April 9 2013

VOLUME 102, ISSUE 74

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APRIL 9, 2013

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Hit the Floor Running Texas State’s Human Environmental Animal Team sponsored Hit the Floor Running, a benefit run at which participants ran in their underwear to raise money for a secondary school in Malawi, Africa. To learn more about H.E.A.T., go to UniversityStar.com.

Department deals with limited space Councilwoman will

By Nicole Barrios News Reporter Sergio Espinoza and his research team work with composite materials in a cramped room with in the Roy F. Mitte building. The resin the team works with produces such strong odors when heated that people come to check on them even when their vents are on full blast.

Espinoza, manufacturing engineering senior, said the team is working with the resin to find a replacement for heavy metals to im-

prove future technology.

Jitendra Tate, research adviser and associate professor at the Ingram School of Engineering, said the composite lab does not have space to move around or enough room for all the equipment.

Texas State has requested a tuition revenue bond from the legislature to construct a new science and engineering building, but in the meantime engineering students and faculty are experiencing space limitations with the Roy F. Mitte building. Harold Stern, director of

the Ingram School of Engineering, said the space limitations have affected engineering and the other departments in the building as well.

“The restrictions on space are really impacting all four of our departments,” Stern said. “I think everybody is dealing with it as well as they possibly can and working very well together.”

Stern said the building houses the engineering, engineering technology and physics department, as

split into two groups consisting of runners and walkers who took the same route but at a different pace.

Lead by H.E.A.T. members, they began to streak across campus.

Darting through students in The Quad and past the J.C. Kellam administration building, runners made their way to Sewell Park, where they were greeted by DJ BJ, DJ Regy Bluntz, DJ Erotikate and DJ K-Smooth from Hip-Hop Congress.

Lisa Torres, theatre sophomore and H.E.A.T. member, showed her support for the event by wearing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle underwear over black spandex.

“I think it’s just an awesome cause, donating clothes to people

READ H.E.A.T., PAGE 2

READ COUNCILWOMAN, PAGE 2

READ ENGINEERING, PAGE 2

Kristen Lefebvre, Staff Photographer

H.E.A.T. hosts underwear run Students stood together in front of Harris Dining Hall Friday, took off their clothes and proceeded to run through campus.

Hit the Floor Running was the name of a “littlewear benefit run” hosted by the Human Environmental Animal Team. Participants made the trek across campus from the dining hall to Sewell Park in outfits that left little to the imagination. The runners paid a $15 entrance fee that will go toward installing a tile floor in the Khwawa Secondary School in Malawi, Africa. The shed clothing was donated at the starting line to benefit two orphanages, one in Haiti and the other in San

Marcos. According to the Texas State H.E.A.T. Facebook page, one of the organization’s focuses is humanitarian work, much like Friday’s run.

“I think students are always open to the idea of shedding some clothing,” said Daniel Domenech, mass communication sophomore and president of Texas State H.E.A.T. “The fact that they’re helping two really great causes is just a bonus.”

About half of the runners consisted of H.E.A.T. members wearing the organization’s gray and green shirts, while the other half traded their white participant Tshirts for brightly colored spandex, sports bras and underwear over shorts.

The mob of about 50 students

By Paige Lambert News Reporter Although city council seats aren’t up for grabs until November, San Marcos’ only female councilmember has already announced she will not run for another term.

Councilwoman Kim Porterfield, Place 1, announced March 31 she will not campaign for re-election. Porterfield has served Star File Photo two terms on city council, during which she served as mayor pro tempore and deputy mayor pro tempore. Porterfield said she has chosen to focus on her career as director for community relations for Texas State and her family.

“My younger daughter was 10 when I started and now she’s 16, so I’m really sensitive to that,” Porterfield said. “I have a new boss, and we have been discussing some really exciting plans for my department (at Texas State). I’m really excited to implement some greater programming that will benefit the San Marcos community and students.”

Porterfield helped develop the city’s Comprehensive Master Plan, worked on the regional water authority plans and was part of the process of the Wonder World Drive extension. She also held a seat on the United Way for Hays County board and the Lone Star Rail District during her tenure.

Even though the next city council election is seven months away, Porterfield said she wanted to make the announcement because she already decided she will not run. Porterfield said her fellow councilmembers have supported her decision and offered to help with her current projects.

“Council takes a lot of energy and investment at the sacrifice of family and personal time,” said Mayor Daniel Guerrero. “We are sad to see her go, but she will be in the community and university.”

Porterfield said she will continue to be involved with community and city programs while focusing on her career, like the San Marcos Youth Master Plan, which she began developing while on the council.

Porterfield said she got the idea for the Youth Master Plan while attending a National League of Cities convention, where similar plans from around the country were presented. The city allocated $50,000 to the program in August 2012, said Stephanie Reyes, director of human resources for the city. The plan aims to help youth be workforce ready, healthy, active and safe to produce citizens active in the community.

The plan will be complete in June, Reyes said. Once the city and San Marcos school board have adopted the plan, the steering committee will create an implementation team.

“I have asked the mayor if I can be considered to serve on that taskforce,” Porterfield said. “I’m on the steering committee now. I’m hopeful I can stay involved to help see this plan through.”

Reyes said the Youth Master Plan will provide children with the opportunity to get involved with the community and create a sense of synergy to begin between the city, youth and the university.

