VOLUME 102, ISSUE 63

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WEDNESDAY GO INE ONL NOW

MARCH 6, 2013

Dancing with film The Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema combines film and dance and will be performed in Evans Auditorium March 7. To see an interview with the festival curator, go to UniversityStar.com.

Texas State, A&M look to share building By Nicole Barrios News Reporter Rather than constructing two similar medical buildings within a close proximity, Texas State and Texas A&M University are looking into combining resources for one shared facility. Both universities have existing medical facilities in Round Rock. Each university has requested Tuition Revenue Bond funding for new medical buildings with cadaver labs this legislative session. Bill Nance is vice president for Finance and Support Services. He said because the institutions’ Round Rock campuses are “probably less than a quarter of a mile apart,” officials are considering sharing Texas State’s proposed

Health Professions Building. Nance said he was present at a discussion between University President Denise Trauth and E.J. Pederson. Pederson is interim president of the Texas A&M Health Science Center and interim vice chancellor for health affairs in that university system. Nance said the two leaders discussed a broad outline of a proposal for the shared medical building. Nance said both institutions have verbally agreed the funding from the legislature would go to Texas State. Texas State and A&M would operate under a shared-services agreement allocating space and calculating each university’s portion of the operating cost once the shared building opens, Nance said.

“Opportunities for collaboration between higher-education institutions such as this could be beneficial for students and the state’s taxpayers through greater efficiencies of service, cost savings, leveraged expertise and expanded shared resources,” Pederson said in an email statement. “We are continuing discussions in conjunction with state leadership to determine opportunities on this front.” Discussions on the proposal for the shared building are currently moving forward. Texas State plans to build a gross anatomy, or cadaver, lab, in the proposed Health Professions Building for the physical therapy program, Nance said. A&M’s building proposal additionally includes a gross anatomy lab. Several

Austin Humphreys, Photo Editor

The university is seeking a new health professions building in Round Rock in addition to the St. David’s School of Nursing. Administrators may partner with the Texas A&M Health Science Center to build one facility for the two schools. officials from both schools have met to discuss the possibility of increasing the size of Texas State’s lab to accommodate A&M with additional office space for its faculty, Nance said.

ROBOT RESEARCH

Nance said A&M officials will “throw their political support” behind Texas State’s request to the legislature if the size and price tag of the proposed Health Professions

READ HEALTH, PAGE 3

Board of Regents vote to offer fixed four-year tuition rate By Paige Lambert News Reporter

Kristen Lefebvre, Staff Photographer

Heping Chen, assistant professor at the Ingram School of Engineering, controls a portable robot with an Xbox controller. The robot is programmed to complete repetitive tasks or jobs that may be dangerous for humans.

Professor researches, creates robots for dangerous tasks By Karen Zamora News Reporter Harold Stern, director of the Ingram School of Engineering, is often terrified when Heping Chen’s $100,000 hunk of steel roams the halls of Roy F. Mitte’s fifth floor.

Chen, assistant professor at the Ingram School of Engineering, has worked with robotics for more than 15 years. He spends approximately 20 hours each week researching and assembling them. With the help of Hongtai Cheng, postdoctoral research associate from China, Chen has manu-

factured one semi-automotive and two stationary robots. All three robots are designed to make tasks easier. “Robots can release people from some tedious, dangerous or hazardous work,” Chen said.

READ ROBOTS, PAGE 3

The Texas State University System Board of Regents voted to require its four-year universities to offer a fixed-rate tuition program to students in order to provide more predictability when paying for college. The program was unanimously approved during a the regents’ meeting Monday and will be available for freshmen enrolled starting in the fall 2014 semester, according to a press release from the system. The program will set a four-year, fixed-rate for student tuition. Fees and course charges that exist when a student applies for the program will stay in place for all four years. “The goal isn’t to reduce cost,” said Mike Wintemute, spokesman for the system. “We want to create some predictability for students and parents and give students one more option and more flexibility.” Wintemute said Gov. Rick Perry has expressed his desire for this kind of program, and the Board of Regents thought now would be a good time for its universities to be “proactive.” The system’s four-year universities will draft proposals regarding their respective fixed-rate programs during the November Board of Regents meeting. The proposals will include an academic progress requirement, which will encourage students to keep good grades and finish their degrees within the four years of the plan, Wintemute said. Each university will determine specific details about the progress requirement individually. Wintemute said students aren’t required to apply for the program. They can still pay tuition in the traditional fashion, which has been 15 percent below the state average at the Texas State University System, according to Wintemute. Possible fee increases during students’ education are accounted for when they apply for the plan. Their tuition will be higher than the standard undergraduate cost during the first year, Wintemute said. However, the regents are under the assumption that costs will even out over the course of four years.

Planet K continues fight against city ordinance By Zach Mayer The University Star Attempts to return an infamous car-turned-cactus-planter to Planet K has failed at three court levels over the past six years, but manager Joe Ptak is continuing his battle against the city’s junk car ordinance. Ralph the cactus planter was removed in 2010 because it was in violation of the San Marcos junk vehicle ordinance. Planet K has lost cases against the city in the San Marcos Municipal Court, Federal District Court and Federal Circuit Court of Appeals dating back to 2007. Ptak suffered another legal defeat in February when the San Marcos City Council confirmed Ptak’s petition to amend the junk vehicle ordinance had failed. Ptak gathered 6,849 signatures for the petition in Novem-

ber, but a majority of the signatures were counted as invalid by the city, falling short of the necessary qualifications. Hundreds of signatures were invalid because they were too old or the signers were not registered to vote in San Marcos. Ptak plans to start another petition in the near future. Councilman Jude Prather, Place 2, said he supported Planet K’s cause as a citizen in 2008 and, as an elected official, voted in favor of the store in 2010 and 2011. Ptak said the junk car ordinance obstructs local businesses’ freedom of expression and could hinder attraction of customers. He believes local government restrictions on businesses contradict their statements of support and is disappointed the city has restricted Planet K’s artistic expression.

