April 15 2014

VOLUME 103, ISSUE 79

www.UniversityStar.com

TUESDAY

APRIL 15, 2014

Defending the First Amendment since 1911

VIDEO | UniversityStar.com

TRENDS | Page 3

Month of Music: Medina Moonshine Band is a local band that recently won SACA’s Battle of the Bands competition.

Wittliff Collections: “Acting Up and Getting Down” will be on display through Aug. 1.

“YOU’RE

crime

Investigation into death of local woman underway

INHERITING

A MESS”

San Marcos police are investigating a “suspicious” incident that left one woman dead and sent a man who lived with her to the hospital early Friday morning.

Police have identified the 23-year-old woman who died Friday as Misty Amber Davis.

Police received a call from the 25-year-old man around 1:01 a.m. Friday saying he had been shot in his home on the 1300 block of Barbara Drive, according to a press release from the city. Police and EMS arrived on the scene and found Davis unconscious. She was later pronounced dead at the residence.

The man was treated at Brackenridge Hospital before being discharged the same day, the release said.

Police are not releasing further information until an autopsy is completed, according to the release.

Ron Paul speaks in Centennial Hall April 12 during the Young Americans for Liberty state convention.

CITY

Ron Paul delivers freedom-themed speech in San Marcos

By Kelsey Bradshaw

Senior News Reporter

P

receded by chants and applause, former presidential candidate Ron Paul took the stage at Centennial Hall Saturday.

Students and San Marcos residents alike filled the lecture hall to listen to Paul speak about freedom as part of the Young Americans for Liberty state convention hosted on campus. The event was standing room only, and when Paul took the stage, he was greeted with a standing ovation.

“We are in a transition where people are waking up and they are sick and tired of federal government,”

— Compiled by Taylor Tompkins, news editor

Austin Humphreys | Photo Editor

See RON PAUL, Page 2

CITY

Lieutenant governor candidate kicks off tour in San Marcos

By Carlie Porterfield News Reporter

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, visited San Marcos Saturday kicking off a statewide effort to reach out to Texas households.

Van de Putte met with supporters in the afternoon before a scheduled block walk coordinated by the Hays County Democratic Party. She addressed issues such as public education, healthcare, equal pay and college affordability. She also spoke about the increase of young peo-

Austin Humphreys | Photo Editor Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, candidate for lieutenant governer, made a stop in San Marcos April 12 to speak with supporters at the LBJ Museum.

ple involved in this year’s campaign.

“When we went to college, there was a lot of activism on a lot of college campuses because of the Vietnam War,” Van de Putte said. “We saw activism because it directly affected our lives, and the lives of our friends, and our brothers and our boyfriends. For parents, it was their sons and their daughters.”

Van de Putte said the activism trend continues today, as state legislation is affecting students directly, particularly in the form of higher education budget cuts.

“The population of Texas State has exploded, and particularly this school is one of the most successful schools with first generation college students,” Van de Putte said. “They beat almost every university.”

The rising costs of college tuition are results of budget cuts to higher education, and middle-class families are often forced to take out large loans, Van de Putte said.

“There’s this real feeling, especially for folks in the middle class, of, ‘Are my kids going to get to go to college? Are my kids

going to be $40,000 in debt?’”

Van de Putte said. “What students need to know and what voters need to know is that this election is going to be a clear choice between who wants to invest in our education and who wants to brag about continuing cuts.”

Assisting the Hays County Democrats were representatives

Kyle-Buda area’s effort of Battleground Texas. “There are states like Ohio that are much smaller and they have this huge say in presidential elections. That is the whole goal of Battleground Texas—to turn Texas into a place where we can have more competition here and hopefully eventually turn it blue.”

“The population of Texas State has exploded, and particularly this school is one of the most successful schools with first generation college students. They beat almost every university.”

—Sen. Leticia Van de Putte of Battleground Texas, an organization dedicated to increasing the democratic minority in Texas. A democratic presidential candidate has not won Texas since 1976 when Jimmy Carter was elected.

“We have so many electoral votes in the presidential election, and everyone always assumes it’s going to go Republican,” said Cicely Kay, a leader of the

Kay said the biggest issue for Democrat campaigns in Texas is a low rate of voter turnout.

“Our problem here is not necessarily that we’re a red state, but that we’re a non-voting state and we have such slow voter turnout,” Kay said. “We’re last or second to last in voter turnout in the whole country, and it’s such a shame.”

CITY

University officials approve increased summer budget

By Juliette Moak News Reporter

University officials will increase the summer budget for faculty salaries by $2.9 million to amend a long-standing budgetary shortfall.

President’s Cabinet officials have approved an increase in summer funding. The increase will correct an imbalance caused by previously unfunded raises for

faculty members and competitive starting salaries for new faculty, Provost Eugene Bourgeois said in an email.

“As we awarded merit raises and raises for faculty promotions, in addition to paying higher salaries for new faculty, it resulted in the fixed summer budget not ‘keeping up’ with the real increase in the cost of faculty staffing for summer,” Bourgeois said.

The summer budget for faculty salaries has increased in accordance with the nine-month allocation in more than five years, Bourgeois said.

