Feb 26 2015

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2015 VOLUME 104 ISSUE 62 www.UniversityStar.com

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CITY

San Marcos lacks resources for homeless men

By Alexa Tavarez NEWS REPORTER @lexicanaa Homeless men in San Marcos have a hard road to recovery in comparison with impoverished women and families.

Non-profits such as the HaysCaldwell Women’s Center offer a variety of services for abused women and their children. However, San Marcos does not have a full-time homeless shelter for the impoverished population.

From 2010 to 2012, 15.7 percent of the population was below the poverty

“A lot of these people cannot get full-time jobs and cannot sustain an average standard of living with the current rent prices in the city.”

—LINDA MORAGA, SHELTER MANAGER FOR THE SOUTHSIDE COMMUNITY CENTER level, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Linda Moraga, shelter manager for the Southside Community Center, said the lack of resources available for homeless men is the largest problem with poverty in San Marcos.

Moraga said much of the effort to helping the homeless goes to women and children, leaving men stuck in poverty.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 31 percent of all families with a female householder and no husband present had 2010-2012 incomes below the poverty level.

Moraga said the Southside Community Center gives donated clothes and serves hot meals to the homeless, but affordable housing for impoverished men would help to rebuild their lives.

“A lot of these people cannot get full-time jobs because of their background, or they are judged by the way they are dressed,” Moraga said.

Those who do get hired sometimes only get part-time jobs and cannot sustain an average standard of living given the city’s rent prices, Moraga said.

“They should give people chances— start them off with a good, paying job—and maybe we would have less people on the streets,” Moraga said.

The Southside Community Center opens at 5 p.m. to serve hot dinners and offer clean showers. Homeless people must leave by morning if they stay the night.

Moraga said impoverished men receive attention more easily in Austin because the city has resources to provide for them. Austin features Front Steps, a 24-hour homeless shelter on 7th Street.

Moraga said San Marcos officials recognize men endure more difficulties than homeless women and children, but little has been done to solve the problem.

Discussions about moving the Southside Community Center’s shelter to full-time operations have taken place, but decisions have not been finalized, she said.

BASEBALL

HOUSTON,

YOU

HAVE A

PROBLEM

LARA DIETRICH STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Cory Geisler, junior pitcher, throws a pitch Feb. 25 against Houston at Bobcat Ballpark.

Bobcats outlast third-ranked Cougars

By Quixem Ramirez SPORTS EDITOR @quixem

B

lake Whitter, senior pitcher, retired 12 batters in relief of Cory Geisler, junior pitcher.

His last out was the hardest.

This was nothing new for Whitter, who missed the cut on last year’s team. The last out represented the culmination of an entire offseason of work.

“I worked my butt off all last year and during the season,” Whitter said. “I had a good summer and came back. I have a lot to prove. It’s been a wild ride, but I’m glad it’s hap-

pened the way it has.”

Whitter was in position to close the Texas State baseball team’s game against Houston, which entered the matchup ranked third in the nation by Baseball America.

Whitter induced a fly out to right field to seal Texas State’s 7-5 victory over Houston. The Bobcats have won two consecutive games after beginning the season with an 0-5-1 record.

“It got a little too close for comfort, but I’m glad we could put it away,” Whitter said. “It’s been a while since I got 13 outs in a game. I had to just go out there and draw a line in the sand like coach said and

“Right now we can only live in the moment, and we live in the present. We’ve got two games under our belt and a two-game winning streak.”

—JEREMY FIKAC, ASSISTANT BASEBALL COACH

finish it.”

The win was not without its share of drama, however.

Chris Iriart, Cougars junior first baseman, singled to left

field in the ninth inning to cut the deficit to one run. One pitch and the Cougars would

See HOUSTON, Page 2

NATION

Texas State ranked 12th among top western universities

By Exsar Arguello NEWS REPORTER @Exsar_Misael Texas State was ranked 12th among public universities in the western region of the

United States by U.S. News & World Report.

The university is the only Texas institution in the top 15. The universities on the list were ranked based on factors unrelated to academia such as

tuition costs, student-to-faculty ratios and freshman retention rates.

Michael Heintze, associate vice president for enrollment management, said he has “mixed feelings” about how

university ranking systems work.

“Ranking systems can mislead families and students (in) some respects on what a uni-

See TOP 12, Page 2

MASS COMM

Texas Tribune CEO encourages entrepreneurial spirit in students

By Alexa Tavarez NEWS REPORTER @lexicanaa The School of Journalism and Mass Communication hosted Evan Smith, The Texas Tribune’s CEO, editor-in-chief and co-founder, Feb. 25 as part of the Digital Media Entrepreneurship Speaker Series.

