WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 29, 2014 VOLUME 104 ISSUE 33 www.UniversityStar.com
Defending the First Amendment since 1911
CITY
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
F
facebook.com/universitystar
t @UniversityStar E youtube.com/user/theuniversitystar Go to universitystar. com
UNIVERSITY
Crime log reveals decrease in on-campus drug violations JOHNEL ACOSTA STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Milad Jawad poses Oct. 27 at Hookah House.
FROM ‘SADDAM’S CITY’ TO SAN MARCOS Local business owner reflects on former home in war-torn Iraq
By Houston York NEWS REPORTER A young Iraqi boy watched the bombing of Baghdad on March 19, 2003 at the start of the Iraq War from the steps of his home in Al-Thawra, Iraq, also known as “Saddam’s City.” Milad Jawad, the youngest of five boys, was born and raised in Al-Thawra, a public housing district in Baghdad. Jawad said he was 14 when the invasion of Iraq began. He can recall feeling a mixture of excitement and uncertainty as the conflict began. As a child, he dreamed of moving to America to run his own business but did not think he would see the day Iraq would be free of Saddam Hussein’s “oppressive dictatorship.” Little did Jawad know, he would one day be a business owner in San Marcos, Texas. “Small groups of planes were flying really high over us, and I could see the smoke and fire coming from the planes as the bombs were fired,” Jawad said. “The explosions were so large you could see fire, smoke and feel the repercussions from miles away.” Obtaining current information about the conflict was slow and dangerous because citizens only had a state-run television program and no access to social media or cell phones, Jawad said. Saddam Hussein had been ruling Iraq with a “firm grip” for 35 years by the time news came through word of mouth that an American invasion was on its way. “I remember my father and a friend of his talking about waiting
for America to invade, oust Saddam, and then Iraqis would have freedom,” Jawad said. “People were excited and ready for him to be gone.” Even after the bombs were dropped, the possibility existed that Saddam would not be removed from power and the country would be subject to his control once again, Jawad said. Iraqi government officials took one of Jawad’s older brothers from their home in the night after he was accused of feeding and clothing a government official who was posing as a homeless citizen. “They took my brother to a secret prison for six months, and we had no idea where he was or what happened to him,” Jawad said. “They starved him and hung him by his feet and hands from the ceiling for days. He was a different person after he was released.” Jawad said he left with one of his brothers from Al-Thawra for a month after the war broke out for fear of becoming a civilian casualty. The brothers stayed at a friend’s home in the country until the news broke that Saddam had been removed from power. “I woke up to my brother and cousins dancing and singing,” Jawad recalled. “I was still a young child and was frightened to see the military in my town when I returned, but the soldiers started to throw candy to me, and I felt better.” The Ibn Sina hospital was taken over and renamed the Baghdad Emergency Room (ER) by the U.S. military following the siege and fall of the city, Jawad
said. He began working in the ER as a nurse’s assistant at the age of 14. “Patients would come in covered in blood, and sometimes their flesh and bones would fall
“
took me in like his little brother and recommended I come to America.” At the age of 20, Jawad moved to America. “The application process usu-
When you come to a country and they will help you more than your native country, you should love that country.” —MILAD JAWAD, OWNER OF THE HOOKAH LOUNGE
off or were already gone,” Jawad said. “If the patient lost a body part, like a foot or something, I would take it to the incinerator to be burned. Watching 15 to 20 people die a day was not easy.” Jawad said he had to witness and do things most cannot imagine. “There was a problem for a while where children would be brought in that were severely burned from explosions,” Jawad said. “Some would survive. I would take naps with dead corpses in the morgue when I was exhausted from working 12-hour shifts.” Jawad developed relationships with American military personnel at the Baghdad ER, he said. Spending free time with U.S. soldiers was the best thing he has ever done. “I even taught an American general how to speak Arabic,” Jawad said. “David Ruffin, an anesthesiologist from Hawaii,
ally takes several months, but I was approved in three days because of all the strong recommendations I had from the hospital staff,” Jawad said. “The day I left was terribly sad because I was so young and leaving my family. I cried the entire way to America.” The U.S. government paid for Jawad’s dorm while he earned his diploma and became a certified nurse’s assistant in San Marcos. “When you come to a country and they will help you more than your native country, you should love that country,” Jawad said. “America is my home now.” Jawad said his dream of one day owning his own business is now a reality. “I always liked hookah bars and planned on opening one for a long time,” Jawad said. “Now I co-own and manage The Hookah Lounge in San Marcos. I always thank God that I am here and have a better life. It is truly a dream come true.”
