January 30 2014

VOLUME 103, ISSUE 50

www.UniversityStar.com

January 30, 2014

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GO TIME Texas State @ Western Kentucky

Coach Danny Kaspar’s first team at Texas State will defend the eighth and final spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament against the Hilltoppers Saturday.

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B1 Madelynne Scales | Star File Photo

TRANSPORTATION

Officials propose changes to parking system to alleviate all-zone congestion

By Kelsey Bradshaw News Reporter

S

everal changes may be made to the parking system at Texas State to prevent students who live on campus from purchasing perimeter parking permits, which officials say has created difficulties for commuter students.

During a presentation to the Faculty Senate Wednesday, Nancy Nusbaum, interim director of Transportation Services, said many residential students have purchased cheaper $115 purple perimeter passes as opposed to $485 green residential permits. This has left 500 to 600 residential parking spots empty and the commuter lots full. Parking Services administrators have made several recommendations to the permit system at Texas State to help alleviate this issue, among others, Nusbaum told faculty senators.

PROPOSED CHANGES Residential students would no longer have the option to purchase perimeter permits.

Green residential permits would decrease in price from $485 to $435.

Silver Bobcat Village permits would decrease in price from $265 to $235.

Residential students parking in all-zone lots intended for purple perimeter passes are not using their cars every day, forcing commuters to circle the lots to find a spot, Nusbaum said. A proposed “storage permit” would allow residential students who do not use their vehicles daily to park at the back of the Mill

CITY

Council extends home improvement incentive program

By Maggie Montes News Reporter

Austin Humphreys | Star File Photo Street lot. The storage permits would be priced at $115, Nusbaum said.

Students who purchase the storage permits would be able to take the Bobcat Village tram to get to campus from the Mill Street lot. After 5 p.m. each Friday, students with storage permits would be allowed to move their cars to their dorms and park anywhere in any zone for the weekend. In addition, cars with storage permits would have to relocate from the Mill Street lot for home football games.

Additionally, residential students would no longer have the option to purchase perimeter permits.

However, green residential permit prices could decrease from $485 to $435 pending approval, Nusbaum said.

“The residential students will no longer be able to buy a perimeter permit to protect our commuter students, but we wanted to give them an option,” Nusbaum said.

Students who live at Bobcat Village are also expected to see changes to their parking permits in the fall, Nusbaum said.

There are 600 total spaces avail-

able around the complex, but only 445 Bobcat Village permits were purchased this school year, as many students purchased perimeter passes instead, Nusbaum said. The Bobcat Village permit price is proposed to decrease from $265 to $235, though Bobcat Village residents will not be allowed to purchase a perimeter permit, Nusbaum said.

“The reason is because they essentially have a reserved space,” Nusbaum said.

Susan Weill, journalism and mass communication senator, asked whether it would be better to lower all of the parking permit rates altogether.

If all the parking permits were able to be lowered, almost 17,000 permits would have to be sold for under $100 for parking services to make the same profit they are bringing in currently, Nusbaum said.

Faculty senators will present the proposed recommendations for the parking permit program to the Associate Student Government and the Residence Hall Association.

President’s Cabinet administrators will give final approval for the plan.

San Marcos home and business owners looking to make improvements to their properties will continue to be able to receive an exemption on permits after city councilmembers voted to extend an incentive program last month.

San Marcos city councilmembers voted to extend the Residential Home Improvement Incentive Program for homeowners through the 2014 calendar year during their Dec. 7 meeting. Before the program was first established in June 2011, home and business owners were required to apply and pay for a permit before making improvements on their residents or storefronts. Over the past few years, the incentive program has enabled home and business owners the ability to receive the permits without having to pay a fee.

Danielle Charles | Staff Photographer McCoy’s Building Supply is participating in an incentive program that waives permit fees for homeowners or buisinesses looking to make improvements to property locations.

By renewing this program, the city hopes to continuously encourage homeowners to improve their properties, said Kristy Stark, assistant director of planning development services for San Marcos. The program has had great success, with about 50 and 60 homeowners utilizing it in the past year, Stark said.

From March to December 2012, 21 homeowners joined the program, which would have brought in $2,361 in permit fees. During January through November 2013, 52 homeowners participated and were exempted from

See IMPROVEMENT, Page 2

A2 | The University Star | News | Thursday January 30, 2014

IMPROVEMENT, continued from front paying approximately $4,072 in permit fees.

The incentive program is much needed and continues to help a number of San Marcos homeowners, said Randy Haas, manager of McCoy’s Building Supply.

“We still get an estimated five to 10 donation requests a week for people that need help, whether it’s a group or individual project,” Haas said.

Although the incentive program’s main target audience is homeowners, some “mom-and-pop shops” receive assistance as well, Haas said.

Residents who obtain permits from the city for improvement projects are able to receive discounts on store products through local retailers who partner with the incentive program each year. McCoy’s Building Supply is currently the

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only official participant in the program for 2014, Stark said.