Smith arrived 40 minutes late due to rush-hour traffic in Austin, but students greeted him with applause. Smith spoke on the entrepreneurial spirit of the Tribune and the new age of journalism.

“The buzzkill of buzzkills in entrepreneurship is caution,” Smith said.

The early days of the Tribune were not a “sexy time” for the new non-profit media outlet, Smith said. Smith helped establish the Tribune in 2009 with Ross Ramsey and John Thornton. The idea for the digital-first, nonpartisan media outlet began from the bottom up.

“When you build from an empty lot, there are no excuses,” Smith said. “You build the thing you have an image of in your head.”

Smith recalled him and Ramsey sketching a ‘fantasy draft’ of their top picks for potential journalists shortly before the Tribune launched.

“We stumbled and fumbled along in those early days and made some assumptions that were wrong,” Smith said.

Students need to have various

skills to deploy as a situation presents itself.

Smith does not dispute a career in journalism is difficult and not suitable for everyone. He said the people succeeding in the field are problem-solvers and demonstrate self-determination.

Smith described boredom as the reason he left Texas Monthly, the publication he worked for before co-founding the Tribune.

“Serious journalism needs to be saved, and the full-profit model is not doing a good job of ensuring the kind of serious journalism we need,” Smith said.

Data journalism is a non-traditional, effective approach that is an essential component to news and digital media, Smith said.

Smith wants the Tribune to be part of the transforming landscape of media. Smith said the Tribune adapts to the technology culture through teamwork.

“We have newsrooms full of reporters, news applications, programmers (and) columnists,” Smith said. “The magic happens when they work collaboratively.”

People who say pursuing a career in journalism is a bad idea are lazy, he said.

Smith gave students advice on entering the workforce upon graduation. He said journalists should “show up,” be present and not waste opportunities.

“We need you more than you need us,” Smith said. “You are the luckiest group of soon-to-be graduates on earth.”

ANDRES J RODRIGUEZ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Evan Smith, CEO of The Texas Tribune, speaks Feb. 25 at Old Main.

2 | The University Star | News | Thursday, February 26, 2015

TOP 12, from front versity truly has to offer,” Heintze said.

Choosing a university involves more than looking at rankings, he said.

Dan Brown, dean of University College, said no list of rankings is completely “accurate or perfect.”

“This is a good list since most ranking systems like this are usually over-represented with private schools, so it’s good to see where we rank with our public peers,” Brown said.

Heintze said U.S. News has received criticism in the past for its ranking system and is known as the “academic beauty contest”

due to close rankings of higher institutions like Harvard and Yale.

“When you have different schools that are all very close in terms of quality to each other, someone has to be first and someone has to be last,” Heintze said. “I think it does a disservice to those institutions that are very closely ranked.”

Heintze said those in charge of ranking universities do not consider different institutions working with “inner-city” students who are socially and economically challenged.

The work done by inner-city institutions is critical in helping

WILD

ART

students become successful once they graduate, Heintze said. The contributions of these institutions are not necessarily “less important” than those of Ivy League schools.

“I think that’s the part the public misses about the significance of higher education,” Heintze said.

Brown’s focus at the university is the Personalized Academic & Career Exploration (P.A.C.E.) program. P.A.C.E. was established to help freshmen adjust to college life and achieve success at the university level.

Brown said no other university has a program as comprehensive

A layer of steam rests over the San Marcos River Feb. 19 at Rio Vista Park. The river’s temperature remains a constant 72 degrees year-round, allowing locals and students to swim comfortably during the winter.

PRESLIE COX STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Live without regrets, Learn without borders.

Discover where you’ll study abroad at usac.unr.edu

USAC studyabroadusac@

SOUTH LAMAR • BRODIE LANE • KYLE PARKWAY

as P.A.C.E. Other universities have taken notice and are starting to implement their own programs for freshmen.

“For a school our size, I think we are doing something pretty admirable,” Brown said.

Catarina Dominguez, a P.A.C.E. career counselor, works with freshmen during their first year at the university.

The faculty-to-students ratio helps Bobcats feel more inclined to stay connected to their professors and different programs on campus, Dominguez said.

High rankings show what universities are doing to appear more marketable to those stu-

dents looking to apply, she said.

However, graduating from a university with high rankings does not guarantee a job, Dominguez said.

