THURSDAY
SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 VOLUME 104 ISSUE 18
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HARON SAENZ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
A student pours chemical waste into a designated container in Joann Cole Mitte Art Building.
TSUS
University generates 2,000 Texas State, Sam Houston pounds of waste per month policies protect
By Naomi Lovato NEWS REPORTER
T
exas State is doing its part to reduce the university’s waste footprint through the disposal of food, sewage and hazardous waste. The university is considered a large generator of waste, creating about 2,000 pounds per month, said Elizabeth Arceneaux, environmental health and safety specialist. There are multiple ways of sanitizing around campus, from disposing of dining hall food refuse to the special care of hazardous waste and efforts to clean the river, said Juan Guerra, associate vice president of Facilities.
Toxic waste is produced in the chemistry and art departments. The art department generates waste in its rinse water because the paint contains heavy metals, Arceneaux said. The plumbing, carpenter and painting shops on campus have waste in the form of solvents, oils, used rags containing chemicals, paints and old gasoline. A streamlined process is used to pick up chemicals from the Supple Science, Roy F. Mitte and Chemistry buildings, Arceneaux said. A crew of three or four people picks up hazardous waste every Friday morning. Hazardous waste is carefully sorted and stacked in an air-conditioned
building that is carefully inventoried, Arceneaux said. Every 60 days, the waste contractor picks up the waste from the university and transports it to the facility in Houston. The university’s science departments separate organic and inorganic chemicals before these materials are picked up for disposal, Arceneaux said. Solvent-based water gets burned for energy recovery, and some chemicals are “so nasty” that they are incinerated to nothing but ash. “I’m involved with it pretty heavily,” Arceneaux said. “Hazardous waste management is very serious. You could go to jail.”
The cost to dispose of waste is a utility, and all of those costs on campus are bundled together, said Brad Smith, director of Grounds Operations. Utility costs are distributed different departments according to use. “We pay to have our trash removed, so it’s actually costing the university more for the stuff to be hauled away than recycling,” Smith said. “We have a recycling program, but it’s all voluntary and you can go to any building, look in the trash can and see lots of stuff that can be recycled.” Texas State has recycling and composting programs for dining
“We had larger graduating classes of master’s students in 2012 and early 2013, and if people are graduating early and the graduating classes are larger than your classes coming in, it can appear that enrollment is going down,” Bourgeois said. A better way of looking at enrollment is the amount of net new students coming in, Bourgeois said. “Overall master’s enrollment was down last year, but there were actually more net new students coming in-,” Bourgeois said. “We
See GRADUATE, Page 2
See GENDER IDENTITY, Page 2
See WASTE, Page 2
Administrators address graduate enrollment
DENISE CATHEY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Officials are increasing graduate enrollment incentives and recruitment efforts.
Graduate program enrollment at Texas State dropped in 2013, and officials are now focusing on incentives and recruitment in its continuing efforts to become a Tier One university. At the master’s level, there has been a “slight dip” of three percent in the number of students enrolled, said Provost Eugene Bourgeois. Overall enrollment in the graduate programs was up 3.9 percent, Bourgeois said.
SOCIAL
By Tayler Chambless NEWS REPORTER The Texas State University System has implemented an institution-wide sexual misconduct policy, but Texas State and Sam Houston State are the only universities to address gender identity and gender expression in their discrimination and harassment policies so far. The Texas State University System Board of Regents approved the sexual misconduct policy Aug. 29 that affects all TSUS universities. Gender identity is not explicitly mentioned in the sexual misconduct policy because the policy is meant to apply to any student or faculty member regardless of sexual orientation, said Mike Wintemute, associate vice chancellor for Governmental Relations and director of Communications. The purpose of the policy is to “maintain an educational environment free from all forms of sexual discrimination,” according to the TSUS sexual misconduct policy and procedures. After discussing the inclusion of gender identity and expression for about a year, Texas State added the clause into its own policy a year ago, alongside Sam Houston State, which added ‘sexual orientation’ roughly two years ago, said Joanne Smith, vice president for Student Affairs. The gender identity and expression statement was not included at that time. “A number of years back, (Texas State) added ‘sexual orientation,’ and that was when Dr. Trauth first came here,” said Kristen Ploeger, president of Texas State Alliance. “She put that policy in, and we were the only institution in the Texas State University
UNIVERSITY
By Houston York NEWS REPORTER
gender identity
LEADERSHIP
Leadership program continues in Anonymous photo memory of alumnus sharing application comes to Texas State
By Benjamin Enriquez NEWS REPORTER A new anonymous photo-sharing app called Unseen aims to provide students with the ability to connect with others without a fear of backlash. Michael Schramm, CEO and cofounder of Unseen, said current social media platforms are glossy versions of who people are. Schramm and his cofounder, Munjal Budhabhatti, created a platform that allows college students to be who they are without fear of repercussions. “The overall goal is to be an antiFacebook,” Schramm said. “Here (on Unseen) you can find people with common interests and opinions, and it’s just so much more genuine.” Unseen removes the stresses associated with posting certain things, and users do not have to think before posting, Schramm said. Zero identifiable information is collected from app users, Schramm said. The little data collected is geolocation. “The future ‘Facebook’ of the world is going to come out of the anonymous space,” Schramm said. “We’re in the best position to build the social media platform of the future.”
