TUESDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2017 VOLUME 106 ISSUE 22 www.UniversityStar.com
SUPREME COURT GRANTED AUTHORITY TO REVIEW PARKING APPEALS
Bobcats to get voice during citation process By Ashley Skinner Senior News Reporter @Ash_Marie54 The Student Government Supreme Court has joined the university’s Parking Services to oversee parking appeals in order to give Bobcats a voice in the citation process. In the summer of 2016, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Garcia and Student Body President Andrew Homann decided to review the activities of other student governments across the nation to see what more could be done to represent the student body. By November 2016, after many reviews had taken place, the Supreme Court was granted the power to evaluate parking appeals. “We saw that most supreme courts around the country have the ability to review parking permits,” Garcia said. “We worked on it all summer, and finally, after the student Senate and President Trauth evaluated it, we were granted the power to review the permits.” Previously, one faculty member, one
Student Government now has control over parking ticket appeals. PHOTO BY BRANDON VALENCIA | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
parking services officer and one member of the student government would review the appeals. However, studies found that more often than not, none of the students or faculty members were actually reviewing the appeals. “This would leave the parking services officer to make a decision,” Garcia
said. “But the whole point of having a student take part in the review process was to ensure that the students would have a voice in the appealing process. That’s why Andrew and I really wanted to put this under the duties of the Supreme Court.” The panel for parking appeals con-
sists of the entire supreme court; Chief Justice Garcia and six associate justices. The justices split up the appeals, usually 20-40 cases, and make decisions on whether or not to additionally review the case, or let the ticket remain.
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Texas State student travels the country to capture moments By Stacee Collins Assistant Lifestyle Editor @stvcee One Texas State student has traveled across the country with a camera in hand to photograph the world’s biggest marathons, Snoop Dogg and scenery. Tony Sutherland, advertising sophomore, has photographed scenes in New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, Canada, Hawaii, Denver, Tulsa and more. His work has been published by Runner Triathlete News, the Association of Texas Photography Instructors, The University Star and more. The 19-year-old from the Dallas area became interested in photography at a young age. In kindergarten, he entered the PTA Reflections Photo Contest on a whim. “My scene was pretty much kids doing dangerous stuff on the playground—hanging off of monkey bars and jumping off of the slide,” Sutherland said. “That advanced to state. So I was five years old and had my pictures displayed at the Capitol Building in Austin.” In high school, Sutherland played varsity football and worked on the yearbook staff. He gives credit to his high school yearbook advisor for influencing him to pursue photography. Leah Waters, former Creekview High School yearbook advisor, said Sutherland’s skills stood out in a crowd, which is why she chose him to be the yearbook’s editor-in-chief at his school in Carrollton. “He was by far the best candidate,” Waters said. “He is the best example of a collaborative leader, and he brings an energy that gets everyone excited. I did
not have to teach him, but he had a desire to learn things.” Waters said she saw something unique when it came to Sutherland’s photography. He never settled for mediocre images and dedicated time to making sure the photos were perfect. “He’s kind of like Kanye West, because you never know what he is go-
“He was by far the best candidate. He is the best example of a collaborative leader, and he brings an energy that gets everyone excited." -Leah Waters
The question still remains as to whether or not the touted bathroom bill will pass. PHOTO BY NATHALIE COHETERO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Controversial pro-privacy bathroom bill may affect Texas State By Zephanie Battle Special to the Star
ing to do next,” Waters said. “You can’t deny that the guy is good at what he does. Some people surprise you with where they end up in life—he isn’t one of them.” Now, Sutherland spends his time working for Marathonfoto, a premier photography team for athletic races. The company has been shooting races for 35 years with over 3,000 races and 150 professional photographers—including Sutherland.
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Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick introduced a controversial proposal that would, if approved, require people to use public restrooms that match their biological sex, regardless of their preferred gender. The goal of the bill — the Women’s Privacy Act — is to protect the privacy rights of women and girls who do not wish to share public restrooms with biological men. In this sense, it is being proposed that women and girls are not safe enough to use the same
SNOOPY MUSICAL Students COMMING SOON share PAGE 5 THEATER
restrooms with transgender people. The approval of the bill will directly affect many Texas universities, including Texas State, which is known for its diversity and equality. The university consist of various diverse organizations that support transgender equality, such as Transcend, Lambda, Bobcat PRIDE and Bobcat Equality Alliance, and some members of the university feel the proposal would cause major conflict with the mission driven behind them.
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Stepping on to a college campus for what is supposed to be “the best four years of your life” can be exciting for some students. However, a new routine and unfamiliar surroundings can be as scary for a student as it is for a parent who is having a hard time letting go.
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