September 3 2013

Page 1

VOLUME 103, ISSUE 5

www.UniversityStar.com

TUESDAY

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

VIDEO | UniversityStar.com Comedy in the Making: Michael Monsour is an aspiring comedian whose popularity has increased in the San Marcos area over the past few years. To see an interview with Monsour and footage from his last performance, visit UniversityStar.com.

CRIME

UPD, SMPD investigating three recent robberies

Local hunters control hog population

By Taylor Tompkins News Editor

University and San Marcos police are investigating three robberies that occurred on and near campus early Aug. 30 and Sept. 1. An individual was robbed at gunpoint at about 3:25 a.m. Friday when he was sitting on a bench in front of Tower Hall, according to emergency alerts and an email disseminated by the university. The suspect is described as a black male wearing a black baseball hat, a long-sleeved gray shirt, jeans and a handkerchief covering his face. The suspect reportedly left on foot down Wood St. At 3:30 a.m., a suspect matching the same description robbed another male at gunpoint near Sanctuary Lofts on the southwest perimeter of campus. Penny Dunn, San Marcos Police Department commander, said the 5-foot-9-inch suspect asked the victims for their personal belongings during the robberies including wallets, cell phones and other property. Dunn could not confirm if either victim is a Texas State student. “The case is still fresh,” Dunn said. “We have officers in (the University Police Department and SMPD) in the field working on it right now.” Another robbery occurred at 9:40 a.m. Sunday near Bobcat Village, according to an email sent to students at 10:24 a.m. Sept. 1. A black male described as being 5-foot-11-inches and dressed in black robbed a woman. UPD could not be reached for comment on whether the incident and suspect is connected to the previous robberies or if the suspect was armed. Anyone with information regarding either incident is asked to call UPD at 512-245-2805, or remain anonymous by contacting Texas State Crimestoppers at 512-245-STOP (7867).

By Rebecca Banks Special to the Star

A

fter 41 years, Bubba Ortiz has learned hunting feral hogs is not as easy as it seems. “They are extremely intelligent,” Ortiz, director of operations at Ortiz Game Management and Wildlife Development, said. “I equate their intelligence to a threeyear-old child because they have rudimentary skills.” Ortiz said he has witnessed hogs who can tell whether or not his traps are set and are able to communicate between groups, warning each other off. Ortiz is one of many hunters and trappers helping with the effort to curb the feral hog population in Hays County. According to a press release issued by the Texas Department of Agriculture, the County Hog Abatement Matching Program (CHAMP) granted $30,000 to Hays and Caldwell counties for their partnership with the project.

“We need to step up our efforts to thwart these dangerous creatures and CHAMP does just that.” —Todd Staples, agriculture commissioner Starting Sept. 1, the Caldwell County Feral Hog Task Force and CHAMP will be offering a $5 bounty for each hog caught in Hays and Caldwell counties. Nick Dornak, coordinator of the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership, which is partnered with the Feral Hog Task Force, said evidence in the form of a tail will be required to collect the bounty.

Austin Humphreys | Photo editor

Bubba Ortiz holds a two-week-old hog born at a holding cell on his property. Ortiz removes hogs from areas of South Texas to eradicate property damage. “This is both an urban and rural problem that directly impacts our economy and the future of Texas agriculture,” said Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples. “We need to step up our efforts to thwart these dangerous creatures and CHAMP does just that.” The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, a research group working with the partnership, estimates Texas currently has 2.6 million feral hogs. Feral hogs have little competition and very few predators, which allows the population to continually increase with limited population control, according to a report by the group. Staples said feral hogs are destroying yards, farmers’ fields, golf courses and other public and private properties all across Texas, resulting in millions of dollars in damage.The press release said feral hogs have caused an estimated amount of $500 million in damages to rural and urban areas in Texas each year. “I have had someone tell me they couldn’t cut my hay field and that (would have earned me) about $18,000,” said Stuart Carter, member of the Caldwell

County Feral Hog Task Force. “They (feral hogs) go into your hay fields and they turn them upside down.” Carter, a Caldwell County landowner, said he is no longer able to use his hay field due to the amount of damage sustained from the feral hogs. During the last 20 years, feral hogs have created a concern with the state and local landowners due to the damage they create, diseases they carry and destruction to creeks and wildlife, Dornak said. The AgriLife Extension Service said feral hogs are contributing bacteria and other diseases to creeks, ponds and streams. As a result, the partnership created the Feral Hog Project to bring awareness to the issue. The partnership is using aerial control from helicopters as well as creating methods to get landowners active in the Feral Hog Project, Dornak said. It is interested in using wireless traps to be leased to landowners through a sign-up sheet as a part of the project. The wireless trap is in the early stages of development, and Carter said he is test-