“In past years, (President’s Cabinet officials) sent out fixed allocations to the dean of each department, and they would come back with additional needs,” said Cynthia Opheim, associate provost of Academic Affairs. “We’ve known for some

time that those increased allocations would be necessary, so now we’re recalibrating.”

The cost of hiring faculty has increased, and the enrollment growth has necessitated the addition of new instructor positions, Opheim said.

Texas State spent $692,000 to fill new faculty positions in the last fiscal year. Officials expect that amount to increase to $1,587,000 next year, said Gor-

don Thyberg, assistant vice president of Budgeting, Financial Planning and Analysis.

“We benchmark faculty salaries to a national median,” Opheim said. “We look at similar universities and set hiring salaries at that level to stay on equal ground with institutions that are in line with Texas State’s vision.”

Increases to existing faculty

See BUDGET, Page 2

2 | The University Star | News | Tuesday April 15, 2014

RON PAUL, continued from front Paul said.

A large percentage of the population does not believe anything the government says, Paul said.

Paul considers their disbelief to be a good start. Recent debacles with the National Security Agency (NSA) make it hard for citizens to trust their government. NSA overstepping their bounds has contributed to needing transparency in the government and citizens being weary of it, he said.

Paul spoke of the current generation having a large task ahead of it.

“You’re inheriting a mess,” Paul said. “The burden will be on you.”

Authoritative and totalitarian governments are “dismal failures,” Paul said. Freedom ideas are progressing, but the movement depends on the current generation

to fix the issues.

Paul said pressure put on the government by the public is important—being a leader now “stirs people up” to do the right thing.

Millennials should not be comfortable with the way things currently are, Paul said. Fixing all of the problems starts with self-education.

“It’s up to you to figure out what to do,” Paul said. “You might even invent a Bitcoin for freedom.”

Paul discussed the medical care platform. Government should not be involved in the delivery of medical care because it is not in the constitution, Paul said. Medical insurance should be one on one, Paul said.

“Governments are not supposed to be a secret,” Paul said. “People’s privacy should be a secret.”

Paul said people should be allowed to make their own decisions concerning healthcare. He said solutions to America’s problems “are not complex.” “(Ron Paul being here) really puts Texas State on the map,” said Jacob Hume, finance junior.

Logan Chester , a vocal audience member, thought Ron Paul it was good for students to hear Paul speak so they could “have a voice.” “(We should) make San Marcos a place that can be a place of influence,” Chester said.

Paul encouraged making students’ voices heard in the fight for freedom.

“I think we’re ready for another step forward,” Paul said. “We have to make sure people hear this message (of freedom).”

Liberties are rights given at birth in a “natural fashion,” not from the government, Paul said.

Government should be protecting life and liberty.

“I would say we need a war with Washington D.C.,” Paul said.

Paul said education is very im-

‘

be taught in history as “objectively as possible.”

“It’s also good for the kids that go here to hear a perspective that’s not blasted through the media,” Hume said.

Paul ended his speech about

Governments are not supposed to be a secret. People’s privacy should be a secret.’

-Former presidential candidate Ron Paul

portant, but getting rid of the Department of Education needs to happen. He said religion should

freedom to a standing ovation from the rowdy crowd.

“Freedom is popular,” Paul said.

ment, Thyberg said.

Nance said a portion of the $2.9 million will go toward the salaries of adjunct teaching staff that are paid on a per-course basis. However, the majority of the funds will be earmarked for balancing the summer budget for general faculty members.

“In the future, we will increase the summer budget by the same amount that we increase the nine-month faculty salary bud-

get,” Nance said.

Texas State relies heavily on projected state appropriations to determine future spending possibilities, Opheim said.

“The Texas Legislature meets every two years, so we are set up to plan ahead based on that time frame,” Opheim said. “And we can estimate tuition revenue by projecting enrollment numbers, but nothing is for sure.”

BUDGET, continued from front wages played the most prominent role in the creation of the deficit, said Bill Nance, vice president of Finance and Support Services.

Tenured, tenure-track and continuing adjunct faculty typically are paid 8.33 percent of their nine-month based salary for each course taught in the summer, Nance said.

Nance said because of the percentage-based pay scale, each time faculty members receive a

raise in base salary, their summer salary goes up.

Faculty raises amounted to $2,270,000 this fiscal year, which will increase next year as the merit pool goes from 2.5 to 3 percent of salaries, Thyberg said.

“Even if we were still using the same number of summer faculty, their salaries have increased,” Nance said. “And the provost has been having to use one-time money each summer to make the

academic department budgets balance when they have to pay summer faculty.”

Bourgeois said the money is coming from newly available funds because of enrollment growth and an increase in the university’s state appropriation.

The university received $9,401,979 in new general revenue appropriations for operations from the state, and $6,884,000 from new enroll-

PRESS RELEASE

Texas State Enactus chapter brings home third national championship The Entrepreneurial Action Us (Enactus) chapter at Texas State University has been named national champions at the 2014 Enactus U.S. National Exposition held in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Texas State Enactus team won out from a field of regional champion teams representing 233 colleges and universities. Texas State advances to represent the United States at the 2014 Enactus World Cup, Oct. 22-24, in Beijing, China.

This marks the third national title for the Texas State Enactus team, which previously won top honors in 2000 and 2011. Additionally, the 2000 team went on to win

the international championship.

