April 23 2013

VOLUME 102, ISSUE 80

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TUESDAY

APRIL 23, 2013

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Riverfest 2013

Riverfest is an annual spring festival at Sewell Park sponsored by the Student Association for Campus Activities as a way for students to relax and have fun before finals begin. For more on Riverfest, go to UniversityStar.com.

Students affected by West plant explosion

By Karen Zamora News Reporter The last time Kayla Kapavik joked with her cousin Joey Pustejovsky or saw her home was Easter. Now, both are gone.

Kapavik is one of a handful of Texas State students from West who were affected by the April 17 explosion.

Kapavik, radiation therapy sophomore, said her 29-year-old cousin was a firefighter and the city’s secretary. She said her cousin was on the first radio call between the police and fire department when the fire was reported.

“From the beginning, there was a person who called in the fire and 30 seconds in you can hear my cousin, and he is the first responder,” Kapavik said. “He said he was on his way. When he got there he assessed the situation and went (into the building).”

Kapavik said police began trying to get the firefighters out of the plant once they realized how dangerous the fire was getting.

“That’s why some of them survived,” she said.

Kapavik said her cousin was about to exit the plant when the building exploded.

“He’s a hero, and all those people who went in too when they didn’t have to,” Kapavik said.

Kayla Urbanovsky, electronic media junior, said she was on Facebook when some friends from West posted photos of the fire that engulfed the fertilizer plant before it exploded.

“I knew exactly where it was and knew all the friends who lived a block over,” Urbanovsky said. “I was calling them, and they weren’t answering. Within the moment I found out and went to my brother’s apartment a few minutes away, the

explosion had happened.”

Both Urbanovsky and Kapavik’s families were evacuated from their homes quickly after the explosion.

Urbanovsky said her home is approximately a mile and a half away from the fertilizer plant. She said there were only damages to the ceiling and kitchen. Urbanovsky said her family was far enough away from the explosion that they were only evacuated for one night.

Kapavik’s home was located half of a mile from the plant. Kapavik’s family knows their house no longer remains and have not been back to assess the damages.

Kapavik said her brother was home when the fire started, and all he could hear were car alarms and people screaming when the fertilizer plant exploded.

Kapavik was clocking out of work at

READ EXPLOSION, PAGE 3

Students learn art of henna at Common Experience series To prepare students to become a global citizen, you need them to learn other cultures, and you need to have an open mind.”

-Kanika Verma, Indian Student Association president

See Henna on PAGE 4 Carlos Valdez, Assistant Photo Editor

Krishna Keerthi Immani, secretary of the Indian Student Association, applies henna to a student’s hand April 19 at the Henna Workshop.

Security cameras to be maintained, installed on campus

By James Carneiro News Reporter A number of surveillance cameras around campus are in the process of being updated and installed.

The University Police Department is currently purchasing security cameras and repairing those that have worn down over time. Additionally, Joanne Smith, vice president of Student Affairs, said a system is being proposed to properly repair the cameras if something goes wrong. The cameras, which aid in investigations and help ticket parking violators, have been used at Texas State since 2007, said Jeb Thomas, supervisor of Access Services for the UPD. Some of the cameras installed in 2007 are still working, but others have fallen into disrepair.

“We’re in the process of making sure we have the maintenance in place to make sure (the cameras) are working correctly,” Smith said. “We need to make sure there’s a mechanism available so that if we need a company to fix (the cameras), we have that in place.”

Thomas said UPD does not release the number of surveillance cameras on campus or information about their location and maintenance status. He said the majority of cameras are located in parking garages.

Thomas said the projected expense for the total surveillance camera upgrade is estimated to be in the tens of thousands of dollars. He said the average installation cost of a surveillance camera is approximately $4,000 to $5,000. However, repairing previously installed cameras is dependent on the work needing to be done.

UPD Sgt. Robert Campbell said various departments will combine their money to fix or replace a camera that suddenly breaks. For example, if a security camera in the LBJ Parking Garage breaks, the parking garage will help pay to repair it, taking some financial burden off UPD, Campbell said. He said dispersing costs among multiple departments makes the process easier, and the whole university is responsible for upkeep of the cameras.

The cameras are fixed on a “must have” basis, meaning the most essential units will be repaired first, Thomas said.

“We’re fixing the cameras as we can, but we’re getting to the point where we need to have a conversation about continual maintenance for the cameras,” Smith said.

Installation of additional cameras will help the university cut down on crime, Campbell said.