UNIVERSITY
Higher Education Assistance Fund allocation anticipated to increase By Anna Herod NEWS REPORTER The 10-year period of the Higher Education Assistance Fund’s previous allocation of $22 million to Texas State will end with the fall semester. University officials anticipate a $3 million increase from the previous decade’s $22 million allocation due to enrollment growth, said Bill Nance, vice president for Finance and Support Services. The allocation amount for the next 10 years will be determined this spring and will be available for use at the beginning of the 2015 fall semester. “This fund is extremely important and has been for the past 30 years,” Nance said. “It’s critical because it gives us our ability to build buildings, to keep up with enrollment growth, to repair older buildings and maintain library materials and capital
equipment.” HEAF is a constitutionally dedicated fund created by the Texas legislature that can be used only for new construction, major repairs of buildings, land acquisition, library books and capital equipment. A specific dollar amount of the funding is dedicated to library materials, Nance said. Aside from that amount, the largest percentage of the money goes toward building repairs, renovation and new construction. “For instance, the roof repairs that were done to Old Main last year, that was financed by the HEAF,” Nance said. “The Comal building renovation and Lampasas renovation were also funded by it.” Some plans are already developed for the future allocation of funding, said Nancy Nusbaum, manager of the 10-year plan for the fund. “Once we find out how much
money we get, then we take our plan and develop it from there,” Nusbaum said. “Quite a bit of the next allocation will be going toward the expansion and renovation of the Strahan Coliseum to allow for more seating for commencement.” HEAF also funded the construction of the new Performing Arts Center in addition to Old Main’s roof repairs and the renovation of the Comal Building. Nusbaum said much of what the university has to offer is possible because of the HEAF funding. “If we weren’t receiving the $20 million-plus, we wouldn’t be able to purchase the additional library books,” Nusbaum said. “We wouldn’t have our computer refresh program, and we wouldn’t be able to make capital acquisitions for the different departments on campus.” Nance said the HEAF coordinating board staff is discussing a proposal to increase the overall
statewide fund from the current $225 million figure to account for the inflation of construction costs and the number of universities with a recent increase in enrollment. Nance, who previously served on the board, said he suspects the recommended proposal to the legislature for statewide funding will be approved by the staff. The amount of money Texas State receives will further increase if the proposal is approved by the legislature in June, he said. “We do anticipate somewhat of an increase in the money we will get because of our enrollment increase,” Nance said. “If we had not had this fund, we would not have anywhere near the facilities, the new ones or the renovated ones, that we do now to support the amount of students that we have. The fund is just critical to our continued growth and success.”
By Mariah Simank SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Drug violations among students on campus have decreased from 2012 to 2013. In 2012, 242 infractions occurred, while only 152 were recorded for 2013, said University Police Department Captain Daniel Benitez. Narcotic drug violations frequently appear in the UPD’s daily crime log and reveal common arrests for violations like possession of marijuana. Benitez said the term “narcotic drug violation” encompasses various illegal activities. “A drug violation is usually people having possession of illegal narcotics such as marijuana or other explicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin,” Benitez said. In the past month, 19 narcotic drug violations have been reported on the daily activity summary. Recent incidents include possession of drug paraphernalia or marijuana, Benitez said. Benitez said the most common drug found on campus is marijuana. The department has also seen a recent increase in the number of students misusing prescription medications. “We see a lot of students using prescription medications, and it seems to be another up-and-coming thing,” Benitez said. “However, prescription medications are going to be a very distant number two.” Cocaine and heroin arrests are uncommon, and no specific area on campus experiences more drug violations than others, Benitez said. “The arrests are usually all over the place, and most of the time it’s people that are calling us to say there is illegal activity or it’s something that our officers encounter during traffic stops,” Benitez said. Being in possession of any type of illegal drug is a violation of the law. Benitez said anyone caught with illegal narcotics must be arrested. University officials, through Student Justice, review alleged violations related to illegal narcotics use and assign discipline separately from law enforcement, said Stacy Batts, coordinator for Alcohol and Drug Compliance Services. “Education courses offered are all empirically based and validated and were created on facts and laws and behavioral science,” Batts said. Once a student has been arrested for drug-related offenses, he or she is given penalties to complete. These penalties are based on educational, therapeutic and community services, said Ismael Amaya, assistant dean of students. “When found responsible, the sanctions can typically range from a combination of required completion of educational programs such as community service, parental notification, deferred expulsion,” Amaya said. “In addition, per system policy, students found responsible for a second drug violation are expelled from the university.” University officials use programs to educate students on the dangers of drug use. “Students receive information during their orientation process, including at Bobcat Preview, and the Student Health Center’s Health Promotions Services present programs in many US 1100 classes as well as outside of classes,” Amaya said. “UPD’s Crime Prevention Division also offers presentations to students on various topics, including drug dangers.” Amaya said officials with the Department of Housing and Residential Life also give information on drug policies and consequences to students during move-in, and may also offer programming within the halls. Officials hope to prevent future drug violations by providing students with resources, Batts said. “Conversations with students focus on identifying problematic consequences relating to substance use, impact on their academic outcomes, personal responsibility and decision making as well as review of federal, state and local law and the Texas State University Code of Student Conduct,” Batts said.