October 1, 2019

MEAL PLAN CONFUSION CLEARED UP

VOLLEYBALL DOMINATES WEEKEND TO OPEN SUN BELT PLAY

SEE PAGE 2

SEE PAGE 10

SEE PAGE 4 SAN MARCOS HOLDS FOURTH-ANNUAL DOWNTOWN MERMAID PROMENADE

www.UniversityStar.com

TUESDAY OCTOBER 1, 2019 VOLUME 109 ISSUE 08

DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911

SAN MARCOS

Concerns raised over cite-and-release data

By Chase Rogers News Reporter Hays County released data showing the San Marcos Police Department's low use of cite-and-release in 2018, spurring protests from local organizations advocating for criminal justice reform.

Under state law, cite-and-release allows peace officers to issue citations for class C misdemeanors— including some class A and class B misdemeanors—instead of making an arrest.

According to the data provided by Hays County criminal justice analyst Samantha Jones, only 20 of the 332 total cases eligible for cite-and-release in 2018 had individuals released with a citation. Seventy-two cases eligible for cite-and-release involved a black individual, all of which were arrested instead of just cited. Seventy-two cases eligible for cite-and-release involved a black individual; none were released with a citation, but arrested. This data reflects only 6% of eligible cases in 2018 proceeded with the cite-andrelease option.

Mano Amiga, an organization aiming to "create a better world through education, advocacy and prudent policy for our penal system," and Texas Rising were chief among the organizations present during the Sept. 17 protest at San Marcos City Hall.

The various groups implored the new Interim Police Chief Bob Klett to embrace cite-and-release and work toward the implementation of the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program.

Mano Amiga members introduced the concept for the protest following the release of cite-and-release data, incorporating Texas Rising and MOVE Texas in their efforts.

Jordan Buckley of Mano Amiga helped plan the subsequent protest in front of City Hall. He said the parallel-timing of the data release with the recent leadership changes in San Marcos was deliberate.

"We decided the city council's consideration of a new police chief presented an ideal time to release the county report to show the public the degree to which our community is needlessly over-criminalized, and the racial disparity of who gets arrested instead of ticketed," Buckley said.

Lexy Garcia, regional field coordinator for Texas Freedom Network and Texas Rising, attended the protest and said using cite-andrelease should be seen as the bare minimum for SMPD. "Cite-and-release should be seen as the floor," Garcia said. "It should be utilized with any non-violent misdemeanors, including traffic violations, possession of marijuana under a certain amount and things like that."

Garcia said a diverse community of citizens participated and advocated for cite-and-release, including those who were new to the issue.

"It was a really great showing of people, and not only those who are constantly plugged into these issues— who live for organizing and progressive reforms—but normal citizens," Garcia said. "The combination of both the organizers and citizens was a huge part of our victory."

FOOTBALL

Junior linebacker John Brannon (44) and the Bobcats run onto the field in excitement before the Sept. 29 game against Nicholls State.

PHOTO BY KATE CONNORS

Bobcats win, again

By Colton Mcwilliams Sports Reporter The eight-year wait is over. After defeating the Nicholls State Colonels 24-3 in the historic Battle for the Paddle rivalry, the paddle trophy came home to San Marcoskind of.

The paddle has been subject to controversy after Nicholls State refused to bring the trophy back during the 2011 game even though Texas State won. The original paddle trophy, which the two teams have taken back and forth since a flood before their matchup in 1998, quickly went missing after the game. However, that didn’t stop the Bobcats from celebrating with the replica paddle.

Head coach Jake Spavital joked about the historic paddle after the game and said the trophy gave the team something extra to work towards.

“I don’t know where the paddle is going to end up tonight,” Spavital said. “It’s a great thing for the university and I’m pretty excited that the paddle is going to stay here in San Marcos for a while…whenever there is a trophy on the line, that means there is a lot that this university plays for.”

After forcing the Colonels to punt on their first drive, the Bobcats drove down the field into Nicholls State territory. However, the Bobcats couldn’t convert the good field SEE FOOTBALL PAGE 8

POPULATION

Census aims to reach "hard-to-count" areas

By Daniel Weeks News Reporter

GRAPHIC BY JADEN EDISON

After the protest and addressing city council, Klett said the department has new-found awareness of the issue and have seen improvement since.

"We are already seeing better numbers for cite-and-release this year," Klett said. "We would like to say we had cite-and-release since 2007 in Texas, but it's never really come up as a concern until recently."

Buckley said Klett's current interim status will work to give city council an opportunity to evaluate his performance before confirming him as SMPD police chief. "(City council) will have the opportunity in a few months to assess his use of cite-and-release when

deciding who to make our permanent police chief," Buckley said. "We're hopeful Klett will be the kind of chief we can get behind, but time will tell."

Additionally, L.E.A.D, a diversion approach with the goal of improving public safety and order, was a major point of discussion during the protest and meetings.

The Texas State Texas Rising Chapter President Alexis Duran, consumer affairs junior, said L.E.A.D. aids the community with overpolicing, particularly those with certain afflictions.

“We see too many cases in media of an officer escalating a situation with someone who may have mental health, SEE SAN MARCOS PAGE 2

Members of the San Marcos Complete Count Committee and Texas State are striving to spread awareness to the “hard-tocount” populations in Hays County for the upcoming population census.

Once each decade, the U.S. government employs a census in an attempt to count every living person in all 50 states and additional territories. The population count will occur April 1, 2020, and like all other censuses in the previous decades, responding is required by law.

The 2020 census exists to provide a population count of the country and data to public services issued by the federal government. Billions of dollars will be spent constructing roads, hospitals, schools and more based on the data provided from the census.

Information provided will be completely anonymous. Federal law dictates the U.S. Census Bureau cannot release information gained from census participants or use the provided information against individuals in a court of law.

San Marcos is represented by a Complete Count Committee in charge of reaching maximum accuracy in census coverage next year. The committee employs members of the community and tasks them with informing “hard-to-count” populations: areas where up to a quarter of households did not mail SEE POPULATION PAGE 2

The University Star

2 | Tuesday, October 1, 2019 Sonia Garcia News Editor starnews@txstate.edu

FROM FRONT SAN MARCOS Trinity Building 203 Pleasant St. San Marcos, TX 78666 (512) 245 - 3487

Editors Editor-in-Chief: Jakob Rodriguez stareditor@txstate.edu Managing Editor: Bayley Bogus starmanagingeditor@txstate.edu News Editor: Sonia Garcia, starnews@txstate.edu Life & Arts Editor: Laura Figi starlifeandarts@txstate.edu Opinions Editor: Jordan Drake staropinion@txstate.edu Sports Editor: Claire Partain starsports@txstate.edu Design Editor: Molly Gonzales stardesign@txstate.edu Multimedia Editor: Jaden Edison starmultimedia@txstate.edu Engagement Editor: Isabella Lopes starsengagement@txstate.edu

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NEWS

drug addiction and homelessness issues,” Duran said. “It seems like they make no effort to deescalate and make the situation safer.”

