April 9 2015

THURSDAY APRIL 9, 2015

VOLUME 104 ISSUE 77 www.UniversityStar.com

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CITY

Train hits tresspasser at crossing PRESLIE COX STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Luke Timms, Georgia resident, jumps into Jacob’s Well April 6 in Wimberley.

Brooke Leftwich, natural resources manager, said people who want to swim in the well should remember the reservation system when planning visits.

“Just keep in mind that with this new access plan, there may be a small wait for swimming,” Leftwich said. “But we are working to make it something enjoyable for everyone so it doesn’t get overcrowded and everybody can enjoy the experience in a more relaxed atmosphere.”

Paula Conley, a volunteer at the Wimberley Visitor Center, said the town thrives on a tour-

A teenage male was struck by a train after illegally crossing the tracks around 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Charles Austin Drive crossing near Jowers Center and the Bobcat Softball Stadium.

The northbound Union Pacific train struck the teenager despite the fact its horn sounded, said Jeff DeGraff, spokesman for Union Pacific Railroad. DeGraff said the boy may not have heard the train’s horn because he was wearing headphones at the time. The status of the victim is unknown.

DeGraff believes the boy’s injuries were accidental. “(According to) my guys on the ground, he was attempting to cross or was walking alongside the tracks,” DeGraff said.

The teenager was transported by an Air Flite helicopter to University Hospital in San Antonio to be treated for “severe injuries,” DeGraff said.

Union Pacific officials are in the process of determining the speed of the train at the time of the accident, DeGraff said.

Crossing railway lines at unauthorized places is dangerous, said Louis Tudyk, Union Pacific Railroad police officer.

See JACOB’S WELL, Page 2

See TRAIN, Page 2

Jacob’s Well to implement new reservation requirements, prices

By Anna Herod SENIOR NEWS REPORTER @annaleemurphy

J

acob’s Well Natural Area, widely celebrated as the gem of the Texas Hill Country, serves as an attraction to tourists and residents alike.

When the swimming hole opens May 1 to the public, wellgoers will be required to reserve two-hour time blocks on the Hays County website to attend.

Sixty people will be allowed to swim during each reservation time, limiting the well to 300 visitors per day.

The entrance fee for adults will be $9, and any Hays County resident with a photo I.D.

will be admitted for $5.

Every year, swimmers find refuge from the hot summer sun in the well’s blue waters.

A naturally vegetated bank surrounds one side of the springs, and visitors can jump into the deep side of the well from the layered limestone cliffs.

Clint Garza, development services director, said officials set an admittance limit so visitors planning a weekend trip to Wimberley to swim in the well would not be turned away.

“Seeing Jacob’s Well is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Garza said. “(Reservations) will enhance (visitors’) experiences because you’re looking at a

FACULTY SENATE

President, Provost join Faculty Senate for legislature update

By Nicholas Laughlin NEWS REPORTER @nmlaughlin President Denise Trauth and Provost Eugene Bourgeois attended the April 6 Faculty Senate meeting to discuss topics including funding bills and campus carry.

Trauth and Bourgeois shared an update after meeting with legislators and Texas State alumni at the Capitol.

“This looks like it is going to be a good session for higher education,” Trauth said. “Today, the House Bill 100 was laid out. This was a very important day for us.”

House Bill 100 (HB100) and Senate Bill 21 (SB 21) relate to the distribution of revenue bonds to fund capital projects at public institutions of higher education.

Trauth said construction of a new health professions building at the Round Rock campus would cost $60.5 million.

SB 21, if approved, would grant $50.6 million, and the House would allow $48.6 million for funding of the health professions building Trauth said.

Trauth said she expects the amount to be met somewhere in the middle and will look for a philanthropic gift to make up difference.

“We thought engineering would get it, so all of that sounded good,” said Celeste Domsch, communication disorders associate professor.

The new science and engineering building on the San Marcos campus was priced at $107 million, Trauth said.

HB 100 would cut budgets priced higher than $100 million. University officials expect to receive $67.5 million from the State and a $5 million pledge from

See HB100, Page 2

group of 60 people taken on a guided tour, and they’re told the history of the area, and they’ll be shown the progress of the restoration that we’ve been doing to restore everything back to its natural state.”

Garza said the reservation system will give sightseers the opportunity to have personal experiences.

“The local folks and the neighboring communities—I think they’re mostly for (the reservation system),” Garza said. “I think they like the idea of having some more organization down there, and we want to be able to better educate people on the value of the preserve.”

By Jon Wilcox SENIOR NEWS REPORTER @thrilcox

CITY

Rhea’s Ice Cream to close in June

By Jon Wilcox SENIOR NEWS REPORTER @thrilcox Local frozen dessert connoisseurs will have to indulge elsewhere after June 28 when Rhea’s Ice Cream closes its doors forever.

Rhea Ortamond, owner and oftentimes operator of Rhea’s Ice Cream, announced her permanent move to Chicago in an April 1 Facebook post. Local residents will be able to enjoy Ortamond’s famously unique yet delicious creations for a few more months.

Ortamond said she learned to make ice cream from her mother, who prepared homemade vanilla ice cream for birthdays and special occasions.

Ice cream has been a tradition in the Ortamond family for generations, she said.

“My grandmother made it, and my mother made it,” she said. “Now I make it.”

