VOLUME 103, ISSUE 22
www.UniversityStar.com
THURSDAY
Defending the First Amendment since 1911
OCTOBER 10, 2013
VIDEO | UniversityStar.com
SPORTS | Page 7
Three Dudes: Three Dudes Winery is a local winery that offers tours, wine tasting and catering and holds public events.
Louisiana–Monroe Preview: The Texas State offense hopes to control time of possession and keep the defense rested.
Out of State 722
FINANCES Dallas–Fort Worth 4,039
Killeen/Temple 589 Enrollment by location, fall 2013
El Paso 433
By Kelsey Bradshaw News Reporter
Austin/Round Rock 11,388 Houston 6,470
San Antonio/New Braunfels 5,311
International 249
Middle/Lower Rio Grande 1,412
Coastal Bend 687
Elsewhere in Texas 4,268
GROWTH
Recruiting attracts students from metropolitan areas By Nicole Barrios News Reporter
T
he number of students from several metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) has risen as a result of the overall enrollment increase this fall. Four of 11 measured MSAs had more than a 10 percent enrollment increase since last fall, according to preliminary figures from Michael Heintze, associate vice president for Enrollment Management. Students from 227 Texas counties, 50 states and 65 nations enrolled in Texas State this fall. Provost Eugene Bourgeois said with the addition of this fall’s students, the university’s demographics reflect the population of the state even more than last year. “We’re probably one of maybe two or three other large public institutions in the state of Texas that really do reflect the population and a popularity and a market that we can attract students from these distinct areas,” Bourgeois said. Heintze said the number of applications to the university from the AustinRound Rock MSA increased this year, yet the total enrollment from that area decreased slightly by 1.94 percent. He said this may indicate that a few more students chose other institutions over Texas State than they did last year, although the numbers are close. However, with 11,388 students from
Fixed tuition plan available to fall 2014 freshmen
the Austin-Round Rock MSA enrolled this year, students from that area are “our primary market,” Heintze said. He said most universities draw a large percentage of their enrollment from the immediate geographic area around them. Heintze said the Houston, DallasFt. Worth and Rio Grande Valley areas are other major places that draw large populations of students to Texas State. Those areas have seen increases in enrollment by 6.10 percent, 10.57 percent and 12.42 percent respectively. Heintze said more than five years ago, the university placed regional admissions officers in the areas of Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, the Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio to have an ongoing presence. “We don’t just go into those areas and do college night programs in high schools,” Heintze said. “We have someone who lives in those areas, and they’re visiting high schools and community colleges regularly. They’re engaging families with phone calls.” Regional officers work with college counselors to build relationships with high schools and students, Heintze said. He said this is an “ongoing effort” and has helped project the university’s name and reputation more effectively to students who are further away from Central Texas. “(The numbers are saying) the uni-
versity is rapidly becoming one of the favorite destinations for students to pursue their undergraduate and graduate degree programs,” Heintze said. “And these major metropolitan areas that have millions of people in them continue to grow, and as they grow that means there are more prospective students available to consider schools like Texas State.” Heintze said large numbers of highability students have come from the Rio Grande Valley. “The Valley has been very good to Texas State,” Heintze said. Amanda Garcia, psychology junior, is from McAllen in the Rio Grande Valley area. Garcia said about 30 students from her graduating class attended Texas State, but she has noticed many enrolling from the entire Rio Grande Valley area. She said her high school counselor did not promote any specific college but urged students to research ones that suited their interests. Enrollment from the El Paso MSA has grown from 381 to 433, an increase of 13.65 percent since last fall, the numbers said. Jesus Peña, construction science and management senior, said he knows of about 30 students from his hometown of El Paso who attend Texas State. He said a Texas State recruiter
See ENROLLMENT, Page 3
Pending approval from the board of regents in November, Texas State officials will begin to offer a four-year fixed tuition plan starting fall 2014. The Texas State University System Board of Regents will vote on the tuition plan next month. The plan will lock in tuition rates throughout a student’s four-year duration at the university, which is required by the state under House Bill 29 passed in the last legislative session. The bill requires public institutions to offer a fixed four-year rate for incoming freshmen in 2014, said Daniel Harper, deputy vice chancellor for Finance. HB 29 was an initiative enacted by Governor Rick Perry. Gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis said guaranteed four-year tuition rates are “a very good idea” at the Texas Tribune Festival in September. Bill Nance, vice president for Finance and Support Services, said the main