Roberts Wesleyan of Rochester, NY, finished second; Heritage University of Toppenish, Wash., finished third; and Belmont University of Nashville, Tenn., finished fourth.

Mykayla Goodwin and Greg Souquette served as presentation team co-captains, and presentation team members were Logan Matson, Chelsea Watkins, Stephen Myers and Madison Nye. Also in attendance were Ali Ijaz, Enactus chapter president, Zach Goss, past president and student fellow, Chelsea Watkins, president-elect, and executive committee members Seth Bleiler, Tyler Hammond, Matt Wyatt, Whitney Stone, Jordan Wil-

liams and Regan Wiesner.

The free enterprise projects presented during the competition must meet the Enactus international criteria, which focuses on three core elements: profits, people and planet. For a project or initiative to truly be effective and sustainable, it must make sense economically as well as socially and environmentally.

The Texas State Enactus team has presented more than 50 projects and, in 2014, showcased four projects, including the Mobile Loaves and Fishes Project to help homeless people earn a living; Budget Infographics to help mayors, city councils and citizens have a simple way to view their city bud-

gets; JOB HELP, a customized web site with live action tutorial videos taught at four locations and involving 300 employers and many job seekers; and ROW, a marketing and technology company, which has 13 employees and is now grossing $100,000 annually. Current Enactus President Ijaz started the company.

The Texas State Enactus team is one of the largest teams in the United States with approximately 140 new students each year, and more than 80 volunteer officers. The Texas State team has placed in the top 20 teams in the United States 15 of the past 17 years. Their entrepreneurial projects range from helping

local and global entrepreneurs to participating in educational legacy projects.

Enactus is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders. Previously known as Students in Free Enterprise, the organization changed its name to Enactus in 2012 to reaffirm its long-standing commitment to using entrepreneurial action as a catalyst for progress.

— Courtesy of University News Service

The University Star | Tuesday April 15, 2014 | 3

TRENDS

UniversityStar.com

New Performing Arts Center hosts first musical production in theatre

By Caitlin Rodriguez Trends Reporter

The Texas State community has the opportunity to embrace the eclectic cast and namesake S.S. American of “Anything Goes” Tuesday night for one last showing of the Department of Theatre and Dance’s musical.

“Anything Goes” is the first musical production to be showcased in the Patti Strickel Harrison Theatre as part of the new Performing Arts Center that opened in March.

The weeklong nightly showcase will wrap up Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

The musical takes place on an ocean liner as it sails from New York to London in the 1930s. It

follows the central character, Billy Crocker, as a stowaway who has followed the woman he is in love with, Hope Harcourt, on board.

Along the way, Billy comes in contact with the ship’s many other eccentric passengers, and various antics quickly unfold that keep the audience constantly enraptured in musical hilarity.

The Broadway title was chosen to open the theatre because of its flashiness and funny and uplifting story line, said Kaitlin Hopkins, director and head of the Musical Theatre Department. She hoped choosing such a show would attract a large audience, and it did.

“We sold out most of the run with audiences coming from San Antonio, Austin, New Braunfels,

up new possibilities for set design and construction. The set for “Anything Goes” consisted of a two-story ocean liner ship with spiral staircases and moveable parts that rotated to expose different areas of the ship.

Tyler Larson, sophomore performance and production major, helped with carpentry on set and building the wooden ship that served as the main set piece for the show. Larson voluntarily devoted two months of everyday work to help build the ship along with 12 other carpentry members.

The main difference he saw between working in the old building in comparison to the Patti Strickel Harrison Theatre was the way the set pieces were moved, Larson

really all over,” Hopkins said. “It was great that it had such a wide appeal.”

With a 28-person cast and an additional 40- to 50-person crew, the show was a challenge to coordinate. Preliminary work began on the musical more than a year ago in terms of casting, set design and costumes, Hopkins said. Rehearsals ran a full 10 weeks before the opening of the show, and the last two were devoted to the slow incorporation of the performance’s technical aspects. The final four nights before opening were dress rehearsals with everything including lights, sound, sets, props, musicians and costumes.

There was the creation of an entire scene shop, which opened

said.

“In the old building, we would set the frame down and build from the ground up,” Larson said. “In the new building, we build in the shop and then move it onto the stage.”

Larson said some pieces would take 10 to 12 people to move because they weighed anywhere between 500 and 600 pounds. The most difficult part was constructing the spiral staircases since he had never built anything like that before, Larson said.

After putting in long hours to produce a quality production, she hopes audience members will be motivated to come back and see future shows, Hopkins said.

Wittliff presents exhibition celebrating African-Americans in Texas theatre

By Kara Dornes Trends Reporter

The newest exhibition in the Wittliff Collections celebrates the life, times and prolific works of African-American luminaries, bringing together several different cultures to redefine what it means to be in the Texas theatre business.

“Acting Up and Getting Down,” on display through Aug. 1, is based on an anthology of theatrical scripts of the same name written by the playwrights featured in the exhibit. Texas State faculty members Sandra Mayo and Elvin Holt collected documents for the exhibit and edited the anthology.

Mayo, an associate professor, said a theatre critic in the Dallas area once described and celebrated African-American culture in performances through the phrase “acting up and getting down.”

