DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2017
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Volume 107, Issue 07
DISCUSSING THE MASSACRES OVERLOOKED BY OUR PREVIOUS ISSUE'S HEADLINE
SEE OPINIONS PAGE 5
Pointe Apartments experiences late move-in By Michael Garcia News Reporter Hundreds of students have been displaced after Pointe San Marcos apartments, a student housing complex, delayed its original move-in date multiple times. Instead of moving into the residence on Aug. 15 as promised, students have had to find alternative housing while trapped in their leases until Oct. 13, the scheduled move in date. The relationship between the residents and management began to deteriorate once communication fell short. Abigail Martinez, nursing sophomore, signed her lease in April. At the time, a representative explained to her they were two weeks ahead of schedule for the apartment's opening. Martinez is one of many to lose a lot of her own money and even some financial aid money due to food and gas. Pointe offered gift cards to the tenants. However, tenants discovered they could only use the gift cards online. Unfortunately, should a prospective tenant decide to break their contract, they would owe all of that money as stated in their current lease, including any reimbursement due to the delay. Mark Evans, public relations manager for Pointe Apartments, said the developer of Pointe San Marcos has continued to work with the city to make sure the property is ready to welcome residents. "The property has given students an excess of $100 a day in compensation, on average so far, depending on whether they choose to stay in a hotel (at Pointe San Marcos’ expense) or if they choose to arrange their own temporary housing," Evans said. "The property has also contracted with a shuttle service to provide ongoing transportation between campus and the hotel."
SEE POINTE PAGE 2
Mark Foster of Foster the People throws his hands to the sky Oct. 6 during performance at Austin City Limits Music Festival. PHOTO BY LARA DIETRICH | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
ACL kicks off its 2017 run with weekend one By Katie Burrell Lifestyle Editor Austin City Limits Music Festival weekend one came to a close Oct. 8 night after three days of live music, silent discos, local eats and organizations fighting for their causes. ACL took over Zilker Park for its first weekend of its 16th year while continuing traditions such as ACL Eats and ACL Cares. Weekend one began on Oct. 6 and grew larger each day. The festival had a variety of features for all guests including increased security, a three-DJ silent disco filled each night and a new and improved Rock and Recycle program. Fresh in the minds of fans and ACL security, the Las Vegas massacre had its effects on the festival. Logan Cassidy, local tech employee living in Austin after a move from Ohio, brought with him a statement on his first visit to ACL. Cassidy received a text message from his mother the day after 58 people were shot at a music festival in Las Vegas. Cassidy’s mom told him she did not want him to use his 3-day weekend pass as she feared for his safety. Rather than sell his wristband or get a refund, Cassidy constructed a large black and white sign reading “End mass shoot-
Committee of Progressive Students denied residency at former KA house By Tyler Hernandez News Reporter After backlash on social media, the new student organization Committee of Progressive Students was denied residency at the former fraternity house of Pi Kappa Alpha. Committee of Progressive Students was denied due to social media interactions with the fraternity, and will be taking legal action to fight what they view as discrimination based on political ideology. The house in question, located at 602 Academy St., has been vacant
Former KA house sits vacant after the chapter was suspended from campus. PHOTO BY TYLER JACKSON
since last year when a party thrown by KA resulted in the death of 20-year -old Texas State student, Jordin Taylor. Committee of Progressive Students, led by Rudy Martinez, Committee of Progressive Studentsco-founder and philosophy senior, and John Schuster, co-founder and applied sociology junior, hoped to fill the house with students, artists and workers from the San Marcos area. The move was expected to be challenging from the beginning, as the house was left with significant damages after the previous tenants vacated. “The house is destroyed," Schuster said. "There are walls kicked in, there’s an endless amount of garbage, there are doors knocked down. In one of the rooms, I was shocked when I walked in, I almost had no words. There was a thick rope hanging from the ceiling and it was tied in a knot at the bottom with a hole about the size of someone’s neck.” Martinez said the condition of the house was shocking and was alarmed at some of the items left behind. “It was a noose,” Martinez said. “There are Confederate flags painted above some of the rooms. I would go so far as to say that these people are neanderthals and they were living like neanderthals.”
SEE COMMITTEE PAGE 2
ings. We’re not afraid of you.” Cassidy carried his sign in one hand and an equally sizable American flag in the other. “It’s not about gun control at all,” Cassidy said. “This is not a political statement. This is just a tribute to those who were impacted by it, and a statement to say that we can’t live in fear.” ACL had $9 beers, carafes of wine, with cans and bottle of water. For sober musicians and attendees, a tent full of friendly faces, shaded seats, cool fans and sweet candy awaited their company. The
concept is called Sober Park, and is run and funded by musicians and Harmonium Inc. Sober Park returned to ACL new and improved with two meetings a day and a fully-stocked tent all day, every day. Karma Stewart is a musician funded by the Sims Foundation. Stewart is 105 days sober as of Oct. 8 and said she enjoys playing her music and traveling as an alcohol-free artist. Stewart ran the tent and the two meetings each day of the festival.
SEE ACL PAGE 2 Tove Lo looks to the crowd Oct. 7 during her performance at Austin City Limits Music Festival. PHOTO BY LARA DIETRICH | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Disrespect vs. Patriotism: taking a knee at Texas State By Connor Brown Assistant News Editor Several NFL players throughout the league have knelt in protest during the national anthem this season in response to President Donald Trump's public remarks against the movement. Trump’s comments have since created room for debate regarding players’ rights to express their political beliefs on a national platform. Colin Kaepernick, former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, originally started the kneeling movement in 2016 to protest police brutality and racial injustice. Supporters of Kaepernick have since hailed him as a hero, while his critics see him as a symbol of disrespect as he continued to kneel throughout the 2016 season. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of those NFL owners, when someone disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out. He’s fired. He’s fired.’” Trump said at a rally for Republican Sen. Luther Strange Sept. 22 in Alabama. The president then called on NFL spectators to counter-protest future games by leaving the stadium if they see a player kneeling during the anthem. The president’s comments sparked an immediate response from NFL players as many knelt in solidarity during the
Football team stands together on the sidelines Sept. 2 before playing against Houston Baptist University. PHOTO BY VICTOR RODRIGUEZ | ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
national anthem in the games that followed. Those who did not kneel during the anthem stood and linked arms with fellow players as they knelt in silence, to support the player's freedom of speech. Though Texas State football players are not on the field during the national anthem due to kickoff timing and last minute instructions from coaching staff, the debate over the right to express political beliefs during the anthem is still a contentious topic on college campuses.
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