McCoy’s Building Supply offers various discounts, including $20 off a purchase of $100 or more.

The process to apply for a discount at the store is very simple, said Dan Stauffer, vice president of marketing and real estate at McCoy’s Building Supply. Residents must have a San Marcos building permit within 30 days of issue as well as current identification to receive a coupon for McCoy’s Building Supply, Stauffer said.

“We enjoy helping, especially in a situation when people need help, and we do get a lot of positive reactions when people are done with their home improvements,” Haas said. “We are known for that here in San Marcos. We are willing to help.”

CITY

Study shows university contributes to job growth San Marcos is a part of a metropolitan area that is seeing significant job growth due to the presence of the university, according to a recent report by the Milken Institute.

Milken, a nonprofit economic research company, ranked the San Marcos-Austin-Round Rock area number one in its annual “BestPerforming Cities 2013” report.

Each year, Milken studies metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) around the country and ranks the cities based on job development.

The institute looks at components such as growth in jobs, wages and salary and high-tech gross domestic product to determine which areas are the highest performing.

Employment growth weighs the most in the ranking process because it signals the quality of the jobs being created and retained, said Minoli Ratnatunga, economist and coauthor of the report.

The presence of large universities in metros creates a demand for high-quality jobs, which improve a region’s overall wage structure,

Ryan O’ Keefe, marketing freshman, plays a game of pool Jan. 29 at Tower Hall.

Ratnatunga said.

“Looking at the results of our analysis, you certainly do see a lot of cities with major universities in the top 25 of the big cities and in several of the small cities that performed very well,” Ratnatunga said.

Cities that have an educated workforce tend have high job growth, Ratnatunga said “There’s a benefit to training your workforce for future economic growth,” Ratnatunga said.

“There’s also the sort of spinout effects that universities can foster through tech transfer and partnerships with private institutions.”

According to the report, research within a university can aid in recruiting firms outside of the region to the area.

“Right now, our economic incentives are based off larger corporations,” said Councilwoman Lisa Prewitt, Place 1.

Allison Brouillette | Staff Photographer

PRESS RELEASE

Housing complex receives environmental certification University President Denise Trauth celebrated the North Campus Housing Complex's receipt of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) during a ceremony Jan. 29.

Pam Bixby Losefsky, executive director of the USGBC, presented the plaque of recognition during the event at Texas State. The Gold certification recognizes the university’s dedication to sustainability, energy efficiency, water conservation and air quality. This the first LEED Gold certification not only for Texas State but for the entire Texas State University System.

"When we dedicated this building in August 2012, we were thrilled to add this beautiful student housing

—Compiled by Drew Castillo, news reporter

complex because it allowed us to expand on our mission of keeping freshman connected to the campus," Trauth said. "Today, we are just as thrilled to announce that this residential complex has been LEED certified at the Gold level by the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the first building in the entire Texas State University System to be so designated."

According to the USGBC, LEED is a "voluntary, consensus-based, market-driven program that provides third-party verification of green buildings." An organization’s participation "demonstrates leadership, innovation, environmental stewardship and social responsibility." LEED offers a framework for establishing efficient and sustainable solutions in the design and maintenance of new con-

struction.

In collaboration with the Office of Facilities Planning at Texas State, the Department of Housing and Residential Life's goals for the north side complex were to construct a student residential complex with minimal impact on the environment and to provide a safe, clean home for 612 students. Of the materials used, more than 30 percent contain recycled content and more than 35 percent are from regional sources. In addition, 77 percent of construction waste was recycled.

In an effort to keep residents healthy, the department used lowemitting materials during construction, reducing the volatile off-gassing chemicals found in many new build-

See CERTIFICATION, Page 3

RESEARCH

Texas State researchers develop process for energy-storing ‘supercapacitors’

By Drew Castillo News Reporter

Texas State researchers have developed a process to create high-heat tolerant, energy storing “supercapacitors” from a raw material that will help green energy initiatives in the future.

The capacitors store an electrical charge that can be rapidly transferred to electronic devices.

“Supercapacitors” function like capacitors but can store a greater charge in a smaller package.

The raw material, calciumcopper-titanate, or CCTO, was recognized as a possible supercapacitor material in 2000 and has since been studied worldwide.

According to Raghvendra Pandey, electrical engineering professor, he and William Stapleton, assistant professor of electrical engineering, have been studying CCTO for several years.

“What we’ve done is worked on refining the process of manufacturing to maximize the ability of CCTO to service as a capacitor,” Stapleton said.

Supercapacitors that offer efficient, high-speed energy with a large amount of storage are important in many fields, Stapleton said. Green energy and electric vehicles could profit instantly from the CCTO material, he said.

CCTO is made into a ceramic

material by using heat, pressure and time so that it has the best possible properties as a capacitor, Stapleton said.