“I really think that education and strengthening families is the key to prosperity in our city, and I want to stay involved in that,” Porterfield said. “I just won’t be at City Hall every other Tuesday night.”

Porterfield has also been involved with the Lone Star Rail District during her tenure. The Lone Star Rail District is a group focused on moving freight lines east and

Students dash through The Quad for Hit the Floor Running, a benefit hosted by H.E.A.T., to raise money for a school in Malawi, Africa and clothing for orphanages in Haiti and San Marcos.

By Minerva Hernandez-Garcia News Reporter

not seek reelection

Student fee helps campus go green, become more eco-friendly

By Nicole Barrios News Reporter A student-service fee is funding several environmentally conscious projects around campus that aim to make the university more green and sustainable.

The mandatory Environmental Service Fee funds many new green initiatives across campus that are executed by the Environmental Service Committee. Nancy Nusbaum, assistant vice president of Finance and Support Services, said each student pays $1 per semester for the fee, which amounts to $73,000 annually. This year 13 projects were approved for funding from the Environmental Service Committee, including Bobcat Blend and the Spring River Clean Up. Nusbaum said there is a reserve of money because the funding does not get fully expended each year. She said $45,000 is left over this year.

Bill Nance, vice president for Finance and Support Services, said organizations propose projects to the committee. The committee Shea Wendlandt, Staff Photographer then votes on proposals and allocates the Armando Perez, agricultural business senior, empties recycling bins near Chick-Fil-A in the LBJ Student funding if they are approved, Nance said.

Nusbaum said the fee is currently fundCenter. Bobcat Blend is one of 13 projects that will receive funding from the Environmental Service Fee ing an Outdoor Classroom/Living Library because of green initiatives.

project being constructed by the agriculture building. The project costs less than $20,000, she said.

Students from the Environmental Conservation Organization asked for approximately $6,400 to install dual-flush toilet handles in the JCK Building to save water, Nusbaum said.

A.J. Perez is the Environmental Service Committee chair and an agricultural business senior. Perez said the Dual Flush project will save the university almost three gallons of water per flush.

Perez, Bobcat Blend president, said the committee recently funded 3-D signage to go next to his organization’s compost bins, which cost $1,200 approximately. He said Bobcat Blend composts all the food waste in the dining halls and recycles organic refuse.

The three-compartment recycling bins in dining halls were additionally funded by the committee, Perez said.

“We’re trying to reach out to the students and educate them about sorting their waste, their recyclables, their compostables and stuff that needs to go to the landfill because

READ ECO-FRIENDLY, PAGE 2

The University Star | Tuesday April 9, 2013 | 2

NEWS/PAGE 2

ENGINEERING

Check out more at UniversityStar.com

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

well as the material science, engineering and commercialization Ph.D. program.

Rooms in the Roy F. Mitte building are so close together that neighboring rooms encounter smell and noise issues.

Espinoza said he could hear researchers in labs next door using loud milling machines to grind metals, which can be disturbing while he is in class.

Stern said engineering is “machine intensive” and requires much additional space in labs to house large equipment.

Stern said Tate has had to store equipment in the composite lab in a “rather inefficient way” in order to fit all the equipment in the room.

Tate said the research team he is working with is dealing with the space limitations by splitting up work between the composite lab and other labs. He said the team might have to hire more people to work in different locations.

Tate hopes the new building is well planned with appropriate ventilation, equipment and organization. He said labs should be planned with specific purposes such as only research or teaching so that faculty can organize properly.

The Ingram School of Engineering can house up to 675 students with the facilities it has, according to Stern. There are 580 students in the school, and its enrollment will be capped at anywhere from 615 to 700 students in the fall of 2015, he said.

“As we grow, basically it’s getting squeezed from everywhere,” Stern said.

Stern said there would also be a limit on the number of new programs the school could introduce.

Civil engineering, a program included in the school’s five-year strategic plan, cannot be introduced without new facilities, Stern said. The civil engineering program would most likely be housed in the Roy F. Mitte building, and the programs currently located there would move to the new building Texas State has requested from the legislature. He said without the new building there would not be that flexibility.

Stern said the school also hopes to begin a master’s program in engineering in fall 2014. He said it will be hard to hold that program in the current building, especially as it grows.

Madelynne Scales, Staff Photograher

The Ingram School of Engineering is looking to implement an enrollment cap for the fall 2015 semester due to overcrowding.

It’s delicious!

Five faculty members honored as best in Texas

By Katharina Guttenberg News Reporter Five faculty members have been ranked as some of the top ones in the state of Texas.

Jesús Francisco de la Teja, professor of Southwestern studies, and Yasmine Beale-Rosano-Rivaya, assistant professor of Spanish, were ranked as two of the Top 14 Hispanic Professors in Texas.

Jiyun “Yuni” Kang, assistant professor in the School of Family and Consumer Sciences, and English professors Debra Monroe and Susan Beebe, were chosen as three of the Top 25 Women Professors in Texas.

The lists were compiled by StateStats.org and onlineschooltexas.com.

Beale has a Ph.D. in Hispanic languages and literatures, a master’s degree in Spanish and a bachelor’s in Spanish and linguistics.

Beale attended the University of California-Los Angeles and later taught at her alma mater as well as Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles.

