WEDNESDAY JUNE 10, 2015
VOLUME 105 ISSUE 2 www.UniversityStar.com
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HAYS COUNTY FLOOD
BENEFIT CONCERT RAISES $150,000
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UNIVERSITY
New information technology vice president hired By Alec Trussell NEWS REPORTER
“Mostly, there are a lot of huge, beautiful trees that got knocked over or uprooted,” Deringer said. “We only have around eight to 10 cypress trees that are left down there along the riverbank. What was once a wonderful spot for swimming, fishing, or hanging out along the edge of the river is now halted due to detrimental weather.” The riverbank running through the campsite is littered with debris, he said. Staff members have found a hot tub, a vehicle and other wreckage washed up in the campsite area. “All of the picnic tables are gone, and some barbecue pits that were concreted into the ground are uprooted,” Deringer said. “All of our fencing around the area is gone.” Deringer does not think destruction from the flood could “get much worse.” “Even some of the neighbors’ houses that were built closer to the river are just slabs—there is absolutely nothing left there,” Deringer said. “Because of the enormous amount of debris, there will be quite a lot of
University officials tapped a new vice president for information technology in May. Kenneth Pierce will bring his tech expertise to Texas State officially assuming his position July 6 and will be succeeding C. Van Wyatt, who is retiring after serving since 2000 as vice president for information technology. As vice president, Pierce will oversee educational technology, technology resources and the university library. “I’m excited to be coming to Texas State,” Pierce said, “I believe that I can be of great benefit to the university, and that I can help everyone succeed.” Connectivity and cost efficiency are top priorities to Pierce. He hopes to make innovations to the university’s educational technology, such as implementing full lecture capture, and adaptive learning assessments and platforms. “There’s opportunity once I get on campus to try to bring in all different opinions and ideas, and people’s thoughts on where things should go,” Pierce said, “What they like, what they don’t like, what we need to do, what we need to stop doing—and get it from all different aspects.” For the past nine years, Pierce has helped innovate and advance the technology at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) as vice provost and chief information officer. Pierce previously held a similar position at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). “I’ve done several innovative projects to help with initiatives of the university, some in the areas of information security, educational technology or just helping to better manage the university using technology at a lower cost,” Pierce said. Pierce said he hopes to make similar achievements at Texas State. A Houston native, Pierce received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston and a Master of Science degree in Information Technology from Capella University. Pierce began pursuing a career in technology after he had a great experience programming in high school, when the field was not terribly advanced. He began his career as an engineer. Pierce realized, while designing aircraft, that he enjoyed the programs used to do his work more than the engineering aspect. Pierce said the necessary creativity and design are still there when working with technology. The new information technology vice president said he wishes to get a comprehensive view of what the student body, faculty and staff want for the university. “It’s an important thing for other people not to speak on behalf of others,” Pierce said. “People need to speak on behalf of themselves, and then you really get the true information.”
See CAMP, Page 2
See VICE PRESIDENT, Page 2
DARYL ONTIVEROS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Justin Furstenfeld, guitarist for Blue October, performs June 7 at The Marc as part of the BandTogetherTX benefit concert. By Sarah Bradley SENIOR LIFESTYLE REPORTER @sarah_bradskies
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ommunity members of all ages gathered at The Marc June 7 to raise money for Central Texas flood victims. Omar Dawoud, owner of The Marc and applied sociology senior, said 1,100 people purchased tickets to the Band Together TX benefit concert. The concert featured Blue October, Aaron Behrens, Ray Wylie Hubbard and other local musicians working to raise money to be donated via United Way of Hays County. “It all started when I saw how severe the flood was via online news,” Dawoud said. “My immediate thought was to text the mayor and see what I can do, because I knew I could do something.” After reaching out to Mayor Daniel Guerrero, Dawoud said he was put in contact
with the band Blue October, who had offered to help. “From there it all made sense because I host concerts and they provide music,” Dawoud said. “The fact that I knew I could do something that could potentially help someone in some way really triggered my need to get this event up and running as soon as possible.” Dawoud said the combined efforts of Blue October drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld, Guerrero and many other supporters helped the concert to move seamlessly through the planning stage. “With the combined efforts of (Furstenfeld), the mayor and I, along with tons of other volunteers and sponsors, the event was able to come about rather smoothly,” Dawoud said. “It took only ten days for the event to come to life, and tickets were sold out in two days.” Dawoud said community
