WEDNESDAY MARCH 25, 2015
VOLUME 104 ISSUE 70 www.UniversityStar.com
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GREEK LIFE
Texas State SAE chapter responds to controversy
HOOKED
By Jon Wilcox NEWS REPORTER @thrilcox Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity members have experienced national scrutiny and widespread criticism after a scandal shook the Oklahoma chapter in early March. SAE officials disbanded the University of Oklahoma (OU) charter after a video showing members chanting a racist song went viral. OU officials expelled two students identified in the video days later. The Texas State SAE chapter garnered national attention on March 12 when an inactive member posted racially insensitive tweets. Officials with Texas State’s SAE chapter have denounced the controversial video and tweets, according to a March 12 press release written by Matt Garrity, SAE chapter president. “The Texas Sigma Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Texas State University in no way agrees with or supports the song in the video,” Garrity wrote in the press release. The Texas State SAE chapter has 55 active members, and over 35 percent are of ethnic minority groups, according to the press release. Texas State officials will not pursue an investigation into the local SAE chapter or its members, said Vincent Morton, associate dean of students. He said students’ free speech is protected by the First Amendment as long as they do not “create a hostile environment” for others. Officials at OU made the decision to expel two SAE members, arguing their actions led to the creation of a hostile environment for some students, Morton said. Texas State has no grounds to punish the fraternity for opinions expressed on the Internet by an inactive member, he said. “There is a process you go through for individuals that is totally different than the process you go through for organizations,” Morton said. Student misconduct allegations are handled by the Dean of Students Office. Organizations are investigated and disciplined by the university’s Student Involvement department, Morton said. Student Involvement officials enforce organization-specific sanctions. Sanctions include restricting participation in university activities, mandatory community service, withdrawal of financial support, prohibition of alcoholic beverages and suspension, according to the university’s Student Organization Disciplinary Procedures. “The decision impacts the organization, not the individual,” Morton said. Jeff Fitzgerald, sound recording technology freshman, knew one of the OU students seen in the video. Parker Rice was Fitzgerald’s high school classmate. Fitzgerald attended Jesuit College Prep in Dallas with Rice. Jesuit College Prep is a small, close-knit school with about 1,000 students, he said. The Jesuit model of schooling strongly emphasizes mutual respect for all people, Fitzgerald said. “We were all brothers, and we all got along,” Fitzgerald said. “We all meant it—wholeheartedly we meant that stuff. (The school) shapes who you are.” The school’s demographics at the time were composed predominantly of nonminority students, but racial intolerance was not an issue, he said. “We never have problems with anything, especially race,” Fitzgerald said. “No one cares how much money you have. No one cares what the color of
See SAE, Page 2
PRESLIE COX STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Tanner Hill, junior catcher, leaps to catch a relay throw during a non-conference baseball game Tuesday at Bobcat Ball Park. Texas defeated Texas State 6-4, extending the Bobcats’ losing streak to 20 games against the Longhorns.
Bobcats fall to No. 10 Texas in eighth inning By Quixem Ramirez SPORTS EDITOR @quixem
I
t was the same as ever for the Texas State baseball team. The Bobcats’ 6-4 loss Tuesday night is the team’s 20th consecutive loss to the Longhorns. The game took on a similar tenor to previous meetings. Texas State held a lead for the entire game before Texas put together a late rally to secure the win. “From the first pitch, I thought we were going to win,” said Jeremy Fikac, assistant coach. The Longhorns’ comeback attempt came at the hands of Texas State’s most reliable relievers— Cory Geisler, junior pitcher, and Blake Whitter, senior pitcher. Geisler moved from the outfield to the pitching mound in the eighth inning to relieve Montana Parsons, freshman pitcher, who allowed two earned runs in seven innings.
