VOLUME 103, ISSUE 41
www.UniversityStar.com
WEDNESDAY
Defending the First Amendment since 1911
DECEMBER 4, 2013
SEMESTER IN REVIEW July 17
August
Sept. 1
Sept. 6
SMPD officers arrested
Move-ins postponed
Drumline arrests
TMT changes ownership
San Marcos Police Department Officer David Amerson and Cpl. James Palermo were arrested in two unrelated cases. Amerson turned himself in for fraudulently obtaining controlled substances and was later placed on administrative leave. He attempted to obtain hydrocodone and oxycotin, according to his arrest records. Palermo was arrested for allegedly assaulting a Texas State student during a routine traffic stop. According to 22-year-old marketing junior Alexis Alpha, Palermo broke her teeth and gave her a concussion. Palermo was indefinitely suspended from the force, which is the civil service equivalent of termination.
Three apartment complexes delayed move-ins because of unfinished construction, forcing some students to find temporary living arrangements through the first week of classes. Vistas San Marcos, The Avenue at San Marcos and Millennium on Post offered compensation to those with leases at their complexes such as reimbursing hotel fees. However, after moving in some students experienced malfunctions in their units.
Thirteen members of the Texas State drum line were involved in a hazing incident that resulted in their arrests. Charges against the students included hazing, furnishing alcohol to a minor and making a false report to police.
The Marc opened in the building formerly known as Texas Music Theater. Scott Gregson, principle owner of the former Texas Music Theater, retains possession of the building but handed day-to-day operations over to Omar Dawoud, an exploratory professional senior and owner of AfterDark Entertainment. The building underwent few physical changes to the interior, and the four remaining staff members were employed at the new venue. The venue primarily caters to fans of electronic music but features different genres.
Sept. 18
City-wide smoking ban
City councilmembers passed a citywide smoking ordinance that will ban residents from smoking in public places, businesses and city-owned areas beginning June 1, 2014. The ordinance was introduced to reduce secondhand smoke. Business owners will be in violation if they fail to prohibit their customers from smoking. Anti-smoking signage must be posted, ashtrays must be removed and those who report smoking violations will be protected from retaliation under the ordinance.
Oct. 1
Oct. 17
Nov. 2
New food handling rules
Double homicide
Football bowl-eligible
A food safety UPPS went into effect requiring organizations selling food on campus to have at least one member with special training present while food is on-site. The training is required in an effort to combat the risk of outbreaks of food poisoning on campus. The training involves lectures and hands-on sessions on cross-contamination, storage, cooking and equipment. According to a Nov. 13 University Star article, nearly 400 students have taken the training.
Fashion merchandising senior Hailey Nicholls and her boyfriend, 26-yearold Jesse Robledo, were shot and killed Daniel Stillwell, her ex-boyfriend. Stillwell broke into Nicholls’ apartment and shot the pair with his roommate’s gun. Stillwell was found dead later the same day near Highway 32 after he drove his car over a cliff near “Devil’s Backbone” in Comal County. Police said Stillwell was found with a bullet wound to the head.
The Texas State Bobcat football team became bowl eligible for the first time in university history with a win against Idaho. The team became the second fastest team to be eligible for a bowl game after joining the Football Bowl Subdivision.
CAMPUS EVENTS
Campus Construction Update Legislators discuss current issues at Texas Tribune event By Autumn Bernhard News Reporter
Comal Building
Construction on the Comal Building began in May 2013, and is scheduled to be complete in June 2014. Classrooms and offices for the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Philosophy will be housed in the building, as well as a Philosophy dialogue room, said Nancy Nusbaum, associate vice president for Finance and Support Services. The estimated cost of the project is $13.85 million. Interior demolition, exterior brick repair work and excavation for the new water service lines in the building have been completed. Replacement of the existing roof, installation of underground electrical service lines, structural steel framing and stairs, as well as the replace-
ment of the window system, have yet to be completed. The electrical infrastructure upgrade construction on the building began in January 2012, and was completed in January 2013. The entire undertaking is anticipated for completion in December 2014, and the projected cost of the renovation is $11.8 million.
Old Main
The Old Main roof repair project began in January 2013, and the anticipated cost is $3.5 million. The project includes minor structural repairs, replacement of the roof and repairs to damaged wood framing, Nusbaum said. Construction is 55 percent complete, with masonry cleaning and limestone block replacement already finished, Nusbaum said. The windows and doors were finished last month, and repairs to
See CONSTRUCTION, A3
Kathryn Parker | Staff Photographer Evan Smith, editor-in-chief and CEO of the Texas Tribune, interviews State Sen. Donna Campbell and State Rep. Jason Isaac during a Hot Seat discussion Dec. 3 in the Reed Parr Room at J.C. Kellam Administration building.
By Taylor Tompkins News Editor
Comal Building
Old Main
Performing Arts Center
West Campus Housing Complex
State legislators representing the San Marcos area discussed topics including water, healthcare, education and the Republican Party during a Hot Seat session hosted by the Texas Tribune on campus Tuesday. The discussion featured State Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) and State Rep. Jason Isaac (R-Dripping Springs), who answered hot button questions posed by Evan Smith, editor-in-chief and CEO of
the Texas Tribune. Campbell won her seat in 2012 and served as vice chair of the nominations committee during the last legislative session. Isaac was elected in 2010 and served as vice chair of the rules and regulations committee last session. Both are up for reelection in 2014. Isaac is currently unopposed, while Campbell has two challengers in the primary and one democratic challenger in the general election. The pair first discussed the passage of Proposition 6 in the November general election. The state consti-
tutional amendment will take $2 billion out of the Rainy Day Fund to support strategies to fix water shortages in the state. Campbell said Prop 6 will jump start many water programs, especially in rural areas, and conservation efforts. “While it is not enough, we’ve started not only a conversation but at least started a plan for water,” Campbell said. Isaac said funding from the state’s budget should have been used to support Prop 6 instead of taking
See TRIBUNE, A3