Ralph is not a typical junk 1988 Oldsmobile. The cactus planter is covered with paintings by local artists Scott Wade and John ‘Furly’ Travis. Ralph is a celebration of San Marcos art and culture and is a cause worth fighting for, Ptak said. “It’s an insult that they don’t allow (Ralph) to be displayed here,” Ptak said. “We’re going to do whatever we can until we can finally bring Ralph home.” Ralph is now located at the Planet K on Stassney Lane in South Austin. It is one example of multiple junk vehicles converted into art in the city. The converted junk vehicles are recognized in Austin as art under the federal Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990. City Attorney Michael Cosentino said the San Marcos junk car ordinance would become unenforceable if it were amended

to allow vehicles like Ralph to be classified as art. An amended ordinance would give all residences and businesses the freedom to have a junk vehicle on their property as long as it had an artistic message. No one is denying that artistic work was applied to Ralph, CosenZach Mayer, University Star tino said. HowJoe Ptak, manager of Planet K, continues to fight the ever, Ralph was city’s junk vehicle car ordinance and return Ralph the still subject to enforcement of the cactus planter to his storefront. ordinance because it was smashed first and turned “It’s not about one store at one into a junk vehicle before any location. It’s about letting everybody do the same thing, and art was applied. “There’s a bigger picture is that what we really want the that’s there,” Cosentino said. town to look like?”

2 | Wednesday March 6, 2013 | The University Star

OPINIONS

For more viewpoints or letters to the editor, e-mail staropinions@txstate.edu

Grace Perkins, Star Illustrator

Bobcat tram schedule inefficient, wastes needed money

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exas State officials are looking to hire a new transportation services director, and the changing of the guard should be viewed as an opportunity to address new ideas for overall tram efficiency for students. The new transportation director is not stepping into an easy job. Despite the innate difficulty of the position, there are very logical steps officials can take to ensure riding the buses around town is a much more enjoyable experience. The current method of allowing buses to travel out every 8 to 12 minutes even in off-peak hours is not necessary and could add up to hundreds of dollars in wasted gas. Frequently, the buses traveling in between peak class times only have two or three passengers on board, while they are typically packed throughout the rest of the day. Instead, tram service officials should space out the routes and shifts of drivers

to correspond with students’ schedules regarding specific class times from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Buses should mainly travel during times within about a 30-minute window before and after a class begins and ends to avoid wasting gas by picking up a very small number of students. Multiple buses arriving 30 to 40 minutes before a class begins would help students much more efficiently than having four buses pick up students directly beforehand or right after class has already started. Instead of picking up students from their stops too late to get them to class on time, a driver could wait in the bus loop to avoid wasting financial resources. The buses traveling 5 to 10 minutes before students are let out of class, rather than waiting on the masses leaving their classes, are a waste of gas and muchneeded funding. Transportation services is in debt and needs to be saving as much money as possible by increasing efficiency. Having multiple buses waiting for students to get out of their classes, as opposed to driving around the city without a

full busload, is another way to maximize the tram’s efficiency. The Quad bus loop has become overcrowded with students spilling into the streets. Transportation services officials need to split up the trams into the bus loops near LBJ and the Undergraduate Academic Center to relieve the influx of traffic from The Quad. The Quad bus loop has been a safety hazard for bus drivers and students since it opened, and routes can be reallocated into the different loops that are largely abandoned. In addition, bus driver shift changes should never occur when a tram is filled past capacity during peak times when students are heading to or leaving class. The current method is an exercise in inefficiency. Routes and shift changes ought to coincide with student demand to better serve the thousands of people who use the tram each day. Parking services officials are finally starting to better utilize the parking spaces around campus by rezoning some restricted spaces back to students. Transportation services officials should follow suit by es-

sentially treating seats on a bus like spots in a parking lot and directly improving efficiency of the routes. Students will have the option to pass a referendum to increase the bus fee from $78 to $95 per student in fall 2014, according to a Feb. 28 University Star article. If students do not vote for the bus fee increase, more tram routes, Saturday services and the Wonder World Drive route are at risk for cancellation. Regardless of whether students pass the bus fee referendum, the new transportation services director must work to make significant changes to the efficiency of the campus tram services. 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-San Marcos Student Media, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Texas State University-San Marcos.

Advertising, local community Social media presence affects employment prospects college can boost transfers