Schramm said the concept of anonymous space is taking off and has the potential to be a “trillion dollar industry.” “There was no ‘aha’ moment, ever,” Schramm said. “We just realized there was no better way to connect, so we built a product that connected that gap.” The app rolled out in May and was only available at Texas A&M University, Schramm’s alma mater. Since then, its reach has expanded to over 70 campuses nationwide and is continuing to grow “at light speed.” Users of the app accept the terms of service, pick their university and begin posting anonymous images to a Tumblr-like newsfeed. Users can view, comment on and like posts from other universities. “It’s pretty incredible what’s happening,” Schramm said. “It’s really rough around the edges now, and we’re just trying to hold the ship together, but in order to have tomorrow you have to have today.” Schramm, Budhabhatti and their entire team are not afraid of the growing pains involved with creating something like this.
See APP, Page 2
PRESLIE COX STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Bill Poston founded the Housley Principled Leadership Program.
By Elizabeth Barrera NEWS REPORTER In tribute to his friend Kevin Housley, Bill Poston, founder and president of the Housley Principled Leadership Program, maintains connections with alumni and current students for support in reaching success. The memorial program for Housley has had a great turn out, Poston said. Housley was an alumnus of Texas State and best man at
Poston’s wedding. Housley died six years ago from brain cancer, and ever since, Poston said he was his motivation to fulfill the need of a program for students eager to gain leadership proficiency. “I wanted to do this as a memorial and have something more significant than having a scholarship named after him,” Poston said. “When you’re really tired and you think, ‘Why am I doing this?’—that aspect of making it a memorial keeps me going and keeps me motivated.” In 2008, the Stelos Alliance program began. The original idea was simply to raise money for college scholarships targeted at junior and senior students demonstrating leadership, Poston said. Poston saw many students who had great potential but were working and going to school part-time, which caused them to struggle to find a balance, he said. The idea was to provide them with funding and an educational component that would allow them to cut back on the amount of work they had to do to gain the experience of campus leadership roles, Poston said. “We started Housley in 2010 and did a couple of years of scholarship work and really recognized the need to put together a co-curricular program,” Poston said. “These
classes were not for credit, were about four hours long for eight Fridays and word quickly spread to people.” The first time Housley classes were offered, 15 students came, Poston said. The next time the number doubled to 30. After that 100 people applied, and now there are over 150 applicants every semester. “There are 30 seats in the class, and we continue to offer the cocurricular program at Texas State,” Poston said. “Last spring, classes were offered at Trinity College in San Antonio and San Angelo State University for a four-credit semester-long class.” This fall, Texas State has also brought the semester-long fourcredit course to the Honors College, Poston said. It allows for more detail, an expanded curriculum and deeper concepts. The class is now divided into three different parts, Poston said. The first third of the semester is about on self-awareness, selfidentification and values. The second consists of leading others and how to motivate, trust and adapt to situations and challenges. The last third of the program
See HOUSLEY, Page 2
2 | The University Star | News | Thursday, September 18, 2014
WASTE, from front
GENDER IDENTITY, from front System that had it. It took a lot of pressing palms to make that happen.” It is “scary” to think that until the university included gender identity and expression in the policy, there was nothing protecting the LGBTQIA community, Ploeger said. “You could just be fired because you are transgender,” Ploeger said. As of now, Texas State and Sam Houston State are the only universities within the TSUS to publish discrimination policies mentioning the protection of ‘gender identity and expression’ on their university websites. Questions have come up about the university’s stance on the subject. The university felt it was important everyone knew that Texas State is open
and accepting of all students, Smith said. “We had voluntarily done the gender identity and expression,” Smith said. “This is not anything new. We’ve been on it. We have done it through our Ally training program, through our construction program—we just hadn’t put it in writing.” In Texas State’s campus standards, the university requires that all new buildings and resident halls have unisex/family style bathrooms that include not only a toilet and sink but also a place to shower. This allows students an option if they feel they need more privacy, Smith said. “(Through) our Ally programming related to LGBTQ(IA) students, we do a lot of work with trying
to make sure everyone on our campus feels included,” Smith said. For a site to be considered an Safe Office, professors and staff must go through Ally training and sign a contract stating they will be supportive of students and foster the Allies ideology, Ploeger said. Or, if 75 percent of people go through the program, the department will then become a Safe Office. The University Police Department is an example of this. “I think most in the LGBT(QIA) community would say it is not all that accepting, but it is better than it was,” Ploeger said. “When I started at Texas State University, it wasn’t something you talked about at all, but it’s getting better.”
“strategic goal” of increasing graduate enrollment, Golato said. “Research has become an increasingly important component for grad students because they are creating new knowledge and conducting research with their master’s and doctoral thesis while contributing to the research mission of the university,” Golato said. “Research is done in all areas of the university, and if we want to increase the research activity, graduate students are essential.” Golato said a number of initiatives have been implemented in the graduate college to increase enrollment. “The university has a number of scholarships and fellowships for merit students,” Golato said. “We also have some higher scholarships for the Texas State Merit Fellowships for doctoral and master’s students.” Golato said the university has done more in terms of advertising as well. “The McCoy College of Business had a LinkedIn campaign,” Golato said. “The department of psychology created a recruitment video. We have had advertisements in other appropriate
media outlets, booths at conferences and a graduate student fair on campus. For students to go to graduate school, they first have to know about their opportunities.” Drew Goodman, history master’s student, said he did not notice a drop in enrollment or know about certain incentives to enroll in the graduate program. “I didn’t know about a lot of the incentives as an undergraduate,” Goodman said. “Now that I am in the program, the professors do a good job of advertising scholarships or fellowships, but maybe as an undergraduate I was so disengaged that I didn’t know.” Goodman said he has noticed research efforts in his program. “A fellowship has been made available for thesis research, and I think that’s great because you get funding to do research, and if you’re working on a thesis, that can be expensive,” Goodman said. “You want students to do good research, and finances can be a constraint, so I think it is important we have grants and scholarships.”
hall food waste. The university also has a sanitary sewer system, a grease trap for dining halls and hazardous waste pickup for buildings on campus that use chemicals, Guerra said. The sanitary sewer system on campus is connected to the city’s network. The city sewer pipes end at the wastewater treatment plant. At the plant, waste is processed in accordance with environmental and state requirements, Guerra said.