“This material has a lot of potential and I think we can continue to refine what we can do with it,” Stapleton said.

The group of researchers, led

by Pandey, found the efficiency of a CCTO supercapacitor depends on the relationship between two properties of the material known as permittivity and loss tangent.

Permittivity is the quality of the capacitor material that allows it to store energy. Higher permittivity values characterize a superior capacitor, Pandey said.

The loss tangent, or loss factor of energy, is determined by how much goes into and out of the capacitor, Stapelton said.

“It tends to be, for any material, that the more energy you’re storing, the higher the loss factor is,” Stapleton said.

The problem has been finding ways to raise the amount of energy stored in the capacitor while reducing the loss of energy, Stapleton said.

When the loss of energy is high, the capacitor cannot hold a saved charge for more than a few seconds, Pandey said.

Efforts to hold the high permittivity while reducing the loss of energy would fail in CCTO unless the material is processed in the

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Sonja Burton | Staff Photographer William Stapleton, assistant professor at the Ingram School of Engineering, leads a research team at Texas State in the development of a “supercapacitor” capable of storing greater amounts of energy in smaller packages. ceramic way, Stapleton said.

Ceramic material is ideal for harsh environments because it is durable and capable of handling high temperatures, Stapleton said.

The current form of capacitors cannot handle that sort of temperature range, while the CCTO

based materials can withstand up to about 700 degrees centigrade, Stapleton said.

The research was done under a contract from US Ferroics LLC, the company that was the main contractor for the project, funded by the Air Force Office of

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Scientific Research, Pandey said.

Neither the company nor the Air Force showed any interest in protecting the invention by filing for a patent, so there are no plans to commercialize the work, Pandey said.

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CERTIFICATION, continued from page 2 ings. Walk-off mats were installed at exterior doors to control the dust and dander being carried into the buildings. In addition, light occupancy sensors are used in lounges and study rooms to decrease unnecessary electricity usage.

Current residents enjoy their new home while sharing in water and energy conservation efforts.

A 40,000-gallon tank is situated in the courtyard and collects condensation from the air-conditioning system as well as from rain run-off. The collected water is used to irrigate the almost three acres of property that surround the complex, which has been landscaped with native Texas plant materials.

In addition, community-style bathrooms are designed to curb water consumption. Showerheads

use only 1.8 gallons of water per minute, and faucets use 0.5 gallons of water per minute. Toilets use only 1.6 gallons of water per flush.

The two residence halls--Gaillardia and Chautauqua--are the first in a series of residential communities to be constructed at Texas State. The West Campus Housing Complex is now under construction. The complex’s two new residential communities are scheduled to open for the 2014-15 academic year. The department plans to continue utilizing green building practices in all new projects and hopes these halls will inspire residents to be better stewards of the environment.

—Courtesy of University News Service

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The University Star | News | Thursday January 30, 2014 | A3

A4 | The University Star | Thursday January 30, 2014

OPINIONS

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THE MAIN POINT

Recommendation for same-sex marriage benefits deserves support from Trauth

T

he Faculty Senate’s recommendation to extend benefits to faculty in federally recognized marriages is a solid one, but an endorsement from President Denise Trauth would propel Texas State to the forefront of the fight for equal rights.

According to a Jan. 23 University Star article, senators plan on bringing their endorsement to the Board of Regents and possibly to Trauth.

The editorial takes it that “federally recognized” is a euphemism for “same-sex,” and Faculty Senate’s recommendation aims to grant marriage benefits to federally legal spouses of university faculty regardless of sex—even if the union remains unrecognized by Texas law.

Texas A&M University’s Faculty Senate took a similar stance in 2012, but no major public university president in Texas has voiced explicit support of same-sex marriage benefits for university employees.

If Trauth were publicly support If Trauth were to publicly support to same-sex employee same-sex employee marriage marriage benefits, she would be benefits, she would be among the among the first in position to do first in her position to do so. her so. However, even with backing from the Board of Regents, enacting such a policy would be difficult—numerous state laws prevent direct marriage benefits for same-sex spouses of government employees.

House Bill 1140 and Senate Bill 1486 attempted to circumvent such laws in the 83rd legislative session by proposing the UT and A&M systems extend employee benefits to any “qualified individual,” but both died in committee. Commitment from one public university president is likely not enough to prevent a similar outcome in the next session. However, an announcement by Trauth to protect equal marriage benefits, and the attention it would garner, would likely put pressure on other university presidents and regents to follow suit.

A symbolic show of support from President Trauth would go a long way, even it remained legally impossible to implement the policy change due to state laws. The university has taken numerous actions to make LGBTQIA students feel comfortable on campus, but becoming the first Texas public university president to endorse same-sex marriage benefits would elevate Texas State’s image as an equality-driven institution on a national scale.