Beale has been at Texas State for six years. Beale thinks she was ranked on the list because she is dedicated to inspiring and teaching what is relevant to the community. Beale said she has watched her students improve throughout the course of her classes.

Helping students what skills and abilities they can use to take advantage of opportunities is one of Beale’s favorite parts of the job, she said.

“Going on that journey with (students) is my favorite part,” Beale said.

De la Teja received his bachelor’s

and master’s degrees from Seton Hall University in New Jersey and doctorate in history from the University of Texas. This is his 22nd year of teaching at Texas State. He became the director of the Center for the Study of the Southwest and Regions last semester.

De la Teja said he spends a lot of time writing letters of recommendation and helping students with theses. He said any one of the educational activities he does could be the reason he is on the list.

“I was surprised because it’s not something that I applied for or that I really knew about so it was a very pleasant surprise,” De la Teja said.

“That’s the beauty of it in a way that whoever nominated me and in whatever circumstances, they did it because my work was worthwhile rather than because they knew me.”

Kang believes she was ranked as one of the top 25 women professors in Texas because she received a teaching award from the Texas State Alumni Association, which she said is very competitive.

Kang graduated from Louisiana State University with a doctorate in human ecology and has been at Texas State for three years.

The other women ranked with Kang, Beebe and Monroe, teach English courses at Texas State.

Beebe received her master’s in English literature from the University of Miami and her bachelor’s in communication and English from the University of Central Missouri.

Monroe earned her doctorate in creative writing from the University of Utah and her master’s in composition and rhetoric from Kansas State University.

COUNCILWOMAN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 bringing passenger rail to the AustinSan Antonio corridor. The group is trying to get Union Pacific to move its lines further east and out of San Marcos, Porterfield said.

“I believe this could be a true game changer. Just think—students could

H.E.A.T.

hop on the commuter rail in Austin or San Antonio,” Porterfield said.

“Plus it would be great for our convention center and people here who want to work in Austin or San Antonio.”

Porterfield said she isn’t closing

the doors on future runs or activities with the city—but wants to put her energy into projects and see them fulfilled.

“I’ve been able to balance it all, but I think it’s time to make a change,” Porterfield said.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

who don’t have any,” Torres said.

Sarah Heintze, theatre senior, participated with Torres because she “thought it was an awesome cause.” Heintze said she was all for bearing all for those in need.

Some participants made a celebratory splash by jumping into the

San Marcos River when they finished the race. Participants cheered on the last group of those who chose to walk as they approached the finish line.

Travis Sanders, marketing freshman, said he completed the run because of the opportunity to help

people locally through donating clothes to people in need in San Marcos. Sanders said it also allowed him to help people in Haiti, as well as help progress the education of students in Malawi, Africa.

“It was a fantastic event,” Sanders said. “I can’t wait to do it next

ECO-FRIENDLY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ON THIS

DAY IN HISTORY

1939 - Black singer Marian Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., after she was denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution because of her race.

1940 - Germany invaded Denmark and Norway during World War II. 1942 - American and Philippine defenders on Bataan capitulated to Japanese forces during World War II. 1959 - NASA announced the selection of America’s first seven astronauts: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and Donald Slayton.

1969 - The album “Nashville Skyline” by Bob Dylan was released.

1992 - Former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega was convicted in Miami of eight drug and racketeering charges.

2001 - American Airlines’ parent company acquired bankrupt Trans World Airlines.

2003 - Iraqis celebrated the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime, beheading a toppled statue of their longtime ruler in downtown Baghdad.

2005 - Britain’s Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles, who took the title Duchess of Cornwall.

--Courtesy of the New York Times

you can’t recover them,” Perez said.

Tessa Rager, committee member and agricultural business senior, said the Water Hydration Stations on campus fountains were funded for $22,000 by the committee.

Perez said another project the committee is funding will purchase propeller guards for the glass-bottom boats in Aquarena Springs. His reasoning was the propellers are damaging the turtles living there. He said $2,700 is the expected cost for this project. “(Students) just have to understand that the money is there for them to use

it,” Perez said. “They just have to ask for it.”

Perez said the committee wishes to increase the Environmental Service Fee in the in order to fund more research-based projects.

Nusbaum said three faculty members are on the Environmental Service Committee and represent the geography, agriculture and biology departments. She said two university staff members represent Housing and Residential Life and Facilities, along with the recycling center. They are the five voting members, and two nonvoting

student members round out the committee. Nusbaum said she is a nonvoting member.

Nusbaum said in 2000 the Texas State student chapter of the National Association of Environmental Professionals created the Environmental Service Fee. Nusbaum said a bill enacting the student fee was approved Sept. 1, 2003 by the Texas Legislature. The fee did not go into effect at Texas State until fall 2004, Nusbaum said.

“We were the first university to have a green fee in the state,” Nusbaum said.

library beat Databases of public domain images available to students Oftentimes, we want to add photographs or other images to our articles, papers and presentations to either illustrate a point or make them more interesting. A problem occurs when we simply pull images off the Internet and use them. Most images found on the Internet are subject to copyright protection, and using them without permission may be a copyright infringement.

Why not easily avoid the problem altogether by using photographs and images from the public domain or ones that are free to use?

The “public domain” refers to the vast amount of material—including images, photographs, maps, text and songs—that is free to use by anyone because it is no longer subject to copyright protection. Public domain material was generally created before 1923 or was not renewed for protection between 1923 and 1964.