See HOGS, Page 2

CITY

San Marcos officials begin search for new city manager candidates By James Carneiro

Assistant News Editor

The City of San Marcos is searching for a new candidate to take the place of current City Manager Jim Nuse after he leaves the job within the next two months. Collette Jamison, assistant city manager, said the search for Nuse’s replacement is a 14-week process with various steps taken along the way to make sure the right candidate is chosen. The city is paying recruiting firm Strategic Government Resources $24,000 to find candidates who meet the requirements of the job. “We recruit the best,” Jamison said. Jamison said it is important for the city council to have a manager who provides “stability.” This person needs to be experienced in finances and be able to communicate well, Jamison said. Nuse said his job is similar to being the CEO of San Marcos. He said a city manag-

er has to be able to attract businesses and be someone who “truly understands” the community. The candidates should possess communication skills and be the kind of person “everybody and their mother wants to know.” Jamison said the city manager must manage the $167 million city budget. The ideal candidate should possess a bachelor’s degree in business, public administration, political science or a related field from an accredited college or university according to a recruitment brochure. The possession of a Master’s of Business Administration or master’s degree in public administration or a related field is preferred. The candidates should have seven to 10 years of experience with a prior job in government, preferably as a city manager or assistant to one. The brochure says the candidates must “possess a record of accomplishment and success in economic and community development projects.” The candidates must

“set a positive example of competence, professionalism, compassion, transparency, ethics, and integrity” for the community. The recruiting process begins with ads posted on government websites and announcements sent to the Texas City Management Association and the Texas Municipal League, Jamison said. Strategic Government Resources officials will try to “get the best match” as they look through the profiles of those who respond to ads and reach out to potential candidates they know and like, she said. The candidates will then answer written questions about their readiness for the job and be interviewed by the recruiters online. Jamison said the final candidates who are found best fit for the job will be brought to city council in about two months. There they will have background checks performed, take personality tests and tell the councilmembers about their personal philosophies and previous work in other cities. The councilmembers will set up a pub-

lic forum where San Marcos residents can meet the candidates in person at a yet to be determined date. The potential hires will be taken on a tour of the city and be asked what their plans for San Marcos are, Jamison said. Individual councilmembers will interview the candidates in public or private meetings and perform some final reference checks on them, Jamison said. Linda Spacek, director of human resources for the city, said she assists in the process of finding new candidates for the city manager position. She said the process involves gaining input from residents and interviewing key stakeholders who want to have a say in who becomes the new city manager. Jamison said students and long-time residents have an opportunity to be involved in the process along the way by attending public forums and stating what they would like to see in a future city manager through a survey on the City of San Marcos website.

UNIVERSITY

Non-traditional student population increasing at Texas State By Juliette Moak News Reporter

The non-traditional student population is on the rise at Texas State, and with it comes the need for a community for these students. Non-traditional students account for 73 percent of college enrollment nationwide, according to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). At Texas State, the Non-Traditional Student Organization (NTSO) seeks to meet the needs of the expanding demographic by fostering a community for non-traditional students while encouraging them to make

an impact on campus, said NTSO President Julian Davalos. According to a Feb. 13 University Star article, Institutional Research showed 2,033 students at least 30 years old enrolled in fall 2012, compared to the 1,593 students in the same age group enrolled in fall 2007. The term “non-traditional student” has historically been defined as someone more than 25 years old, but the definition has expanded over the years. The term encompasses those who have had a delay in their education including military veterans, parents, returning or transfer students, fulltime workers and married students, according to the NCES.

The realities of such diverse life circumstances can make it difficult for non-traditional students to feel like they fit in at Texas State, said Andrew Alexander, graduate advisor for NTSO. “One of the things I feel that non-traditional students struggle with is really feeling an attachment to the campus and campus community and feeling part of the campus culture,” Alexander said. “Oftentimes they have other obligations such as a full timejob or family and children. So what NTSO does is gives the non-traditional student a more comfortable environment as well as a

1,593 Non-traditional students enrolled fall 2007

See NON-TRADITIONAL, Page 2

2,033 Enrolled fall 2012

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