Texas public universities are losing out on highquality faculty members who choose to seek employment elsewhere because of the lack of benefits.

Texas State lacks much out-of-state recognition, so it rarely has the opportunity to make major national headlines. However, a unique opportunity is now presented to Trauth, especially since no precedent has yet to be established in Texas regarding equal marriage benefits at universities, and national media outlets have been increasingly supportive of the movement.

Additionally, some of the national attention that would be garnered from the gesture could reach alumni who would be willing to donate to the university as a show of support. Alumni—and their dollars—will be watching.

It is still, sadly, a realistic concern that a public endorsement of marriage equality could dissuade more conservative donors from continuing their contributions. Though all donations are appreciated, the editorial board maintains Texas State does not need any amount of money from donors if their support hinges on denying equal treatment to members of the university community. Alumni on the side of marriage equality will very soon outnumber those against it, if they do not already.

Once again, granting same-sex spousal benefits to Texas State employees is technically illegal under current state laws, and will remain so until those laws are struck down by lawsuit or legislation. However, the sooner a public university president steps up and supports their forwardthinking faculty senate, the sooner that day will come.

POLITICS

Marijuana criminalization unfair, overlooks potential benefits

Ashley Trumps Opinions Columnist Mass communication senior

he laws prohibiting the possession of T marijuana cause more harm than good and should be relaxed.

For decades, marijuana has been demonized and vehemently fought against in the name of the government’s “war on drugs.” Regulation of certain substances is necessary, of course, but waging “war” on a substance as mild as marijuana is too extreme and largely ineffective.

Do not misunderstand—I am not writing this column so the stoners of Texas State can one day roam The Quad in their Bob Marley T-shirts, freely smoking weed. Long lines of red-eyed potheads with the munchies constantly visiting campus vending machines might benefit the university financially, but there are other, more important issues to be considered in this “war.”

The Texas law punishes the possession of even as little as two ounces of marijuana with heavy fines and sometimes, incarceration. In fact, according to the 2012 FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, drug violations account for the highest number of arrests in the country, even more so than driving under the influence and larceny-theft.

Among these drug violations, possession of marijuana accounts for more arrests than any other drug, especially in the South and Midwest regions.

Incarcerations account for a large percentage of taxpayers’ money. According to the Adult Criminal Justice Data Sheet, in Hays County alone it costs $59 to incarcerate one individual in the county jail per day. That money adds up quickly and does not need to be wasted toward those who are in jail for committing crimes as trivial as marijuana possession, especially when

The University Star 601 University Drive Trinity Building, Room 101 San Marcos, TX 78666 Phone: (512) 245-3487 Fax: (512) 245-3708

the plant has beneficial qualities outside of recreational use. Giving pot a break could pave the way for some serious advances in several fields and would serve to save a large potion of taxpayer money.

For example, a 2012 article published

by The Open Neurology Journal claims cannabinoids—the chemical found in marijuana, or the cannabis plant—may be useful in treating certain ailments. Some medical benefits include controlling nausea and vomiting and promoting weight gain in patients with eating disorders or a chronic lack of appetite. Smoking weed is not only practiced by youths who skip class and lie on the couch all day. Anyone from cancer patients to achy grandmas can benefit from blazing it on the regular.

The same article mentions marijuana’s classification as a Schedule I drug—one that has absolutely no medical value and is harmful to one’s health—which is an obstacle to medical studies. That classification is not accurate. Its profile more closely resembles drugs in the Schedule III category, where potentially addictive drugs with medical uses such as codeine are listed.

Besides medical use, cannabis has another use absolutely unrelated to getting high—hemp. A paper published by a Purdue student in 2002 claims hemp is very easy to distinguish from narcotic cannabis, and has a host of uses that branch out into several different fields.

Hemp can be used for paper products, food, textiles, molded plastics, body care products, construction, livestock feed, medicine and an agricultural barrier to prevent cross-pollination. It has a higher score on the eco-friendliness scale than corn, soybeans and tobacco crops. Even with these benefits, marijuana is illegal and heavily fined, despite the ease with which it can be utilized for purposes other than getting high.

I understand the stereotypes surrounding the marijuana plant. It is easy to disregard the ranting of a dirty-haired hippie proudly waving a joint around, but there is truth in arguments for legalizing marijuana. Even if it is not made legal to the point that alcohol is, the level of aggression with which those who are charged with possession is a waste of time and money.