This means that literally millions

of images and photographs are in the public domain. Another large source of material in the public domain is images or photographs created by the U.S. Government.

Almost all material created by the U.S. Government is free to use for any purpose—educational or commercial.

Another source of photographs and images are those licensed

by Creative Commons. These are photographs that have been donated for use by the public at large so long as they are not used for commercial purposes. One can search for Creative Commons photographs on such sites as Flickr by doing an advanced search.

Try Googling these sites to locate images for your projects – Wikipedia public domain image resources, the Public Domain Review, New York Public Library Digital Gallery, American Library Association Digital Images

Collections Guide, U.S. Government Photos and Images. Also, check out the library’s various image databases by going to the Research Databases page and selecting “Images” from the dropdown menu under “More types of databases.” For even more image resources and helpful information see the Finding Images Guide—choose the Research and Course Guides tab from the library homepage and type in “finding images.

Remember that it is also nice to include the title and other information to identify the image and where you got it. This helps promote the sites that offer access to public domain and Creative Commons images.

—Courtesy of Brad Nichols, Copyright Officer, and Tara Spies Smith, Art Librarian

3 |

Tuesday April 9, 2013 | The University Star

OPINIONS

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

Grace Perkins, Star Illustrator

New administration obligated to improve communication

T

he newly elected Associated Student Government president and vice president are in the perfect positions to help implement and carry out rational initiatives for the betterment of students, faculty and staff members.

Texas State is in a precarious position. The university is amid a race to tier one status, which could be the key to improving Texas State’s image and shedding its

reputation as a regional, commuter school. However, with each stride the university makes toward the finish line, poor decisions and planning hold back Texas State on its dash to prestige.

It is most disappointing that current students have consistently been left in the dust during this transitional period. The administration’s sights often seem to be set on improving the university for future Bobcats, and they often make decisions that negatively affect current students in the meantime.

The editorial board hopes the

new ASG executives can lobby on behalf of students to the administration during this period.

Congratulations are in order for Vanessa Cortez, public relations junior, and Eddie Perez, public relations senior, who were elected ASG president and vice president respectively April 3. Though their ticket ran uncontested, it is admirable that Cortez and Perez campaigned in The Quad before the elections to inform the student body about their platforms and goals.

However, caring about students

and actually serving them are not the same. Cortez and Perez need to execute initiatives that are both feasible and helpful, and then follow through when resolutions and bills are in the administration’s hands. The editorial board hopes this will happen with some of the goals on the Cortez-Perez platform that seem particularly helpful and reasonable.

Making college more affordable is one of the main goals of the Cortez-Perez administration.

Some affordability goals the duo has is creating discount days at the

university bookstore and establishing a line of financial aid credit to be used for textbook purchases.

They also plan to create more scholarship opportunities through corporate sponsorships. Bringing back a university safe-ride, taxi-type service for students is also a good idea that has been successful at other universities.

The editorial board urges Cortez and Perez to begin exploring the feasibility of those plans early and develop plans to carry them out.

The statuses of those initiatives then need to be reviewed once they reach the administration if Cortez and Perez both truly believe they are important.

In addition to diving headfirst into accomplishing their more attainable goals, Cortez and Perez need to re-evaluate some of the weaker points of their platforms.

For instance, in an interview with The University Star, Cortez said pushing for a “culture shift” at the university would be the highest priority for her administration. The Cortez-Perez platform advocates giving “tickets” to those seen wearing non-Texas State clothing, which can be redeemed for university memorabilia. While making students proud to be at Texas State is important, it should not be one of ASG’s priorities. If the Cortez-Perez administration wants students to have school pride, they need to start by attempting to fix the problems between the student body and the administration—not by giving them free T-shirts.

Recently, many top administrators have done a poor job gathering input about new proposed policies, especially when it comes to transportation issues. ASG has representatives who sit on several important committees across campus. These representatives need to make a greater effort to speak up on behalf of students when important decisions are made. Cortez and Perez need to make sure this is accomplished.

While much is expected from the Cortez-Perez administration, they need to come out of the starting blocks strong once they take office if they truly have students’ best interest in mind.

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

Students should be wary of joining honor societies

By Savannah Wingo Assistant Opinions Editor

A

lthough honor societies can offer significant ways to boost campus involvement, students should make sure these organizations are a good fit for their schedules and pocketbooks before joining and paying dues.

Some students may find their BobcatMail inboxes stuffed to the brim with invitations for various honor societies. These emails usually advertise numer-

ous networking, community service and scholarship opportunities for interested students—at a price. Honor societies may be genuinely rewarding for those who seek to become deeply involved. However, these organizations are relatively useless for students who simply join, do not get involved and then list the group on their resumes each year. Employers may be more impressed with students who have experience through leadership positions or community service hours within an honor society than those who simply list membership only.

Students should avoid shelling out significant funds to join multiple honor societies, and these organizations should not solely determine, prove or validate academic worth. Achieve-

ments should stand out nonetheless, and students should only plan to join an honor society if they feel their college careers can legitimately benefit.

Even then, it is unreasonable for students to join every group that shoots them an email.

According to the Student Organizations Council website, Texas State has a total of 24 honor organizations. It is impossible for students to be actively involved in each of these societies. Students should devote time and energy to one group or choose to abstain from membership completely.