Mayo said the exhibit follows a structure similar to the one found in the anthology.

“It showcases the seven playwrights (featured) in the book and includes background on myself and Dr. Holt,” Mayo said.

Holt and Mayo spent the last

six years collecting documents, videos, photographs and reviews for research and to supplement information found in the collection.

Mayo said the exhibit now features more than 3,000 documents and 900 photographs donated by herself and Holt.

In addition to a celebration of African-Americans in the Texas theatre scene, the exhibit and its creators also strive to preserve and shine a light on the culture for future generations to appreciate.

“This exhibit illuminates the really rich cultural treasures we have in Texas that you see expressed in African-American theatre,” said Steve Davis, curator of the Wittliff Collections.

The exhibit showcases a rich legacy, diversity, quality and the scope of many artistic productions, Davis said.

Along with the seven playwrights featured in “Acting Up and Getting Down,” the anthology also includes work by Eugene Lee, Texas State alumnus and playwright.

Upon graduating from Texas State, Lee starred in several different plays, including an acclaimed

appearance on Broadway.

Lee said a friend who was in between jobs and experienced the traumatic loss of his mother was

his inspiration for playwriting.

“To be a part of this is humbling and is an honor to find out that I am a part of something that

is historic,” Lee said. “When you start out, you don’t set out to make history, so when it happens it’s kind of nice.”

Star File Photo

The Wittliff Collections have opened a new exhibit titled “Acting Up and Getting Down,” showcasing plays by AfricanAmerican Texans.

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4 | The University Star | Tuesday April 15, 2014

OPINIONS

UniversityStar.com

THE MAIN POINT

San Marcos officials should create “drunk tanks,” decriminalize public intoxication

I

n light of the decriminalization of public intoxication in both San Antonio and Houston, San Marcos and Hays County officials would be wise to pass a similar type of resolution, allowing students and residents a “get out of jail” free card for drunken mishaps.

Under these resolutions, individuals who would typically be arrested for public intoxication are instead brought to a sobriety center—colloquially known as a “drunk tank”—that offers a place to sleep and other resources. These individuals are permitted to leave freely without any criminal consequences from the “drunk tank” once they are deemed sober.

Police officers in San Antonio and Houston no longer arrest individuals for public intoxication. San Antonio opened a sobriety center in 2008 for police to use when bringing in an average of 650 people a month, according to a March 8 Austin American-Statesman article. In April 2013, Houston opened a sobriety center, and officials said it has saved 4,600 people from jail time that would have totaled $1.8 million a year, according to the article.

If “drunk tanks” have proved successful in large metro cities already, Austin and San Marcos officials are sure to follow suit in the coming years. Austin officials have continued to fight for “drunk tanks,” leading commissioners to approve a resolution last month encouraging the county to construct such a facility, according to a March 10 KXAN article. San Marcos officials are known for looking to Austin to implement resolutions and ordinances, and this instance would be no different.

In addition, a sobriety center could easily be funded through the money the county would save by decriminalizing public intoxication.

As it stands now, students and residents arrested for public intoxication in San Marcos are thrown in the back of a police car, dropped off at the overcrowded Hays County Law Enforcement Center, fingerprinted, forced to pose for their mug shots, put through court hearings and often subject to costly lawyer and bail fees.

Booking individuals for public intoxication arrests is a costly and lengthy process for officers and the county as a whole. In

Austin, 10 percent of all arrests made in the past five years were for public intoxication, and it costs Travis County about $97 per day to incarcerate these individuals, according to the Austin American-Statesman article.

A move by San Marcos officials to decriminalize public intoxication would save the city and county countless amounts of time, money and much-needed jail space currently occupied by drunken students and residents who possibly had one too many whiskey sours. Many students out on The Square may have just turned 21 and are still learning the limits of their partying and drunkenness in public places. One especially crazy night out of downing shots at Vodka Street or Nephew’s should not have to turn into a lifelong mistake that lands the words “public intoxication” on a student’s permanent record.

San Marcos Police Department officers would be put to better use if they were spread out monitoring the entire community for serious crimes like drug arrests, shootings or assaults instead of posted up on several street corners and bar entrances racking up public

intoxication arrests each night.

Only a few SMPD officers would be necessary to patrol The Square, maintain the peace and bust fake IDs from underage students if public intoxication is decriminalized in San Marcos.

Instead of waking up in the morning with a court date and a mug shot, San Marcos students and residents should be able to spend the night at a “drunk tank” where they can safely sober up without possibly enduring legal ramifications for the rest of their lives. It is time SMPD officers loosen their reins on The Square.

Jordan Gurley | Star Illustrator The Main Point is the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board.

Columns are the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the full staff, Texas State University Student Media, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Texas State University.

HOUSING

HEALTHCARE

Leasing at recently constructed apartment complexes poses risks

Hunter Larzelere Opinions Columnist Journalism sophomore

S

tudents need to be cautious of recently constructed apartment complexes when deciding where to sign a lease.

Apartment searching can be as daunting as trying to find One-Eyed Willy’s treasure.

Students have to ask themselves multiple questions to whittle down the vast selection of apartments in San Marcos.

How close do they want to be to campus? Do they want to live in a complex that is pet-friendly? Of course, the most important question to ask when searching for an apartment is, what is the price range?