When pressed for a position on L.E.A.D., Klett said it is being looked into.

"We are still looking at L.E.A.D. in Hays County and San Marcos and if it is the best decision going forward, then I am behind whatever is best for all of our citizens," Klett said.

Responding to Klett, Council Member Mark Rockeymoore said it was important SMPD leadership remains attuned to the changes in the community of San Marcos while on the job.

"The community is getting browner; it's becoming blacker and there are more people coming from diverse locations," Rockeymoore said. "It is very important we heighten equity to something that we do enterprise-wide. I'm looking Members of the San Marcos community stand outside the city hall discussion room with posters forward to working with you, and advocating for the practice of cite-and-release to be enforced for local law enforcement Sept. 17 I hope to see you stand for the same at San Marcos City Hall. principles as those who have concerns PHOTO BY REBECCA HARRELL about the police department moving forward."

Cox, a retired chief of police of Albany, An archived recording of the city A presentation scheduled for 3 p.m., NY. Cox will discuss the program with council meeting and the meeting agenda Sept. 30, at City Hall will include law enforcement leaders and municipal are available on the City of San Marcos L.E.A.D. National Support Bureau officials. website Director of Policing Strategies Brendan

EXPANSION

University begins new dormitory planning

By Christopher Green News Reporter The Department of Housing and Residential Life is working with American Campus Communities to build a new dormitory complex to accommodate the growing number of incoming students.

The complex will be designed as two buildings attached to one another and is set to open fall 2021.

The dormitories will be located near San Marcos Hall and the President's House. Construction is expected to begin January or February 2020.

Roseanne Proite, director of DHRL, said the residence hall will be designed as two-in-one and attached like Guallardia and Chautauqua.

“It’s going to be almost 900 beds and instead of one huge hall, we said let’s have two halls and connect them,” Proite said.

According to a census completed

by DHRL, the 2019 fall semester freshman class reached about 6,300 students; the department houses approximately 94% to 96% of freshmen students. DHRL typically does a census on incoming freshmen during the 12th class day every semester to keep up with living accommodations for students.

Additionally, Proite said DHRL staff is working to make the new residence halls more affordable to live in compared to other dormitories on campus.

"EVEN THOUGH IT’S GOING TO BE A BRAND NEW HALL, WE DON’T WANT TO CHARGE WHAT A BRAND NEW HALL COSTS TO LIVE IN." - ROSEANNE PROITE

“Our target is to have (the new halls) cost in the middle range of halls,” Proite said. “Even though it’s going to be a brand new hall, we don’t want to charge what a brand new hall costs to live in.”

The process of developing the newest halls on campus began with nine companies seeking to obtain a contract to work on the dorms.

After meeting and interviewing with the nine developers, DHRL staff chose five finalists, selecting American Campus Communities: a development company that constructs housing for college students.

Student Government President Corey Benbow said the dorms can be beneficial to the university and its growth.

"I hope they are a good investment to the campus," Benbow said. "We do need more housing."

However, Benbow said he has concerns about parking in regards to the new dorms being built.

"I worry, when we're adding new dorms, if we've thought about the investment in infrastructure, especially if we're not getting a new parking garage until 2028," Benbow said.

Ira Froitzheim, post-baccalaureate student, said it is a good idea for the university to have a new dormitory, especially one of its projected capacity.

"I think it's a good idea because we have so many freshman; it's good they get a new place to live," Froitzheim said. "Students need their space. San Marcos isn't that big so it will help to have more dorms."

A name for the residence hall has yet to be assigned.

Students are expected to be able to choose the residence halls as a choice by fall 2021.

The Department of Housing and Residential Life plans to build new dorms to accommodate the growing number of students on Texas State's campus.

PHOTO BY CAMERON HUBBARD

FROM FRONT POPULATION in their 2010 census questionnaire.

Alejandra Lamos, sociology graduate student, said the goal for the university is to spread awareness during a presentation held Sept. 17 in conjunction with the Complete Count Committee.

“For the 2020 census, the way households will get notified is by an invitation through the mail and after they receive it, they’ll have the option to respond by phone, mail or the internet,” Lamos said. “All we are doing is trying to get the word out to people and bring awareness so when they get this in the mail, they’ll know what is required of them.”

The aforementioned presentation was part of the Complete Count Committee's effort to apply for a grant from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, which seeks to assist Texas in outreach for “Hard-to-Count” areas in acquiring the valuable data the census provides. The grant would award $2 million to selected qualifying applicants.

One member of the committee is Texas State Sociology Professor Gloria Martinez, representing the university in a campaign to gain support from organizations in Hays County.

Martinez said the data gained from the 2020 census will be used for educational and research applications. Achieving the Hogg Foundation grant will allow the data to be as accurate as possible.

“I use a lot of statistics from the U.S. census, which is normal for a sociologist," Martinez said. "Some of us use the data as a teaching tool for demography and for research purposes. For this census, Hays County has populations considered hard-to-count. The grant will allow us to provide education and outreach to these communities and will spread the word in helping us gain more accurate data.”

Qualifying for the grant requires the applicant to partner with numerous organizations or government offices.

The partnerships entail mutually assured cooperation in spreading census awareness and carrying out the responsibility of the Complete Count Committee’s need to increase participation.

The university presentation to the Hays County Commissioners Court was a request for partnership for the grant.

The court denied the proposal Sept. 17.

Walt Smith, commissioner of precinct 4 for Hays County, said the court should be leading its own application for the Hogg Foundation grant.

“If we do partner with others on this, I would want a very clear directive as far as what that partnership looks like," Smith said. "I can see if someone else is leading this (application) the court would be a box checked off on a list and I would be okay with that. But if we are going to be a part of an application we need to probably direct it.”

The application deadline was Sept.

25 for the Hogg Foundation grant. The recipients of the grant will be revealed late 2019 or early 2020.

For more information on Census 2020, visit the United States Census Bureau website.

The University Star

Tuesday, October 1, 2019 | 3

LIFE & ARTS

Laura Figi Life & Arts Editor starlifeandarts@txstate.edu

COMMON EXPERIENCE

Texas State Galleries host Common Experience exhibition

By Madyson Sanchez Guest Writer As part of the 2019 Common Experience, the university is hosting Philosophy of the Encounter (2016-18) created by Tatiana Istomina, inside the Texas State Galleries Aug. 26 through Nov. 12.

According to Texas State Galleries staff, this is the first time where each piece of Istomina's project is able to be seen together in its entirety.

The multimedia project is comprised of a series of works on paper, a staged puppet performance on video, a complete artist book and a set of sculptures made in collaboration with Canadian artist Mona Sharma.

Istomina is a Russian-born Yale graduate, writer and multimedia artist based in New York. Several of her projects have been featured in exhibitions and galleries worldwide, including the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, The Drawing Center and the Moscow Museum of Modern Art. Her project follows the story of Hélène Rytman, a woman murdered in 1980 by her husband, Louis Althusser.

