RAMEN RAMPAGE
KICKOFF AT KYLE
The Star staff goes gourmet on budget recipes
Bobcats take on the 12th Man tonight in College Station
SEE TRENDS PAGE 7
SEE SPORTS PAGE 14
TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS
www.UNIVERSITYSTAR.com
SEPTEMBER 22, 2005
THURSDAY
VOLUME 95, ISSUE 12
Latino community leader speaks of mistreatment of minorities, farmers
San Marcos in hurricane hurry In preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Rita, a horde of San Marcos residents stocked up on emergency supplies at the H-E-B on East Hopkins Street on Wednesday.
By Jason Buch Special to The Star Latino community leader and long-time farm-worker activist Dolores Huerta visited Texas State on Wednesday, making several appearances around campus. “Last year during Cesar Chavez week, we started talking and decided we just needed to get her to come here,” said Theresa Garza, president of the Association of Mexican American Students. “I’ve known about her since I was a kid. I’m just so impressed by her. She’s such a wonderful, beautiful person.” Huerta, a mother of 11 who turned 75 this April, marked her first-time visit to Texas State with a faculty and staff luncheon, a classroom visit, a dinner with student leaders and as keynote speaker of Hispanic Heritage Month in the LBJ Student Center Ballroom. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Huerta beginning her career as an activist when she started the California chapter of the Community Service Organization in 1955 and the 45th anniversary of her founding the AgriSee LEADER, page 4
City Council discusses potential consequences of Hurricane Rita
Spencer Millsap/Star photos
Residents prepare for approaching storm Leah Kirkwood and Emily Messer News Reporters Many San Marcos residents and students have gone to the grocery store in search of supplies because of evacuee family members who will be staying with them to ride out the weather Hurricane Rita is expected to bring. Geraldine Gonzales, Martindale resident, stood in a long checkout line at H-E-B waiting with her son, mother and three shopping carts filled with food. Gonzales said seven to 10 of her family members from Houston will be waiting out the storm at her house. “I’m almost prepared. I’ll come back for more tomorrow,” Gonzales said. Hurricane Rita reached Category 5 strength on Wednesday in the Gulf Coast, with wind speeds of 165 miles per hour. The storm is expected to make landfall somewhere on the Texas coastline early Saturday morning and continue into the Central Texas area, leaving many Texas State students and San Marcos residents far from being high and dry.
Christine Demarines, marketing senior, said she has family in Houston that plan evacuation to either Austin or Dallas. “I don’t see why they’d come here,” Demarines said. “I think we will be hit just as bad.” A Hurricane Rita Update link has been posted on the Texas State Web site so students may have access to the latest information from the university. It stated classes may be cancelled due to dangerous weather conditions beginning Friday night. Students are encouraged to check the university Web site frequently, or call (512) 245-2424 to listen to the recorded news bulletin. Campus radio station KTSW FM 89.9 will also be broadcasting emergency information. They have arranged for a call-in program at 4 p.m. on Thursday. San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz, City Manager Dan O’Leary and Emergency Management Coordinator Ken Bell will be on hand to discuss local response to the hurricane. Listeners can call and ask them questions at (512) 245-3473 or
By Danea Johnson Special to The Star At the onset of Tuesday’s San Marcos City Council meeting, City Manager Dan O’Leary addressed Hurricane Rita’s potential for disaster on the Texas coastline and possible consequences for San Marcos. “The city is well-practiced at responding to disasters,” O’Leary said. “We have a plan and are very good at putting that plan into effect.” O’Leary outlined what he said are the three basic effects of Hurricane Rita hitting the coastline. He said the event should concern Texans. The first effect would be the enormous amount of people evacuating the Gulf Coast, especially Houston. O’Leary pointed out that Houston is almost four times as populous as New Orleans. Houston is the fourth most populous U.S. city with about two million citizens, according to the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau, while New Orleans was ranked the 31st most populous U.S. city with 500,000 citizens.
See STORM, page 5
See COUNCIL, page 5
Faculty Senate evaluates deans, department chair By Clayton Medford News Reporter Faculty Senate released college dean and department chair rankings and evaluations on Wednesday. The evaluations, similar to the evaluations of faculty that students fill out at the end of the semester, were compiled by the senate and include written com-
ments made by full time faculty members. This year’s release was slightly different from past evaluations. For instance, the senate listed next to the chair and dean rankings the percentage of faculty in their department that returned the survey. Also, the Senate edited some comments and attached an explanation of how and why they
were edited. “Names and identifying references to persons other than the author or the relevant administrator have been removed in the interest of protecting third party privacy,” the Senate said in their release. In the course of evaluating a dean, if a professor discussed comments made by another
WRECKS AND EFFECTS
professor, that discussion was removed from the official release, which is available on the Faculty Senate’s Web site. The numeric evaluations, detailed in the Senate’s report, consisted of 12 hypothetical evaluations to which the faculty responded on a five-point scale See SENATE, page 5
Texas State to host Playwrights Conference this weekend By Deanna Ledezma News Reporter Texas State will initiate the annual Black and Latino Playwrights Conference with the staged readings of two new plays, Forty Acres and 69 Portraits of Che, beginning Friday and ending September 25 in the studio theatre room in the
Theatre Building. The handson workshop gives playwrights, students and professional guest directors the opportunity to explore the selected plays over the course of a week in preparation for the weekend’s staged reading. “It’s an opportunity to give new playwrights the chance to see their work live. It’s a work-
Today’s Weather
Sunny 92˚/ 68˚
Precipitation: 20% Humidity: 72% UV: 9 Very High Wind: SSE 8 mph
shop so there’s freedom for the exchange of ideas,” said Frederick March, program faculty department of theatre and dance and executive director of the Black and Latino Playwright Conference. “It gives our students a chance to work with professionals, and it’s an opportunity for students and the public to see a work that has never
been performed before.” After nationwide submissions, Artistic Director and actor Eugene Lee and Associate Artistic Director Luis Munoz selected Forty Acres by Robert Alexander, a play which debates whether or not reparations should be paid to the descenSee PLAYWRIGHTS, page 4
Two-day Forecast Friday Partly Cloudy Temp: 95°/ 73° Precipitation: 30%
Saturday ~HURRICANE~ Temp: 85°/ 71° Precipitation: 30%
Jeremy Craig/Star photo Robert Rosas of Aus-Tex Towing watches as the remains of a burned 18-wheeler are pulled onto a tow truck. The accident occurred on South Interstate 35 in Kyle late Wednesday morning after the truck hit a tire in the road, which caused to driver to lose control and flip, officials said. No injuries were reported.
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