For some, the only apartments that seem to satisfy students’ ideal living criteria are not even apartments—just plots of land destined to be the next greatest thing in student living.

We all know these soon-to-be apartments—they are the ones who hire students to promote the awesomeness that will be their complex, the ones that hand out shirts by the truckload. Free stuff being the gateway to college students’ hearts, they figure giveaways will tempt students to sign an early lease.

There is no way of knowing how good these apartments will be, however, and students need to do their research before signing a lease.

Currently, Capstone Cottages, Uptown Square and Eight17 Lofts are all in the process of being constructed. All three of these complexes plan on being open in time for the fall 2014 semester, but drive to their locations and not one of the complexes is anywhere close to being finished. A search of all three of their websites did not provide an exact move-in date either. The best I could find was a very vague statement claiming for a planned availability in August. But the uncertainty about the opening dates has not stopped any of the complexes from allowing students to pre-lease for the fall.

If these complexes have any hope of finishing on time, they have to pick up the pace on production. However, an unfortunate side effect of expediting construction is sloppy work, something that only causes future headaches for tenants.

Perhaps the best way for students to decide if they should lease at a brand-new complex is to look at an older complex first. The best example for this would be the delayed openings of The Avenue, Vistas and Millennium on Post. According to an August University Star article, all three of the complexes experienced delayed openings. Many students were not even able to move in before classes began. Students took to the complexes’ Facebook pages to voice their disapproval of having to pay their rent even

though they were not even allowed to move in. Vistas and The Avenue attempted to console their apartment-less patrons by offering compensation for hotel stays and offered various gifts. However, a University Star Main Point article later stated that some students never received these gifts.

I am wary of new apartment openings because I have firsthand experience. Coming from Texas A&M the previous semester, I was without a place to live and did not have a lot of time to find a home. After weeks of searching I was able to find a sublease for a studio apartment at The Avenue.

Although I was fully aware of the problems involving the opening of the apartments, I convinced myself that since I was moving in well after these events transpired, they would not affect me. I was wrong in the greatest sense of the word.

In the four months I have lived at The Avenue, I have experienced unreliable Wi-Fi, an A/C system that breaks even after being serviced multiple times, uneven screws, handles and shelves, and worst of all, I have been forced to battle a spider army that always has reinforcements.

For the most part, I am happy with where I live, except for those spiders. For some, living in a brand new apartment is the best choice, and not all new complexes will experience the same hiccups as others.

However, students need to stay cautious and be aware that the best thing in student living might be an apartment that has been around for a while.

Bobcats should utilize Student Health Center

Christopher Gonzalez

S

Opinions Columnist Healthcare administration senior

tudents seeking basic health care off campus should divert their attention toward the Student Health Center as an exceptional resource.

Not all students use the Student Health Center, and, particularly for those who require urgent care, this is understandable. For the majority who do not require the detailed medical attention found off campus, however, the Student Health Center provides conveniences worth the patronage and loyalty of students.

Medical personnel at the Student Health Center can prescribe students medication, perform lab exams and render X-rays. Immunizations, which may be a study abroad or internship requirement, are also offered. Low prices at the Student Health Center are crowd pleasers. For example, students without health insurance need not avoid diagnosing their medical concerns. At the Student Health Center, each visit with a physician is $20, and many lab exams cost between $15 and $25.

The Student Health Center offers students services that go beyond treatment of the flu. HIV/STD testing and education, wellwoman exams (breast exams and pap smears) and support to quit smoking (assessment and private counseling with a nurse) are some services certainly valued by many.

The pharmacy’s over-the-counter formulary is available online, and all students should bookmark this webpage. The Student Health Center pharmacy sells pain relievers, wart removers, first aid antibiotics, bandages, medications for upset stomach and contraceptives. All these products are placed in a brown paper bag, meaning that students need not worry about others prying into their business. Also, checking in to the Student Health Center is done using computers in the lobby. This means that the person visiting the Student Health Center because they are developing a hoof on their left leg need not be afraid or embarrassed upon entering the waiting room.

Most impressive, medications are incredibly inexpensive at the Student Health Center. For example, 100 pain reliever tablets cost $3. The Student Health Center recently began accepting insurance. Students who have been avoiding health care on campus because their parents’ insurance was not accepted should now reconsider.

Lastly, the Student Health Center is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). This means that patient rights, quality of care, privacy of medical records, staff and facility are assessed on a regular basis by people external to the organization.

AAAHC standards are not as simple as Playskool or Fisher-Price. Because of this, there is no need to question the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Student Health Center.

Sure, the Student Health Center may not offer optical examinations like at the University of North Texas, but Texas State students take note—the services available on campus are crazy good. At the Student Health Center, students can get rid of their cough, seek professional advice and purchase reasonably priced antacids without ever stepping foot off campus.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Black Twitter important for community expression, interaction online

Imani McGarrell Assistant Opinions Editor Journalism sophomore

B

lack Twitter is a subculture that provides a valuable platform for black people to network, interact and discuss the current events affecting the community at large.

This quickly growing subculture deserves respect from all users on Twitter.

There are many people who

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regard social media as a pastime that is not to be taken seriously.