At the age of 20, she used her mother’s recipe to create something new, Ortamond said. Five years later, Ortamond opened Rhea’s Ice Cream in San Marcos, a few hundred miles south of her hometown—Dallas.

Ortamond was able to open the shop because of the low cost of operations, personal savings and financial help from her parents. Opening an ice

cream shop was her “dream.”

The store debuted with some of the now famously exotic varieties still available today, Ortamond said. Flavors like avocado coconut, Big Red (a tribute to the famous Texan soda) and caramel sea salt have been around since the beginning.

Paul Jacob, electrical engineering senior at Texas State, said he always gets the same flavor—caramel sea salt. Jacob enjoys the ice cream’s homemade taste and texture.

“This is like my 50th one,” Jacob said. “The salt just makes it better.”

Gianna Cala-Smith, international studies senior, said Rhea’s ice cream is special.

After trying Rhea’s birthday cake ice cream, Cala-Smith has never liked the flavor anywhere else.

“It’s cool,” Cala-Smith said.

“You can try flavors you can’t try anywhere else. I just tried rose (ice cream).”

Success was never certain, but Ortamond said she had a feeling the shop would flourish even before it opened.

“I opened it on a hunch, and the hunch came true,” she said.

Ortamond enjoys being her own boss, but work is still work.

“When someone doesn’t like something, it’s really personal,” she said.

See RHEA’S, Page 2

MADELYNNE SCALES PHOTO EDITOR

Clinton Mynier eats ice cream April 8 at Rhea’s Ice Cream shop, which will close at the end of June.

OPEN CARRY Go online to star.txstate.edu to watch the video about possible open carry legislattion and its effect on the Texas State campus.

2 | The University Star | News | Thursday, April 9, 2015

TRAIN, from front

SAFETY

ALERRT offers active shooter training video to public

By Nicholas Laughlin NEWS REPORTER @nmlaughlin The Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State released a video to inform civilians on what to do in a situation with an active shooter.

ALERRT of f icials released the video in collaboration with Wal-Mart officials.

Wal-Mart co-funded the video so associates would know what to do during an active shooter situation.

“You want to get things on people’s radar,” said Pete Blair, executive director of ALERRT. “This is something you should think about. It’s not likely to happen, but if it does happen, you want to have some plan in mind on how to respond to it.”

ALERRT officials made the video to be used by any person or organization that needs it, Blair said.

“We love to see organizations in general say, ‘This is a good awareness-level thing for our employees to watch,’” Blair said.

The active shooter prevention video is not a complete method of training, Blair

said. The ALERRT website has other materials that are more “in-depth.”

Wal-Mart representatives originally asked ALERRT officials to assist them in making the video to train associates on how to handle active shooter situations. Wal-Mart officials wanted the video to be available for the public.

Blair said the Houston Police Department and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department have produced active shooter videos for public consumption.

ALERRT representatives have not spoken directly with Texas State officials about using the video. However, the University Police Department (UPD) uses the video as a training tool.

“We get a lot of training from ALERRT,” said Otto Glenewinkel, UPD crime prevention specialist.

UPD offers a professional development course for faculty and staff once a semester, Glenewinkel said. The ALERRT active shooter video is shown as part of the course.

ALERRT officials teach law enforcement officers to deliver presentations to organizations through the Civilian Response to Active

Shooter Events training program. Officials have been presenting the training programs for the last year and a half with thousands of officers across the United States.

ALERRT considered active shooter events in the United States when creating the program, Blair said.

“We saw that first police response times were really quick,” Blair said. “Three minutes (passed) from the 911 call to police on the scene, which is lighting fast in the world of policing.”

Blair said half of the events are already over when police arrive.

“What we found is that the events didn't end by random chance,” Blair said. “They ended because the people at the scene took action to protect them.”

Blair said three primary actions are discussed in the video: avoiding the attacker, defending oneself and denying access to one’s location.

“We view this as a public service,” Blair said. “What I would like to see happen is that people are better prepared and that when we see events, there are fewer casualties because people take more effective actions.”

RHEA’S, from front Owning an ice cream shop has transformed Ortamond for the better.

“Starting something from scratch, I feel like I can do anything now,” she said.

Ortamond had the pleasure of living in San Marcos for nine years and is admittedly sad to leave, she said.

Ortamond plans to move to Chicago in August. She will likely miss having a backyard, she said.

“Why am I moving to Chicago?” she said. “Why not?”

Ortamond said she is ready for adventure and something new after five years at the ice cream shop. She plans to

“work for someone else for a change.”

Customers often ask her if she plans on opening another ice cream shop in Chicago, Ortamond said. She honestly does not know.

“I’m about to be 30,” Ortamond said. “I’m not tied down.

It just feels like the thing to do.”

CORRECTION: On April 8, the article “Local diver cleans river one can at a time” on The University Star’s front page was printed incorrectly. The correct article was not printed, and instead the article “Local barista conducts Jimmy Kimmel for piñata skit” was duplicated in its place. The editorial board apologizes for the error.

Union Pacific may pursue legal action against the victim for trespassing, DeGraff said.

“You can be ticketed, you can be cited (or) you can be arrested for being on railroad private property,” Tudyk said. “We don’t want people on our property. That’s like me walking through your front yard.”