“Looking at it just on the career perspective, I think a lot of times what is most important is what the students do while they are in school, like networking and getting good grades,” Dominguez said.

Brown said ranking systems help universities in some aspects, but personal stories and memories made are important. Rankings do not reflect what happens in classrooms and around campus.

Strange, but informative.

The University Star | Thursday, February 26, 2015 | 3

SPORTS

UniversityStar.com

HOUSTON, from front tie the game.

Déjà vu was staring Texas State right in the face. The Bobcats lost two leads to UC Davis in the first weekend of the season.

Whitter’s out concluded a 4.1 inning performance in which he struck out three batters with no walks.

“You’re talking about a calm heartbeat in tough situations,” said Jeremy Fikac, assistant coach. “He gave us that tonight.

He’s forced our hand to put him in those situations. He’s a determined kid right now. I can’t be more proud of him. As you can see, I trust him.”

Texas State, picked second in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, began the 2015 season with the worst record

in Coach Ty Harrington’s 16-year tenure.

Doubt may have settled into the Bobcats’ minds.

A win against Houston puts that doubt in the rearview mirror.

“That’s been our whole season up to this point,” Fikac said. “We finally accepted the challenge and overcame it. What’s different tonight is that we’ve got grit. We’ve got a little confidence now. We decided to stop it. I’m proud of those kids.”

Fikac called the team’s 10-0 loss to Sam Houston State “rock bottom.” The attitude is different a week later.

“It’s a snowball effect,” said Colby Targun, senior right fielder.

“We finally picked up our first win against Wichita State and got

the hump off our back. Once you get the first hump off your shoulder, it seems like the team is starting to get things going.”

Texas State scored seven runs on eight hits, which plays into assistant coach Mike Silva’s hands.

Silva is managing an aggressive offense that wants to pressure the opposition into making mistakes.

Fikac said the team intends to create holes in the infield by utilizing drag bunts. This small-ball style is necessary because the team lacks a bona fide power hitter.

“We don’t have four or five guys in the middle of the order that can hit 10, 15, 20 home runs, so we pick up the pace and put the pressure on the other team to make a play,” said Cody Lovejoy,

senior designated hitter. “Good things start happening for an offense that moves quick like that.”

Three freshmen started in the matchup against Houston. Fikac is not hesitant to utilize his younger players in high-leverage situations at this point.

Fikac’s tactic paid off. Derek Scheible, freshman centerfielder, and Jared Huber, freshman catcher, accounted for four of the team’s seven runs.

Luke Sherley, freshman shortstop, did not record a hit, but his sacrifice bunt in the seventh inning gave the Bobcats a two-run cushion.

“The younger guys are starting to realize that with this win and the one against Wichita—two big wins against two good teams—we

are starting to realize how good this team can be,” Lovejoy said.

“That confidence is going to come from belief.”

Texas State’s upcoming fourgame series against Central Michigan is the next step toward flipping the switch in the right direction.

“Right now we can only live in the moment, and we live in the present,” Fikac said. “We’ve got two games under our belt and a two-game winning streak. I’m proud of where we are at right now. We need to carry this momentum into the weekend. Every game, every pitch, every moment is going to be important for us going forward.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL

BOBCATS PREPARE FOR ‘DO-OR-DIE’ GAME AGAINST THE TROJANS

By Sabrina Flores SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER @SabrinaFloresTX Coach Danny Kaspar approached the Texas State men’s basketball team with two questions heading into a “do-or-die” matchup against the Troy Trojans.

Are the Bobcats mature enough? Do they have the character to rise to the occasion?

“We have to come out here this week and get our two wins at home. It’s a pressure situation. I’m going to be interested in how we respond having our backs to the wall like this.”

—DANNY KASPAR, COACH Troy is a half-game behind Texas State in the Sun Belt Conference standings. Both teams are battling to secure the seventh or eighth spot for the conference tournament in New Orleans.

Kaspar believes two wins at home against Troy and Arkansas State may get Texas State into the conference tournament, but three wins would put the team in even better shape to secure an invitation.

“We dug ourselves a hole to where it’s do or die,” Kaspar

said. “We have to come out here this week and get our two wins at home. Basically, we have to win these two at home because these are the teams we are competing with. It’s a pressure situation. I’m going to be interested in how we respond having our backs to the wall like this.”

Kevin Thomas, Trojans senior forward, is second in the conference in offensive rebounding. Second-chance rebound opportunities allow Thomas to find Musa AbdulAleem, Trojans senior guard, and Wesley Person, Trojans freshman guard, to finish the offensive possession with a basket.