Everyone I know who does not use Twitter cites their lack of interest in a play-by-play of other people’s lives as the primary reason they abstain. However, there are tons people using Twitter, and a large number of those people are doing more than talking about the sandwich they had for lunch. According to a 2013 PewInternet.org study, 16 percent of all Internet users use Twitter, and of the amount of people that use Twitter, 26 percent are African-Americans.

When people hear “Black Twitter,” they often think of foolish antics. True, tomfoolery is a notable aspect of the experience.

However, the value in Twitter is that it provides an important space for discourse between not only black people in America, but also

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others in different parts of the world as well. I have discussed before how anger can be a dirty stain that overshadows the validity of the emotions felt by black people.

By utilizing the platform Twitter offers, intelligent young black people worldwide have a place to voice their anger and frustrations in a way that is both honest and comical.

Black Twitter is not just about the funny parts, however. Often the black community on Twitter engages in thoughtful and provoking conversations on issues such as black feminism and racial profiling by police officers. In a July 2013 Salon article, Feminista Jones, a popular sex-positive black feminist, explains that blacks have long been carving out spaces within mainstream society, and Twitter is simply the more modern face of

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that movement.

The Trayvon Martin incident was America’s first major introduction to Black Twitter. Outrage, frustration and sadness flowed out from the community members’ souls and right onto Twitter. Any time something outrageous regarding blacks happens in the media, Black Twitter is the best place to gauge the reactions of the community at large. Wit and intelligence go hand in hand as creative new hashtags are created and used to discuss each cultural phenomenon as it occurs. A January 2014 Washington Post article explains that everything from the Paula Deen scandal to Justine Sacco’s unfortunate AIDS tweet have had their time in the spotlight of Black Twitter’s glare.

The concept is simple, but the name “Black Twitter” and the way

it is used is often the source of misconceptions for some people.

Black Twitter is not a separate app.

It is not a specific group of people to follow. It is not one Twitter handle. And no, searching “Black Twitter” will not open the secret portal to where all the intelligent black people on Twitter are hiding.

The importance of Black Twitter is that it has given so many voices an outlet to share thoughtful insight and experiences. Black Twitter is a community of people.

Not everyone thinks the same, but the point is that everyone is there for everyone else. As Black Twitter gains notoriety, it is sending a message to the world that black people are watching and paying attention to what is going on. The voice of black people is louder than ever and is something that deserves respect.

The University Star is the student newspaper of Texas State University and is published every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the spring and fall and every other Wednesday in the summer semesters. It is distributed on campus and throughout San Marcos at 8 a.m. on publication days with a distribution of 6,000. Printing and distribution is by the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.

Copyright Tuesday, April 15, 2014. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The University Star are the exclusive property of The University Star and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the editor in chief.

The first five issues of each edition of the paper are free. Additional copies of the paper can be purchased at 50¢ per copy.

Contact The University Star office at (512) 245-3487 to purchase additional copies.

Visit The Star at www.UniversityStar.com

The University Star | Tuesday April 15, 2014 | 5

SPORTS Football

Gold team takes spring game by single point

By Quixem Ramirez Assistant Sports Editor @quixem

C

oach Dennis Franchione anticipated a defensive battle prior to the Maroon and Gold Game. He said defenses typically dominate spring games because the offense is generally behind the curve compared to the defense. However, this was not the case.

The Bobcats combined for 59 points including 23 in the final quarter. The Gold

team, tabbed as the favorite

by Franchione, defeated the Maroon team, 30-29.

“You know you always have mixed emotions as a coach,” Franchione said.

“There were a lot of good things about today. We came out pretty healthy, and that’s always a big criteria. We got to see some players in situations and that’s a good thing.”

Fred Nixon, sophomore quarterback, scored the final touchdown of the game, cutting the deficit to one point.

Nixon converted the ensu-

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ing two-point conversion to Bradley Miller, senior tight end. Miller finished with five catches, 142 yards and two touchdowns.

“Brad has always been valuable to us because of the flexibility to play him in tight or play him out wide,” Franchione said. “He’s not the bulkiest tight end and he’s not the fastest wide out, but he is tall and lanky. He understands how to run routes. He is a good red zone weapon.

He showed that today.”

Miller’s longest reception of the game—a 78-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to seven points—was intended for C.J. Best, junior wide receiver. Junior quarterback Randy Price’s pass deflected off Best’s hands into Miller’s, and he ran into the end zone without being touched. s was a fun game,” Miller said. “All of the guys were into it. We never lost hope on the Gold side of the ball.

I kept my team going. We really wanted to win.”

Chris Nutall, junior running back, ran for 112 yards on 12 carries. Nutall scored two touchdowns in the second quarter.

“Chris is a load to bring down,” Franchione said.

“He’s got strong legs—he’s playing the best football he’s played since he’s been here.

We ran the stretch play today and that probably wasn’t his strength in the previous year or two and now he’s learned patience. He understands that play better and he ran it well today.”

Tyler Jones, sophomore quarterback, completed three of eight attempts with one interception in his first start since his freshman season.

Brixx Hawthorne, senior safety, corralled the pass with one hand and returned the interception for a 84-yard touchdown.