DeGraff said Union Pacific officials

MADELYNNE SCALES PHOTO EDITOR

Martin Manzi, San Marcos Police Department commander; Brian Beach, SMPD officer, and Louis Tudyk, Union Pacific Railroad police officer, discuss details of the accident April 8 that occurred near Jowers Center.

JACOB’S WELL, from front ist economy. Jacob’s Well is one of the town’s main attractions.

“It has really become a very popular swimming hole, and it has especially attracted those that are interested in natural resources,” Conley said.

Conley said advertisements for the well were in recent editions of The New York Times and other national publications. The site’s popularity has skyrocketed since then.

“So many people were coming that the natural area (surrounding Jacob’s Well) was getting trampled and misused,” Conley said.

The well is located on the 81.5 acres of Jacob’s Well Natural Area. Visitors can engage in a variety of outdoor activities including hiking, bird watching and geocaching.

The activities may gain popularity in seasons to come as visitors look for ways to pass time while they wait for reservations to begin.

“We want people to know it’s not just about the swimming hole,” Leftwich said. “It’s about the entire acreage and us being able to get out and enjoy nature.”

Conley said the reservation system will improve guests’ experiences.

“First of all, there is a really cool rock that you can climb up on and jump off of into the deep part of the pool, and you’ll have more opportunities to have that available to you,” Conley said. “Because when there is hundreds of people there, you have to wait and wait.”

Conley said the overcrowding issue is a factor in the new regulations.

HB100, from front Bruce and Gloria Ingram.

Trauth hopes the Texas Research Incentive Program (T.R.I.P.) will match the Ingram pledge and bring in an additional $5 million. The Ingram family has pledged the pouring of concrete, which costs an estimated $2.1 million.

Trauth said university officials may have to account for less backing of the

science and engineering building. If this happens, officials will decrease the planned square footage and “shelve the space” that does not have funding.

“One of the things that is recognizable is that the leadership wants this to pass,” Trauth said. “There is very little push-back.”

Trauth also discussed campus carry.

Officials with the Texas State University System have convened a committee to deliberate on rules and regulations to be established if campus carry were to be implemented, Trauth said. The senate bill on the issue has passed, but the house bill is still in committee. The bill will go into effect Sept. 1 if passed.

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are working with the community to implement safe practices and reduce the number of accidents.

“Even one incident is more than we would like,” DeGraff said. “Fortunately for us, if you look at the last 10 years, the number of incidents (has) steadily declined. It shows our educational efforts are paying off.”

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“So many people were coming that the natural area (surrounding Jacob’s Well) was getting trampled and misused.” ­—PAULA CONLEY, WIMBERLEY VISITOR CENTER VOLUNTEER “It was just the fact that it is a very small swimming pool,” Conley said.

“But now it won’t be so crowded, and you’ll be able to get in and really enjoy the area.”

Brittany Farias-Yates, psychology freshman, said she first visited Jacob’s Well with some friends last summer.

“It is really a beautiful little area,” Farias-Yates said. “There were so many people, though. I can see why they would need to limit the amount of people swimming at once.”

Farias-Yates said the well was a “pretty place” to cool off from the heat, but the amount of visitors made the experience hectic.

“It’s a little inconvenient to have to schedule for a reservation and wait for a time to swim, but I think it will probably be better with less people,” Farias-Yates said. “I look forward to going again once summer comes around.”

The University Star | Thursday, April 9, 2015 | 3

LIFESTYLE

UniversityStar.com

Theater students to receive recognition at national conference

By Mariah Simank ASSISTANT LIFESTYLE EDITOR @MariahSimank

in this is something that can really help boost the reputation of the program nationally.”

Five students from the Texas State Department of Theatre and Dance will be recognized as national finalists April 14-18 at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) in Washington D.C. John Fleming, interim dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication, said each year in late February a regional festival takes place involving six states and nearly 60 different programs. Fleming said one winner is chosen from each of the eight regions across the country to advance to the Kennedy Center.

“All of our productions are viewed by other members of the KCACTF,” Fleming said. “From there these individuals will make recommendations as to who can advance to the regional level and, ultimately, as national finalists.”

Fleming said this is the 15th straight year students from the Texas State theater department have advanced to the Kennedy Center for a total of 35 national finalists and eight awards.

“We have been actively involved for a while, and we have the longest active streak of any school in the country,” Fleming said. “We have sent students in all 10 different categories.”

This year two graduate and three undergraduate students will be honored at the festival with a total of seven recognitions, Fleming said.

“Recognition like this helps validate that we have a very high-quality program at both the undergraduate and graduate level across a wide variety of disciplines within theater,” Fleming said. “Our participation

KEVIN TALLEY

Kevin Talley, third-year playwriting graduate student, was awarded the Ken Ludwig Playwriting Scholarship Award for having the best body of work. He earned second place in the Harold and Mimi Steinberg National Student Playwriting category with his script for “Snake Oil.” Talley said his award for the best body of work marks the fourth straight year a student from Texas State has earned the prize. Students must submit three plays for review in order to compete for the $1,500 scholarship.

“I submitted two of my full-length plays and one ten-minute play for my body of work, and they evaluated it against the other applicants, and luckily I won the scholarship,” Talley said. “Ken Ludwig is a really great playwright who has been immensely successful, and he set up this scholarship that the Kennedy Center awards.”

Talley will receive a $1,000 cash prize as the second place recipient of the National Student Playwriting Award. He will be admitted to the Dramatists Guild of America and the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis as well as have the opportunity to develop a play with a professional theater company.

