TUESDAY
SEPTEMBER 16, 2014 VOLUME 104 ISSUE 16
D efending the First Amendment since 1911
www.UniversityStar.com
FOOTBALL
VIDEO Football: The Texas State football team lost its first game of the season to the Navy Midshipmen 35-21.
Go to universitystar.com
CITY
City officials dedicate $500,000 to light Loop 82 underpass
DENISE CATHEY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Texas State lost its first game of the season 35-21 Sept. 13 against Navy.
MIDSHIPMEN SAIL PAST BOBCATS
See FOOTBALL, Page 2
By Anna Herod NEWS REPORTER Construction of a bridge over the train tracks on Aquarena Springs Drive will begin at the end of this year. The project will take an estimated 26 months to complete said Jude Prather, city council member, at Monday night’s student government meeting. Utilities are already being moved underground to prepare for the project. Thematically, the architecture will compliment the stadium. It will be highlighted by similar arches a maroon and gold color scheme, lone stars and bobcat logos, he said. “This will be a shaded structure right next to the football stadium,” Prather said. “I think this will be prime real estate for tailgating and we’re looking to add in some benches and tables.” The city has $500,000 in the 2015 budget for LED lighting under the bridge. Similar projects have been completed in San Antonio, Prather said. “We were thinking of maybe doing bobcat or lone star lights for the underpass,” he said. “The lights can be timed to music and change colors to maroon and gold on game days or even Christmas colors in the winter. By doing this, we will give San Marcos that unique ‘it’ factor.” San Marcos is a “beautiful town,” but some of the most “unsightly” areas are along IH-35 and the lights could really “spruce the area up,” Prather said. The upcoming budget also includes $2 million dollars for the construction of additional sidewalks. “What we’re trying to encourage is non traditional ways of getting around, such as biking or walking,” Prather said. “We are laying more sidewalks now than has ever been laid in the history of this town. San Marcos is a pretty condensed town and has almost the same foot print as it did 100 years ago. We really think that kind of development pattern is sustainable and convenient.” Although construction in the city will be heavy over the next couple of years, it will be worth it in the end, Prather said. “Making the city pedestrian and bike friendly is almost at the core of all of the projects we are doing,” he said.
UNIVERSITY
Upperclassmen football attendance declining By Mariah Simank NEWS REPORTER As the 2014 football season kicks off for the Bobcats, the university is looking for new ways to address students who are choosing to watch the games from tailgate and their couches rather than filling up the stadium. Upperclassman attendance at games is on the decline. The
Bobcat’s season opener against Arkansas Pine-Bluff drew 5,588 students, 65 percent of whom were members of the freshmen and sophomore classes, said Athletic Director Larry Teis. “I am hoping more students attend, especially since we have three games remaining on ESPN and I want the world to see how great our stadium and student support are,” Teis said. “Students
make the game a lot more exciting since they tend to be loud and also lead the ‘Texas State’ chant that has become a great tradition in Bobcat Stadium.” This weekend 32,007 fans attended the game against Navy, making it the second-highest attended game in school history. Plenty of marketing is done for the games, but many students interpret this as an invitation to
tailgating and fail to attend the actual game, said Tiffany Young, student body president. “I know that both Student Government and Athletics have worked very hard on trying to address how we should bring students from tailgate to the game, but I think the pride and the energy for the game really
See ATTENDANCE, Page 3
COUNTY
Commissioners postpone vote to fund construction of new Hays County Jail
By Anna Herod NEWS REPORTER The inmate population at the Hays County Jail remains at full capacity. “The high inmate population isn’t the result of an inefficient justice system but rather the growth of the county and the fact that the highway runs through it,” said Sheriff Gary Cutler. Commissioner Will Conley, Precinct 3, said in an Aug. 21 University Star article that the commissioner’s court might go forth with a bond election in November that would facilitate the construction of a new jail. However, county officials feel
that November is too soon to hold an election for such a major bond measure and that further discussion is needed before any decisions are made, said Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe, Precinct 1. “Instead, we’re considering holding a bond election in May,” Ingalsbe said. “We want to give everybody ample time to be informed about the measure, so that’s why we determined a later date.” The bond is too expensive to rush, Cutler said. “When you’re talking about a bond over $100 million, you
See HAYS COUNTY JAIL, Page 3
HARON SAENZ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Overcrowding at the Hays County Jail has led to the outsourcing of around 20 inmates to Guadalupe County Jail as a temporary solution.
NEWS BRIEF
Higher attendance at Navy game leads to increased UPD presence By Mariah Simank NEWS REPORTER The University Police Department (UPD) increased patrols in and around Bobcat Stadium during Saturday night’s game against Navy. A total of 50 officers patrolled the game, 22 from UPD and 28 who were affiliated with outside agencies, said Captain Daniel
Benitez. “(The) number includes command center, those who monitor tailgate, our presence during the game—everybody,” Benitez said. Benitez said three arrests were made during Saturday’s game. Two of the arrests were for public intoxication and one was for criminal trespass, Benitez said. The department issued 14 mi-
nor in consumption citations at tailgate, and 136 warnings took place between tailgate and the game for minor in possession, minor in consumption and tobacco violations. The decision to add officers to the game was made after tickets sold out earlier in the week, he said. The number of officers at football games varies from week to week, but whenever
large crowds are present for a other sporting event, police attendance will increase accordingly, Benitez said. “Attendance is a major factor in how many officers we send to the game,” Benitez said. “We usually go by how many tickets athletics tells us they have sold. Then we come up with a comfortable number of officers to have at the game.” The additional officers were
Want to work at The Star?
brought in to provide assistance at the gates before the game and at the concourse and near the field during the game. Benitez said warnings normally outnumber citations and arrests. “Citations and arrests are always our last resort,” Benitez said. “The arrests are usually individuals that, by law, we don’t have a choice but to take them in.”
Come by 101 Trinity and fill out an app. All majors welcome!