Defending the First Amendment since 1911
Volume 99, Issue 35
19
Football Final
THURSDAY
NOV
www.UniversityStar.com
The Bobcat football team plays Saturday against Sam Houston State in its last game of the season. See story page 18
Vaccines for ‘swine flu’ delayed, arrival unknown By Clay Throp News Reporter Students and faculty members waiting to receive the H1N1 “swine flu” vaccine will have to wait a little longer. Dr. Emilio Carranco, director of the Student Health Center, said he was hoping Oct. 25 would be the date the vaccine would arrive on campus. However, they have yet to arrive. “We may receive some new vaccines in December,” Carranco said. “The delivery dates have always been, you know … not very clear.” Carranco said he reserved 22,000
doses of the H1N1 vaccine. “I am disappointed because getting the campus community vaccinated before the Christmas break was an important strategy for decreasing the risk of complications,” Carranco said. Reported flu-like symptoms of all types have declined on campus, according to the health center’s database statistics. The number of flu-like conditions reported during the week ending Nov. 9 was 28, which translates to 4 percent of the center’s visits. The peak of flu-like visits occurred during the first week of the fall semester. Fifteen percent, or 118 cases of the center’s business dealt
with the condition. “The Houston and El Paso areas are seeing an increase in H1N1,” Carranco said. “Closer to home, we are definitely seeing a nice decrease in flu activity.” Carranco believes Texas State will likely see another wave of influenzalike illnesses after the semester break. A mass H1N1 immunization may not take place until next year. Chuck Chapman, Hays County emergency preparedness coordinator, received 700 units of the H1N1 vaccine in October. The units were dispersed to health care workers and priority list patients. Chapman is waiting for
Celebration of the People
more units of the medicine to arrive. “I have no clue when it will get here,” Chapman said. “I don’t even know how much I am getting. We hope to see more shipments in the near future, but I have not been told yet of any that will be coming.” Chapman said seasonal flu has had a greater impact than the H1N1 strain this season. “Realistically, this (H1N1) should be treated like the regular flu,” Chapman said. “It’s just got a different name. Ten years from now, this could be our seasonal flu. This is not anything to be panicking about.” H1N1 symptoms are similar to
catching seasonal flu. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and chills, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Some people who have contracted the H1N1 virus have reported diarrhea and vomiting. Texas was the first state to report H1N1 cases. Carranco and Chapman agree people should not become complacent with their hygiene. People should continue to wash their hands on a regular basis, cover their mouth when coughing and stay home if symptoms occur.
Advisory commissions reviews management of city boards By Dj Nutter News Reporter
sion needs guidance on what it is supposed to accomplish. Sunset Advisory Commission officials recommended council members consider retiring five of the 26 commissions and boards reviewed. Pendergast recommended City Council retire the Beautification Commission. He said the commission’s role is undefined. Its responsibilities “double-dip” into tasks of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. The report recommends the council form a Keep San Marcos Beautiful Advisory Committee in its place. Pendergast said the people could be more effective if they allocate beautification funds to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. The Drainage Advisory Board should similarly cease to exist,
Council members have not been good housekeepers, according to a recent report. The City Council hired the Sunset Advisory Commission to review how San Marcos’ boards and committees are managed. Sunset Advisory released a report recommending the city streamline the boards and commissions so fewer people are working more and avoiding congestion. “It might be worthwhile for there to be a workshop once a year for the City Council, and maybe complete a major overhaul on how you run the boards and commissions,” said Jim Pendergast, chair of Sunset Advisory Commission. Pendergast said commis-
according to the Sunset report. The board was established in 2001 to “evaluate applications for drainage utility credits,” according to the Citizen Review Commission. However, no one has submitted an application. Pendergast said the Planning and Zoning Commission could handle potential applications. The report recommends the Minority Tourism Development Board expire. The seven members that make up the board oversee tax funds allocated to promote “minority tourism.” Pendergast said the board should forgo its existence because City Council refuses to fund it. He urges council members expand the ethnic spectrum of political leadership. see COUNCIL, page 7
