DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018
@universitystar | universitystar.com
SECURITY
Volume 107, Issue 20
PARKING A Texas State police vehicle sits in a lot across from Brazos Hall. PHOTO BY TYLER JACKSON
Students illegally parking on the Square could see rise in tickets By Tyler Hernandez News Reporter
training program. The process to put an officer in the line of duty can take from five months to a year. The job-search board for campus jobs displays positions available within departments on campus. For the police department, the only listed positions are for a dispatcher and two administrative assistants but none for the three police officer positions still available. In the spring of 2017 UPD was allocated $3 million by the Texas State administration to improve safety conditions, which involved enhanced lighting around campus, equipment upgrades and the creation of three-full time positions for police officers. However, there has been no change in the number of allotted sworn positions since the allocation of those funds. In total, there are 42 sworn positions for UPD, which has remained consistent since at least 2016.
The city of San Marcos will introduce a new system on police vehicles to improve the efficiency of parking monitoring that could impact students who choose to park while attending class. The License Plate Recognition system, set to roll out March 5, will serve to help police officers monitor how long vehicles have been parked in time-restricted spaces. Examples of these spaces are found across downtown and are often restricted to two hours of use between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Kevin Burke, economic development administrator, said the goal of implementing the LPR technology will be to aid in loosening up accessibility for visitors downtown by preventing students and business owners from parking in the spaces for extended stretches of time for class or the workday. “It will free up parking spaces for people who want to come and visit us, not students who want to park close to campus or employees who want to sit in a parking spot for eight hours while they work,” Burke said. “What we want to do is increase turnover and allow more people to use those parking spaces on a regular basis.” Currently, patrolling parking spaces requires officers to mark vehicle tires with chalk, then return later to issue tickets if necessary. The LPR system will allow the marking process to happen digitally based on license plate numbers and GPS location and will notify officers when a vehicle has been parked for too long.
SEE SECURITY PAGE 2
SEE PARKING PAGE 2
UPD seeks to fill staffing shortage By Sawyer Click News Reporter Eighteen schools across the U.S. have faced gun violence since the beginning of 2018, two were colleges, according to national reports. In an effort to protect Texas State, the understaffed university police department has officers working overtime. Texas State's police department is currently understaffed by 20 percent. Home to more than 38,000 students, the university currently employs 34 certified peace officers; that is over 1,100 students for every officer. Promotions and retirement have left eight officer positions vacant, leaving currently employed police officers working overtime to cover the shifts. Patrick Cochran, assistant director of UPD, has worked to find officers to fill the positions. "We have been pretty shorthanded," Cochran said. "That doesn't mean that patrol functions stop or even decrease.
VOTE for the next Student Government president.
WHEN Voting is open from Feb. 19-22.
WHERE Students can vote on the second floor of LBJ across from Wells Fargo from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m or online.
Other people just have to fill in." Over time, however, the void creates issues within the police department in terms of training. Otto Glenewinkel is a certified crime prevention specialist at UPD and is also a trainer at the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training, known as ALERRT. "We can't ever do enough training, unfortunately," Glenewinkel said. "We're eight officers short right now, which makes it hard to send people to training." Currently, there are five officer candidates undergoing the hiring process who are qualified for the position, according to Cochran. Once the initial hiring process is completed, these officers will attend the university's mandatory 12week training program. Until then, the department remains shorthanded. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement sets the standards for the hiring process and requirements. Before officers can work they must be licensed through a TCOLE-approved academy and must go through the 12-week
GREEK
Greek life expected to return in March By Sandra Sadek News Reporter Texas State Greek life organizations are expected to fully return to campus March 1, following a four-month-long suspension. The Division of Student Affairs confirmed the rumors, claiming the organizations are free to return to full status and engage in regular activities as early as March 1, or by spring break at the latest. Joanne Smith, vice president for student affairs, said the task force in charge of reviewing Greek life has met during recent months to review conditions for reinstatement and will be making recommendations to President Denise Trauth, who has the final say on the conditions. "After President Trauth approves the recommendations we make, we will send out all of the components to the organizations, asking each chapter to agree to them in order for them to return to campus," Smith said.
The student body will be notified via email once conditions have been agreed upon by all chapters.
Texas State Greek life organizations are expected to fully return to campus March 1. The suspension of all Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council sororities and fraternities on campus occurred last November, after Matthew Ellis, a Phi Kappa Psi pledge, was found dead offcampus after the fraternity's initiation activities. His blood alcohol content level was .38, over four times the legal limit, according to his autopsy report. Despite the suspension Trauth
Texas State University students, activate your complimentary WSJ memberships Visit WSJ.com/UniversityStar © 2018 Dow Jones & Co., Inc. All rights reserved.
ordered last semester, certain Greek organizations were allowed to finish the events they started prior to the suspension, but were halted after they were completed. Although rumors of the return of Greek life have circulated on campus, many members and administrators were encouraged not to discuss what was to come next for those organizations. Bob Dudolski, assistant dean of students for Greek Affairs, said he could not speak on the matter. A member of the Chi Omega sorority went through her sorority's initiation process while suspended. Her identity will remain anonymous to protect her affiliation with the sorority. "Our national chapter representatives came down to talk to the school," she said. "We were not allowed to recruit or host events but we were still allowed to have initiation. We also only had to pay half of our dues because we did not participate in as many activities."
SEE GREEK PAGE 2