“I get to go to the national festival, which is a huge honor,” Talley said.

“I hope to learn from workshops with theater professionals working in the industry, and I am excited for the chance to have my work gain exposure on a larger scale.”

Tally said he developed an interest in playwriting during high school.

“I was in theater in high school, and that was the first place that I got to really attempt to write, and when I was a sophomore, I got to write a one-act play for my theater class,” Talley said. “What I love about playwriting is that it is really accessible to anybody because you can do theater almost anywhere, unlike television or film.”

Talley said he has advanced to the Region 6 festival for the past two years. This year marks his first time to win on a national level.

“This experience is validating in the sense that I have been here for three years and I have tried to work my hardest, and in my last year I am getting to go to nationals and I am getting some recognition,” Talley said. “It is really just encouraging, and I feel like it is telling me that I am on the right path and that I just need to keep working at this.”

JORDAN MORILLE

Jordan Morille, third-year playwriting graduate student, advanced to the national festival for his original works: “Norma's Rest” and “Jars.”

Morille said “Norma’s Rest” earned him one of four spots as a finalist for The John Cauble Short Play Award, which recognizes oneact plays that are typically between 20 and 50 pages long.

“Norma’s Rest” focuses on the owner of a halfway house as she struggles to decide whom to leave the property to after a terminal cancer diagnosis, Morille said.

“In the play, ‘Norma’s Rest’ is a sober house where addicts and felons stay to sort of get acclimated to the outside world after doing time in prison or living on the streets,” Morille said. “A local pastor comes along and wants to buy the property, and she struggles with whether or

not to sell it to him.”

Morille said the content of his plays usually comes from personal experiences, with minor changes made to fit each character.

“Growing up, I knew individuals who stayed in this type of place, and I really just wanted to write about them and about just the whole idea of redemption,” Morille said. “I also wanted to explore how many chances we are allowed in life and who decides that number.”

Morille will advance to the Kennedy Center for his ten-minute play “Jars,” with which he is competing for the Gary Garrison National Ten-Minute Play Award.

“Some regions don't advance to the national competition,” Morille said. “It starts with thousands of plays and gets narrowed down to four people for the national competition, so just being a part of the four is an award in itself.”

Morille said this is his third year to advance as a finalist. He hopes to develop new drafts for each of his plays.

“Just being able to hear other directors’ and actors’ input on my plays and also hearing them read aloud will be helpful,” Morille said.

“In terms of my career, I just really hope to gain a better understanding of playwriting and the power that we have as playwrights.”

Morille said every playwright who advances as a finalist has the opportunity to have each nominated work critiqued by experts.

Playwrights also have the chance to participate in staged readings in front of professionals from all over the world.

SHELBY ACOSTA

Shelby Acosta, musical theater senior, will be recognized at the

festival as part of the regional Musical Theater Initiative.

Acosta said she was selected based on her performance in “Rent” and will be one of eight students performing at the competition for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships.

“This is the first year that all the Musical Theater Initiative students have ever received a prize this big,” Acosta said. “Normally the prize is scholarship money for a camp you want to do over the summer.”

Two representatives are assigned to each of the eight regions across the country. Students are selected to advance in the acting and musical theater portions of the competition, Acosta said.

“All of us competed against the people in Region 6, and then all of the winners from each region go to the Kennedy Center,” Acosta said.

Acosta said she started acting by participating in local community theater as a child. She eventually attended a high school specifically designed for actors and actresses.

“Starting in high school, I attended a boarding school for the arts in Michigan, and while I was there I met Kaitlin Hopkins, who is the head of the Musical Theatre program here at Texas State,” Acosta said. “She is a genius and also the one who got me interested in the program here.”

Acosta hopes to gain knowledge and experience from each of the finalists during the five-day event through networking and master classes. Class topics include makeup application, dance and other theater-related themes, Acosta said.

“I hope to be able to network with people during my master classes, which are normally going nonstop all week,” Acosta said.

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4 | The University Star | Thursday, April 9, 2015

OPINIONS

UniversityStar.com

THE MAIN POINT

Indiana law detrimental to businesses, community

T

he religious freedom legislation recently passed by the Indiana government does not bode well for the state or the businesses housed there.

On March 26 Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed Senate Bill 568 into law. The bill asserts state and local governments cannot infringe on a person’s religious freedoms without “compelling governmental interest,” according to the Indiana General Assembly website.

The intent of the bill was to protect the religious liberties of Indiana citizens, not to discriminate against anyone. Despite his assurances, the firestorm of criticism that erupted was centered on that topic. Those voicing opposition to the bill say it could give businesses license to discriminate against members of the LGBTQIA community.

The law sparked outrage from native Hoosiers as well as those from outside of the state. The Indianapolis Star, the state’s biggest newspaper, wrote a scathing

editorial demanding Pence and the General Assembly fix the damage done to their reputation. The editorial ran on the front page, emblazoned with the words “Fix This Now.” Celebrities and businesses began to pull their business from the state while Pence scrambled to respond to the backlash. George Takei urged his followers to boycott Indiana companies, and Angie’s List officials halted expansion on the company’s $40 million headquarters. The CEO of Salesforce, a consulting company based in San Francisco, canceled all programs requiring employees and customers go to Indiana.

