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THE UPS AND DOWNS OF TEXAS STATE SOCCER, EXPLAINED
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TUESDAY OCTOBER 8, 2019 VOLUME 109 ISSUE 09
DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911
STUDENTS CREATE HORROR WEB-SERIES audience will be able to see the layers underneath each episode rather than seeing it as a surface-level horror film. “I think horror, as a genre, has the ability to say some of the most profound things as compared to any other genre,” Smith said. Smith said the ultimate takeaway he wants is for the show to inspire other students to tell their stories and create work all their own. “There are thousands of people with stories to tell,” Smith said. “I would like to think a student might see ('Tales of Phantasmagoria') and be inspired to tell their story in some capacity.” After the conception of the series, Smith and Matt Schlandt, theatre junior and co-showrunner, assembled a team and began the production process April 2019. The final edits are set to be complete as each episode is released, making the production a year-long endeavor. Schlandt said although horror was never his preferred genre, the work that goes into creating a film is worth the long and arduous process. "It's a lot of fun to make these kinds of movies," Schlandt said. “It really does take a village.” Films are produced by a three-level process: pre-production, production and post-production. Pre-production involves gathering resources necessary prior to filming, including all props, crew members, film locations and funding. The production stage refers to the actual filming process and post-production consists of the editing needed to perfect the film. A consistent team of 12 individuals contributed to every episode, with each team member providing input to create a collaborative environment. Additional
By Kyle Chitwood Life & Arts Reporter A group of film students is releasing "Tales of Phantasmagoria" to draw Halloween season to a close. The horror anthology was created with hopes to produce an exciting show and further students' cinema experience. In total, four 10-to-15-minute episodes will be released weekly, beginning Oct. 10. The final episode will air on Halloween. Each live-action episode in the series has its own storyline and gives a unique spin on popular horror monsters seen throughout cinema. The show will be released by Moon St., a production company the students started summer 2019 to release films. "Tales of Phantasmagoria" will be the first project released by the company and will be available on YouTube under the Moon St. page. Students plan to screen all four episodes at the Theater Center, located at 430 Moon St., after the finale is released. The production company is aptly named after the location of the center. Theatre senior and showrunner Duncan Smith said the original goal was to make each film have a different feel. Various student directors worked on each episode to create their own unique vision. He said the tone and genre of each episode tie the series together. “The actual feeling of each episode is unique to the individual heading it up,” Smith said. “We like to give the director as much freedom as possible to see their vision.” Smith conceived the idea October 2018 after working on a Halloween fan film set. Smith’s appreciation of social commentary in horror films inspired him to create the series. He hopes the
student actors and makeup artists assisted in the production. The entire series was written, directed, filmed and funded by students. Theatre senior and executive producer Sophie Misercola said having various people direct and produce each episode helps students discover their voice and find new perspectives in the art. “It’s great as students so we can get together and learn from each other in a professional way,” Misercola said. Smith said being a film student offers various opportunities to create work, but school projects often have limiting factors regarding creativity and timeliness. The students wanted to create something less restrictive. “A big part of ('Tales of Phantasmagoria') was how we wanted to make something that had less restraint around it,” Smith said. Fall 2019 is the first semester Texas State theatre majors have had the option to pursue a film concentration. Smith said having a smaller film program has its advantages in contrast to a larger entity like the University of Texas at Austin. “The cool thing about our film program (at Texas State) is it’s so small, so everyone is on the same team,” Smith said. Theatre and dance lecturer Susan Busa said the faculty aims to provide opportunities for students to discover their voice in the art. She is thrilled students are putting their own time and effort into the series; she is proud to see them applying classroom knowledge to real-world work. “This is exactly what you hope students will do: they’ll be self-starters,” Busa said. “It’s very validating for us as teachers to see students go out and do this.” Misercola said faculty in the theatre
and dance department are supportive and she is grateful for the encouragement. “They’re all really good at supporting us and
helping with
whatever we need,” Misercola said. The majority of the equipment used in the series was loaned courtesy of the Texas State theatre and dance department. Schlandt said he is appreciative of the opportunities provided by the faculty and staff. “We could not have done ('Tales of Phantasmagoria') without them,” Schlandt said. A trailer is available on YouTube for the first episode titled “The Last of the Coven.” For updates on the release of each episode and the screening date, follow the series on Instagram @ talesofphantasmagoria.