By Molly Black Opinions Columnist

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ith a goal to increase the number of transfer applicants, Texas State officials must increase advertising and cooperate with the city to build a local community college in the future. The Undergraduate Campus Admissions report found there was a 15.4 percent reduction in transfer applications from the previous spring semester to the current one according to a Feb. 13 University Star article. According to the same article, there were about 3,880 transfer students who applied to Texas State in spring 2012, but only 3,280 applied for the current semester. It is clear university officials need to consider new ways to attract more transfer students to Texas State, even though the reasons for this drop remain relatively unknown. Some prospective students face uncertainty when deciding where to apply for college because of the economy’s current state. The biggest fear for some students is not being able to attend the institution of their choice due to financial restraints. High levels of stress were reported by 71 percent of 10,650 applicants and parents according to the College Hopes and Worries Survey conducted in 2012 by the Princeton Review. In addition, 86 percent said that financial aid was “very necessary.” Furthermore, 75 percent said that the economy affected their choices for college application. In the future, city and university officials should work together to establish a community college within San Marcos to help ease the financial worries of residents and students. Texas State largely receives transfer students from the Austin and San AntoThe University Star 601 University Drive Trinity Building, Room 101 San Marcos, TX 78666 Phone: (512) 245-3487 Fax: (512) 245-3708

nio community colleges according to the same University Star article. Building an even closer community college within San Marcos would not be only an economic benefit for the city. It would help bring more transfer students into Texas State. Currently, many San Marcos residents have to commute to Austin or San Antonio to get an affordable education. However, commuting costs often compound the students’ pre-existing financial problems, disabling many from seeking further schooling. The option to attend a local community college could help students and residents save gas money and would encourage more to seek higher education who otherwise would not have had the opportunity. Furthermore, students attending the community college would be more inclined to later transfer to Texas State. This would help to bring in the transfer numbers the university needs. In addition to building a community college, Texas State officials should consider increasing the amount of funds directed toward marketing and advertising to help reel students in. Advertising is crucial because it helps students find out about the university and the opportunities it offers. Texas State officials need to implement more advertisements such as billboards, online adverts and fliers around San Marcos, Austin, San Antonio and other surrounding areas. More students could be persuaded to transfer to Texas State if the university and its services were better promoted. Advertising can have a huge impact when correctly utilized, even though it may seem like a minor solution to a big problem. If Texas State officials want to increase transfer applications in the future, changes must be made quickly. The receding tide of transfer applications can be reversed in the future by increasing the university’s advertising efforts and laying out plans to cooperate with the city in building a community college. -Molly Block is a mass communication junior.

Editor In Chief................................................Beth Brown, stareditor@txstate.edu Managing Editor............................Lee Moran, starmanagingeditor@txstate.edu Letters..................................................................................starletters@txstate.edu News Editor...................................................Caitlin Clark, starnews@txstate.edu Trends Editor............................Hollie O’Connor, starentertainment@txstate.edu Opinions Editor..........................................Liza Winkler, staropinion@txstate.edu Photo Editor.......................................Austin Humphreys, starphoto@txstate.edu Sports Editor..........................................Cameron Irvine, starsports@txstate.edu Copy Desk Chief......................Thomas Glasebrook, starcopychief@txstate.edu Web Editor.............................................Cayla Green, starwebeditor@txstate.edu

By Jose R. Gonzalez Opinions Columnist

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obcats must exercise discretion on social media websites, including Facebook, by representing themselves and the university well. Facebook continues to play an increasingly important role in the professional and personal lives of college students. As such, Texas State students would be wise to use Facebook to enhance their employment pursuits and give a good representation of the university. Students should take caution when using various forms of social media. A study conducted by media monitoring service Reppler discovered 91 percent of companies used social networking sites to screen prospective employees, according to an Oct. 23, 2011 mashable.com article. In the same article, the study found 76 percent of the businesses that use social media to evaluate prospective employees reviewed a candidate’s Facebook page. It is prudent students set some privacy options on their Facebook accounts to disable other users from tagging pictures that may depict someone in an unfavorable situation. However, completely setting social networking accounts to private may not be the best route. Students must make sure to retain an appealing and true presence on Facebook to attract employers who may be screening their pages. In the same article, the study found 68 percent of companies surveyed hired a candidate due to information gleaned on social networking websites. The same study indicated 39 percent of employers hired a candidate because the job seeker’s personality and organizational skills displayed on social media gave a positive impression. Another 36 percent hired a candidate because a profile supported the prospective employees’ professional qualifications.

Multimedia Editor.........................Alex Peña, starmultimediaeditor@txstate.edu Design Editor.............................................Sarah Ansell, stardesign@txstate.edu Account Executive.....................................Catie Brossard, starad3@txstate.edu Account Executive.................................Blakely Knowles, starad4@txstate.edu Account Executive.....................................Hannah Wilson, starad5@txstate.edu Media Specialist................................... Chris Salazar, chris.salazar@txstate.edu Advertising Coordinator...........................Kelsey Nuckolls, starad1@txstate.edu Publications Coordinator.......................................Linda Allen, la06@txstate.edu Publications Director...........................Bob Bajackson, stardirector@txstate.edu

A Facebook profile should reflect a student’s personality and set specialty of skills. Students must essentially become a oneperson company, and social media should be used as a public vessel for a particular career outlook. This action is what personal branding on Facebook entails. For example, as part of personal branding, a student majoring in geography could add pictures of a visit to Big Bend National Park to increase employment opportunities. Personal branding helps show potential employers the interest a student has in a field of study. Likewise, students could help advance career prospects by detailing experiences in their majors by listing internships or related work. Additionally, Bobcats should resist participating in Facebook pages that may later prove to be damaging to the image of the university or the student body as a whole. As of March 5, the public Facebook page Texas State Confessions has more than 7,400 “likes” by users. Texas State Confessions is part of a popular national trend of similarly named pages on Facebook. These “confession” pages allow for users to anonymously submit personal anecdotes about their college experiences. Some posts on the Texas State Confessions page are salacious and ethically questionable, whether true or not. This type of behavior is evidenced in confession #3169 posted onto the page that stated, “Last semester I hooked up with my philosophy TA and earned myself an A.” Some users flaunt illegal activity. Confession #3185 stated, “I used to smoke weed by the hammocks by the agriculture building with fellow dorm mates.” The posts on Texas State Confessions are intellectually equivalent to the crass commentary typically found on the walls of a typical men’s public restroom stall. Reprehensible conduct in the form of these online posts is simply not in line with the image students should try to project for themselves and the university. Facebook can be abused, just like any technology. However, when used properly, Facebook can be a productive tool for all Bobcats. -Jose R. Gonzalez is a mass communication senior.