Althusser was a prominent philosopher at the time, with his reputation facing few consequences as his works written before and after Rytman's seemingly inexplicable murder continue to be published and read.

According to the Istomina, Rytman is widely forgotten and remains an insignificant woman lost in the shadow of her famous husband.

It was from Istomina's research she found Rytman, a political and communist activist, was likely responsible for her husband's conversion to Marxism. Rytman provided Althusser

Istomina's "Torso" sculpture on display in the middle of Gallery 1.

PHOTO BY MADYSON SANCHEZ

The isolated setup of Istomina's project on view

"The head of Hélène" among selections from

in Gallery 1.

PHOTO BY MADYSON SANCHEZ

Istomina's artist book.

PHOTO BY MADYSON SANCHEZ

with knowledge of political and social reality.

Althusser claims he has no memory of the murdering of his wife. In his memoir, "The Future Lasts Forever," he describes the history of their relationship pleasantly and leaves Rytman without a voice for her perspective of the story.

Philosophy of the Encounter aims

to provide Rytman an opportunity to reclaim her story and platform.

"These works (Philosophy of the Encounter) reconstruct the story from Hélène's point of view and explore its implication for Althusser's theory," Istomina said.

According to desk employees at the gallery, Philosophy of the Encounter has

been popular and well-visited by Texas State students and locals since it opened.

"When I saw this exhibit promoted online, it instantly caught my eye," studio art junior Alexa Smith said. "The exhibit itself seems so simplistic at first glance, yet the textures and shadows of each sculpture piece bring the room to life."

Istomina and Sharma combine simple mediums like fabric, staffing and paint to create the sculptures, including "The head of Hélène," "Torso," "Philosopher's Mind," "A prisoner of solitude" and "Permanently alone and a frightful shrew."

"My favorite part of the project had to be the video," international studies sophomore Daniel Martinez said. "It was eerie but made sense after I learned it was about the story of a mysterious murder."

The video on display features humanlike puppets representing Rytman, Althusser and several "allegorical personages." Istomina and Sharma created the dolls in collaboration, while artist Anna Gregor played the masked puppeteer.

For students interested in learning more about Philosophy of the Encounter, an artist lecture about Tatiana Isomina and her project will be held at 5-6 p.m., Nov. 5, in JCM 2121.

The Texas State Galleries are located on the second floor inside the Joann Cole Mitte building. All galleries are open to the public and free. Philosophy of the Encounter is available to visit in Gallery 1 until Nov. 12.

For more information regarding current exhibits and opportunities at Texas State Galleries, visit txstgalleries.org.

The University Star

4 | Tuesday, October 1, 2019

LIFE & ARTS

Laura Figi Life & Arts Editor starlifeandarts@txstate.edu

CULTURE

San Marcos holds fourth-annual Downtown Mermaid Promenade

By Brianna Benitez Life & Arts Reporter A sea of glitter, jewels and fins flooded the streets of San Marcos in celebration of the fourth-annual Downtown Mermaid Promenade.

Community members gathered Saturday, Sept. 21 to celebrate the unique and artistic culture of San Marcos. The parade line-up began at 10 a.m. at the corner of CM Allen and Cheatham Street.

The parade was established by the Mermaid Society of San Marcos in 2016. Since then, the event has remained anticipated during the 15-day Mermaid SPLASH (Stewardship, Preservation, Local, Arts, Sustainability, Heritage) festival, a series of city-wide events created to celebrate the arts, culture and history of the San Marcos River.

The Mermaid Society was founded to carry on the magic and legacy of the mermaids of Aquarena Springs, a theme park that once operated on the headwaters of Spring Lake.

At the park, performers known as "aquamaids" would dance and act out skits underwater. Through these performances, audiences were able to witness the whimsical world of the San Marcos River.

The park closed its doors in 1990 and was later purchased by Texas State. The sight is now recognized as The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.

Although Aquarena Springs Park is no longer open, its charm and artistry continue to live on through events like the Downtown Mermaid Promenade.

Each September, local businesses, community members and organizations unite to celebrate the magic of the river.

Additionally, the parade recognizes honorary members of the community.

Tom and Paula Goynes were recognized this year as the King and Queen of SPLASH. The Goynes have been San Marcos residents for over 40 years and organized the first San Marcos River cleanup in 1972.

Tom Goynes said he became intrigued by the river after seeing an article for the Texas Water Safari canoe race in the Houston Chronicle. The race is a fourday competition that begins in the San Marcos River and ends in the town of Seadrift.

Goynes said he first attempted the race—but failed to finish—at 16 years old in 1967. He returned the following year and was able to complete the event.

He said it was during the race he first fell in love with the San Marcos River.

"I grew up in Houston and paddled in bayous where the water was dark and polluted," Goynes said. "When I came to (San Marcos), the water was crystal clear and I couldn't believe it."

As King of SPLASH, Goynes said he plans on advocating for city officials to pass a can-ban to ensure the river is kept clean and suitable for children.

"Our river is a magical place," Goynes

Members of the T.O.N. Brass Band walk the streets of the Mermaid Parade Sept. 21 in downtown San Marcos.

PHOTO BY JADEN EDISON

Emily Aguilar (left), Dona Weller (middle) and Jerome Kubala hang out prior to the Mermaid Promenade Sept. 21 in downtown San Marcos.

PHOTO BY JADEN EDISON

said. "It's fun, it's beautiful and it needs to be kid-friendly."

During the parade, Goynes displayed his passion for reducing cans as he held a trident with three aluminum cans stabbed into the spears.

Angela Zumwalt, director of mermaid programming for the Mermaid Society, recruits and manages mermaid volunteers for various community events like the parade.

Growing up, Zumwalt said her father and grandfather were ship captains, so she spent most of her childhood around the ocean.

When Zumwalt was seven years old, her father passed away. The last book he gave her was "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen.

“I latched pretty strong to that story and was a big fan of mermaids ever since then,” Zumwalt said.

In addition to being the director of mermaid programming, Zumwalt is known in the community as Mermaid Maya, the educational outreach mermaid.

As Mermaid Maya, Zumwalt educates the San Marcos youth on the importance of protecting the river. She hopes her role as Mermaid Maya makes a difference in

A goat walks with the Pet Fest of San Marcos float Sept. 21 during the Mermaid Promenade in downtown San Marcos.

PHOTO BY KATE CONNORS

the San Marcos community.

“I hope I’m able to make a true impression on our youth about just how special and wonderful our river is,” Zumwalt said.

Ayesha Sosa was recruited by Zumwalt last year and has been participating in the parade since. Sosa said participating in the parade has allowed her to get involved in the Texas mermaid community.

Sosa said her favorite part of the parade is witnessing the excitement of children when she and fellow mermaids smile and wave to them.

Sosa said she and her sister would pretend to be mermaids growing up.