Jones, who wore a black

jersey indicating that he could not be hit, chased Hawthorne down before giving up pursuit. Hawthorne did not record a tackle last season, and he’s been utilized as a safety, middle and weak-side linebacker at Texas State.

“I read my tackle and guard and they were going out,” Hawthorne said. “I knew it was a screen. Honestly, I just got lucky—I just put my hand out there and it fell in my hand. The rest is history.”

Jones played a few drives before giving the reins to Nixon and Price, who combined for 160 yards on 13 attempts.

Franchione said having a reliable backup quarterback is important, though it isn’t clear who will be the primary backup this season.

“The development of the backup is important,” Franchione said. “Hopefully Tyler (Jones) will make it through the season healthy. He needs to understand to not play as

reckless.”

Though Jones completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes, he averaged 6.3 yards per attempt, lower than his 7.0 from last year.

“Tyler really needed the spring, even though he played in a tot of games,” Franchione said. “He wasn’t really good fundamentally in a lot of things. That being said, he made a lot of strides, and it’s nice to know who our guy is.

There is no controversy on who our guy is. That’s huge.”

The Bobcats have 19 more practices at their disposal before their regular season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

“You’re never satisfied as a coach,” Franchione said. “You want to be farther along— you want to do more. We aren’t even close to beating another team yet.

But we’ve gotten to a point where we have a foundation.”

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6 | The University Star | Sports | Tuesday April 15, 2014

Jordan Masek senior shortstop

By Quixem Ramirez Assistant Sports Editor

Madelynne Scales | Assistant Photo Editor

On a rare off day when she was not playing softball, twelve-year-old Jordan Masek sat in the stands watching her twin brother, Trey Masek, play for his baseball team.

The game was getting out of hand, and the team asked her to pinch-run for one of Trey’s teammates.

She hustled to the restroom, changed into a uniform and took the field as a pinch runner. This was not a rare occurrence—the team kept an extra jersey for her.

Trey, now a minor leaguer for the Chicago Cubs, said his sister is a “defensive wizard” and could have succeeded at that level.

“It’s not like she was batting third and hitting home runs or anything,” Trey said. “She definitely could have held her own. Having my twin sister in the dugout playing baseball with me is just really neat to say.”

Jordan grew up in Giddings, a small town 55 miles east of Austin.

“Giddings is a real small town and everyone knows each other,” Jordan said. “They’re going to find out about your life whether you like it or not.”

Jordan, an advanced athlete for her age, competed with boys until she was 12. Her father Andy

coached her until freshman year when she joined a new team that would provide exposure to potential college recruits.

“You never think they’re going to be a Division I athlete,” Andy said.

“You just nurture them along the way. As time went on, she started getting looks and then you start to realize she’s pretty good.”

Alex Masek, Jordan’s younger sister, is playing softball at Texas A&M. Their parents, educators by day and body-builders by night, owned a gym while they were growing up. Athleticism runs in the family.

“Jordan is a great athlete,” said Coach Ricci Woodard. “Her family is really athletic. From her parents on down, you can tell they have the right competitive mindset.”

Jordan says her mother, Patti Masek, and her sister are the most competitive in the family. Jordan clashed with Trey over video games.

They went head-to-head in Mario Kart and All-Star Baseball on the Nintendo 64.

Once the PlayStation 2 was released, Jordan and Trey played NBA 2K6 for hours with the same result—Jordan always winning.

“She’d just destroy me,” Trey said. “She’d let me pick the best team and she’d pick the worst team and still whoop me. It was terrible.

She was a savant at that thing.”

Jordan and her father bonded on camping trips and, especially, deer hunting. Even now that she is in college, they still make it a point to hunt a few times a year.

“Jordan is a very good shot,” Andy said. “She has some pretty nice trophies—from hogs to does to bucks. Now, they’re mounted in her duplex. She has two in her house right now.”

UT-Arlington attempted to recruit Jordan when she finished high school, but Texas State, her first visit and offer, was her top choice.

“From day one, I fell in love with the campus,” Jordan said. “Talking to the players and coaches—I just loved everything about San Marcos and Texas State. It was a pretty easy decision.”

Jordan played second base and center field growing up, though she was primarily a shortstop. Woodard switched her to center field in her sophomore season. Jordan started in 53 games and finished with 29 hits, 16 runs, 14 RBI, nine stolen bases and seven multi-hit games.

“If you can play shortstop and center field, you can play anywhere on the field,” Woodard said. “Offensively, she can run, bunt for a base hit and hit for some power.

She brings a lot of different looks to the team.”

Jordan switched to shortstop her junior year. She finished with a team-high four home runs, four doubles and a triple in 55 games.

“She’s become a very consistent player,” Woodard said. “She’s going to bring the same game everyday. I only have two kids who have been here all four years and she is one of them. She’s done a good job buying into the philosophy of the program and translating it to the younger players.”

Baseball

Bobcats defeated in third-straight weekend series

By Ishmael Johnson Sports Reporter @Ish_46

Texas State dropped its third straight weekend series, losing two out of three against Louisiana-Monroe.

The Bobcats scored 30 runs over the weekend, but errors prevented them from putting away the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. Texas State fell to 19-16 on the season and 8-7 in the conference. The Bobcats have dropped seven of their last 10 games.

