April 4 2013

Page 1

VOLUME 102, ISSUE 73

www.UniversityStar.com

Defending the First Amendment since 1911

THURSDAY GO NE ONLI NOW

APRIL 4, 2013

Top Girls The Department of Theatre and Dance presented Top Girls, a play about the lives of successful women in the 1980s. To watch an interview with David Weynand, the play’s director, go to UniversityStar.com.

Uncontested ticket wins election, bus fee increase passes By Taylor Tompkins Assistant News Editor

STORED

AWAY

Carlos Valdez, Assistant Photo Editor

The student-made Victory Star that was intended to sit on top of Jackson Hall is being stored in a warehouse temporarily because of safety concerns.

New victory star in storage, awaiting placement By Minerva Hernandez-Garcia News Reporter An array of miscellaneous items lay in a warehouse on Ranch Road 12 waiting to be used. Outdated computers sit clustered together on a shelf. Chairs stacked one on top of the other tower over supplies for Bobcat Build, and brooms, wheelbarrows and shovels await tasks to complete. In the middle of the inventory of unused objects, a star rests unassumingly.

Sitting disassembled in the warehouse, the star is stored with other university items that are currently unneeded or without homes. The star is propped against a metal shelf, broken down into two pieces. When put together, the pieces will form a star that spans almost 18 feet tip-to-tip. Administrators hope it will become the new Victory Star for Texas State, but until a building is chosen to place the star upon, it remains in storage. The “Lighting the Way” initiative has

been in progress for more than three years and was originally launched to replace the Victory Star above Jackson Hall with a new one. However, this will not be a possibility because of safety concerns. Don Compton, assistant director of Facilities Planning, Design and Construction, said a structural engineer was brought in to determine if the star could be put on Jackson Hall. The

READ STAR, PAGE 3

While the outcome of the Associated Student Government election was unsurprising to the crowd awaiting the results Wednesday evening, the news was still exciting to the newly elected student body president and vice president. “We did know we were going to win, but it is still exciting for it to finally be real,” said Eddie Perez, ASG vice president-elect. “We can finally say we are going to be the next people in office.” Vanessa Cortez, public relations junior, and Perez, her running mate, were voted into office with 904 and 910 votes respectively. Their ticket was uncontested. In total, 1,117 students voted in the elections, which is 3.3 percent of the student population. The bus fee referendum passed with 538 of 799 votes, or 2.3 percent of the student population. The $17 increase will go into effect for the fall 2014 semester. All 39 senators at large who received votes were elected, as well as the four senators representing colleges. Only one of the six college representatives who received votes was not elected. Cortez said there was a “whirlwind of emotions” when her name was called, even though their ticket was uncontested. She said the flood of emotion came from remembering standing in the same spot in Lilly’s Lounge at the LBJ Student Center her freshman year when she ran for an ASG senator position. “Our ticket lost (my freshman year), but it was still amazing being a part of that and being a part of the campaign,” Cortez said. “Now being here myself running in this position just means so much to me. I have been waiting for this.” A sea of Cortez-Perez t-shirts awaited the results, with some senators celebrating their wins with highfives or jumping as their names were called. Both Perez and Cortez said the hardest part of their campaign was running without opposition. However, Perez said it didn’t stop them from letting students know who they are or spreading awareness about their platform. “It is hard to go out there every day and still push your message, but we had a great team that was willing to go out there every day and work hard to let the students know what we are all about and what we are doing for them,” Cortez said. The Cortez-Perez campaign ran on a platform aiming to emphasize student involvement and pride, as well as campus sustainability and energy conservation. Cortez said she and Perez have begun setting up meetings with administrators to discuss initiatives and are “more than excited” to begin work on things they want done, such as improving the tailgating experience. Current ASG president Nathan McDaniel said he is excited to see what the next administration and group of senators can accomplish next year. “We were really excited because (Cortez and Perez) are passionate student leaders who really care about this school,”

READ ASG, PAGE 3

Bobcats aiding City officials prepare for Loop 82 university police in overpass construction, traffic risk assessment By Natalie Berko News Reporter

By Nicole Barrios News Reporter Criminal justice students are teaming up with the University Police Department to create a threat assessment manual that will be used to determine the risk of buildings around campus and how to handle them. An intelligence analysis graduate class taught by Wayman Mullins, criminal justice professor, is currently working on gathering data about threats, vulnerability and risks in campus buildings and recording them for the manual. The manual will be distributed to first responders in the surrounding area so they may benefit from the information about the campus’ risks when responding to an emergency. The bomb threat in fall 2012 prompted discussion of creating a threat assessment manual. Alex Villalobos, University Police Department sergeant, came up with the idea for the project, which began this semester. He brought it to Mullins because it corresponded with the curriculum of his intelligence analysis course. Villalobos said the public thinks threat assessment means analyzing terroristic activity. However, threats can be created by research the university is doing. Some research can be sensitive and the use of chemicals must be secure, he said. “The idea for this type of threat assessment is to bring together more of the business side to the side of governance

READ POLICE, PAGE 3

Officials hope the Loop 82 overpass will alleviate traffic caused by trains, but in the meantime the city

is gearing up for its construction by holding public meetings. Rey Garcia, senior engineer for capital improvements, said the window for construction is “a moving target” from September 2013 until

Shea Wendlandt, Star Photographer

The city is preparing for upcoming construction of the Loop 82 overpass. The project will help relieve traffic caused by trains on Aquarena Springs Drive.

May 2014. Actual bridge construction will not begin until early to mid 2014. Proposals for the construction of the overpass were presented to residents and drivers during a public hearing March 21. Christopher Bishop, Texas Department of Transportation public information officer for the Austin district, said the hearing held by TxDOT and the City of San Marcos was designed to gather feedback from residents. Exhibits were on display for attendees to examine, and residents could ask questions to project staff members before presentations on proposed improvements began. Presentations were followed by a brief recess and comment period. According to the plans, the project aims to increase mobility and safety by providing an alternative means of travel along Loop 82 without interruptions from daily train crossings. “(The current crossing) is at a bit of an angle and the car rocks and shakes and whatnot,” Bishop said. “This will take care of that because most of the traffic will be going above the tracks

READ LOOP 82, PAGE 3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.