Thomas said UPD doesn’t monitor the camera feeds live, but they watch some of the footage at a later time. This is done by a number of officers since there is no official position to monitor security cameras, Thomas said.

Thomas said administrators do not have direct access to the footage from surveillance cameras but

READ CAMERAS, PAGE 3

Assistant professors awarded Two graduates stray from degree, grants for research expenses career path to open food trailer

By Melanie Dutschke Special to The Star The National Science Foundation awarded grants to two Texas State assistant professors this semester for their work as researchers and teachers.

Assistant physics professor Nikoleta Theodoropoulou and assistant computer science professor Apan Qasem were each granted $500,000 NSF CAREER awards by the foundation. The awards will fund their research projects at Texas State over the next five years.

Susan Beauchamp, associate director for the Office of Sponsored Programs, said the foundation’s funds are awarded annually. Future funds may be projected, but Beauchamp said the foundation might feel the impact of the federal fund sequestering situation.

Both of the Texas State awardees are guaranteed to receive full funding for 2013. Theodoropoulou is guaranteed $149,805, and Qasem will receive $84,700. They will use most of their grant money to pay the salaries of undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students who help them conduct their research. Additionally, some of their grant money will go toward materials, equipment and travel expenses for conferences and workshops.

Theodoropoulou’s project is essentially the study of materials that, when combined, create unexpected properties. For example, Theodoropoulou said putting two pieces of glass together can chemically create a metal.

Theodoropoulou will explore materials and probe different properties that emerge

at the common boundaries between chemical compounds known as oxides.

“A lot of the time, it’s difficult to say where the research is going to go or what you will get out of it,” Theodoropoulou said. “The focus of this project is to see if people’s predictions will happen or why the outcome is different than expected.”

Qasem’s project involves creating advanced, artificially intelligent software to adapt to the changing computing industry.

“The hardware is getting very complex,” Qasem said. “What that really means is, for us to get better performance and to actually utilize these computing systems more efficiently, we need better software.”

Qasem said he aims to have this intelligent software on all computers, but it will be most useful to agencies such as NASA, which deal with high performance computing applications.

Qasem wants to apply his idea of artificially intelligent software to smart phones as well.

“The issue is about power,” Qasem said.

“You want to run an application without it draining your battery. The objective is different, but the same strategy is going to apply to embedded applications.”

Both assistant professors have integrated an educational component into their research in order to reach out to students and teachers.

Theodoropoulou’s educational component focuses on high school in an attempt to encourage more students to major in science

READ GRANTS, PAGE 3

By Nancy Young News Reporter After earning a degree from Texas State, one alumnus decided to abandon the career path he chose in college to pursue something more adventurous—opening a food trailer.

Chris Pasztor graduated with a degree in psychology in August 2009. He originally planned to attend graduate school to further his career and eventually become a professor at the collegiate level. However, Pasztor soon realized he had been in school long enough and was ready to move on to other pursuits.

“I got my degree and ran off into the adult world,” Pasztor said.

Pasztor ran a dating website for about a year following his graduation before decid-

ing he would be happier opening a food trailer. Neither of the career choices pertained to his psychology degree. Pasztor opened Smoked Out Barbeque in March at Mimi’s Trailer Park Eatery with co-owner Brandon Bibeau, who has a degree in biochemistry and genetics from Texas A&M. The Institutional Research Office Texas State conducts a survey every summer of alumni who graduated the previous year to collect information on employment status and other activities. According to the survey administered to alumni who graduated in May, August or December 2011, 27 percent of respondents said their current jobs were not related to their college major. Additionally, 41 percent of respondents said finding the kind a job they wanted immediately after graduation was a “major problem.”

Bibeau graduated from Texas A&M in 2007 and worked in the biotechnology industry for about five years before realizing it wasn’t for him.

“If this does not work out then I would consider going back, but I couldn’t imagine going back into the cubical environment,” Bibeau said.

“I’d rather be my own boss from now on. It was just one of those things where I gradu-

Carlos Valdez, Assistant Photo Editor

Chris Pasztor, Texas State alumnus, tends to pork and beef on the grill April 15 at Mimi’s Trailer Park Eatery.

READ FOOD TRAILER, PAGE 3

2 | Tuesday April 23, 2013 | The University Star

OPINIONS

For more viewpoints or letters to the editor, e-mail staropinions@txstate.edu

Grace Perkins, Star Illustrator

Bobcats display admirable generosity in donating to West, Boston

A

fter the tragedies that struck the country last week, students have made the right move by decorously and selflessly looking to aid those who have been affected.