Editor-in-Chief.................................................Caitlin Clark, stareditor@txstate.edu Managing Editor..........................Liza Winkler, starmanagingeditor@txstate.edu Letters..................................................................................starletters@txstate.edu News Editor............................................Taylor Tompkins, starnews@txstate.edu Trends Editor.............................................Amanda Ross, startrends@txstate.edu Opinions Editor..................................Savannah Wingo, staropinion@txstate.edu Photo Editor.......................................Austin Humphreys, starphoto@txstate.edu Sports Editor.......................................Odus Evbagharu, starsports@txstate.edu Copy Desk Chief................................Lesley Warren, starcopychief@txstate.edu Video Editor........................................................Alex Peña, starvideo@txstate.edu

Design Editor.................................................Lee Moran, stardesign@txstate.edu Web Editor.........................................Anthony Garza, starwebeditor@txstate.edu Account Executive.....................................Catie Brossard, starad3@txstate.edu Account Executive.................................Blakely Knowles, starad4@txstate.edu Account Executive.....................................Hannah Wilson, starad5@txstate.edu Media Specialist............................................ Chris Salazar, c.salazar@txstate.edu Advertising Coordinator...........................Kelsey Nuckolls, starad1@txstate.edu Publications Coordinator.......................................Linda Allen, la06@txstate.edu Publications Director...........................Bob Bajackson, stardirector@txstate.edu

Ryan Jeanes | Star Illustrator

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.

EQUALITY

University needs more gender-neutral bathrooms

Alexis Aguirre Opinions Columnist Journalism sophomore

ransgender, gender non-conformT ing and other students deserve access to more gender-neutral bath-

rooms to feel safe and comfortable at Texas State.

Gender-neutral bathrooms are a necessity on an inclusive campus.

Having more of them available on campus will be a great help to the increasingly diverse student body.

It is a public right for students to have access to a bathroom they feel comfortable using.

According to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project website, trans and gender non-conforming people face access and comfort issues when it comes to sex-segregated facilities such as bathrooms. By providing additional gender-neutral bathrooms on campus, it extinguishes the possibility of anyone feeling ostracized by something as simple as using a public facility.

With the assistance of the Allies program, Texas State has done a wonderful job of working to promote equality throughout campus with projects such as providing genderneutral bathrooms. Unfortunately, these bathrooms are only available at a select few buildings on campus including the Student Health Center, Commons and Lampasas. Although any progress is good, Texas State needs to make sure to keep up with the increasingly diverse student population.

The university is quickly expanding, and as the number of students

increases so does the diversity.

Students of all walks of life come to attend Texas State, and university officials need to make sure to accommodate them to the best of their abilities. The idea of facilities restricted only to a traditional gender binary is quickly becoming outdated, and the needs and wants of the student body is a reflection of changing ideas.

Bathrooms that accommodate one’s needs are not a privilege, but a right everyone deserves. No one should have to trek across campus in search of a bathroom they feel comfortable using. Furthermore, students should not feel the need to conform to a certain sex in order to use a facility as ubiquitous as a restroom. I do not think it is necessary to bring gender distinctions into restroom designation. People all use bathrooms, and there is no reason to cause transgender and gender nonconforming individuals to question where they stand in the binary when trying to simply use a toilet. Every student, regardless of their gender or lack thereof, should be able to find and use a bathroom without asking themselves deep questions about their personal identity.

In addition to benefiting transgender and gender non-conforming students, the bathrooms will serve to help other groups including parents with small children of a different gender and elderly who may have providers of a different sex.

Furthermore, building additional gender-neutral bathrooms can help students who may fear harassment in single-sex bathrooms. With more easily accessible gender-neutral bathrooms, students will not be forced to pick a side and face potential bullying. Students deserve the right to feel safe when using campus facilities.

Gender-neutral bathrooms are essential to the ever-changing population of Texas State. Adding more gender-neutral bathrooms will help accommodate the diverse student population and provide a safe option for many students.

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, January 30, 2014. 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 January 30, 2014 | A5

TRENDS

UniversityStar.com

Texas State offers alternative courses, lectures for students Trends Reporter

From a course on the languages of J. R. R. Tolkien at the University of Wisconsin to a Rutgers class dedicated to a complete analysis of Beyoncé, classes exploring themes outside the academic norm have been cropping up across the county. Texas State is no exception to the growing trend, offering classes and lectures dedicated to nearly every interest imaginable.

In addition to spending time exploring the San Marcos River, the class covers the technical uses of film, strobe, natural light photography, composition and underwater modeling.

For more philosophical Bobcats, the university offers a course dedicated to the discovery and discussion about the meaning of life and purpose of human existence.

“We want students to get recognition that there are multiple ways to find meaning in the world and in their

Romance and relationships are on the forefront of many college students’ thoughts, making the School of Social Work’s ‘Love and Relationships’ course a popular subject.

Michael Sullivan, criminal justice freshman, said the course is interesting because he thinks love is one of the world’s greatest mysteries, and it offers a new perspective for students.

The course explores the nature of all levels of attraction, including both friendship and

“We want students to get recognition that there are multiple ways to find meaning in the world and in their own lives.”

—Jim Summers, course instructor For Johnny Drozdyk, undecided freshman, taking a course on underwater photography was the perfect way to combine his love of water sports with the technicality of taking photos.