LEGISLATION
SAFETY
Menstruation frustration leaves Texas State
Texas Legislator addresses Clery report
Free menstrual products hit restrooms on campus By Sarah Martinez News Reporter
PHOTO BY ANGELINA CAZAR
The frustration of paying for menstrual products is being alleviated on campus as years of legislation enact free menstrual hygiene for students. Legislation for the Menstrual Availability Act was first introduced in Student Government April 2018 by former Student Senator Elijah Miller. The act allows students the opportunity to have access to free sanitary pads and tampons on campus. The act was passed during the Clegg administration. However, the pilot program is now being implemented. “There was a lot of obvious dysfunction going forward with Student Government so (legislation) on menstrual products kind of got lost,” Thompson said. Former Student Government Vice President Keely Freund asked Thompson for the advancement of the program during his term. “She asked me if we could work together to get it started so by the time (we were in session), this could be something we'd already made progress on," Thompson said. During the summer, Student Government spoke with custodial facilities, since its staff members would be stocking dispensers throughout the
school year. Additionally, custodial facilities canvassed buildings part of the pilot program to get approval for application of menstrual products at the beginning of the school year. Student Government sought out funding for two weeks. According t o Thompson, t h e program will cost $5,200 and is being funded by t h e
Division of Student Affairs. Student Government approached Student Affairs with the issue, where Vice President Joanne Smith was supportive. Aunt Flow, a company aiming to provide tampons and pads for businesses and schools, will be the menstrual product vendor for the program. Funding did not allow for the program to be accessible in each building on campus. Places offering tampons and pads include Lampases, Harris and Commons Dining Hall, Supple Science Building, McCoy SEE LEGISLATION PAGE 2
By Jakob Rodriguez Editor-in-Chief At least one Texas legislator has called for changes in reporting practices across Texas institutions. Texas State detailed numerous instances of underreported crime statistics on campus between 20162018 in its Annual Security Report. Now, the state—as well as the campus community—is taking notice. Texas State Rep. Chris Turner addressed a letter to the Texas Commissioner for Higher Education Harrison Keller, citing Texas State's failure to report rapes, liquor law violations and stalking among other issues that occurred in 2016 and 2017. The letter between the two comes after Texas State tallied 57 rapes from 2016-2018. An additional 29 rapes were left off of Texas State’s previous years’ Annual Security Report, formerly known as “Campus Watch.” Turner stated in the letter that addressing sexual assault on college campuses is a “priority” of the Texas legislature. “Two measures that passed in the 86th Legislature, HB1735 and SB 212, include a focus on reporting improvements,” Turner’s letter to Keller stated. “Currently, your agency is considering rulemaking for these new laws and I would urge you to keep instances of deficient reporting
practices in mind as you draft rules to improve the system and better protect Texas students.” The report, now known as the Annual Security Report, was made available to all current students, faculty and staff at 5:35 p.m. Sept. 30. Reported liquor law violations for Texas State—both on and off campus—on the revised statistics for the Clery reportable years of 2016 and 2017 rose from seven total in 2016 and 2017 to 312 for the same time period. Additionally, instances of stalking— previously reported three times both on and off campus in 2016 and 2017— rose to nine instances of reported stalking and was reported eight times in 2018 alone. Texas State staff members revisited police reports from the two years in question to ensure reports were classified correctly as a part of a reported “university-wide process.” According to a university press release, this process will seek to ensure accurate crime statistics in the future. Turner noted in his letter to Keller that during the legislative interim, the House Committee on Higher Education would be closely monitoring rulemaking for all higher education legislation passed in the last session. “As we do, it will be important to review prior reporting practices at institutions to ensure there are no SEE SAFETY PAGE 2