The University Star is the student newspaper of Texas State University-San Marcos and is published 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 Wednesday, March 6, 2013. 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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The University Star | Wednesday March 6, 2013 | 3

NEWS

HEALTH

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Building are increased to accommodate them. Texas State officials are asking for $48.8 million from the legislature to construct the Health Professions Building, and A&M’s request is in “sort of the same range,” Nance said. Sharing the facility with Texas State is much more cost-effective for A&M, he said. Ruth Welborn, dean of the College of Health Professions, said she began preliminary discussion with administrative staff in A&M’s facility in August to discuss sharing a gross anatomy lab. Welborn said medical students from A&M and the Texas State physical therapy program will both need gross anatomy labs for their curricula. Welborn said the College of Health Professions is ready to work with A&M students and faculty who will be using the lab. Barbara Sanders, chair of the Department of Physical Therapy, said the collaboration

ROBOTS

would give both medical- and physical-therapy students an opportunity to learn more about each other’s professions “up close and personal.” “In health care, we encourage collaboration and interprofessional education activities,” Sanders said. “Anytime you can have health professionals learn more about one another’s educational level and their practice delivery, it improves health care in the long run.” There has been no bill filed reflecting this proposal, but both university systems’ offices have begun discussions in the legislature, Nance said. “We’re only in the second month of a fivemonth legislative session,” Nance said. “So, there’s a long way to go, but we have agreed to work with A&M on this through the session and see if this can’t become a reality.”

Bobcat Trail parking to be removed for green space

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Chen said the moveable machine can teach stationary robots how to perform tasks. “On the manufacturing floor, there are hundreds of fixed robots, and if something happens it’s hard and time-consuming for the operator to go through all of them,” Chen said. “So, in this case, we can use a robot. The (moveable) robot can teach the (stationary) robot, and it increases efKristen Lefebvre, Staff Photographer ficiency.” Chen said research for Hongtai Cheng, postdoctoral research associate, is observed by Heping the moveable robot is alChen, assistant professor at the Ingram School of Engineering, as he ready completed. Howevworks on a portable robot. The two are researching how to make the robot er, he and Cheng are conmove on its own. ducting their own studies to make it more intelligent and move on its own. Chen’s stationary production line robot is “Think of it like this: it’s just a child,” used for high precision manufacturing and Cheng said. “It’s going to get taller and taller is funded by ABB, an industry based out of and will get more intelligent.” North Carolina. The robot can put together Stern said robotics has been part of the an automatic transmission with help from a engineering program since 2000. He said controller device. Chen said the robot costs the manufacturing program, which includes $35,000. robotics, has 120 students. The program is The other stationary robot is primarily large for such a specialized department. used by computer manufacturers and was Stern said Chen is an innovative teacher sponsored by Austin-based Lam Research with a multi-disciplinary background, includCorp. The $100,000 device is primarily used ing electrical and computer engineering. for retrieving and moving wafers and comChen’s background helps students learn puter chips. Chen said the silver machine about industry. takes up approximately 3 feet of space in the “It is really great work that has overlapped corner of his research office. on several different missions,” Stern said. The $100,000 moveable robot, funded by “It’s his research and his teaching, and it’s ABB, is semi-automatic. It can be directed helping Central Texas.” by an Xbox controller or from a remote loChen said he is in negotiation with an cation using a camera. The robot sits on a agency for funding of an underwater robot. four-wheeled moveable platform that uses a Chen is planning to incorporate moveable Kinect sensor to move. components into the underwater robot. He Chen said the moveable robot is the first is working on an aviation robot to assist in one he worked on at Texas State and is a dangerous situations. fairly new concept. Chen’s robot is designed “The thing about robotics is that everyto perform dangerous or repetitive tasks that body understands a little bit,” Stern said. are ill-suited for workers. “What (Chen) has that other professors “An operator (from a remote location) can might not is that his work is more visible, and use the camera to inspect a dangerous envistudents have more experience seeing and ronment or repair things,” Chen said.

David Simoneaux, Staff Photographer

Bobcat Trail is expected to be repurposed into a pedestrian mall similar to the one in front of the Undergraduate Academic Center. By Wil Slade News Reporter Restricted parking spaces and a road in the middle of campus will be converted to green space during the Bobcat Trail Mall Redevelopment project. Bobcat Trail, which runs perpendicular to LBJ Drive and Edward Gary Street, will be converted to a mall area, making a more pedestrian-friendly campus, said Michael Petty, director of facilities planning, design and construction. The estimated total cost of the project is $5.4 million. Underground infrastructure such as water, steam and sewer lines will be replaced and concrete will be removed to create the green space. “It’s been the president’s vision that we move from gray to green,” Petty said. “The whole idea is that we want our university to be a pedestrian university, so that there are outdoor teaching spaces, communal spaces and places to enjoy the Texas weather.” Petty said the project design will be taken to the Board of Regents for approval in November. Construction is expected to begin next year if approved, and renderings will be made in April 2014. The architect for the project is TGB Partners, and the contractor is Flynn Construction, which has led other recent Texas State building projects. Petty said the project should be completed by summer 2015. More green space on campus means less heat will be given off by cement, Petty said. The university wants to get students out of their cars and on their feet while providing

