8 | Wednsday, June 1, 2016
The University Star
OPINIONS
UniversityStar.com @universitystar
Bailey Buckingham, News Editor @bcbuckingham
THE MAIN POINT
Cat Camp is fun and isn’t mandatory Texas State’s New Student
Orientation and Bobcat Preview are superb in regards to absorbing as much information as possible about Texas State and classes. However, what these mandatory, fundraining events lack is the pizazz and good time that Cat Camp will bring to incoming freshmen. Cat Camp is where young fish can make lasting friends while learning what it means to be a Bobcat. It is at Cat Camp that Bobcats, and not humdrum college students are made.
Anchored in tradition and steeped with fun, Cat Camp will allow new students to learn about the Texas State culture, history and traditions. Traditions such as, jumping into the river at graduation and ordering Gumby’s pizza when dining hall food is no longer cutting it. Campers engage in a ceremonial dumping of a university-ring key chain into a fountain of San Marcos River water. The ceremony parallels the ceremony they will engage in as seniors when they dump their actual class
ring into San Marcos River water. Engaging in activities such as those at Cat Camp, have the capability and high probability of ensuring lasting friendships. Many students who met at Cat Camp are still friends. The environment is a huge benefit for students who are anxious or particularly shy about making new friends. At Cat Camp, many incoming scholars realize they are not the only individuals terrified about being away from home. So instead of sitting awkwardly in classes
hoping someone will speak to you, or trying to force a friendship on roommates, attendees have the opportunity to make friends in a fun setting. One of the best things about Cat Camp, is that unlike NSO and Bobcat Preview, it is voluntary. If someone doesn’t want to go to, they don’t have to. If a new student doesn’t show up to Bobcat Preview, they have to sit through about 5,000 hours of material online. It’s impossible not to have fun when someone is being forced to attend something,
right? Cat Camp thoroughly makes up for the required stuff. No one wants to sit through presentation after presentation in a freezing cold room about finances. Or sit through a mini lecture designed to show students how to take notes in a lecture-style setting. Walking what seemed like 10,000 miles in 108 degree Texas heat in the midst of Bobcat Preview to attend yet another mandatory function at Strahan Coliseum is not an activity many find enjoyable. How-
ever, Making flags, painting faces and screaming at the top of your lungs sounds like a great time for practically everyone. Cat Camp provides the perfect setting to build lasting friendships, learn what being a Bobcat means to each student personally and to eat Gumby’s pizza until your insides explode. In other words, if incoming students want to know what it really means to be a Texas State student, they should swim on upstream to good ol’ Cat Camp.
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.
Transgender people in women’s bathrooms spark safety concerns
Why we should stop prying into people’s tattoo history
In this morally dead world, bills are allowing men and women who feel as if they are secretly the opposite sex to use bathrooms and locker rooms suiting their gender identity. Studies illustrate male and female brains have been around longer than most people realize. Dr. Money’s experiment on two twin boys is a prime example. Just because a few people outside the societal norms have issues using a bathroom according to their biological gender, doesn’t mean we should cater to them. It is a pointless and dangerous matter. To be clear, transgender people are absolutely good people who face a great deal of adversity in today’s “progressing” world. However, in an effort to make a few lives more comfortable we have opened a portal for perverts to take advantage of a situation that could put many in a dangerous situation. As transgender bathrooms become an ever-growing trend, there will eventually be a wave of resentment to-
Getting a tattoo is one huge adrenaline rush. The process itself is thrilling and exciting, but nothing bursts the bubble quite like one dreaded question: “What does it mean?” While innocent, this question irks many people with tattoos purely because it drags in the stereotype every piece must carry some deep, powerful and touching story. When tattoos were taboo and largely unaccepted, especially in the workforce, the concept normalized this form of art. For example, it’s hard to judge someone for a tattoo when it commemorates the successful completion of chemotherapy. “’I just think they’re pretty’ is apparently not an acceptable answer to these meaning-mongers, bred on reality tattoo shows in which every tattoo comes with a heart-wrenching back-story usually involving a dead family member,” Emily McCombs, executive editor of xoJane, said. While it is true many
wards the transgender community. The antipathy towards the community could possibly escalate to violence and more ostracizing, making the transgender bathroom situation rather moot. Everything comes down to safety for everyone. The transgender community needs safety and acceptance from bigots, and women and children need peace of mind. Many individuals in the leftist community argue against any likelihood of attacks and peeping toms. However, in many instances, a male has entered a dressing room or bathroom under the guise of a woman but instead raped women and stole their sense of security. “I am not saying that transgender people are predators. Not by a long shot. What I am saying is that there are countless deviant men in this world who will pretend to be transgender as a means of gaining access to the people they want to exploit, namely women and children. It already happens. Just Google Jason Pomares,
The University Star Editor-in-Chief..................................................Emily Sharp, stareditor@txstate.edu Managing Editor...........................Brandon Sams, starmanagingeditor@txstate.edu Letters...............................................................................universitystar@txstate.edu News Editor............................................Bailey Buckingham, starnews@txstate.edu Sports Editor.........................................Autumn Anderson, starsports@txstate.edu Lifestyle Editor......................................Denise Cervantes, starlifestyle@txstate.edu Opinions Editor........................................Mikala Everett, staropinion@txstate.edu Multimedia Editor................................Lara Dietrich, starmultimedia@txstate.edu Copy Desk Chief.....................................Claire Abshire, starcopychief@txstate.edu
Norwood Smith Burnes, or Taylor Buehler, for starters.” This quote comes from a past rape victim in her reaction to the bills being passed that grant access to bathrooms of the opposite sex. She calls it a “badge of honor” for victims to be able to re-enter a place in which they were destroyed emotionally. Imagine the difficulty returning to a bathroom after such a tragedy, especially since it such an unavoidable area. By giving the transgender community their own bathroom, both sides would be compromising. The bigots would compromise by recognizing being transgender is a real thing. The transgender community would have the benefit of feeling accommodated to some degree, as well as safety. It’s a step in the right direction that causes as few toes as possible to be stepped on but still allows for progressivism. By Jessica King
tattoos carry a personal meaning, a vast majority do not. It is completely okay to adorn yourself in art that is purely beautiful or just silly. The umbrella of pressure, which stops many from getting a tattoo they really want, is ridiculous. I have tattoos related to several different television shows. I don’t watch some of the programs anymore, but I know I will never regret my art because it reminds me of a certain point in my life. Even if a tattoo does have a personal meaning, it is still important to refrain from inquiring about it. The question forces the ones adorned to either tell an incredibly personal story or find a way to weasel out of the situation and both are equally unpleasant. “When you ask what my tattoos mean (as in, all my tattoos) you are basically asking me to take you on a guided tour of my entire body, which is kind of an imposition on anyone,” Jamie Peck of The Gloss said. We understand you think
our tattoos are cool and it’s perfectly fine to tell us you think so. After all, we spent hundreds of dollars and hours suffering under a needle for them. Just remember, there is a difference between a compliment and prying into someone’s personal life. This is similar to why you should never ask someone about a scar. A mark might come with a fun story about skateboarding gone wrong or a silly paintballing incident, but there is a chance the back-story is tragic. If the scar came from a car accident or from a push down the stairs from a jealous ex, then inquiries are incredibly painful. In the future, please refrain from asking someone what their tattoo means. Just appreciate tattoos for the artistic creations they are. If someone wants to tell the story, they will. By Libby light
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