Many Texas State student organizations have found charitable causes and fundraisers to support in response to the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing and the April 17 fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas.

The bombing resulted in the deaths of three people and injured more than 200 others, according to an April 22 ABC News article. The West explosion resulted in 14 fatalities, approximately 200 injuries and ruined or outright destroyed several homes, buildings and offices, according to an April 22 Huffington Post article.

Officials in West and Boston have already received a significant amount of support with an outpouring of compassion from across the country. Some officials

in West have begun to ask for monetary donations instead of goods because it has become difficult to transport the surplus of supplies to the community. In addition, Boston hospitals have received large amounts of blood to help those who were wounded in the bombing incident.

Many Americans have demonstrated solid commitment to their fellow residents during the past week through donations, and Bobcats have not fallen short of the call for action in times of need.

University President Denise Trauth called for a campus-wide moment of silence April 16 at 1:45 p.m. for those injured or killed at the Boston Marathon. This admirable action taken by Trauth shows solidarity as an institution and exemplifies the support for the victims demonstrated by students, faculty and staff members in a variety of ways.

The Human Environmental Animal Team gathered donations of necessities such as bottled water, clothes, blankets and pet food for those affected in West. St. David’s School of Nursing in Round Rock

set up collection boxes in the lobby of its building last week. The individuals in these student groups should be highly regarded for quickly jumping to their feet and finding ways to give back to those desperately in need.

In addition, some Texas State students and their family members and friends have been directly affected by the Boston and West tragedies. It is unfortunate some have lost their lives, homes and sense of safety in these recent events. The San Marcos community specifically has close ties to West by location and proximity.

Other students have graciously decided to honor those who have died or suffered injuries in the Boston and West incidents by attending funerals. The Westboro Baptist Church has already picketed Boston funerals and is reportedly planning to picket in West. It is honorable some Texas State students have taken it upon themselves to head to West and “shield” the families of the deceased from the Westboro protesters.

Even if students are not affiliated with any of the student organizations that are

fundraising or taking donations, they can still make an impact on the Boston and West communities. Many students, of their own free will, have donated blood during drives to save the lives of those injured in the incidents and help those who are still recuperating.

Students must continue to unite and bring in monetary, nonperishable donations or give blood to those in need.

Coming together in times of crisis is what makes the country, state and city authentic.

Students need to find the extra change sitting in the cracks of their couches, and take 20 extra minutes to give blood to those who have been devastated in the past week.

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 UniversitySan Marcos Student Media, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Texas State University-San Marcos.

Boston bombing tragedy Safety necessitates Bobbies expansion to off-campus locations unites students, Americans

By Savannah Wingo Assistant Opinions Editor

W

hile many students may use Bobcat Bobbies to receive a safe escort or to score a free ride, the system is not providing as much security as it could beyond campus borders.

Bobcat Bobbies is a group that provides a safe escort via golf carts for students traversing across campus at night. Many students may believe the system is there to provide free rides solely, although the purpose of the Bobbies is to promote safety and allow students to feel safe at night. According to an April 17 University Star article, many calls made to Bobcat Bobbies are for rides to Jones Dining Hall. Students may be abusing the safety system to avoid a hike, since Jones is placed at the top of a steep hill. Although this behavior is somewhat understandable, it should not be encouraged. The Bobbies are already busy enough as it is without extra calls coming in from people who simply do not want to walk somewhere.

According to the same University Star article, the Bobbies receive around 75 to 80 calls per night, with numbers fairly consistent throughout the year.

The Bobbies cost the university, and therefore students, money to keep operations running smoothly. Students should only use the service when they absolutely need it and opt to walk whenever they feel safe.

Although the Bobcat Bobbies service is useful, the need for its presence may also reflect badly on our campus. The Bobbies operate and provide service from 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., and the point is to provide a sense of safety for those who walk around campus late at night.

However, it is overly apparent many

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students who use the Bobbies simply do not feel safe on campus at night in general, which is an issue university officials should adequately address. Perhaps if university officials made sure all areas of the campus were sufficiently lit at night, the Bobbies system would be less necessary for many students.

