November 20 2014

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THURSDAY

NOVEMBER 20, 2014 VOLUME 104 ISSUE 43

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UNIVERSITY

Visiting council evaluates SJMC for reaccreditation By Mariah Simank SENIOR NEWS REPORTER A five-person on-site evaluation team representing the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication visited Texas State this week to determine whether or not the university’s program should gain reaccreditation. The evaluation team visited campus Nov. 15-19 to inspect facilities and equipment, visit classes and meet with students and faculty members within the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Kym Fox, School of Journalism and Mass Communication senior lecturer, said the purpose of the visit was to ensure the university meets the nine ACEJMC standards: mission, governance and administration; curriculum and instruction; diversity and inclusiveness; full-time and part-time faculty; scholarship (research, creative and professional activity); student services; resources, facilities and equipment; professional and public service and assessment of learning outcomes. Journalism faculty members prepared a comprehensive self-study in preparation for the visit, Fox said. The self-study was sent to each member of the evaluation team before they arrived. “The way accreditation starts is the university does a self-study that is basically an evaluation of ourselves based on the nine standards,” Fox said. “We send that off to the accreditation team before they come, and they read it so that they are familiar with the program, and they are essentially verifying everything that we said.” Trevor Brown, member of the ACEJMC on-site team, said in a meeting with students on Monday that the school’s submission to the accrediting council is a voluntary process. “There are more than 400 schools and departments of journalism and mass communication in the United States, and at the moment there is somewhere in the region of 114 that are accredited,” Brown said. “What that says is you don’t

See SJMC, Page 2

MADELYNNE SCALES PHOTO EDITOR

Craig Mager, senior cornerback, returns a punt Oct. 14 against Louisiana-Lafayette at Bobcat Stadium.

Bobcats prepare to face ‘explosive offense’ in must-win matchup By Mariah Medina ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @Mariahmedinaaa The next two games are critical for the Texas State football team. Coach Dennis Franchione wouldn’t want it any other way. Arkansas State is already bowl eligible. Texas State will enter tonight’s matchup fighting for an opportunity at a bowl game. Franchione said the Red Wolves, who are coming off of a 37-32 loss against Appalachian State, will see some of their players return from injury.

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The NCAA report lists three injured athletes as probable to play against Texas State, the most notable of whom is Arkansas State junior running back Michael Gordon, who has 844 rushing yards this season. Colby Targun, senior safety, says the defense is expecting a versatile opponent with three receivers who each have over 400 receiving yards. “They’re an explosive offense,” Targun said. “They’ve got some weapons. It’s not just the back end. It’s everyone on the defense doing their 1/11th. It’s the d-line getting pressure, the backers doing their thing and the secondary covering,

so it’s a whole defensive effort when they have good receivers. Everybody does their 1/11th, and we’ll take care of their receivers.” Franchione said his team has played good football in its most recent weeks of matchups. Winning, however, has proven to be a challenge late in the game for the Bobcats. The Bobcats don’t recognize moral victory. Franchione said the team had no choice but to absorb its 24-20 loss against South Alabama and prepare for Arkansas State. “You get home and get in bed at 3:30 on Saturday night and you’re back up here at eight

DAYS SINCE THE BOBCATS’ LAST HOME WIN WIN TO SECURE BOWL ELIGIBILITY GAMES REMAINING IN THE SEASON

Sunday morning,” Franchione said. “You’ve got a short week to get on the game plan, so you don’t have time to spend much time thinking about the last one.” The shorter week of preparation, Targun said, will be a test of strengths and weaknesses for both teams. “It’s good to have a quick turn-around and get back on the field and have another game pretty quick,” Targun said. “It’s hard on a team. It’s less preparation, but it’s the same for both teams. Neither team had a bye last week, so each team has two less days to prepare.” Franchione didn’t call South Alabama a must-win game, but he and Targun realize the two competitors left on the schedule warrant some concern. Last season, the Bobcats acquired their sixth win before losing the final three games. The team focuses on one game at a time, but the South Alabama loss could be the difference between a bowl game and a season that ends in November. “When you look at our schedule and see that last year we had six wins and we didn’t go to a bowl—all programs’ ultimate goal is to go to a bowl,” Targun said. “You might have to win seven games, and for us, with two games left, it might be classified as a must-win.”

CITY

Torchy’s Tacos’ opening date delayed to January By Exsar Arguello NEWS REPORTER The opening date for Torchy’s Tacos has been pushed to early next January because the building is not yet finished. The taco chain will open Jan. 22 after the original plan of opening in December in the former San Marcos Post Office. Torchy’s Tacos officials denied requests to comment. The former post office has a history of flooding, said Andy Grubbs of Hays Environmental Consulting. The back parking lot was designed lower in elevation than the structure, causing it to slope up towards the building, he said. “It’s not so much of a design flaw as it is the whole entire area hasn’t been updated in such a long time things like (flooding) are bound to happen,” Grubbs said. The flooding problems the building has had in the past are not reasons for the delay, said Trey Hatt, communications specialist for the City of San Marcos. The former post office is currently go-

ing through renovations to make way for the taco restaurant. “The building has been completely gutted and knocked down,” Grubbs said. “Besides a few brink walls it’s being completely changed — it’s a radical change.” The project is run by Sabre Commercial Inc., a construction company based out of Austin, according to a project manager who has requested to stay anonymous. The city officials of San Marcos have no hold on the building and are waiting for construction to be finished, Hatt said. “Another problem is that the grates in the parking lot are clogged with leaves and other sediments which doesn’t allow water to run through and drain causing the flooding that occurs,” Grubbs said. There is also flooding from the adjacent parking lot that also has sedimentary problems with the grates, Grubbs said. “The question to be asked is how exactly the city is going to be able to get under the surface and unclog the grates,” Grubbs said. “They just aren’t made to withstand that PRESLIE COX STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER much sediment backup.” The opening of Torchy's Tacos, located in the former San Marcos Post Office, has been postponed.


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