September 25 2013

Page 1

VOLUME 103, ISSUE 15

www.UniversityStar.com

WEDNESDAY

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

Defending the First Amendment since 1911

OPINIONS | Page 4

SPORTS | Page 6

The Main Point: City officials say a controversial roundabout will be beneficial to areas surrounding Hunter Road, but if the project is built as planned, danger could be just around the bend.

Practice report: The football team is prepping to play an efficient quarterback this Saturday.

CRIME

Students arrested, released in hazing case By Taylor Tompkins News Editor

Chris Motz | Staff photographer Maria Tomasso, applied mathematics senior, is currently one of the youngest students at Texas State. Tomasso entered the university at 14 years old.

17-year-old senior skips high school, attends Texas State By Kristen Smith News Reporter

M

aria Tomasso is preparing to graduate from Texas State, but she never went to high school. In fact, she skipped right over it. Tomasso, a 17-year-old applied mathematics senior, went straight from eighth grade into college. While taking her middle school classes, she was simultaneously earning dual credit hours by taking college classes. “Junior high was terrible,” Tomasso said. “I was going to a small junior high, and it was really centered around sports and football, which I’m not that good at. (My school) sort of ignored academics, and I started auditing classes here when I was in seventh grade, and I really liked it.” According to Institutional Research data, in 2011 one 15-yearold student was enrolled at Texas State, and 44 students were enrolled under the age of 18. In 2012, 35 students were enrolled under the age of 18, with two of those students being 16 years of age. Beverly Woodson-Day, associate director of Undergraduate Admissions, said the application process for admitting students of high school age is similar to the one used for college-aged applicants. Woodson-Day said early admitters usually bring in dual credit hours. Students of high school age are required to provide a letter of

recommendation from a counselor or high school principal to apply for entrance into Texas State. They still have to meet SAT and ACT test score requirements and have a B average or higher in high school coursework overall, Woodson-Day said. Regular student admission requirements have to be met as well, she said. Tomasso said she devotes time to her studies but is also involved in a few organizations on campus. She is the treasurer of both the Math Club and Pi Mu Epsilon, the math honors society. Tomasso said wants to take all of these experiences with her to become a biological statistician and work with genetic data. Tomasso, who works at the Student Learning Assistance Center, is helpful to many older

“It’s like working with a baby genius, because that’s what she is.” —Cody Hernandez, bio-chemistry senior students and her co-workers, said Cody Hernandez, senior biochemistry major. “When I first started working with her, it was kind of weird because my sister is about the same age,” Hernandez said. “I guess meeting someone who is as old as your little sister who is helping older people out, and definitely help-

All 13 Texas State drum line members arrested for an alleged Sept. 1 hazing incident have been released on bond, according to jail records. The drum line members were released over the four-day period of Sept. 20 through Sept. 23, with bonds totaling $40,000 for their respective releases. The 13 members of the drum line allegedly connected to the Sept. 1 hazing incident at Copper Beech Townhomes turned themselves in to the San Marcos Police Department last weekend, said Joanne Smith, vice president of Student Affairs. Smith said the students supplied alcohol to “rookie” drum line members and allegedly told them to “get on their hands and knees.” The “rookies” were then allegedly instructed to place their faces in the groin area of “veteran” members, Smith said. Three drum line students were arrested Sept. 23 and booked on charges of hazing, according to jail documents. All were released the same day.The three students

are Markus Bonilla, music studies junior; Cesar Gonzalez, music studies senior; and Jeremy Gonzalez, political science sophomore. Cesar Gonzalez and Jeremy Gonzalez were both charged with an additional count of furnishing alcohol to a minor, for which they each posted $6,000. All three were released after posting $2,000 for hazing charges. Jail reports indicate nine drum line members were arrested Sept. 20 for hazing. All were released the same day. Five of the nine students are music studies majors, including senior Austin Baker, sophomore Daniel Burrow, freshman Brian Lindsey and junior Luis Pereira. The other four students are John Corbitt, accounting sophomore; Nathan Donahue, communication studies sophomore; John Edds-Galindo, English junior; Caleb Garza, undeclared freshman; and Miguel Perez, electronic media sophomore. Luis Ramos, music studies sophomore, was also arrested Sept. 20 for hazing with an additional charge of giving a false report to police. He was released the same day on a $2,000 bond for each charge.