Students should not fear walking across campus. Police officers should patrol regularly, and university officials should invest funding to ensure all areas are brightly lit. These changes may not eradicate the need for on-campus Bobcat Bobbies entirely but would greatly lessen it. If students felt safer across campus, the Bobbies could possibly expand service to the surrounding areas of campus. The system could help pick up students with proximity to campus who may be intoxicated or do not feel safe walking a long distance late at night. In all likelihood, students may face more danger outside of the boundaries of Texas State on The Square, for instance, than they may ever face on campus. If the relative safety of campus was solidified through better lighting and patrols, students may not rely on the on-campus Bobbies service as heavily, and off-campus ventures could be explored.

Although some students may unfairly take advantage of the Bobcat Bobbies for a free ride, many others use the service because of a lacking sense of security around campus. Despite that, students deserve safety both on campus and off, where there could be a greater danger of assault or drunk driving in places such as The Square. University officials must make the campus safer for students at night by increasing lighting and other means. Once these improvements occur, the Bobbies could have the potential to expand into an off-campus service catering to drunk or anxious students who travel at night.

-Savannah Wingo is a mass communication sophomore.

Editor In Chief................................................Beth Brown, stareditor@txstate.edu Managing Editor............................Lee Moran, starmanagingeditor@txstate.edu Letters..................................................................................starletters@txstate.edu News Editor...................................................Caitlin Clark, starnews@txstate.edu Trends Editor............................Hollie O’Connor, starentertainment@txstate.edu Opinions Editor..........................................Liza Winkler, staropinion@txstate.edu Photo Editor.......................................Austin Humphreys, starphoto@txstate.edu Sports Editor..........................................Cameron Irvine, starsports@txstate.edu Copy Desk Chief......................Thomas Glasebrook, starcopychief@txstate.edu Web Editor.............................................Cayla Green, starwebeditor@txstate.edu

By Alex Pernice Opinions Columnist

L

ast week’s bombing incident at the Boston Marathon and the related shooting at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology should not shake students’ faith in the strength of their country.

Many news outlets, including The Huffington Post, CNN and Time Magazine, have all compared the bombing at the Boston Marathon to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in some way. Although the horror in Boston did not come close to the tragedy that day, images of the carnage and bloodshed littering Boylston Street April 15 continue to flood the media. Experiencing the terror in Boston firsthand was one of the most jarring events of my young life.

The Boston Marathon has inspired runners for 117 years to meet certain time requirements on courses approved by the International Association of Athletics Federations to qualify for entrance into the prestigious race. The Boston Athletic Association set faster qualifying times this year, making the marathon even more special because of the higher expectations given to the race. It was an exciting year for runners from all over the world who flocked to Boston to celebrate with the running community during the inspiring event.

It is still difficult for many to comprehend the bombing at the Boston Marathon.

My father, who decided to enjoy the race and run at a very leisurely pace, finished in a fast enough time to allow my family and me to leave before the bombing occurred.

My family and I were mere feet away from the location of the second bomb before it detonated and were close to the first detonation site when we left the race. The chaos ensued literally minutes after we made our way to meet my father when he finished the marathon. Little things saved our lives.

We already had our pictures taken, and police officers directed us away from the

Multimedia Editor.........................Alex Peña, starmultimediaeditor@txstate.edu Design Editor.............................................Sarah Ansell, stardesign@txstate.edu Account Executive.....................................Catie Brossard, starad3@txstate.edu Account Executive.................................Blakely Knowles, starad4@txstate.edu Account Executive.....................................Hannah Wilson, starad5@txstate.edu Media Specialist................................... Chris Salazar, chris.salazar@txstate.edu Advertising Coordinator...........................Kelsey Nuckolls, starad1@txstate.edu Publications Coordinator.......................................Linda Allen, la06@txstate.edu Publications Director...........................Bob Bajackson, stardirector@txstate.edu

crowds to get to our hotel faster after my father completed the race. I cannot begin to imagine where we would be without the timing of those situations.

Boston quickly became a warzone. Emergency vehicles sped through the streets.

Crying participants and their loved ones were scattered along city blocks and hotel lobbies. The city still lived and breathed, but there was an air of tragedy to be digested. Cell phones were frantically used to contact worried friends and family. Local and national news outlets were brimming with breaking information. It did not seem real, for a moment. My family and I had been in the presence of terrorism, and we experienced history at its worst.

There is a reason why the bombings in Boston are increasingly painful for Americans. The Boston Marathon is a classic American athletic event. For it to be invaded by terribly violent acts seems to be an attempt to remove the innocence and reputation of the race in one fell swoop.