Halting the Trojans’ offensive rebounds will give the Bobcats the defensive edge.

Thomas averages 8.1 rebounds per game this season.

Abdul-Aleem and Person are among the top ten scorers in the Sun Belt Conference. Abdul-Aleem averages 14.9 points a game. Person averages 14 points a game.

Abdul-Aleem tallied 20 points against the Bobcats in the last meeting.

Kaspar relies on the team captains to prepare the players to shoot against Troy. Texas State defeated the Trojans 5746 in Alabama this season.

The Bobcats shot 42.9 percent from the field in the victory.

However, they have failed to shoot over 35.8 percent in the past four games.

Ethan Montalvo, junior guard, and Wes Davis, senior guard, provided offense for the Bobcats in the victory against

Troy. Montalvo had 20 points and six 3-pointers. Davis scored 13 points and had one 3-pointer.

“Ethan, DJ and Wes—those have been our three starters as guards,” Kaspar said. “And we’ve got to get some offensive production. Both Wes and Ethan gave us great games at Troy.”

The rest of the Bobcats have not shown signs of offensive production in recent matchups, which has resulted in the team’s four-game losing streak.

“It’s always harder to beat a team twice, but it’s on the line, and I think we are all ready,” Montalvo said. “Every player has their slump, whether it’s an inside post, point guard, doesn’t matter—it’s just about trying to get over it. And that’s when I lean on my teammates to give me the confidence that I need to get out of it.”

The Trojans will play a 1-3-1 zone in an effort to eliminate the offensive spark Emani Gant, junior forward, provides the Bobcats. Montalvo understands the team will rely on the backcourt to create shots because the Trojans will crowd the paint.

“We may play better away if that’s what (Kaspar) thinks, but the other teams still struggle here because of our crowd,” Montalvo said. “The fact they have to travel all the hours—I think we still have the advantage. We just have to use it. These last few games are pretty much do or die. We got to get these two if we don’t want be looking from the outside in.”

SOFTBALL

STAR FILE PHOTO

SOFTBALL

BOBCATS FACE TOUGH LINEUP IN WEEKEND INVITATIONAL

By Christian Rodriguez SPORTS REPORTER @crod9521 The Texas State softball team, 9-7, will travel to Auburn, Alabama for the first matchup of the Wilson/ Demarini Classic hosted at Auburn University’s Jane B. Moore Field.

Texas State won four of six games in the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational, taking the last two games with a combined 13 runs.

The team is scheduled to take on the No. 16 th-rankedAuburn Tigers on the first day of the tournament.

The Tigers carry a 17-1 record heading into the tournament with their only loss coming against Dartmouth in Tampa, Florida. Emily Carosone, Tigers junior infielder, and Haley Fagan, sophomore infielder, have combined for 12 home runs this year.

The Tigers are 41-7 in the past two seasons at home. The team has a 13-0 home record this year. Auburn has outscored opponents by 123 runs in these 13 games.

Texas State’s next scheduled game after Auburn is against the SIUE Cougars from Edwardsville, Illinois.

The Cougars, members of the Ohio Valley Conference, hold a 7-2 record this season. They enter the Wilson/Demarini Classic with a .311 batting average and .496 slugging percentage. Haley Chambers, junior pitcher, leads the team in innings pitched, earned run average, home runs and batting average.

SIUE Coach Sandy Montgomery is in her 27th season with the Cougars. She is a former player and the longest tenured coach at the school. The Cougars won the Ohio Valley Conference title under her leadership in 2014, earning an appearance in the NCAA Tourna-

ment.

In the third game of the Wilson/ Demarini Classic, the Bobcats will take on the Samford Bulldogs. The Bulldogs, will be the third opponent this weekend with a winning percentage above .775. Samford has an eight-game winning streak entering the tournament and is holding opponents to a .247 batting average this season.

Samford has a .360 batting average this year. Megan Dowdy, junior outfielder, leads the team with 26 hits.

In the final two games of the weekend, Texas State will face a

double-header against the Connecticut Huskies starting at 10:00 a.m.

The Huskies have played five games so far this season and hold a 3-2 record. Connecticut is the only team the Bobcats will play this weekend that did not finish with a winning record last year. They finished 13-38 last season.

Texas State will face three opponents this weekend that hit better than .300, a challenge for the pitching roster.

Randi Rupp and Taylor Webb, freshman pitchers, have a combined 103 innings this season with an 8-6 record.