“I grew up on the water in Florida,” Drozdyk said.

“Taking pictures along with being in the water would be a great way to preserve thoss memories.”

Drozdyk said the best part of the course is the different species of plants and animals encountered during the class’ dives.

own lives,” said Jim Summers, the course’s instructor.

“All cultures we know of created stories or worldviews to help make them make sense of cosmos, of events, of life and death. Our culture is no different.”

Summers said the semester-long course features five central themes, including the role of a god or gods in the quest for meaning, explorations of death, futility, hope and optimistic naturalism— which is finding meaning in a world without the existence of a deity.

romantic love. Understanding the science and social aspects of human sexuality is a key theme of the course.

The class aims to enable students to enhance their own personal and professional relationships, according to the School of Social Work course catalogue.

“The coolest part of this class would be all of the immediate learning and skills you could apply to everyday life,” Sullivan said. “And heck, who doesn’t want to know more about love?”

Your friendly neighborhood watchdog.

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Journalism major not required.

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SPORTS

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GO TIME

Bobcats defend tournament spot against WKU

TRACK AND FIELD

Howie Ryan Invitational to test Bobcats in Houston after week off

By Cameron Cutshall Sports Reporter @CameronCutshall

Men’s basketball will travel to take on Western Kentucky Feb. 1. The Bobcats have a 6–14 record overall.

Reynaldo Leaños Jr. | Star File Photo saw some minutes of playing time points per game and brings in 7.4 reBy Kirk Jones against Troy. bounds per contest.

Sports Reporter “In practice we are just being in“He’s really good on the glass,” @kirk_jones11 Gant said. “I’m just going to try and troduced on how they work,” Ramlal he Texas State men’s basketball key on his tendencies. If you look at said. “We are mainly focusing on their team will take on the Western their stats, he brings most of Western offense. Coach is trying to get everyKentucky Hilltoppers Saturday for Kentucky’s points. If we get him in thing right, so our main focus is stopcontrol and get his teammates to jack ping their offense.” the first time in program history.

Texas State dropped down to numup shots we should win the game.”

The Hilltoppers currently sit secFant is sixth in the conference in ber two in team defense after allowond in the Sun Belt at 5–2 behind the blocked shots with 22. He is seventh ing 65 and 69 points in the past two Georgia State Jaguars who are 7-0 in in blocked shots per game. games. Western Kentucky scored 69 conference. Western Kentucky’s startThe Bobcats are coming off a win plus points in its last five games, and ing five brings the best team defense against Troy where they won their the team is 8–3 at home. in the conference, .4 points better third home game of the season. Gant Hilltoppers junior guard T.J Price than the Bobcats. The team is on a had a career-high in points with 21 is standing fifth in the Sun Belt in three-game winning streak and has along with five rebounds and four as- 3-point percentage shooting 37.7 won five of their last seven matches. percent and fourth in conference in sists.

“Every game I’m going to bring my “We showed more patience on of- 3-point attempts. best game,” said sophomore forward fense against Troy than most games,” Fant leads the Sun Belt in field goal Emani Gant. “I’m going to practice said Coach Danny Kaspar. “We percentage at 55.6 percent and is sixth trying to figure our opponent’s ten- worked for good shots in particular. in conference for rebounding. dencies and what their goal is as a We had 17 assists which is probably “Whenever we play a team, we make team. I feel my game will work well one of our better games.” sure we are aware of their best player,” against these guys.”

Freshman forward Kendell Ramlal Ramlal said. “When he gets the ball, A player to watch for is Western will have the task of facing up against we are ready for our defense to help Kentucky’s 6-foot-6-inch forward Fant and the Hilltoppers. Ramlal out the defender or we prevent the ball George Fant, who averages 13.5 has not played much this season, but getting to his hands.”

T

The Texas State track and field team will look to improve this weekend when the Bobcats travel back to Houston for the Howie Ryan Invitational.

Texas State is one of 10 schools attending the meet. The other teams competing are Lamar, McNeese State, Sam Houston State, Northwestern State, Rice, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Houston Baptist, Houston and San Diego State.

The Bobcats traveled to Houston Jan. 11 to open their indoor season. The team has now had two weeks to prepare for this meet after having last weekend off. Coach Dana Boone has mixed feelings about the extra week off.

“I think it’s always a good thing, but it can be a good thing and a bad thing,” Boone said. “Obviously you like to compete as many times as you can, but (it’s a good thing) when you have a week off to get some extra work in. Hopefully the kids are a little bit more hungry now that they’ve had a week off, and they can see what their competition is doing.”

Unlike previous meets, this meet will not compile all of the team scores, so there will not be a team winner. Instead, all scores will be individually recorded for each athlete.