The lone victory for the Bobcats came Friday when Austen Williams, junior pitcher, recorded his fifth win of the season with the help of the team’s leading home run hitter, Granger Studdard, freshman outfielder.

Studdard’s grand slam in the third inning gave the Bobcats an early 4-0 lead, and the Warhawks played from behind the entire game. Outfielders Cory Geisler, sophomore,

Colby Targun, junior, and Ben McElroy, junior, combined for eight hits and four RBI in the 12-5 win. Targun and McElroy hit 1 home run each. Targun’s home run was the first of the season for him.

“Obviously we started off good on Friday night,” said Coach Ty Harrington. “Austen Williams threw fine, and our offense was very productive in RBI situations. It was one of the better offensive nights we’ve had this season.”

Texas State dropped Saturday’s game 17-12.

The team fell behind 10-4 in the fifth inning. Studdard hit a home run in the seventh, and the Bobcats managed to score 6 runs in the last four innings.

Louisiana-Monroe’s offense produced 7 more runs to build on their early lead. The loss came despite Texas State matching Louisiana-Monroe on hits with 16. Taylor Black, junior pitcher, received the start and the loss as he gave up a season-high 11 runs on

12 hits.

Studdard’s 2 home runs over the weekend give him a team-leading 5 on the season.

The final game of the series was won 7-6 by the Warhawks.

Lucas Humpal, sophomore pitcher, started Sunday for the Bobcats. Humpal threw 5.2 innings and struck out four batters while also allowing 7 runs on eight hits. Sunday’s game was the only contest in the series in which neither team hit a home run.

“Saturday we were offensive a little bit, and Sunday, at different times, we were opportunistic,” Harrington said. “The effort was good throughout the game. We fell behind on Saturday by seven. Our kids kept battling and playing. We just have to correct some things defensively.”

Harrington said the team’s pitching was solid, but mental errors in the run support led to the Bobcats’ performance in the last two games and previous “higher level” matchups.

Coach Ty Harrington went on to say that he hopes the team’s batting performance could be a catalyst for increased production the rest of the season.

Texas State committed a combined 10 fielding errors, seven on Saturday and three on Sunday. Louisiana-Monroe committed five errors throughout the whole weekend series.

Garrett Mattlage, junior infielder, tacked on six more hits and three RBIs over the weekend to increase his team-leading totals to 41 and 29 respectively on the season.

Texas State is now tied with UT-Arlington for third and only one game ahead of both Western Kentucky and Louisiana-Monroe in the Sun Belt standings.

“Hopefully we feel better about ourselves, but baseball’s a crazy thing,” Harrington said.

“You have to go back out the next day and the next opportunity, which is as early as (Tuesday) night.”

Alexandra White | Star File Photo

Softball

Texas State swept by Georgia State on road

By Cameron Cutshall Sports Reporter @CameronCutshall

The Texas State softball team remains winless on the road this season after being swept over the weekend by Georgia State.

The Panthers outscored the Bobcats 18-3 in the team’s first two losses. The team lost the first game 8-1 and the second matchup 10-2 after giving up 5 home runs in both games.

“Saturday did not go well,” said Coach Ricci Woodard.

“We couldn’t hit the ball, and it’s hard to win games when you can’t get the hits you need.”

Kortney Koroll, junior designated player, homered to right center field to give the Bobcats 1 run in the first game.

Koroll leads the team with 7 home runs.

Rayn House, senior pitcher, earned her 14th loss of the season. House pitched the complete game and gave up 8 runs on 11 hits.

The Bobcats were run-ruled in the second game of the doubleheader in five innings.

Georgia State scored 9 of its runs on three homers in the bottom of the first inning to gain the early 9-0 lead in the ball game.

Courtney Harris, junior third baseman, hit a 2-run single down the left field line to give the Bobcats their lone runs in the top of the fifth inning and make the final score 10-2.

Ashely Wright, sophomore pitcher, earned her fourth loss of the season, dropping her record to 2-4.

The Bobcats lost the final game of the series Sunday 3-2.

House pitched six innings for Texas State, giving up 12 hits, 3 runs and three strikeouts.

House fell to 18-15 overall with the loss.

“We had a chance to win,” Woodard said. “We did a good job of competing, but unfortunately things didn’t go our way.”

Kendall Wiley, sophomore first baseman, hit a solo home run in the top of the second inning to tie the game 1-1.

Taylor Anderson, Panthers shortstop, hit her fourth home run in five games to give Georgia State the 2-1 advantage in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Anderson was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week for the second time this season. Anderson had five hits, 6 runs and two RBI total in the three-game series against Texas State.

Coralee Ramirez, senior outfielder, hit an RBI single, scoring the tying run for the Bobcats. The RBI tied the score at 2 in the top of the sixth inning.

Morgan Brown, Panthers leftfielder, gave Georgia State its final run in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single.

“We wanted to win one or two on the road to put us in a better spot for conference,” Harris said. “Sunday was tough because we fought so hard and still came up short. We still have a lot of improving to do.”

Texas State is three games below .500 with a 21-24 overall record, and the team is 4-8 in conference. The Bobcats sit in sixth place in the Sun Belt while the Panthers are in fourth.

The Bobcats do not have a mid-week game, and their next opponent will be Western Kentucky this weekend in San Marcos.