HOUSLEY, from front is essentially a discussion that focuses on how to apply skills and knowledge learned to real-life situations. Reagan Pugh, who does the marketing and development for Housley, has been involved in the program for three years now. Pugh said he is glad the program originated at Texas State and other schools are able to teach the classes as well. There are currently 18 students in the program at Texas State, Pugh said. “Bill Poston and I co-facilitate the class,” Pugh said. “Bill brings the business and professional leadership management experience while I help run the development of the course, and since I’m six years out of undergrad, I’m the more youthful perspective that gives students an idea of what to expect post-college.” Pugh said he feels very fortunate because he and Poston get to teach this course every semester and he feels he personally increases his development as a person. “Nowhere else on campus am I asking these kinds of questions,” Pugh said. “No-
GRADUATE, from front went from 987 to 1056. We are around twelve percent of our overall enrollment being graduate students. It may drop a little because our incoming freshman classes have been so big this year and last year.” The university is hoping to see eighteen percent of overall enrollment at the graduate level, Bourgeois said. “To have a more pronounced and visible graduate program is something really imperative to a research university,” Bourgeois said. “We had very good summer enrollment in the master’s programs, and in part because we had a series of summer enrollment incentives and scholarships we rolled out for graduate programs.” Depending on the number of credit hours a student has, students enrolled in summer semesters could receive up to a $2,000 scholarship said Andrea Golato, dean of the Graduate College. Bourgeois said Golato wanted to refocus on initiatives and recruiting efforts to get students into the university’s graduate programs. As an emerging research university, Texas State has a
All dining halls collect the oils or grease that Chartwells uses and divert them into a trap. A specialty contractor then pumps out the grease and disposes of it. All food waste is gathered by Bobcat Blend and taken to the university’s composting pile located next to the outlet mall, Guerra said. “We make sure that we have licensed contractors and staff that can deal with it,” Guerra said. “We know that once it leaves campus, it’s being properly disposed of.”
where else on campus is there dedicated time to be with peers to wrestle over these big questions we have in our lives, and the coolest part about finishing each semester is when we receive all these nominations for new students and we have built a really great alumni network.” Rachel Wilson, former student of the Housley program, said she got a lot out of the program and can count on people in the network for consistent advice. When she was a student last fall, Poston and Pugh made themselves readily available for guidance in student leadership, Wilson said. “It’s really nice to have a good network of people that know what they’re doing or are involved in other organizations and are pretty successful leaders themselves that are there for me,” Wilson said. “They’ve helped me develop the skills it takes to be a good leader, time management, and gave me a good understanding of myself and my abilities in regards to other people and their abilities as well.”
APP, from front “Every product in the world didn’t start as what it is now, like Groupon, Instagram and Snapchat,” Schramm said. “It’s really just a series of failures that leads to a win.” For Schramm, it’s all about the students. He said he knows students want to be able to express themselves again like they could before everything was tracked and indexed. “One of the key points is, students—they deserve this,” Schramm said. “We’ve got the ability to create it again, this platform for genuine connections, and we have this obligation to see it through.” Schramm said this is an “our-generation” type problem concerning 18- to 28-year-olds who grew up with social media and realize the need for a raw connection with people. “Good or bad, people need to be real,” Schramm said. “There’s no way to express yourself honestly right now. That’s what college is all about, expressing yourself, and it’s become hard for students to do that in the last five to ten years.” Schramm and Budhabhatti continue to have the financial support and backing of angel investors from Rackspace and Indeed.com and recently received $2.1 million in funding. Schramm is also proud to say that all of this has been done in Texas.
“We’re a Texas consumer Internet startup,” Schramm said. “We did it all in Texas and are competing with these California companies who are all about money. We’re Texas born, Texas supported, hoping this thing is a slam dunk, a multi-billion dollar company, and trying to change the mindset of what was created out in California.” Drew Harrison, accounting junior, said some students around campus are already taking to the new app. “I randomly heard people talking about it in the library,” Harrison said. “I kinda like the anonymous aspect of it because it could be someone sitting next to you or someone somewhere else entirely.” Harrison said he thinks the app will only continue to get bigger. “It’s word-of-mouth now, but eventually the more people start using it, it will get even more epic,” Harrison said. “I think it’s really cool for incoming students to have as a way to meet up and connect.” Dahlia Hanly, advertising senior, said she heard about Unseen from a friend and decided to check it out. “As long as they can keep it updated and relevant, I’d give it a four out of five chance at continuing to go viral,” Hanly said. “I believe it can compete among other top social media apps.”
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By Kelsey Bradshaw NEWS EDITOR Texas State was accepted as a member of The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TAARII) this past summer. Elizabeth Bishop, associate history professor, represents Texas State and the Department of History on the TAARII board. TAARII was established to promote scholarly research on and in Iraq and ancient Mesopotamia. The institute offers graduate and postgraduate fellowships for Americans to work in Iraq in a broad range of disciplines. TAARII also has a fellowship program for Iraqi academics to aid them in carrying out research in Iraq. A collection of research materials on the Middle East is available in the Alkek Library, Bishop said. Among the collection are a complete run of the Iraq Times and copies of original records from libraries in London and Amsterdam as well as numerous secondary resources like academic journals and studies.