However, her sister was diagnosed with leukemia and passed away when she was nine years old. Her sister's death made her realize how short life is and encouraged her to go after her dream of becoming a mermaid.

"I realized if you find something that makes you happy, you should do it and put all of your energy into it," Sosa said.

To honor childhood cancer and her sister's passing, Sosa said she wears a

gold and orange tail when performing as Mermaid Ayesha.

Shannon Rauch has been participating in the parade for two years and travels from North Carolina to participate. She enjoys visiting because the parade is so different compared to other mermaid events.

"I find gatherings are more for (mermaids) to just swim together or go to cosplay conventions," Rauch said.

"This parade is largely supporting the river and conservation and showing how important it is to preserve it."

Rauch has been a mermaid for eight years. She said the empowerment that comes with being a mermaid is her favorite part.

"It doesn't matter how old or what size you are," Rauch said. "Anyone can be a mermaid."

For more information on the history of the San Marcos River and Downtown Mermaid Promenade visit the Mermaid Society of San Marcos website.

STUDENT LIVING

Haven delays move-in date, again

By Laura Figi Life & Arts Editor Haven on Thorpe Lane has again extended move-in to within 30 days from the previous Sept. 16 date due to construction delays but has yet to send out an official day.

The building, located at 1351 Thorpe Lane, still does not appear complete; sidewalks are not finished and trash cans can be seen on several balconies.

After attempting to reach out to Mark Evans, director of public relations for Haven, The University Star was refused an interview and given the following statement: “We know the delays at The Haven at Thorpe have caused a tremendous inconvenience for residents, and we apologize for that. We are in constant contact with the developer about the status of construction in order to pass along any new information to residents as soon as we receive it.

As soon as the management team

was informed of the latest delay by the developer, we notified residents and extended them an additional month of free rent. As of right now, residents have four to six months of free rent, depending on whether they chose to make their own living arrangements in the interim or allow us to temporarily place them at another property.

In the meantime, we continue to send residents twice-a-week emails with the latest information on the status of the property. We look forward to welcoming them to their new homes next month.”

Imogene Daily, theatre sophomore, said she is not surprised Haven management pushed the move-in date again, but thinks residents will be able to move in soon.

“I think people are acting out of anger and frustration instead of logic,” Daily said. “While (Haven) may be a money grab or marketing ploy or something like that, there are people who genuinely believed the project would be done and I don’t think that should be a

predetermined idea of how the complex itself will be once it’s finished.”

Daily has been housed at The Junction and living rent-free courtesy of Haven.

Other students, like Blake Brewen, computer information systems junior, chose the option to select his own temporary housing and is sub-leasing at The Woods.

Brewen said he has been calling the Haven office for updates often and has yet to be given any concrete information.

“It’s a situation where lots of kids are being taken advantage of,” Brewen said. “There’s a whole lot of people who are a lot less savvy than you and I. What type of business model is it that you’re opening up a brand new housing complex and you have every single one of your tenants living elsewhere for half of an entire year?”

As of Friday, Sept. 27, Haven management sent out an email stating, "all units, flooring, cabinets, texture and paint, appliances complete." Future tenants are still receiving updates via

email. Option one—residents who chose their own temporary housing—are receiving increased waived rent from five to six months and option two—those who are living in temporary housing chosen by Haven—increased waived rent from three to four months.

"IT’S A SITUATION WHERE LOTS OF KIDS ARE BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF" - BLAKE BREWEN

The University Star

Tuesday, October 1, 2019 | 5

OPINIONS

Jordan Drake Opinions Editor staropinion@txstate.edu

Opinions expressed in The University Star are not necessarily those of Texas State University’s administration, Board of Regents, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, or Student Publications Board.

MAIN POINT

Texas State, do your job

By The Editorial Board Texas State officials announced Sept.

10, 2019, the campus had misreported Clery reportable offenses on the annual Campus Security Report, formerly, "Campus Watch."

The university's response is a measly three paragraphs saying nothing. No mention of the extent to how much data is wrong or which data is incorrect.

Posting a few paragraphs on the Texas State internal newsroom that barely touch on the issue is not enough and will never be enough; the damage is done.

The truth is no one—administrator or journalist—can give a true count of Clery Act reportable offenses now or in the past at Texas State because the system in place was at fault.

Moreover, how could it have taken this long to notice something was wrong? In previous versions of "Campus Watch," University President Denise M. Trauth is nearly front and center representing the university at large.

Trauth has held her position for 17 years and was only alerted to

the issue in the first place when the International Association for Campus Law Enforcement Administrator issued a draft of a review, which essentially outlined deficiencies in the report itself.

This is a disgusting display of how administration played hot potato with a topic directly impacting enrollment. The severity of misreporting and nonchalance represented by the university immediately calls into question the safety of our campus community, transparency of the administration and its ability to communicate fault.

Months later, the Department of Education would question 2017 and 2016 numbers, which are currently being reviewed by Texas State staff members.

Each police report will be read in full to facilitate and address necessary changes to be reflected in the 2019 report— containing statistics from 2018, 2017 and 2016—published Oct. 1.

Texas State reported nine rapes and seven instances of fondling between 2015 and 2017. These statistics are not just slightly lower than other similarsized universities, but unbelievably lower.

The University of North Texas reported 32 rapes and 22 instances of fondling. Texas Tech had 24 rapes and seven fondling occurrences.

Both universities are roughly comprised of similar populations as Texas State. The fact university administration was unable to identify a misreporting in offenses for years is unacceptable. Within the date range of reportable dates from 2014-2016, The University Star was able to uncover numerous Clery reportable offenses that went underreported.

We are unaware how far back this underreporting extends but can only hope with new leadership and technical assistance from the Department of Education, Texas State can rebuild the trust of its students and victims.

This was a significant violation of federal law that has the potential to bring heavy financial penalties and yet officials at the university were completely unaware that there was a misreporting of statistics .

Failing to report offenses reeks of insidious conduct and gross negligence, regardless of university employees

MAIN PO NT

O

claiming to be unaware of how reporting went wrong.

Texas State administration has asked for trust and understanding from students regarding how the issue is being handled; misreporting has been identified and is being addressed.

The school is in a seemingly pretend transparency mode. The university made no mention of how badly it had messed up. It only released a generic public relations statement. No one has been held accountable and no one likely will be If Texas State employees make needed corrections to the data and faultlessly report offenses, the numbers will begin to accurately reflect the safety and occurrences at the university. However, with an incompetent administration willing to bury the truth, it remains to be seen if change can and will occur for the betterment of the student body.

Texas State administrators, do your jobs. We will continue to do ours.

The Main Point is the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board. Columns are the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the full staff, Texas State University Student Media, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Texas State University.

VAPING

Be smart and stop vaping

By Laura Nunez Opinion Columnist Society has reached the detrimental point of risking it all for a puff of watermelon-flavored vapor. Electronic cigarettes are a professionally photoshopped version of cigarettes that have managed to convince the world they were harmless. Students should not succumb to the e-cigarette craze but instead turn to more proactive passions, like saving the environment, voting or literally anything else.