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$20 pitcher and pie 2-4:45 and 10-close 700 North LBJ Drive #107

4 | The University Star | Thursday, February 26, 2015

OPINIONS

UniversityStar.com

THE MAIN POINT

Open carry inappropriate for campus setting

A

llowing campus carry at Texas State is a bad idea and leads credence to critics about the safety hazard it possess.

Apparently the Texas legislature thinks allowing hormonal, often-irrational young adults to walk around campus with guns on hand is a bright idea. We think the contrary. Having safe spaces is important and should be maintained.

The notion that more guns equal more safety is false. If it were true, America would be the safest place on earth, yet that is not the case. According to a recent study, America has both the highest rate of gun ownership and highest rate of gun-related deaths when compared with 27 other highly developed countries. Japan, on the other hand, had both the lowest rate of gun ownership and the lowest rate of gun-related deaths.

Gun ownership has aided people in saving lives or dissuading would-be offenders, but the numbers advocates use are often misleading.

One number in particular is from the National Survey of Criminal Victimization,

Implementing open carry on the Texas State campus would not add anything to the safety of the student body. If anything, students would likely be more on edge not knowing who has a gun and if the gun a person is brandishing is even legal for them to have.

The Texas State security and the campus police department do a fine job protecting Bobcats. Precautions are already in place from people who are trained in the proper ways to use and handle the guns they possess. States with higher gun-ownership experience about nine times the rate of accidental gun-related deaths compared to states with lower gun-ownership.

All the facts are saying the same thing—the more guns allowed, the more vulnerable the populace is going to be to harm and even death.

The Second Amendment is a right all Americans have and should practice if they so choose. At the same time, there is a time and place for everything. Biology class is neither the time nor the place for a semiautomatic rifle.

Greg Arellano

I

Imani McGarrell

T

he black community has been subjected to a constant cycle of oppression and gentrification since the 1950s.

Simply put, gentrification is when upper-class people sweep through and take over spaces primarily inhabited by the lower class. This usually happens between white gentrifiers and minority victims.

can use over 10 gallons of water per minute. Over-watering gardens and childhood water hose fights are vast wastes of water that happen every summer during the peak part of the year we need water the most.

San Marcos residents need to resist these considerations of weakening the water usage rules and get in the mindset and lifestyle to always conserve water. The city has such beautiful scenery, and residents cannot further intensify any actions that could cause worse droughts in the future. Austin has always set a great example for taking strides to protect the environment and conserve resources. San Marcos residents must look up to their neighbor in this time of debating water laws and adopt the same idea that conservation is always the best plan.

—Nabil Hourani is a public relations senior

—Greg Arellano is an electronic media sophomore

JORDAN GURLEY STAR ILLUSTRATOR

Gentrification consistent problem for black community

OPINIONS EDITOR @ImaniMcg

f news and media reflect the opinions and priorities of the time, then American society has got some serious soul-searching to do.

The recent coverage of Bruce Jenner’s alleged transition to life as a woman has been incredibly telling.

These incidents display a startling lack of professionalism in news media and a large amount of blatant disregard for the transgender community.

The damage was everywhere.

Headlines parading Jenner in a distasteful manner flooded newsfeeds and were met with shameless displays of normalized bigotry.

Complete strangers to Jenner’s condition, and to the state of trans issues in America, either remained lethargic over the violation of her privacy or took things a step further by mocking her. To them, having one’s privacy violated by being outed doesn’t grant a person sympathy so long as they fit the cisgender (non-trans) norm.

Inappropriate comments aside, it’s easy to see through the false professionalism many of these media outlets have. These companies acknowledge Jenner’s requests for discretion when reporting on the transition but ironically still refer to Jenner as “he.” For those who remain unfamiliar, the act of intentionally misgendering someone reflects a complete disregard for a transgender person’s self-identity.

Such a slip may have gone unnoticed by a majority of Americans who remain in the dark about issues regarding the transgender community. For those familiar with trans issues, specifically regarding privacy and media portrayal, a familiar tone of hypocrisy was settling in.

Critics may argue the media isn’t to be held responsible for the proper allocation of pronouns for transgender individuals, but that simply isn’t the case. As distributors of crucial information pertaining to society, the media is believed to be knowledgeable. The trans rights movement has had at least 50 years of influence in American culture, so creating excuses for the media’s pseudo-ignorance of the subject is unacceptable.

While the coverage of Chelsea Manning was far from perfect, it did force a lot of national media outlets to recognize trans individuals by their proper pronouns.

