DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911 @universitystar | universitystar.com
LIFE & ARTS Texas State department of Theatre and Dance presents "The Crucible" |PAGE 3|
Texas State athlete pushes toward Paralympics
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018
Volume 108, Issue 08
Voting guide: San Marcos Candidate Profiles
Community rallies to save historic Old First Baptist Church
|PAGE 4|
OPINIONS
Texas State administrators may be learning to respond to white supremacy |PAGE 5|
Coming out should not be trivialized |PAGE 6|
SPORTS Weekend Recap |PAGE 7|
Softball coach to try out for U.S. Olympic team |PAGE 7|
Volleyball dives into 13th straight win By Claire Partain Sports Reporter Bobcat volleyball notched two wins this weekend against the Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers and the Appalachian State University Mountaineers, bringing the undefeated team's win streak to 13. The team’s 13-match win streak is the highest in nearly a decade, and head coach Karen Chisum is set on keeping the streak going, according to senior middle Madison Daigle. “We started off well, but we have to keep going,” Daigle said. “Chisum always says we can’t be 10-0 if we’re not 9-0, so we’ve been taking every match one at a time.” Chisum is looking to reach her eighth regular season conference championship and ninth tournament championship In her 39th season, the Texas State alumna is the longest-standing Texas State head coach. The win over the Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers marked Chisum’s 886th career win, notching her up to tie for ninth in NCAA history. Chisum’s focus on competition in practice contributes to the team’s success, according to junior Mattie Adams.
SEE VOLLEYBALL PAGE 7
The Old First Baptist Church sits empty Oct. 9 on the corner of Mitchell Street and Martin Luther King Drive. PHOTO BY SAWYER CLICK
By Sawyer Click | Managing Editor & By May Olvera | News Reporter With boarded windows and chipping paint, a 110-year-old historically African-American church off Main Street has ignited a community-led movement to restore its structure – and its history. In 1873, members of the Ku Klux Klan marched through downtown San Marcos and set the original First Baptist Church on fire, leaving an integral part of the then-flourishing African-American community in ashes. Thirty-five years later, in 1908, members of the congregation rebuilt what is now known as the Old First Baptist Church on 219 Martin Luther King Dr. as its replacement. The church has stood empty since 1986 because of its deteriorating condition, though several iterations of advocacy groups have called for its restoration. Most recently, a core group of leaders from the Calaboose African American History Museum, San Marcos Cinema Club, Splash Coworking and San Marcos Main Street Program have worked alongside the building’s new owners and city officials to nominate the building for a $150,000 grant from National Geographic. The top 10 of the 20 projects nominated will receive a grant to kickstart the restoration process, funded by American Express, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Main Street America. Ramika Adams, Calaboose treasurer and board member, has been one of the most vocal leaders in the recent call for the church's restoration. Adams said she loves the building most for its perseverance. “When the church was rebuilt (in 1908), it was even more grand and on a bigger scale than the one that was
As a freedmen's town, San Marcos' population was 37 percent AfricanAmerican in the 1860s. Today, African American's only represent 4.8 percent of the population. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SAN MARCOS PUBLIC LIBRARY
burned down,” she said. “To me, it was the community of that time who was rebuilding saying, ‘No, you tried to tear us down but we’re coming back bigger and badder than ever.’” Interim Main Street Manager Josie Falletta said the church has remained in the top 10 throughout the contest, all without money to go toward promotional efforts. The he church hit fourth place out of the gate but has since sunk to eighth. "We have been in the top 10 consistently, the entire time," she said. "No money has been allocated for this project so far. It really speaks to the community input and the community buy-in, and how many people are invested in this project. City officials deemed the building unsafe in May 2009. Since then, it has narrowly escaped destruction several times. Throughout the years, a variety of people have tried to buy the church, demolish it and commercialize the property. Kurt Waldhauser, the owner, originally had a contract to buy the property in fall 2016 with similar plans to demolish the
Meet the San Marcos Mayor candidates
building, but he backed out after learning the history of the church. After months of deliberation with his wife Kate, Waldhauser bought the property in April 2017. “I didn’t know what it meant to buy this building,” Waldhauser said. “It took a little while to learn what it meant. My belief is that God saw us coming. And so, for me, this is emblematic of something larger. This is one of the most heart and mind-opening experiences I've ever had in any regard.” During its heyday in the early to mid1900s, the church was a haven for San Marcos’ flourishing African-American community, which primarily lived in what is known today as the Dunbar Historic District. The district features several landmarks not only important to San Marcos’ history but also Texas’ history. The Dunbar School, the first desegregated school in Texas, is just down the street from the Old First Baptist Church. SEE CHURCH PAGE 4
By Christopher Green Senior News Reporter
Jane Hughson City Council Place 4 member Jane Hughson has a platform centered on bringing businesses to San Marcos to help ease the poverty level and working on Code SMTX to protect San Marcos' environment. Hughson has 10 years of experience on City Council and seven years on the Planning and Zoning Commission. “I want to ensure we don’t forget the residents that are in the low-to-moderate income level,” Hughson said. “We need to continue our economic incentive program to get more
businesses to locate here with good jobs with more than just the bare minimum living wage.” Hughson said Code SMTX, the city code for development and regulations on land use, is a vital component when it comes to conserving San Marcos' environment. “We need to continue to protect the river and our environment,” Hughson said. “Our new Code SMTX, which is our land development code, provides for a lot of protection for our river, creek, tributaries and our environment.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF JANE HUGHSON
John Thomaides Following his two-year term, Mayor John Thomaides is running for re-election with a platform centered around more affordable housing, increased wages, environmental conservation, supporting small businesses and weaving students into the community. He has served on City Council for five terms. “I'm gonna work tirelessly on providing betterpaying jobs, which connects to the housing situation," Thomaides said. "About half of the citizens in San Marcos would not qualify for a mortgage of $150,000, so we need to raise wages
and provide more housing choices." Thomaides said he wants to end the antistudent bias on the City Council and better unite students and residents. “I really feel like there is an anti-student situation going on in our council,” Thomaides said. “I want to weave students more into the fabric of the community and let the community see the value of each other and what we can get if they participate and stay in the city after they graduate.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN THOMAIDES