a better campus to walk around, Petty said. Thomas Gleason is a geography senior and parking and transportation committee chair for the Associated Student Government. Gleason said he supports the plan to remove the road and create green space. “I think it will create a greater sense of community on campus,” Gleason said. “It will get more students hanging out outdoors and will make the campus more safe and more pedestrian-friendly.” The project will be similar to Concho Green, which was repurposed a few years ago, Petty said. “What will be done at Bobcat Trail will be much better than what is at Concho Green,” Petty said. “Concho Green is a very beautiful element within the heart of campus, and we want to repeat that.” The utilities under Bobcat Trail will be replaced before construction on the pedestrian mall begins, Petty said. Sheri Lara, director of utilities operations, said maintenance work will be done as needed. Petty said as new infrastructure around campus is completed, a network of purple pipe is being laid, which will carry repurposed water from the City of San Marcos. The liquid will be “gray water,” which is generated from activities such as dishwashing and bathing. The university will be using the recycled water for irrigation and other uses, Petty said. “It’s a way of recycling water. It is part of our green initiative, and it only makes sense,” Petty said.

Students voice concerns to officials at round table By Xander Peters News Reporter

spring break. He said the containers can be bought for a $5 one-time payment. “(Students) give us a used (container). We sanitize it, and it cycles like that,” Root said. ASG President Nathan McDaniel said he thinks the students “got a lot out of” the Round Table. “The administrators always find it valuable to talk with students about the issues going on and answer any questions that they may have,” McDaniel said. McDaniel said the most important issue students were worried about during the meeting was parking and transportation, specifically the cancellation of the Bobcat Tram Interurban system. “(Students) got a lot of great feedback from what parking services are working on,” McDaniel said. “(Parking services is) working on remedies to that problem and seeing how we can come up with solutions to get students from San Antonio and Austin to campus.” Allison Sibley, ASG vice president, said she thought the meeting was successful. “I think it made students feel like they’re at home and the administrators really care about them,” Sibley said. “Meeting the president of our university is an amazing thing for every student. So, I think it’s great to meet so many students in such a short amount of time and that students are able to speak with her as well.”

Students discussed issues including campus construction, sustainability and transportation with the university’s top administrators during Tuesday’s Associated Student Government Round Table. The outreach session provided students with the opportunity to sit down and express their concerns with key administrators. Groups of four to eight students sat and spoke with members of the administration. The students would rotate to different administrators throughout the room every 10 minutes. About 50 students attended the Round Table. “We had a whole range of issues (discussed),” said University President Denise Trauth. “From when Texas State University will be a national research university, to the price of parking, to other transportation issues. We covered the gamut.” Several students asked Joe Richmond, outgoing director of transportation services, about the future of its policies and permit fees. Richmond said the department managed to set the permit fees under $500 for residents who plan to park in garages on campus. The cost of the parking permits will remain the same if students continue to purchase them and a low violation rate continues. “We’re not going to build any more garages,” said Nancy Nusbaum, interim director of transportation services. “So our debt services won’t go up.” Rosanne Proite, director of Housing and Residential Life, was asked by a Blanco Hall resident about the construction of the future West Campus Housing Complex. Proite said the construction will be completed in time for the hall to open in fall 2014. John Root, director of Auxiliary Services, spoke to stuCarlos Valdez, Assistant Photo Editor dents about reusable carry-out containers that will be offered President Denise Trauth and Provost Eugene Bourgeois address in university dining halls after issues with students March 4 at the ASG Round Table in the North Campus Housing Complex.

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4 | Wednesday March 6, 2013 | The University Star

TRENDS

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Dance students will be performing a modern routine called Pueblo-Mujeres at the Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema March 7 at Evans Auditorium.

Festival brings cultural dance experience to campus By Fiona Riley Trends Reporter Dancers moved across the stage with fluidity, then stopped suddenly to stare intensely into each other’s eyes. Rehearsal of their up-close-and-personal choreography was in full swing in preparation for the Sans Souci Festival. Texas State dance students will be performing live March 7 at the Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema. They will perform a modern dance called PuebloMujeres, composed by Cecilia and Yseye Appleton during their artistic residency at Texas State. “It’s about women in Mexico who have to struggle to create a community for themselves while their men are gone,” said Eileene Vicencio, anthropology senior. The dance emphasizes eye contact, which took practice and development of trust among the performers. They practiced with exercises that included staring at each other without speaking. “First you want to laugh because you feel awkward, but once you get past that awkwardness, it’s really humbling,” said Taylor Wasmer, dance junior. “You realize that we don’t look at many people in the eyes without speaking. When we just stared at each other it was kind of nervewracking, but you really grow a bond and a trust with one another that you don’t have with other people.” The dance requires the group to move as one in mul-