College is the place where people experience their first taste of real independence. Rationality is often forgotten in the adventure promised to bring the best years of someone's life.

Unfortunately, a good time in college often equates to some sort of experimental substance use and/or pressure to participate. E-cigarettes have taken the reigns. It is a rare day to walk around campus and not see at least one person fogging up a walkway or classroom with vapor.

To clear any misconceptions, e-cigarettes are battery-operated devices typically shaped like a pen or rod that dispense nicotine when inhaled.

College students have a hectic, overwhelming lifestyle, and nicotine is a stimulant and sedative that relaxes the body. The two combined make an ideal pairing, but so did Romeo and Juliet. Look how that turned out.

E-cigarette users often defend their addiction and deny any harming agents in the product, yet the FDA has reported various alarming findings from the past years. Where e-cigarette cartridges are marketed as “tobacco-free,” the FDA discovered a toxic compound found in antifreeze that has been proven to cause cancer. Additionally, formaldehyde, a chemical used in building materials, was found in a study that analyzed liquid pods.

Although no concrete research has confirmed a correlation between e-cigarette use and cancer, society should not wait comfortably for that day to come. A seventh person has died in 2019, and over 380 lung illnesses have been reported with vaping-related causes.

Vaping is dangerous and there is no doubt about it.

The Trump administration has moved to ban flavored e-cigarettes due to recent deaths and mysterious lung illness reports. Completely removing the product from production is impossible at this point, but thankfully the notion is being challenged. The ban has caught worldwide attention. India has banned e-cigarette products and JUUL sales have halted in China. The topic of health regarding e-cigarettes has gained national awareness and that should be enough of a warning, yet people continue to indulge.

JUUL has only been in the industry for two years, yet the company boasts more than 70% of the U.S. e-cigarette market. JUUL products have significantly altered several businesses and competitors and created an

uprising.

ILLUSTRATION BY JADEN EDISON

However, it has been proven a large percentage of its consumers are underage. JUUL removed flavors earlier this year in hopes of losing its younger audience because imagining a whole new generation addicted to nicotine was worse than losing millions.

The permanent damage caused by sucking on e-cigarettes is terrifying.

“Popcorn lung,” formally known as bronchitis obliterans, is a condition that scars lung tissue and causes thickening and narrowing of the airways. The nickname makes it sound like an obnoxious joke, but it is very real and irreversible.

There is no cure for this severe lung damage, only methods to control the symptoms.

Trying to dignify vaping by saying is it immensely less dangerous than smoking cigarettes is a hilarious sentiment, but means nothing when there is research proving otherwise. In fact, the modern vapes—including JUULs— make it possible to inhale nicotine faster than regular cigarettes. Smoking is smoking, regardless of which product is aiding the habit. It only took several deaths across the country for society to finally understand e-cigarettes can be just as harmful as traditional smoking.

Realistically, there is no real enforcement regarding the abolishment of e-cigarettes.

Scientists and reports can only share and publicize the dangers accompanying the habit.

College students are so easily persuaded to step outside of their comfort zones and follow the crowd, but when it comes to e-cigarettes, resistance is key.

Don’t add to the kids that end up on the news because of mysterious lung illnesses. Put the JUUL down.

Laura Nunez is an advertising junior

The University Star

6 | Tuesday, October 1, 2019

OPINIONS

Jordan Drake Opinions Editor staropinion@txstate.edu

Opinions expressed in The University Star are not necessarily those of Texas State University’s administration, Board of Regents, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, or Student Publications Board.

ENVIRONMENT

BYOB, bring your own bags

By Laura Nunez Opinion Columnist Texas State boasts an established, environmentally friendly atmosphere even though the university aids in the distribution of single-use plastic bags.

Wasteful plastic and eco-friendly do not mesh well. The university and the City of San Marcos should establish a ban on single-use plastic bags.

Single-use plastic bags are flimsy and non-biodegradable, typically used for groceries and take-out, as well as for collecting dust under the kitchen sink or cabinet. Plastic pollution has been harming oceans for years, but the damage continues to rise and add detriment to the global environment. Action needs to be taken to stop plastic waste, but since the plastic production industry leads the way in convenience, starting small is key.

Statistics report Americans use more than 100 billion plastic bags each year, which is more than 300 bags per person, per year. Plastic bags are used for an average of 12 minutes, but their afterlife is infinitely longer. As plastics become discarded, they clog sewage and storm drains and get found in the stomachs of over 100,000 marine creatures that die from plastic pollution each year.

The choice is clear: people should carry their own reusable bags.

Over 400 cities, counties and states in the U.S. have banned, taxed or limited single-use plastic bags. California passed a law in 2014 in which large retail stores were prohibited from providing single-

use plastic carryout bags. A second measure, Proposition 65, was rejected by voters but would have created an environmental fund with the charging of 10-cents for single-use plastic. The concept of making society pay for choosing to abuse the environment is genius and effective.

Multiple cities that passed laws banning single-use plastic bags have reported a surge of public awareness on recycling and plastic pollution. Additionally, there were dramatic decreases in bag litter around the city waterways and creeks.

San Marcos is not on the list of cities that have implemented a plastic ban, but it should be, especially since the river flows through town and its species need to be protected from dangerous pollution.

Texas, needs to join the environmental initiative because the time to act has never been more prominent.

Texas has not been negligent to the rise of banning plastic bags, but the mere mention of such progressive moves has not been received lightly by the masses.

The Texas Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that a ban on plastic bags in Laredo violated state law. The court has refused to hear similar cases since, which is an unjust and ignorant decision regarding the negative effects wastefulness adds to society.

The City of Austin was enforcing a plastic ban at the time but loosened the reins after the court ruling. San Marcos should make up the difference missing in the surrounding areas.

Specifically, Texas State needs to

make the change, as its the largest entity in San Marcos. The bookstore and on-campus convenience stores should stop carrying and distributing single-use plastic bags to customers.

Students should be bringing their own bags when they are going to shop or establishments can offer reusable bags as an alternative. Banning plastic bags will be an easy adjustment on campus since they are only distributed in limited locations.

Additionally, clubs and organizations could aid in the initiative by handing out reusable bags in The Quad or selling them for a small fee. The organizations could use the opportunity to market themselves and their events. If the ban is enforced, no one will be refused a chance to load up on reinforcements.

Establishing an anti-plastic sentiment could become complicated, but the benefits would be reaped in the local environment and possibly the whole state, making the adjustment worth it.

People oftentimes eagerly claim they re-purpose their plastic bags. Although that might be true, these lightweight nightmares are often forgotten or thrown away and end up in oceans regardless.

Earth is in danger, and stepping back to watch from the sidelines while the world is collapsing is not sufficient. Society can make small calculated differences

ILLUSTRATION BY JADEN EDISON

in everyday lifestyles to help better the environment.