This bill is more than just a public relations nightmare. The state of Indiana is losing business, and it will likely continue. The governor and general assembly are hurting their state instead of helping and protecting their constituents.

People have a right to believe whatever they want. However, from a business standpoint, it

doesn’t make sense to discriminate against whole communities of paying customers. Not serving gay customers should not be more important to a business owner than increasing revenue.

The vague nature of the first edition of the legislation brings up other questions. There is no indication yet as to the amount of oversight this practice will have or even how it will be regulated. What happens if a person is denied service because he or she is falsely accused of being gay?

Pence has approved an extension of the bill clarifying what it allows businesses to do. It bans individuals from refusing employment, service or housing to people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

This extension is one small drop in a very large bucket and shows the state is willing to move in the right direction. However, lawmakers must ensure that the law is airtight and those who wish to discriminate cannot find a loop-

JORDAN GURLEY STAR ILLUSTRATOR

hole. This would allow officials to prove where their priorities lie with

respect to the LGBTQIA community.

The Main Point is the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board. Columns are the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the full staff, Texas State University Student Media, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Texas State University.

SATIRE

An open letter to people who write open letters

Sam Hankins COPY CHIEF @VerbsEverywhere

D

ear people who write open letters, I was scouring the Internet the other day, looking for cat videos and uplifting click bait to brighten my day, and then I saw something I did not like. My discomfort was so strong that I decided to write an open letter to you, writers of open letters, in spite of the fact you will probably never read this.

It seems some of you have

taken your grievances to the World Wide Web, writing letters denouncing people with whom you have a problem. It could be a celebrity who has expressed a problematic viewpoint. It could be the person who stole your parking spot at the tennis court.

In any case, you have decided to write a letter to the offending party, and for some reason you looked at Facebook or Wordpress and said, “Yeah, this is the place to do it.”

The world is a scary place nowadays, and we all handle frustration in different ways.

However, the open letter form is bizarre at best and self-centered at worst.

First of all, consider the fact that an open letter is written in the second person, with the presumed audience being the celebrity or parking spot thief you have a bone to pick with. However, the odds that Justin Bieber is reading a scathing diatribe

on your personal Wordpress are about as high as the chances of picking a perfect March Madness bracket. If you were so desperate to get in touch with the audience of your open letter, you could have picked a better way to do it.

One thing the social media age brought with it, for better or worse, was easier access to celebrities. Everybody, including highprofile media figures, is tweeting.

The good thing about Twitter is the fact that it is a two-way street.

If you feel the need to take an issue up with someone, try “@-ing” him or her. The person may or may not respond, but at least you will have given the matter what is colloquially known as the old college try.

Of course, not everyone can be found on social media, and not being able to put a name to a face makes getting in touch nigh impossible. The only resource left—writing an undirected open letter—is not a resource at all on

POP CULTURE

Celebrities face insecurity, ‘super-fans’ do not help

Mariana Castillo OPINIONS COLUMNIST @mar9cast

M

illions of hearts broke around the globe when One Direction lost one of its beloved members.

Zayn Malik made his departure from the group in late March and left a wake of scattered tissues and torn posters as parents braced themselves for the meltdowns teenage girls and boys would be having all across the globe. However ridiculous these self-proclaimed directioners’ reactions may seem, there may be a deeper psychological explanation for how a celebrity could have such an impact on fans.

Videos started to go viral of fans pleading with Zayn to return. Others were furious with his decision and called him a traitor. Meanwhile, other dedicated fans were more understanding or frankly did not really care. #Cut4Zayn was a disturbing trend that started on Twitter not long after

the news, and this took the term “dedicated” to “dangerous”.

Robert Klitzman, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, offered an explanation for the outrageous reactions by people so enthralled with a celebrity singer who more than likely did not even know they existed.

According to Klitzman in a March 25 Cosmopolitan article, humans are programmed neurologically and psychologically to have relationships with other people, including celebrities. He goes on to explain people fall in love with celebrities because they appear larger than life and seemingly flawless.

It is true that the face on magazines is smiling and laughing in interviews and always giving thanks to the fans for their devotion. Zayn broke his silence and released a statement shortly after departing stating he left so he could be a regular 22-year-old. Performing in front of a million strange faces is not something everyone is used to and is not exactly the typical experience for a young adult.

The popularity of One Direction came from its hit song, “What Makes You Beautiful,” an anthem for directioners about how their beauty on the inside is what makes them attrac-

The University Star Editor-in-Chief................................................Nicole Barrios, stareditor@txstate.edu Managing Editor....................Cameron Cutshall, starmanagingeditor@txstate.edu Letters................................................................................universitystar@txstate.edu News Editor..............................................Kelsey Bradshaw, starnews@txstate.edu Lifestyle Editor..........................................Britton Richter, starlifestyle@txstate.edu Opinions Editor.......................................Imani McGarrell, staropinion@txstate.edu Photo Editor...........................................Madelynne Scales, starphoto@txstate.edu Sports Editor........................................... Quixem Ramirez, starsports@txstate.edu Copy Desk Chief.....................................Sam Hankins, starcopychief@txstate.edu

tive. From then on the five lads gave hope and confidence to everyday girls to love themselves for who they are on the inside, not the outside.

Indeed, One Direction is known for its uplifting lyrics pointing out the little things a girl would do such as throw her head back when she laughed or that she looked perfect in a pair of jeans. This made them very relatable, and it seemed like they were speaking directly to their audience of teenage girls.