Although some hard-lined outlets like FOX didn’t always cooperate, it’s a shame to see other national outlets that are at least familiar with the issue of misgendering, haven’t respected Jenner’s supposed gender identification.

As if the invasion of privacy and disrespect weren’t enough, the halfhearted attempts of media coverage on transgender issues reflect their perception of trans priority. The lack of action by state and national legislators shows how hesitant American society is to address people who are different unless it’s to smear their appearances to sell magazines. This inaction is reflected in lawmakers’ failures to implement protections for transgender individuals in the legal system, whether it is through marriage licensing, employment discrimination protections, military dismissal or voter registration.

The media’s failure to recognize transgender individuals respectfully and with the influence their issues deserve has given rise to a collective air of resentment and misunderstanding that clouds the national conversation on trans equality in America. Citizens must learn to truthfully and genuinely show concern for the pain and struggle of their fellow Americans. The lack of empathy and protection under the law remains the cause and not the symptom of why the negative tone currently surrounding these issues remains socially acceptable.

In honor of Black History Month, the Opinions section will spotlight a column written by one of The University Star's black staff members in each issue. The University Star hopes to showcase a variety of perspectives in the series dedicated to bringing issues in the black community to light.

Gentrification brings with it new corporate businesses that replace the old locally owned ones. It brings fancier versions of coffee shops no one really asked for. It brings artists and gays and then lawyers and bankers. It brings the erasure of history and the people who previously inhabited a space.

Most of the time, minority communities exist because those people have no other place to live. They carve out spaces for themselves within the community and survive where they can. White people coming in and pushing them out of the only spaces they have left in the name of a trendy new neighborhood is upsetting, to say the least.

The problem with gentrification, besides the homes and communities it robs, is these people are sweeping through and changing the layout of a neighborhood. The spaces they

would have previously called “ghetto” or “decrepit” are now suddenly “charming” and “rustic.”

This instance isn’t some anomaly that only affects people in large cities. Gentrification is happening right here in Austin, in our backyards. As a black girl about to graduate and move to Austin, I’m concerned about what I’ll find there.

According to a July 18, 2014 Texas Tribune article, Austin is the only significantly fastgrowing city in America that also has a decreasing AfricanAmerican population. While the city’s population expanded by 20.4 percent from 2000 to 2010, the black population decreased by 5.4 percent.

Gentrification is not some harmless scenario that minorities have made up to feel victimized. It’s real, and it’s robbing people of their homes.

The capitalist machine that

IVERSITY STAR C A UN

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drives city transformations also drives up the cost of living until original inhabitants can no longer afford to stay.

Part of what gives a city its color and diversity is the array of neighborhoods it has.

America is often referred to as a melting pot. However, the problem with that analogy is in a melting pot, everything runs together and bleeds all over each other until nothing is discernable. America is really a mixed salad. The tomatoes and lettuce and cucumbers are all part of what makes the salad unique, but you can also tell each flavor apart.

Gentrification is taking the mixed salad and putting it into a blender—it’s still technically a salad, but the parts that stand out and make it unique are all washed away.

—Imani McGarrell is a journalism junior

ENVIRONMENT

Loosening water restrictions would intensify drought

Nabil Hourani OPINIONS COLUMNIST @nabil_hourani

S

an Marcos officials are currently considering loosening the water usage restriction laws. This is an idea residents should not support. Instead they should be taking action to conserve as much water as possible.

Droughts have been plaguing Texas in recent years. Weakening San Marcos’ drought restrictions will put residents

in the wrong mindset—that it’s okay to overuse water in these years of severe drought.

The City of Austin has taken steps to ensure strict water usage rules are upheld and enforced. San Marcos officials do not need to be doing the exact opposite by allowing residents to use more water. Instead, the city should be adopting its neighbor’s ideas about these water restrictions.

The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) was established in 1999 to chart and record the levels of drought conditions occurring throughout the country.

According to the USDM, as of Feb. 17, about 70 percent of Texas is experiencing some level of drought.

These droughts will not ease off in Texas in the years to come. Policies must be set in San Marcos and statewide to ensure people are not overusing water, no matter the drought level affecting the area.

The University Star Interim 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

Media should be considerate toward trans community

OPINIONS COLUMNIST @GregGonewild

MN OLU

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

which cites 100,000 uses a year of guns in defense. The problem arises when one realizes these numbers are from the early 1990s, a time laden with crime.

Thankfully, crime rates have decreased over 46 percent between 1991 and 2013.