One of the teams looking to improve is the 4-x400 meter relay team consisting of freshman Marika Brown, sophomore Amber Gilmore, junior Briana Sharp and senior Tina Valenzuela. They have a chance to dethrone Western Kentucky and take the top time in the Sun Belt Conference. The Texas State 4x400 team recorded a time of 3:48.94, just 1.94 seconds behind Western Kentucky.

“Staying focused is the number one thing and not resting on the fact that we have a championship,” Sharp said.”(We) still feel like we’re the underdogs.

So we try to stay humble and understand that. We need to maintain our best each week if we want to succeed.”

Boone’s message of always improving and working on the little things will be put to the test this week, and many athletes will have the opportunity to record personal bests.

“We’re just going to keep getting better and better,” Boone said. “The beauty of track and field is the clock doesn’t lie, and the tape measure doesn’t lie. We’ll know those things based on performance.

I know there have been event groups that have been ironing things out so hopefully things will start to click really soon.”

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Texas State to take on second place Hilltoppers on road

By Quixem Ramirez Sports Reporter @quixem

The Texas State women’s basketball team will take its 1–7 road record to Bowling Green, Ky. Saturday to compete against Western Kentucky, who is 6–2 at home.

Western Kentucky has won 13 of its first 18 games for the second consecutive year.

“It’s not tough—it’s fun,” said Coach Zenarae Antoine. “This is what you play for so you can play against a team of their caliber.

That’s what sports is about, trying to see where you matchup with everybody else.”

The Bobcats have won five of their last eight matches by 14.4 points per game. Their last game, an 87–82 overtime victory against Troy, was the first overtime win of Antoine’s threeyear tenure.

“We are coming together as a team,” said junior guard Meghan Braeuer. “We are playing for the team and not as individuals. Our last victory was in overtime, and we just never gave up and fought to the end. It gives us a lot of confidence. Whether we

are down or winning at the end of the game, we are going to keep fighting until the end.”

Western Kentucky is 6–2 in its last eight games, including two singledigit road victories against LouisianaMonroe and Louisiana-Lafayette last weekend. The Hilltoppers draw 1,720 fans per home game, the highest average in the conference.

“I’m excited because we haven’t played in an atmosphere like Western Kentucky,” Antoine said. “I’m really excited for them to play in a hostile environment against a very good team. They do a good job on both ends. They are good offensively, as well as defensively.”

Western Kentucky is third in offense and defense in the conference.

The team’s 7.6 point differential leads the conference.

“Our ability to defend is going to be critical for us,” Antoine said. “Scoring on the road is very difficult. As long as the team understands where their scoring opportunities are, the team will be fine. Ultimately, it will be about rebounding and getting stops.”

Junior forward Chastity Gooch leads the team in points, rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage.

Gooch is the first three-time winner

of the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week award.

Last weekend, Gooch scored a career-high 31 points to erase Louisiana-Monroe’s 13-point lead. Gooch became the 35th Western Kentucky player to score 1,000 points in her career. She is two blocks shy from becoming the sixth player in Western Kentucky history with 100 steals, 100 assists and 100 blocks in her career.

“Chastity Gooch is amazing,” Antoine said. “She is a very good player, and she has the ability to play at the next well. The forwards and centers will need to step up. It’s going to take everybody. Because of the way the officials call the game, and the way the rules have changed, our ability to run different people at her is going to be critical.”

Texas State is fourth in the conference behind Arkansas State, Western Kentucky and Georgia State. Antoine targeted the Western Kentucky game as a barometer of the team’s progression.

“By February, you need to be playing your best basketball,” Antoine said. “February is the time when you’ve had your offense and defense installed. You should be your best.

You should be prepared.”

Madelynne Scales | Star File Photo

B2 | The University Star | Sports | Thursday January 30, 2014

Kelli Baker

sophomore second baseman Chris Woodard

Sports Reporter @UcuffEm_iPassEm

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The University Star | Advertisement | Thursday January 30, 2014 | B3

B4 | The University Star | Sports | Thursday January 30, 2014

SUN BELT STANDINGS MEN’S BASKETBALL

Team

Sun Belt

Georgia State Western Kentucky Arkansas—Little Rock Arkansas State UT—Arlington Louisiana Louisiana—Monroe Texas State Troy South Alabama

5-0 4-2 5-3 4-3 4-3 3-4 3-4 2-5 2-6 1-6

Pct.