“Hoosiers” actor recalls Texas State memories By Fiona Riley Trends Reporter Movies, television, voice-overs and plays—Texas State alumnus Chelcie Ross has done them all multiple times in his career as an actor. Ross has spent 40 years in his profession, but he did not initially plan on pursuing an acting career. Ross was undecided on his future career upon arrival at the university, known then as Southwest Texas State. It was only when a class required him to do something in the arts he auditioned for the play “Noah,” written by Andre Obey and directed by Gresdna Doty, who taught at the university. Ross was cast in the leading role. “Noah” was his first play. “I was so impressed with him,” Doty said. “He had a wonderful voice, and he was tall, and he moved beautifully. Everybody in the department was impressed with his ability right away. He just seemed like a natural.” In “Noah,” Ross wowed Harold Tedford, a Southwest Texas State theatre and speech faculty member at the time. “What I remember about Chelcie is that he was a superb actor,” Tedford said. “He was always such a surprise because he was so believable and so good.” Ross had only seen approximately four plays, two of which were amateur works, at the time he auditioned for “Noah.” Even after starring in “Noah,” Ross pursued a degree in English and went on to serve in the military. Ross was sent to Vietnam and later employed by the Pentagon, where he was working when Ramsey Yelvington contacted him, requesting his return to theatre. “He kept writing to me and telling me I should come back to the theatre, and that I was the best acting talent he’d seen in his 30-odd years of teaching at Southwest Texas State,” Ross said. Ross remembered enjoying his time as an actor and decided to return to the theatre. “I resigned my commission at the Pentagon and packed my wife and babies in the car and drove back to Texas to pursue an acting career,” he said. Yelvington helped Ross with the ca-

Photo courtesy of Suzanne DeWalt

reer change by securing him a scholarship with The Dallas Theatre Center. That was in 1970, and little did Ross know to this day he would still be actively pursuing acting as a career. Ross additionally has a love of sports. He was on the baseball team while attending Southwest Texas State and has acted in many sports-themed movies, including a basketball movie called “Hoosiers.” “I started getting a few little film and television roles, and then Hoosiers happened in 1985,” Ross said. “Hoosiers of course is still around and doing very well all these years later, and that kind of opened the door for bigger and better roles. The progression to really getting into films and television started with Hoosiers.” Ross said he is fond of his time in sports films, such as “Trouble with the Curve,” the Clint Eastwood-produced movie that came out last year. “It’s what I aspire to,” Ross said of his acting career. “It’s what God intended for me to do. The challenge is still there. I’m 70 years old, and the chase is still on. One of the things I tell young actors is, ‘If there’s anything else you can do, if you don’t have to do this, go find some other work, because it’s not an easy thing.’ Everybody wants to be an actor, and not everyone can be.” Ross’ next film, At Any Price, will debut April 26.

tiple instances throughout the performance. “It makes you feel like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself,” Vicencio said. Some of the dancers aspire to one day perform professionally. “The dancers who are dancing in this event definitely have a huge commitment to it,” said Ana Baer, assistant dance professor. “It’s their priority. They’re really motivated to do this. They really like dancing, and they really like performing. The people we select to participate are the ones who can really commit.” A Texas State experimental music group called Mysterium will play the dance’s music. The festival will feature videos from around the world in addition to live performances. There will be videos from multiple countries including Spain, Ireland, Canada and Denmark. The festival’s evening at Texas State is partially funded by the City of San Marcos Arts Commission, The Common ExperienceGlobal Odyssey Committee and the Dance Division at Texas State.

Evans Auditorium 7:30 - 10 p.m. General Admission $12 Students $6 (cash only) Box Office opens 6 p.m.

Photos courtesy of Ana Baer

The University Star | Wednesday March 6, 2013 | 5

SPORTS

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FOOTBALL

Coach, players hope to find leader in spring ball By Odus Evbagharu Sports Reporter The Texas State football team practiced in full pads for the first time at Bobcat Stadium Monday afternoon, its third overall practice of the spring. The issue of leadership will be a key question as the football team enters its second year of FBS play. The team finished with a 4-8 record last season (2-4 in the WAC), and will be facing new conference opponents heading to the Sun Belt Conference in July 2013. There will be 29 seniors competing in 2013 for Texas State, including wide receiver and punt returner Andy Erickson. Erickson said the team is in need of leaders for the next season. “Leadership doesn’t come in one day,” Erickson said. “We’ve got to get respect and keep going by leading by example and words. I’m working on it and it’s coming. I can see it coming with me and a couple of other guys. Hopefully it will be here when the time is right.” Coach Dennis Franchione said he is tired of being the only leader of the football team. He said he expects his players to do more and be more player driven than the past two years. “I see guys trying to be better, I do,” Franchione said. “I told them the other day that I don’t know if we have any leaders. I can be the only leader, and there won’t be any leadership council until I think we have some leaders that can take over.” Erickson will be one of the seniors looking to lead for the fall 2013 campaign. Erickson led the team in receptions (39), receiving yards (482) and touchdowns (3) and was Texas State’s main punt returner averaging 16.7 yards

per return. Erickson, coming off a MCL tear in a game against UTSA last season, did not partake in Monday’s practice. “I’ve just been ‘rehabbing’ and went pretty hard at it these first two days of spring ball and felt pretty good,” Erickson said. “I woke up this morning, and it was just pretty much fired up. I took it easy today, and we’ll see how (Tuesday) goes. It’s really just a day-to-day thing on how it’s feeling, but I’m getting through it and it should be good by two-a-days.” Just being out on the field is satisfying for junior running back Terrence Franks. “It felt good today,” Franks said. “It took a while to get used to it because we’ve been out a couple months now, but it felt good to get back in that rhythm. It’s going to take a couple days to get used to it.” Football is off Wednesday, returns to practice Thursday, then will take the week off for spring break. The Maroon and Gold game is slated for April 6. “For spring ball this year, we are just focused on fundamentals and gaining leadership on the team,” Erickson said. “As an offense we’re really focused on third down and getting better on first and second down. We got to keep out of the third and long situations. That’s one of the things that we got in trouble last year with penalties and sacks. We’re really focused on taking care of the football as well, especially heading into a new conference like the Sun Belt.” Twitter: @odus_Outputs

INSIDE THE LINES Colby Targun

By Jordan Cole Sports Reporter Most student athletes focus their time and energy in one sport, but sophomore Colby Targun is making a difference in two. Targun is a rare athlete who plays two sports for Texas State. He is the second baseman for the baseball team and a safety on the football team. “Some guys have the ability, even more than Colby, but are afraid of the moment,” said baseball coach Ty Harrington. “Colby doesn’t run from the moment. He steps into the moment. He likes being in those moments and really has the ‘it’ factor.” The team member from Scottsdale, Ariz., has been a gifted athlete his entire life.