reason for the plan is predictability. Students and families will have an easier time with financial planning because tuition cannot change or jump under the plan, Nance said. Nance said students will have the convenience of knowing exactly what they have to pay each semester. “It is strictly for the knowledge of what costs are going to be for four years,” Nance said. Nance said the plan will only be available for newly enrolled students in 2014, meaning those currently enrolled at Texas State will not be able to participate in the program. HB 29 does not apply to students who are past their first year at the institution, Nance said. Transfer students and the freshman class of 2014 will be the first recipients of the four-year fixed tuition rate. Tuition will continue to increase each year for students who are not in the fixed-rate program because of inflation, Nance said. The cost of the fixed-rate plan will account for inflation throughout a student’s four-year tenure at the university, Nance said. The freshman year of a student on a fixed-rate program will cost more than that of someone on the tradition payment plan. Nance said prices for the 2014 fixed-rate tuition plan has not yet been determined, but can be covered by financial aid for those who apply. “Students who opted for the four-year fixed rate will end up paying the same amount as the student who doesn’t opt for the plan,” Nance said. Harper said administrators have yet to determine preliminary numbers of students who will participate in the program. Nance said administrators realized the fixedrate plan will help students “self-police” academic progress and number of credit hours per semester. He said students will need to do this to benefit from the plan and be able to graduate in four years. Nance said administrators are setting up new components on CatsWeb for the fixed-rate plan. Web pages with FAQs are being created and new programming is being made to assist students. He said it takes much work to implement this plan, but it will be worth it to help benefit Texas State students. Future students will have the choice of whether to use the program, but Harper said it is not something they will want to decline. “(The fixed-rate tuition plan) will be the opportunity to opt into the program,” Harper said.
POLITICS
Local political action committees raise money for elections By Traynor Swanson Special to the Star
Local law enforcement and fire fighters are forming Political Action Committees to help fund the campaigns of candidates who reflect their interests this election season. PACs raise private funds to influence the government, whether through regulations or elections, by donating to candidates or lobbyists. The San Marcos Police Officers Association and the San Marcos Professional Fire Fighters Association were both formed in 2007 to raise money for local elections and causes. While the San Marcos Police Officers Association PAC has been inactive, according to
Texas Ethics Commision filings, the San Marcos Professional Fire Fighters Association has raised at least $9,000 Jude Prather every year from 2009 to 2012, with 2010 being its highest grossing year, with approximately $25,000 in donations. PACs donate money to politicians running for office, whether it is at the local, state or federal level. For the upcoming city council election in November, the San Marcos Professional Fire Fighters Association PAC supported incumbent Jude Prather
for City Council Place 2, donating $1,000 towards his campaign. “Before each election, we sit down with all the candidates to understand their views and desired policies,” Pakula said. “Then we decide which candidate best reflects our interests and needs and endorse him.” Money not spent on campaign contributions is placed in the PAC’s general fund. According to a finance report filed with the Texas Ethics Commission Oct. 7, the San Marcos Professional Fire Fighters Association PAC has more than $29,000 in its general fund. “The fund money comes from fundraisers and contributions of individual members of the PAC,” said Jon Pakula, Fire Fighters
Association PAC president. “It allows us to be politically active. Whatever political agenda city council has, we have a voice in what happens. We want to look out for everybody in the city.” Most Texas PACs involving firefighters exist in cities with a much higher population than San Marcos, according to political science professor Richard Henderson. While it is not rare for the firefighters of a town with approximately 50,000 people to form a PAC, it is also not the norm, he said. Of the 58 firefighter PACs in Texas, only seven are in cities with a population equal to or less than that of San Marcos. “One of the key things to look at from their perspective is how
the city’s firefighters rank among other cities in Texas,” Henderson said. “In terms of pay, benefits, health insurance, and job security, perhaps they felt compelled to form a PAC.” During the upcoming election, the San Marcos Professional Fire Fighters Association PAC members will be seen advertising in support, and sometimes in dissent, of local candidates. “In the last election, (the San Marcos Professional Fire Fighters Association) did not support (Place 3 Councilman John) Thomaides,” Henderson said. “I even received a mailer denouncing him in the same fashion you would see similar statewide election and federal election campaign advertising.”