TUESDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2017 VOLUME 106 ISSUE 23 www.UniversityStar.com
STUDENT GOVERNMENT PRESIDENTIAL Q & A safety with ideas and opinions floating around on campus. Student should feel safe, and in the last year there has been an escalation in crime at Bobcat Village and surrounding facilities. I want students to feel safe in order to get the full collegiate experience. Clegg: I do not like to look at our campus and see the problems. I prefer to look at our campus and say “this is what our campus does great.” One thing we do really well is allowing people to voice their opinions. In order to make that better we can work with student involvement to make the process easier. If you want to go out into the Quad, you will not have to give 10 days notice.
4. What would your administration bring to Texas State that differs from other previous administrations? Russel Boyd, Student Government presidential candidate, speaks at debate.
Connor Clegg, Student Government presidential candidate, speaks at debate.
PHOTO BY LARA DIETRICH | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
PHOTO BY LARA DIETRICH | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
1. Why did you decide to run
2. If elected, what would be for Student Government Presi- your main hopes and goals for the 2017-2018 school year? dent? Boyd: Because I realized there was a need for change in leadership. If elected, my leadership will be authentic and proactive. I will address and provide for the diverse representation of Texas State. I think Texas State is in need of a fresh type of leadership, and that is what I will be if elected. Clegg: I have been chief of staff for the last year and have the experience. I’ve seen what true change can happen and I think I am uniquely fitted to continue the progress from this past year. It feels like a natural progression.
Boyd: There is a strong need to get more students involved. That is my administration’s priority. I think more students need to be engaged. Student Government, at the college level, is a mini representation of the world beyond college. I want students to be engaged in the community and the government beyond college. Clegg: Within the first few days, if elected, we will put out a sexual assault reform for campus. That will be our top priority. It will make the entire process a lot easier for survivors. I met with legislators this past week and we talked
Students aim to create intergenerational bonds
about how Texas State can lead the way at the state level. Because this has been a divisive election, I hope that everyone would unite around me. I will be a president for everyone.
3. What would you consider the biggest problem(s) on campus, and how would you address the issue(s)? Boyd: There are many fractured relationships on campus which became prevalent after the election. People should be engaged in healthy discourse. There is a lack of relationship between the San Marcos community and the Texas State student body. I want to build a sturdy bridge between the community and our campus. Also, there is a lack of
After a Texas State University faculty member received threatening emails, members of the Faculty Senate have
PHOTO BY NATHALIE COHETERO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
By Daryan Jones News reporter @DaryanJoness With a goal to integrate learning connections between diverse generations, an organization at Texas State University aims to enhance the way people think of and care for the elderly. Generation Connections was formed in 2010 and is a multidisciplinary club in which students, staff, faculty and campus groups learn about what it means to grow old and how to care for the aging population. One of the main
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goals is getting different generations to communicate with one another. “We are trying to eliminate ageism and prejudice against older people in America among students and provide the opportunity for different generations to dialogue, do things together and interact with the elderly,” said Dr. Christopher Johnson, faculty advisor of Generation Connections and sociology professor.
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Clegg: All of the other administrations, except the Homann administration, did not do a whole lot for the student body. We are going to be one of the most active administrations to ever take hold of this office. We are hopeful and optimistic about the future of our university. I would hope that after our year is up, people will look back and say “Wow, they got so much done.”
Faculty Senate develops Academic Freedom Committee By Katie Burrell Senior News Reporter @KatieNicole96
Amanda Couve, dementia and aging studies graduate student and vice president of Generation Connections, Opeyemi Olopade, president of Generation Connections and Dr. Christopher Johnson, faculty advisor of Generation Connections and sociology professor discuss the importance of the aging population in society.
Boyd: Authenticity and proactivity is what I am bringing to the table. My administration will be very proactive in terms of reaching out to the student body. The legislation is for students and should be geared toward students. We will be assessing students’ needs, and create things to help them. We, as the student government, need to come to students instead of expecting them to come to us.
“Some (Academic Freedom Committees) are concerned with detecting violations of or threats to academic freedom and some include mechanisms for enforcement." - Dr. Vincent Luizzi created an Academic Freedom Committee to combat academic issues on campus. The committee is meant to serve as a branch of the Faculty Senate have jurisdiction over issues of academic freedom for faculty and students. The senate appointed a work group of four members to draft the committee’s purpose and mission specifically to Texas
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State which includes defining the issues on campus. The concept was presented at the Jan. 25 Faculty Senate meeting by Dr. Vincent Luizzi, faculty senator and philosophy professor. Luizzi offered the concept in a discussion regarding academic issues, along with fellow senate member Dr. Rebecca Bell-Metereau, English professor. After expressing her opinion on the Strutters’ participation in the inaugural parade last month, Bell-Metereau received threatening emails and twitter messages from students. In response, Dr. Dana Garcia, faculty senator and biology professor, said, “This might be something for the Academic Freedom Committee to consider.” Garcia said she could see the need for such a committee due to the nature of these issues, as they are not under the senate’s jurisdiction. The concept also arose during the debate over the university’s involvement with the Scholars at Risk network. The senate has discussed endorsing the institution’s involvement with a program which helps foreign students seek education in the United States. “The Academic Freedom Committee might be potentially charged with considering scholars and making recommendations,” said Dr. Shirley Ogletree, faculty senator and psychology professor.
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