TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 VOLUME 107 ISSUE 04
DEFENDING THE AMENDMENT SINCE 1911 DEFENDING THEFIRST FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911
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Mermaid statues call San Marcos home Mermaids wave to the crowd as they ride on a parade float up S. LBJ Sept. 16 during the SMTX Mermaid Parade. PHOTO BY LARA DIETRICH | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
MERMAIDS SPLASH THROUGH DOWNTOWN By Katie Burrell Lifestyle Editor @KatieNicole96 Ten decorated mermaid statues were unveiled Sept. 16 as part of the main event of Mermaid Aqua Faire following the downtown Mermaid Parade. Arts Commission members prepped the unveiling of the mermaids on a platform in the center of Plaza Park where the statues remained covered. Prior to the unveiling, attendees enjoyed lemonade, live music and free T-shirts at the festival. Local organizations including the Hays County Food Bank, the Heritage Association of San Marcos and multiple student and youth organizations dressed up in seashells, nets and scales to march through the streets.
statue has a unique design. One is said to change colors while another features the biology of the river. One statue is even holding a fish taco. Jamie Shelton, local artist, said she was one of 60 to apply to paint a statue. When she was chosen, Shelton decided to adorn her mermaid with bright blue and green colors and creatures from the river. “She is composed of all of the biology of the river, so the flora and the fauna,” Shelton said. “She has turtles on her shoulders, her eyebrows are blind salamanders and her cheeks are sun fish.”
“It’s a symbol of the preservation of the river, the environment and the history.” -Dahlia Woods The artists unveiled the statues, revealing a variety of inspirations such as local history to river conservation. Each
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(TOP) Artists stand near their mermaid creations Sept. 16 during the unveiling of the 10 new statues at the Aqua Faire, held at San Marcos Plaza Park. The statues are to be placed alongside the river, as well as various locations throughout San Marcos. (BOTTOM) The newly unveiled mermaid statues on display Sept. 16 during the SMTX Aqua Faire. The statues will remain on permanent display at various locations throughout the city. PHOTOS BY RICARDO MARTIN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
What does being a Hispanic-Serving Judge blocks Texas’ newest Institution mean for Texas State By Josie Soehnge News Reporter @SoehngeJ Texas State has been recognized by the Hispanic Outlook magazine as one of the Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanic students. The university is recognized on the list for total undergraduate enrollment. Due to the enrollment of Hispanic students, Texas State is categorized as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. However, some students are unaware as to what the university does with the status. Ismael Amaya, Hispanic Policy Network president, believes the university has a responsibility to explain what being a Hispanic-Serving Institution means and how the status shapes Texas State. “I do think we, as an institution, have an obligation to explain to our students, faculty, staff, families and community what it means to be an HSI, why it’s important and what difference it makes,” Amaya said. The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities defines a Hispanic-Serving Institution as “colleges, universities or systems/districts where total Hispanic enrollment constitutes a minimum of 25 percent of the total enrollment. Total enrollment includes full-time and part-time students at the undergraduate or graduate level (including professional schools) of the institution, or both.” According to the Office of Institutional Research, Hispanic students make up 35 percent of the student
35% of Texas State's population is Hispanic
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body at Texas State. The population of Hispanic students allows Texas State to meet the qualifications to hold its status as a Hispanic-Serving Institution,
which opens the door for the university to apply for and receive funding. Amaya explained being a HispanicServing Institution allows the opportunity for certain funding, however does not guarantee it. “Traditionally, what you hear is that the designation opens the door to apply for funding, but nothing is a given or automatic,” Amaya said. “We don’t get money for simply being an HSI, or we don’t get money for having 25 percent of the undergraduate students identifying as Hispanic. But, the school can apply for grants that can serve students, and even that is sometimes misunderstood.” Grants received from the status are not exclusive to only Hispanic students, according to Amaya. “If the university is awarded a grant, it is typically not going to be distributed or used towards benefiting Hispanic students only,” Amaya said. “The grants allow for a service or program that is open to students and, again, just by the numbers, we would expect to see Hispanic students benefit—just like any other student participating in or using the service funded by the grant. The grant/program administrators still need to ensure that they are reaching Hispanic students. The effectiveness of a program funded by funds available to Hispanic-Serving Institutions could reasonably be called into question if it is not minimally reaching a proportionate representation of the study body.”
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voter ID law
By Jakob R. Rodriguez News Reporter @JakobRyRod U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos of Corpus Christi, a Texas State distinguished alumna, issued an injunction permanently barring Texas from enforcing its voter ID law, Aug. 23. Introduced in 2011 during the 82 legislative session, authors and sponsors of Senate Bill 14 called for proof of identification prior to voting in an attempt to mitigate voter fraud. The bill was passed in May of 2011, and by March 2012 the legislation had been struck down by the Justice Department. Thomas E. Perez, former assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, stated he must object a part of the bill in a determination letter to the election director. “With regard to Sections 9 and 14 of SB 14, concerning photographic identification requirements for in-person voting and acceptable forms of photographic identification, I cannot conclude that the state has sustained its burden under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act,” Perez stated. Section 5 of SB 14 at the time was before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in the State of Texas V. Holder, the letter was provided to the court and counsel of record for full context.
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