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STRUT ON OVER
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Volleyball loses heartbreaker to top-ranked Baylor
Abby Minica’s second Distincive Voices desribes hot days for the Strutters
TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS
www.UNIVERSITYSTAR.com
SEPTEMBER 7, 2005
Professor to run for seat in City Council election By Eloise Martin News Reporter
See PROFESSOR, page 3
VOLUME 95, ISSUE 5
SEMPER FI
to PRE-PSY
From
Photo courtesy of Zane Childress
After living in San Marcos and working at Texas State University for 32 years, Maurice Johnson is confident his dual role as a citizen and professor could give him an edge over his opponents in the running for place four on the San Marcos City Maurice Johnson Council. “Moe” Johnson, a health, physical education and recreation professor began his career at the university in 1973, when the student population was close to 8,000, as opposed to the nearly 27,000 it stands at today. Johnson said he did not plan to stay in San Marcos for so many years, but after 32 years, he has no plans to leave. “Between the students and the citizens, we’ve got some great people here,” Johnson said. Johnson said he is connected to both Texas State and the community and feels he would not alienate either population with his position. “I work at the university but I live in San Marcos,” Johnson said. Johnson said the idea that he has lived here for 32 years shows he has some understanding of both the university and the community. “Hopefully I have learned something in that time and I can make good decisions from my experience,” Johnson said. Johnson has been an active member in the community by serving on the Parks and Recreation advising board for nearly 20 years. He also started the San Marcos Running Club and is a member of Kiwanas, a community religious group. Twenty years ago he began “Moe’s Better Half Marathon,” which takes place around the Tanger Outlet Mall to raise money for the Kiwanas club. For 15 years Johnson has been writing a weekly column in the San Marcos Daily Record that focuses on running. He has also participated as a peach cobbler taster for the Juneteenth celebration. Johnson said running for City Council is just one more step he can take to connect and help the community.
WEDNESDAY
After battle with insurgents and an injury, Marine returns home, and to the books, safely By Eloise Martin News Reporter While other students were preparing for a break from school and impending New Year’s celebrations, in December 2004 Cpl. Robert Zane Childress received a call informing him he would be leaving for Iraq within
three months. Childress, a pre-psychology sophomore, said he joined the Marine Corps because he wanted to be part of an elite team. “I always liked leadership, and I wanted a challenge,” Childress said. “I wanted to join the hardest branch, and I wanted to serve my country.” Childress entered boot camp on July 29, 2001 in San Diego, Calif. He said boot camp prepared him for Iraq because the drill instructors train Marines for conditions as difficult as they would face in wartime. See SEMPER FI, page 4
Uprooted students find solid ground Texas State accepts students displaced by Hurricane Katrina By Kirsten Crow News Editor
Adam Brown/Star photo Jason Leonard, a displaced student, was enrolled at Texas State Friday. The accounting senior previously attended Xavier University in New Orleans on a basketball scholarship. Leonard evacuated the city on Aug. 27 with minimal belongings, only six days after moving into his new apartment. He said he was appreciative of the help from the Texas State, and his friend, Chris Burns.
Today’s Weather
Mostly Sunny 94˚/ 67˚
Precipitation: 20% Humidity: 49% UV: 10 Very High Wind: SE 9 mph
As the water drains from the streets of New Orleans and uprooted residents adjust to their new settings in shelters across the South, Texas State is offering a new—if not permanent— home for students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Colleges such as Tulane University, Northwood University, Xavier University, Loyola University of New Orleans and the University of New Orleans have indefinitely cancelled classes for the fall semester, although there is hope the institutions may reopen in the spring. For the time being, however, universities across Texas, including Texas State, are throwing out their welcome mats to the students who have been evacuated and still seek to attend classes. President Denise Trauth authorized the admission of displaced students to Texas State on Thursday, and by Friday, approximately five former students of Louisiana were current Texas State students, with eight more accepted. Trauth announced the decision in a letter addressed to the “Texas State family” posted on the university’s Web site on Friday. “In keeping with our tradition of service and commitment to students, it is appropriate that we assist as many of these students as possible,” Trauth wrote in a letter issued to faculty. Michael Heintze, associate vice president for enrollment management, said the university is merely doing its part to alleviate unfortunate circumstances.
“This is a very unique situation of national crisis affecting hundreds of thousands of people,” Heintze said. “As an institution of higher education with a long tradition of service, it was appropriate that we step forward and do our part.” Christie Kangas, director of admissions and school relations, said she expects several more new students in the week to come, for an approximate total of 15 to 20. “We’re looking at between 12 and 20 (students) since most of the universities and colleges across Texas are opening their doors,” Kangas said. “It gives students a lot of places to spread out.” She said many offices contributed to getting the students settled, including Residence Life to help find housing and the Financial Aid office to assist in making first payment installations. “Some of those issues still remain,” Kangas said, noting some of the students have been placed in residence halls while others will be living off campus with family in the area. “That’s primarily what we’re seeing—students who are from Texas and are coming back here, or (students) coming back with someone they know from this area,” Kangas said. She said the Financial Aid office is helping students fill out emergency tuition loans while financial issues are addressed. Dean of Students John Garrison said in addition to helping the students acquire loans, the university would help in contacting their families and assessing their financial situations. “If their financial situation is not where it needs to be because of the tragic situation on the Coast, if bank records are lost, we’ll assist them in any way that we can,” Garrison said. As for other issues, such as a lack of basic
Thursday Isolated T-Storms Temp: 95°/ 69° Precipitation: 30%
Friday Isolated T-Storms Temp: 94°/ 69° Precipitation: 30%
Request for more humane cat euthanasia by animal lover group By Kevin Washburn News Reporter Alkek Library assistant Karen Cowan is the head of a small group of animal lovers that is trying to convince the San Marcos City Council and the San Marcos Animal Shelter to adopt several new measures to address the stray and feral cat problem in the city. The group, tentatively named Campus Trap, Neuter, Release and Maintain, would like to address the implementation of a trap, neuter, release and maintain program, and a more humane procedure to euthanize cats when the need arises. Cowan said 100 percent of the feral cats brought to the shelter are put down. Feral cats are born in the wild, while strays are cats that once lived in domesticated homes but now live on the streets. “Studies show that the most effective way to maintain a feral population is to actually invoke (the trap, neuter, release and maintain program),” said Cowan. “The animals are trapped, they’re neutered and vaccinated, tested for illnesses, and the adults are released back on campus. The kittens are fostered (and) socialized towards people so that they’re happy, cute little kitties that people want to adopt, and we get them fixed as well. They’re always, always fixed.” Returning the cats where they were found, Cowan said, is important because if the area is left empty, it creates a “nature vacuum” and other wild cats will move into the vacated space. Cowan’s group submitted a list of items last month for the City Council to consider last and also spoke about ending the shelter’s use of a gas chamber to put down cats. The gas chamber is a form of euthanasia in which cats are placed in a room, which is then filled with carbon monoxide.
See KATRINA, page 3
Two-day Forecast
See SHELTER, page 3
Inside
TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS
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Cpl. Zane Childress, a current Texas State pre-psychology sophomore, stands in front of a Humvee he was riding in that was damaged after driving over a land mine in spring of 2004 in Iraq.
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