But the American mettle is not to be tested. Terrorism acts seek to instill fear and halt everyday life. The people who carried out these attacks have failed to put a stranglehold on the secure feeling of the American public. There may be a frantic search for motives and suspects, but life goes on, and the courageous actions of first responders, volunteers and a number of others have demonstrated this as true. The nation has pushed back by beautifully supporting Boston in a time of tragedy. They have allowed for life to continue. Boston is still alive, and so is this country.

Many will be left wondering what to make of the atrocities until there is a certain verdict regarding the individuals or entities that terrorized the nation. Regardless, residents and students have shown strength by supporting one another through the recent tragedies.

“All in for Boston” was the advertised message plastered across the city by Adidas for the marathon. And in a way, the entire country truly is.

--Alex Pernice is a mass communication sophomore.

The University Star is the student newspaper of Texas State University-San Marcos and is published 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 23, 2013. 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.

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The University Star | Tuesday April 23, 2013 | 3

NEWS

EXPLOSION

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

8:30 p.m. last Wednesday when she listened to a voicemail her father had left her 15 minutes prior.

“He was like, ‘Kayla, give me a call. There was an explosion. Just call me back,’” Kapavik said.

Kapavik called her father back and learned of the explosion that destroyed her neighborhood, sent her older brother to the emergency room and killed her older cousin.

“I just dropped,” Kapavik said. “I couldn’t even talk. My manager had to talk to my dad. I was freaking out.”

Urbanovsky said she has not gone to West yet, but has seen and heard the destruction. She said the intermediate school and the playground she used to spend time at are both gone.

“You see it everyday, and you don’t notice it anymore,” Urbanovsky said.

Kapavik said she went to West on Friday to visit her family. She said no one was at the Exxon when she drove into town, but it didn’t look like a fertilizer plant had exploded a couple days before.

Kapavik said she is grateful for all the donations that have been sent to West because her family didn’t have clothes or food.

GRANTS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

in college.

“What I want to do is have a few science high school teachers exposed to the research we do here,” Theodoropoulou said. “Then they can go back to their classrooms and transmit the information and excite the students so we have more people majoring in science.”

CAMERAS

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can ask UPD to show it to them.

Thomas said the cameras have helped UPD gain information with which to identify suspects, but there is more to the process of catching criminals than recording crimes. He said the cameras’ success

FOOD TRAILER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ated and felt obligated to go and put in some time working.”

Norma Gaier, director of Career Services, said graduates can draw some relevance from their degrees into other fields of work. She said Pasztor used textbook knowledge from psychology to understand what customers want and respond to.

Check out more at UniversityStar.com

“It’s very overwhelming to see how much stuff there is for us,” Kapavik said.

Caleb Davis, electronic media sophomore, said he started a donation drive after the accident through Human Environment Animal Team for the West victims because of his personal connection to the town. Davis said he had family who lived in West, where his grandfather was a part of the West Auction Barn, which is being used as a shelter.

“I’ve been there, and it’s treated me so well over the years, and if I didn’t give something back then it wouldn’t be fair,” Davis said.

Austin Humphreys, Photo Editor

Kayla Urbanovsky, mass communication junior, and Kayla Kapavik, radiation therapy sophomore, grew up in West, Texas.

Qasem’s educational component is a plan for an interdisciplinary program where students and faculty work together on research problems involving computation. He said the program will likely be a two-semester course taught by faculty from different departments and offered through the College of Science and Engineering.

“The plan is to start off at Texas State and hopefully expand the program to other universities around like ACC and UTSA,” Qasem said. “The idea is for us to get people together from different areas so we have more collaboration.”

in catching criminal activity depends on the model and whether it can record sound.

Campell said the surveillance cameras at Texas State have been successful at foiling various criminal activities such as vandalism and burglaries.

Thomas said surveillance cameras have led to the apprehension of multiple criminals at Texas State, but he did not have the exact number of arrests made.

Gaier said some students pursue majors because they are interested in the academics behind them but are sometimes not able to find a job once they graduate.

The two say choosing to open their food trailer instead of pursuing careers in the fields of their respective majors was the right choice. They wanted to do something that made them happy instead of being stuck behind a desk.

“I could have done a couple of things different, but I’m pretty happy with who I am and where I am now,” Pasztor said.

Alumnus studies connection between Facebook, anxiety

By Sonya Palumbo News Reporter A former Texas State student is gaining national attention for his master’s thesis that examines the correlation between Facebook and anxiety, loneliness and alcohol and drug use.