So when this perfect picture is suddenly disrupted, it becomes a hard blow to someone who may have viewed this band as his or her main source of selfesteem and comfort.

It is often easy to forget big celebrities are also like us and face the same insecurities we face. Sure, not many have to deal with hundreds of screaming fans chasing their vehicles or hot flashes of light following their every move, but we feel similar pressure. We may feel pressured to fit a certain image or be able to accomplish multiple tasks at the same time or even to have perfect grades. Zayn leaving reveals that even those who seem to have it all feel they are missing out on something else.

—Mariana Castillo is a journalism sophomore

account of the March Madness thing. I will assume some degree of self-awareness on your part and guess you know the odds are not in your favor. Therefore, I can only assume the person to whom the letter is addressed, who will probably never read it, is not your audience at all.

So why use the second person “you” in writing an open letter?

After all, changing the second person to the more appropriate third is as simple as changing “you stole my parking space” to “that @*#% who stole my parking space.”

Clearly, you were so frustrated at the time of writing your open letter that you felt the need to take it out on somebody. Writing a general denouncement of a wrongdoing just did not give you the same satisfaction as framing that denouncement as a direct address to the perpetrator. Nice— except we have already established the so-called “you” isn’t go-

ing to be reading the letter, which means you’re effectively shouting at thin air.

I would find this a little embarrassing if I were you. Shouting at thin air is all very well if you do it in private, but when you do it in real life you’re bound to get a few funny looks. So what makes you think the Internet is an appropriate place to do it? You may think you’re being edgy by calling someone out behind his or her back on the Internet, but in reality it just seems as though you lack self-control.

The next time you feel the need to write an open letter, I suggest you do so in a private journal or on something you can crumple up and throw away. Or burn. Just do not subject the rest of us to your internal frustration.

—Sam Hankins is an english and spanish senior

ANIMALS

San Marcos in need of new or updated dog park

Rivers Wright OPINIONS COLUMNIST @MonsieurRivers

D

ogs are practically a staple for college students in San Marcos.

They should be properly rewarded for not only being wonderful companions but also for being proven stress relievers.

Considering the amount of joy dogs bring to the lives of students, it should be easier to treat them to a nice park where they can run and play with their kind. Unfortunately, the only dog park right now is the sad, dry, brown patch of land across from the baseball stadium.

San Marcos should utilize unused land or the property of the nonexistent Eight17 Lofts to create a new dog park that is easily accessible to their owners.

As it stands, the current dog park is a sectionedoff piece of land next to a knocked-down building across from the baseball stadium on Hopkins

Street. Other than it being a depressing pile of what I believe to be grass, the “dog park” is a little too close to the road for those energetic animals and has scarce parking for the multitude of owners who frequent the park.

If that is not bad enough, parking at the dog park during baseball games becomes basically nonexistent. Adding a dog park in another spot of town would alleviate owners’ parking plight and could help allow their furry friends to burn off some energy after being in an apartment all day.

The location of the dog park is also inconvenient in the overall scheme of the city in relation to students who are probably the most frequent parkgoers. While it is centrally located in the city, it is out of the way for most apartment complexes. If dog owners have to drive out of their way to get to the park, it might as well be a glorious play land for the dogs.

If there were some effort to renovate the current dog park by adding things like obstacle courses for the dogs to frolic on or benches for owners to sit on, then perhaps patronage would increase.

Essentially, making the area more aesthetically pleasing might make the park worth the drive.

San Marcos is not shy to construction, so renovations on one more thing in town will not be something new to San Martians. The town could benefit from putting money into something other than the reconstruction of streets and making backup parking that people still do not understand. Giving less-than-beautiful spots in town a much-needed facelift could boost the charm and overall beauty of San Marcos.

One spot of town that could definitely use a much-needed facelift is the seemingly abandoned apartment complex known as Eight17 Lofts.

After the company faced some financial troubles, residents of San Marcos were left with the skeletal remains of the building to loom over the city. The town could benefit from buying the land, tearing down the building and adding another park to benefit dog owners.

Given the mass of construction, San Marcos could stand to use some natural beauty shining through all the concrete and asphalt. Dogs are just as much residents in town as their two-legged counterparts, and it is time that San Marcos treats them accordingly.

601 University Drive Trinity Building, Room 101 San Marcos, TX 78666

Phone: (512) 245-3487 Fax: (512) 245-3708

Design Editor...........................................Lauren Huston, stardesign@txstate.edu Assistant News Editor...................Carlie Porterfield, starasstnews@txstate.edu Account Executive............................................Hanna Katz, starad2@txstate.edu Account Executive.................................Morgan Knowles, starad4@txstate.edu Account Executive....................................Jamie Beckham, starad5@txstate.edu Media Specialist.......................................... Chris Salazar, c.salazar@txstate.edu Advertising Coordinator...............................Kelsey Nuckolls, kjn16@txstate.edu Publications Coordinator........................................Linda Allen, la06@txstate.edu Publications Director...........................Bob Bajackson, stardirector@txstate.edu

—Rivers Wright is a journalism junior

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

Copyright Thursday, April 9, 2015. 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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Contact The University Star office at (512) 245-3487 to purchase additional copies.

