February 4 2016

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THURSDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2016 VOLUME 105 ISSUE 39

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SAFETY

UPD undergoing changes The Blanco River running through a surrounding area near the University Camp Jan. 31.

ALYSSA DUGAN-RODRIQUEZ | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

versity Camp during the day to bring a tent because it is not as shady as it used to be. “Unfortunately, we lost many trees, but we do have some major giant cypress trees left that luckily survived,” Johnson said. University Camp is in a major flood zone and there are signs at the site that alert its visitors to this, Johnson said. After the Memorial Day flood, there have been discussions with the staff about what to do in the event of another flash flood. “The Hill Country of Texas is known as flash flood alley,” Johnson said. “Keep knowledgeable about what’s going on with the weather before your trip and during your trip for a safer experience.” As spring approaches, Johnson said it is the perfect time to re-open University

The University Police Department is undergoing changes after Chief Ralph Meyer officially retired Jan. 1 after 20 years of service. Captain Rickey Lattie will be serving as interim director until UPD hires a replacement for Chief Meyer. “We are in the interview process of hiring a new chief,” Lattie said. “We currently have four candidates coming to the campus for interviews and any of those four are a possibility at this point.” There have been six police chiefs throughout the course of UPD’s history, including Meyer. “I was with Chief Meyer for 18 years at Texas State,” said Captain Daniel Benitez. “We accomplished a lot of things and I know that in this line of work there is still time to improve, but at some point you need to retire and enjoy the rest of your life.” Benitez said welcoming a new chief will be a transition for the university police, along with the changes he or she might bring to the department. “Over all, I think the university has just gotten better over the years,” Lattie said. “Each leader (we’ve) had has been dedicated to making things better than the one before.”

See CAMP, Page 2

See UPD, Page 2

University Camp reopened for students and faculty By Clayton Kelley SENIOR NEWS REPORTER @Claytonkelley

U

niversity Camp reopened Jan. 19 after closing to the public in the aftermath of the record-breaking Memorial Day flood which devastated Hays County and other areas of Central Texas. After being closed for over eight months, University Camp officials said they are currently in need of student reservations as the camp tries to gain back business. “It’s very obvious that the force of the river has made a powerful statement and the landscape has changed dramatically,” said John Johnson, assistant director of Outdoor Recreations. “That said, it still remains a very beautiful place to visit and so we encourage people to go out there and take a

look at it.” The cleanup process for University Camp was delayed until last September due to the amount of paperwork that had to be done beforehand, Johnson said. The cleanup lasted until Dec. 1 and was a threemonth process. “There were probably four or five tons of flood debris deposited on the river plains,” Johnson said. “We’re talking trees, vehicles, a lot of silt and sand, trash, pieces of structures—the tonnage was immense and took a huge cleanup effort.” Johnson said cleanup involved heavy machinery because of the vast amount of mulch that had to be covered over the area and the separation of debris and trash. Although many people helped assist in the cleanup effort for the camp, nature also played a role in repairing the area.

“It’s a double edge sword, the way it played out, because the Halloween flood in October actually helped improved the whole area,” Johnson said. “The flow of the river came in and cleaned out a lot of the lower flood plain, removing all of the silt and the sand that had been stacked up.” Former Texas State student and Wimberley resident, James Lanham Cook, said the city made a huge impact on supporting local sites that were heavily affected from the flood. “People really came together here and it seemed like everyone in the town was volunteering to help out,” Cook said. “Outside of the damage and the loss that people experienced, that was the big story from the flood, the triumph of the town.” As of right now, Johnson said he hopes to reconfigure the majority of the campsites

and the day use area. Currently, there are only five campsites available with the day use area, fitting 24 people in four different groups. Over the course of the year, outdoor recreation officials hope to add three additional sites and increase the activities during day use. “We really want students to know about the day use opportunities here because it’s such a cool place to escape to on a weekday afternoon with your friends,” Johnson said. “Swimming, hiking, you can have the entire property to yourself and it feels a lot bigger than only 126 acres.” Johnson said some trail sections at the camp are a few of the main things needing to be renovated. “The trail can still be hiked, but it needs some adjustments,” Johnson said. He recommends those who plan on staying at Uni-