Russell Clayton found that of the 225 college freshmen who responded to his survey, those who reported higher anxiety and alcohol use were more emotionally connected to Facebook. He found students who were more lonely and anxious use Facebook as a platform to connect with others. Clayton received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas State in 2010.

“Emotional connectedness refers to the degree to which Facebook is integrated into individuals’ daily lives,” Clayton said.

Clayton found under supervision of faculty members Randall Osborne, Brian Miller and Crystal Oberle that people with high levels of perceived loneliness used Facebook as a connection strategy but were not emotionally connected.

Randall Osbourne, a professor in the Department of Psychology, said anxiety makes it difficult for an individual to interact with other people.

“Facebook can reduce a person’s social anxiety, but it’s a temporary fix,” Osbourne said. “Facebook increases social anxiety in the long run.”

Clayton, who earned his bachelor’s in psychology and his master’s in health psychology, studied how normative behaviors affect people with anxiousness or loneliness.

Miller, associate professor in the Department of Management, said alcohol is widely accepted in society, making it a social norm.

“When students who are emotionally connected to Facebook view pictures and statuses of their friends using alcohol, they are more motivated to engage in similar online behaviors to fit in socially,” Clayton said.

The study showed that individuals who use marijuana have less of an emotional connectedness to Facebook. Miller said those who use marijuana are not likely to post about it on Facebook because it shows illegal behavior.

“Marijuana use is less normative, meaning fewer people post on Facebook about using it,” Clayton said. “In turn, people who engage in marijuana use are less likely to be emotionally attached to Facebook.”

4 | Tuesday April 23, 2013 | The University Star

TRENDS

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Honors College hosts ‘intercultural awareness’ event

Carlos Valdez, Assistant Photo Editor

Krishna Keerthi Immani, secretary of the Indian Student Association, applies henna to a student’s hand April 19 at the workshop.

By Zach Mayer Trends Reporter The Honors College hosted a workshop that taught the art of Indian body painting Friday afternoon as part of the Common Experience series.

The president and secretary of the Indian Student Association came to present the body art form, henna, to students.

The purpose of the common experience event was to educate and immerse students in different cultures.

“The goal is to have intercultural awareness, and as much as we would like Texas State students, staff and faculty to learn about our culture, we want to learn about their culture,” said Kanika Verma, Indian Student Association president and ge-

ography Ph.D. student. “To prepare students to become a global citizen, you need them to learn other cultures, and you need to have an open mind.”

Henna is a temporary tattoo traditionally for Indian women, especially brides. Krishna Immani, the Indian Student Association secretary and computer science graduate student, gave a presentation about the body art in the Honors College lounge.

Immani said henna is made from lawsonia inermis plant leaves, which are dried, ground into a fine powder, applied with liquid such as tea or coffee and organic oil. This forms a paste, which is applied to skin of the hands, arms and other parts of the body. The henna dries after 10 minutes and is wiped off, leaving a reddish bronze tattoo on the skin.

Immani said henna is used as a medicine capable of treating fevers, acting as an antibiotic and a headache cure. It is one of the oldest body arts in the world, used for 7,000 years in India, Pakistan and parts of the Middle East.

In the workshop, students were able to have a hands-on

experience with henna after a short presentation by Immani.

The association provided preprepared henna in small plastic cones, which the paste could be pushed out of in small amounts to create patterns and designs on hands and wrists.

“I love henna,” said Andrea Johnson, communication design sophomore. “I buy it online and apply it to myself and my friends all the time.”

Ryan Runcie, student curator for the Common Experience gallery and communication design junior, enjoyed the handson educational cultural experience of the workshop.

“The main thing we’ve learned is how globally connected we are,” he said. “Getting to do tattoos that aren’t custom to American traditions—it’s an interesting way to expand my art experiences.”

Immani has been doing henna art for 10 years. For the last three years, she has developed her henna drawing skills to a professional level.

“I feel so good doing it,” Immani said. “It looks so beautiful and adds beauty to your hand.”

The association has other

events annually in the fall and spring semesters. In the fall, they celebrate Diwali, a festival hosted in Alkek that usually has 500 people in attendance. In the spring, they celebrate Holi with food, fellowship and the throwing of multicolored powders at each other to celebrate lights and color.

Henna dries on the skin and leaves a brown residue to make body art when removed.

Texas State graduates work with children at Austin Bat Cave

By Fiona Riley Trends Reporter Two Texas State alumnae have made it their job to help improve children’s writing skills, whether that means going to juvenile detention centers, classrooms or halfway houses.