Mailtool feature on TRACS tempts students to misuse By Beth Brown News Reporter
Rapid increase of student enrollment requires additional faculty hiring By Lora Collins News Reporter Texas State has the highest studentto-faculty ratio of all state public universities, according to figures posted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shows the university’s student-to-faculty ratio reached 29:1 in fall of last year. In comparison, Texas Tech had a ratio of 22:1, University of Texas at Austin 19:1 and University of Texas at San Antonio 24:1 last year. Texas State’s ratio has steadily risen since 2000, reaching its peak in 2007 at 30 students to one faculty member. Texas State has 674 faculty members
that are considered professors, associate professors, assistant professors or instructors. Of those 674 faculty members, 457 are considered full-time employees. Joe Meyer, director of Institutional Research at Texas State, attributed the inflation to the Coordinating Board’s formula, which calculates the number of full-time faculty and student equivalents. A faculty member is considered a fulltime equivalent if 100 percent of their work-time is spent teaching. A student is considered a full-time equivalent if they are enrolled in 15 or more semester credit hours. There were approximately 23, 500 full-time student equivalents and 800 full-time faculty members at
NEWS pages 1-7
the university last year. Meyer said the number of students taking 15 or more semester credit hours have increased at a rapid pace — so quickly there has not been enough time to hire additional faculty members. The funding the university receives from the legislature per each student taking 15 or more semester credit hours is one of the lowest rates in the state. Texas State receives approximately $180 per semester credit hour, whereas the University of Texas at Austin collects about $300 per semester credit hour. “The funding is driven by the semester credit hours that are being generated at each institution,” Meyer
see TRACS, page 7
nt-to-faculty ratio
Texas State stude Number of students per faculty member
Tina Phan/Star photo ANOTHER CULTURE: The Native American Student Association held its fifth annual Celebration of the People Old Fashioned Powwow & Arts Festival Wednesday in the LBJ Student Center Amphitheater. The event included arts, dancing, music and storytelling in Native American tradition. Visit UniversityStar.com for exclusive video
The era of e-mail spamming is upon Texas State. The mail tool on Teaching, Research and Collaboration System (TRACS) allows students to contact their peers instantaneously. They can ask for notes, clarify test material and organize study sessions by e-mailing the entire class. However, users have been misusing the feature. “We’ve been getting more and more complaints about the mail tool,” said Whitten Smart, user services consultant for TRACS. The TRACS mail tool is an updated version of Blackboard — a forum where communication is sent between students and teachers. Blackboard was replaced by the TRACS mail tool because of the unsanctioned activity that began occurring on its pages, Smart said. “There were students asking for roommates, selling furniture and asking for dates through Blackboard,” Smart said. “The instructors couldn’t turn that feature off. It was automatic and every
student could use it.” The TRACS mail tool is designed so the class rosters are posted for all students to access upon the teachers’ first mass e-mail. Teachers find this feature both a blessing and a curse. “I think TRACS is extremely useful in the sense that it gives us the opportunity to have contact with students, particularly in those large sections,” said Laurie Fluker, mass communications professor. “There are some downsides such as students having the ability to contact other students.” A student misused the TRACS mail tool to communicate with others during one of Fluker’s introduction to mass communication classes this semester, she said. The student sent an e-mail that said, “We are enrolled at Texas State University, not the Potty Training Academy. Dr. Fluker is a professor and not a wet nurse.” The e-mail was meant to express the students’ frustration about certain individuals complaining about tests, Fluker said. Fluker spoke to the student and concluded if e-mails like his are sent
see RATIO, page 7
OPINIONS
TRENDS
SPORTS
pages 9-10
pages 11-14
pages 16-18
Main Point: ‘Wright’ cause, wrong time: Bobcat football coach needs to focus on winning, for now
Today’s Weather
74°/46° Sunny Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 35% UV: 5 Moderate Wind: SSW 9 mph