Geisler retired the first two batters of the inning. Derek Scheible, freshman centerfielder, mistimed the jump in the next at bat, and the Longhorns had a runner on third base with two outs. The game-tying run was at the plate, and Fikac entrusted Whitter to close the matchup in a highleverage situation. He has been there before, after all. Whitter leads the team in appearances (15) and saves (4) this season. Fikac said Whitter’s side-arm throwing motion makes it difficult for hitters to elevate the ball in the air. He needed one out to give the Bobcats a lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. C.J. Hinojosa, Longhorns junior shortstop, capitalized on Whitter’s second pitch—a fastball on the inside of the plate— for the game-winning three-run home run. Hinojosa’s home run was the first allowed by Whitter this sea-
“Talent-wise, we are there. A couple more hits, make one more pitch, there’s a chance we come out with this one. It’s what baseball is. You have to go pitch-to-pitch. You have to execute.” —JEREMY FIKAC, ASSISTANT BASEBALL COACH son. Texas has outscored opponents by 24 runs in the eighth inning this year. Texas added another run in the ninth inning, giving the team enough of a cushion to outlast the Bobcats. “I tip my hat to those guys,” Fikac said. “Those kids really competed. The end result isn’t what we wanted. We are never satisfied with a loss.” The loss spoiled Parsons’
bounce-back performance. Parsons earned the start against UTSA only to allow five earned runs in 1.2 innings. He was pulled in the second inning. Fikac called his number against the No. 10 team in the country a week later. Parsons did not disappoint. The freshman recorded an out in six of his first seven at bats in
See BASEBALL, Page 2
CITY
Train horns may be silenced in San Marcos By Jake Goodman NEWS REPORTER @Jake_thegoodman San Marcos officials have worked to limit the sound of train horns since 2011, but minimizing noise for residents may put drivers in danger. City officials spent roughly $800,000 from 2011 to 2015 turning 19 railroad crossings into
quiet zones, said Rey Garcia, senior engineer for capital improvements. Garcia said the quiet zones increase safety and reduce noise for residents. Jeffrey DeGraff, director of corporate and media relations for Union Pacific Railroad, said banning train horns makes drivers more vulnerable to train collisions.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), horns must be heard for 15-20 seconds before a train enters any intersection. Trains are only permitted to sound horns in emergencies when entering a quiet zone. There were 2,087 collisions between motorists and trains in 2013 nationally, resulting in 251 deaths, according to the FRA.
“By not allowing us to sound that train horn, you’re taking one of our tools off the table,” DeGraff said. Union Pacific acknowledged train horns can be disruptive to residents, DeGraff said. However, they are necessary to ensure motorists know a train is coming. “People may disregard lights
See TRAINS, Page 2
UNIVERSITY
Student Government in “transitional period” By Carlie Porterfield ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @reporterfield Student Government has served Texas State since the days of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the univer-
sity’s most famous alumnus and former student body president. In 2003, Student Body President Robert Dorr wrote legislation to change the name of the university from Southwest Texas State University to Texas State
JOHN CODY STALSBY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
A 1960s Texas State yearbook shows photos of Associated Student Government members.
University, said Councilman Jude Prather, Place 2. Prather was a member of the organization, which was known then as Associated Student Government (ASG). ASG officials introduced the name change to Senator Jeff Wentworth after the Board of Regents did not support the idea. Members asked if Wentworth would sponsor a bill to change the name. He agreed provided ASG do the legwork, Prather said. ASG officials rented buses to go to the Capitol and stayed involved with the name change bill through the different committees, Prather said. Eventually, the bill passed. “The day it passed—I can remember it clearly,” Prather said. “That was the day I fell in love with democracy.” Mayor Daniel Guerrero and Chris Jones, former city council
member, were also in ASG at the time. “That was my light bulb moment in life of ‘Wow, democracy,’” Prather said. “You can write a law, take it to your elected representative and that law could be so significant that it changes the name of your school.” He said the name change is probably Student Government’s biggest accomplishment in the history of the university. Since his time, the organization has changed. Vanessa Cortez, student body president from 2013-2014, was part of the push to restructure ASG. “It had kind of been stagnant a little bit,” Cortez said. “We weren’t seeing as much response from students, and so we wanted to do something so where we’re actually there for students,” Officials hired a representative
See STUDENT GOVERNMENT, Page 2