Many students can likely find the benefits advertised by honor societies in other campus organizations. For example, there are various scholarships available at no extra fees, and

a large percentage of students are unaware of these opportunities. Furthermore, San Marcos is full of community service opportunities. Students could easily volunteer to help out local organizations and philanthropies without paying any fees at all. The university also hosts several networking and social events each year, again requiring no additional fees.

Various involvement opportunities are available to students at no additional costs, and many look just as impressive as accomplishments made within an honor society.

The fact many honor societies require membership fees is disconcerting on multiple levels. These fees seem to promote classism, and do not often purchase students anything they

could not receive otherwise.

High membership fees are often barriers to entry for less welloff students, preventing those with less money on hand from joining in the first place.

When browsing email invitations, students should consider whether their money would go far enough through honor society membership. While honor societies may offer valuable experiences for many, students should not waste their money buying membership into a group if they do not plan to actively participate and reap the benefits.

-Savannah Wingo is a mass communication sophomore.

City must create safer bike lanes, side walks

By Molly Block Opinions Columnist

T

he San Marcos roadways could be a lot safer if city officials made improvements to sidewalks and bicycle lanes, increased police presence and helped to create a better culture of transportation awareness.

It is no surprise many residents and students are dissatisfied with the horrendous conditions of some roads and bicycle lanes in the city. While it is true city officials have taken measures to improve some roadway features, major work still needs to be done in other areas. Many complain bicycle lanes are either too unsafe

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to use or nonexistent in certain parts around town, and these issues pose serious threats to pedestrians, bicycle riders and motorists.

A few incidents have occurred involving pedestrians and motorists in San Marcos within the past couple of weeks. A pedestrian was critically injured March 31 in a hitand-run case, a moped driver was struck by a vehicle March 27 and a man died March 19 after being struck by a train. If significant steps are not taken to improve roadways and bike lanes shortly, critical and fatal accidents will undoubtedly continue to occur.

According to a Feb. 14 Houston Chronicle article, a policy called the “Complete Streets” bill was recently filed in the Texas Senate. This policy would offer guidelines for roadway construction projects using state or federal funding to better cater to pedestrians, bikers and drivers, according to

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

BikeTexas. Under the bill, protected bike lanes called cycle tracks would be divided from automobile traffic by a physical barrier, thereby allowing cyclists greater safety.

Although Complete Streets is still in progress with the legislature, the city would benefit greatly from the passage of the bill. Building more sidewalks and bike lanes could considerably reduce traffic-related crashes and congestion.

More incidents are likely to occur as the San Marcos population continues to grow, so city and university police officials should increase street patrols to keep watch and help prevent accidents. According to an Oct. 9, 2012 University Star article, last semester was the first time in 15 years the University Police Department increased staff numbers. This news should be troubling for students considering there is about one police officer for every 1,037 students, according to the same

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article. Although UPD officials are proactively taking steps to ensure student protection, more work still needs to be done.

Some police officers need to be out on the roads directing traffic and mitigating congestion during busier hours of the day around campus. A more visible police presence on the roadways could help keep traffic running smoothly and lower the possibility of an accident occurring.

The addition of new road guidelines, projects and police officers will benefit the city, but residents and students should also be cautious on the roadways. Many car, pedestrian or cyclist accidents could be prevented if more people simply paid greater attention while traveling around San Marcos.

City officials could implement new campaigns advocating for greater bike lane awareness and advertise devastating impacts of distracted driving to help inform the community.

Texting or talking on the phone while driving is never a safe choice, yet residents and students unfortunately make these mistakes all the time. The city needs more careful drivers and residents and students who want to make a true difference in the community. Even small things like advocating for more bike lanes or contacting the city council to give funding for roadway renovation can help San Marcos in more ways than one.

If city officials wish to see fewer accidents, significant steps must be taken and improvements need to be made.

Residents and students must push city officials to add more bike lanes and sidewalks, make them safer, increase police presence around the town and help create more cautious drivers.

--Molly Block is a mass communication junior.

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 9, 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.

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

4 | Tuesday April 9, 2013 |

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5 | Tuesday April 9, 2013 | The University Star

TRENDS

Check out more at UniversityStar.com

George’s hosts ‘Masquerave’ student dance

By Randi Berkovsky Trends Reporter

Students dance to music April 4 at SACA’s Masquerave held at George’s.

Madelynne Scales, Staff Photograher

Under the dim lights of George’s in the LBJ Student Center and the illumination of neon glow sticks, Texas State students danced the night away to the steady thump of the DJ’s speakers.

The Student Association for Campus Activities held its Masquerave event Thursday for students to participate in free of charge.

With the week coming to a close, students got a taste of the weekend festivities to come from the multicolored balloons covering the floor, a bracelet making table, beads to wear and masks to hide their identities on the dance floor.

The masquerade-rave mashup was put on by SACA Assistant Coordinator Shallan Johnson as test to see if she could one day move up to a coordinator position.

“I had a lot of fun planning this event,” Johnson said. “I definitely have

a new appreciation for our coordinators now. I have high hopes.”

Students came from across campus to shed their old identities and take on new ones under the rave-like atmosphere that was once George’s.

