2 | The University Star | News | Tuesday February 11, 2014
CORE, continued from front The recommendations for the changes were made by the general education council, Bourgeois said. The council decided to remove the lab and PFW requirements to “get from 46 to 42 hours” while keeping the same amount of core courses, Bourgeois said. Additionally, the changes to the core curriculum state all core courses must incorporate critical thinking and communication skills as well as two additional objectives, with the exception being mathematics courses, Bourgeois said. Courses will now be assessed through the new objectives to see how students are performing in those areas, said Ron Brown, assistant vice president for Academic Services. “What’s different is that before, a faculty member might or might not specifically target these so called core objectives or competencies in their individual classes, now they don’t have a choice—they have to do it,” Brown said.
The new core curriculum requirements will apply to new students in fall 2014, but thechanges also have the potential to affect currently enrolled students. Current students have the option to move into the new curriculum next fall if they wish, said Mickey Autrey, director of curriculum services. Autrey said she thinks the main reason the coordinating board made the changes is to make the transfer process between community colleges and universities “more streamlined.” The changes will be published in the undergraduate catalog and all academic advisors will be informed of the changes, Autrey said. “The timing of it is very sensitive in that we get as much of the revisions out to the advisors to give to the students so that we get accurate registration,” Autrey said.” But some of that may take a while to get the changes made.”
WEATHER, continued from front walkways, help custodians mop water and ensure heaters are working in the buildings, Guerra said. “The whole facilities crew knows that we still have 6,000 students living on campus,” Guerra said. “We still have to show up and make sure all the utilities, all the heaters and all the buildings are still working.” Guerra said continued cold weather conditions have increased consumption of natural gas to heat buildings on campus. The university pays a flat natural gas rate that expires at the end of March, Guerra said. “Normally we run two boilers, but this winter we’re running all four boilers to keep up with demand on campus for the heating,” Guerra said. “We locked in our rate, so at least we’re not seeing the spike in prices that others are seeing. We’re not fluctuating with the market right now.” The university “could have taken a hit” from the cost of natural gas with the abnormal consumption this winter, if not for the “locked in” rate, according to Nance. Emergency Management officials advise administrators about inclement weather conditions, but University President Denise Trauth makes the fi-
nal decisions regarding campus closures and delays, said Palmer, Emergency Management coordinator. New procedures were implemented last week to notify students of campus closures by 2 a.m. on the morning of adverse conditions. Palmer said road conditions are a “huge factor” in deciding whether to close campus because some students have “quite a bit of highway” to reach campus. Emergency Management officials hold conference calls with various county and state agencies including the Department of Transportation for updates about conditions. “It’s kind of been an aggressive winter, especially in the past few weeks,” Palmer said. Future inclement weather decisions will be weighed heavily, especially since there has been a reduction in classroom productivity resulting from campus closures and delays this semester, Nance said. “It’s a very complex and difficult decision to make when you have to close,” Nance said. “Lost productivity is serious, but if it’s a serious ice day, the number one priority is people’s safety. So you err on the side of caution, even though there is a consequence to closing.”
FREEMAN, continued from front Bill Nance, vice president for Finance and Support Services. “To maximize the value of what they sell the current show barn land for, they’re looking for free land somewhere to build a new show barn,” Nance said. Texas State is an operating co-trustee of Freeman Ranch along with the Frost Bank trust department in San Antonio. Frost Bank must approve any decision regarding its use, Nance said. “If you read the will in total, it goes on to say that if we act in a manner that Frost Bank’s trust department believes is not consistent with Mr. Freeman’s wishes in his will, they can take [the land] back,” Nance said. The ranch land would then be sold and the proceeds distributed to certain charity organizations, according to the terms of the will. The will stipulates the university cannot lease or “otherwise encumber” Freeman Ranch, meaning anything that might impair Frost Bank’s ability to maximize the profit from the sale of the land is forbidden, Nance said. “A lease is out of the question, but it doesn’t have to be a formal lease document for them to take [the land] away from us,” Nance said. County officials are still committed to exploring solutions that might allow the
facility to be built in compliance with the terms of the will, such as a possible licensing agreement, Conley said. “It would be some other type of instrument where we would invest in the building of a facility that would add value to the land,” Conley said. There is a chance county officials will bring their case before the Board of Regents pending the outcome of the county’s ongoing conversation with the university, Conley said. “My understanding is that ultimately, the authority lies with the board,” Conley said. “But the support of university officials is essential.” The county does not have the ability to take a formal action item to the Board of Regents, but officials may use the fiveminute public comment period at the end of the meeting to speak to the board, Nance said. Provost Eugene Bourgeois said he does not expect a change in Texas State’s decision. “We respect very much Frost Bank’s trust department’s interpretation of that will and their fiduciary obligations to be a co-trustee,” Bourgeois said. “That is their interpretation of the language surrounding that meaning of encumbrance, and we respect and accept that.”
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Strange, but informative.
Age
Compensation Requirements
Timeline
Men and Postmenopausal or Surgically Sterile Women 18 to 55
Up to $1200
Healthy & Tue. 18 Feb. through Thu. 20 Feb. Non-Smoking Outpatient Visit: 25 Feb. BMI between 19 and 35
Men and Postmenopausal or Surgically Sterile Women 18 to 50
Up to $1500
Healthy & Thu. 20 Feb. through Mon. 24 Feb. Non-Smoking Outpatient Visit: 27 Feb. BMI between 18 and 33
Men and Surgically Sterile Women 18 to 45 Men and Postmenopausal or Surgically Sterile Women 18 to 50
Up to $1500
Up to $1500
Healthy & Thu. 27 Feb. through Mon. 3 Mar. Non-Smoking Outpatient Visit: 7 Mar. BMI between 18 and 32 Weigh at least 132 lbs. Healthy & Thu. 27 Feb. through Mon. 3 Mar. Non-Smoking Outpatient Visit: 6 Mar. BMI between 18 and 33