Defending the First Amendment since 1911
Volume 99, Issue 37
02
WEDNESDAY
DEC
www.UniversityStar.com
BACK ON TRACK
The men’s basketball team takes its second victory after five consecutive losses. See story page 12
Room check Dorm occupants
Elections continue
Early voting on campus for City Council tie breaker
recieve charges upon move out By Beth Brown News Reporter
By Dj Nutter News Reporter
Students in dorms can receive fines for throwing footballs through windows, punching holes in walls and breaking furniture. However, damages like this are the minority. Kyle Estes, associate director of Housing Facilities Services, said most charges are avoidable. “The most common damage is trash,” Estes said. “People get lazy and don’t take out their trash at the end of the year. Other than that, it’s holes in walls. People are hanging pictures instead of using poster mount that can peel off the wall. They’d save themselves a repaint cost or a hole in the wall cost if they would use that stuff instead.” Small holes occur from nails and tacks. Students are fined $3 for the first small hole and $1 for every additional hole. A fist-sized hole in the wall can take up to $65 to repair. Approximately five years ago the Department of Housing and Residential Life did a study to find the average amount of fines students paid for damages. They discovered most students paying for damages fell into one of two categories. “Damage charges of $50 or less were the majority,” Estes said. “But once you cross that $50 threshold, there was a huge gap. The rest of the students were $200 or more. It was really interesting that there was no one in the middle there.” Students like Trevor Trentham, undecided health freshman, find the damage charges unnecessary. “The stupid thing is they are planning on tearing some of those dorms down and they are charging for damages,” Trentham said. “That doesn’t make sense to me.” Estes said students are only charged to repair damages and not to replace the items unless they are new. Students can accumulate fines regardless if their dorm is not damaged. Failure to return furniture to its original place or forgetting to schedule an appointment with a resident assistant to assess room damages can result in a fine. If students do not turn in their keys they can be charged an improper check out fee to replace the locks. A $45 to $150 fee result in lock changes. RA Daniel Allbritton-Lupo, exercise sports science senior, said he has seen people accumulate damages for their dorms without physical damage done to the room. “One guy kind of forgot to move out — his room was extremely dirty, he had a pile of trash in the corner still and he forgot to turn in his keys,” Allbritton-Lupo said. “He just
Early voters began casting their ballots Monday as the people of San Marcos head to the polls for the second time to elect a candidate to City Council Place 5. The only candidates on the ballot this time are Ryan Thomason and Lisa Marie Coppoletta — who got 49.9 percent and 26.2 percent of the votes Election Day Nov. 3, respectively, sending them to a runoff. Candidates said economic issues are proving to be the No. 1 priority for voters who have been going door-to-door around the city. “We have a $146 million budget for economic development,” Thomason said. “The most important thing either of us is going to work on is the budget, and well, Lisa has not been a part of that.” Thomason said his experience as a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission and as a finance major make him the more experienced candidate regarding economic issues. Coppoletta, disagrees, saying her 20-year experience working on grassroots issues in San Marcos make her the more experienced candidate. Coppoletta said she has focused much attention to issues facing veterans. “(My proposals) are getting the ears of city officials,” Coppoletta said. “I’m also an activist in preserving the San Marcos River, and in making sure that graduating college students get good paying jobs in our community.” Candidates said they want to set the record straight regarding any factually inaccurate information causing negative see RUNOFF, page 3
see DORMS, page 3
Sara Strick/Star photo WORKING OUT POWER: Andrew Brooks, health and fitness management senior, and Jessica Siegmund, interdisciplinary studies sophomore, use the elliptical machines to exercise Tuesday night at the Rec Center. Thirty elliptical machines will be retrofitted with new equipment after next week which will convert the kinetic energy into electricity that will be sent to the university’s power grid.
