TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 VOLUME 107 ISSUE 03
DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911
REMEMBERING 9/11
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Humanities studies awarded $63,000 grant By Ryan Kirby News Reporter @rymanman
no traffic or messages are pending and the watch has been secured. The bell rings in memory of and tribute of their service.” Thomadies read a proclamation to honor the national day of remembrance.
The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded $63,000 to Joseph Falocco, associate professor of English in late August. The funds will contribute to Falocco’s directing of a Shakespearean seminar for artists. “The award highlights the intersection of both English and Theatre,” Falocco said. “Years ago, I worked with the Shenandoah Shakespeare Express. It was 1993, and we worked in groups to move around the country performing Shakespeare.” Falocco spoke about the difficulties in obtaining humanities grants. “It is not easy to keep Shakespeare alive in the 21st century,” Falocco said. “That can be done through performance in this kind of interdisciplinary study. It is difficult to teach Shakespeare without the performance. If we lose contact with Shakespeare, it becomes difficult to understand other works.” The seminar is titled "Shakespeare Without Fear: Teaching the Plays," and will be held next summer in late June. There will be an on-campus showing in Flowers Hall 113. Participation will consist of about 12 resident actors. While the award is mostly envisioned for faculty, the grant affects indirect recipients and officials as well. Bethany Tang, humanities alumnus and southeastern Texas educator in Crosby ISD said defunding of specific grants affects studies. “I feel that grants are harder to obtain,” Tang said. “I taught math when I first started in education and there were a lot of grants to apply for. For the arts? Not as many. You also have to prove yourself for an arts grant.” Melanie Liddle, senior administrative assistant of the Honors College, said the Undergraduate Research Fellowship grant aims to fund specific educational focuses.
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San Marcos Council Members pay tribute to 9/11 first responders Sept. 11 during a city hall memorial service. PHOTO BY SHAYAN FARADINEH | NEWS EDITOR
San Marcos community members gather outside City Hall to honor first responders By Shayan Faradineh News Editor @shayanfaradineh Dozens of San Marcos assembled outside City Hall, Sept. 11 to remember and honor the lives that were lost on 16 years ago. The ceremony began with the San Marcos Fire Department Honor Guard raising the flag that flew over San Marcos City Hall the morning of 9/11. Mayor John Thomadies, City Manager Bert Lumbreras and guest speaker retired Maj. Gen. Chris Adams were in attendance. Following the national anthem, Adams, who served 31 years of active duty in the Air Force, spoke on the tragedies 16 years ago, honoring the first responders who gave their lives. “Three hundred forty three firefighters and EMP members were killed that day along with, 23 police officers and 37 local officials there in New York City," Adams said. "They walked in there to save people.” The community bowed their heads in a moment of silence as the historic fire bell in front of City Hall rang in honor
Members of the San Marcos community pledge allegiance Sept. 11 during a city hall memorial service. PHOTO BY SHAYAN FARADINEH | NEWS EDITOR
of the first responders who died on 9/11. Les Stephens, fire chief, said the ringing of the bell honors the duty of firefighters. “They have completed their task, their duties well done,” Stephens said. “Their watch has been permanently relieved. A new watch has been posted.
Q&A: Democratic senate candidate Congressman Beto O’Rourke By Ryan Kirby News Reporter @rymanman Congressman Beto (Roberto) O’Rourke from Texas’ 16th Congressional District, is currently campaigning to unseat Senator Ted Cruz in next year’s midterm congressional election. Beto is running as a democrat. Here is what he had to say in a Q&A: Q: When did you start running for U.S. Senator for Texas – for the 2018 midterms? A: March 31 this year we launched the campaign in El Paso, and except for D.C. voting and working with political procedure, I’m travelling Texas. We were going to a lot of places many people don’t traditionally go to. For example, La Grange. One La Grange resident told me, “This is the first time in 40 years that a U.S. candidate has campaigned in La Grange.” It feels good to be where candidates have
not been showing up traditionally because everybody deserves to be represented. Q: Considering your Ted Talk video on “The Border Makes America Great,” would you be able to sum up your plan to legislate against the construction of the border wall? A: First, the U.S.-Mexico border has never been safer than it is today, and that’s in any way you want to measure it: in terms of safety of communities like El Paso that are very defining cities of the US-Mexico border, whether what the dollar amount is what we spend on the border today was five years ago, and it goes on, so, there’s no need for a wall. You cannot just stop something without replacing the problem with something better. There is a larger question of, how do we meet the interest in what’s going on in the border and immigration and provide a more positive alternative?
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Mass communications department contracted for Medicare campaign By Jessica Castillo News Reporter @jacsavvy Researchers in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication have been recognized with a $630,000 award and new contract from Texas Health and Human Services to craft a campaign for Medicare enrollment. The campaign includes radio and television announcements, web and social media messages and will be available in English and Spanish. Parts of the contract such as testing messages, writing scripts and receiving approval, creating video, securing proper accommodations,
discussions on what images to use, and writing reports have been underway since the approval of the contract. The goal is to have the campaign ready for air at specific spots in Texas by Oct. 15, when Medicare enrollment begins. The team consists of three independent contractors and 11 research faculty members from within the school. Two members will lead the project. Kelly Kaufhold, assistant professor of communication, and Judy Oskam, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication as the co-leader
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