CITY

Officials discuss zoning of proposed complex By Scott Allen

Special to the Star

ing me out occasionally, is weird to get used to at first. But, it’s also awesome.” Hernandez said along with being so young, Tomasso is ambitious, excited, fearless, outgoing and willing to learn. “It’s like working with a baby genius, because that’s what she is,” Hernandez said. “I absolutely see a bright future for her. The coolest part about what she’s done and how young she is is that obviously she has time.” Tomasso is due to graduate in either December 2014 or May 2015, and is considering graduate school at either the University of Wisconsin or the University of British Columbia.

Developers of a new proposed multi-family housing complex are asking city officials to change the zoning of seven acres of land near Rio Vista Park to allow the construction of apartments near a flood plain. Mark Rankin, the builder of the apartment complex, said in a Sept. 18 Neighborhood Commission meeting the plot of land along the east side of South CM Allen Parkway should be changed from a stability/open space zoned area to a high intensity zone for the purpose of building a proposed complex called River Park. The heavily wooded area is located between Rio Vista Park and the Hopkins Street Bridge, according to maps distrib-

uted by the city at the meeting. The Planning and Zoning Commission will plan to discuss and possibly make a recommendation for the proposed zoning change during its Oct. 8 meeting. Dianne Wassenich, program director for the San Marcos River Foundation, said the city council will address the zoning changes during their Oct. 2 and 8 meetings. Charles Meeks, operator of Culligan Water Conditioning of

See ZONING, Page 2

Star file photo

ATHLETICS

Athletes perform well in academics By Minerva Hernandez-Garcia News Reporter

Eight of 16 Texas State athletic teams made perfect single-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores for the 2011-12 school year. The National Collegiate Athletic Association implemented APR scores during the 200405 school year to hold Division-I schools academically accountable, according to its website. APR scores are based from student athletes who receive athletic scholarships. Kelsey Solis, NCAA athletics compliance officer, said APR scores are based on multiyear rates. The 2011-12 official results include averages of all APR scores for the past four academic years calculated by officials through a designated equation. Solis said men’s cross country, men’s indoor and outdoor track, men’s and women’s golf, soccer, tennis and volleyball were

UNIVERSITY

General deposit to be cleared from students’ biannual fees By Rebecca Banks News Reporter

Star file photo

the eight teams to make perfect APR scores out of 1,000 possible points for the 2011-12 academic year alone. The women’s golf and tennis teams had perfect scores of 1,000 for each APR evaluation period over the past four academic

years. Solis said the Texas State teams did very well with APR scores and compare to the top schools in Texas.

See APR, Page 2

Texas State students will no longer be required to pay a $50 general property deposit fee starting in the fall 2014 semester. Bill Nance, vice president for Finance and Support Services, said the deposit fee was originally established to ensure any damages made on campus would have adequate repair funding. Texas State administrators were granted permission to end the general property deposit fee after presenting data to the President’s Cabinet, said Treasurer Valarie Van Vlack. Cindy Kruckemeyer, director of Student Business Services, said students currently receive a $50 deposit fee refund once they graduate, withdraw from the university or no longer attend classes for an

extended amount of time. “Last year we discovered that Texas State was one of the few universities out of 36 public universities in Texas that still collected it,” Nance said. According to data collected by Finance and Support Services and Student Business Services, around 64 percent of the general property deposit was refunded to students between January 2011 and July 2013. About 15 percent of the deposits were donated to the Alumni Association, and 17 percent were forfeited to the scholarship fund. “When we analyzed the fee it seemed like most of the students were automatically getting it back anyway,” Van Vlack said. Kruckemeyer said many students who had invalid mailing ad-

See DEPOSIT, Page 2


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