A year ago, alumnae Katie Angermeier and Sarah Morrison began working for Austin Bat Cave—Angermeier as volunteer coordinator and Morrison as program director. The program focuses on helping children from ages 6 to 18 better their writing skills, teaching them to write college entrance essays as well as focusing on expository and creative forms of writing.

Austin Bat Cave was founded in 2007, a year before Angermeier and Morrison initially volunteered in 2008.

Austin Bat Cave depends on volunteers and has anywhere between 40 and 150 volunteers working for them at any given time.

The program teaches writing, but volunteers do not have to have a degree in English to help. Austin Bat Cave will allow anyone to volunteer. They will then find what the volunteer’s strengths are and assign them a role accordingly.

One of the volunteers for Austin Bat Cave was Texas State alumnus and comedian Jared Walls. Walls taught a stand-up comedy-writing workshop last summer.

“One girl was very hesitant, because she obviously didn’t feel that she was a funny person,” Morrison said. “Actually, she was hilarious, and it was great working with her as she wrote jokes and felt more comfortable delivering them.”

Although Angermeier and Morrison do not always work with the students directly, they can see the students’ improvement when they do.

“I think that in every workshop, you can pick out several kids who are really getting something out of the workshop,” Morrison said. “You can see a light bulb going off in the kids’ heads in terms of

them realizing that they can express themselves through writing.”

Morrison believes that the Austin Bat Cave can help students beyond the technicality of learning to write well.

“I think our workshops do a really good job of showing students that their voices matter, and their stories are interesting,” Morrison said. “It’s very common to witness students being really thrilled at how important their stories are.”

Austin Bat Cave is currently between locations, so instead of having writing tutorials in their own building, they go to other locations such as schools, halfway houses and juvenile detention centers.

For the past two years, Home Slice Pizza has hosted a carnival that benefits Austin Bat Cave. Austin Bat Cave sells whatever merchandise they have in stock at the carnival, which

sometimes includes anthologies of the work students have done.

“One of our volunteers at the carnival came up to me afterward, while we were selling our anthologies, and said ‘I’m in this,’” Angermeier said. “So she had been a student that had published work with us, and now she was volunteering with us while she was in college.”

The anthology is called Young Love and is written by various students at Austin Bat Cave.

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The University Star | Tuesday April 23, 2013 | 5

SPORTS

Check out more at UniversityStar.com

BASEBALL

Bobcats still third in WAC despite 2 weekend losses

By Jordan Brewer Assistant Sports Editor Texas State was able to earn its first West Coast victory of the season while visiting San Jose State University, but ultimately lost the series two games to one.

The series loss gives the Bobcats a 17– 22 record overall and a 9–6 record in WAC play. They still sit third in the conference with a one game lead on three teams tied at 8–7 (California State University-Sacramento, New Mexico State University and Dallas Baptist University). They are still behind the University of Texas-Arlington by one game and California State University-Bakersfield by two.

“I don’t think we played bad,” said Coach Ty Harrington. “On Saturday, we were really good in the second half of the game, and we put ourselves in position to win. (There) were a couple of things that were unfortunate for us late in the game.

(Sunday) I feel like we came out and played at a high level.”

The Bobcats were on the offensive in two of the series’ games including their Sunday victory, earning 11 runs on 19 hits and winning 11–5 in the process. They put up 12 hits in their loss on Saturday but were unable to produce enough runs in a 5–4 defeat.

Junior Kyle Finnegan started in Sunday’s 11–5 win, pitching three innings. He surrendered four earned runs on six hits.

Senior Mitchell Pitts relieved Finnegan and received the bulk of the innings while earning his second straight win. Pitts went four innings, giving up one hit and no runs. He struck out three and walked one batter.

“If the (starting) pitcher can get through four or five innings, we should win every game when we have a lead,” said senior Andrew Stumph. “Whenever Mitchell (Pitts) steps on the mound, you know you have to put up just a little amount of runs,

and he’s going to carry the team on his back like he has since I’ve been here.”

Eight Bobcat batters recorded two or more hits on Sunday including right fielder Cody Lovejoy who was responsible for three of the 19 hits for Texas State. He knocked in two while scoring once. Senior left fielder Kevin Sah and third baseman Nick Smelser were others who recorded three hits. Smelser had two RBI and Sah crossed home plate four times.

Austin O’Neal was 2–5 on Sunday with three RBI and two runs scored. He was 1–3 on Friday with a run and an RBI after a solo home run, his third of the season.