Visit The Star at www.UniversityStar.com

The University Star | Thursday, April 9, 2015 | 5

SPORTS

UniversityStar.com

SOFTBALL

BEYOND

CROSS COUNT

RY

THE GAM E

TRACK & FIELD

Texas State gears up for Incarnate Word Invitational

!

KENDA JUNIOR FIRS LL WILEY T BASEMAN

By Christian Rodriguez ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Amidon said. “She always stood her @crod9521 ground. She didn’t tiptoe around anything, and she treated everyone the Kendall Wiley, junior first baseman, same. It’s been that way since she was lost the person who introduced her itty-bitty—her being able to stay true to the game she now plays. to herself regardless of the situation.”

Her father, Ken, passed away Dec. Ken’s death brought Kendall and 28, 1999 due to an aneurysm. Kendall her mother, Kelli, closer together. was 7 years old at the time. She called Each had to depend on the other for it “the most difficult obstacle I’ve had emotional support. to face in my life.”

Kendall, who grew up in the South Kendall began playing softball at Austin area, maintains a relationship the age of 5, growing up surrounded with Kelli and is able to see her on by a family of men who loved baseball. a daily basis.

She was fascinated by the sport.

Savannah Clark, a childhood “My dad is the one that put the friend, said Kendall and Kelli are softball in my hands,” Kendall said. essentially “attached at the hip.”

“He played baseball, my older brother “Certain instances like that can played baseball and my grandfather either split a family apart or bring played baseball, so it’s something that them closer together,” Clark said. “In definitely runs in the family.” this case it definitely brought those Kendall was known as a “little toot,” two closer together. Kendall and her in the words of longtime family friend mom are best friends, and I think Stacey Amidon. for Kendall, having her mom close Kendall let everyone know how means everything to her. They rely she felt and did not treat anyone dif- on each other.” ferently. She considered everyone Kelli is proud of her child’s accomplishments. She has various reasons as an equal.

“When she was a little girl, she to be proud at this point in the Texas didn’t let anyone push her around,” State softball season.

By Jose Campos SPORTS REPORTER @josewithaj

STAR FILE PHOTO

Kendall leads the Bobcats in home runs, runs batted in, hits and batting average.

“I’m not at all surprised by how well she’s playing but rather very pleased that she is really playing to her ability,” Kelli said.

Kendall believes success is related to proving herself to her mother. Kelli sacrifices for her children and puts their needs first.

Kendall credits her father for extra motivation. Ken made the baseball team at Texas State in the ‘80’s. He was not able to participate for financial reasons.

Kendall is pursuing a degree in finance. She wants to be remembered as a good person before a skilled player when her softball career at Texas State ends.

“I want to be remembered as a very professional player—loyal, humble, someone you can always come to—and as someone who led by example,” Kendall said.

BASEBALL

STORYLINES TO WATCH: TEXAS STATE VS. ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK

By Matt Gurevitz SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER @Matt_Gurevitz

whole. The Trojans are second to last in the Sun Belt in team batting average and are only ahead of Texas State.

fall all the way to seventh. The team is off to a good start, but the Bobcats need to keep their eye on the prize.

The Texas State baseball team has dug out of its sub-.500 hole.

For the first time this season, the team has more wins than losses.

TROJANS PITCHING STRUGGLES

GET OFF THE PLATE

STAY HOT The Bobcats are sizzling hot. The team is on a four-game winning streak, including a sweep against the Baylor Bears last weekend. The team has won six of its last eight games.

Pitching was a major factor in the winning streak. The team allowed one earned run in its last three matchups, with complete games by Scott Grist, senior pitcher, and Jeremy Hallonquist, junior pitcher. Anyone who can hit two walk-off home runs in four games like Granger Studdard, sophomore outfielder, deserves praise.

Every team in the Sun Belt has a team earned run average under 5.00 except for Arkansas-Little Rock. The Trojans’ 6.88 earned run average ranks them 281st in Division I baseball.

STANDINGS SITUATION Texas State is 8-4 and second in the Sun Belt standings. There is still a logjam in the standings because the season is in the early stages. The Bobcats could win two or three games this weekend and be in first place.

However, they could lose all three and

The Texas State track and field team has reached the halfway point of the season with three meets remaining until the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships.

The Incarnate Word Invitational will be held in San Antonio and is one of the smaller meets Texas State will compete at during the outdoor season.

Texas State holds the top spot in 14 different events. Seeing Bobcats setting new personal bests becomes a more regular occurrence with each passing meet,.

Coach Dana Boone said the team is far from reaching its best despite setting personal records in the Baylor Invitational.

"I think, honestly, we're still underachieving a bit," Boone said.

"I don't think we've shown our true potential yet. I think we're on the verge of some good things. They just haven't happened yet."

Boone said a coach can only do so much to train athletes and make them stronger.

"When I say we're on the verge, that's what I mean," Boone said. "Hopefully all

the pieces are there, so that hopefully they'll put the puzzle together."

A lack of favorable weather conditions adds to the puzzle. The Bobcats have not been to a meet this season where the weather was warm and sunny, Boone said. The Bobcats will have to deal with the conditions no matter what.

The Incarnate Word Invitational is an allday event held Saturday, April 11. The forecast predicts warm weather, but there is a high chance of rain.

Boone plans to take advantage of the meet.

She sees it as an opportunity to give athletes who have not had a chance to run to participate and a way for the team to make improvements.

