation, opened with a speech from Ryan Elliot, international relations senior and Student Foundation’s director of Veterans Day commemoration. “The Texas State community has a rich tradition of military and ROTC involvement dating all the way back to World War II,” Elliot said. A posting of the colors and perfor-

mance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” from the Bobcat marching band followed Elliot’s speech. University President Denise Trauth spoke about Texas State’s recognition as a veteran-friendly school and the services provided to the 1,046 veterans currently enrolled at the university. “Those we honor today have committed their lives to protecting our freedoms, and we never want to take them for granted,” Trauth said. Army Col. Paul Phillips III, who has recently been awarded with the title of distinguished alumnus, delivered the keynote speech for the ceremony after an introduction from Trauth. “We are extraordinarily proud of him because he is one of us,” Trauth said. “He has represented our university as an outstanding student, athlete, alumnus and military officer, and for that, the Bobcat community will be forever grateful.” Phillips graduated from Southwest Texas State University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in physical education. Phillips then earned his medical degree and completed an orthopedic residency, becoming an orthopedic sur-

geon in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Phillips said while he was the keynote speaker, it is important to put the ceremony into perspective. “It’s not about me. It’s about every single person who has put on the uniform and has represented our country either here or abroad,” Phillips said. Many of the event’s guests wore formal attire. However, Phillips dressed in an Army combat uniform, which he said served as a reminder there are many military personnel still involved in conflicts around the world. “Our men and women of the armed services deserve the support of our nation that sends them oftentimes into harm’s way,” Phillips said. Before Phillips ended his speech, the ceremony was briefly interrupted by an early flyby put on by the San Marcos Commemorative Air Force. A Tora Zero and three T-6 aircrafts flew over the audience twice before returning to the San Marcos Municipal Airport. “I just needed 30 more seconds,” Phillips joked. “It was almost on time.” After Phillips’ speech, Jeremy Cas-

READ VERTERANS, PAGE 3

Those we honor today have committed their lives to protecting our freedoms, and we never want to take them for granted.” — University President Denise Trauth

Committee formed to assess teaching theater efficiency By Taylor Tompkins Assistant News Editor Texas State administrators are looking into a new way to utilize teaching theaters more efficiently. University President Denise Trauth said a task force found major teaching theaters are not being utilized to full capacity. The task force set out to determine the feasibility of additional Friday and Saturday classes. In response, administrators are forming a “large teaching theater committee.” The committee will accept proposals and base scheduling off factors such as class growth and attendance, Provost Eugene Bourgeois said in the Nov. 7 Faculty Senate meeting. “They found there was a 10 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday time slot

when some teaching theater wasn’t being used,” Trauth said. “That should not have happened.” The committee will differ from the classroom scheduling one. The current committee handles scheduling for teaching theaters such as those in Alkek Library and Centennial Hall, by giving time slots to classes whose need is the greatest. “People are just keeping the same time slots they had in the past,” Bourgeois said. “We are going to rejuvenate the large teaching theater committee to look at the existing 400-seaters.” Bourgeois said the administration is looking to increase class enrollment during the 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. time slots. Increasing teaching theater utilization

READ CLASSES, PAGE 3

Construction of the Loop 82 Overpass is projected to begin in fall 2013 and is aimed to help residents avoid traffic congestion caused by trains. The overpass project on Loop 82, known as Aquarena Springs Drive, will be constructed over the Union Pacific railroad and includes access roads and connections to city streets. Juan Guerra, associate vice president of facilities, said the overpass will elevate the four lanes of Loop 82 where it crosses the railroad by Bobcat Stadium. Access roads will be built on both sides of the overpass to widen Loop 82 by two additional lanes. Ray Garcia, city project manager, said the project will take two years to complete and consists of five phases of construction that will span from Thorpe Lane to Charles Austin Drive. Every phase of construction will maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction, except for a six-week period at the beginning. During that time, only one lane will be open in each direction. Garcia said the Railroad Grade Separation will fund $25 million of the project. An advanced funding agreement between the city and TxDOT will provide $3 million. An additional $3 million in funds left over from the Wonder World Drive project will go toward the construction. Garcia said construction will start from the outsides of the area and work inward toward the overpass site. Acclimating residents to the phasing of the various traffic controls during the project is the only potential problem with construction Garcia predicts. “As far as moving students, or any pedestrians for that matter, from one side of the project to the other is going to be a hurdle that we are going to have to work through,” Garcia said. John Nevares, project manager for the Texas Department of Transportation, said the access roads will be constructed first so traffic can run along them while the overpass is being built. The overpass will help with traffic circulation in San Marcos and provide better response time for emergency vehicles. The overpass will be aesthetically pleasing, with features such as native grasses and rocks to complement the river and other surrounding areas, Nevares said. “It is not just going to be a traditional looking bridge that you would see going down (Interstate 35),” Nevares said. “It is going to have some character to it.” Nevares said the project has been on the books for a long time, and he knows all involved parties are excited about the construction of the overpass. “We always appreciate all of the cooperation with the City of San Marcos and Texas State,” Nevares said. “Everybody has been really good and we are looking forward to having a successful project.”

Affidavit: Bomb threats sent by suspect’s boyfriend By Megan Carthel News Reporter Brittany Henderson, the Bryan woman charged with the Texas State bomb threats, has denied her involvement in the Oct. 18 incident. Henderson, who is charged with three counts of terroristic threat and three counts of false alarm, was arrested Oct. 23 by Bryan police. Investigators traced an email containing the bomb threat to an account allegedly belonging to Henderson. She was sent from Brazos County Jail to Hays County Jail, according to a Nov. 6 University Star article. Henderson admitted the email address used to send the bomb threats to both Texas State and Texas A&M University

READ BOMB THREAT, PAGE 3

Read the enitre affidavit online at UniversityStar.com.


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