Human Power Plant Rec Center becomes largest human power plant By Scott Thomas Web editor Krista Essen was working out on an elliptical machine Tuesday afternoon as she does two or three times a week at the Student Rec Center. Essen, exercise and sports science freshman, said she did not think much about sustainable or alternative energy while working out, but that might change. Essen and other students using the elliptical machines at the Student Rec Center will help power the campus while they burn calories beginning next week. Thirty elliptical machines will be retrofitted with equipment manufactured from a Clearwater, Fla. company called ReRev. The machines will convert kinetic energy into usable, renewable electricity that will be connected to the university’s grid and can be delegated anywhere on campus. “It makes sense,” Essen said. “It’s a really smart idea and an efficient way
to save energy.” According to the company, a 30-minute work out on the machines produces enough current to power a laptop computer for about an hour. Kristy Caldwell, associate director of the Student Recreation Center, said the project would turn the building into the largest human power plant in the world. It’s the only such project in Texas, she said. “When I tell people about this they pretty much all say ‘Wow, that’s a cool idea,’” Caldwell said. Retrofitting the machines will cost $19,750 and will be paid for by Texas State’s Environmental Service Committee along with the Department of Campus Recreation and Associated Student Government. The project could take eight to 10 years to pay for itself, said Blaire Hartley, a recreation management graduate student who has been working on
Sustainable energy hopefuls -Solar Uses panels to capture the sun’s radiant energy, converting it to usuable electricity. -Wind Uses giant wind turbines, can be found most prominently in California and West Texas -Hydroelectricity Flowing or falling water spins turbines to generate energy. Can be seen in dams. Most widely used form of renewable energy. -Biomass Uses living or recently living material, such as wood, algae or corn.
see POWER, page 3
Commuter rail within reach for residents, local areas By Megan Holt News Reporter San Marcos is closer to being one of the stops on a passenger rail route. City Councilmember John Thomaides, Place 6, said the initiative is undergoing a rebranding process with the goal of educating citizens and decision makers about the benefits a commuter rail would provide. “It’s a long-term project, and there are quite a few steps left,” said Thomaides, who is a member of the Lone Star Rail District board of directors. “We finally got funding.” The Texas Legislature approved Lone Star Rail District $91 million per year in 2005 for the Texas Rail Relocation and Reinvestment Act. The spending plan includes funds for Lone Star Rail District to work in conjunction with Union Pacific to
NEWS pages 1-5 ASG president’s job does not come without perks
build the railroad. “Along with TxDOT and Union Pacific, we will use federal high-speed funds to help build the railroad,” Thomaides said. “These funds are federal funds allotted to be used for freight rail building.” Allison Schulze, Lone Star Rail District senior planner, said the passenger rail is in the preliminary engineering and environmental process. “We have to wait for clearance of all planning aspects,” Schulze said. “In the preliminary engineering and environmental process in where you go through a strict process of public meetings, you submit information to the federal government to make sure everything will run smoothly and environmentally safe.” Thomaides said the board of directors, consisting of elected and private-sector officials, are now seeking addition funding approval
OPINIONS page 6 Main Point: ASG’s final grade is in
from state officials. “We need to convince the legislature and governor that this is an alternative to Interstate-35 and that this passenger rail is worth the money for some up front investors,” Thomaides said. The completion date for the new rail is projected to be 2011. Lone Star Rail will begin the final design phase and start construction. “If there are 30 steps in the process, we are at step 10,” Thomaides said. “Just recently, the Rail District (the agency responsible for the passenger rail) changed its name to the Lone Star Rail District and went through a new community branding process.” Thomaides said the Long Star Rail District agency, based out of San Marcos, is trying to expand awareness for not just a need for the passenger rail in the community, but promote different ways people will utilize it if built.
TRENDS
SPORTS
pages 7-8
page 12
“We did a whole new media roll out that establishes a whole new brand for the agency,” Schulze said. According to the Lone Star Rail District Web site, the idea of a passenger rail has been kicked around since 1997, when the Texas Legislature authorized the creation of a rail district between Austin and San Antonio. Thomaides said a passenger rail would relieve drivers from congested highways, provide dependable travel time, bring travelers into smaller cities and connect urban, rural and university cities. The passenger rail is designed to span more than 120 miles and make 16 stops, one of which will be in San Marcos. The rail would include 12 trains running on existing Union Pacific tracks during the day and evening, seven days a week.
Women’s golf signs 18-year-old international standout
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