Photo courtesy of Texas State Athletics

Targun was a two-time all-state performer who led his team to the championship in 2009 and 2010 at Chaparral High School in Arizona—and that was only in football. His high school letterman jacket also represented his accomplishments on the baseball field. Targun was named a two-time all-state selection playing second base. Targun helped guide the baseball team to a state championship in his senior year at Chaparral. Targun was no stranger to winning before coming to Texas State, and Harrington said that his competitive nature is what allows him to attain his success. “He is a very tough and competitive person, which are two enormous assets,” Harrington said. “He represents what you want in a player.” Targun said that playing both sports takes a lot of time management and he is grateful that he has been given the opportunity to be a dual sport athlete. “I’ve just been lucky to have two good coaches who have allowed me to be able to do this,” Targun said. “I’ve really just been able to effectively manage my time to be able to come out here and do both sports.” Targun originally came to Texas State to play safety under football coach Dennis Franchione, despite getting much more playing time on the diamond. “I got offered to play football here,” Targun said. “That was always one of my dreams to play college football. It really just kind of worked out that the baseball team wanted me to play as well. It was a dream come true.” Targun got his chance on the baseball field last year as he came on strong down the stretch when his number was called. The Bobcat offense was in a slump, and

BY THE NUMBERS

2

Number of All-State selections he received in football and baseball while playing at Chaparral High School in Arizona

1.000 11

His fielding percentage this year while starting 10 of 11 games this season alternating between the outfield and infield

Number of career interceptions Targun collected while playing safety at Chaparral

3 19

Number of state chamionships Targun won in Arizona while playing football and baseball

Total number of tackles Targun had while playing his first full year for the Bobcats’ football team in the 2012 season

RECRUITING PROFILE Jamel James JJ: Yes, it does. We ran the same kind of offense at my high school. I feel like I will be able to transition to Texas State’s playbook very well. OE: How does it feel to be part of a program that is up-and-coming and in its second year of Division I football? JJ: It feels really good. I’m excited that I will be able to come in and try to produce. I’m just really excited because I feel like we can compete for the Sun Belt Championship and do a lot of great things at Texas State.

Photo courtesy of Bobcat Report

By Odus Evbagharu Sports Reporter Jamel James, three-star running back according to Rivals, committed to Texas State Jan. 27 and comes from Cinco Ranch High School in Katy, Texas. OE: You committed to the University of Notre Dame and the University of Arkansas before. Why’d you choose to play football for the Bobcats? JJ: It’s just that Texas State is really close to home. It’s way closer than Arkansas (and) Notre Dame. I really wanted my mom, family and friends to be able to watch me play. I think all in all it just worked out best for me. OE: Which coach at Texas State recruited you? JJ: Coach (Craig) Naiver. He really didn’t try to sell me on anything. The only thing he really told me was that I should go to campus and see what’s up. It really helped too. OE: Do you think the offense fits your running back style and personality?

Harrington looked to different players to step into the moment and produce. Targun, a freshman at the time, stepped up to hit .304 in 79 at bats. Targun looks to do the same this season, and switched his focus directly to baseball after the football season concluded. “As soon as the football season was over, I did some baseball stuff before the season started,” Targun said. “It was really a lot of team hard work in preparation of the current season.” Harrington is not the only one to recognize Targun’s commitment to the sport. His teammates also appreciate his hard working nature. “He’s a hard worker,” senior outfielder Morgan Mickan said. “Just from talking to him, he’s tough mentally, and

OE: What is your favorite football memory from playing at Cinco Ranch High School? JJ: I would have to say my freshman year of playing varsity. Our team went to Austin to play in the State-Semifinals game. It was a fun experience. OE: How does it feel to be related to LeBron James and Jorvorskie Lane? JJ: It’s cool. I mean, it has its advantages and disadvantages. They’re both on different sides of the family. LeBron is on my dad’s side and Jorvorskie is on my mom’s side. It is kind of cool to have a star on both sides of the family. All in all, it’s a good thing. OE: Do you expect a lot of playing time coming in as a true freshman for the Bobcats? JJ: I’m really just trying to come in as a true freshman and work really hard. I’m going to come in, learn the playbook and try my best. OE: What are your expectations for the program while you are here at Texas State playing football? JJ: I just want to get a better record (than) we have had for the past few years. I want us to get the program where it used to be back in the day when it was winning championships. I just really want to get the program some attention and contribute to the team the best way I can.

obviously physically tough as well in playing football. He is a good guy with a will to want to be good.” It remains to be seen which sport he prefers or which will give him the most success in the remainder of his career. However, playing for the love of the game has no boundaries for either.. “I love both of them,” Targun said. “What I love most about it is that I’m playing games year round. In the fall I’m playing football games, and in the spring I’m playing baseball.”