Sophomore Taylor Black started the series opener on Friday, dropping his fifth decision of the season. Black was roughed up in four and two thirds innings after giving up eight earned runs on nine hits. Freshman Lucas Humpal gave up three runs, none earned, in an inning and a third.

Sah finished the weekend with six hits in 12 at-bats with six runs scored and two RBI. Lovejoy was 8–13 with three runs and two RBI over the weekend.

In a switch-up, Harrington started freshman Jeremy Hallonquist on Saturday. Hallonquist pitched three innings, giving up one earned run on six hits.

The Bobcats’ defense was responsible for the other three runs during his time on the mound. Junior Scott Grist, who has been a weekend starter the entire season, pitched three and a third innings in relief, giving up no runs on two hits.

“I think the starting-pitching has to get better,” Harrington said. “I don’t think too many of our starters went very deep of the three games this weekend.

They have all thrown well before and are capable of throwing well again.”

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hits from all parts of the lineup. However, their leading hitter Matt Carroll was controlled by Texas State, going 3–14 in the series. One of the differences in the weekend was five Bobcat errors to the Spartans’ one.

“We know if the pitchers go out and shut down with the defense, it’s a huge re-

lief off of (the offense’s) shoulders knowing you don’t have to score,” Lovejoy said.

“That’s when you are at your best, (when) you are relaxed and just playing.”

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6 | Tuesday April 23, 2013 | The University Star | Sports

SOFTBALL

Bobcats take one from first in WAC, lose two in extra innings

By Odus Evbagharu Sports Reporter The Texas State softball team fell to 0–9 in extra-inning games over the weekend when they dropped two of three against first place New Mexico State University.

The team came into the series against the Aggies tied for third in the conference. The Bobcats (12–33) are now tied for fifth in the WAC with Louisiana Tech University, posting a 7–8 conference record.

“It just comes down to executing when we need to,” said senior first baseman Haley Lemons. “They executed when they needed to with runners in scoring position, and we just have to do a better job. We have to do a better job of getting hits and do something more than what we’re doing with runners in scoring position.”

Texas State lost the first matchup to New Mexico State on Friday in nine innings, 1–0.

The ball club lost the next day to the Aggies in eight innings, 3–2. The Bobcats are now 4–10 in contests decided by one run this season.

“Anytime you are playing good teams you want the little things to go your way,” said junior outfielder Coralee Ramirez. “If they aren’t going your way, they will catch you in the end. Unfortunately for us, a couple of them did, and it seems like it has been happening this whole season. It’s going to be key in the conference tournament to make all the key plays and making sure that the little things matter, especially in the postseason.”

The team was able to take game two of the series 5–4. Texas State took a 4–0 lead to the fifth inning when New Mexico State’s sophomore outfielder Staci Rodriguez hit a grand slam to even the game. The home run was Rodriguez’s WAC-leading 17th of the

season. The next closest player in the conference has eight.

The Bobcats were able to rally back in the bottom of the sixth when freshman second baseman Kelli Baker hit an RBI single to drive senior catcher Macie Hair home. Junior pitcher Rayn House came in to relieve freshman pitcher Ashley Wright in the seventh to collect her third save of the season.

“For them to be the number one team in the conference, we have no doubt we can win,” Lemons said. “Obviously we can beat them, and we could have beaten them more than once. We have no reason not to be confident. We just need to keep battling to get in the WAC tournament, to get a good seed and eventually win the tournament.”

Texas State has six more conference games to go before the tournament. The team must finish in the top six of the WAC to qualify for the conference tournament.

The Bobcats will take on second place team San Jose State University (34–14) next. San Jose State holds a 12–3 record in the WAC. Those contests will be held at Bobcat Softball Stadium where the Bobcats are 5–17 for the 2013 campaign.

Texas State’s final conference series will be in Logan against Utah State University.

The Aggies are seventh in the WAC and have a 10–37 record and are 4–11 against conference competition this year. The Bobcats are 4–7 away from San Marcos this season.

“Our big focus is that we are going to compete,” said Coach Ricci Woodard. “This team is very capable of that. That’s the big thing we are trying to work on. We just need to get after it and compete in every ball game and with every pitch.”

Twitter: odus_Outputs

Carlos Valdez, Assistant Photo Editor

Senior second baseman Anna Hernandez attempts a double play April 19 at the Bobcat Softball Stadium.

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Apply this Fall to become part of the 2014 team. For the latest news and announcements, join Ad Club, Texas State’s student chapter of the American Advertising Federation.

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