The young generations are starting to understand the gravity of their impact.

Students are actively advocating for the use of metal straws over plastic and carrying their own reusable water bottles. Although often ridiculed for believing these small changes will make a difference, the only fools are the ones doing absolutely nothing. Plastic bag use should not be ignored in this dire time.

Texas State needs to ban single-use plastic bag distribution on campus and hopefully, San Marcos can follow.

Enforcing this change will make a significant difference for the betterment of the student body and community.

Laura Nunez is an advertising junior

ROOMMATES

Students need to gain conflict management skills

By Elisabeth Harper Opinion Columnist One of the notorious dilemmas for college students is becoming accustomed to a new roommate. This can be especially hard for the bright-eyed and bushytailed freshman who walks straight on the college platform where the entire backdrop of their life has changed like the set of a play.

Tired and stressed from a day’s worth of classes, a student’s only haven—their home-away-from-home—could face havoc if their new living partner harbors opposite habits. Even so, synchronizing personalities and commonalities may strip students of the opportunity to learn a crucial life skill: conflict management.

Living in adverse conditions is a great way of learning conflict management and empathy toward diverse backgrounds.

Some fierce altercations could arise in such an environment where profoundly different individuals are expected to coexist.

An early riser is paired with a night owl; a Christian with an atheist; an introvert with an extrovert; a conservative student with a liberal one. Even for students who have grown up learning to live civilly with siblings, a new space with a stranger beckons potential conflict.

In the family setting, foundational systems of thought tend to align while more menial personality differences remain the single confounding variable.

With randomly selected roommates, anything from belief systems to personalities to modes of expression could differ.

Regardless, the consequence of roommates enable both individuals to temporarily calling their shared space “home,” which tends to be the place where someone is free to pull off the suffocating mask of courteous action and breathe without hesitation.

Students with roommates should try to remember all the places it may be appropriate to curtail dimensions of self; home is not one of them. It is therefore important to establish the environment as an open and comfortable space for all who reside there.

In the case two polar opposites of a spectrum end up under the same roof, it is necessary to acquire the skill of respecting varying lifestyles without having to conform to it. Two keywords in this process are “understanding” and “grace.”

The 20th century introduced a nascent philosophy known as phenomenological theory, which asserts the concept that the only way to understand another

individual is by experiencing the world as they do. While experiencing the world through someone else is impossible, living in the same space as them is about as close as people can get. Students should take the chance to walk a day in another's shoes—but ask if it is okay to borrow them first!

Even if students fail to become partial to the opposite worldview, grace has its place. Recognizing people are a product of both their involuntary inner workings as well as an uncontrolled youth environment may assist in the forgiveness of unintentionally toestepping. It is meaningless to be angered by the characteristics an individual cannot control.

Living with an unfamiliar individual with various mannerisms is a great opportunity to become aware of students' good and bad habits. In other words, characteristics are the product of a relatively conscious choice. More specifically, this living arrangement is an opportunity to see how those habits affect the individuals around them.

If there is something causing friction between residents of the same space, expressions of discomfort should not only be accepted but welcomed as a means of self-improvement. Maybe a roommate snatches the other's sweater

every once in a while with no ill-will intended.

However, here lies the awakening of the unequal perception of a situation.

It is unfair to cast one's own level of comfort onto another person without concern for how their reaction may differ. “I wouldn’t be bothered by it,” is not a valid excuse to persist.

Another vital keyword to remember is "compromise." A person's comforts should be freely expressed as long as they do not impede on others. As British Philosopher John Stuart Mill puts it, “the only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good, in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs or impede their efforts to obtain it.”

While learning to live with someone new can be a difficult project, it is a healthy and beneficial one. Roommates do not have to reach their finale with matching ankle tattoos and shared custody over the cat. However, learning to coexist respectfully with adversity will build incredibly important skills for future endeavors. After all, everybody is tired at the end of the day. Have mercy on each other.

Elisabeth Harper is an wildlife biology junior

The University Star

Tuesday, October 1, 2019 | 7

9/24 ANSWERS

The University Star

8 | Tuesday, October 1, 2019

SPORTS

Claire Partain Sports Editor starsports@txstate.edu

The Bobcats display the paddle near the endzone created to represent the "Battle for the Paddle" rivalry Sept. 29 against Nicholls State.

PHOTO BY KATE CONNORS Junior quarterback Gresch Jensen pushes his way through Nicholls State defenders to land in the endzone Sept.

29 at Bobcat Stadium.

PHOTO

BY KATE CONNORS

Bobcats celebrate after a 3-0 win against the University of Louisiana at Monroe Sept. 29 at Strahan Arena.

PHOTO BY KATELYN LESTER

PICK 'EM

FROM FRONT FOOTBALL

Editor's note: The University Star sports and editorial staff, as well as a guest picker each week, predict the outcomes for the coming week of the college football schedule. This week goes as follows.

Tulane @ Army 11:00 A.M. Oct. 5 at Michie Stadium, West Point, NY. Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech 11:00 A.M. Oct. 5 at Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, TX. Texas @ West Virginia 2:30 P.M. Oct. 5 at Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, West Virginia.

JAKOB R. RODRIGUEZ (10-5)

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tulane Oklahoma State Texas

Freshman wide receiver Micah Hilts dives into the endzone to score and give the Bobcats the lead Sept. 28 against Nicholls State.

PHOTO BY KATE CONNORS

position into seven points as Justin Rowland kicked in a 36-yard field goal.

After trading a couple of possessions, Nicholls churned out a 60-yard drive toward the Bobcat side, but were forced to follow Texas State's lead after a- a great defensive stand by the Bobcat defense forced the Colonels to kick a 39-yard field goal.

After tying the game at 3-3, neither the Colonels nor the Bobcats could score any more points, bringing a lull in the game into halftime.

The Bobcats quickly turned the tide in the first drive of the second half, bringing an energy that the Colonels would never recover from. After driving 78 yards down the field, junior quarterback Gresch Jensen found freshman wide receiver Micah Hilts on a 12-yard touchdown pass to retake the lead at 10-3.

The next drive, Bobcat defense held their ground as senior corner Jashon Waddy picked off the Colonels by catching the the ball off of a tipped pass. Texas State turned the interception into seven points despite being plagued with a 30-yard unsportsmanlike conduct call after the pick, and Jensen scored himself off a 1-yd QB sneak to make the score 17-3.

The defense quickly came up with another turnover, stopping Nicholls State from scoring as the Bobcats forced a fumble.

After trading a couple of possessions, the Bobcats finished off the Colonels off their longest play of the season as Jensen found sophomore wide reciever Javen Banks for a 77-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead 24-3.

The 77-yard strike ended up being

the last score of the game as the Bobcats won 24-3 and brought the paddle trophy home.

Despite the offense struggling in the first half, the Bobcats came out strong in the second half to outscore their opponents with 21 unanswered points.

Jensen said the changes made at the half ultimately brought out their strongest offensive performance of the season.