Boone said the team’s performance at the Baylor Invitational was “not great but not bad.” She felt little needed to be said to the team after the meet.

"I think everybody kinda knows where we are and what we can do better," Boone said.

"As a coaching staff, I think all of us have assessed our student athletes and figured out which direction we need to go in moving forward."

Texas State’s pitchers have not been afraid to pitch inside this season. Their bravery has come with the cost of hitting a lot of batters. The Bobcats are third in the nation with 39 hit batters this season behind Grambling and Alabama A&M. This is not necessarily a bad statistic for the Bobcats, but it is not a good one either.

WHAT’S NEXT Texas State will host UTSA at Bobcat Ballpark Tuesday night. The victor will win the season series. The Bobcats won the first matchup against UTSA at home but fell in the second in San Antonio.

POWER SURGE Texas State had the power turned off at start the season.

The team hit two home runs in its first 14 games, but now the power is back on. The Bobcats hit three home runs in the last three innings Thursday night, with one by Derek Scheible, freshman center fielder, and two by Studdard. The team has 12 home runs in the last six games. Four games in that span had multiple home runs.

“When the weather at our park warms up, the south wind flips, and it gives us an opportunity,” said Jeremy Fikac, assistant coach. “I think our kids have done a good job working offensively, too.”

SUN BELT’S LEADING HITTER Ryan Scott, Trojan junior outfielder, should get Fikac’s attention. Scott has a .385 batting average and is is tied for first in the Sun Belt Conference. Scott is one of the conference’s best hitters, but his team is struggling as a

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6 | The University Star | Sports | Thursday, April 9, 2015

SOFTBALL

Texas State falls to Baylor on Strikeout Cancer night

By Christian Rodriguez ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @crod9521 The Baylor Bears proved they are No. 15 in the nation Wednesday night when they traveled to San Marcos to take on the Texas State softball team.

Texas State gave up three consecutive home runs in the sixth inning, putting the Bears ahead late in the game. Prior to the sixth inning, a single run separated the two teams.

Shelby Friudenberg, Bears

problem.

“We have to keep the ball in the yard if we want to win ball games,” Woodard said.

Woodard mixed up the lineup in this game by putting Braegan Hamilton, freshman center fielder, in the second spot and moving Ariel Ortiz, freshman shortstop, down to sixth in the order.

“It didn’t pay off like I wanted it to,” Woodard said. “But the key is trying to cover that threefour-five hole that has done a great job at getting on base all year long, and we’re not doing

“We just have to do a better job offensively all the way around.”

—COACH RICCI WOODARD freshman first baseman, was the catalyst behind the 6-1 victory over Texas State. The freshman accounted for three of the six runs scored for the Bears. She tallied a pair of solo home runs, bringing her total to 10 on the season.

The Bobcats gave up four solo home runs to three different batters in the matchup. Texas State has given up nine home runs in its last three games, and Coach Ricci Woodard recognizes the

a good job after them.”

The Bobcats looked as if they were about to gain some momentum in the fourth inning. Courtney Harris, senior third baseman, and Kortney Koroll, senior designated player, reached base with no outs in the inning.

The Bobcats could not capitalize on the opportunity and recorded three consecutive outs without moving a runner.

Execution was absent from

the situation, Woodard said.

Certain players must do a better job of having quality at bats in these types of situations.

“We just have to do a better job offensively all the way around there because we were starting to gain a little bit of momentum, and we gave it right back to them,” Woodard said.

Randi Rupp, freshman pitcher, and Kaylee Garner, sophomore pitcher, each saw action in the game. Rupp gave up two runs in the first four innings.

Garner gave up four runs in the last three frames.

Heather Stearns, Bears junior pitcher, earned the win, giving up four hits and one earned run in her five innings of play.

The Bobcats are scheduled to face Troy in a conference opponent over the weekend.

The Trojans sit at 7-5 in the conference, good for fourth place in the Sun Belt.

With 11 games left in the season, Woodard would like to see her team continue to grow by hitting better spots on the mound and maturing at the plate.

“I want us to continue to learn, and that’s one of the things that I’m getting frustrated with—is that we have to continue to learn the game,” Woodard said. “I get the fact that we are young and there is not a lot of experience out there, but we have to continue to learn and get better before we get to the conference tournament.”

HARON SAENZ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Randi Rupp, freshman pitcher, throws the ball against Baylor April 8 at Bobcat Softball Stadium.

HEALING

LL WORDS

I N S E M A CO

TAKE BACK THE NI G HT BOBCATS ENDING SEXUAL VIOLENCE MONDAY, APRIL 13TH 5-7PM

RALLY & SPOKEN WORD

HOSTED BY: EBONY STEWART, THREE-TIME SLAM CHAMPION

Rally starts at 5pm at Old Main and we will march to the LBJ Student Center Amphitheater. Stay and enjoy spoken word performances by our Bobcats.

PRIZES AWARDED FOR ALL ENTRIES

REGISTER:

We are looking for Students to share stories and messages surrounding sexual violence and/or ending sexual violence through spoken word. Please register by Friday, April 10th at

http://bit.ly/1ChAjxE

If you require accommodations (information in alternate format or sign language interpreting) due to disability, please contact Julie Eckert at 512-245-1710 or je12@txstate.edu. Accommodation requests should be made at least 72 hours in advance of the program start time to ensure availability.