The usage of guns in selfdefense should reasonably have lowered accordingly.

The more guns a place has, naturally, the more gunrelated deaths will occur. In fact, according to a University of Pennsylvania study, people who own guns are 4.5 times more likely to be shot than those who do not.

If this was not bad enough, they are also 4.2 times more likely to be killed than their unarmed counterparts.

This isn’t exactly the safest environment to spring on a confined campus filled with over 37,000 people walking around.

Aside from the safety concerns involved with people carrying guns in case of an emergency, it is difficult for cops to differentiate between the “bad guy with a gun” and the “good guy with a gun.”

In high-stakes situations, a gun is a gun.

LGBTQIA

People must understand water is not a limitless resource.

The supply of clean, drinkable water shrinks every day.

Recycling efforts are trying to keep up with the rate at which people are wasting water.

The Sacramento Suburban Water District made a detailed list of 25 ways people may be wasting water every day. Some of the wasteful habits on the list include over-watering lawns during the hot hours of the day and taking exceptionally long showers. Reducing shower time by 1-2 minutes can save up to 700 gallons of water a month.

A low-flow showerhead might save up to 800 gallons a month.

Summer days of swimming in a freshly filled pool and having water hose fights in the front yard may be cherished childhood memories for some.

However, it’s important to realize how moments like these can be vastly wasteful of our clean water supply. A garden hose

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

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, February 26, 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.

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

The University Star | Thursday, February 26, 2015 | 5

LIFESTYLE

UniversityStar.com

‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ performance captivates audience

By Denise Cervantes LIFESTYLE REPORTER @Cervantesdenise Texas State’s Department of Theatre and Dance put on Tennessee William’s drama “A Streetcar Named Desire” Feb. 17-22 at the Patti Strickel Harrison Theatre.

The show, directed by Michael Costello, is set in New Orleans in 1947. It follows the cynical story of Blanche DuBois, an alcoholic with a dark past.

Whisperers and stirs could be heard throughout the theatre lobby and auditorium before the performance. Audience members were discussing the length of the play. The show was three and a half hours long and contained two ten-minute intermissions.

“I can honestly say that I never got bored during the whole show, and I get distracted easily,” said Haley Ramirez, Texas State alumna. “But I was able to enjoy the whole thing. I didn’t think I would be into it as much as I was.”

Jessica McMichael, assistant director, said rehearsals for the show began Jan. 5 and pre-production started in November.

McMichael said moving rehearsals from the Theatre Center’s mainstage to the Patti Strickel Harrison Theatre was the biggest problem the show faced.

“Changing spaces is a bit of a bump just because a room feels different,” McMichael said. “You don’t have things like spiral staircases.”

The chemistry between the actors was unmistakable. The audience’s reactions broke the silence during tense scenes. The cast portrayed a series of intimate moments on stage and worked hard to make them come across as genuine.

Janet Ferguson, audience member, said she highly recommends the play.

“I have seen two other renditions of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ but I have never seen one quite like this one,” Ferguson said.

“My eyes watered during the third

act. I thought the actors did a wonderful job of portraying their characters, especially the young lady who played Blanche.”

Effort and collaboration helped bring “A Streetcar Named Desire” to life. Each cue was analyzed to fit the show well, and the set, lighting and sound design came together seamlessly.

“A lot of things went really well,” McMichael said. “The actors were very professional. The stage crew was amazing. I’ve worked with stage crews in professional theatre, and they were not as professional as these people.”

Ferguson said Texas State’s rendition of “A Streetcar Named Desire” resonated well with the audience.

“Tennessee Williams is one my favorite playwrights,” Ferguson said. “And I am so happy and, in a way, a bit surprised by how well these young college students were able to tell this story and put the whole thing together. They have real talent—both actors and people working backstage.”

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E-mail resume to Susan at aggiemd98@gmail.com KUNGFUSANMARCOS.COM DRIVERS-LOCAL The Student Publications Board of the Texas State School of Journalism and Mass Communication is conducting an all-campus open petitioning process to select a student as Editor-in-Chief of The University Star. Term begins one week following the final issue of 2015 Spring Semester publication schedule. Applicants must be available to serve the entire term of the appointment. Each applicant is asked to complete a written petition, which is subsequently screened by members of the student publications board.

The board will interview qualified candidates for the position. The student publications board includes the journalism sequence coordinator in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, the assistant director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a member of the print medium who is selected by the director of student publications. The director of student publications and the current editor-in-chief serve as ex officio members for the committee.