By Madison Morriss SENIOR NEWS REPORTER @themorrisscode

CITY

Q&A with Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe, Precinct 1

The Texas primary elections are quickly approaching. The University Star spoke with Precinct 1 Hays County Commissioner incumbent Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe to discuss her campaign. BORN: June 29, 1960 OCCUPATION: Hays County

born and raised here and just love the area, and never left. And that’s why I call it home, still. AH: Why did you decide to run for public office? DI: It’s just so rewarding, being able to be in a position where you can actually see results. As a court member, I’ve worked really hard to bring positive change to our county. I’ve had the opportunity to bring some positive changes to a very fastgrowing area of the state. Hays County continues to be one of the fastest growing counties in the nation and if we don’t get ahead of this continued growth that we’re seeing, then our county and cities can suffer. I think that our court has done that. I’ve taken a leadership role in areas where I can have those changes made and make a difference. AH: In your opinion, what are the biggest issues Hays COURTESY OF ?!?! County faces, and, if elected, Commissioner, Precinct 1 how would you tackle these incumbent issues? EDUCATION: Studied at Texas DI: Well, transportation is State University, certified certainly going to continue peace officer to be an issue. As I stated, being one of the fastest growANNA HEROD: Where do you ing counties in the nation, call home and why? if we don’t get ahead of the DEBBIE GONZALES INGALSBE: I growth that is coming and call San Marcos home. I was have a good transporta-

tion system, we will suffer as some neighboring cities and counties have. And so I think that is really important for us to ensure that we have the mobility and the safety and the connectivity for our residents and those travelling through our county. Economic development with job growth and job retention is a very high priority for me. We, as a county, have worked very hard to ensure that we have good companies coming into our county and our cities. (Companies) that have good high-paying jobs for those, especially graduates of Texas State. So many of the students that I have talked to say that they really fall in love with Hays County or with San Marcos, but jobs aren’t available so they’re having to move on. We have worked very closely with Texas State and the Greater San Marcos Partnership to incorporate the skills that we are turning out at the university. So we want to ensure that we have those good high paying, quality jobs that are safe and good to the environment so that we can keep both Texas State students and our own children here in San Marcos and Hays County. So, economic development is very

important. I think water will continue to be an issue for us. Hays County will continue to help and support our cities in any way that we can to ensure that we have the water that is needed for our future. I think that San Marcos and other cities have done a great job ensuring that will happen. There are also other parts of our county that are having to make certain that they also have the water that they need to sustain the growth that they’re seeing. So water will continue to be an issue for us that we will all have to coordinate together and make sure that we have the water resources we need. Lastly, as a commissioner and county, it is important that we continue to look at all modes of transportation, to include transit and passenger and commuter rail, to address the continued increase in traffic and congestion. Those are three issues off the top of my head that I can think of that are really important and we need to keep working on. AH: Why should Hays County residents vote to elect you? DI: I hope my record has shown that I am a consensus

builder, that I have done my best to ensure that the services that our citizens need and want are provided. But also, I have tried to do that in a very conscientious way because we understand that a lot of people that come into Hays County are of retirement age, and they are on fixed incomes. So, we’ve got to ensure that Hays County continues to be an affordable place to live. So, it’s been very important to me to maintain our tax rate. I have done my best to provide the services they need at an affordable cost, and the services we provide our residents I hope are what they want to see. We’ve tried to do a lot in providing parks and open space because we know many of our citizens said that was very important to them. And we’ve done that. We’ve partnered with the city of San Marcos, and Kyle and private entities to bring those amenities to (residents) because of those reasons. And I hope that they feel I’ve represented them well. This job is very important to me and I understand the needs of our residents and I’ve tried to provide for those needs in a cost-effective, conscientious way.

Let all of campus know about your upcoming nuptials by being included in the Star’s 2016 Bridal issue, hitting stands February 25.

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February 4 2016 by The University Star - Issuu