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6 | Wednesday March 6, 2013 | The University Star | Sports

BASEBALL

Bobcat News and Notes

UTSA shutout in team’s third straight win By Jordan Brewer Assistant Sports Editor The baseball team used a three-run inning in the sixth and a group effort on the mound Tuesday night to eventually shutout its Interstate 35 rival, the University of Texas-San Antonio, 6-0. “For us it was an important game, whether it was UTSA or whoever it was,” said Coach Ty Harrington. “It was important for us to come out and carry over a little bit of the momentum we grabbed this past weekend. These guys have really been grinding.” Sophomore first baseman Ben McElroy came in to pinch hit for the starting junior Austin O’Neal with bases loaded. Short stop Garrett Mattlage, designated hitter Andrew Stumph and catcher Tyler Pearson were the scoring runners on the play. McElroy, who has been battling a quadricep injury, knocked all three runners in on a bases-clearing double into the gap in right-center field. The sophomore was 1-1 with a walk in his limited appearance. “Every day I’ve been working hard to get back,” McElroy said. “I’m almost there. To come in and make that type of impact after sitting on the bench for a while and having to watch, it feels good.” Stumph continued to be a factor in the Bobcats’ offense, generating two hits in four at-bats, one of which was in their difference-making sixth inning. He got Texas State on the board with a RBI single in the fourth inning, knocking in sophomore right fielder Cody Lovejoy. Stumph was the leading hitter during the weekend against Northern Kentucky University and is now batting .333 on the season. Senior pitcher Mitchell Pitts got the start on the mound for Texas State and was limited to three and twothird innings, working back from Tommy John surgery. Pitts had two strikeouts and

surrendered four hits. Pitts got the start last Tuesday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, which resulted in a loss for the senior. Harrison said the team wants Pitts to be the regular Tuesday started, but acknowledged that setbacks are possible when battling back from injury. “A surgery like (Tommy John) is intense and everybody reacts differently,” Harrison said. “This was his longest outing. When we pulled him, he was upset. I really didn’t want to overextend him there.” Texas State used a plethora of pitchers after Pitt’s departure in the third inning. Senior left-hander Covey Morrow got the ball following in the third and picked off right fielder Tony Ramirez to quickly end the inning. Reliever Jeremy Hallonquist pitched a full two innings and struck out one. He did not give up a run, hit or walk. UTSA startr, left-hander Nolan Trabanino, had yet to give up a walk coming into

the contest. He entered the game with a 1.29 earned run average and was 3-0 in three appearances. Against the Bobcats, Trabanino pitched five and a third innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits. He had two strikeouts and one walk. Senior left fielder Kevin Sah was 0-18 at the plate in 2012 in five starts. Coming into Tuesday night’s game, Sah was hitting .500 in 12 atbats on the young season. Sah had an RBI after doubling in the fifth inning. He advanced to third base when UTSA attempted to throw out senior third baseman Nick Smelser at the plate. The ball then trickled near the backstop and Sah was thrown out trying to reach home. Pearson led the Bobcats in runs scored, reaching home plate twice against the Roadrunners. Lovejoy continued to build his .323 average with two hits in four at-bats including a bunt down the first baseline, resulting in his reaching second after a UTSA throwing error.

Schedule finally

“It feels good to be back and winning as a team,” said Hunter Lemke. “I’m filling the strike zone more and letting them get themselves out. I’m playing with my defense behind me and no worries. I felt good about my inning (on Friday) and will from here on out.” Junior reliever Lemke got his chance to close out the game in the ninth. Lemke went three up and three down building off his weekend performance. The junior has been the closer for the Bobcats at times this season, and he recovered from a 0-2 start. The Bobcats will travel to Corvallis to take on Oregon State University in a weekend series. The Beavers are undefeated on the season. Texas State is riding a three game winning streak, adding to its 5-7 record. Twitter: @jbrewer32

The Sun Belt Conference recently announced the 2013 conference schedule. The Bobcats will play three conference home games in October and one in November. Texas State will start on the road in the conference Oct. 5, facing the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. The Bobcats will play their first home game in the conference the following week against the University of Louisiana-Monroe. Last year’s Sun Belt schools won 19 nonconference games, defeated two top25 universities, and sent a league-record four teams to a bowl game.

Bobcats honored

Three former Texas State men’s basketball players were named March 4 to the 1990s Southland Conference AllDecade team. Jeff Foster (1996-99), Donte Mathis (1996-99) and Lynwood Wade (1992-94) were the three of the 21 players named to the team. Wade won the SLC tournament in 1994 and was named the MVP. Foster in 1997 led the bobcats to their second NCAA tournament appearance and was recruited in the first round of the 1999 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. Mathis was the only competitor to be named SLC Player of the Year from Texas State. All three players were named to the SLC- First Team at least twice while playing for the Bobcats.

An MVP signee

Texas State’s women’s basketball signee Kaitlin Walla was named the MVP of the 4A championship game held in Austin at the Erwin Center. The 5’11” forward from Georgetown High School was able to bring her team from behind, scoring 11 in the Lady Eagles’ 17-5 run to end the game. Walla led the tournament in scoring, totaling 43 points in two games. She was one of five players to score more than 40 points in all the divisions.

Wrapping up a classic

The Bobcat men’s golf team recently wrapped up play in the 28th Annual Louisiana Classic in Lafayette, La. Illinois won the classic and Texas State finished 11th out of the 14 teams that participated, finishing ahead of WAC schools University of Texas-San Antonio and Louisiana Tech University. Senior Luis Thiele led the team shooting eight over par for the three-day tournament. The golf team will be back in action March 11-12 at the Louisiana Tech Intercollegiate tournament in Ruston, La. Shea Wendlandt, Staff Photographer

Senior third baseman Nick Smelser scores against UTSA March 5 at Bobcat Ballpark.

Report compiled by Odus Evbagharu Sports Reporter Twitter: @odus_Outputs

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