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“We have as good of a collection as UCLA or Princeton, right here in San Marcos,” Bishop said. Middle Eastern study materials are not only available to history students doing research but to any interested student, said Mary Brennan, Department of History chair. “Students will come to Texas State to take advantage of our resources and to get the full attention of professors that they might not get elsewhere while they develop themselves for schools like these,” Bishop said. Senior lecturer Bryan Glass, who graduated from UT Austin and is associated with Arab scholars there, said those studying Middle Eastern history with UT faculty often choose to come to Texas State for access to the resources. “The fact that (UT) actually (has) a Middle East center and they have students coming down (to Texas State) really says a lot,” Glass said. Other institutional members of TAARII include Columbia University, Georgetown University and Harvard University.
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Thursday, September 18, 2014 | The University Star | 3
SPORTS
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FOOTBALL
Bobcats to face Illinois in first away game By Kirk Jones ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @KIRK_JONES11 The Texas State football team moves from one tough matchup to the next as the Bobcats head north this Saturday to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini, the 11th-best passing offense in the nation. “We get our first road test this week,” Coach Dennis Franchione said. “They are solid on defense. This is a bigger and fast team for us.” Illinois gained 279 passing yards in last week’s 44-19 loss to the Washington Huskies. Wes Lunt, Illinois sophomore quarterback, is off to the best start through three games in Illinois history with 971 passing yards and nine touchdowns. “They are throwing the ball well right now,” Franchione said. “I believe they are one of the top passing offenses in the country.” Geronimo Allison, Illinois junior wide receiver, has caught 16 passes for 300 yards, ranking him among the top 25 receivers in Division I. Lunt is ranked in the top 15 in passing yards, passing touchdowns and completion percentage in the fourth quarter. Allison is one of four Illini receivers with 100 yards this year. “Everybody needs to communicate well,” said David Mayo, senior linebacker. “We have been using the loud crowd, so I think
communication is key since they will be passing the ball a lot.” Illinois has struggled with finding its rushing attack in the team’s first three games, totaling 214 yards compared to their opponents’ 551. “We have watched film, and we are trying to find their best players,” Texas State senior running backs Terrance Franks said. “We are just trying to stay focused on moving forward and try not to worry about what is in the past.” The Illini are 4-0 against Sun Belt opponents with a 42-34 victory against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Sept. 6. Western Kentucky led at halftime, but the Illini scored three consecutive times in the fourth quarter to come away with the victory. Following their 65-0 victory against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the Bobcats lost to the Navy Midshipmen 35-21. “I always say improvement happens from game one to game two,” Franchione said. “It might be from game two to game three this week as we look to get in a rhythm playing back-to-back weeks.” Tyler Jones, sophomore quarterback, showed promising signs of development against Navy, with 82 rushing yards on 19 carries along with 231 passing yards. Mike Orakpo, senior linebacker, tore his MCL and ACL in the first quarter, ending his season as a Bobcat.
“He’s been the x-factor for our defense,” Mayo said. “He is a great leader, and everyone looks forward to playing with him. It is going to be tough without him.” The team is looking to fill the shoes of its defensive captain as the Bobcats search for help from the
entire linebacker core. “Mike’s a great player,” Mayo said. “Those are big shoes to fill, and he will be missed, but I think Jeter and Stephen will step up as well as our linebackers as a whole.” The Bobcats allowed 352 yards of rushing against Navy last week.
Illinois ranks 118 out of 124 teams in rushing yards. “I think everyone is looking forward to going back to our normal defense—to go back to the way we all were last year,” Mayo said. “It’s exciting to get back to our traditional defense.”
STAR FILE PHOTO
S0CCER
Team preparing for final conference games of season By Devin Tyler SPORTS REPORTER @DEVINNOONECARES The Texas State soccer team enters
its final two nonconference games of the season against Prairie View A&M and Texas following a twogame losing streak. Coach Kat Conner views the
STAR FILE PHOTO
teams matchup with Prairie View A&M as a chance to rebound before conference play. The Bobcats are undefeated in their series against the Panthers. Prairie View A&M has not scored a goal against the Bobcats in their seven all-time meetings. Last season, Texas State won 5-0 at home. “We are mainly looking at this game as an opportunity of getting back on track and winning,” Conner said. “We want to better our offense and be more composed in front of the net so that we can finish our chances.” Texas State rallied back from a one-goal deficit with two minutes remaining before UTSA scored the game-winning goal in overtime. The loss completed a winless weekend for the Bobcats. The team combined for 29 shots for the weekend, with 12 of them on goal. Lynsey Curry, junior forward, accounted for 11 shots and
Ali Jones, sophomore midfielder, contributed a goal and three shots. “The feeling in the locker room was of embarrassment and disappointment,” Conner said. “We know were better than the performance we gave. We talked about keeping our standards high because that’s the only way we will get to a championship.” The Bobcats play the Texas Longhorns Sept. 21 before entering conference play. Texas currently has a record of 4-2-2, with a matchup against UCLA before Texas State. In their meeting last year, the Longhorns out-shot the Bobcats by 19 shots in their 3-0 victory. “We need to dictate the play by our style of offense and our style of defense,” Conner said. “Bobcats play team offense. We want numbers around the ball and team defense so we’re never caught oneon-one. ” Tori Hale, senior forward, is one
assist away from having 17 career assists, which is the all-time assist record set by Britney Curry. “Tori has really turned it on this season,” Conner said. “That is why she is having a great senior year. Ultimately Tori is a team player. I know she will be excited if she ties or breaks it, but she more wants to see her team win.” Caitlynn Rinehart, junior goalkeeper, had allowed one goal prior to the matchups against TCU and UTSA. Rinehart has now saved 63 of her 68 shot chances this year, as the team gave up four goals in the two losses. “I look to my teammates a lot because the way my teammates play reflects on the way I play because we feed off of each other’s energy,” Rinehart said. “ I know what I have to do to be successful, and sometimes I come up short but just have to practice and keep up the pace.”