Overall Overall Pct. Streak

1.000 .714 .625 .571 .571 .429 .429 .286 .250 .143

14-6 13-7 10-10 11-7 9-10 12-8 6-9 6-14 7-13 7-13

.700 .650 .500 .611 .474 .600 .400 .300 .350 .350

W11 W3 L1 W1 W3 L2 L2 W1 L4 L2

UPCOMING GAMES UT—Arlington vs. Western Kentucky 7 p.m. at Bowling Green, KY Thursday, Jan. 30 Texas State vs. Western Kentucky 7 p.m. at Bowling Green, KY Saturday, Feb. 1 Arkansas State vs. Troy 7:30 p.m. at Troy, AL Saturday, Feb. 1 South Alabama vs. Georgia State 6 p.m. at Atlanta, GA Monday, Feb. 3

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Team

Sun Belt

Arkansas State Western Kentucky Georgia State Texas State South Alabama Arkansas—Little Rock Louisiana Louisiana­—Monroe Troy UT—Arlington

6-1 5-2 5-2 4-3 4-3 4-4 3-4 3-4 2-6 0-7

Pct. Overall 0.857 0.714 0.714 0.571 0.571 0.500 0.429 0.429 0.250 0.000

12-7 13-5 9-10 7-11 6-11 9-9 10-8 7-12 6-13 1-17

Payton, Elfrid (Louisiana) Hunter, R.J. (Georgia State) Mullahey, Jeff (Troy)

Neighbour, Will (Arkansas—Little Rock) Davis, Wes (Texas State) Atkins, Manny (Georgia State) Shepard, Kasey (Louisiana) Camreron Golden (Arkansas State) Ed Townsel (Arkansas State) Harrow, Ryan (Georgia State)

Better than hairballs.

0.632 0.722 0.474 0.389 0.353 0.500 0.556 0.368 0.316 0.056

W2 W2 W4 W1 W2 L1 L3 L3 L1 L7

South Alabama vs. Georgia State 3:30 p.m. at Atlanta, GA Thursday, Jan. 30 Louisiana—Monroe vs. Lousiana 5 p.m. at Lafayette, LA Saturday, Feb. 1 Arkansas—State vs. Troy 6:15 p.m. at Troy, AL Saturday, Feb. 1 Texas State vs. Western Kentucky 4:30 p.m. at Bowling Green, KY Saturday, Feb. 1

WOMEN’S STEALS

MEN’S STEALS

Team

Pct. Streak

Total Avg/G 50 38 31 29 26 25 24 21 21 23

2.5 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2

Team Veal, Keke (Louisiana) Andrews, Alisha (Georgia State) Martin, Kaylan (Texas State) Gamble, Aundrea (Arkansas State) Long, Kendra (Georgia State) Beverly-Kelley, A. (Troy) Nolan, Kayla (Georgia State) Harden, Joanna (Troy) Bowie, Brooke (Troy) Peoples, Erin (Texas State)

Total Avg/G 40 49 38 39 39 36 33 30 28 26

3.1 2.6 2.1 2.1 2.1 1.9 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.4

The University Star | Sports | Thursday January 30, 2014 | B5

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Texas State experiencing steady ascension in rollercoaster season

Ishmael Johnson Sports Reporter @Ish_46

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the road, but has held its ground at home and is trying to find stability in a jarring season.

The team started the season with a dominating victory against HustonTillotson, 73–45, and the rollercoaster season, appropriately, began with anticipation as the Bobcats began with escalating aspirations. The first plunge occurred much sooner than anticipated as the team lost the next six games by an average of 18.3 points including a 54 point loss to Texas.

Texas State recovered from the plummet and began a second ascent after upsetting the preseason Sun Belt favorite ArkansasLittle Rock, 42–35, mustering more excitement as the team entered conference play. However, conference play proved to be nothing

more than a sharp left and a series of corkscrews, as the Bobcats have gone 4–3 in seven games in the conference.

An advantageous aspect of the Bobcats’ erratic theme park journey has been the other standings in the Sun Belt, which are in a constant flux with each passing game. There are realistically eight teams still in play for the conference lead, including Texas State.

First place Arkansas State is only three games ahead of Louisiana-Monroe, who ranks seventh and sits near the bottom of the conference.

Texas State needs to find consistency when looking to close out the schedule’s winding ride. It is difficult to predict how exactly the rest of the season will go, but if the team is to make a late-season push head-

ing into the conference tournament, it needs to use Saturday’s victory as a catalyst.

Senior center Ashley Ezeh has become the go-to scorer for the Bobcats, averaging 14.1 points per game, but has averaged 3.7 fouls per game since the Bobcats began conference play. Ezeh—the only Bobcat averaging double digit points this season—needs to find a way to play less recklessly and avoid hindering the team’s offensive production with her out of the lineup .

Sophomore forward Erin Peoples and junior guard Meghan Braeuer have been bright spots in the offense recently. Peoples has averaged 11.7 points per game since the Bobcats entered conference play and has become the primary scorer while Ezeh is dealing with foul trouble. Braeuer has been lights out from 3-point range in conference games, shooting a remarkable 45.8 percent.

Texas State’s next game is Saturday against the second-place Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, and the Bobcats are coming off a thrilling 87-82 overtime victory over the Troy Trojans.

The team needs to build off Peoples’ and Braeuer’s solid performances and continue to feed off of Ezeh’s constant production to get this roller coaster season back on track.

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B6 | The University Star | Advertisement | Thursday January 30, 2014

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