“It was a little bit of adjustments,” Jensen said. “(Nicholls State) coaching staff is really good and they did a good job coming out. We made a few adjustments here and there and (tried) to get that mentality back for us on the offensive side of the ball and get that momentum going.”

Jensenn finished the game throwing for 253 yards with three total touchdowns, two passing and two passing and one rushing. Leading in rushing was junior wide receiver Caleb Twyford, whose 73 yards on the ground helped the passing attack for the Bobcats in a big way.

Jensen said the groundwork established by the defense as well as a constantly-moving offense helped the Bobcats dominate.

“It’s huge," said Jensen. “That is where games are won and lost is in the trenches. if you can keep moving the ball and keep the defense honest, and keep those guys from peeling their ears back, that is the first part of establishing the run game.”

Texas State is off this week until taking Bobcat Stadium again to play Sun Belt rival University of LouisianaMonroe on a nationally-televised scale (ESPNU) on Thursday, Oct. 12.

CLAIRE PARTAIN (11-4)

SPORTS EDITOR Army Oklahoma State Texas

COLTON MCWILLIAMS (10-5)

SPORTS REPORTER Army Oklahoma State Texas

ANDREW ZIMMEL (10-5)

SPORTS REPORTER Army Oklahoma State Texas

GUEST PICKER: MOLLY GONZALES Design Editor, The University Star Guest picker record: Last set by McClain Baxley Editor-In-Chief of Georgia Southern University's The George-Anne (9-6) Tulane Oklahoma State Texas Last Week's scores: 37-24 Lafayette | 24-3 Texas State | 30-17 ULM

The University Star

Tuesday, October 1, 2019 | 9

SPORTS

Claire Partain Sports Editor starsports@txstate.edu

FOOTBALL

Kickin' it

By Andrew Zimmel Sports Reporter Many fans met him in some of the most intense moments in recent Texas State football history: the nervewracking pressure of a whole game on his shoulders, the aftermath of preemptive celebratory fireworks and yells resonating around him.

In the end, it wasn’t the quarterback or running back who secured the ‘Cats their first conference win of the season against Georgia State, but senior kicker Josh Rowland.

Rowland secured his spot in Bobcat fans’ memories after hitting the gamewinning field goal that not only ended the game in triple overtime, but also snapped one of the longest streaks in the country- almost a year without a Texas State field goal.

“As a kicker, it’s pretty cool (to snap the streak). Being a kicker, I’m always saying stay the course and stay focused.”

Rowland said. “You have to stay level.

You can’t get too high or too low. I’m a big believer in kickers to just have tunnel vision and stay focused on one thingjust make your kicks."

Rowland also put in work at the Nicholls State rivalry game on Saturday, kicking in a 36-yard field goal in the 'Cats opening drive as the sole scorer for the first half.

Believe it or not, however, Rowland didn’t grow up knowing he wanted to suit up on Saturdays. In fact, Rowland’s winding road to San Marcos started on the soccer pitch.

“Junior year came around, and right before football season they needed a kicker,” Rowland said. “Our football coach came to our soccer coach and said ‘we need the kids with the biggest legs to try out', so me and about three other guys went out there and did some

kickoffs and I guess I did the best in his eyes.”

Just like that, Rowland secured his spot on the team, doing kickoffs in junior year and field goals his senior year. It was at that point that he knew that he could take kicking further than soccer.

“I knew I was going Ju Co either way in either (soccer or football), and I knew after Ju Co, I grew up a Mississippi State fan, so I could walk on there or to Southern Mississippi, and in soccer it wouldn’t be that easy for me.” Rowland said. “So I stuck with football and ended up getting a scholarship to Mississippi Gulf Community College.”

After being named Second Team AllAmerican at the NJCAA level twice, Rowland started getting phone calls to join bigger DII programs until finally he got the big call. The next thing he knew, he was in Texas with Tom Herman and his staff on the forty acres. Herman had recruited Rowland while he was at the University of Houston.

“I knew they were a great up and coming staff, and seeing what they had done at Houston was just incredible. I knew they would have the same success at Texas, and we did,” Rowland said.

“We won the Texas Bowl and the Sugar Bowl the next year.”

Rowland was the kicker for the Longhorns on and off for two seasons before coming to Texas State. Rowland had known that he wanted to transfer before he lost the job to Camron Dicker, saying that he knew he had more to prove and that he wanted to play. That didn’t stop him from helping out Dicker.

“When I lost my job, I knew my role and what I had to do.” Rowland said. “It was to help make the other guy, whoever it was, to help him whatever way I could to get him ready for the game.”

college football for places that had senior kickers.

That’s when he got a call from former Bobcat kicker James Sherman.

Senior Joshua Rowland kicks the game-winning field goal during the “(James) was third overtime of the Georgia State game Sept. 21 at Bobcat Stadium. the one who PHOTO BY KATE CONNORS actually started talking to me about coming here knew nothing for the test. So we had a actually,” Rowland said. “I got in touch drop test, and I literally sat down, wrote with Coach Whitworth and I was on my my name and turned it in.’” way to Texas State.”

As a grad student, Rowland juggles Coming from small town in the practice schedule, the MBA program Mississippi, San Marcos matched and his love for P. Terry’s like any other Rowland’s personality a little more student would. comfortability than Austin and so far the “I have class on Monday, Wednesday move has paid of for both the Bobcats and Thursday from 6:30 to 9:20 all those and Rowland. Since joining the ‘Cats, nights and they kill me,” Rowland said.

Rowland is five for eight on field goals “So I usually always go to P. Terry’s right and has hit nine extra points on the after that and just chow down.” season. He’ll be the first to say, however, Some fans still contest that kickers that the credit shouldn’t go to him, aren’t true athletes, but for Rowland and especially on his first game winning kick. his kicking brothers the answer is simple.

“I didn’t do anything. I did my job; I “We’re athletes in our own way.” did what I was supposed to do.” Rowland Rowland said. “We’re probably not said. “Those other guys, the nine guys up as strong or as fast as the rest of them, front, they won the game. The defense but no one can point their toe like we holding (Georgia State) to a field goal do, swing up through a ball and hit it with ten seconds left, credit to them. I through some goal posts. Or drop a ball, couldn’t do any of that without them. point your toe and make it turn over the Credit to them to stopping them and way a punter does. Or bend over, grab a holding them to two field goals, that the ball with both hands and throw it back guy missed, the offense for getting into 40 miles per hour on a perfect spiral like range to hit any of those field goals and a snapper. So yeah, we’re athletes in our PATs, that’s all credit to them.” own way, not in the stereotypical way.”

The ice in the veins to hit kicks doesn’t Texas State’s turbulent season righted always translate off the field however, as itself on the toe of Rowland, but the Rowland knows from experience team hopes every game doesn’t come “Honestly, I got super nervous in down to that. calculus one time. I didn’t even know Rowland and the ‘Cats take Bobcat what was on the test.” Rowland said. “At Stadium once again this weekend as Junior College one time there was a drop they face old ‘Battle for the Paddle’ rival test in calculus. It was one week that had Nicholls State on Saturday.