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4 | The University Star | Thursday, September 18, 2014
OPINIONS
UniversityStar.com
MAIN POINT
10 reasons to be excited about fall weather will be 1. The much cooler. Instead
their TV screens. There are plenty of options to choose from between Shonda Thursday’s and all of the other shows returning or starting up.
of arriving to class drenched
3. There are also a lot of activities that happen during
the cooler months that San Martians can take advantage in sweat from hiking up all of the hills and stairs, the chill in the air will allow students to arrive to class with a light sheen instead. The hills will still be there but the blazing sun will be a lot less blaze-y.
of Homecoming is Oct. 4, Austin City Limits is Oct. 3-5 & 10-12, and Wurstfest is Nov. 7-16.
2.
Fall TV schedule is always really great. Everyone can escape the cold nights by sitting in front of the warm glow of
crawling out of the woodwork. From the obvious and iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte to more unique things like Pumpkin Spice Oreos, there is something pumpkin for everyone in your life.
5. Fall fashion is the best 7. Football season. Footfashion. The minute that it falls below 60 degrees people start breaking out the boots and scarves. Fall wardrobe classics include leggings, sweaters, scarves, flannel, and white wash jeans.
4. Pumpkin 6. Halloween happens flavored everything. Fall is the season for the Pumpkin Spice basics to come
and consuming obscene amounts of candy. Halloween is on a Thursday this year so students will be able to really participate in the festivities without worrying about school.
during the fall. Halloween is the time for group costumes
ball is a fall sport. It is way easier to enjoy the grown men crashing into each other when it is not 100 degrees outside.
8.
Daylight Savings Time ends during the fall. The hour that we lose during the spring comes back during the fall, meaning an extra hour of
sleep.
9. October is Breast
Cancer Awareness Month. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is celebrated by many people and organizations, including the NFL, who could definitely use some good publicity right now.
10. Thanksgiving is in
the fall. Thanksgiving is the single greatest holiday because it is all about food and good times, and no one has to worry about the stress of presents. Plus, everyone gets to miss school and work.
BREANNA BAKER STAR ILLUSTRATOR
The Main Point is the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board. Columns are the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the full staff, Texas State University Student Media, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Texas State University.
MEDIA
Leaking of celebrity nudes evidence of slut–shaming culture in US
Hannah Foster SPECIAL TO THE STAR Mass communication junior
T
he most common excuse used for the lack of sympathy shown to the women who have recently had nude pictures of themselves stolen by internet hackers has been that if people don’t want nude pictures of themselves leaked, they should not take them. I find this excuse to be ridicu-
lous for a variety of reasons. The most obvious reason is that you would not tell someone whose car just got stolen, “If you didn’t want somebody to steal your car, you shouldn’t have bought it.” It is ridiculous that this is an adequate response when regarding a person’s body but not when regarding an object of monetary value. Even more so is the fact that men don’t receive the same response when nude pictures of them are found leaked on the Internet. Any time nude pictures of male actors leak, everyone responds like it is some kind of joke. They never receive the same derogatory responses, such as “slut” and “whore,” which are common when the same thing happens to women. The fact that a woman’s personal photos were stolen, then placed on the internet for all to see, is bad enough, but the
comments received after such an occurrence are far worse. In our society, women are shamed for exposing their body in any sort of way. It is considered trashy or slutty if a girl is wearing shorts that are “too short” or a top that is “too revealing.” Meanwhile, guys can go around topless and it is nothing worth commenting on. Society tells women that it is only okay for women to show their bodies if it is for the entertainment of men. As blogger Violet Rose once stated, “It is illegal for women to go topless in most cities, yet you can buy a magazine of a woman without her top on at any 7-11 store. So, you can sell breasts, but you cannot wear breasts, in America.” This double standard, along with this entire way of thinking, only teaches women to be ashamed and embarrassed of their bodies.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Rivers Wright
I
t is easy for students to get caught up in the excitement of a new trend, especially when that trend can get students noticed by a larger group of students and create the new cybercelebrity status that is coveted among college students. The newest status symbols of Texas State are the Tumblr and Instagram that go by the name of Students of Texas State and the NSFW Students of Texas State XXX. Students can anonymously submit pictures of their best post-workout selfies or their best late-night bedroom pictures. There are so many things wrong with both of these pages. It is a wonder how they are still up. As many people have noted on both of the Tumblr pages, it is a huge violation of people’s privacy. The owner’s rebuttal is that they can be taken down if the subject of the photos is uncomfortable. However, the general idea is that anyone can submit pictures of anyone, including a scorned ex-lover hoping for revenge or humiliation. Even if the pictures are taken down from the website, it is the same old PSA announcement everyone
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has heard since the beginning of time—everything on the Internet lasts forever, meaning that somewhere these pictures will go and sit in the dark corners of the Internet until someone goes to look for them, like a future employer. Try explaining those photos during an interview process. Aside from the fact that it is a huge violation of privacy and an embarrassment for those unaware of the photos, it adds to the already tainted name that the university is trying to reestablish from its past partying ways. The degrading terms do not just end at the Students of Texas State pages either. On Twitter there are more than a handful of less-thanappealing hashtags that are taking over Twitter. Multiple times, the hashtags “#WhiteGirlWednesday,” “#SnowBunnies” and “#TexasStateTrendsetters” have popped up on my local feed. Each of these is accompanied by a picture of scantily clad women posing in provocative or demeaning poses. I enjoy the latest trend as much as the next person, but that is not a trend that I want to be following. Living in the moment is always fun and is a good way to live life to the maximum potential. With that being said, making sure to calm down if anything feels uncomfortable is something to keep in mind as well. Being a twenty-something in college comes with the feeling of invincibility, and sure, sometimes it truly feels like we are. However, what we do now will be our kryptonite later in the future, so skipping out on the newest hashtag or Internet trend now will only help in the long run.