For marketing freshman Sara Hildebrand, SACA is a fun organization that she used to be a part of. The organization gives her the opportunity to meet a lot of new people and helps her know what is happening on campus.

“I’ve never really been to a rave before,” Hildebrand said. “I thought it would be interesting to see what it is about. I like raves, so why not?”

For senior public relations major Stephania Ortega, the Masquerave was a way for her to relax and have a good time after a long week of classes. Ortega wore a mask, beads and glow sticks in order to get into the partying mood.

“I’ve been studying all week, so it was nice to come and de-stress,” Ortega said. “I needed to come and dance and be with my friends.”

New exhibit showcases student talent at art building

By Glen Tadych Trends Reporter The artistic works of Texas State students were celebrated Monday in University Gallery 2 at the 2013 All-Student Juried Exhibition, an annual competition exhibit for art and design students.

The opening ceremony kicked off in the Joann Cole Mitte Building at 5 p.m. with the opening of the exhibit and went on until 7 p.m.

Students, including the featured artists, their parents and friends were able to wander about the gallery and observe a selection of the collection of student pieces.

The gallery featured a series of diverse works, including oil and watercolor paintings, photography, sculptures and printed imagery.

“It’s a super-fun show because it’s all about the students,” said Mary Mikel Stump, art gallery director.

“It gives us an opportunity to look inward and celebrate our own (at Texas State).”

Stump said that while she looks

forward to this particular exhibition every year, preparing for it is a long and difficult process because of the high number of student pieces to sort through, as well as the time it takes for the pieces to be juried.

This year’s juror was Elizabeth Dunbar, executive director of Diverseworks Art Space in Houston.

Of the pieces currently on display, in both the gallery and online, Dunbar made her final selections for the exhibition from more than 300 entries.

The overall event concluded with a brief award ceremony at 5:45 p.m., held to honor a select number of students for excellence achieved in their work.

Among those awarded was Hector Guerra, communication design senior, for his piece, “Untitled,” a 48x48 inch acrylic painting on canvas resembling that of a censored letter.

“It feels great to be awarded because what most people know me for are very technical drawings, and this was a chance for me to do some-

thing simply conceptual,” Guerra said. “People actually thought it was a different artist and when they learned it was me, it came as kind of a shock to them.”

Guerra said that his painting served as a mock-up of a real-life letter he once wrote, for the purpose of conveying a message without words. “Untitled” was not so much a piece Guerra had prepared over a long period of time—but rather a spur of the moment occurrence. It took him only four hours to complete the entire painting.

The exhibition’s Best in Show award was given to Elizabeth Honaker, communication design junior, for her piece, “The Walls Around How We See.” Originally planned to be a projection of scanned Indian ink drawings, technical difficulties resulted in Honaker displaying a print version of her work. While she was happy with piece on display, Honaker felt that a projected image would bring her work to life in a way print could not.

“I’m really interested in work that shows progression,” Honaker said.

“For me, finding inspiration is sporadic and I always try to push the limit with what mediums I use.”

“The Walls Around How We

See” consists of 49 sketches of a single human figure, each image featuring a different pose on a 69x51 inch display. The piece took Honaker roughly 20 hours to complete.

Austin Humphreys, Photo Editor

Brenden Freedman, photography junior, attends the 2013 All-Student Juried Exhibition opening April 8 in Gallery 2 of the Joann Cole Mitte Building.

6 |

Tuesday April 9, 2013 | The University Star

SPORTS

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FOOTBALL

Maroon defeats Gold 28-14 in spring game

Junior running back Chris Nutall breaks Gold defense April 6 during the Maroon-Gold spring game at Bobcat Stadium. Maroon defeated Gold 28-14.

Austin Humphreys, Photo Editor

By Cameron Irvine Sports Editor Texas State held its third annual MaroonGold spring game on Saturday night, hoping to prove the Bobcats could clean up the mistakes that plagued them during a 4-8 season in 2012.

The result was mixed, but in the end Maroon prevailed over Gold 28-14 at Bobcat Stadium, led by redshirt freshman quarterback Jordan Moore’s 151 all-purpose yards.

Running back Chris Nutall chipped in

seven carries for 63 yards and a touchdown.

“I thought there were some nice teachable moments in that game,” said Coach Dennis Franchione. “There were a lot of things that were positive, and we are starting to look a little more like a football team.”

Moore fumbled on third-and-goal at the 1-yard line during Maroon’s first possession and threw an interception at the end of the first half. He bounced back with rushing and passing touchdowns in the second half and no turnovers. Overall, Texas State committed four turnovers and four penalties.

SOFTBALL

Texas State takes series against Louisiana Tech

By Odus Evbagharu Sports Reporter The Texas State softball team won its first home WAC series of the season over this past weekend, claiming the final two games of the matchup from Louisiana Tech University.

The ball club now posts an overall record of 9-28 and currently sits fifth in the conference standings with a 4-5 WAC record.

“I think we’re in a good spot right now,” sophomore third baseman Courtney Harris said. “We’re on the right track. We definitely have momentum up and our ultimate goal is to be in the right spot by the conference tournament.”

The Bobcats blew a 6-1 lead in the top of the sixth and fell 7-6 in game one but bounced back to take the series with 7-3 and 8-3 victories Friday and Saturday.

The team was led by senior second baseman Anna Hernandez over the weekend.

