THURSDAY APRIL 14, 2016
VOLUME 105 ISSUE 56 www.UniversityStar.com
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Lab coordinator hopes 3-D printing lab in Alkek can become creative space Senator at Large Jake Herrel, President Andrew Homann, Chief of Staff Connor Clegg and Vice President Samantha Martinez pose for a picture inside the LBJSC teaching theater April 13.
DARYL ONTIVEROS MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
New leadership plans to fix 'ineffective' Student Government By Bailey Buckingham SENIOR NEWS REPORTER @bcbuckingham
Some members of Student Government are hoping the new senate session, which begins Monday, will mark a new beginning for the institution. Andrew Homann, who will take his place as student body president at the Monday meeting, along with Senator Jake Herrel, will introduce two resolu-
tions aiming to change the functionality of Student Government. If successful, the bills will get Student Government working again, Herrel said. One of the bills will reorganize the Cabinet to make it more efficient. The second resolution will abolish committees and replace them with weekly commissions. “This way our senators can meet, work and brainstorm legislation with the
same consistent group every week and focus on really making a difference here at Texas State,” Herrel said. The first resolution will establish a new commission—the Student Services Commission, which will combine the marketing and programs commissions to make it easier for senators to coordinate and market out to everyone, Homann said. Homann said the second resolution was written
to restructure the committees to promote efficiency. “The committee restructure will allow for commissions to meet every single week,” Homann said. “And for us to establish committees on an ‘as needed’ basis, so that way we are getting rid of a lot of ‘dead time’ within the organization, and it will just make us a lot more efficient.” Herrel said he and Homann have been working on this together to
make effective changes in Student Government and increase the organization’s productivity. “President Andrew Homann initially approached me with the idea,” Herrel said. “I decided to author these pieces because it is the right move at the right time to make Student Government actually working again.” Homann said the inspi-
See GOVERNMENT, Page 2
ACTIVISM
Students march for free tuition, advisory board By Richard Dray NEWS REPORTER @Richard_Dray
Chants against student debt and championing the concept of free tuition echoed across campus from Old Main to the LBJ Student Center Wednesday as students protested in the Million Student March. The widespread movement is divided between national and campus goals and focuses on calling for free tuition and giving students the opportunity to have a say in how their tuition dollars are spent. “We think that education is a right,” said Kennedy Swift, studio art freshman, who took part in the march. The march wound
around most of central campus and even went in to the student center itself, with students shouting slogans such as, “Banks got bailed out, students got sold out!” through megaphones. “We want transparency on how tuition money is being spent,” said Victoria Politte, communication disorders sophomore. “We don’t want our money going towards wow factors like new fancy buildings.” Some of the campus goals created by students for the Million Student Movement at Texas State involve a complete freeze in tuition rates and fees, a halt on all spending projects they feel are frivolous
See MARCH, Page 2
DARYL ONTIVEROS MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Kristoffer Ian Celera, also known as Donald Tramp around campus, counter protests the Million Student March April 13 in front of the Vaquero Statue.
By Lesly De Leon ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @leslyd28
Students and faculty can print a figurine of a pug, a working robotic hand or a sculpture of an individual in the 3-D printing lab on the fourth floor of Albert B. Alkek Library, a service that has been offered since January. The lab currently operates a Makerbot Z18 printer which uses PLA plastic filament, a nontoxic resin made of sugar derived from field corn, to print objects. The printer heats the plastic filament and designs the objects one layer at a time. The cost of a project depends the amount of material used and the time it takes to print the project. According to Alkek’s website, a prosthetic arm printed at a low resolution which takes 109.33 grams of material and 25.77 hours to print would cost $238. “This is going to turn into a maker-space,” said Scott Johnson, lab coordinator. “We’re looking at getting all kinds of new stuff.” Johnson said he’s working to expand the lab to include more 3-D printers and possibly a laser cutter, a plotter printer and a mini mill. “My hope is that this room will become a giant workspace and it’ll be nothing but creativity as far as the eye can see,” Johnson said. Johnson runs the lab with the help of two student employees: Adam Nwaozo, applied arts and sciences senior, and John Muehl, studio art senior. “I hope a lot more students know about the lab so they can actually start using it,” Nwaozo said. “And to make this into more of a collaborative space so people can work together and cre-
See PRINTING, Page 2
CITY
Town soon to be populated by 7-foot mermaids By Rae Glassford NEWS REPORTER @rae_maybe
Mermaids are set to make a comeback in San Marcos this fall, as 7-foot mermaid statues will be installed throughout the city. The mermaid legacy in San Marcos began as a tourist attraction in the mid-1900s, when the former Aquarena amusement park provided entertainment though underwater performances by women dressed as mermaids. However, a new plan—courtesy of the Arts Commission—is seeking to put the San Marcos mermaid back on the map. “The mermaid was born in San Marcos,” said Clay DeStefano, chair of the Arts Commission. “It’s part of our modern culture, and it’s a part of our local lore.” A design has been commissioned and will be re-
produced 10 times, said Lisa Morris, recreation programs manager. Rather than creating 10 individual statues, copies will be made of the original statue. “The (San Marcos city) council has approved a particular vendor for the job, the Fountain People, who have done similar work for cruise liner companies and Disney,” DeStefano said. “Luckily, they happen to be based in San Marcos, so we have not had to outsource.” The Arts Commission provided the Fountain People with a rough sketch in order to give a clear starting point. City officials currently await the completion of the final rendering. Each statue will be 7-feet tall, mounted on a rectangular “butter stick” slab of limestone, which is projected to increase the height of the installations to approximately nine feet. “The mermaids will be
“The mermaid was born in San Marcos. It’s part of our modern culture, and it’s been a part of our local lore.” —CLAY DESTAFANO, CHAIR OF THE ARTS COMMISSION standing upright on their tails, to make them more human, more approachable,” DeStefano said. “People connect with and like the mermaid. We’re ready to rally around this concept of the mermaid as the protector of our heritage and our river.” “Next, we have to issue a call to artists to reinterpret, decorate and rethink the mermaid,” DeStefano said. “Each proposed image will be presented to a community panel much like mural committee, for evaluation, to see if the image is aligned with what we’ve envisioned.”
From there, 10 finalists will be selected to work on making each mermaid sculpture unique. “We’ll be sourcing from primarily local artists,” Morris said. “We’ll do an open call, but most of the artists will likely be from the Central Texas area.” The idea was inspired by a similar project done in Wimberley, where decorated statues in the shape of cowboy boots were placed around town. The idea was finalized around August 2015, and the Arts Commission hopes to have the project completed and ready for installation by
next fall, Morris said. “It’s like the guitars in Austin a few years ago. Lots of cities around the U.S. have had public art projects similar to this, but the concept is new to San Marcos,” DeStefano said. “The commission decided to use the mermaid image because it’s something unique and different—something that leads to dialogue.” The ultimate goal with any public artwork is to bring art to the people, and to create something positive to look at, Morris said. This particular project is expected to help drive tourism, and add to the prod-
ucts the tourism department can sell to visitors. “In past artworks, people have been very interested in depicting historical imagery, but right now we’re looking for something more imaginative and engaging,” DeStefano said. “As a result of that, the mermaid is our image of choice. She has a built-in wow factor.” In addition to being on the San Marcos Arts Commission, DeStefano also acts as co-founder for the Mermaid Society of San Marcos, a local collective focused on promoting the
See MERMAID, Page 2