Editor-in-Chief............................................Lesley Warren, stareditor@txstate.edu Managing Editor....................Odus Evbagharu,starmanagingeditor@txstate.edu Letters...........................................................................universitystar@txstate.edu News Editor............................................Kelsey Bradshaw, starnews@txstate.edu Trends Editor.............................................Amanda Ross, startrends@txstate.edu Opinions Editor.....................................Imani McGarrell, staropinion@txstate.edu Photo Editor........................................Madelynne Scales, starphoto@txstate.edu Sports Editor......................................... Quixem Ramirez, starsports@txstate.edu Copy Desk Chief.................................Sam Hankins, starcopychief@txstate.edu Design Editor...........................................Lauren Huston, stardesign@txstate.edu
self-worth is based upon how few people they have had sex with. Meanwhile, men are often glorified for their sexuality. This double standard is harming the way young girls and women view themselves. It is telling them that they should not be comfortable with their bodies because society is not. This is all evident in the way that the media and people as a whole respond to stolen and leaked pictures of celebrities. We have been taught to be ashamed and disgusted by our own anatomies. We have been taught that the amount of clothing a girl is wearing is directly proportionate to the amount of self-respect she has. Society needs to destroy these misconceptions and learn to love and respect each other equally, regardless of gender.
LGBTQIA
Lewd blogs harmful to students
OPINIONS COLUMNIST Journalism senior
The entire slut-shaming culture is what makes leaked nudes a “scandal” in the first place. If society, media and our culture in general were not so concerned about what other people do with their own bodies to begin with, the scandal would not exist. This unnecessary concern is spawned from the fact that society is not comfortable with a woman being confident enough to express her sexuality so boldly. For some reason, our culture has taught women that we are not allowed to be sexual creatures. We are taught that showing any sign of sexuality is inappropriate and unacceptable. Women are looked down upon for being sexually active or wearing certain clothing that somehow gives the impression that they are sexually active, regardless of if it is true or not. Women are taught that their
Gender identity, expression not equivalent to sexuality
Brandon Sams OPINIONS COLUMNIST Public relations sophomore
I
t is important for people to note the distinction between sexuality, gender identity and gender expression. Many people seem to conflate one’s sexuality with their potential gender identity and observed gender expression. However, these are three different things that are not contingent upon one another and should not be equated. As an identified homosexual who expresses himself in an overtly feminine fashion while continuing to mostly identify as male, the ignorance of people regarding these topics bemuses me. Yes, I am a gay male. Yes, I also am technically transgender. What is so hard to understand? First things first. Transgender is an umbrella term that encompasses those people who identify and express themselves in ways that are
Multimedia Editor............................Liann Shannon, starmultimedia@txstate.edu Assistant News Editor........................Nicole Barrios, starasstnews@txstate.edu Account Executive..................................Stephanie Macke, starad2@txstate.edu Account Executive.................................Morgan Knowles, starad4@txstate.edu Account Executive.....................................Jamie Beckham, starad5@txstate.edu Media Specialist............................................ Chris Salazar, c.salazar@txstate.edu Advertising Coordinator..............................Kelsey Nuckolls, kjn16@txstate.edu Publications Coordinator.......................................Linda Allen, la06@txstate.edu Publications Director...........................Bob Bajackson, stardirector@txstate.edu
not traditionally associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. Transsexuals are people who identify as the sex other than the one they were assigned at birth and thus seek to align their bodies with their identity through medical means, such as hormone replacement therapy and surgeries. In short, all transsexuals are transgender, but not all transgender people are transsexuals. Secondly, it is important to understand that sex and gender, although generally correlative, are not the same thing. Sex is determined by one’s physical body and respective chromosomes. Gender is determined by societal constructs regarding how people of the aforementioned sexes are supposed to dress, act, look and think, among other things. Just because I wear makeup and sometimes look better than a portion of the girls on this campus (sorry, ladies) doesn’t mean that I identify as a woman. The way I choose to express myself is just that: my personal expression. I am tired of people trying to label me and box me in with their own insular views and misunderstandings of gender identity and expression. I am a person who identifies as a male and subse-
quently I enjoy the company and bodies of other men, in every conceivable way. Therefore, I am a gay male. Again, that is not contingent on how I express myself. Just because I identify as a male does not mean I must adhere to how society says men are supposed to look, act, talk and dress. That has never been me and will never be me. I am a proud queen, and I wear my emblazoned crown with confidence. Conversely, transsexual women are not men. I am tired of hearing men say, “I do not like men,” in response to a question about being with a transsexual woman. If she does not identify as such then society should not view her as such. These men are purposely being rude and calling these transsexual women pronouns they do not answer to, then feigning ignorance when they get called out on it. In the age of information where entire encyclopedias are literally at the fingertips of everyone, ignorance is no longer an excuse. Sexuality is whom you love and who gets your sexual juices flowing. Gender identity is who and what you identify as in a given society. Gender expression is how people choose to express themselves. Search it. Learn it. Know it.