Rowland began looking around for I missed a day because I was sick and I

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10.10.19

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The University Star

10 | Tuesday, October 1, 2019

SPORTS

Claire Partain Sports Editor starsports@txstate.edu

SOCCER

VOLLEYBALL

Martin makes history despite scoreless weekend

Volleyball dominates weekend to open Sun Belt play

By Cade Andrews Sports Reporter

By Dedrick Johnson Sports Reporter Texas State volleyball took on two Louisiana teams to open conference this weekend, going 2-0 with two strong wins against Louisiana and the University of Louisiana-Monroe at home.

The Bobcats are now 10-6 and have won seven out of their last eight games.

On Sunday the Bobcats were able to pull off a clean 3-0 sweep against ULM (25-13, 25-17, 25-19), marking their third sweep in the last five games.

The offensive attack in this game was simply too much to handle for ULM, and the 'Cats dominated by putting up their highest hitting percentage of the season (.440).

Head coach Karen Chisum said the team played a well-rounded game which led them to hit at such a high percentage.

"That was a complete game," Chisum said. "I can't be happier than I am right now. Hats off to the team.

We passed well, Emily (DeWalt) distributed the ball well and the hitters (took) care of business."

The 'Cats dominated in every regard, pulling ahead of ULM in every stat, including kills (48-32), assists (43-28), aces (7-3), digs (4031), and blocks (5-4).

Chisum also said the sweep brought in a new level of confidence as they move farther into conference play.

“What we wanted from the team was to feel good after this weekend and to build our confidence,” Chisum said. “These kids are ready for whoever we put out in front of them now.”

The easy win came after a slightly tougher 3-1 victory against Louisiana Friday night (25-23, 21-25, 25-13, 25-20). Even with many lead changes and long rallies on both sides, the Bobcats found a way to execute their first conference win with a strong defensive performance.

Five players ended up with doubledigit digs and totaled 97 digs under the leadership of senior setter Emily DeWalt (25) and junior libero Brooke Johnson (19).

Four Bobcats reached season-highs and three made career records in their first conference matchup. Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey paced both teams with a seasonhigh of 21 kills, while sophomore OH Janell Fitzgerald trailed not

Cheyenne Huskey serves the ball at the Sept. 29 game against the University of Louisiana Monroe.

PHOTO BY KATELYN LESTER

far behind with 15 and Courtney Heiser performed a season-best of 13.

Alongside her career-high 25 digs, DeWalt matched her season-high of 47 assists while taking in her fifth double-double of the season. On the defensive side, two 'Cats made career history with Johnson's 19 digs and DS Rylie Fuentes recording 17 saves.

Huskey had a memorable weekend, ending up with a total of 35 kills between the two games. Huskey believes the team's confidence is high and is happy they got to start conference play at home.

“I think now that we are 2-0 in conference everyone is starting to relax while they play,” Huskey said.

Fitzgerald also played well through this weekend racking up 25 kills through two games. Fitzgerald and Huskey credit some of their success to playing alongside each other, Fitzgerald said.

“I love it,” Fitzgerald said. “We are always on each other and neck and neck every single game and practice.”

Dewalt also played a huge role this weekend, putting up a double-double in both games including team-highs of 46 and 41 assists.

Fitzgerald calls DeWalt the team captain and believes she is a great teammate to have.

“She is always a team player and it shows," Fitzgerald said. "She is an amazing player on and off the court.

She’s very consistent.”

The Bobcats will look to stay hot as they ravel to Arkansas State on Friday to kick off their three-game road trip.

The Texas State soccer team finished the weekend in Arkansas with one tie and one loss, drawing against rival Little Rock on Friday and falling to Arkansas State on Sunday to fall to 4-5-2 on the season.

The 'Cats have now been scoreless for five consecutive games and have lacked a win since September 1, seven matches ago.

Texas State fell 1-0 to Arkansas State on Sunday in Jonesboro, putting the Red Wolves at 7-3 on the season and 3-0 in the Sun Belt, while Texas State fell to 0-2-1 in the Sun Belt.

The Bobcats started out hot, firing three out of the first four shots of the match, with shots from senior forward Kaylee Davis, junior defender Jessica Pikoff and junior midfielder Mackenzie Smith just missing the goal.

In the 28th minute, Arkansas State sent in a cross over all of the Bobcat defenders. Jordan Kondikoff passed the ball to Gabie Jones in an attempt to clear the box but slightly hit Red Wolves' Abby Harris's foot, causing Harris to stumble. The ref then rewarded the penalty to Arkansas State, who capitalized the penalty kick off of the foot of Dana O'Boye to score the only

goal of the match.

The loss came off of a draw against Little Rock in a highly anticipated game following their heartbreaker loss to the Trojans in penalty kicks to bar them from NCAA play last season.

Despite the scoreless game, the Bobcats dominated the stat line across the board, recording 12 shots and four shots on goal while just missing the net each time.

In the 56th minute, Kaylee Davis beat a Trojan defender and faked out another for a shot but the goalkeeper was able to make a dive to block the play. the Bobcats shut down Little Rock defensively as well. The Trojans didn't get a shot until the 70th minute when Astros Lukas had a kick go just wide of the near post.

Goalkeeper Heather Martin only needed to make one save in the match for the shutout, recording her second shutout on the season and the 17th in her career. The game moved her to second place in Bobcat history on shutouts.

The Bobcats continue their season on Friday at 7 p.m. when they play at ULM before returning to San Marcos the following Sunday at noon to take on Appalachian State.

For the latest information on the Texas State soccer team, follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

IDENTITY THEFT

Charity Lacey

Vice President of Communications, Identity Theft Resource Center

Wednesday, Oct. 9 | 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Encino Hall, Room 104 Bonus Workshop - Securing Personal Devices: 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. in Flowers Hall, Room 230

PA S S W O R D M A N A G E M E N T

Jim Simpson

LogMeIn Enterprise Customer Success and Operations Leader

Wednesday, Oct. 16 | 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Encino Hall, Room 104

CYBERSECURITY

The Defenders A behind-the-scenes look at four famous cyber attacks and the incredible people tasked with keeping our institutions safe from ever-evolving cyber threats.

Wednesday, Oct. 23 | 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Albert B. Alkek Library, 4th Floor Conference Room F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N V I S I T

Infosecurity.txstate.edu/csam2019 P R E S E N T E D BY

Brooke Johnson dives to keep the ball in play Sept. 29 against the University of Louisiana Monroe.

PHOTO BY KATELYN LESTER

Texas State University is a tobacco-free campus.

This information is available in alternate format upon request from the Office of Disability Services.

If you require accommodations due to a disability in order to participate, please contact the Information Security Office at 512.245.4225 at least 72 hours in advance of the event.

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