Minimum Qualifications

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To qualify, applicants must be enrolled in at least nine hours each semester during the term of office. Students graduating in the final semester of the appointment (Spring Semester 2016) may be enrolled in fewer hours as long as they meet graduation requirements. Applicants must have worked in a professional editorial environment, or have served as a section editor at a university student newspaper.

Students of all majors and classifications, including graduate students, may petition for the position. Applicants must be in good academic standing with the university when submitting an application. An overall minimum 2.5 grade-point average is required for application consideration.

Term of Office Term of office begins following the final publication of the Spring 2015 semester and runs through the Spring 2016 semester. Applicants must be able to serve the entire term of office in order to be considered for the position. A salary is paid during the term of office.

Petitioning Process A written petition is to be completed by each applicant.

This petition consists of questions to determine an applicant’s qualifications in journalism academics and management. A letter of interest must be included with the formal application. The letter should address personal characteristics addressing reasons the applicant is qualified for the position. Applicants, certified as qualified by the student publications board, will be interviewed. The board will select the editor-in-chief.

Petitioning Deadlines Applications for the position will be due by noon, Wednesday April 1 to the Director of Student Publications, Trinity Building, Room 107. People interested in petitioning should sign a candidacy list in Trinity, Room 107 and acquire an information package. Qualified applicants will be notified and interviews will be scheduled beginning April 13. Selection of the editor-in-chief will be made shortly after interviews have been completed for the position. Formal assumption of duties will begin one week after the final newspaper of the Spring Semester is published.

The University Star Mission

PACKETS AVAILABLE: March 2, noon; Trinity, Room 107

The editor is the primary student editorial administrator for The University Star and has authority in all personnel matters and makes the final decision regarding news, sports, feature, photo, Web and opinion content. The editor determines daily operation guidelines, provides a role model for professional behavior, delegates operational authority and fulfills policies and procedures as determined by the student publications board and faculty adviser. The editor oversees meetings and handles personnel problems, evaluates all copy and artwork for each publication. The editor-in-chief is responsible for hiring, properly training and supervising all members of the editorial board. The editor-in-chief promotes relations between the publication, the community and campus organizations. The editor-in-chief is also the voice of the publication with the community.

DEADLINE: Wednesday, April 1; noon; Trinity, Room 107 INTERVIEWS: April 13

6 | The University Star | Lifestyle | Thursday, February 26, 2015

PICKS OF THE WEEKEND

By Mariah Simank ASSISTANT LIFESTYLE EDITOR @MariahSimank

for the HUMORIST

The Student Association for Campus Activities will welcome comedian Nick Guerra to the LBJ Student Center Feb. 27. Guerra recently won StandUpNBC and earned a one-year talent contract. Tickets to the event are free to students and faculty.

for the HISTORIAN

The Witliff Collections will be hosting a discussion March 1 over the Homegrown exhibit. According to the website, the exhibit examines how over 140 vintage posters from the late ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s reflect Austin’s culture. Those interested in attending the event, which will be moderated by poster historian Nels Jacobson, are asked to RSVP to thewittliffcollections@txstate.edu.

for the OUTDOORSMAN

Those willing to make the drive to Austin this weekend can take part in the 86th annual ABC Zilker Kite

Festival. According to the festival website, the free event is considered by many to be the unofficial start of spring in the city. The festival takes place on Sunday, March 1 at Zilker Park and will feature kite contests and food from Austin’s best food trailers.

for the HEALTHY EATER

Students looking for local produce options should take advantage of the San Marcos Farmers Market, which takes place every Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market is located on San Antonio Street between North LBJ Drive and Guadalupe Street, making it an easy walk from campus, according to the website.

for the COUNTRY MUSIC FAN

Sam Riggs and the Night People will return to San Marcos Feb. 27 at Cheatham Street Warehouse. The country rock singer has been performing since 2007 and released his debut full-length album, Outrun the Sun, in 2013. The show is open to attendees aged 18 and over. Tickets can be found for $10 at cheathamstreet.com.

The McCoy EXPERIENCE BUSINESS LEADERSHIP WEEK 2/16/15

2/19/15

Thank You to everyone who helped make Business Leadership Week 2015 a success!

Diane Gottsman of The Protocol School of Texas JCPenney, MassMutual, Sephora, White Lodging plus 34 Guest Speakers, Panelists & Judges Special mention goes to our sponsors:

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Where the good meat is

With your support an estimated 3,940 students, faculty and staff participated in events that included lectures, leadership panels, a case competition, etiquette dinner and interactive fair.

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