The University Star is the student newspaper of Texas State University and is published every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the spring and fall and every other Wednesday in the summer semesters. It is distributed on campus and throughout San Marcos at 8 a.m. on publication days with a distribution of 6,000. Printing and distribution is by the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. Copyright Thursday, September 18, 2014. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The University Star are the exclusive property of The University Star and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the editor in chief. The first five issues of each edition of the paper are free. Additional copies of the paper can be purchased at 50¢ per copy. Contact The University Star office at (512) 245-3487 to purchase additional copies.
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Thursday, September 18, 2014 | The University Star | 5
TRENDS
UniversityStar.com genius to discover, to explore and to respond to. TE: Why do you choose to write about Cormac McCarthy?
Peter Josyph
Writer, artist, filmmaker By TheresaChristine Etim TRENDS REPORTER
Returning to the Wittliff Collections after a hit performance in 2010, multitalented writer, artist and filmmaker Peter Josyph will be on the Texas State campus Thursday for a reading of his book, “Cormac McCarthy’s House: Reading McCarthy Without Walls.” A celebrated actor and filmmaker as well as the author of several memoirs and plays, Josyph brings a new dimension and element of performance to his readings, making his on-campus event impossible to miss. Josyph spoke with The University Star about his own creative process and his favorite theme: Cormac McCarthy. TE: You're a writer, of course. How important was it for you to get into writing? PJ: I’ve been writing all of my life. To shift from painting to writing—or between any of the other arts in which I’m involved—is just like breathing for me. For most of my life I’ve had the privilege of being poor in a variety of art forms. TE: What impact did Cormac McCarthy have on your writing career? PJ: I am currently completing my third collection of personal essays and conversations about McCarthy’s work. I am also a great believer in the conversation as an art form, and most of my non-fiction works—including those on McCarthy—feature conversations about his work with some of the most interesting people I have met. I’ve explored McCarthy’s work from so many angles—as a filmmaker, as a writer, as an actor, as a photographer, as a painter—that McCarthy as a motif never feels old to me. There’s always more of his
PJ: The most important reason why McCarthy is a motif in my own work as an artist is that I’ve always been especially interested in genius, and as far as I’m concerned, McCarthy is the greatest prosepoet of our day. TE: How different is writing fiction vs. non-fiction? PJ: I firmly believe that most writers who are working in the field of memoir and autobiography don’t feel guilty at all when they make things up in order to tell a slightly better story or to invent one entirely. They call that being a writer. I call that being a liar. For me, if it’s supposed to be true and is presented that way, you ought not to be making it up. I enjoy the challenge of making my world interesting without falsifying it for the sake of manufacturing a more sensational entertainment for the reader or for boosting my own ego and image. TE: You wear many hats: artist, writer, actor and director. How do you deal with pressure to stick with one area? PJ: People who feel it’s best to have one interest might be correct if they are talking about themselves. Multi-hyphenate—you know, people who are actor-director-painter-author-photographer-filmmakers—well, I don’t know how many of us there are out there—certainly James Franco is one of the most famous!— are often advised to do less, to have a narrower focus. We also can get accused of having a large ego, as if one has to be conceited to work hard at doing more than one thing. That attitude is barely (worthy of) a response. It’s sheer nonsense, plus it neglects an important practical side of being a multi-hyphenate. When, for example, the painter sells a picture and cashes the check, the writer also gets to eat.the writer also gets to eat.
Alumni return for ‘Welcome Home’ performance By Kara Dornes TRENDS REPORTER Lights dimmed and the crowd grew silent as audiences eagerly waited for the curtains to open, revealing the dancers performing the first piece in the much-anticipated “Welcome Home” Alumni Dance Performance. The “Welcome Home” Alumni Dance Performance last weekend was a long-awaited event for the dance department at Texas State, having been in the works for several months prior to opening night. The two-night show was held in the Patti Strickel Harrison Theater at the new Performing Arts Center. Each night included a different line-up of performers “welcoming home” an array of accomplished alumni who served either as choreographers, dancers or both in performances throughout the weekend. “We have a dance company called Opening Door Dance Theatre, which is a faculty showcase which we do every fall, and it also happened to coincide with 50 years of dance at Texas State,” said Michelle Nance, BFA Coordinator. “It was going to be the first time dancing in the new space, so we decided to make it a special alumni concert.” The faculty jointly selected the invited dance alumni from a pool of performers who still dance.
