April 17 2013

Page 1

VOLUME 102, ISSUE 78

www.UniversityStar.com

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WEDNESDAY GO NE ONLI NOW

APRIL 17, 2013

Cat Cab

Bobcat Bobbies is a transportation service that escorts students, faculty, and staff across campus at night to ensure their security. To learn more about Bobcat Bobbies go to UniversityStar.com.

City council passes new master plan By Karen Zamora News Reporter City councilmembers unanimously approved the final reading of the new Comprehensive Master Plan Tuesday, which will officially be updated for the first time in almost 20 years. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a master plan. Congratulations,” said Mayor Daniel Guerrero at the city council meeting. The councilmembers, city staff and residents completed the 13-month process of updating the city’s 17-year-old master plan, which will now guide the population growth and infrastructure for the next 10 years. Matthew Lewis, director of planning and development services, said the whole process started with Dream San Marcos. Lewis said public input was the driving force of finalizing the master plan. “It captured community voices we typically don’t hear from, and (the public’s) ideas were incorporated in the Comprehensive Master Plan,” Lewis said. According to an April 16 University Star article, the master plan is separated into six sections. The plan strives to improve the city’s economic development, environment and resource protection, land use, neighborhoods and housing, parks, public spaces and facilities and transportation. Lewis said in the University Star article the first and largest section of the master plan focuses on building San Marcos and its workforce. Another section reflects maintaining neighborhoods and creating better housing to attract middle-income residents. Councilmembers voted to reconstruct the plan’s map of the city to include the Lazy Oaks development outside of city limits during the first reading at the April 2 council meeting. Lewis said the final map shows the area where the 1,750 single-family residences would be located, but because residents did not list Lazy Oaks as a center of activity, the area on the map is not labeled. Lewis said the map was rescaled to include the development after the first reading of the plan was approved. Councilwoman Kim Porterfield, Place 1, said she was confused and thought the rescale would include Lazy Oaks’ name, but instead it shows the land area only. Councilman Ryan Thomason, Place 5, motioned to amend the Comprehensive Master Plan to outline and label the Lazy Oaks area to make it more distinguishable on the map. The council approved the amendment. “We have said, ‘Hey, we are welcoming this community in,’” Thomason said. “(The map)

READ CITY COUNCIL, PAGE 3

OFFERING A LIFT There are 10 Bobcat Bobbies They are in operation from 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. The busiest hours are from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

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They receive about to calls per night

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There have been

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calls this month as of April 15 Shea Wendlandt, Staff Photographer

Bobcat Bobbie Michael Moreno meets Tempestt Phillips, industrial engineering freshman, outside of Lantana Hall. There have been a total of 373 calls for pickup this month.

Bobcat Bobbies provide evening campus transit By Katharina Guttenberg News Reporter Alesha Waters whizzed down the familiar path toward Lantana Hall on her favorite golf cart to pick up the first call of the night. For Waters, physical therapy sophomore and Bobcat Bobbie, Lantana Hall is where most of her requests for a ride are from. This trip was unique in that one of her coworkers had received an identical request and was on the way to the dorm as well. Two female students walked down the stairs of the dorm as Waters pulled up and sat on the back of the golf cart. Waters told the girls that groups of four will have to split up because only three people will fit. The girls were fine with that—the call Waters’ coworker re-

ceived was from the other half of their group. Waters just shook her head. This occurrence is normal for a Bobcat Bobbie. Bobcat Bobbies is a safety escort service for students walking on campus at night. Bobcat Bobbies are in operation from 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. The Bobbies work either the early shift from 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., or the late shift from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. University Police Sgt. Laurence Fuller is in charge of the 10 Bobcat Bobbies and said they receive about 75 to 80 calls per night. Although the number of calls stays fairly consistent year round, Tuesdays and Thursdays during the fall semester are the busiest because of sorority and fraternity events, Fuller said.

University name change passes Senate, still needs House approval By Karen Zamora News Reporter Texas State is one step closer to its sixth name change since 1903. State senators unanimously approved Senate Bill 974 April 10, which would eliminate “–San Marcos” from the end of the university’s name. The change is currently pending in the House, from which university administrators hope to hear a final decision later this week. The institution’s name was modified 10 years ago from Southwest Texas State

University to its current title. Provost Eugene Bourgeois said this should be the last name change for the university. University President Denise Trauth said in a statement the school is already referred to as “Texas State” or “Texas State University” in instances other than legal documents. Bourgeois said the name change reflects the “need and desire” to eliminate confusion surrounding the Round Rock campus. If Gov. Rick Perry signs the bill into law, the Round Rock campus would be re-

Star File Photo

University administrators are awaiting final approval from the Texas House of Representatives to drop “— San Marcos” from Texas State’s official name.

ferred to as the “Texas State University Round Rock Campus.” Robert Gratz, special assistant to the president, said the university will make slow strides in changing the name on letterheads and other legal documents if and when the bill is approved. He said the school would use existing supplies until it is time to order materials with the new name. Bourgeois said the “– San Marcos” is already dropped from all other university products such as T-shirts and internal publications. He said faculty don’t refer to the university as “Texas State University — San Marcos,” but instead as Texas State. “(We have) bumper stickers, and I see T-shirts worn by a lot of students and it just says ‘Texas State,’” Bourgeois said. “I think it reflects what really is the name that’s being used by faculty, students and staff and, really, the public.” Gratz said the companion bill passed unanimously in committees, and the university is expecting the same on the House floor. Bourgeois said the passage of both bills will be “done deals.” This bill was the first passed for freshman Sen. Donna Campbell, RNew Braunfels. Bourgeois said some administrators were concerned because it was Campbell’s first bill. He said while on the senate floor, Campbell received a “good-natured ribbing” from her fellow senators.

READ NAME CHANGE, PAGE 3

READ BOBBIES, PAGE 3

Q&A Laurie Moyer Director of Engineering and Capital Improvements By Natalie Berko News Reporter Laurie Moyer was appointed the city’s new director of Engineering and Capital Improvements April 1. Moyer has held several positions with the city, and was most recently the managing director of Community Services. She will now oversee the engineering behind the city’s development, utilities and infrastructure. NB: How long have you been a San Marcos resident? LM: I started with the city in 1988, and I moved away for a short period of time and lived in between outside of the city limits. I would say total, I have lived in the city for 17 years. NB: What prompted your appointment to this position? LM: The position was held by Linda Grubbs-Huff. She left the city to go to work for a consulting firm, so the position became open. I held this position many years ago from 1998 to 2007. (The city) asked if I was interested in coming back and I said “Yes, I would love to do that.” NB: What do you hope to do to alleviate construction woes in the city? LM: One of the things I would like to do is review construction projects scheduled to begin, and make sure we are not overly impacting particular areas of town or major arteries. Right now, we have a lot of projects under construction and a lot of stuff right in the downtown (area) and the edge of campus, and we have a lot more projects coming on. What I would like to do is look at where projects would be located as we prepare them, what their time frame would be and if there are better ways that can phase them to minimize the disruption to the citizens as they drive or walk to their businesses. Just keep that in mind.

READ MOYER, PAGE 3


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