Hernandez hit .500, drove in three RBI and had a run in the Bobcats’ two wins.

Texas State has won four of its last six games, and over that time period, Hernandez has batted .333, added two runs and has five RBI. “I told Anna early on that if she goes, the team is going to go with her,” said Coach Ricci Woodard. “That’s what has kind of happened now in conference. That’s why we are starting to win some ball games. If Anna Hernandez swings the bat for us like she is capable of doing, then we got a good chance to be a good ball club down the road.”

The Bobcats’ pitching staff limited the Lady Techsters, the conference’s best hitting unit, striking out 11 batters and holding LA Tech to a .250 batting average. The Lady Techsters came into the weekend’s matchup

hitting .320.

Freshman pitcher Ashley Wright got both wins and pitched 11 combined innings over the weekend. Junior pitcher Rayn House recorded her first save of the season in the second win of the series. House pitched a combined nine innings, walked three batters and recorded seven of the 11 strikeouts the Bobcat pitchers accomplished.

“Our pitching staff is finally starting to get a little bit of experience underneath them,” Woodard said. “They are starting to be able to pitch and not be worried about the situation that is going on behind them.”

Louisiana Tech also led the conference in stolen bases (77) coming into this weekend’s matchup. The Lady Techsters stole two bases for the series and were caught twice while the Bobcats were 5-5 on stealing the base pads for the weekend.

“Our approach has been the same all season,” Hernandez said. “I’m not sure that we have necessarily changed it that much.

We like to practice how we play, and coach makes sure that if we aren’t doing that, she will get on us pretty hard. We are just going hard at it every day.”

Texas State will play Tuesday against No. 17 Baylor. The Bobcats lost to the Lady Bears in five innings earlier this season at home in the Texas Shootout, 10-2.

Baylor is led by redshirt junior pitcher Whitney Canion and freshman utility player Sarah Smith. Canion is 15-5 and has nine complete games to go along with 173 strikeouts for the 2013 campaign. Smith leads the team with a .414 batting average, has four home runs and is the only Lady Bears player to play over 30 games for the season with a perfect fielding percentage.

“That really typifies Jordan as a player right now,” Franchione said. “He’s capable of making big plays, and he made some tonight, but he also is not ready for prime time just yet. He’s got to clean up those mistakes.”

A key focus leading up to the spring game revolved around the defense getting off the field on third down. Last season, the Bobcats allowed opposing offenses to convert 46 percent on third down, 106th in the nation. Saturday, the defense made 11 of 18 stops (38.8 percent).

Transfer linebacker Michael Orakpo had five tackles for Maroon, while sophomore linebacker Stephen Smith led both defenses with six tackles.

“If you look at last year, we have to improve on third down,” Orakpo said. “We came out and did that tonight. Another thing that we

needed was our pass rush, getting to the quarterback. We improved on that this spring.

We’re still improving and we’re still going to get better.”

Maroon scored all of its 28 points in the second half after the offense turned the ball over twice in the first, including Moore’s fumble at the 1-yard line.

Moore’s pass to junior tight end Kris Petersen for 54 yards was the longest scoring play of the night.

Ben Ijah scored both of Gold’s touchdowns on passes thrown by senior Tyler Arndt, who was 12 for 18 in 151 yards, two TDs and no interceptions.

Texas State kicks off its 2013 season Aug. 31 against The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Sports

| The University Star |

Tuesday April 9, 2013

| 7

New coach ‘asking for effort’ from Bobcat basketball

Bobcat Bio: Danny Kaspar Has been a part of six losing seasons in his 31 years of coaching

A Corpus Christi, Texas native who has coached as an assistant and a head coach in Texas since beginning his coaching career as an assistant at Lamar University in 1980

Current season has the highest win percentage among all men’s college basketball teams at 84.4 percent

was ranked 325 out of 345, giving up 75.2 points. In 2010-11, SFA led the nation with 56.7 and was third in 2011-12 with 54.4.

“You just say, ‘This is the way we’re going to do it, guys, and if you want to play, do it,’” Kaspar said. “I’m just asking for effort to improve themselves defensively. Our winning the conference championship and going to the NCAA tournament is depending on that.”

In Kaspar’s last year with SFA, senior forward Taylor Smith was nominated to the First Team All-Southland Conference Team, senior guards Antonio Bostic and Hal Bateman receive All-Second Team honors and Desmond Haymon won Honorable Mention All-Conference.

For the first time in conference history, the Southland had three players from the same team nominated to the All-Defensive Team (Bateman, Bostic and Smith). Smith was also nominated Defensive Player of the Year.

Instilling a defense-first mentality will be vital for the Bobcats’ success next year, and Kaspar knows how to sell this mindset to young men.

“I told them, when we win, the honors come rushing in,” Kaspar said. “I’ve got to do a good job selling that, and we need some people who are receptive to change.

Where they may have to sacrifice a couple of points a game, but they’re going to get more attention as a result of winning.”

Kaspar knows a thing or two about winning. No college coach in the state of Texas has won more games than Kaspar during this six-year span.

“I have enthusiasm for being here,” Kaspar said. “And I believe that this school can help me achieve the goals that both the administration wants, and what I personally want. That’s Sunbelt championships and NCAA tournament trips.”