About 15 alumni choreographed and danced on stage both nights. All of the dancers on the stage were alumni except for those in the last piece performed, which featured student dancers, Nance said. “The performance was amazing, especially in the new space,” Nance said. “Everyone did a amazing job, and everything ran really smoothly given the short amount of time we had to prepare.” Many alumni who came to the performance described the experience as enlightening and rewarding owing to the chance see familiar faces and create new memories with old dance members and professors. Brittany Lopez, a returning dance student, had the chance to perform a new duet that sold out on Friday night entitled “Instance of Rising.” Lopez co-choreographed the duet with alumna and friend Erika Record. “Returning to Texas State University and the Division of Dance really did feel like coming home,” Lopez said. “It was surreal and nostalgic and completely, overwhelmingly gratifying.” Lopez ex-
plained that reuniting with longlost friends, colleagues and professors for a dance performance in the new performing arts center was a “perfect experience”. Record was glad to be back at the dance department performing with one of her old roommates and good friend. “I was in two different dances,” Record said. “The first dance that I was in was a solo that was about projection, and I also performed in a duet with my roommate named Brittany Lopez, who was my roommate back at school.” Record explained the duet was very difficult and it felt amazing to come back to Texas State and perform with the people who helped her become who she is today. “Everything during the performances felt very successful,” Record said. “Everything came out very strong, and it felt great.”
—Courtesy of Texas State Dance
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6 | The University Star | Trends | Thursday, September 18, 2014
Lauren Goodley
Remembering reporter Charles Bowden By Ernest Macias ASSISTANT TRENDS EDITOR
“I love this picture of him,” Wittliff archivist Lauren Goodley said about an image of her friend and colleague Charles Bowden. “He’s surrounded by life, yet he’s in his own world, writing away.” The photo featured a young Bowden sitting in the middle of a Mexican plaza, head down, absorbed with taking notes in his pocket journal. Goodley said this picture summed up the life and work of the acclaimed literary journalist. The late Bowden rejected the title of journalist, Goodley said. He considered himself a reporter. Known primarily for his work focused on the connection between the U.S and Mexico—including drug-related and border violence—Bowden was largely considered to be a groundbreaking force in the world of journalism, shining a light on subjects often shrouded in virtual darkness. The 1996 award-winning Harper’s magazine piece entitled “While You Were Sleeping” simultaneously broke the news in America about female violence and murders happening in Juárez, solidifying Bowden’s place as one of the most reputable and talented border reporters of his time. In 2009, the Alkek Library Wittliff Collections acquired an archive of Bowden’s work. The archive forms part of its Southwestern Writers Collection, an exhibit that opened immediately after the acquisition. The 50-linear-foot archive—comprised of approximately 100 boxes—includes unpublished, published and student work by Bowden as well as his research, notes and correspondence used
for 25 books. Lauren Goodley said Wittliff officials plan to showcase two separate exhibitions featuring Bowden’s work. The archive will be displayed on the 2nd and 7th floor of Alkek later this semester, though exact dates have still yet to be determined. The Bowden archive is available for research Monday through Friday by appointment at The Wittliff Collections. The University Star sat down with Goodley, who is in charge of processing the papers of the deceased literary reporter, to learn more about the archive, Bowden’s work and what his legacy means for coming journalists. EM: For those who don’t know or aren’t familiar with Charles Bowden’s work, can you briefly explain it? LG: His stories start in the streets. He left academia to become a beat reporter in Tucson, where he grew up. Being the new reporter, he covered violence and crime. Bowden had a background of wanting to do the right thing, but he was also a highly trained writer. He was able to write beautiful prose.EM: Lets talk about the archive. What is it comprised of?
[The Wittliff Collections]; we feel really happy to have his materials here. We have much more artistic writers, but we also have a strong collection from Dick Reavis, an investigative reporter, so it’s a nice connection between the two collections. EM: Why is his work important to Texas State? LG: Honestly, it is important that it’s somewhere. We are lucky to be able to provide access to his work. He’s one of the early border reporters in the English language. Honestly, he is a trailblazer for border reporters. I’ve read stories about him being in a room full of narcotraficantes (drug dealers) loaded with guns and him sitting there with his notepad. There’s a lot for people to learn about that topic, about journalism and what goes into writing an article, and also the beauty of his prose, especially when talking about these gruesome topics. EM: What about Bowden’s
family? Have they accepted sharing his work? LG: Like I said, the collection came here in 2009. He was still writing and publishing. We’ve had researchers come look at his work. I was speaking to Mary Martha Miles, Bowden’s long-time partner and literary agent, who also edited The Charles Bowden Reader, a selection of his work, and she was telling me how she was pleased with one of the things we did regarding him (Bowden). EM: In your words, why is his work relevant for our times? LG: HHe passed at the end of August. He was still writing and publishing. He’s prolific. His work is not old. Things changed, but he was still focused on Juárez, the border and drug laws. I find inspiration in his work, sort of, seeing it: the notes, the folders, the drafts—seeing that process of something that is attainable, seeing the fruition of an idea
into a legacy. EM: What is his legacy for journalists, writers and the southwestern culture? LG: He wrote about the borderlands. He wrote about seeing the interaction between the two nations surrounding drugs and violence. The literary aspect of his work—he was able to marry the research and interviews with such a talent for his medium of writing. EM: Many of his critics would claim that Bowden was responsible for the sensationalism surrounding the female violence south of the border. What is your view on this? LG: I myself think that there is something to that. He did publish things that you aren’t supposed to, but since he was writing about Mexico, that didn’t affect him. He wanted to show the real Juárez. The good that came out was being published on Harper’s. His way was one way, but not without its issues.
LG: It is all of his papers, broadly speaking. It includes notes, audiotapes and research articles for every piece of work that he kept then. We have drafts, correspondence, notes—even marketing and interviews about his books. It is a look at his life. Researchers can look at his books and trace the developing of each work. There’s several ways to approach this archive. EM: How did Bowden’s work end up at Texas State’s Wittliff Collections? LG: The papers came here in 2009. We were attracted to “Down by the River.” The Wittliff founders knew they needed it. His work belongs to the Southwestern Writers Collection
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