leaders met early on to discuss which local charity they should collaborate with. “Our top priority above all was to ensure the money raised went into the right hands and is utilized as much as possible, which is where United Way comes in,” Dawoud said. “The reason we selected this charity was because, out of all of the other presentations, they pledged to donate 100 percent of what we raise with no administration fee, and they promised to get the money out immediately.” Michelle Harper, president and CEO for United Way of Hays County, said the charity has a long history of delivering funds directly to the right people. “It just made sense that the charity selected was a charity that, for 30 years, has been in the business of raising funds and giving it to those in most need,” Harper said. Dawoud said the amount
UNIVERSITY
Spanish shipwreck discovery leads to new insight, questions By Kasandra Garza NEWS REPORTER @KasGarza
Texas State alumni are among a group of archaeologists who identified a wrecked Spanish merchant ship, dating from the early 1680s, in the Chagres River off the coast of Panama. A team of archaeologists discovered the Spanish merchant ship named Nuestra Señora de Encarnación in 2008 while looking for remains of Captain Henry Morgan’s fleet. The colonial merchant ship, or nao, is a rare archeological find and only a handful have been found. “The entire wreck and its contents are significant,” said Frederick Hanselmann, research faculty and chief underwater archaeologist with The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University. “Not only does it give us a snapshot of colonial Spanish life in late 17th century, but it allows us to gain insight into the world systems and networks of a budding globalization, which eventually leads to where we all are now.” The ship’s remains highlight Spain’s “financial woes” during their time, Hanselmann said. Spain was in debt at the time
of the ship’s demise and relied on the resources extracted from New World colonies. Items found in the shipwreck include sword blades, mule shoes, lead cargo seals, a wooden chest with scissors and unidentified tubular objects and a wooden barrel, the contents of which are still unknown, Hanselmann said. “There’s not much talk about Spanish-America from the late 17th century,” said Luis Vieira Filipe de Castro, archaeologist and member of the expedition. “So to have an artifact as complicated as a ship from the 1680s is an amazing opportunity to study what was happening then.” Throughout history, the Chagres River has served as a road of travel for countless explorers, including Christopher Columbus on his last voyage, Hanselmann said. The river has been, and continues to be, a major source of life-blood for maritime trade and economy. “Ships and shipwrecks are very important because they carry people, cargo and ideas,” de Castro said. There are approximately 30 historic ships known to have
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of money raised exceeded his expectations. “When the idea of holding something like this came about, I figured we could make at least $30,000, which was amazing to me,” Dawoud said. “As of (June 7) we raised approximately $150,000.” Dawoud said he is confident the number will grow based on the amount of donations made at the event and the option to contribute online. “Donating everything from the bar, including tips, silent auctions, T-shirts and a ‘text to donate’ option during the show, makes me think we are almost certain to surpass the $150,000 we have already achieved,” Dawoud said. Dawoud said he and Blue October members both jumped at the chance to help the community. “Those affected are our neighbors, friends and family, so we are happy to contribute a helping hand,” Dawoud said.
“This is our hometown. I’ve been living here for 20 years now and Blue October has been here for over 20 years.” Furstenfeld said those involved in planning the event dropped everything to help their city. “People have given so much of their time, money and efforts,” Furstenfeld said. “Everyone involved was working late nights to organize this. These people have day jobs and families and yet still give so much, which makes me so grateful.” Furstenfeld said “San Marcos Strong” is not just a saying to place on a T-shirt. Residents proved their strength by pulling together in a time of crisis. “We really are a strong, tight-knit community, and that has been made obvious by our ability to come together in times of need,” Furstenfeld said.
See BENEFIT, Page 2
UNIVERSITY
University Camp closed until further notice By Clayton Kelley NEWS REPORTER @ClaytonKelley
University Camp is temporarily closed due to damage sustained during extreme f looding over Memorial Day weekend in Hays County. University officials said the 126-acre recreational campsite located along the Blanco River in Wimberley sustained damages and will be closed until further notice. Professional staff will assess the area so the camp can reopen, said Daniel Vasquez, associate director of campus recreation. Anthony Deringer, coordinator of outdoor recreation, said 30 people trapped at the campsite were moved to a “safer” lodge located on higher ground during Memorial Day weekend. “I kept watching the gauges, and the rain just took a turn for the worst,” Deringer said. “So we made the decision to evacuate the people in the campground early in the night. The people that were evacuated first were able to get out safely and without a problem.”
Deringer had to act on behalf of campers’ safety after listening to the rain and tracking the weather on the night of the flood. “The two lodges we have are quite a bit higher uphill and away from the river, so we didn’t end up evacuating the lodges right away,” Deringer said. “By the time we realized the water was rising as fast as it was, it was too late to evacuate the lodges because of the low water crossings.” Deringer and his staff anxiously waited to see how high the flood level would get. Luckily, the water did not reach the lodges. The water rose to approximately 15 feet from Beretta, one of the lower of the two lodges available to campers, Deringer said. “Because we moved all of the people and their vehicles to the highest spot at the campgrounds, we didn’t really have any major damages as far as buildings or vehicles are concerned,” Deringer said. “However, we did have some major damage down along the river.” The entire edge of the river is “completely scalped,” he said.