Along with family and friends nearby for support, Kaspar also acknowledges

Posted an overall record of 219-52 at Incarnate Word University in San Antonio and in 1999 was named National Small College Coach of the Year Photo couresty of Texas State Athletics

By Samuel Rubbelke Sports Reporter Recently hired basketball coach Danny Kaspar has a new home away from home.

Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Kaspar recognizes the potential of Texas State basketball and the advantages that a growing university provides.

“I’ve always seen Texas State as a university with great potential,” Kaspar said. “I think this is a wonderful place to live, Central Texas. I have many relatives up here.

It’s always been just outside my back yard.”

The 2012-13 Southland Conference Coach of the Year plans to place a higher emphasis on defensive basketball. This will be a drastic change from the run-and-gunstyle offense the Bobcats utilized last year.

This past season, Stephen F. Austin State University, Kaspar’s former team, led the nation in scoring defense, allowing 51.2 points per game. In contrast, Texas State

that proximity to Austin and San Antonio played a vital role in his decision to come to San Marcos. His previous home of Nacogdoches required at least a two and a half road trip to the nearest metropolitan city, Houston.

“Location is everything, as they say in real estate,” Kaspar said. “I think our location in San Marcos will help us with recruiting. Within an hour to an hour and a half, you’re in reach with about 4 million people between San Antonio and Austin. I can finish practice around 5-5:30 and still make some (high school) games. I couldn’t do that in Nacogdoches, Texas.”

Kaspar has an overall record of 465-193 and posted a 27-5 record with SFA last year. On April 5, Kaspar received the 2013 Hugh Durham Award, which is given to the nation’s top midmajor coach.

Twitter: @SamuelRubbelke

BASEBALL

Texas State down three games after losing to Seattle

By Jordan Brewer Assistant Sports Editor After Bobcat baseball earned its first sweep of the season against Seattle University, Texas State was swept by California State University-Sacramento this weekend in Sacramento.

Texas State lost three games by a combined four runs, dropping game one 3-2, the second 7-5 and the third 1-0 to drop to 12-19, 5-4 in conference.

“We were disappointed we did not win the series,” said Coach Ty Harrington. “We were very confident and comfortable that

we were going to win coming into the series.”

The Bobcats left a total of 25 men on base in the three-game series against the Hornets, including 12 on Saturday in a 7-5 loss.

The Bobcats got into holes in all three games by giving up runs early in contests.

All of the Hornets’ runs in the series came in the first four innings of each game, including seven in Saturday’s loss. Texas State’s starting pitching gave up 10 of the 11 runs on the weekend.

“We left 12 on Saturday,” Harrington said. “The last six games or so we were get-

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ting two out hits, driving (runners) in. We weren’t able to do that (this weekend).”

Sophomore Taylor Black started the opening game for the fourth straight weekend and dropped his fourth decision of the season after pitching six and two-thirds innings. Black gave up two earned on 10 hits and struck out five while walking two.

In the 3-2 loss, the Bobcats’ sophomore Colby Targun started at third base with senior Nick Smelser out for the weekend with an injury and batted 2 of 4 with a run scored. Sophomore shortstop Garrett Mattlage and freshman second baseman J.D. Stinnett both had two hits as well.

The Bobcats had their best offensive outing of the weekend on Saturday in a 7-5 defeat but were hampered by a three and two third inning outing by junior Scott Grist. Grist had won three decisions in a row but gave up seven earned runs on nine hits. Sophomore Austen Williams came in to relieve and pitched four and two-third scoreless innings while giving up two hits.

“There were moments when we did pitch well,” Harrington said. “I have higher expectations than what we did Friday and Saturday. We did have offensive chances in these games. We just weren’t opportunistic either day.”

Senior Andrew Stumph made his first appearance back in the lineup after an injury during the team’s early March road trip in Oregon. Stumph was 0-5 in his return to the lineup but was helped by senior center fielder Morgan Mickan and left fielder Kevin Sah who had three hits apiece.

In the series finale, the Bobcats’ bats were silenced by Sacramento’s starter

Brennan Leitao, who pitched eight scoreless innings and allowed three hits. Texas State’s first hit came in the seventh inning by sophomore right fielder Cody Lovejoy.

Sophomore Ben McElroy and Mickan secured the other Bobcat hits.

Junior Kyle Finnegan pitched the Bobcat’s best starting performance of the weekend, giving up one earned in five innings.

Finnegan gave up six hits and struck two batters while walking one. Junior relievers Donnie Hart and Hunter Lemke pitched three hitless and scoreless innings. The bullpen gave up a total of two hits and zero runs all weekend, after going scoreless last weekend against Seattle.

Freshman Nathan Lukes starred for the Hornets, getting six hits in 11 at-bats while scoring two runs in the series. The Sacramento State starters pitched 19 innings surrendering one earned run on 12 hits. The Hornets’ closer freshman Sutter McLoughlin earned three saves and was named one of the WAC Athletes of the Week for his efforts. “(Sacramento’s pitchers) were doing good targeting fast balls,” Harrington said.

“They pitched (for) contact successfully.

This was probably the best defensive team we have played (this season). They had to have six diving catches this weekend.”

Texas State will play its midweek contest in a rematch against the University of Texas on Tuesday. The Bobcats lost 5-3 on March 26 after being tied 3-3 going into the sixth inning. The Longhorns scored the go ahead run and never looked back.

Players were made unavailable for comment.

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