TUESDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2016 VOLUME 106 ISSUE 11 www.UniversityStar.com
Politics on-campus: the numbers By Rae Glassford Assistant News Editor @rae_maybe The results of a survey intended to determine political alignment has returned, shedding light on how the school’s community currently feels about the state of our nation. Out of 1,591 participants, over 70 percent were students, and nearly 30 percent were faculty and members of staff. Of the students who took the survey, the majority of responders were in their final two years of their undergraduate degree and most of them were Caucasian women aged 23 years or older. Of the total number of participants, 60 percent approved of Barak Obama’s performance as President in varying degrees; 30 percent disapproved in varying degrees, and roughly 10 percent were unsure. Out of everyone who
took the survey, 46.3 percent responded negatively to the question of whether the country is headed on the right or wrong track. Of those responders, only 83.7 percent said they are registered to vote, and only 83 percent of those people said they feel that they are extremely likely to vote. The majority of responders identified with the Democratic party, with Republicans coming in second and Independents making up the third-largest classification. The majority of surveytakers disapproved of the campus carry law that went into effect on Aug. 1 in varying degrees. Only 156 out of 1,591 people said that they have a concealed handgun license, and 79 of those people said that they regularly bring their firearm to campus.
Total number of people surveyed
1,591 Of 1,591 students surveyed, 156 have a concealed handgun license Of 156 students surveyed, 79 carry on campus
70% of survey takers were students.
60% approved
156 79 30% of were faculty.
Roughly 10% were unsure 30% disapproved in varying degrees
INVESTIGATION
Texas State student found dead under bus By Bri Watkins News Editor @briwatkins17 On Saturday, Oct. 29, at approximately 1:09 p.m., the Guadalupe Sheriff County’s Office re-
sponded to an incident in the 600 Block of Dupuy Ranch, and arrived at the scene to find a Texas State University female deceased under a bus after she was drug 500 feet by the vehicle.
The victim was identified as 20-year-old, Jordin Taylor, respiratory care freshman and a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. According to Sheriff Arnold S. Zwicke, the
investigation revealed that there was a fraternity party the night before at the Cool River Ranch. At about 11:15 p.m. that night, one of the busses lost its air breaking system, and the bus driver
was transferred to another bus. A mechanic discovered the female’s body by the rear axel when he came to repair the bus that next day. Police are still investigating the incident and
are asking those who attended the event with the victim to share any information by calling 830379-1224.
NO SHAVE NOVEMBER
UPD Officers Grow Beards in the Name of Cancer Research By Rae Glassford Assistant News Editor @rae_maybe
Througout November, Texas State University Police Department officers will be donating to cancer research funds— one beard at a time. UPD will be coordinating a No Shave November campaign, where each participant pays a minimum of $25 in exchange for permission to grow a beard. At the end of the month, the money is to be tallied up and donated to a variety of charities focusing on cancer research, including the American Cancer Society and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “All of us, at one time or another have been affected by cancer,” said Sergeant Rolando Belmares. “We have had either a family member, or a friend or know someone who has been affected by cancer. So this was a great way for us to get involved.” Belmares was the supervisor of the officer that initially had the idea of organizing a No Shave November drive. The officer had friends at other
police departments participating in similar initiatives. The officer pitched the idea to Belmares, who put together a proposal and submitted it to Chief of Police, Jose Bañales, who approved it immediately. “Not only does this allow us to raise some money for a great cause, it’s a great way to do something different for our officers on patrol, since we have a policy that prohibits beards,” Belmares said. “We’re in a line of work where we aren’t allowed to have any beards or facial hair other than a small mustache, so this is a way to allow the officers to bypass that rule for a month.” The division’s first No Shave November campaign took place in 2015, raising over $600. This year, the department is hoping to top that amount. “I think it’s a very important program,” said Rodrigo Manzanares, police inspector. “Cancer is something that has had an effect on my life; I have had friends who have suffered from cancer. My first experience was when a schoolmate
in my class was diagnosed. I remember very vividly, she would always come to class with a scarf on her head or a wig. The stigma that comes from being stared at or mocked must be very difficult for young people. So I was very aware of the kinds of sacrifices people have to make when they suffer from that kind of illness, especially at such a young age.” Manzanares also had a family member pass away from cancer, leaving behind two small children and a husband. “If I can do something to contribute money for that research, then I think that’s important,” Manzanares said. “It’s just a little drop in the ocean, but at least you’re doing something, having some impact.” This is the first year Manzanares has participated in No Shave November, but he says it won’t be the last. Participation in the initiative by UPD personnel has increased by close to 50 percent since last year. “I’m thankful the officers have committed and made it a reality here at the police department,”
Sergeant Belmares of the University Police Department poses for a picture Oct. 27. He will be participating in No Shave November. PHOTO BY LARISA RODRIGUEZ | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Manzanares said. “I just hope that more people decide to follow this example in the future, in their own departments.” Belmares said the initiative has value, not only to the cancer patients who will benefit, but to the campus community here at Texas State. “We know a lot of our public; we know students, faculty and staff who have been diagnosed with cancer,” Belmares said. “In our line of work, sometimes we see people at their worst times, and we understand what’s going on, and this is just a little bit of moral support we can give those people.”
In addition to raising money for the cause, No Shave November also serves as a way to spread awareness of cancer and cancer-related research. “Last year we discovered that when people saw officers with beards, it would initiate a conversation,” Belmares said. “People would ask about it, and then we had the opportunity to talk about the initiative and spread awareness. Suddenly, people were sharing their stories of people in their lives who were affected.” Belmares believes that these shared experiences serve as a way for officers to connect with the community on a personal
level. Students seemingly share this perspective, in some form or another. “I don’t feel that UPD does a whole lot to connect with students, so UPD participating in No Shave November is a good step toward being more than just a police department, but a symbol of justice and good heart,” said Brent Hearne, theater sophomore. Come mid-November, students and faculty can expect to see men in uniform sporting beards of all shapes and sizes. “Even though we wear a badge, we can relate on many different levels,” Belmares said.
UNIVERSITY
Cabinet discusses the possibility of an incident communication’s team By Bri Watkins News Editor @briwatkins17 As social media becomes a driving force behind portraying social issues, the President’s Cabinet at Texas State is discussing whether it should form a team to determine if and when to speak out on worldwide incidents. A recent article in the
Chronicle of Higher Education stated the impact of social media can quickly result to controversies and protests and “campus leaders are scrambling to adapt their policies, practices and teams to get ahead of it all.” Nationwide, universities are now considering communication plans and policies that will ef-
fectively guide the university in determining a strategy to thoroughly plan and react to events that occur, or are alleged to have occurred said Vicki Brittain, special assistant to the president at Texas State. Brittain said the Cabinet believes there is a need for a consistent strategy to use in the future to determine if,
when and how the university will respond to incidents that occur in the world. “The goal of creating an incident communication team approach would be to create and implement a consistent communication response strategy to use at the university,” said Brittain. The immediacy of news has campus lead-
ers questioning when it would be an appropriate time to respond, and how to effectively develop a communicative process to the public. However, sometimes social media reports can skew what actually happened. “In those types of situations, we are discussing whether it is even appropriate for the university to engage in any social
media dialogue about the alleged incident,” said Brittain. With campus-related incidents, especially those involving hate speech, campus leaders want to quickly step in and shed light on the university’s core values. See,
UNIVERSITY, pg. 3.